EAT > Vinesmith, Melbourne (15/20)

Vinesmith is a rare thing in Melbourne’s CBD: a true city cellar door and more than that it actually feels tethered to the vineyards it pours, with a French‑leaning bistro upstairs that looks over Treasury Gardens and feels worlds away from the office towers below. It’s part wine bar, part bottle shop, part dining room,…

ByCrispinFebruary 7, 20260Comments

EAT > JAPAN EAT > TOKYO WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Abysse, Ebisu Tokyo (19/20)

Abysse in Ebisu is that rare fine-dining room where Tokyo’s elegance, French technique, and Japan’s coastal abundance converge in a single, quietly dramatic arc. Anchored by seafood and the seasons, chef Kotaro Meguro’s cooking feels both deeply considered and instinctive, like a tide that knows exactly when to rise and fall. AMBIENCE > Slip…

ByCrispinJanuary 9, 20260Comments

EAT > JAPAN EAT > YUZAWA NIIGATA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Beaux Séjour, Naeba Niigata (15/20)

Beaux Séjour at Naeba Prince Hotel delivers a surprisingly polished, gently old‑world French dining experience at the base of one of Japan’s classic ski mountains, with a New Year’s menu that leans into nostalgia, craft and alpine comfort in equal measure. AMBIENCE > Tucked inside the sprawling Naeba Prince Hotel complex, Beaux Séjour feels like…

ByCrispinJanuary 4, 20260Comments

EAT > APPI KOGEN EAT > JAPAN WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Shiratsuyu at ANA Intercontinental Appi Kogen (14/20)

Shiratsuyu at ANA InterContinental Appi Kogen is less a standard hotel restaurant and more a calm, quietly luxurious alpine dining room, where polished service, thoughtful cooking, and a deep sense of place come together just steps from the snow. Returning to Appi Kogen after a couple years has been a mixed experience. Our first time…

ByCrispinDecember 26, 20250Comments

EAT > JAPAN EAT > TOKYO WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > KUFUKU±, Akihabara Tokyo (17/20)

Tucked into a quiet backstreet on the Akihabara side of Chiyoda, Kufuku feels like stepping out of electric town and into a parallel world—one where time, fermentation, and French technique quietly reframe Japanese comfort food. Set inside a lovingly preserved kominka, this is destination dining for travellers who like their Tokyo with as much patina…

ByCrispinDecember 22, 20250Comments

EAT > JAPAN EAT > TOKYO WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > JULIA, Shibuya, Tokyo (19/20)

Tucked away in the residential fringes of Jingumae, just beyond Omotesando's designer bustle, JULIA remains a Shibuya gem for those seeking Japan's seasonal essence through innovative fine dining. Returning after our acclaimed 2024 visit to the expanded space—where Chef Nao and Sommelier Kenichiro elevated their husband-and-wife intimacy to a poised team operation—this latest meal reaffirms…

ByCrispinDecember 20, 20250Comments

DRINK > BARS DRINK > SYDNEY

DRINK > Conte, Sydney (17/20)

Conte in Sydney’s CBD is grand, an unapologetically Italian, ode to the Negroni. Part bar, part ristorante, and all about drama, detail and la dolce vita energy. With more than 30 (and climbing toward 40) Negroni riffs, serious Italian wines and a full dining menu, it feels less like a pre-dinner pit-stop and more like…

ByCrispinDecember 7, 20250Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > NSW EAT > SYDNEY WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Eleven Barrack, Sydney (18/20)

Eleven Barrack feels like a grand city dining room that Sydney has been waiting for: a lavish steak and seafood grill in a heritage bank building, tuned with just enough irreverence to keep things fun. It is also the sharpest new expression of the Bentley Group’s polished food, wine and service playbook, right in the middle…

ByCrispinDecember 3, 20250Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > NSW EAT > SYDNEY WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Saint Peter, Paddington Sydney (19/20)

Saint Peter in Sydney is one of Australia’s (possibly the world’s) most compelling places to eat seafood right now, a restaurant that turns whole fish into high drama without ever losing sight of comfort, generosity, and genuine hospitality. Relocated to The Grand National Hotel in Paddington, it feels like both a neighbourhood dining room and…

ByCrispinDecember 2, 20250Comments

EAT > FRANCE EAT > PARIS WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Chez Georges, Paris (18/20)

Since 1964, Chez Georges has remained one of Paris's most treasured bistro institutions—a place where time stands still, handwritten menus never falter, and the art of French cooking is executed with unwavering devotion. Tucked quietly on rue du Mail in the 2nd arrondissement, just north of Place des Victoires, this is a dining room that…

ByCrispinNovember 26, 20250Comments