You'll be good. Many (most?) places have excellent AC.

You should absolutely plan to hit several of the hawker courts. While not refined or haute cuisine, one May find some absolutely incredible bites.

So many good places to enjoy excellent food. This thread is a great source of information. I must try some of the places here.

I agree that it is an issue of "fitting in" - to me it is much more about respecting the venue and your fellow diners by following the dress code of the venue. I know some people enjoy dressing up for dinner and see it as part of the whole dinning experience (my wife for example), whilst someone like me would prefer not having to worry about what to wear and focus on just the food itself.

Anyway here are my thoughts on the top 100 restaurants I have been to:

4. Eleven Madison Park - went there with my wife for our anniversary during our NYC visit. Impeccable service and it was an unforgettable 4-hr culinary journey for us. The best overall dinning experience we had by a long way.

5. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - clever food packed with amazing flavors. I really liked how Heston managed to put a modern twist to the traditional English dishes. Definitely a much more casual and relaxed experience compared to the other top restaurants. Personally I found the whole experience more enjoyable because of that. They do have a tasting menu but sadly only for the chef's table.

10. Ledbury - we had lunch there and had the full tasting menu. Food was good but was rather uninspiring for a 2 Michelin star establishment. The service was a little underwhelming as well for a restaurant of that standard. The waiter actually served us one of the dishes when my wife was still in the ladies, and I had to kindly remind him that it may be better to wait for my wife to be back before serving the dish...

27. Le Chateaubriand - good price vs food quality though it didn't give us the "wow" factor some of the other restaurants did on the list. Make sure you make a reservation otherwise be prepared to queue for 3 hours...

31. L'Atelier Saint-Germain De Joel Robuchon - my first Robuchon experience and was so unforgettable that it led me to visit the other Robuchons in NYC, Hong Kong and London. No question that this is still the best one by far.

60. Quay - I have to say we didn't enjoy our dining experience here as much compared to the other restaurants on the top 100 list. Food was okay and service wasn't particularly inspiring.

66. Lung King Heen - Food was excellent though I didn't think that the service was up to 3 michelin star standard, especially the restaurant was half empty when we were there.

85. Caprice - we dined here 3 times during our 1-month stay at the FS residence in HK. Good food and service - set lunch was really good value for money (for a restaurant of this standard)

86. Les Amis - used to be our favorite restaurant in Singapore (especially when Daniel Texter was still there - he was the head pastry chef at Noma). We went there again for lunch during our last SIN visit (about a year ago), but was disappointed to find out that the food quality wasn't as good as we had remembered

97. Bo Innovation - visited twice, first for dinner and second for lunch. The dinner experience was good and worthy of a michelin star, but the lunch experience was rather disappointing. They definitely didn't have enough staff to provide michelin star service during our lunch visit. We had to keep asking the waiters to refill our water/wine. Food was pretty good for lunch, but probably not good enough for us to visit again (at least not for that price point for lunch)

A few on the list that we plan to visit during our upcoming trip:

13. Nahm

17. Gaggan

24. Amber

25. L'Arpege

Some of our best dishes/meals aren't refined or haute. Just super good eats. Found these 2 places on our recent trip to Houston just by googling best restaurants close to 2 museums we were visiting:

http://brickandspoonrestaurant.com/locations/houston/

http://www.lucilleshouston.com/

And I gotta tell you - the shrimp and grits at Brick and Spoon were among the top 3 I've ever had (and much better than I've had in famous places in Charleston - and I've been eating shrimp and grits for decades in the south now) - and the pastry chef at Lucille's was pretty near world class.

I think it's often more fun stumbling onto really good not super expensive eats by accident than going to some super expensive place you've booked months in advance where you expect everything to be fabulous - and it isn't. Then again - I've had really excellent eats in many different parts of the world in many different price ranges. Color my dining preferences eclectic . Robyn

When you said "whilst" - I initially thought you were from the UK. But reading everything else - I now think the land "down under".

I don't plan to go to Les Amis on our trip to Singapore. It just sounds very drab and kind of old fashioned.

If you get to Tokyo - go to Robuchon there (not l'Atelier). It is really excellent and priced very reasonably at lunch.

Next time to Europe. In London - try Gordon Ramsay RHR for lunch combined with an afternoon visit to the Chelsea Flower Show (next show May 2015). Lovely way to spend a day. And try the 110 euro lunch at Guy Savoy in Paris. Note that I like somewhat classical French food. If you don't - forget my recommendations .

FWIW - I've spent between $600 and $1000 (with modest drink) for meals for 2 on several occasions. Last one that was worth it IMO was AD New York (now closed). And that was more than a decade ago. Also note that places that we've dined at a while back - like Per Se - that used to be < $200 pp - have only fixed menus with well in north of those prices now.

http://eater.com/archives/2013/01/28...in-america.php

Robyn

P.S. If you are from the land "down under" - what do you think of/have heard about Chef Tetsuya Wakuda - his places in Australia and Singapore?

Well spotted! I spent over 10 years in London so picked up a few words along the way! Now I am indeed "down under" - loving the weather/lifestyle here!

Interestingly I had Gordon's RHR in mind when I was writing this yesterday - I went there a 8-9 years ago with my colleagues and my first 3-star experience. We were there for lunch and the service was impeccable. They were very attentive yet not overbearing - whenever we attempted to make eye contact they would come to us straight away.

Petrus at the Berkeley Hotel was my other personal favorite - I supposed being in the close proximity to where we used to live helped!

My wife lived in Paris for a short period so I normally just follow her around when we were in Paris - though I will be sure to mention Guy Savoy lunch to her as one of the lunch places for our upcoming visit!

Tetsuya in Sydney is very good and one that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. We have been there 3 times over the last couple of years and food/services had been very consistent. I would go back just for their signature Confit of Ocean Trout - definitely our favorite. Have not tried his restaurant in Singapore though.

Thank you for this information. After talking with my husband - we've decided against Waku Ghin. It just really doesn't seem like a restaurant we'd enjoy that much. Have decided to book Joel Robuchon. It still offers an "old fashioned" choice of "how many courses" menu - which I really like (as well as the type of long tasting menu I don't like). Note that the prices are quite reasonable. 170 SD for an amuse/1 appetizer/1 main/coffee or tea with petit fours. For 240 SD - you get a second appetizer and dessert. There are other options are well. If the bread and dessert trolleys are anywhere near as good as they were in Tokyo - I could just dine on those and forget about the rest of the meal .

Our lunch at Gordon Ramsay RHR was just about 10 years ago - and I agree with your impressions. We've never been to Petrus.

Some of our best dining in the UK has been "out in the country". I was surprised to see that one of our past favorites - Gidleigh Park - is now rated the best restaurant in the UK and has 2 Michelin stars (http://www.hardens.com/restaurant-ne...imes-foodlist/). It was fairly new - and somewhat undiscovered when we dined there. But the lamb in that part of the world was to die for (and apparently is still ^^^). And Devon is a really beautiful part of the UK - with plenty of good hiking where you can walk off your meals and your clotted cream teas . Robyn

Waku Ghin was on our mind when we were in Singapore a few years back (lived there for a year and loved it there) - until we found out how much it costs per person, especially when we could get the same Tetsuya experience for a lot less in Sydney!

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on Joel Robuchon in Singapore - I personally had good experience with his restaurants around the world (except the one in London which I didn't really like). Gotta love the creamy mash potato there *yum*

I agreed that some of the best dinning experience can often be found outside of London - like the Waterside Inn for example. We will be sure to visit Gidleigh Park the next time we are in London, and may be Fat Duck since I am still a big fan of Heston.

Did you know that Fat Duck is opening temporarily in Melbourne (for 6 months I hear) and there are rumours that it could cost you as much as A$3000 per head to dine there... not sure how true that is though!

Reserved for dinners at Guy Savoy and Epicure and lunch at L'Arpege in Paris in October. Looking forward to seeing how they compare with each other and to our other favorites. And of course we also will have our staple dinner at 1 Place Vendome in the Hotel de Vendome, our tradition whenever in Paris.

Reserved for dinners at Topaz, Sunset Grill & Bar, and Mikla while in Istanbul in October (staying at Park Hyatt). Any thoughts on those choices or for nice lunch options while touring around the city?

Yes - value enters into things IMO. But value depends on several things. Not only how much something costs - but how much you like it. Waku Ghin is super expensive. And - based on our dining in Japan last year - I don't think it's the type of food that would blow us away - no matter how fine the ingredients are or how well they're prepared.

We are still somewhat stubbornly attached to relatively classical/modern French food. Our first experience with Robuchon was when Robuchon was still in the kitchen - at Jamin in Paris. We avoided his post-"unretirement" restaurants for years because we feared ruining our memories of that meal. Although we did have some at L'Atelier in New York (now closed). It was a decent place for first night dinner if you were staying at the Four Seasons - especially if your flight got delayed. But nothing special. But - on this last trip to Japan - I wanted French food on my birthday. And picked Robuchon. Absolutely loved that meal - and am hoping to have a similar experience in Singapore. BTW - don't think the mashed potatoes were on the menu in Japan (and I wouldn't have ordered them if they were - my husband is the mashed potatoes person in our family ).

Another place we enjoyed very much in the UK was Le Manoir aux Quat' Siasons If you're thinking of trying Gidleigh - Le Manoir - or anywhere else I mention for the most part in Europe - remember that some of my trips are of ancient vintage. E.g., we were at Le Manoir during the "Great Hurricane of 1987" (a big mess - power went out - luckily the place cooks with gas ). So check out current reviews. This is Jay Rayner's (extremely amusing) review of Le Manoir from 2013:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...taurant-review

FWIW - Mr. Rayner is one of my favorite restaurant reviewers. Reading his reviews of places can be more fun than dining in them. E.g.,

http://www.amazon.com/My-Dining-Hell...rds=jay+rayner

Anything that happens in Australia or any other place in the world where I have to sleep on a plane to get there is news to me (unless I happen to be planning a trip there). But I would find $3k/head simply nuts (unless air fare and hotel were included ). Guess I am just too old. That visit to Jamin way back when cost < $200 for 2 with decent (although not great) wine. And I remember being able to buy "big bottles" for < $100 (although - especially in France - we usually stuck with more modest regional wines recommended by expert sommeliers who were eager to show off local offerings).

BTW - to the extent that any of this pricing is driven by the cost of expensive ingredients - as opposed to other things - well people like you and me - who don't live in the center of things (according to most people) - can order lots of stuff on line these days. You might try fromages.com for cheese (don't think Australia has all the silly rules about cheese aging that we have in the US). And perhaps there's a place closer to you like this one where I order everything from foie gras to poussin to quail to squab:

http://www.dartagnan.com/

Throw another poussin on the barbie .

Perhaps Australia will be our next long trip. I'll only need a million billion FF miles to get even 1 free front of the plane ticket - but I'm working on it! Robyn

Took a look - and the lunch at L'Arpege (140 euros) seems like a great value compared with dinner at 340 euros. Any reason you didn't go "all lunches" (Guy Savoy has one that is priced well - Epicure probably does too - but I couldn't find it in 60 seconds)? You'll be traveling a lot of time zones east - probably waking up really late - and that may well be a factor for you (last time in Europe - we almost slept through a lunch reservation - and we're 3 time zones closer than you are).

I don't know about anyone else. But something that seems fabulous at < $200 USD sometimes doesn't seem so fabulous at > $500+ USD. It's all a question of perceived value IMO.

I suspect which restaurant(s) you like the most will depend on what you like to eat. L'Arpege is pretty much a veggie type restaurant. Veggie places aren't my favorite. But they might be yours. October is game season in most of northern Europe/France/Paris. If you like game - you'll like the restaurants like Guy Savoy that do great things with game.

I reckon all foods are created equal - but our taste buds are all different . I think unless someone is a total newbie - and doesn't know what he/she likes - that he/she should pick restaurants based on the kinds of food he/she really likes. Robyn

If your name is Rubin - you are probably Jewish. And - if you're Jewish - I wouldn't go to Turkey today:

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.606820

You've mentioned that you're gay - and that's another reason not to go as well:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...omophobia.html

If you have any concerns along these lines - best to explore them in Omni here. You can start your own thread - and I started this one:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/omni-...l#post23275858

There are some things in life that are more important than good meals IMO. Robyn

Oh Robyn. You and I don't seem to be in line on anything on these forums! :-)

Yes, I'm gay and Jewish-raised (now atheist)--but that hasn't stopped me from having fabulous travel to Indonesia (Java, Lombok, Moyo), Jordan, Egypt, Mozambique, etc. We had booked our trip to Moscow for last October before the anti-gay laws were passed, and we went anyway--and took photos kissing in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in our own form of protest...with nary a reaction or comment.

We are adventurers, and we like to experience other cultures and see other places. We expect we will have no problems in Istanbul, much as we've had no problems in Cairo, Amman, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, etc. Most Muslims we've met have been incredibly friendly, a little curious, and usually end up asking questions once they felt comfortable with us. Those who weren't never bothered us--nor would we likely allow that to happen. I'm a fairly bad-a** type of guy. :-)

I often say that people get what they give. I assume the best from the people we meet in our travels, and that's usually what we experience.

FYI, we are avoiding Uganda in December when we go gorilla trekking, choosing instead to stay in Rwanda--lest you think we really are crazy. :-)

Well I wish you good luck in your travels - and will leave the Omni aspects of this discussion to Omni. Our biggest problems in some of the more adventurous places we've gone to - like Egypt - have usually been along the lines of food poisoning/turista. Then again - we were in Egypt in 1981 - a few months before President Sadat was assassinated. Kinder gentler times.

I'm not sure that Rwanda is less crazy than Uganda (don't know much/anything about either place). About the most I'd say WRT places like that is make sure you get all the required/recommended shots. Don't know how old you are - but our doctors tell us that as we get older - the immunity conferred by our childhood vaccinations diminishes/disappears. So we need to be revaccinated for some things (like whooping cough - which is making a comeback even in the United States). Also - we need shots we've never had before (like shots for Hep A).

Also follow all recommended food precautions. One reason we avoid second/third world countries these days is we're absolutely awful when it comes to following these precautions. And there's no better way to ruin a vacation than winding up sick as a result of something you've eaten.

BTW - we've found that Japan is a great place to travel. Both in terms of exploring a new culture and eating great food. Without having to worry about anything - except perhaps jet lag . Robyn

We arrive in Paris on a Sat afternoon (AF LAX-CDG), so dinner at Guy Savoy that Sat night is our only option since we depart Tues and they are closed on Sun and Mon. We've canceled reservations twice before at Guy Savoy Paris and once in Vegas, so we are determined to finally dine there. Whether we do the tasting menu or a la carte will depend on our jetlag situation!

I am a meat eater, but I had a lunch at Noma (2012) that was out of this world...and more vegetarian than protein. So I'm willing to try lunch at L'Arpege and allow myself the chance to be surprised. Besides, my hubby loves vegetables. Mon lunch therefore seemed the smarter route based on price and our schedule...as we fly out early on Tues.

Epicure dinner is our Sun night. There aren't as many options open on Sunday nights, so we are delighted for the chance to try Epicure.

We love to dine, so getting in a number of great restaurants for us is part of the reason for travel, especially to major world cities like Paris. I'm not a big fan of museums, and I can only shop for a bit...so Paris to me is all about dressing stylishly (with my own version of great style, mind you, sans jacket!), dining well, shopping for unique clothing/shoes that we can't get in the US, and drinks at some of the best hotel bars in the world. We can't wait to check out the new Peninsula Paris, as well.

The good news for us is that Guy Savoy has informed us that we don't have to wear a jacket; though they prefer jackets for men, nice slacks, nice shirt, and great shoes will suffice. The same is true for L'Arpege. Only Epicure is standing by its jacket requirement. We have an alternative reservation at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Saint Germain in case we really don't want to bring or wear jackets.

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My wife had a desert at L'Arpege of poached peach and something like 150 year old balsamic vinegar that she let me try. It changed my perception of reality.

It is a splendid place.

I couldn't possibly eat that much food in such a short period of time. But - if you can - it would be a shame if you missed Epicure just because you don't want to bring a jacket. Remember that Paris can be rather cool - if not downright cold - in October. Damp too. So you'll probably need some warmer clothing.

If I were packing for you - assuming you don't have super thin southern California blood (and need more clothing) - I would pack a really nice winter suit that went well with a pair of nice pants and some thin sweaters on top (my husband looks great in crew necks - but YMMV). And wear the jacket on the plane. Reckon your hotel will have umbrellas assuming it rains.

Since I'm an old Jewish mother to you - I suggest you consult with SeamasterLux here - perhaps by private message. He writes this column in Parisian Gentlemen - Suites and Suits - http://parisiangentleman.co.uk/author/paul-lux/. Which he has incorporated by reference in his posts here about luxury hotels in Tokyo and London. He has a great sense of style IMO and doubt he's anywhere near my husband's age - probably much closer to yours .

FWIW - even at our age - we don't want to look like middle aged American schlump tourists - especially in a city like Paris. Especially at high end restaurants. Our last trip to Paris - every guy in a place like Guy Savoy was wearing a suit (and a very fashionable age appropriate suit at that).

A final suggestion. Our last trip to Paris - our lunch at Guy Savoy ended a bit past 3 pm. We booked out of the Four Seasons that morning - and spent the night before our early am flight home (like 7 am) at the airport. We not only saved a bunch of money - but it was a very convenient way to handle things. Robyn

First time I ever had a super old aged balsamic vinegar in a dessert course (mine was strawberries ++) was at Louie's Backyard in Key West Florida. Decades ago. When Norman Van Aken (one of our first great Florida/Floribbean chefs) was putting us on the map.

I will say it again. The great meals/dishes you have are the ones you remember. I happen to love poached pear desserts and am sorry I never got to try some of what your wife had. Robyn

Haha, Robyn. My problem is that I run SUPER hot--even 20 C is warm for me, so most restaurants, regardless of the weather outside, are frightfully warm for me. THAT is why I'm so loathe to wear a jacket almost anywhere. Rarely is the restaurant cool enough for me to comfortably wear a jacket. (I experienced this recently at Daniel, where I wore my lightest black Zegna suit and was uncomfortably warm...but would have been safe at Alinea where I was exempted from a jacket and found it gloriously cool.)

I always dress well in Paris--actually whenever we dine at a fine restaurant outside of Southern California--but that doesn't mean I wear a suit or a jacket. As I've commented previously in this thread, I don't believe being well dressed requires a jacket; conforming to the well-dressed standard of a jacket/suit is for most men, but it isn't for me.

If I'm going to be uncomfortably warm while dining with a jacket (as I was at Daniel), then I'd rather choose another restaurant. That is one reason I've never returned to French Laundry and why I've not yet been to Per Se. We all have our priorities, and being comfortably cool is one of mine if I'm going to enjoy a 3-4 hour meal. Epicure may have to wait...but we get to Paris plenty, so if not this time then perhaps another. It depends on the weather and how cool their dining room may be--for me. I speak for only myself in this regard.

I've received compliments on my style even in Paris--even without a suit or jacket, mind you--so I'm fairly comfortable with my style...as if being a gay man isn't sufficient. I'd never look like a schlubby tourist...but I also don't dress like I am a banker or politician because I'm not. :-)