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THE WORLD ON A PLATE Tom Norrington-Davies takes a gourmet's journey around the globe, dining at the best restaurant on each continent(The Sunday Telegraph Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Food and travel are inextricably linked for me. Some like to watch the world go by but I love to see it - and then stop and eat: I don't mind if it's a snack grabbed in a frantic street market or dinner at the hottest table in town. These days you can find that hot table just about anywhere. Since 2002, Restaurant magazine has published an annual list of the world's 50 best restaurants, all selected by an international panel of 600 chefs, restaurateurs and food critics. Last year, a British establishment, the Fat Duck, in Bray, won the top spot. The list is handy for the gourmet traveller, for while there have always been comprehensive guides to eating in Europe, now it is possible to circumnavigate the globe, knowing exactly where to book for dinner. Penfolds Wines, the sponsor of the awards, recently gave me the chance to do just that. I would travel from London to London, eating at one award-winning restaurant on every continent. Accompanying me on this arduous task would be Joe Warwick, editor of Restaurant. Given that it occupies the top spot - and is on Heathrow's doorstep - it made sense to let the Fat Duck represent Europe. We designed the rest of the journey around some of the world's great cities: Cape Town, Sydney, Hong Kong and New York. "Why on earth would you do anything this daft?'' friends asked me. Well, the food, of course, and also the fact that the journey has a touch of rock-star glamour about it. We rarely plan our trips around dinner and that's a pity. All too often, when you are a stranger in town, you can end up in tourist traps or chain restaurants just because everything else is intimidating or beyond reach. The route we took was not gruelling. We went from London to Cape Town; the next leg was to Hong Kong (via Johannesburg) and from there to Sydney, each leg requiring about 11 hours in the air with modest time differences. Only when we crossed the date line between Australia and North America did the flying become arduous. But ours was no ordinary trip; if you were making a gastronomic pilgrimage you needn't go the whole hog. New York and Cape Town are just close enough for long weekends. Hong Kong is the perfect stopover between London, Australia, New Zealand and parts of the Far East. But a word of warning: however you design your long-haul dining journey, be sure to book restaurant tables well ahead. But what to do when you're not eating? To give myself a sense of place and to work up a healthy appetite, I always headed for the highest point in our chosen destinations - it just so happened that all four cities have one. You can't miss Cape Town's Table Mountain, it dominates every city skyline. Then there is Hong Kong's Peak, with its almost surreal view of the harbour. In Sydney my vantage point was the Harbour Bridge, while in New York I scaled the Rockefeller Center. I also made a point of taking to the water. All four cities have good harbour tours, but ferries are cheaper and allow you to travel hugger-mugger with the local population. For me the best of these trips was the Star Ferry in Hong Kong. I'd happily go half way round the world just for that five-minute chug across the harbour. The view, whichever way you look, is mindboggling. Look out for the black kites catching thermals and soaring between the tower blocks. New York's Staten Island ferry gives you picturesque views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. What's more, it's free. Even if you end up a little overwhelmed by long journeys and want to take things easy, there are the restaurants themselves. They really are the bright lights in the big cities. BRAY The restaurant The Fat Duck, High Street, Bray, Berks (01628 580333). Heston Blumenthal's famously experimental food makes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory read like a piece of gritty realism. The atmosphere is warm and conspiratorial and every dish is a joy. The tasting menu costs pounds 97.75 per person, with an optional selection of wines by the glass at pounds 90 per person. Make room for the Fat Duck's take on Lancashire hot pot, deconstructed and served over three courses. What to drink Let the waiters match each dish on the tasting menu. The range is adventurous, to say the least, and includes some really unusual choices. Fellow diners It's not so much about who is eating here as watching your fellow diners reacting to each new twist and turn on the menu. The hotel The Oakley Court Hotel, Windsor Road, Water Oakley, Berks (08713 308234; doubles from pounds 129). This superb mansion, a mile or so outside Bray, was restored and reopened to the public as a hotel in the 1980s. Everything about it feels like a stately home, from the suits of armour in the hallways to the carefully tended grounds that go down to the Thames. And if you're planning to do the world on a plate, you can get yourself into shape in the pool and gym. The local experience Ride along this ludicrously pretty section of the Thames. You wouldn't believe that within a few miles it turns into that muddy great hulk that divides north and south London. Boats ply the water between Bray and Windsor. You can even arrange to be taken into Bray on a boat from the Oakley Court Hotel, arriving for lunch or dinner in style. CAPE TOWN The restaurant The tasting room at Le Quartier Francais Auberge and Restaurant, 16 Huguenot Road, Franschhoek (0027 21 876 2151; www.lequartier. co.za; doubles from pounds 95), is set in a stunning amphitheatre of mountains in the wine country just 40 minutes from Cape Town. Design your own four- or six-course tasting menu of superb dishes prepared by the chef, Margot Janse. Whenever possible, the food is based on local and seasonal produce. An eight-course dinner costs pounds 42 per person, or pounds 62 with a selection of wines. This is excellent value - the meal I had here was the best on the trip. Make room for pan-fried salmon trout; truffled sweetcorn; smoked blesbok loin; bacon and foie gras risotto; and pina colada sorbet with coriander. What to drink You are surrounded by vineyards, so opt for local wines to match the tasting menu. Fellow diners Starry-eyed couples. And no wonder, for this is definitely a place to honeymoon. You can switch easily between the thrills of the Cape and the romantic opulence of your immediate surroundings. The hotel Stay at the auberge, where rooms are like little cottages, dotted around gardens, and almost invisible to one other. The local experience Relive recent history en route to Franschhoek by standing at the gates of Victor Vester Prison. It's where Nelson Mandela walked to freedom in 1990. HONG KONG The restaurant Felix, 28th Floor, Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (00852 2315 3188; www.peninsula.com; from pounds 195). The view is so good you could forget to look around you at the Philippe Starck-designed restaurant, or, indeed, forget to order any food. Dishes range from pounds 8 to pounds 22, but there is a three-course set menu for pounds 25 per person for those prepared to dine early. Make room for the Mongolian rack of lamb and honeyed prawn tempura. What to drink The celebrated lychee martini. Fellow diners Hong Kong's glamorously young and restless. You can tell who they are: they're the ones not staring out of the windows. The hotel Felix is in the world-famous Peninsula hotel, one of the city's oldest institutions, but if you'd like to save money for shopping (or eating), opt for one of the many lesser hotels, such as the Kowloon Hotel,19-21 Nathan Road, Kowloon (2929 2888; www.harbour-plaza.com/klnh; from pounds 120). The local experience Head for Wong Tai Sin temple in Kowloon. It sums up everything about Hong Hong - worshippers light joss sticks while doing business on their mobiles. SYDNEY The restaurant Tetsuyas, 529 Kent Street, Sydney (0061 2 9261 3377). This is probably the template for the "fusion'' cuisine that is almost synonymous with Sydney. Dish after dish on the set menu marries intense flavours with spanking freshness. A 10-course tasting menu costs pounds 77, excluding wine. Make room for Pacific oysters with ginger and rice vinegar; grilled Wagyu beef with Asian mushrooms and lime jus; and beetroot and blood-orange sorbet. What to drink Penfolds 2001 RWT Shiraz. RWT stands for "Red Wine Trial'' (it was the company's first), but I will always think of it as meaning "round world trip''. This spicy but light-hearted wine turned up on three tasting menus on our travels. Fellow diners All the stars in town, such as Kylie Minogue and Russell Crowe, though the biggest celebrity in the room is the chef, Tetsuya Wakuda, bettern known as "Tets''. He is as energetic and charming as his cooking. The hotel Four Seasons, 199 George Street (9238 0000; www.fourseasons. com; from pounds 202). Right in heart of the city, looking out at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The local experience Take a free spa. The waters of the Pacific are used to fill several beach-and harbour-side lidos, known locally as rock pools. Swim a few salty laps and you'll feel like a million dollars. NEW YORK The restaurant Per Se, Fourth Floor, 10 Columbus Circus (001 212 823 9335; www.frenchlaundry.com/perse). Thomas Keller's French Laundry in the Napa Valley, California, is one of the world's most celebrated restaurants, and now he has opend Per Se in New York. Michelin has just published its first Red Guide to the city and awarded the cooking three stars. A nine-course tasting menu costs pounds 100, excluding drinks. Make room for the signature dish of "pearls and oysters'' - actually an amazing trio of oyster, tapioca and caviar. Expect the unexpected at every course. What to drink Keller makes his own Indian tonic, so that even a G and T becomes otherworldly. Fellow diners Never mind who else is here, you are! Everyone you tell, including half of Manhattan, will be very jealous indeed. The hotel The Washington Square Hotel, 103 Waverly Place (777 9515; www. washingtonsquarehotel. com; from pounds 116). One of Manhattan's most charming boutique hotels, a short walk from Greenwich Village, Chelsea and SoHo. It has a great bar, too. The local experience Go to the "Top of the Rock''. The Rockefeller Center has just reopened its viewing platform after 20 years, giving visitors a King Kong's eye view of its neighbour, the Empire State Building. The elevator ride, with coloured lights and sound effects, is spectacular. Flights and accommodation can be arranged through Dial A Flight (020 8225 1521; www.dialaflight.co.uk). A round-the-world ticket with British Airways/Qantas costs from pounds 2,499. A weekend break in Cape Town, including flight and three nights at Le Quartier Francais, starts from pounds 989 per person. A stopover in Hong Kong, en route for Sydney with Qantas, costs from pounds 779, including flight and accommodation in Hong Kong. Three nights in New York cost from pounds 449, including return flight and hotel. |