My Top 5 Fine Dining Experiences – Restaurants Around The World!

[Read in 12 mins.]

I miss eating out. Food is big on my list when I travel. Like you, I haven’t eaten out let alone explored outside 10 km radius of my house due to the pandemic. Toronto recently went on a lockdown until December 21st so I won’t be going any time soon so to brighten up my 2020, my top 5 fine dining experiences at restaurants I had the chance to dine-in from my travels. I reminisced and listed them.

I splurge at least once whenever I’m out of town and go to at least one famous restaurant. It’s fun to know to taste how the food is like and figure out how they became popular. Specially those of well-known celebrity chefs and places that has Michelin stars. I have been chasing stars since 2014 and ate at most recognized places where celebrities and celebrity chefs established.

Another fun thing about fine dining is the food presentation. Food that’s pretty, with rare ingredients, comes out smoke-y, lights up, colourful smears on the plate. Anything that would catch my eye and those that showcase molecular gastronomy. I’m all up for those! Sign me up!

I think there’s something about fine dining that captures a person’s heart. It’s expensive I know but the quality, service, detail, and effort that the chefs and the whole restaurant puts into it is something I appreciate. I myself like to make food and get all chef-y and plate dishes just for the heck of it at home. When you see the happy faces of the people you feed, you feel happy yourself and I think it’s the same for them.

I had amazing dining experiences even not fine dining ones but in this post, I want to share specifically the high ends I at ate and share why I enjoyed them, the quality and service. Even ranking them was hard though I had fun writing this post remembering the happy moments.

Pro Tips

Reserve Your Spot

An absolute must is reservation. You don’t want to be disappointed that you don’t get to eat there when you’re in town. In this modern world, most have online reservations on their websites but there are some where you need to use your credit card that has concierge services to book. Specially the ones where English is not common. This was the case for my friends and I in Japan and Monaco. Though I recently found out there’s a Japan concierge website for reservation that will help you reserve. Check your credit cards and find out which have concierge service to take advantage of their booking assistance services.

Time Slot and Menu

Another tip is to eat at places with a set menu because you will definitely get your money’s worth. Also, you should try to eat during the day because lunch set menus are typically less expensive that dinner ones plus you have the rest of the day to digest. I had a really good deal of $150 USD for 15 sushi, appetizer, miso soup, and dessert at Sushi Ginza Onodera for lunch in New York when dinner is 200+. Dinner isn’t bad either and it’s a nice way to end your busy day specially when you are doing day tours and day trips outside the city.

Time it right. Weekdays are good because there’s more slot for reservation. If you’re not into set menus or a la carte, you can go for buffet style. These places are most likely at a hotel or resort. I feasted on great Malaysian food with international cuisine at Shangri La Rasa Penang for roughly 100 MYR /person (~$50 CAD) because my family and I went on a Tuesday. They have 60% off the regular price that night.

I’ve had so many great fine dining experiences but these are the ones that stands out the most. Going to share with you how much fun I had, the types of food I ate, the amazing atmosphere of the place, company, and entertainment I received. Each one is unique in way. I’ve ranked them based on numerous factors like food, service, atmosphere, who I was with (myself or friends), and entertainment.

5. Mukadeya Honten (Kyoto, Japan)

Mukadeya Honten is a Japanese restaurant that specializes in Kaiseki meals. What is Kaiseki, you ask? It’s multi-course dining where each dishes are locally sourced on what’s available in the region. Each dishes are well thought out, served in different cooking style, and builds upon the previous one from appetizers, soup based dishes, rice, noodles, then dessert.

Definitely do not cannot skip this experience when you’re in Japan. You will learn a lot of the culture and cuisine from this experience. I went here back in 2016 Summer in my Japan Summer 2016 trip. I made dinner reservations for 4 people using Japanican. You can also use Klook and you can earn Klook credits. If you don’t have an account yet, click here to sign-up! JPY 21,600 and get 500 JPY OFF when you use promo code KLJPNUC.

Klook.com

I will never forget this experience because this was my first legit fine dining experience and first Japanese traditional meal. It was a multi-course meal which I knew. Adding in the realization that I am seated in a traditional Japanese setting being served Japanese food plates in the country itself. I was definitely living the dream. Everything about the place was traditional. From sitting on a zabuton pillow, eating in a low table with Japanese food on tatami floor. Each dishes are served in an orderly fashion so they wait for you to finish, remove the dishes then bring out the next one.

The dishes were served closed lid so it was exciting to open and see what’s inside!  The staff spoke English well enough for us to understand and very friendly. I was very happy that it was tourist friendly as each dishes were explained in Japanese then in English.

• 

• 

• 

• 

There were about 12 dishes. The highlight was when the lady brought out a really tall box. Maybe not a box. It’s a three-storey bento and inside were very beautiful yummy dishes. I also really enjoyed the brown sugar mochi with sesame flour they served as dessert. The restaurant is located in a hotel and they allowed us to walk around their garden after dinner.

• 

• 

• 

• 

4. Saneh Jaan (Bangkok, Thailand)

This 1 star Michelin was an absolute gem and delight for me! I ate here with a friend when I went to Thailand on my 2 month long trip in South East Asia. I wanted to try the flavours of Thailand that puts traditional recipes with a contemporary touch and this restaurant prepares their dishes that way. You can book online to reserve your spot which makes it convenient for tourists.

My friend and I order the two 9 course menu they offered although they got a la carte. One course menu was 1,600 THB (~ 53 USD / ~70 CAD) and the other one was 2,000 THB (~ 66 USD / ~87 CAD). In addition to the dishes on the set menu, they had complimentary appetizers (yes, on top of the appetizers on the set menu) and tea at the end for the desserts. Whopping 18+ dishes in one sitting! With the two glasses of wine, our whole bill was 5,200 baht (~172 USD / ~210 CAD). Not bad for two people money value-wise considering I easily spent 300 USD at Sushi Ginza Onodera in NYC. This one’s a real treat!

• 

• 

The interior was high-class and we dressed up a bit for the occasion. I didn’t wear flip flops even though my feet was dying from the heat. Super elegant inside. The lights were slightly dim but you can see the whole dining area clearly. The server ushered us at the corner table with a couch. Eating good food in a super comfortable couch. They served the dishes in three parts: appetizers, mains, and desserts. Everything were served in small plates but do not underestimate these small plates. 18 small plates was too much to handle but we were champs and finished them all. They were so good!

Each dish had it’s own unique flavours and very colourful. I appreciate their use of banana leaves as a plate for the dishes. Growing up eating Filipino food and loving strong flavourful dishes, I’ve come to love Thai food. You can taste the Thai tradition in the dishes. I love shrimp paste which is also very common in Thai dishes. I traveled Thailand by food in this restaurant. They had panang curry, Chiang mai sausage, beef from Kamphaeng Saen in the Mussaman curry, and free range chicken from Tanaosri, Suan Phung, Ratchaburi, western Thailand.

Super pretty desserts and absolute must try because they serve the dessert where the restaurant took its name from. Saneh Jaan – a sweet mung bean in fruit-shaped dessert. It was served with sweet coconut dumpling in coconut milk. The other dessert was Coconut ice cream with seasoning with assorted Thai dessert served in one plate. Coconut everything. Another familiar taste for me. Food, price, atmosphere, and eating with my best friend.

• 

• 

3. SushiKubota (Fukuoka, Japan)

鮨 久保田 Sushi Kubota, a sushi restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan. This one was super memorable for me because it’s my first fine dining experience eating by myself. Eating alone in Japan and other countries is quite common and from travelling alone, I’ve become accustomed in my own company. Actually, I love hanging out with me, myself, and I. Also, most sushi places in Japan only have a couple of seats in a bar facing your chef. This one had 6. Another lady came in and they sat her at the other end of the bar. I went here during my 1 month Japan trip in my Fukuoka leg. A great dinner after my Beppu day trip where I experienced hell.

Why did I choose this place? Well, I wanted to eat at a sushi bar, with a star (it has 1 star), and eat sushi traditional way. Cannot miss the stars in Japan, it’s one of the countries with most stars anyways. The sushi bar only seats 6 people but was very spacious, quiet, and very traditional.

The owner-chef took care of making my sushis and dishes. Very friendly and spoke enough English for me to have a conversation with him while he timely served my dished and explained all the fishes used for the edomae sushi. He spent a couple of years in Tokyo training and had a restaurant there then moved back to Fukuoka and established Sushi Kubota. Though I had an impression he was as nervous as I was because he had to speak English, I was the same because I wanted to be polite to them and my environment. I was so polite, I didn’t want to show him I don’t eat pickled ginger. I ended finishing up the small plate so I don’t have to deal with it later. He was just as polite and generous and refilled the plate. My mind went blank.

I remember the fresh fish used and the right amount of vinegar seasoned on the rice. But what I remember the most were my nerves. At the sushi bar, chef was very attentive. When I start and finish eating so he can start preparing and serve in a timely manner. Clean a spot where you might have spilled liquid or dropped a grain of rice (okay, I’m messy). Refill your ginger and tea when it’s almost finished.

• 

• 

• 

• 

My sushi sensei watched me eat my sushi one by one to match his sushi making to my pace. I’m a relatively slow eater so I spent at least an hour and a half eating two octopus slices, two scallops, sardines roll, 7 sushis, unlimited pickled Ginger, small clam soup, sweet tamago that tasted like cheesecake. I was so nervous that my hands were shaking when I used chopsticks. I have never been so watched so closely in my life except like CCTV. After some time, you get used to it and this first experience broke the nerve.

• 

• 

• 

• 

2. Kichisen (Kyoto, Japan)

Another dining experience in Japan and an kaiseki meal made it to my list. Kichisen 京懐石 吉泉 in Kyoto, Japan no doubt was very memorable for me. It had all the package: food, entertainment, and company. The dishes were so well presented. We ate here the next day after Mukadeya and sat on the counter area. My friend had to use her concierge service through her credit to book this place. That as back in 2016. They upgraded and you can reserve online through here.

My friends and I went here for an kaiseki lunch which costs about 10,000 Yen (~122 CAD) per person which again is not bad price for a three-star Michelin restaurant. A full-on 15 course lunch of excitement! Meal presentation was top notch. Presentation is key. There were moments when I was confused because I didn’t know which part of the dish you’re supposed to eat or not.

One thing about the way they serve the dishes is that they’re in bowls with closed lid. Every time they brought them, chef always asked to open it and our main chef will explain the ingredients and cooking method in English. We got so excited every time we opened that it became a guessing game to figure out what’s inside the bowl when he brought each one out.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We ate for a span of 2 hours or maybe 3 hours. Three dishes that I remember very well were the fog dessert, unagi dish, and yuzu soup. Fog dessert was a smoke-y dish. So smokey that we had to wait for it to finish and try the dessert. When they brought the dish, we all got excited and I think our chef waited for us to finish taking photos and videos before he explained the dish. From preparation, presentation, and taste. It was a very good example of molecular gastronomy.

The unagi dish in a glance was this yellow long strands with unagi on top. I look at it with yellow noodles in mind similar to those egg noodles also in texture and taste or even pasta.

When I looked at it closely, the texture is not the same. Edges were rough so I thought to myself probably not. After one bite I realized they were not noodles or pasta of some sort. Guess what? They were long strands of egg yolks. Yes. Egg yolks. I knew they were egg yolks because they tasted like egg yolks. It could have been anything but I wasn’t expecting egg yolks as the main ingredient. I think, how they make it was they separate the whites from the yellow of the egg, cooked the yellow and made it to strands. Of course, the noodles were same width and super detailed. I fell in love with this dish! Another great example of gastronomy.

There was this soup that had a yuzu peel at the top. First, our chef recommended that we try the soup first without mixing the center part with the liquid and were like mmm taste good as always. Then, he suggested to drop the peel on the soup, wait for a bit then try it again. We did and chef gave us the ‘did you notice anything different look?’. I looked at my friends and we’re all totally clueless. He then explained that the soup should have some sour taste from the yuzu peel. I think I just nodded my head in agreement because I didn’t taste the difference. I was such a novice diner back then.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

At the end of our meal, we took a photo with one of our chefs and were given merchandise. They were a handkerchief or maybe a Furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth) and a video. It was the Iron Chef episode were Kichisen chef Yoshimi Tanigawa defeated another master celebrity chef Masaharu Matsumoto. With that price of a meal, I’m happy to received souvenirs from the restaurant.

1. Le Restaurant du Métropole (Monte-Carlo, Monaco)

Le Restaurant du Métropole, Joël Robuchon restaurant, this experience is no doubt the top 1 on my list. First of all it’s a Joël Robuchon restaurant, so you already know it’s high end. The place was also in Monaco out of all the place I could eat at. Everything from food, price, location, service, facilities, and company was quality. This 2 star Michelin restaurant is located inside Hôtel Métropole. A very high end hotel in Monaco. I went with 3 of my university friends back in Summer France 2015 and there’s a dress code. No flip-flops for this islander on a hot summer French Riviera weather. Nowadays, you can reserve a spot online.

The chance to eat at this fancy restaurant came up when we decided to go to southern France for the summer of 2015. Monaco came up as a day trip and we found that there’s a Joel Robuchon restaurant in town. Who would not want to go? One of the most highly acclaimed chefs with 32 stars and maybe even more.

The pommes puree mashed potato is one of this signature dishes which I had the chance to try out and oh it was heaven. Like how even can you make something so puree. He is on a league of his own. I will never forget that texture. It was so creamy smooth very puree.

There’s a dress code at the restaurant so no flip-flops or jeans. I remember my friend changes footwear in front of hotel because it’s was the height of summer and close toed are not doing it for her. When we looked at the menu, the French cuisine with Mediterranean influence on dishes impressed us. It was a very good price of 50 EUR for a three course menu for lunch.

Elegant interior of the restaurant and the hotel lobby. Nice cushioned chairs and detailed table setting. The restaurant has this open concept with outside seating overlooking the riviera so there’s some really nice sea breeze that relaxes you when you dine. The service was great. Never had I been ushered to my seat, pulled my chair then place the napkin on the lap and arranged the utensils that I had clumsily laid on my plate back to their default position. The servers knew we were a group of young professionals from out of town so they happily served us while we were enjoying this high class service.

I would never forget the food I’d had here. So from the list of choices for the three, I chose the ones octopus carpaccio, duck, and the dessert trolley – the highlight of the meal.

In their set menu for dessert, there were three options: cheese platter, sorbet and the dessert cart. My friends and I all wondered what was the dessert cart. When my friend said she wanted the platter, the server looked at her and said something along the lines of “I think you should change your choice to the dessert trolley. Trust me you won’t regret it.” So we all chose the trolley and he was not kidding. The deal was we can get whichever and whatever we want on the trolley.

Do you wanna see what it looks like? Oggle here. All those desserts in the trolley, yes, you can get. There’s always room in my stomach for dessertSSS. For the whiskey vanilla cake, they pour bourbon on it. 56 EUR well spent when we were still all paying our student loans even a year after graduating from university.

That’s it for now. It’s a long post but I enjoyed writing this post remembering every little thing and brought a smile to my face. There will be definitely more to come when I can travel without the fret of a pandemic.