Bijan, Kuala Lumpur

I love the first night out on holidays. Whilst it's true that it generally takes me a good 48 hours to wind down and relax, being somewhere tropical means that tends to happen a little faster. I love the heat and I also love any type of Asian cuisine. After much online research, I made a dinner reservation for our first night in Kuala Lumpur at Bijan. The website states: Bijan opened its doors in September 2003 to offer a unique dining experience to discerning palates. The Bijan experience is modern in presentation yet wholesome in flavour. Traditional Malay cuisine is taken out of hawker stalls and buffet lines, and served against a lush...

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The Fireplace, The Hyatt, Sanctuary Cove

After days of splashing around the pool with our two daughters and eating our meals in a rush due to early their bedtime, Sean and I were looking forward to a relaxing evening out.  We dropped the girls at 'Camp Hyatt' and proceed to the Regency Club. The canapes and drinks on offer were standard fare (couple of dips, carrot sticks, stodgy sushi, salami and cold quiche squares) but we still ate enough so that main course only was required. The Hyatt website states: With cherry wood wine cabinets, classic rustic décor and signature wood-fired oven provide the perfect stage for our chefs to create delicious contemporary grill and provincial...

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press* food & wine, Adelaide

Ballsy. That's how Sean described it. "If they can sustain the quality and therefore the high levels of current patronage they will do well." It's certainly a big restaurant by Adelaide standards and maybe that's why it also feels a little "Eastern States". The decor is warehouse cool and a bit masculine. Downstairs it's more relaxed and communal while upstairs there are white tablecloths and separate tables.., even booths if you choose. Menu wise, this was the perfect choice for dinner to celebrate Sean's 40th birthday. The range of meat on offer is diverse and plentiful from a variety of steaks to offal and even a whole Berkshire pig if you...

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Il Ristorante, Bvlgari Hotel, Italy

One night at the Bvlgari was not enough. Firstly because we didn't get a chance to explore restaurants outside our hotel and second because we didn't have a chance to treat our hotel room as more than a dumping ground for shopping bags and dirty laundry. So, as suspected dining at Il Ristorante was the perfect choice after a hard day of shopping the golden triangle. The bar was dark and moody and full of fabulous looking people wearing (largely) black. I've enjoyed a few Italian pre-dinner drink treats of nibbles in my time but never have a seen anything near the quality or quantity of that served at the bar at the Bvlgari. No sooner had we...

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Verandah, Villa D'Este, Italy (Night 2)

Given the wonderful dining experience we had enjoyed the previous night, we couldn't go past Verandah restaurant for our final night at Villa D'Este. After some Veuve Cliquot enjoyed watching the sun go down over the lake, we moved inside to the restaurant. A different amuse bouche was served tonight – raw octopus with pickled vegetables. A little lighter than the steak tartare of the night before. Those stuffed zucchini flowers had been so good we needed another taste so ordered those to start along with the Villa D'Este tasting plate. I hadn't had enough of a taste of the veal carpaccio Sean ordered the night before so decided...

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Verandah, Villa D'Este, Italy (Night 1)

With views from the terrace overlooking the changing colours of the lake due to the sunset we enjoyed a relaxing pre-dinner drink. Being Italy, this was of course accompanied with a variety of olives, almonds, crackers and risotto balls presented beautifully in silver serving ware. Inside, the Verandah restaurant is a formal as dining gets, anywhere in the world, although it doesn't feel stuffy. I would describe the décor as “Italian Renaissance”. Fabric covered blue and yellow striped chairs with gold accents, carpet, mixed bouquets of flowers, soft lighting and white tablecloths. Lots of glass from which to admire either the lake or the light-up...

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The Grill, Villa D'Este, Italy

Unfortunately we had to run in the rain to the restaurant and couldn't linger along the lake front, however having arrived in the dark we didn't really know what we were missing out on. That would become apparent in the morning. The décor was up-market traditional Italian. Not too stuffy, certainly not “trendy” but very comfortable and plush. I'm sure the views were magnificent but it was dark and we were a little tired being at the end of a travel day. Described by Villa D'Este as "Informal, yet the ambience is cozy and chic. The menu lists an interesting variety of regional dishes with a choice of the best Italian wines." Menu Easy to follow...

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Capital M, China

Based purely on tripadvisor.com I made a dinner reservation at Capital M. I was not disappointed. The interior of the restaurant was stunning. Coloured wine glasses, hand-painted wall murals, patterned tile floors - there was artisan influence everywhere. Then we went out on the terrace and saw the view of Tiananmen Square and surroundings! I can't recall every dish that we had, but they were all delicious. The ones we have photos of are posted below. Restaurant interior which was classy and decadent at the same time. I loved all the coloured glassware which seemed to glimmer in the soft lighting. The artworks also reflected the colours. Capital...

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Da Dong, China

There are a number of Da Dong outlets in China and the restaurants consistently win awards such as  "Best Chinese Restaurant of the Year". I'd done a lot of research prior to our trip as both my husband and eldest daughter (who was with us) are huge fans of roast duck. Da Dong came out the winner. Upon entering the restaurant I knew it would be good. They understood the need for soft lighting and modern decor in a Chinese restaurant! The 160-page menu is a work of art in itself (and almost as big and heavy as framed artwork) with a huge selection of duck dishes backed up by vegetable dishes, soups and more. Then there was the...

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