25 Food & Travel Destinations
Sep 9th, 2009 by admin
As World Foodie Guide celebrates its second anniversary next week, I’ve decided that it should become a better ‘guide to traveleating‘, with more emphasis on food & travel posts. I used to travel regularly and have been to some truly memorable places, but over the last few years, I’ve not made travel a priority in my life. Going to Lille for a day trip last month certainly helped inspire me to make this decision.
I’ve spent some time compiling a list of the 25 food & travel destinations to visit over the next 5 years. Divided into two lists – Europe and Rest of the World, they’re not listed in any particular order (and there are actually more than 25 destinations!).
The list is a very personal one, and not all the destinations are specifically food-related, although you can be sure there will be plenty of eating involved! Some will simply be short city breaks, while others will require more detailed planning and involve several trips. The list will evolve over time as I amend and add to it, but it’s a starting point for an exciting project. Some of the links are to travel articles that I’ve bookmarked over the last year, so they may be useful to you if you’re planning a trip.
Europe:
- Spain – including San Sebastian (I don’t think 36 hours is enough, particularly as a visit to Etxebarri is apparently a must!); Seville (can’t wait to see the architecture, and of course eat my fill of tapas and visit El Bulli outpost Hacienda Benazuza); Murcia (I’ve saved an old newspaper article recommending Murcia as the best in Spain for tapas, so how could I leave it off my list?); Barcelona (for many reasons, but food being key (here’s a great guide), including delicatessen Can Ravell) and Madrid (this is on the list because the husband wants to go, but I’ll go anywhere for good food & architecture that I can photograph!)
- Istanbul & Cappadocia, Turkey – I can’t remember when Turkey was added to my list of places to visit, but friends have raved about the food in Istanbul, and Cappadocia looks stunning
- Italy - I love Italy, having been several times over the last two years (including Emilia-Romagna), but I’d like to explore other regions including Piedmont, Sardinia and Lecce (we have free accommodation in Lecce, and I want to see the trulli). It’s a country I’ll return to often
- Copenhagen, Denmark – a long winter weekend would be perfect…
- St Petersburg, Russia – when I was last there over 20 years ago, it was still called Leningrad! I’d like to return to see the changes to the city, and revisit the Hermitage Museum
- Lisbon, Portugal – we’ve been to Lisbon before, but a return trip to visit old friends is long overdue, for more great food, wine and of course the unforgettable Pastéis de Belém
- Berlin, Germany – I grew up in Germany, but for some reason never made it to Berlin (although I do have a small piece of the Wall that a friend gave me)
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands – I’ve been to Amsterdam several times for work, but I’ve never had time to just wander around
- Malta – I researched Malta years ago when we were invited to a wedding, but unfortunately couldn’t attend at the last minute. I’d still like to visit…
Rest of the World:
- Buenos Aires, Argentina – it’s been my dream for many years to visit this vibrant city, as well as go horse-riding. And eat a lot of steak. I’d also have to stop-over in São Paulo, Brazil, where I’ve had some astonishing meals
- New York, US – my home for 2 years from 1999-2001, but I’ve only been back once since then. I’d like to visit my friends, ex-colleagues and old haunts, as well as discover new restaurants and shops. It’s a very special city to me
- Cartagena, Columbia – I think I’d spend a bit more than 36 hours there if I made the journey all the way from London!
- Zanzibar, Tanzania – for no other reason than the name conjures up all kinds of exotic and magical images for me, and when I was a child, I didn’t even know it existed
- southern Utah, US – this article inspired us to visit, probably next summer, with our Canadian friends. The plan is to hire a Winnebago and spend a couple of weeks there. I have no idea what the food will be like…
- Melbourne, Australia - I’ve been following quite a few Melbournite foodies on Twitter, my father-in-law loves Melbourne and I’ve been informed by a reliable source that it’s the best city in Australia for food (bring on the irate comments from non-Melbournites!)
- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Mexico - I spent a week in San Francisco many years ago and absolutely loved it. The husband spent some time driving around in LA and also loved it. We’ve been discussing a driving holiday for a while now
- Malaysia & Singapore - I’ve been to both countries before, but not with the husband. Food will naturally play an important part of the trip…
- Beirut, Lebanon – I stayed with my then boyfriend and his family in the hills above Beirut during the summer of 1991, just after the civil war ended. We went on various day trips by car and he also visited many areas for the first time in his life. It was unforgettable and I’d like to return for the food and to travel to places like Baalbek
- Vancouver, Canada – our Canadian friends keep inviting us to stay with them, and it’s another foodie destination that I hear much about. Plus I’d like to go kayaking!
- China – this will involve a lifetime of travelling as there are just too many regions (Sichuan, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Shanghai) that I want to visit, for food and spectacular scenery. When I lived in Beijing in 1996-1997, I didn’t do much travelling as I was studying Mandarin, but I do remember a wonderful week of horse-riding on the grassy plains of Inner Mongolia, and sleeping in a yurt (rather smelly, but romantic nevertheless!). Last year, we only managed two weeks in Hong Kong, Macau & Beijing, including the 24 hour train journey between HK & Beijing
- India – another country that will require multiple trips for the rest of our lives. I haven’t even started to plan this, but I have a good friend in Delhi who also has a home in Kerala…
- Taipei, Taiwan – I visited for five days a few years ago, but it was far too short a trip to fit in all the food I wanted to eat. A real foodie destination!
- Seoul, South Korea – this is a recent addition to my travel list. I just want to go and eat Korean food every day…
- Cuba – I suppose I’ve romanticised it somewhat in my head from studying the Cuban revolution at university, but I’ve wanted to go ever since I was a teenager
I’ve really enjoyed writing this post and haven’t felt this exhilarated about a project in ages. Although I may not cover all 25 destinations in five years (unless I stop working and go travelling full time), I’d like to try to visit as many as possible. There are so many more places in the world I want to see - Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand to name but a few, so hopefully the 5 year project will become a lifetime one!
If you’ve been to any of these destinations (or better still, are local to them) or can recommend other must-visit places, it would be great to hear from you. Before travelling to each city or country, I’ll be asking you for tips and suggestions.
In November, the husband and I will be in Japan for two weeks, followed by a long weekend in Gothenburg, Sweden in December. Both trips were planned before the start of the 5 year food & travel project, so they weren’t included in the list.
What a wonderful project! I love your list of places too — very similar to what i’d include.
Looking forward to sharing my fave choices for San Sebastian. We go there every year as it’s very close to where my parents live. Here’s a ‘taster’ of what you can expect:
http://travelswithmyfork.blogspot.com/2008/09/day-of-indulgence-in-san-sebastian.html
I wonder when you plan these trips — do you have a list of must-see/try places or do you sometimes leave it to fortuitous discovery? i’m often torn between the two when we travel, and end up bringing a list but ditching it after the second day.
Looking forward to reading your upcoming posts and seeing the photos.
What an enticing list and what a great way to shape such a project. My travels are much more random but it makes me realise that if I’m to get to places I need to incorporate them into a masterplan! Top of my list are India, Mexico and – like you – Istanbul. I am planning (vaguely) to go back to New York later this year but need to identify when. You’ll love Cuba and should go sooner rather than later. It will change. Buenos Aires too – I was there earlier this year. Copenhagen is great and Noma is a must. St Petersburg I remember with great affection. Oslo less so. I notice you don’t have any planned destinations in France. Are you not a Francophile or have you ‘done’ it? I never tire of Paris and strongly recommend Arles especially during the annual photography festival ‘Les Rencontres’ (July and August) I could go on . . . Look forward to reading about your travels anyway
Well…in the past year + a few months i’ve been to… australia (SYDNEY i LOVE it), thailand, laos, cambodia, LA, NY, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Turin, Milan, Arezzo, Munster/Cologne. I have many of the places you have on your list also on mine. I haven’t done a 5 yr plan, but Spain is on the list, as is India, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal. I can usually take one BIG trip a year and a lot of smaller European trips. I want to go to North Korea, but for political reasons I haven’t been able to swing that one. And I’d like to go to some other places, like Burma, Sri Lanka, but again…not so easy for me to get a visa.
I know your friend is coming soon, but if you can, I recommend you fly down to Turin on the weekend of the 18th of this month, and take a day trip to Bra (30 mins by train from Turin) to the Slow Food Cheese festival. Otherwise, you should mark your calendar now for next year’s Slow Food Salone del Gusto event, and take advantage of that time period to do some Italy travel. Piedmont is (in my opinion, and in my opinion it is tied with Sicily) probably the best food region in Italy. You should plan on reserving a room for that at least 8 months in advance. But we can talk about that later!!
Great post!
Travel, food and photography are my passions, in that order, so I can totally identify with this post.
I have been to many of the places on your list and there are many others that are on my own wishlist to visit.
I look forward to reading your posts on these places over the next few years!
excellent project! i’m dying to go to copenhagen and buenos aires myself! berlin, seoul, LA, NY and shanghai are firm favourites in my mind, and i’m so glad to see melbourne on your list, i’ve had enough of all the sydney-praising (it’s obvious where i’m from, isn’t it?) looking forward to more traveleating experiences form you – i love your lists & guides!
How about Madeira? The central market in Funchal is crammed with all sorts of exotic goodies. The 5 different types of passion fruit impressed me, one tasted like lemon. Not to mention all their great sea-food and not forgetting the Madeira wine.
Lovely list! I really need to start travelling more too. Life is just passing me by!
Hoping to get back to Japan soon, China & Buenos Aires top of my list too, as is a trip to melbourne, I have lots of friends from there both living there and in London. They all say I’ll love it and the food and coffee is supposed to be great. I found the food in Sydney wonderful, so it’s got to be checked out if it’s better! Happy days
Great list although I think you should promote Vietnam from your B-list. Looking forward to vicariously enjoying your trips and chipping in with the odd tip or two !
There are too many parts of China that I’d love to visit. Having been to Shanghai for the first time this year, I’d love to explore the area around it more. Especially the dumplings, I’m still kicking myself I didn’t try the giant soup dumpling with a straw !
I would love to do more travelling… top of the list right now is Vietnam. Exciting stuff!
Sounds amazing! Wishing you you’d get to do half of this – would be a lot! And you gave me some ideas! I have published stories I’ve written of “traveleating” and drinking in just a few of these areas (mostly areas in Italy and France), but they are in Hebrew I fear. However especially when it comes to Piedmonte, and then Lecce but more generally the Puglia area, do let me know before you go as I have some great recommendations there to give you ! Re Barcelona you can see my list of really great places at the bottom of this otherwise Hebrew article, the pictures also have a resturant title next to them…
http://www.notes.co.il/gross/56234.asp
WOW what an awesome list! I dont know what I can add to it for now (I’m sure I will talk to you about travel-eating and places to go on many of our chats in the future anyway) but first thoughts on your post.. well…
Amsterdam – De Kas, that’s a no brainer, I think you’ll LOVE the organic and freshness of everything.
New York – Public (http://www.public-nyc.com/) got its first Michelin star in 2009, I LOVED it. Also Serendipity, and well, Magnolia Bakery
SYDNEY IS BETTER THAN MELBOURNE and I mean if you’re going all the way to Melb you may as well stop by Sydney and OMG I will give you the fattest (and phattest) list of places to eat at!
Cuba I haven’t been to but I hear eating is very very very bland.
Malaysia – please bring me. Please.
LA/SF/Vegas – I will let you know how I go with this one.. only 3 weeks to go!! *whee*
Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow so will give you even more thoughts then!
God I wanna go to all these places. Mugaritz is another awesome Spanish place that I didn’t get to go to. For Italy, check out my friend’s B&B http://www.la-bandita.com in the Tuscan hillside outside of Pienza. I had this suckling pig in Pienza that was another life changing experience. I grew up in Taipei and the food there I gotta say was great. I wanna go to Berlin this year! Mexico has excellent food too and easy to get to. So many places to go, so little time and money! Thanks for doing this, it’s awesome and I will be using it for the next 5 years.
Fantastic list!! I want to come along . . .
It is my dream to travel more although my only recent overseas trips have been Ireland and the Philippines. Speaking of the latter, we’re headed there again this December for a bit of a family reunion; I hope you’ll consider that a destination.
At the very top of our list is South America: Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina. I do envy you that going to France is a day-trip and the rest of Europe is a relatively short jaunt away. Still, there’s much for us to see in the U.S., too – I’ve always wanted to go to the Southwest (Arizon, New Mexico) and the Rocky Mountains (particularly the Grand Tetons in Wyoming – hubs remembers them fondly from childhood vacays).
I am looking forward to this renewed focus on your blog!
BTW, I love these photos, especially of the limone ice cream with the water scene in the background!
Great list. You’ve got me yearning for another holiday and I’ve only just come back from the last one!
Istanbul is brilliant. Make sure you go to Korfez (including a romantic boat trip across the Bosphorous) and to cool cafes like Lokal. BA is awesome too. I’ve never had red wine and steak like it. Superb.
Cuba and Zanzibar are both fascinating but not great for food. Cuba’s only decent place to eat is La Guarida and Zanzibar is good for straight forward fish as far as I can remember.
Cowie and I are planning our travels for the next year or so… we’re really keen for Sicily, Damascus and maybe Noma in Denmark…
I am praying hard that my husband’s company will give him the go-ahead to go to London so that I can tag along and discover the many restaurants you have been posting about.
Thank-you and Congratulations on your almost two-years!!
hi there, been a long while since i last visited n commented on your blog! Wow..hope u get to complete your list!
I’m so happy your blog made it’s way into my mailbox via a Google Alert. You can guess that I’m a foodie big time, so I enjoyed reading your blog very much. I’ll have to subscribe! I travel mucho and write the EAT SMART series of international culinary travel guidebooks–and lead culinary tours as well. Traveling to eat is the only act in town for me, for you and lots of others, too.
Melbourne has some great food but you shouldn’t leave Sydney off your list. Check out this LA Times article for inspiration: http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-sydney25sep25
Greetings from Berlin! As a heavy traveler myself for both business and pleasure, just remember that sometimes, like Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home.”
Personally, I get more into “slow travel” each trip I take. Don’t force your five year plan…just let the opportunities unfold naturally!
My ultimate dream is to take a year off and travel the world properly, experiencing all the native cuisine along the way. I made sure my husband understood that before we married
Your list covers many of the main spots I want to visit. I’m happy that Lebanon found a special place in your heart. Baalbeck post coming up in the next couple of weeks 
This sounds like a very do-able project and 5 year is a pretty reasonable timeframe. We’ve been to Turkey and I can attest that the food in Cappadocia is amazing, as is the landscape. San Francisco is a good choice too, although I’d suggest you add Napa and Sonoma as well – freshest, seasonal produce crafted into the most amazing dishes. Thailand and Vietnam are very big ‘musts’ and Indonesia too!
Looking forward to your travel tales and good luck!
Its nice putting a list like this out there, because you feel like you really committed to something special, at least that’s the feeling I get when I make my intentions known. What a great list and I love the locations you’ve selected. When you head to California, let me know as I’d love to help, but would not want to interrupt the fun of researching as I know that’s half the pleasure.
I’ve been to some of these destinations, like you sometimes for work, and always with the intention of going back later. HK and Singapore are definite repeats for me.
You’ll love Utah – for its beauty. If you ever get the chance and the time, an unforgettable road trip is to drive across the US. I’ve done it about 6 times now and each trip is special as you really appreciate how big and diverse this place is. You get a sense when you stop in each location, but until you connect the places in a continuous trip, its hard to fathom.
I leave tomorrow for Dublin, with a quick stop in London, which thanks to you, I have my lunch plans figured out. Don’t you love blogging?
Goodness, that’s a lot of places to visit in 5 years! I’d love to visit Japan and lately we’ve been discussing Morocco!
Helen a wonderful selection I hope you get to visit or revist them all !
Well my absolute number 1 is the one you are doing very soon – Japan! I have dreamed about it since I was very little. It is followed by Istanbul at number two so I was very glad to see that on your list.
Oh, what a fun project! Our top food destinations we want to see are (in order):
Japan
More of Italy
France (both for the food and the scenery and the cities) – I was surprised this one wasn’t on your list (or have you spent a lot of time there before?)
Thailand and Vietnam (we can’t decide where we want to eat more and I want to put #5 on the list too)
Australia
But, we also want to make our way to Turkey, Greece, and Morocco for the food too. Basically, we want to go everywhere which is why we are spending the year roaming about the world! As fellow “traveleaters,” I hope we meet you on the road.
What a wonderful project, Helen. I feel a book coming on!
In the meantime, your blog is the beneficiary. Such beautiful photographs here, I gaze for ages. Very exciting – keep the faith!
Mel – thank you for the San Sebastian link, I look forward to reading it and also to asking you for tips when I do go. Re planning, I would love to leave it to fortuitous discovery, but I’m afraid I’m a compulsive planner when it comes to travel. You’ll see my upcoming post on planning the Japan trip! Having said that, I’m always open to just having a wander and have discovered some really nice restaurants, shops and hidden gems, so I look forward to some unscheduled time too! Thanks again…
Fiona Beckett – thank you Fiona! I’ve had a list for so long, but I realised I wasn’t actually visiting the places in reality, so a masterplan was required! I’ve been meaning to visit Cuba for about twenty years now, and I know I have to go soon. I know France is missing from my list. It’s not that I don’t want to go (Lille was wonderful!), but it’s just not a priority. I won’t be sticking to this list religiously, and am open to amendements over the years!
Kristina – you’ll have no problems following my five year plan then! I think I won’t be able to do more than one big trip per year, plus a few shorter trips. I can’t leave our cats for too long, even with proper care arranged, so I would prefer shorter trips regularly than being away for weeks. Thanks for the travel tips, but I won’t be able to go anywhere before the Japan trip, unless it’s a day trip. Too much to do!
Kavey – thanks! I’m really looking forward to starting this travel project. I’ll be asking you and everyone else for tips before I go on each trip, for sure!
e_ting – thanks and I like the sound of your favourites! I’m looking forward to starting the project. Still can’t believe you did a 36 hour trip to Melbourne from Hong Kong!
Justin Roberts – I spent a week in Madeira two years ago (there are a few posts on the restaurants I went to), and loved the market! I certainly had a lot of fresh seafood when I was there, and afternoon tea at Reid’s Palace.
Niamh – that’s exactly how I feel, I’m not getting any younger and I want to have the energy to travel as much as I can, while I can. I think if I went to Melbourne, I would visit other cities too (couldn’t fly all the way there just to go to one place!)
Mr Noodles – oh, it’s not a B list at all. I just ran out of steam compiling this post and didn’t want to bore everything by writing something resembling an atlas! I’ve seen photos of that giant dumpling with a fat straw. I want to try that too some day!
Lizzie – did you watch Rick Stein in Vietnam? I can’t wait to go too!
Aeyal Gross – I know, even half would be a real achievement. I’m going to be realistic, and I’m not going to bankrupt myself in order to do this project. It would be nice to go to a few places every year though, one big trip and a few little ones, which would be more than what I’ve been doing in the past. I’ll definitely consult you before going to the areas you mentioned. I’ll be asking for tips from everyone before each trip!
catty – I’m sure we’ll be chatting about traveleating for the rest of our lives! Thanks for the recs, so Sydney is better than Melbourne?!
Of course I’d go there too if I flew all the way to Australia.
Cecilia – see, you asked for this post and I wrote it! ‘So many places to go, so little time and money!’ – my sentiments exactly. I know I’ll never visit even a fraction of all the places I want to visit in the world, but when I’m old, I’d like to look back on the memories and experiences from my travels. Maybe I’ll see you soon in one city or another!
Tangled Noodle – you’re lucky to be so close to South America. It’s very far away for us to get to. I’m also embarrassed I’ve only visited my parents once in Costa Rica. I was just reading about the Grand Tetons in the Lonely Planet magazine. The photos are incredible. The photos are a mixture of mobile phone camera photos (eg that ice cream and the first one) and my old Sony Cybershot W300.
Jonathan – thank you for the tips! I don’t mind if a few places on my list aren’t so great for food. I’d still like to visit them! Straight forward fish in Zanzibar suits me fine…If I returned to Lebanon, I would also go to Syria as well.
Chee Packer – you’ll love London! Thank you for reading my blog…
chinesechic – thank you very much! I hope to achieve a good part of the list by the end of the five years (that will be the start of 2015).
Joan – lovely to meet you! I have to check out all your culinary guides, sounds perfect. And I’d love to go on a culinary tour of Turkey! If only I’d found out about this earlier. Thanks for introducing yourself to me and everyone else…
Caitlin – thanks for the link! Don’t worry, Sydney will certainly be visited when I make the effort to fly all the way to Australia…
Krista – thanks for the excellent advice, you’re right and I’ll have to remember it. It’s like restaurant reviewing, I find I’ve been eating out in London too much and am not enjoying it so much anymore, hence the change of direction in blogging. I’ll be consulting you for travel tips by the way!
Bethany – you have a great husband there! That would be the perfect plan, to take a year off, but I can’t do that right now, so this five year plan is the next best thing. Looking forward to the other Lebanon posts!
Danielle – thank you so much for the tips and encouragement. This list is just growing and growing from all the great comments and suggestions!
OysterCulture – you’re right! I’ve never published a list like this before. I would love your help when it’s California’s turn on the list.
And I’d like to drive across the US one day, like you suggested. Our planned road trip is quite small in comparison.
Su-Lin – you know, I’ve always wanted to go to Morocco. I must have forgotten to add it!
Gastro1 – thank you! I’d be happy to get through even a half or third of these destinations, but I’m the type who needs to make lists in order to get things done!
Helen – Japan and Istanbul! You would so love Japan. Start a travel fund, which is what I have to do very soon. And I’m planning to eat out a lot less in London from now on, so all the money I would have spent in restaurants will be spent travelling and eating abroad instead.
Akila – all the best to you guys for your round the world trip! I’m so envious. And yes, I hope to meet you en route somewhere.
Elisabeth – a book! I was only saying last night I wouldn’t write a book afterwards, but maybe I was wrong!
Thank you everyone for all your great tips, suggestions and support! I’ve really enjoyed writing this post but even more, reading through all the comments. I’ll be referring back to them over the next few years and also asking for more help before each trip. I hope you’ll enjoy reading the future traveleating posts…
Helen Yuet Ling
What a glorious ambition!
Great project! I have a long list of places that I still want to visit (& places I want to re-visit). I have been to quite a few of the places on your list (Korea, Japan, Zanzibar, Malaysia, Singapore) and have been to Murcia in Spain many times. It is a pretty, laid back place and is not over run with tourists.
Good hunting grounds for tapas bars include the pretty Plaza de Flores and the streets that radiate off it. There are a few bars in the main cathedral square and although these don’t have the character of some of the smaller bars tucked away in the side streets, they are great places to sit outside nursing a cold cerveza taking in the view of the cathedral especially when it is lit up at night.
The main market in Murcia, Veronicas, is worth a wander round, and whilst on a much smaller scale than those in other cities it has a lot of local character, plus some stand up tapas bars serving local specialities.
Your list reminds me that I should take a look at mine again and start to make some more travel plans!
WOW! What a fantastic list Helen. We’re thinking of Japan for our next big holiday so I’d love to know aht your plans are for your trip.
Do get in touch when you’re planning your trip to Seville. We ate at some of the most amazing, off-the-beaten-track tapas bars and restaurants which I’d thoroughly recommend. I’ve never got around to writing it up, but maybe I will sometime soon…
Douglas – thanks! I thought that rather than just staring at a list in a draft email, I should make a plan and try to achieve it. I’d be really happy with even half the destinations. It’s just a way to start travelling again!
Jonny – thanks for the tips, including those for Murcia. Really looking forward to that! Glad you’re making more travel plans too…
The Ginger Gourmand – thank you! I’ll definitely get in touch for the Seville trip. You should definitely write a post on the places you went to. And there will be quite a few Japan posts, so I hope I don’t bore you to death!
Helen Yuet Ling
It is definitely a great and very respectful project. I wish I would have had the time and the funds to accomplish it and I really wish you all the best for it. It is a fantactic idea and I have no doubt that it will bring you a lot in return. I have only thing to tell you; ENJOY!
Wow Helen this is very organised of you. Sometimes the spontaneous trips are the best though so I would suggest leaving room for them too.
Of the destinations named in Europe obviously Spain and Italy are amazing “traveleating” destinations. I am not sure if the cuisine in Malta will blow you away (think a lot of rabbit) but it is certainly an interesting place. We had a great long weekend in Copenhagen so I would highly recommend that for a visit (and easy to fit into a weekend) and Lisbon is also fantastic for a weekend and especially the Portugese tarts. St Petersburg is certainly NOT a food destination (have a look at my posts or American in London’s posts on this) but it is a very interesting city.
As for your rest of the world list, I can enthusiastically say that I have had amazing trips to New York, San Fran and Cuba. As a Melburnian I am flattered to see that you have included Melbourne as well – it is a great food city but there is really no point in getting into a Melbourne v Sydney debate as there is no way that any sane person is going to fly all the way to Melbourne and not go to Sydney as well so if you go to one you are likely to go to the other as well. Finally I would really encourage you to bump Thailand up into your actual list as it is truly one of the great culinary destinations of the world along with incredibly hospitable people, incredible beaches… I could go on. Hope this helps!
Wow, Helen, I have not thought of coming up a to visit list. You are a Planner : ) Have a great trip in japan and sweden,look forward to hearing your travelling stories and tips.
Great list – I’ve been to quite a few places in the states but would like to revisit them so I can really explore. Been to Amsterdam as well, but only for an evening, which probably doesn’t count! I’m sure many of these places would make my list as well.
Mathilde’s Cuisine – thank you very much for the good wishes and the all-important advice – to enjoy myself! I’ll try very hard!
Gourmet Chick – thanks for all the tips! I really hope I can do everything on the list, but of course I’ll leave space for spontaneity and other destinations too. This is just a way to spur me to do more travelling again…
Gourmet Traveller 88 – I really do love planning! Let’s see what happens over the next 5 years…
Michelle Y – thank you! I wish I had more time and more money!
Helen Yuet Ling
What an impressive list. It is our dream to travel, eat and discover as well. I should start our list as well. And I am very glad that you mention Melbourne, Singapore & Malaysia!
When you do decide to come to Melbourne, please let me know. Will be more than happy to go on a food adventure with you and I am sure many food tweeps here will like to catch up
Woaahhh, hopefully when u visit Vietnam I will be there too. Would love to show you around Hanoi
penny – thank you! I’ll definitely ask you for help when I go to Melbourne and it would be lovely to go on a food adventure with you!
Jenny – I’d love for you to show me around Hanoi! How great that would be, thank you in advance for the great offer…
Helen Yuet Ling
That’s an inspiring list. Here’s to making the dreams come alive!
As a Sydneysider, I won’t chime in on the Sydney-Melbourne debate except to say that I love Melbourne and every (culinary/shopping) visit makes me want to return!
Gourmantic – thank you! I hope so too! You know I won’t go all the way to Australia and just visit one city, so after I’ve been to a few, I’ll then join in the debate!
Helen Yuet Ling
Well I haven’t got past “Spain” yet
I was in San Sebastian last weekend…for the 3rd time this year…hmm those Easyjet flights are just such good value 
You’re right – 36 hours isn’t enough. Do yourself a favour and add the cheesecake at La Vina to be consumed!!! And I’m not even really into dessert. Seriously, seriously good. Frank Camorra has created a recipe based on it…I’m making it this weekend!
Clare – how exciting, I really want to go to San Sebastian. You’ve been 3 times just this year?!
Helen Yuet Ling
Thanks for making this blog, I’m traveling to Taipei tomorrow and will bring your recommendations with me. In exchange, let me recommend back a selection of the best new restaurants and tapas bars in Barcelona (I lived there for 10 years). All of these mix tradition and modernity, serve very good food and are favorites between the local foodies:
- Inopia (Ferran Adria’s brother tapas bar) http://www.barinopia.com/
- Dos Palillos (an asian approach to tapas): http://www.dospalillos.com/
- Bar Velodromo (newly opened traditional style tapas bar, they serve Moritz, the local beer brand) http://is.gd/4wWpZ
- Coure (a new take on Catalan food) http://www.concierge.com/travelguide/barcelona/restaurants/18081
Ignacio – thank you so much for sharing your favourite places in Barcelona! I’m very excited about going soon. And I hope you will enjoy your trip to Taipei (and the wonderful food of course!)
Helen Yuet Ling
Hello from Malaysia!
Been following your blog for quite some time now and I am just thrilled to spot both Malaysia and Singapore on your list. I tend to ‘hoard’ blog entries and not visit for a week or two so I have more to read when I do visit, hence the delay in commenting. Have a couple of recommendations for you for your visit here:
- SS20 Fish Head Noodles in Damansara Kim (a suburb in Petaling Jaya) : It’s a bowl of rice vermicelli with chunks of fish, either fried or fresh in a hearty broth containing tomatoes, fried shallots, ginger, preserved vegetables, condensed milk (optional) and a splash of rice wine.
- Seremban Beef Noodles (Seremban is a small town located about 45 mins away by car from Kuala Lumpur): The beef noodles in Seremban are pretty unique and I can’t think of a description that is able to do them justice.
I would link to a few blogs which document these two dishes but I’m not sure if that’s proper Internet etiquette as I haven’t gotten permission from the bloggers, but if you were to Google them, there are heaps of write-ups on these two dishes.
Nicole – thanks for the recommendations! It’s been a long time since I was in Malaysia and Singapore, so I shall set aside plenty of time for eating and exploring. I’ll definitely Google these, thanks! Yum…
Helen Yuet Ling
Your list is incredible!
You may also want to include the Greek island of Chania. Check out cookincrete dot com.
Judy – thank you for the suggestion! This list could grow very long indeed…
Helen Yuet Ling
Well, I live in San Francisco and there is so many great places for you to try! Let me tell you some of my favorites!
1. Saigon Sandwiches- Geary and Larkin- best vietnamese sandwiches outside of Vietnam! And only 3 bucks!
2. Rosemunde’s- Lower Haight- Sausages are awesome but the real find is the Tuesday only hamburgers! Get there early!
3. Cote De Sud- Castro- French prix fixe menu with excellent local food
4. The Pork Store- Upper haight- The best greasiest breakfast in town! The maestro makes a mean pork chop!
This doesn’t even begin to cover the city as far as excellent eats but these are affordable and delicious!