El Inca Plebeyo, London
There is an unassuming restaurant that I almost certainly would have walked past had it not been recommended by a friend. Nestled halfway up Essex Road, it specialises in Ecuadorian food.
Piatto Romano, Rome
Where do you take someone who has never been to Italy before but has always dreamed of it? Someone who imports cases of Italian red wine to share with friends, yet has never tasted it in its homeland?
You take them to Rome.
Taberna Sal Grosso, Lisbon
I will die on the hill that is Portuguese food.
A very foodie friend of mine — someone whose culinary opinions I usually treat with respect — told me recently that she didn’t think Portuguese food was worth travelling for. Normally I would defer to her judgement. But on this occasion she is, quite simply, wrong.