Queenstown restaurant Amisfield is attracting worldwide attention.
Innovative food and wine adventures await in locations such as New Zealand, Georgia, Thailand, Peru and Tasmania.
New Zealand
Our Kiwi neighbour has long been known for its myriad tourist attractions, but it has rarely been considered a culinary destination. That’s about to change with a band of talented chefs and cooks revolutionising the approach to cuisine and putting the focus on seasonality, sustainability and locality. Probably the most famous is Vaughan Mabee, whose Queenstown restaurant Amisfield is attracting worldwide attention.
Hillside Kitchen relies on foraged ingredients.
Other notable food mavericks include Giulio Sturla, who is reinventing the concept of the restaurant itself at Mapu, his tiny eatery outside Christchurch; Asher Boote, whose plant-based menus at Wellington’s Hillside Kitchen relies on foraged ingredients; and Monique Fiso, whose restaurant Hiakai closed earlier this year, though she’s bound to pop up again somewhere soon. See newzealand.com
Thailand
Bangkok’s Gaggan, which recently ranked No.9 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
This country is home to a diverse range of dishes and eating styles, all linked by a national obsession with incredibly hot chillies, meaning dining is never dull. The street food in Thailand is legendary, everything from classic pad Thai noodles to slow-braised pork with rice, soups such as khao soi and tom yam, char-grilled meats, wok-fried mince with chillies and egg – the list goes on. Now there’s more reason for food-obsessed travellers to book that flight. Bangkok is home to a host of fine-dining restaurants that are earning global accolades: the likes of Gaggan, recently ranked No.9 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list; Suhring at No.23, Sorn at No.38 and Le Du at No.40. Seven more Thai restaurants have two Michelin stars. See amazingthailand.com.au
Georgia
A traditional orshimo is used for ladling wine from qvevri.Credit: iStock
The secret is out on Georgian cuisine. This Caucasian nation, which straddles the divide between Europe and Asia, is becoming well-known as a culinary destination, with travellers drawn by its complex array of dishes that speak of its geography and history. However, there’s another reason to visit Georgia: the wine. This country has been producing wine for more than 8000 years, and is known for its distinctive “amber” wines, rich, textural whites produced in clay pots called qvevri. This style is being aped by winemakers around the world now, but you need to go to the source to really appreciate its nuance and brilliance. Begin at Tbilisi wine bar Dadi. See georgia.travel
Peru
Ceviche is recognised by UNESCO as an expression of Peruvian traditional cuisine.
Peruvians are fiercely proud of their gastronomic culture – or should that be “cultures”, given the country is home to three distinctive cuisines, that of the coast, the Andes and the Amazon. Regardless, in Peru they love food, particularly their own food. So you can imagine the excitement this year when Peru’s most famous dish, ceviche, was added to UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is a big deal because it showcases not just a dish, but a culture of eating in Peru that is becoming world-famous, and there’s clearly never been a better time to try it. See peru.travel
Tasmania
Kitchen garden in the Agrarian Kitchen.
Australia’s island state punches well above its weight when it comes to cuisine – that much has been known for a while. Tasmania is filled with destination-dining establishments: the Agrarian Kitchen in New Norfolk; Omotenashi, Peppina, Dier Makr and Fico in Hobart; Stillwater in Launceston. But then, throw in a host of small wine bars and classic country restaurants, plenty of farm gates and fishmongers selling good stuff from the source, not to mention some of Australia’s best wineries and whisky distilleries, and you have an evergreen destination that rewards frequent return trips. See discovertasmania.com.au
Mexico
Mexico City’s Quintonil nabbed a No.7 spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2024.
There’s something big happening in Mexico. For centuries it has been a hotbed of culinary innovation and now Australian travellers are learning how authentic Mexican dishes are incredibly complex, flavourful and go far beyond Old El Paso supermarket fare and the tacos-and-burritos template. Mexican restaurants are also moving into the fine-dining realm. In the most recent World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, three Mexico City eateries were honoured, headed by chef Jorge Vallejo’s Quintonil at No. 7. These establishments are harnessing and building upon the culinary heritage of Mexico, and every food-focused traveller should experience it. See visitmexico.com
United Arab Emirates
Tresind Studio was the first to be awarded two Michelin stars in the UAE.
The culinary scene in the United Arab Emirates, particularly in flashy Dubai, is often summed up by breathless commentators rattling off Michelin stars (four restaurants have two stars), celebrity chefs (the single-monikered likes of Heston, Jamie, Nobu and Tetsuya), and “50 Best” inclusions (Tresind Studio at No.13). But all the while they’re missing the real attraction of the UAE, and the reason to travel there in 2025: the authentic cuisines of the country’s neighbours. In Dubai in particular, you will find affordable high-quality eateries serving food from Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and more. In this one city you can eat from the entire Middle East. See visitdubai.com
Spain
Fire is a key ingredient at Gueyu Mar, Asturias.Credit: Jonathan Hevia
You have to love a country that can do everything for people who love food, a place that can cater to every whim and preference and even budget. Spain is one of them. If you want fancy food, the country has 15 three-Michelin-starred restaurants, plus the current numbers one, two and four on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list: Disfrutar in Barcelona, Asador Etxebarri in Axpe, and Diverxo in Madrid. But then Spain also has a host of countryside restaurants that serve food of incredibly high quality, the likes of meat-heaven Bodega El Capricho in Leon, and seafood specialist Gueyu Mar in Asturias. The nation also has its famous tapas bars, plus jamon iberico, excellent cheese, beautiful tinned seafood and just the astonishing, simple brilliance of Spanish tomatoes. See spain.info
South Africa
Cabernet country at Stellenbosch, near Cape Town… South Africa’s wine scene is criminally underrated.Credit: Getty Images
There are two things to love about South African wine: it’s very good, and it’s very cheap. We don’t get a lot of exposure to the country’s best examples over here and this is perhaps why the wine scene in South Africa is criminally underrated by many Australians. Travel to South Africa, however – to wine-producing regions such as Constantia, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Walker Bay – and you will discover world-class expressions of cabernet sauvignon, chenin blanc, syrah, chardonnay and more. The price per bottle will have you googling the cost of shipping containers. See southafrica.net
Philippines
Lechon… Phillippino style roast pig.Credit: iStock
Filipino cuisine is in the limelight, having been shown the way by Melbourne restaurants such as Serai and Barkada Pinoy, and Sydney’s Takam and Cebu Lechon. Australians have suddenly got a taste for Filipino food and where better to experience it than the island nation itself? The food scene in the Philippines is relaxed and accessible, with plenty of the nation’s best cuisine served at street-food stands or home-style restaurants. Check out dishes that take influence from Asia, Europe, the US and beyond: kare-kare stew, pancit noodles, adobo-spiced meats and roasted pig known as lechon. See philippines.travel