I decided to take my quest for fine dining a bit further and beyond the British Isles when I went to Vienna for a weekend in February this year. And what better occasion to fine dine on the last night of my vacation there (which by mere coincidence was Valentine's Day) The presentation of the food was good, not overdone, with a hint of an asian influence with choice of vegetables and starter. The starter was a Mille Feuille of Goose Liver which was then followed by the delightful Guinea Fowl and Asparagus Tempura. The Wing of Ray, was next served with al dente strands of tagliatelle on the side in lentil puree. What followed was truly amazing - Quail stuffed with pork in pumpkin puree, made biting into it so succulent. The mushroom shaped grilled brioche helped us make sure none of the sauce was not wasted, it was a pity they only gave us one piece each. And when we felt we could not get any fuller, the lamb arrived, nicely pink in the centre which we thankfully devoured and washed down with a Paul Jaboulet 1983 Cornas - a steal at the price we paid for its age. Dessert sat nicely as the girls shared the elaborate and rich apricot mousse with caramelised pear tatin while i helped myself to the well stocked cheese trolley, taking note of the more pungent ones alongside the perennial favourites. The Michelin guide gave this establishment One star, noting a possibility of a second. With such a gastronomic experience like this, i wouldn't be surprised if it got its 2nd very soon.

This restaurant actually made my shortlist of restaurants to book in November but I settled for the Rousillon. So when my parents and maternal grandmother came up to visit in December, and my auntie who had made a reservation there but could not make it, I seized upon the opportunity to persuade my parents to take up my auntie's offer of taking over her reservation. The restaurant was not difficult to find, despite it being set within a residential area. From the minute we stepped in we were greeted by warm and friendly staff, in a way which was unpretentious and laidback. In fact that is what Tom Aikens must have had in mind as part of his restaurant concept. None of the snooty airs that many of his contemporaries pull in their venues. By default, we would have chosen to try the degustation but my father was adamant in not wanting to order it. Remarkable foresight indeed as on close scrutiny, I realised that the selection on offer was not terribly exciting to the palette and to the ear. So it would be more practical to enjoy a 3-course each and let each other try samples off our plates. We started off with some Pol Roger champagne by the glass. A wide selection of warm and freshly baked and warm bread followed, none too out of this world to tease our palettes too much. What followed however was exactly the opposite as I can assure you each subsequent course was a treat to all the human senses, eyes included. The pre-appetiser each came on three spoons and a small shot glass of cream emulsion, where each mouthful was truly meant to tease once and only once, leaving much desired to ask for more. We had to contend ourselves with a second serving of bread then. When the starters came, we realised we were truly privy to an artist at work as each of ours was as intricate as the other. I had battered prawn and escargot, drizzled with balsamico and rocket - served in the half of a bamboo cane. The main course followed and we were similarly not disappointed with the elaborateness involved. My father's osso bucco was served with with tongue which had to be prepared seperately and came later, of which he duly handed it over to me as I was the only one not squeamish enough to want to try it. My own main course was not far off the mark either, it already being a very high mark although by now I have forgotten what it was that I had. My grandmother had a cod wrapped in avocado which she duly polished down with her wine. We again waited in anticipation for dessert which came in the form of pralines and hazelnut ice cream served on a stone slab with chocolate pieces on top which made it look like a miniature Sydney Opera House. My mother stuck to a simple but well recommended chocolate mousse which was accompanied by a crispy and delectable caramelised orange. As for mine, well I have forgotten what I had already with the memory of the evening only preserved in pictures. For one I believe I have forgotten too soon. On the other hand, it could just be the perfect excuse to steal away to sample what Tom Aikens has to offer again.

Initially wanted to bring my two friends to another Italian restaurant which served great pizza but somehow in my head, I got the places and names mixed up. So we ended up at Assaggi's which we took ages to find as it was tucked in a secluded residential spot near Bayswater! No matter, we were treated to some rudeness from the butch head-server when we arrived as we were late but that was where the un-pleasantries stopped. Our service was impeccable, smiling and understanding servers who came readily to attend to our needs. Pity they could not take our orders as only the head-server, who we had come to blows with earlier, could do it. So at least I had to grit my teeth and wait to come face with her again. Looking at the menu, I was particularly perturbed by the simplicity of the selection, nothing elaborate that one would expect from a michelin-starred establishment. It was only on explanation from the head server that we understood that that was what Assaggi was famous for. Simple, no nonsense but very good, traditional Italian food. That meant that even something like Fritto Misto was done to a more exceptional standard than one should expect from the deep-fryer. I eventually settled for the fresh crab starter special and the Osso Bucco for my main. We had a bottle of Gattinara '97 which I felt was quite good value considering its age. While waiting for our food we treated ourselves to the 'paper-prata' they gave us, instead crispier and browner, drizzled with salt and olive oil. It was indeed a more interesting variation to the usual bread and butter, and proved so popular we asked for another one. The food arrived promptly, and once again I was taken aback by the simplicity of the food presentation. Sinking my knife into the Osso Bucco, and seeing how easily the meat fell off the bone, it was obvious that this was very well-prepared. The girls had lamb and beef, which were also very juicy and tender when they gave me some to try. By the time I was done, the rest of the sauce of my Osso Bucco was not put to waste as the girls lapped up the rest, coating the remainder of their meats with it. We were by this juncture too full for dessert and settled for just a coffee to digest. As the head-server gave us our coats as we prepared to leave, wishing us well for the rest of the night, I couldn't help but wonder what a lucky mistake I had made, muddling the reservation and restaurant names. Even with our difficulty in locating the place, I felt Assaggi's was definitely worth all that trouble after all.

My love affair with France began long ago but it was only this summer that it was truly sealed when I was given the opportunity to wander through Provence with my girlfriend for what was too short a week. We visited the Red Cliffs of Roussillon, earth and soil tinted rouge because of the ochre and iron oxide content in the ground, NOT as the annoying american threesome at the opposing table's notion that it was similar to "papillon" or butterfly during one of their pointless attempts at conversation with the general manager. Anyway, my girlfriend is here on a short visit, and I wanted to commemorate her time here with a gastronomic treat worthy of a Michelin star. I decided on the Roussillon because it wasn't too far away from where I live, away from the madding crowd in town, and special significance to us because of our trip to Provence. I made a last minute reservation in the afternoon and we were given the earliest seating of 1830hrs of which we were asked to be ready to leave by 2045hrs. I didn't mind. Considering how people actually book weeks in advance, I just drop a call by a few hours on the day itself and get a table. Besides, I have a cunning way (albeit expensive) of not being made to seem like I have to be forced to leave the restaurant -- just order the Degustation Menu! Tucked in a fair distance from Sloane Square Station, in a residential area, I was thoroughly impressed from beginning to end with the service proferred. The female server even escorted me to the door of the Gentleman's! The manager knew straightaway I was "Mr Wong" and continued to refer to me with that salutation throughout the night. The Sommelier was not know-it-all intimidating, actually suggesting a wine-pairing, yet was not put off with my insistence of just settling for a vin rouge from Roussillon, even adding "excellent choice, sir" after indicating my preference. Goes to show how far a little compliment goes! And I haven't even begun on the food yet. I was commenting that the type of bread offered and its warmth, differentiates a good restaurant from the rest. We had a wide selection, our favourites being the sundried tomato-basil roll, the black olive roll and the walnut roll, along with a divine dollop of salted butter shaped like a haystack. The 7-course autumn degustation, "autumn" being the key word here meant truffle-season was upon us. Scallops were followed by truffle risotto. Then came the seabass, grilled so well its freshness spoke through the meat's firmness. The true highlight for me was the next course of venison. Not as boring as beef, all juicy pieces covered in an extravagant pile of truffles. It was accompanied by a celeriac mash and a caramelised pear. I hate celery but i polished the sides off anyway. To me, they provided meaning to the words "bittersweet". I had the chance to show off some cheese knowledge as we were treated to a wide array of choice. Perhaps the only disappointment that each of our 4 cheese choices came back in 4 small portions on the plate. Perhaps that meant we should have chosen more? I was pleased that the server was kind to instruct us to consume the cheese from left to right, weakest to strongest. Thus proving that gastronomic tips should be shared, not hogged like some elitist gourmand ready to scoff at others. Next came a pineapple carpaccio, basically sorbet wrapped in wafer thin layers of pineapple. Refreshing! The crunchy praline dessert aptly named Le Louis XV at the end capped off a wonderful evening's work.We pondered the perks of being the assistant sommelier, who we noticed had to take a substantial gulp of each bottle of wine he opened to test it. It was either being drunk by the end of the night on mediocre wine-tasting or being terribly lucky should a patron decide to open an expensive bottle. We did this over coffee and immaculate petit-fours and by the time the bill came, it was well past nine o'clock.

--- 1 Michelin Star ---
Chef-Patron: Alexis Gauthier
Head-Chef: Gerard Virolle
Head-Sommelier: Roberto Della Pietra
Manager: Michael Lear
Price: £65 per person (Degustation)

AUTUMN
Menu Dégustation
----------------------------
ROASTED SCALLOPS
BLACK PUDDING & APPLE

BLACK TRUFFLE RISOTTO
VEAL JUS

GRILLED SEA BASS,
GIROLLES, COS LETTUCE & FISH REDUCTION

HIGHLAND VENISON
CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN, WILLIAMS PEAR, TRUFFLE & CELERIAC PUREE

A SELECTION OF FRENCH CHEESES

PINEAPPLE CARPACCIO
PINEAPPLE SORBET

LE LOUIS XV
CRUNCHY PRALINE

Yauatcha is umissable if you decide to walk from Oxford Street to Soho. In fact the first few times I walked past, the only draw were the pastries on display that were of such resplendent colours and shapes. Upon realising they served dim-sum, the thought of paying so much more when much cheaper(and possibly wiser) alternatives in Chinatown were just a 10min walk away, I never gave it a chance. Until Now. My mother wanted to go to somewhere new with me for coffee and cake. So I suggested Yauatcha. I knew from my recollections that the sight of the pastries and beautiful interior would work marvels into her heart. We were lucky to get a table on the spot at tea-time. The waitresses were all chinese in cheongsams, which I feared would be just a gimmick to lure the naive caucasian. Thumbing through the menu, I tried not to look at the prices at the side which were £2-3 more than their Chinatown equivalent. I soon realised that besides the usual staple dim-sum fare, there were plenty of highly creative dishes that would justify their cost. It was only after speaking to our Malaysian-chinese server that I realised that Yauatcha was borne from the same people who run Hakkasan, the first Chinese restaurant here to earn a Michelin star. I asked my server to recommend the most unusual dim-sum creations, nothing similar to what would be standard dim-sum fare, and nothing that would scream "too ang-moh". Instead of charsiew-soh we had venison-soh. Then there was the mushroom cheung-fan which was so fresh I salivate now thinking about it. Jasmine-tea smoked pork ribs (paai gwaat) not that fantastic and others i cannot remember. The concept of the restaurant was that of a tea house-dimsum-patisserrie, so we paid £3 per pot of tea from Hunan and other remote parts of China. We ended off our meal with pastries, sour with lime and sweet with lychees. On the whole, a truly remarkable experience. Oddly enough, the chinese-western palettes did not clash, a triumph no doubt in the world of fusion cuisine. Service was warm, endearing, unmistakeable of Asian hospitality. The only downer was the downpour that had started torrentially outside by the time we had paid the bill. I will definitely return to this place so reminiscent of new-Shanghai.

I made by second visit to the restaurant today, adamant that my girlfriend should try it even though she held the same ideal that one shouldn't pay so much for dim sum. I made a reservation this time, a 9:30pm dinner booking downstairs, which would hopefully accord us more privacy from the hawk-eyes of service staff hell-bent on restricting our photo-taking. Success. It was then that she noticed how they assigned mandarin/cantonese-speaking asian staff to the chinese. A good ploy in case a chinese customer be offended should his food order fail to be grasped by a caucasoid-ear, especially on home-ground territory. We had a delightfully enthusiastic Malaysian server again who never failed to pop by to check on us and give us recommendations. The food came promptly for us, faster than the table on our right who were seated earlier. Not complaining. I chose some of the dim-sum from my first visit like the mushroom cheung fan(which had the smoothest of texture consistencies), salt & pepper squid and the almond prawn(which we saved for last). Notable new choices were the shitake & duck roll and the gingko nut lo mai fun. Washed down with a strong fragrant pot of Pu Er Ya Jian tea. I had intended for her to try the pastries from the display counter upstairs, but we were told by our JB server that we were not allowed to bring them down. There was however a dessert menu for the downstairs dining area of which we selected the most unusual sounding - Green Tea Brulee. I was a bit disappointed when it came as I had envisioned it to be something similar to its puffed-up Creme cousin. The green tea flavour was not strong enough, which allowed the fresh raspberries and the sorbet to over-power the taste, rendering its name pointless.

On the whole, a great and novel place to bring your first dates. With the minimalist decor, especially the cascading Zen sink, and the plethora of unusual dim sum creations might make for good conversation starters. However for the chinese man, it seems chinatown is the more wallet-rational choice. And I never understood the name "Yauatcha" until today. The pronounciation of the first chinese character evaded me until I typed "yau" in a cantonese dictionary. The name in hanyu pinyin is Qiu Ji Cha Yuan which I loosely translate to Notes of Confucius(qiu) Tea Garden. A Philosophical take on Chinese Food? Perhaps so. But I shall leave the philosophizing to the others and just concentrate on what I do best - Eating.

--- 1 Michelin Star ---
Proprietor: Alan Yau
Chef-Patron: Tong Chee Hwee
Head-Chef: Chiu Chun Wong
Price: £3.50-£7 per dimsum/£50 for 2 pax

My first foray into 2-Michelin Starred cuisine happened one Tuesday evening after school last October. My Mother and Aunt had already begun their 7-course degustation menu by the time I arrived in the restaurant with my Uncle, of which I noticed was full of business suits of middle-age. The assistant-manager lost no time in introducing himself and advising the latecomers that he would be trying his best to get us to catch up with the ladies. The staff was French to the core, heavily accented so it came as no surprise that my Uncle who had asked for a seafood version of his degustation was handed the normal version much to his chagrin. The mistake was soon cleared up and once the dishes started to come I was fearful that it might not come to an end. I must say that I was very impressed with the Degustation Menu. Every dish was immaculately presented and had a very modern feel about it. Each dish was as tasty as the last, such that I was in no condition to choose a favourite. The 7-course turned into 8 as with my Aunt's insistence, a course of Cheese was ordered for the table at an supplement of £5. Her recommendation of Le Vacherin Mont d'Or, a creamy and runny cheese was met by my dutch courage of wanting to try their strongest most pungent variant on offer. The name of that cheese escapes me for now but I do remember my server saying that it was cheese that was left to mature in wine or marc. Thank goodness I had grapes to nullify the stench and after-taste! Because of our late arrival, we ended up being the second last table to leave. And as for the manager, Jacques Carlino, after watching him fleet effortlessly from table to table making conversation with his patrons, I was left to wonder why no such effort was made for ours. And the feeling I got from the staff at the end of the night was that they just could not wait for us to leave so they could call it a night. In the end, I left the restaurant without photographs, with a bitter taste from what I consider poor service for a 2-starred restaurant, only slightly sweetened by the culinary delights which wasn't cheap to begin with. In conclusion, if I could take the food, without the poor service, I would be a happier man.

--- 2 Michelin Stars ---
Proprietor: Nigel Platts-Martin
Head-Chef: Phillip Howard
Price: £75 per person (Degustation)

TASTING MENU (Autumn 2005)
------------------------------------------------
GAME CONSOMME WITH BACON FOAM AND CEPE JELLIES

ROAST ISLES OF ORKNEY SCALLOPS WITH A LIGHTLY CURRIED CELERIAC PUREE AND A RAISIN, LIME AND POMEGRANATE DRESSING

SAUTE OF SCOTTISH LANGOUSTINE TAILS WITH A PUREE OF FIELD MUSHROOMS, PARMESAN GNOCCHI AND A TRUFFLE EMULSION

ROAST FOIE GRAS WITH A TARTE FINE OF CARAMELISED ENDIVE, LATE PICKED MUSCAT GRAPES AND ORANGE

ROAST SEABASS WITH SMOKED CREAMED POTATO, SAVOY CABBAGE, GRAIN MUSTARD AND PANCETTA

BREAST OF PIGEON WITH A DUXELLE OF WILD MUSHROOMS, GLAZED TURNIP AND MADEIRA

BLACK FOREST SOUFFLE WITH KIRSCH AND CHERRY ICE CREAM

CHEESE (OPTIONAL COURSE - £5.00 SUPPLEMENT)

Upon invitation by our friend Kenny, we decided to have a lunch at Gordon Ramsay's most elegantly located restaurant in the Claridges Hotel. We couldn't resist the prospect of sampling the reknowned Chef's creations for a mere £30 per head for the Set Menu, a bargain considering a dinner there would cost twice as much so we headed down during the Summer of this year. For the starter I remember trying the Rabbit Terrine, an exquisite delicacy which was light and tasty, as opposed to other fowl-based terrines. The true genius of the foul/fowl-mouthed Chef emerged when the main course was served. I had the Pressed Gloucester ham knuckle, a crispy yet novel way to enjoy something so common as pork. Amelia had the Veal Medallions, each piece succulently raw at the centre, piled atop a bed of vegetables. Kenny had a pan-fried sea-bass to my best recollection which he utterly adored, given his love for all things French and fish! At my insistence, we had a bottle of 2001 Sancerre 'La Grande Cote', a light fruity vin blanc which would not knock our heads in as Kenny had initially feared. In all, we still could not believe we had paid 30 a head to sample Ramsay's cuisine, not let down by the Art Deco style of the restaurant. Service was good, waiters were on hand to answer any questions we had about our food. Dessert was a very simple upside-down pineapple cake. So simple it just illustrates possibly Ramsay's philosophy of not needing over-preparation and complicated recipes to please the lay-gourmand. Only pity the man himself wasn't present to let us witness his plate-throwing skills and illustrious vocabulary of expletives.

--- 1 Michelin Star ---
Chef-Patron: Gordon Ramsay
Head-Chef: Mark Sargeant
Price: £30 per person (Lunch Set Menu)

Spent my 23rd birthday having lunch their with my mother. It was a Thursday yet a crowd was in full force. I don't remember what exactly I had for main course that day but from the photo you can roughly make out what my mum and I had for starter. I had parma ham with melon while she had the buffalo mozzarella with rocket salad. While not unusual nor out of the ordinary, the quality of the food was good and hearty, just the way Italian cooking should be. I must commend their effort in coming up with an impromptu "birthday cake" for me despite my mother only requesting for it just before we were seated. A Tiramisu lodged within a Filo Pastry Bowl, complete with candle and chocolate writings around the plate raised the bar for restaurants providing personalised service in my opinion. Simple decor and no-frills dining, conveniently located within walking distance from Knightsbridge Tube Station. It was only recently that I realised that the restaurant had 1-Michelin Star, and two years on for it to still remain, harkens a consistency that would most probably spur me to revisit to properly taste and re-document what they have on offer there.

--- 1 Michelin Star ---
Chef-Patron: Giorgio Locatelli
Head-Chef: Andy Needham
Price: £40 per person