This year, I came across a short documentary on YouTube called "Evolution of the Snow Country", where a crisp, monochrome, ink-painting-like world created by winter snow that blankets Niigata looks the most impressive when the train passes through those tunnels.

What used to be an old cable car station at an altitude of 2,275m on the summit of Kronplatz in the Dolomite Mountains became AlpiNN, a restaurant standing next to Lumen, a museum dedicated to mountain photography. The restaurant was designed by Martino Gamper, a designer of international fame, to become a convivial space where he combined naturalness of the mountains with clean, modern lines.

The most exciting restaurants in the world often require effort to reach. To visit Iris, one must fly to Bergen, Norway, then drive or take a two-hour boat ride before boarding a ferry.

Opportunities to visit Singapore may be scarce, but every time I do, Odette restaurant always comes to mind. The exquisite cuisine and refined dishes have left a lasting impression on me, while the elegant and minimalist ambiance continues to captivate me.

"Coming to Japan was not part of the plan," says Chef Lionel Beccat at the French restaurant Esquisse in Tokyo. Chef Beccat was born in Corsica but moved to Marseille with his family at the age of four. As a major port on the Mediterranean coast, the city of Marseille is a fascinating multi-cultural melting pot in its own right. "Marseille defines who I am," he says, with a calm, slightly melancholic temperament but his eyes shining stars of wisdom.

I have known Chef Hiroyasu Kawate of Michelin two-starred restaurant Florilège in Tokyo for many years. He is a champion of nature and connects his cuisine with it; even “Florilège” means a collection of beautiful poems like flowers. He is a master of using a single ingredient in a variety of ways, fusing simplicity with sophistication, and intuitively applying delicious flavour combinations to bring out the best in each ingredient.

Japan's only Michelin three-starred Chinese restaurant, Sazenka, aims to showcase the essence of Chinese cuisine with the splendid ingredients in Japan. The experience was truly flawless and full of pleasant surprises. The veritable three stars has made Sazenka the most convincing and worth-visiting restaurant on this trip to Tokyo.

When I returned to Tokyo as soon as Japan reopened after three years of Covid, I felt quite excited the moment my plane landed at Haneda Airport. To celebrate my other half's birthday, we decided to leave some time for catching up, but the stomach was reserved for the restaurant where we had wanted to go to for years.

More Than Just Fish and Chips: Must-visit Restaurants in London