London.

Dishoom's Bombay café spinoff on Portobello Road — order the black daal and don't skip the chocolate chai.

Portuguese natural wine bar under the railway arches in Bermondsey — the octopus and the wine list are both doing serious work.

Indian small plates in Shoreditch — sit at the kitchen bar, and order the samphire pakoras without negotiating.

Sichuan cooking in Angel — the boiled beef in chili oil and crispy fried rice cakes with brown sugar are the reasons to come.

Lebanese charcoal grill on Brick Lane — the lamb chops and farrouj meshwi are the reasons to come.

Vegan café near Baker Street with a globe-trotting menu — the vegan lasagne quietly steals the show.

Clerkenwell Lebanese counter with Palestinian roots — order the lamb shish and don't skip the complimentary soup.

Sri Lankan cooking in Shoreditch's Tea Building — order the bone marrow curry and don't skip the hoppers.

Indian-Turkish cooking on Seymour Place — the thali ends with baklava, which tells you everything.

Shanghainese cooking on Marylebone Road — the lion's head meatball and three-treasure soup are the reason to book.