Accidentally falling upon extraordinary restaurants is, for me, a bit like finding money in an old jacket pocket. Unexpected but completely welcomed. Such was the case at Restaurant Greulich, an unassuming yet delicious find tucked away in a Zurich hotel of the same name. This boutique space, itself hidden in a residential neighborhood, boasts a striking garden of birch trees and clean, contemporary lines, all which speak to quintessential Swiss minimalism.

And the food? The food is a complex dance of flavors that seem to harmoniously come together in completely unexpected ways. The concept is based on sharing a number of small plates, but this isn’t the stuff that tapas are made of. Here, delicious little portions of creative dishes based in seasonal flavors are passed around the table, allowing diners to explore and taste as much as possible. Three ingredients listed on the menu give a hint to the dish – say green onion risotto, cashew, apple, or shrimp, cucumber, green curry. It’s only a hint. What arrives on your plate is a playful and imaginative interpretation of what was seemingly simple. And here too, Swiss minimalism strikes again.

Tokyo Pop meets Bondi cool at PaperPlanes: a new seaside joint in Sydney’s infamous Bondi Beach. Think purple mood lighting, hanging origami cranes, skateboards on the ceiling and custom made furniture including an impressive full-length stone bar. Not to mention a total spunk-ista of a DJ spinning tunes worthy of a seat jig.

Warm up with a signature cocktail (lychee and ginger) before unfolding the origami-style menu and embarking on the pain-staking task of choosing your knockout dishes. Standouts include gyoza with prawns and creamy lemon wasabi topped with crunchy wasabi peas; spicy tuna sushi with apple and togarashi chilli, mayo and roe; grilled eggplant skewers with red miso and white sesame; and the Yin and Yang of oysters – a plate of two fresh and two flash-fried Sydney rock oysters like you’ve never tasted before.

For something a bit more substantial try meat dishes like char grilled lamb ribs with eggplant and sake flame teriyaki chicken with wild mushrooms. And just when you thought you could take or leave Japanese desserts, think again. Meet the Tokyo POP plant – lemon cheesecake with a chewy base and crunchy pop-candy crumble served in a mini terracotta pot plant. What’s a Japanese restaurant without a side of kitsch?

Fly east and get your neon-loving Tokyo Pop on.

An oven-baked pancake with soufflé tendencies drizzled with lemon juice and dusted with sugar. Ah, the dutch baby. Thanks to an inspired brunch from Ottawa’s tiny but potent Edgar’s, this old school favorite is making a modern-day coming back. Here, chef/owner Marysol reinvents this classic, turning it into a masterpiece of the sweet and salty persuasion. First, the dutch baby is baked in a skillet greased with duck fat, then filled with tender, salty pork belly, nestled beside chunky apple compote and dotted with knobs of aged cheddar. It’s topped off with a splatter of maple syrup (this is Canada, after all) making it the best new brunch in town. Here’s hoping this is a trend that takes off.

Hey shorty! You may notice shorter than usual posts. As we renovate The Urban Grocer, we’re a bit tied up. But we don’t want you to get too bored, so we’ll be sharing new content each week – just trimmer than usual.

Our beloved farmer’s markets tend to blossom in the Spring and Autumn months and for those in the southern hemisphere, the selection is getting pretty interesting in fall foods these time of year. We’ve got our eye on one space in particular: the Neighbourgoods Market in Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Justin Rhodes and Cameron Munro, this independent initiative aims to “revive and reinvent the Public Market as a civic institution.” How so? By pulling double duty. Not only does it offer up abundant foodstuffs from local farmers, all kinds of artisan edibles, and a variety of top-notch mongers selling meat, fish and cheese, but the market is also helping to resurrect an industrial section known as Woodstock. Housed in a Victorian age warehouse that we imagine alone is worth the trip, Neighbourgoods Market offers samplings of fresh baked goods and the latest trends served up by the city’s hottest bright young things.

Hey shorty! You may notice shorter than usual posts. As we renovate The Urban Grocer, we’re a bit tied up. But we don’t want you to get too bored, so we’ll be sharing new content each week – just trimmer than usual.

Move over pop-up dinners, guest chefs, and test kitchens; one restaurant in Ottawa is exploring yet another creative spin on the traditional dining-out experience.

The small and stellar Fraser Café is introducing family dinners every Monday night. Held in the cafe’s newly opened space, Table 40 is especially designed for convivial, communal dining. Gorgeous Western maple milled wood tables span the floor, while quirky Edison light bulbs hang down creating a warm glow. A floor-to-ceiling brown paper banner affixed in one corner presents the night’s special offerings, hastily hand-painted in white.

Grab a chair and wait while copper sauce pots and wooden platters march out to crowd your table with hot broths, chunks of bread, fresh salads and pork roasts. Take what you like and pass the rest to your neighbour.

Take. Eat. Share. Engage. This is dining out. This is feasting.

Aaah, Paris. Frankly, any time of year this city is a knockout but in the spring, as blooming flowers line its grand avenues, it really seduces. Once you’ve had your share of flaky pain au chocolat and cream-filled éclairs while sitting under the sun by the Seine, dare to explore the city’s other thriving cultures of cuisine.

For North African pastries that will transport you to Algiers, hoof it over to La Bague de Kenza. Almond, pistachio, honey, cinnamon, rosewater, and orange blossom confections are piled high next to crumbly, honeyed, crescent-shaped cornes de gazelles.

To sample some of the best falafel you’ll ever have, L’as du Fallafel in the always-cool Marais is a must. Flawlessly textured pureed chickpeas, deep-fried are crisp on the outside, garlicky and velvety in the center. For under 10€ a pop, it is worth the inevitable wait every time.

Or, for a taste of that legendary Americans-in-Paris love affair, be sure to reserve at Ralph’s where American comfort food is expertly tweaked with European flair. Take a seat in the outdoor courtyard and revivify in the fresh, Parisian spring air.

[First photo via I Still Shoot Film]

Airplane food. Even the words conjure up images of mystery meat or the mushiest-pasta you’ve ever had, paired with old lettuce leaves and factory produced dressing. Well, British Airways is hoping to change your mind – on the ground, at least. For two weeks in April, they’re launching a pop-up restaurant in London based around the flight experience. Called Flight BA2012, for £50 you’re treated to a three-course meal inspired by BA menu’s from 1948, prepared by a real chef – overseen by Heston Blumenthal – inside what looks like an aircraft. The whole shtick is to publicize BA’s status as the official Olympic airline. And though this may seem like the most expensive in-flight meal you’ll voluntarily eat, keep in mind it’s what will be served to BA’s first class passengers this summer, where the cost of a ticket is a touch more than 50 quid…

Hey shorty! You may notice shorter than usual posts. As we renovate The Urban Grocer, we’re a bit tied up. But we don’t want you to get too bored, so we’ll be sharing new content each week – just trimmer than usual.

Greenhouse by Joost is clearly a project we love, having featured it in a few different ways in the past. But when this brilliant, sustainable, waste-free restaurant popped-up at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, we had to showcase it one more time. And really, how can we not? There are vertical gardens, trees sprouting mushrooms, herbs growing on the roof (helped along by composted organic waste from the restaurant), not to mention Joost’s signature sharp design too. Even the urine from public toilets is being turned into fertilizer. Okay, that’s a little less appetizing…But Chef Matt Stone’s philosophy of celebrating seasonal eats using local products certainly whets the palette. So if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Melbourne, this is definitely a pop-up worth experiencing – just don’t wait too long; the project ends before the month does.

Hey shorty! You may notice shorter than usual posts. As we renovate The Urban Grocer, we’re a bit tied up. But we don’t want you to get too bored, so we’ll be sharing new content each week – just trimmer than usual.

As I write this post from a very cold, very gray Switzerland, I am desperately longing for the warm summer sun. When the clouds roll in and the temperatures drop, who doesn’t want to ditch the gloves, hat, and coat to head south? So this week it’s all about making like snowbirds and escaping to a place in the sun from Brazil to Fiji, Malibu to Mexico.

Skye Bar, São Paulo: With 360-degree views of the stunning São Paulo skyline, wasabi martinis, and innovative dishes like fillet of sole steamed in Champagne, who wouldn’t want to be chilling on top of the ultra modern Skye Bar right about now? Take a dip in the pool or dance until dawn and you’ll forget your winter doldrums faster than you can say saúde!

Beachy Cream, Malibu: Surfers. Ice cream. Malibu. What spells sun more than that? Beachy Cream. This mobile cart cruises the beaches of Malibu serving up surfer-inspired ice cream sandwiches in flavors like Key Lime Cowabunga and Ginger Wipe Out. Surfs up, dude!

Viti Levu, Fiji: What an experience it would be to peruse a local market with a home cook and sit beside her as she prepares kokoda – a sort of Fijian ceviche. Palm trees swaying, coconuts breaking, the hot sun flooding in. It’s certainly not as hip as rooftop martinis but there is copious beauty in its simplicity.

Outstanding in the Field, Oahu, Hawaii: I’m having quite the love affair with this plop-a-table-in-an-amazing-space-and-serve-amazing-food roving pop-up. But the opportunity to dine at said table in the middle of an organic farm in Wai’anae, Oahu, with mountains and palm trees forming the backdrop is an experience ripe for the sun gods.

Condesa, DF, Mexico City: You’ll feel miles away from the frigid air sipping on private label tequila and mezcal at this hip boutique hotel in the heart of Mexico City’s stylish, tree-lined neighborhood of the same name. Sprawl out on white chaise lounges on the rooftop when the violet Jacarandas are in bloom for a truly Mexican, sun-filled affair. ¡Qué lindo!

Join the conversation on Facebook & Twitter to let us know what summer spot you’re craving!

Some New Year’s Resolutions are all about what not to eat. Not ours. We’re about what to eat in the year ahead and here we’ve laid out some of our top must-visit restaurant recommendations for you in 2012.

Let’s be clear: this list is by no means extensive. In addition to the below, there are heaps of amazing spots in South Africa worth exploring. Over the course of any year, London, Sydney, and Melbourne deliver countless extraordinarily creative, pushing-the-envelope spots. And in 2012, the Great White North and the amazing food Canada has to offer is a must (maybe that will wait until the summer though….).

But for now, here’s a list to get you started.

For the boundary-pushers:

Bo Innovation, Hong Kong for “the demon chef’s” modern take on old school cuisine in a Michelin-starred spot.

Uchiko, Austin where contemporary Japanese food in a Texas farmhouse is too bewildering – and rewarding – to miss.

Gaggan, Bangkok for the best and only Indian-cuisine-meets-molecular-gastronomy experience in the world.

For jaw-dropping interiors:

Clancy’s Fish Bar, Perth where a kaleidoscopic interior and stunning views of the sparkling Indian Ocean are served alongside boutique brews and the best pimped-up pub fare in town.

Alice in Magic World, Tokyo for a trippy Alice in Wonderland experience that only the Japanese could conceive.

Estancia Vik, Jose Ignacio, Uruguay because words cannot explain the experience of digging in to traditional barbecue in an unreal graffiti-covered space, nestled on acres of unforgettable Uruguayan countryside.

When posh is out and underground is in:

Vatos Tacos, Berlin for the best Mexican food truck tacos this side of the Eiffel Tower.

Umami, Los Angeles where their burgers are as inexplicably delicious as umami itself.

See? We told you, not extensive. Montreal-based Au Pied de Cochon’s Cabane à Sucre is absent, not to mention any of the standby classics like Sydney’s Tetsuya or Northern California’s French Laundry. And the list goes on! So tell us, what do you think is missing, or what are your must-visit spots in 2012?