Situated just a few blocks from the lively Leidseplein entertainment area, but just around the corner from the quiet, mannered Prinzengracht, Mayur is easily accessible from across Amsterdam. Featuring both swanky finishes and an authentic tandoori oven, welcoming diners with friendly, efficient service, Mayur is modern in its tasteful decor and international menu, while still being a true ethnic eatery.

The space is divided into a dimly-lit and stylishly furnished dining-room, and a well-appointed lounge and bar, with comfortable seating and subcontinental artwork. A large window separates the tandoori kitchen from the dining room, which adds to the atmosphere, as the baker tosses naan to the oven’s inside just beyond the packed booths. The extensive menu offers a wide variety of North Indian dishes, which are presented fancifully and is universally excellent.

Rather than other coffee shops, which so often seem like wifi hotspots with counter service, La Colombe’s locations are dedicated brewing fine coffee and serving it to customers in a relaxed environment. This is apparent in the small details–how many places offer a proper flatware spoon to stir a take-away cup of coffee?– as well as the lack of merchandise which so typically clutter more common coffee bars. The crowd is different, too–neither the servers nor the customers are distracted students more focussed on their smart phones than patrons. All this makes for friendly setting, cloaked in the fragrant aroma of roasting and brewing beans.

La Colombe has its own in-house blends, which have been carefully crafted to bring each customer a drink, transforming a mere pick-me-up into a culinary experience. Special Reserve blends include “Afrique,” a pan-African union of beans ethically sourced in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania, and an Atelier series including the heirloom “Haiti Blue Forest” which can be found nowhere else. Whole beans of La Colombe’s many varieties are sold by the bag in-store and online.

Even for those just looking to get a quick cup of black coffee and keep strolling the city, La Colombe is an excellent choice. In addition its two Lafayette Street stops and a Tribeca café, locations are now open in Philadelphia, Chicago’s West Loop, and even Seoul.

Delightfully, however, the Dutch shows few signs of either resting on its laurels, or being blinded to customer satisfaction by the glow of the limelight. While the Dutch,- a corner bistro in northwestern SoHo with an intimate layout– is small and in many ways unfancy, potential diners are welcomed by the Maitre d’ and offered a spot on the wait list for a table, or any available bar stools, with a warm smile and apology if a table isn’t immediately open.

The Dutch’s interior may be familiar to foodies– in its decor and design, it checks several boxes in the contemporary retro-hipster look, most especially the archaic turn-of-the-century white-painted metal sinks in the men’s room, surely rescued from immanent demolition of an old YMCA. The dining areas are mostly wood-paneled and subway-tiled, presenting a simple, clean look, accentuated with the hand-written chalkboard oyster list and illuminated from the large windows looking out onto leafy Sullivan and Prince Streets.

The Dutch’s small menu is fully available at the Bar, where the bartender is helpful and attentive as the other waitstaff. The offerings might best be described, simply as American: choose between the luscious Burger or towering Turkey and Avocado sandwich at lunch; Spaghetti or gumbo Scallops from  the”Supper” menu. Oysters from Washington State, Massachusetts or Virginia; even the cavier is American. An 18-0z New York Strip beckons; Fried Chicken frequents both the lunch and dinner offerings. This is paired with a bar menu dominated long list of boutique Kentucky Bourbons and domestic speciality drafts– particularly the hipster trifecta of Narragansett, Allagash, and Pretty Things Jack D’Or.

Although such a description may sound disappointingly indistinct or pedestrian, the Dutch’s great success is that, rather than chasing the new for its own sake, the restaurant executes the familiar so flawlessly.  Simply put, the Dutch is so celebrated because so much of what it offers is truly exquisite. The menus have so many gems: the side order of heirloom cauliflower was a great satisfaction; the burger, softly melting away on the tongue, is like no other. The smoked liverwurst is remarkable; the steak tartare tremendous.

If the future of New York’s dining scene is moving away from the overpriced and over-the-top to the casually flawless neighborhood eatery that is the Dutch, then New Yorkers and visitors to Manhattan have more to look forward to.

Located in the bustling, trendy Nine Streets section of the central canalbelt, on a gorgeous, narrow block of the Huidenstraat, next to fashion boutiques and fine dining restaurants between the Herengracht and the Keizersgracht, Pompodour is a cake-box sized temple of confectionary, offering a fine assortment of beautiful chocolates, as well as an array of bakery creations. Any of these can be boxed up for take-away, whether on foot or the back of a bicycle.

The offerings can be enjoyed in Pompadour’s delightful little dining area, up the steps from the praline-sized chocolate counter at the shop’s front, all wallpapered in pink and coupling confections with espresso, making Pompadour an excellent spot to break-away from the bustle of central Amsterdam’s premier shopping area, or buying a box of desserts to enjoy later.

However, there originally was, and is still, such a place as a Gastropub– a classic English watering hole offering fine, gourmet food. Perhaps fittingly, an excellent example of this category has become an institution in quiet, cream-white Central Belgravia for several years: The Thomas Cubitt.

Named for the famed English classical architect and builder, the Thomas Cubitt faces the middle-stretch of orderly Elizabeth Street with large glass doors which look into the open ground floor, with an elegant oak-paneled bar. Here, the menu features fish-and-chips, a beef burger, and Cumberland sausages and Steak-and-Guiness pie, below a chili squid starter and beet root salad, and alongside a long list of Champagnes. At the bottom is a Sunday Roast list of lamb. There are several fish offerings as well.

There is an even-more formal dining room, a white-tablecloth chamber serving venison, partridge and duck breast. While this is likely as much for the well-heeled neighbors as the bar area itself, it is in the street front space that the Thomas Cubitt is most enjoyable: truly a classic pub, with draft lager on tap and lively local crowd, but with delicious, beautifully-presented British comfort food in a clean, comfortable space brightened by the glass wall facing the street.

German chef Andreas Marquardt’s food is promising. He combines fresh ingredients from different continents to dish up lip-smacking delights of diverse cuisines, including Italian, French, German, Caribbean and Asian. Our favourites are carpaccio of braised oxtail with sautéed shiitake and 12-year-old balsamic vinegar for starters, and halibut with pancetta, asparagus and pommes noisettes for mai.

The evening is complete with a true german desert of Black Forest “Strata” Lambic and dried cherries are high notes in this deconstruction of the classic German dessert. Enjoy

Despite Apsleys’ English pedigree—not to mention the restaurant’s Old Guard name (derived from the Duke of Wellington’s former residence)—the Lanesborough brought in global talent such as Italian-trained chef Nick Bell (Zaferanno, Cecconi’s) and New York–based designer Adam D. Tihany (Per Se, Le Cirque) to conceive an inventive menu and a contemporary decor, respectively.

Beneath oversized chandeliers suspended from an arched glass ceiling, stylish locals and hotel guests dine on updated traditional fare, like scallops saltimbocca with samphire and sauce vierge, while oenophiles savor the sixteen Italian wines offered by the glass.

The well-spaced tables give a subdued ambience and afternoon tea here is a delight. The wine list has enormous depth and includes some of the rarest cognacs in the world.Aspley makes The City Present must try list.

The society’s treasures are in fact partially on view, as the space is lined with a series of tall built-in cabinetry, housing selections of the institution’s chinaware holdings overlooking a cleanly furnished room with a lemon-yellow banquette.

This airy northern Italian spot from chef Jim Burke (his NYC debut) and restaurateur Stephen Starr just opened inside the New-York Historical Society. While these plates aren’t to be eaten from, the menu’s large list of small plates. Fresh vegetable fares are the most successful– here is another recent opening offering a delicious prtion of cauliflower– or classics like gnocci made decidant with a touch of black truffle fonduta. There are other pasta specials, but also several delicious desserts. There are ample wines by the glass, and the squash bellinis, served during Sunday brunch, also have a cult following. Its enough to keep you visiting the Historical Society, even if its not for archival research.

The City Present has loved the original London Nobu on the 1st Floor of the Metropolitan Hotel for nearly a decade now, but its younger sister, a short walk across Mayfair, is excellent and remarkably easy to get in to without a reservation. The main trick: sit at the sushi bar. Not only is there often no wait (especially on a weeknight), but its a livelier scene. Between the sushi chefs handing out samples over the counter, and the foreign business travelers sitting next to you eager to strike up conversation, you’re sure to make friends.

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that at the end of the meal the waitstaff won’t exactly be saved on your mobile, as good-looking as they universally are. What they possess in beauty they lack in service worthy of such a global hotspot, and if you find yourself either soaked in spilled beer or overcharged for your meal, just know your in no better shape than The City Present staff has been. Savor the Rock Shrimp Tempura and don’t let it get to you.

Nobu Berkeley’s sushi counter is on the 1st Floor. Let the main desk at the entry know you are interested in a seat at the bar, and also check-in at the second hostess stand at the top of the stair.

And from the looks of things, we’ve got the winner. Bar Boulud, the first London outpost from NYC phenom Daniel Boulud opens Thursday in Knightsbridge (although they’re taking reservations today).

The Michelin-starred restaurateur’s new upscale-but-cozy French bistro serves classics like mussels, steak frites and New York-style burgers paired with wines from the Rhone Valley and Burgundy region served by the glass. A charcuterie bar sticks to meats and homemade specialties such as tourte de canard, braised lamb terrine and pulled rabbit with herbs.

Londoner’s will be dining in the wide-open kitchen or meeting for drinks in the lively lounge area (open till 1 a.m.). Red leather seats and deconstructed wine barrel chandeliers lend a rustic luxe feel, and Boulud created the artwork himself: red wine stains on pieces of tablecloth. It’s quite the splash.

My Favorite, The frenchie £13.50 grilled beef patty, confit pork belly, arugula tomato-onion compote, morbier chesse, peppered brioche bun & pommes frites.

The late-night organic burger joint called Jo’Burger has loud D.J.’s, graffiti murals and juicy grilled burgers that are pure beef bliss. The Dobson burger is a patty stacked with Maasdam cheese, arugula and a zingy relish, my favorite.

Menus are made out of old annuals in this retro spot. It’s very popular and can be quite busy. A diverse selection of burgers are on offer, along with sweet potato fries and organic sodas. Loud music and great burgers keep them coming back.

They don’t mention that the ENTIRE INTERIOR of the restaurant has also been lifted up from some other corner of Southeast Asia. If the food doesn’t amaze you, the antique woodwork will. Its possible to dine on four to five incredible dishes at once, while sitting underneath a reassembled temple.

The design for the chef’s counter facing the open kitchen is a two-for-one nice touch: its always a good sign when the kitchen is so accessible, and the stools look like a comfortable extension of the dining room, not an isolated afterthought. Its also nice that such incredible cuisine is accessible in such a friendly, casual atmosphere.

Spice Market London is a unique mix between the ethnic authentic old world feel of Spice Market NY and the contemporary architecture of the new building in the W Leicester Square London Hotel.