We’ve booked your next food-themed holiday. You’re welcome.

Pack your appetite and your sense of adventure, and put your intermittent fasting regimen on hold, at least for the weekend. At these dining destinations, there’s always something new and intriguing on the table. Here’s a taste of what to expect.

Playful and inventive fine-dining

Location: Bangkok

Thai chefs are getting curiouser than ever. They’re questioning, reinterpreting and dissecting Thai food, all while employing dazzling techniques for Michelin-worthy plates. Thailand’s fine-dining experiences used to be the exclusive domain of Western food, but lots of groundbreaking places are popping up all over Bangkok to give a spin on perennial classics, like this bite-sized tomyum from Small Dinner Club. “We pull apart, question and reimagine Thai cuisine, with hopes to create new expectations not just for Thai food, but for food in general,” says Chef Sareen Rojanametin of Small Dinner Club.

Despite the upscale and reservation-only nature of these chef’s tables, the atmosphere at these lavish gastronomic journeys are also less stuffy — for the most part, it’s come as you are and get ready to learn from and interact with the chefs. Besides new-ish Bangkok staples such as Potong, Seasoning 36 and Wana Yook, cutting-edge chefs from other provinces have also done kitchen takeovers, like Samuay & Sons from Udon Thani at Siri Sala. At this exquisite private Thai villa, you can taste regional cuisine all in the setting of a glamorous, wooden Thai home. Destination dining will be worth the trek, because never before have forest plants or fermented fish been so fancy. —Parisa Pichitmarn

Breakfast-to-dinner Indian classics

Location: Hyderabad

If you’ve never thought of this South Indian city as a dining destination beyond its famed Biryani, you’re in for a treat. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic chaos, Hyderabad landed on PETA’s 2019 Most Vegan-Friendly Cities list, as well as UNESCO’s Creative City of Gastronomy list, giving you two very good reasons to plan a visit. 

Embark on a culinary tour by visiting the iconic Charminar at sunrise. Take in the views of this 430-year -old heritage monument while sipping on a hot cup of Irani chai at Nimrah Cafe and Bakery. Then head over to the nearby Mozamjahi Market and its bylanes, to dig into delicious varieties of crispy dosa for breakfast at the famous Ram ki Bandi, followed by scoops of handmade ice cream at the adjacent Famous Ice Cream. 

Grab lunch at Adaa, tucked away inside a 19th-century Nizam residence perched 2,000 feet above the city on a hillock, and now refurbished as Taj Falaknuma Palace. Chef Sajesh Nair follows the time-honored cooking style of the Nizam’s Khansama (royal cooks) here, and recommends Ameer Khuwani Biryani (made with raw, marinated mutton cooked between layers of rice) and Zimarkand Shikampuri Kebab for vegetarians. 

In the evening, unwind with a fine eight-course dinner at Once Upon A Time at the Hotel Green Park featuring Hyderabadi dishes given a delectable contemporary spin by Chef Vignesh. —Meenakshi J

An unlikely hotspot for global cuisine

Location: Manila

From Chicago to Paris, Filipino food’s global star keeps shining brighter and brighter as dining spots serving elevated takes on the long overlooked cuisine earn critics’ nods and pick up much coveted Michelin stars. But it’s in the Philippine capital of Manila that you can have the widest sampling of modern and inventive Filipino cuisine, where favorites such as chef Jordy Navarra’s Toyo, as well as Chele Gonzalez and Carlos Villaflor’s Gallery by Chele, put little known, almost forgotten indigenous ingredients back on the table, in eye-wateringly gorgeous plates.

Overall, Manila’s dining scene is worth the trip. The offerings are becoming increasingly more diverse, the level of craft rising to ever greater heights, and dining halls are chic but not stuffy, carefully considered without being aesthetically overdone. The three-year-old Metronome, for instance, a modern French restaurant in the Makati CBD helmed by chef and partner Miko Calo, is noted for its elegant, Art Deco-inflected interiors as much as for its menu. And the new private dining spot Modan, offering progressive Japanese cuisine courtesy of chef Jorge Mendez, is an emotional tribute to family and the flavors that shaped his childhood, all in an intimate setting, in an unassuming part of town. —Tara FT Sering

Art, wine and wellness on the side

Location: Melbourne

Jump in a car and take a leisurely, southerly cruise along Melbourne’s Port Philip Bay for about an hour and a half and you’ll arrive at the boot-shaped Mornington Peninsula – a multifaceted, sometimes posh playground that’s home to lush, rolling vineyards, elegant fine dining restaurants, designer-driven hotels, some of Australia’s best contemporary art and acclaimed wellness retreats. To start, there are the wineries-slash-art galleries: pinot noir in hand, wander the grand estate of Montaldo in Red Hill, with its Tuscan-esque courtyards and sprawling sculpture trails; or the 330-acre Point Leo Estate and its magnificent sculpture park, featuring towering forms by acclaimed local and international artists such as KAWS, George Rickey, and Tomnakatsu Matsuyama.

Then there’s avant-garde Jackalope, a stunning, jet-black modernist hotel framed by bright green vines. It houses two fabulous eateries – Doot, Doot, Doot and Rare Hare – a swish cocktail bar, cellar door, infinity pool and is scattered with intriguing modern artwork throughout.

At Everywhen Artspace in Flinders, you’ll find stunning First Nations paintings, ceramics and weavings from more than 40 Indigenous-owned art centers, as well as independent artists. You’re even spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches – from the peaceful and kid-friendly bay beaches of Rye and Dromana, to the wild waves of the region’s “back beaches” such as Portsea and Sorrento.

Bubbling underneath the Mornington Peninsula are thermal waters that are piped into one of the region’s star attractions – the Peninsula Hot Springs. This summer, the peninsula has upped the luxe, with the opening of a spectacular new wellness destination: Alba Thermal Springs and Spa. Here, indulge in 31 different bathing pools (geothermal or salt), hidden cave and rain pools, secluded springs, 22 treatment rooms and a much-anticipated restaurant by Aussie celebrity chef Karen Martini. —Claire Knox

For the chocolate lovers

Location: Zurich

Switzerland is renowned worldwide for its smooth, creamy chocolate, and the long chocolate making history of its largest city, Zurich, makes it a must-visit destination for travelers with a sweet tooth. Visitors can take part in workshops, guided tours and tastings, or simply wander through the city’s picturesque streets, browsing rows of pretty pralines in boutique chocolate shops, learning about innovative chocolate-making techniques at small bean-to-bar manufacturers, or settling down for a Heisse Schoggi (hot chocolate) in one of the city’s traditional cafés. 

What better time to visit Zürich than in 2023, when the world famous chocolatier and confectionery company Lindt celebrates its 125th anniversary. The ultra-modern Lindt Home of Chocolate museum, which opened on the banks of Lake Zürich in 2020, offers chocolate lovers the opportunity to learn about the cultivation of cacao and history of chocolate as well as view a demonstration production facility and even join a chocolate course. If that isn’t enough to tempt you, the museum is home to not just the largest Lindt shop in the world, but also a 9-metre chocolate fountain, which you can enjoy a glorious view of whilst eating waffles in the museum café. —Christie Dietz

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