I usually skip proper restaurants and go straight to the hole-in-the-wall taquerias when it comes to Mexican food, but Hecho En Dumbo, now relocated to the East Village, is pretty awesome and not all that expensive. Their Picaditas de Jaiba, corn medallions with shredded dungeness crab and avocado, are amazing.

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Down an unassuming street in the La Macarena neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia humbly sits one of the city’s sexiest dining spots: Leo Cocina y Cava. It is here that Chef Leonor Espinoza saturates Colombian comfort food — mainly from the coast — with intense doses of creativity to produce fresh, contemporary dishes with a clean presentation and knock-out appeal.

From sea bass wrapped in banana leaves, to whitefish ceviche, to raw tuna encrusted with Santanderean ants – a Colombian speciality – the menu features a plethora of seafood, fabulously executed, justifying why Leo Cocina y Cava is often called one of the world’s 50 best restaurants.

A minimalist design fused with a touch of old-school colonial style in the dining room accentuates Espinoza’s talent at merging the traditional and the contemporary. And in this small, chic, space, it’s not unlikely to see the Chef herself talking to customers or meticulously adjusting flowers or place settings. Details matter.

So next time you’re in Bogotá, go beyond coffee and chocolate to experience something uniquely – and fabulously – Colombian.

I think I’ve tried about four times now to get a reservation at Melbourne’s Fifteen Restaurant whenever I find myself frequenting the glorious city, but today I finally got lucky. Two years after its debut on Jamie Oliver’s show, this restaurant is still living up to the hype. Essentially it offers Mediterranean cuisine, but the difference is that it’s actually authentic. The menu stretches further than your average spaghetti bolognaise, pizza or risotto, that’s for sure. I was left amazed by a baked baby ricotta, prosciutto and balsamic entrée; kipfler potato smothered in a mixed pesto; and a baked pear with orange and vanilla mascarpone for dessert. The waiter even gives you a choice as to what bread style you want to dip in some oil. Now, that’s what we call service.

Screw robots, the futures lies with the monkey. A restaurant in Japan has shunned its country’s reputation for technological advancement and opted to use the primates to wait tables for it’s increasingly supportive customers. Hmmm, it’s a little disturbing to see a monkey walking on two legs, dressed in a waistcoat and carrying a beer.

I think eating in restaurants alone is sort of amazing, even though when I see other people do it, I get pangs in my heart. People are just so vulnerable when they’re shoveling food in their mouths, an act that humanizes anyone, which is why Crying While Eating is one of the most amazing blogs I’ve seen in a while.

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Can this be true? Florent, the legendary eatery of New York’s Meat Packing District, is about to become the next victim of sky-rocketing Manhattan leases. Luckily we still have one more month to be nostalgic at Florent. I’m going (with a whole bunch of friends) this weekend.