sazy rock's top 10 best restaurant dishes (to date) around the world

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really like to eat - and not necessarily healthy foods - when I travel. Eating while traveling makes me happy. In this first of my top 10 series, I will be sharing my top 10 restaurant dishes so far. I've excluded the US because I live there. I also reserve to change my mind about what should be on the top 10 tomorrow -- only because there's so much tasty food out there. So, without further ado, here they are:

1.  Various dishes at Azurmendi near Bilbao, Spain
This restaurant just outside of Bilbao served delicious, local, seasonal and beautiful food. The lobster on lobster dish was absolutely simple yet so tasty. The truffled egg was not simple but, biting into the yolk just showed how a great chef can elevate a simple egg into something ridiculously good. Oh, and the foie gras ash was so rich and creamy I thought I died and went to heaven. Okay, I loved a lot of dishes at Azurmendi, which I reviewed here. In fact, I'll just say that, in the past five years (and probably more), Azurmendi served the best dishes I have ever eaten anywhere (including in the United States).

Five of around 19 dishes served at Azurmendi. Clockwise from top left: lobster with lobster cornet,
foie gras ash with a block of foie gras underneath, squid, mullet, and egg yolk infused with black truffles.

Gran Reserva Jamon from Joselito's.

2.  Jamon Iberico de Bellota at Joselito's in Madrid, Spain
Technically, Joselito's is not a restaurant but a store where you can get Jamon Iberico to take home or eat in the store. When I visited, they offered different kinds of Jamon Iberico de Bellota, which came from black footed Iberian pig fed on acorns while freely roaming the dehesa of the Extremadura region of Spain. The best kind I tasted was the Grand Reserva, which was aged for up to five years before being carved. The resulting ham was nice and fatty (I'd like to think that the fat was good for me because you know, it's acorn fed). When I ate it, the thinly hand sliced piece practically melted in my mouth.


3.  The Prawn Scampi and Prawn Bisque at Brunton Boatyard in Fort Cochin, India

Grilled prawns at Brunton Boatyard.

Prawn Bisque at Brunton Boatyard.

Because the Indian state of Kerala is along the coast, seafood dishes take a big chunk of space on the menu. My husband's friends recommended Brunton Boatyard when we mentioned our plans to visit the area. I am glad they did. We opted for the "Shellfish Experience," which started with grilled prawns, followed by a prawn bisque, and ended with grilled lobster and mud crabs. Let me just say now that all of them were great. But, I must emphasize that the prawn bisque was absolutely divine. I don't know what was in it - other than the prawn stock made from the shell and cream - but I used my fingers to scoop out every last drop from the bowl. I may have also grabbed my husband's bowl. Also, the prawn starters - where one was marinated in garlic and olive oil, while the other was marinated in Indian spices - were also juicy and full of flavor.

4.  Poutine Foie Gras at Pied de Cochon in Montreal, Canada
Many folks recommended that I try Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal because I love eating swine and as this restaurant's name suggests, that's what they are all about. So, on my visit to this fair city, I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite dish on the entire menu was the foie gras poutine. It was really hard not to love: it had fries, foie gras and foie gras in the gravy. Sure, the walls of my heart were probably thickening each time I took a bite but, that dish was so good I ordered it again... for dessert. The fries had that nice crunch outside but all fluff inside, the foie gras gravy was rich, creamy and decadent and the liver was perfectly seared.

Foie gras poutine at Au Pied de Cochon.

5.  Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad at St. John Restaurant and Bar in London, UK
Many restaurants in the US serve some variation of the roasted bone marrow and parsley salad dish. But, none of them hold a candle to the St. John version. I literally closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation as the marrow touched every single nerve receptor in my mouth every time I ate it. I previously reviewed the restaurant here.

Roasted bone marrow and parsley salad at St. John.

6.  Ispod Peke at Konoba Dubrava in Dubrovnik, Croatia
There's this restaurant high above the walled city of Dubrovnik called, Konoba Dubrava. There, they served meats cooked "ispod peke" or "under a bell." During our visit, we pre-ordered lamb cooked ispod peke. For almost a whole day, the hot coals covered the cast iron dome that protected the meat (seasoned with salt and pepper), potatoes, and onions. When we got to the restaurant, the only thing remaining from the coals were white ashes. The whole day cooking under a bell resulted in meat cooked in its own juices, and caramelized onions that gave the meat a bit of a char with some sweetness. This was unpretentious cooking done at its finest.

Lamb and potatoes cooked under a bell at Konoba Dubrava.

7.  Tandoori Lamb Chops at Tayyabs in London, UK
When my British husband and I first started dating, he took me to this Pakistani restaurant in Whitechapel and ordered a nice big sizzling mixed grill plate that had tandoori lamb chops, tandoori chicken and a seekh kebab. Although everything on the platter tasted good, the lamb chops stole my heart. It was marinated in chili powder, cumin, some dried mint and turmeric, cooked in a very hot tandoor oven, and served on a sizzling hot platter. Our meals (we went back many times) at Tayyabs were affordable and always satisfying. I may have been a cheap date but those lamb chops were probably the reason why we're now married.

Tandoori lamb chops at Tayyabs.

8.  Mangalica Carpaccio at Bock Bisztro in Budapest, Hungary
Spain may have the Iberian pig but Hungary has the Mangalica (pronounced Mang-gah-LEET-zah) pig. When the Hungarian version was sliced very thinly (as in a carpaccio), I could practically see the plate through the nice layer of fat. I had a wonderful taste at Bock Bisztro and it was worth braving the Budapest winter just to have the carpaccio.

Mangalica carpaccio at Bock Bisztro.

9.  Bangus Belly at Mesa Filipino Moderne in Quezon City, Philippines
Many folks love pork belly. I don't blame them because I love it too. But, I also love fish belly. On a recent visit to the Philippines, I ordered the bangus belly dish at Mesa. It was the fried belly of a local fish called, "bangus" (bah- NGOOS) or "milkfish,"  and topped with crisped minced garlic. The fatty belly combined with garlic was decadent.

Bangus belly at Mesa.

10. Gambas Pil Pil at Dona Maria Taberna in Mijas Costa, Spain
Whenever I visit Costa del Sol, there is one place I like to go to for Gambas Pil Pil, shrimps cooked in sizzling olive oil with lots and lots of thinly sliced garlic, red chili flakes, paprika and parsley. I tried many restaurants in the area that served this dish but none of them prepared it like Dona Maria Taberna. Each time I went, Paco, the server, who was pretty much always there, brought the hot plate with the oil still bubbling and the shrimp perfectly cooked (overcooking shrimp should be a crime). I always dipped some bread in the oil with a bit of the garlic, and put a shrimp on top. So simple and yet so delicious. I love it!

The Gambas Pil Pil at Dona Maria Taberna.

I hope that these dishes inspire you to not only eat but to explore these (and other dishes) during your travels. What memorable dishes have you eaten during your travels?