Michelin used to evaluate a restaurant based on whether it was worth a detour. Here, Victoria Haschka profiles 10 dishes so outstanding that they just might be considered destinations in themselves.

‘Romance forever’. That’s a steep level of commitment for a hotel; even one with a 12pm check out and the offer of vaporetto speedboat transfers to the centre of town…

“Cyprus beckons; the birthplace of Aphrodite, far enough south for warmth and with a promised 320 days of sunshine per year, moussaka, mezze, aniseed spirits in small clear glasses.”

“Elephant, leopard, buffalo, lion, rhino. We’re staring down three days at Rhulani lodge in South Africa’s Madikwe game reserve. I’m crossing fingers and hoping we’ll have time to see them all.”

“From the plunge pool on our balcony, I can see the sand, smell the salt and hear the rustle of the waves as they kick up against the shore across the road. If there’s a better spot for a sundowner in the world, I don’t know it.”

“We’ll always have Paris.” But which Paris? There’s always been the awe that comes from the tower, pleasures of the Louvre and the gentle cushioning of crepes, but it’s never been anything like this…

Surry Hills is probably the beating heart of Sydney’s culinary body. On this jaunt home to my motherland I was pleased to find one of the finest additions to the district is smack in the centre of it all.