Top 10 worldwide gourmet restaurants

Barcelona - ABaC

Catalan food is given a modern twist at ABaC, a minimalist marvel at the hotel of the same name. The innovative menu is courtesy of chef Xavier Pellicer, with daring combinations such as lightly sautéed shrimp and onion soup with pheasant egg white. It is dishes such as these that have snagged the property two Michelin stars and made it a Mecca for those serious about their grub.

The restaurant boasts an elegant interior, too, with minimal furnishings and a soft colour palette of dreamy creams - though it is the food that takes centre stage here.

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Milan - Sadler

Claudio Sadler's two-Michelin-starred restaurant is set slightly out of the city centre, but that hasn't stopped the gourmet connoisseurs from flocking here in their ravenous droves.

A firm fixture on the Milanese scene since 1995, Sadler is still producing award-winning food; his secret is to keep things simple - no surprises, just satisfying food without too many tastes in one dish.

Traditional Italian feature heavily on the menu, sometimes with a subtle Asian influence. The sommelier-served wine, meanwhile, comes from small Italian producers and international vintages.

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Rome - Il Pagliaccio

Michelin-starred chef Anthony Genovese uses Il Pagliaccio to captivate contemporary Romans with a variety of mouthwatering Mediterranean concoctions.

You won't find bucatini all'amatriciana here but you will find delicate flavours and interesting departures from the classical Roman menu, while acclaimed pastry chef Marion Lichtle rounds off the meal with choice desserts.

Whereas some creative cuisine can be rather challenging, Genovese's offerings are still accessible even to the non-gourmet palette. Prohibitive prices do, however, make this a haunt for business lunches and culinary connoisseurs, creating a rather rarefied atmosphere amongst the white tablecloths and plush baroque upholstery.

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Stockholm - Edsbacka Krog

Edsbacka Krog is a 15-minute taxi ride outside of Stockholm but, being one of the finest restaurants in the land, the dining room is never empty. Christer Lingström (a chef so famous in his homeland that he has appeared on a postage stamp) opened this restaurant in 1983 and he earned his first Michelin star in 1992, with a second following in 2000.

The building retains the appearance of a traditional Swedish inn, and the seasonal menu draws upon local ingredients. You might find halibut wrapped in a potato crepe or a pastry of green apples perfumed with cinnamon and nuts.

Given the long hike out of town, dinners are long and luxurious and you will need to book a table well in advance.

Hg2's guide to Stockholm

Hg2 is our slick abbreviation for A Hedonist's Guide... - a luxury city guide series coveted by travellers who value both style and substance when it comes to soaking up a city

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Madrid - Santceloni

Madrid's reputation in the restaurant world went up a couple of notches when the Hotel Hesperia managed to secure the services of Santi Santamaria, famed for working his creative genius at Barcelona's Recó de Can Fabes.

Here at Santceloni he uses the best local produce and mixes them together to conjure up delicious, first-rate dishes that quickly earned this restaurant two Michelin stars.

Designed by Pascua Ortega, the restaurant is ultra-stylish with a warm colour palette of creams and whites, and provides the perfect setting for Madrid's high-society set - as well as those who simply love great food.

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Hg2 is our slick abbreviation for A Hedonist's Guide... - a luxury city guide series coveted by travellers who value both style and substance when it comes to soaking up a city

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Berlin - Facil

The retractable glass roof of this one Michelin-starred restaurant can be opened on a summer's day for the ultimate urban al fresco dining experience; but even when the weather is less gracious, Facil remains one of the city's top restaurants.

Light is a theme that pervades both the airy interior and the menu, and Chef Michael Kempf has created a series of dishes that weigh heavy on the taste buds but not the stomach.

Facil aims to dispel any stiffness sometimes associated with gourmet restaurants. Instead, guests in jeans are welcomed as warmly as those in dressed up to the nines for lavish but light-hearted dining.

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London - Sketch

You don't have to be a millionaire to indulge in Pierre Gagnaire's Michelin-starred cuisine. At night, the downstairs Gallery - a contemporary art space by day - becomes one of the hippest brasseries in town, its white modernity softened with Louis-something chairs and curvaceous patterned screens.

The inventive menu ranges from neo-comfort food (gnocchi 'with the flavours of Costa Rica') to expectation-defying genius (salad of raw seafood with acorn-fed ham and cheese).

Everyone from supermodels to septuagenarians eats here (charismatic owner Mourad Mazouz hates his customers to be predictable) and at midnight the DJs crank up the sound system and the party kicks off.

Hg2's guide to London

Hg2 is our slick abbreviation for A Hedonist's Guide... - a luxury city guide series coveted by travellers who value both style and substance when it comes to soaking up a city

- Top 10 famous hotels

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New York - Del Posto

The owners of Del Posto are on a mission: to test and push the limits of regional Italian food preparations, giving diners an experience that rivals that of the top French restaurants.

Expect clever antipasti (roasted autumn veggies dotted with truffled hazelnuts; shallot and vinegar-kissed scallop carpaccio), spot-on orechiette or gnocchi (try the family-style tastings), and ambitious main dishes - tender venison with walnuts and sour plums, Romanesca braised orata, and several dishes to share, such as the hulking veal chop.

Hg2's guide to New York

Hg2 is our slick abbreviation for A Hedonist's Guide... - a luxury city guide series coveted by travellers who value both style and substance when it comes to soaking up a city

- Top 10 famous hotels

- 10 as seen on screen locations