I love big cities – they bring a certain energy and cadence I find invigorating. I’ve visited a few over the years and I love them all, but my favourite has got to be Hong Kong. There’s something to do and eat any time of the day. It’s a really nice mix of hyper-modernity, nostalgic old-city living, lush forests, photogenic harbour, surprisingly great beaches and the clouds are just stunning. When in Hong Kong, dim sum is a must, and I love them for breakfast. My holy trinity is har gow (prawn and bamboo shoot steamed dumplings), siu mai (pork and prawn dim sum) and steamed black bean pork ribs.

Italian food is my favourite so my first thought usually is an Italian city, but of late I’ve really been enjoying eating my way around Melbourne. Not only the nostalgia of home, but the vibrancy and culture have made it one of my favourite cities in the world. Melbourne is spoilt for choice, whether it’s the incredible sushi counter at Kisumé, coffee and croissants at the legendary Lune, pan-fried dumplings at Supernormal, wine-friendly food at Marion, paccheri alla Bolognese at Di Stasio Città, minute steak at France Soir or a refreshing Americano at Bar Americano and yet another coffee at the legendary Mario’s (where I really became a waiter). The list is truly endless.

Asian cities have always given me the most food satisfaction because they do the best street food. I’ve never seen so many stalls as I have in Bangkok, Singapore has excellent food halls and Colombo has short eats and snacks on most corners. My favourite, though, is Tokyo. I spent a week there recently and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much in my life. The pickles are incredible, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten bad ramen there and the convenience stores have a ridiculous amount of amazing snacks. This trip I somehow acquired an unhealthy obsessison with crème puffs – I didn’t go a day without one. They had the puffs of my dreams.

I absolutely love Lisbon. It’s such a vibrant, giving city, extremely affordable and very pretty. The traditional eateries are as good as the modern, and the quality of the produce is incredible. The Atlantic has a great influence on the cooking in Lisbon. It has the greatest seafood. Just south of Lisbon you can watch nets full of sardines being dragged onto the beach. You can go for a swim, then head up to a shack and have sardines straight out of the ocean, simply grilled with salt and a little oil. The Portuguese brought so much back from the Americas and the east. Coriander, for instance, is more prevalent than parsley. Portugal has the best clams. My go-to dish there is clams cooked with butter, garlic and onion and finished with coriander. At Bar Lourinhã I make a dish of clams with coriander butter. It’s my take-home flavour of Lisbon.

San Sebastián is my favourite food destination – it has great restaurants, from the simple to the avant-garde. Etxebarri is the most amazing restaurant. Victor Arguinzoniz is the greatest grill chef in the world, using the finest ingredients cooked over charcoal from many different woods. He is the man who tames fire. Kaia-Kaipe is the best seafood restaurant in the world, in my opinion. Fresh fish from local boats, shellfish live from the tanks, all cooked over a huge outdoor charcoal fire – it’s just unbeatable. Mugaritz, run by Andoni Luis Aduriz, is one of the world’s great contemporary restaurants. The multi-course journey through technique and craft is dazzling, and with the most wonderful spirit of hospitality.

It might sound biased but I have to pick Pontremoli, a small town in Tuscany. It’s famous for testaroli, a pancake-like pasta, dressed simply with basil, Parmigiano and olive oil, and although it’s so simple, it’s absolutely delicious. The beauty of heading here is also the fact it borders Tuscany and Genoa so you can head down into beautiful towns of Tuscany for bistecca alla Fiorentina and gorgeous pasta with spiced ragù or head into Genoa for pasta al pesto. Heaven!

Italy, specifically Rome, is one of my favourites for its produce-driven, simple tasty food that stems from traditions such as cheesemaking, charcuterie, baking and winemaking. I’m always impressed with the quality of ingredients, which havse made some of my dining experiences in Rome highlights of my travels. Tearjerking buffalo mozzarella so fresh you can taste the grass the cow ate or peach sorbet like you’re taking a bite from a peach straight off the tree. That along with streets laden with people and historic features and it’s a sensory overload, in a great way. As a Melburnian, coffee is high on my hitlist and Rome doesn’t disappoint for a morning latte.