International
Tinkuy is the lunch buffet that even non hotel guests can reserve for lunch. It costs about US$44 per person and has a wide variety of items. I presume the same kitchen prepares this food as next door. It is open 11am-330pm. Online reservations are through their Facebook page.
Tampu Breakfast Buffet walk thru in the Sanctuary Lodge at Machu Picchu, Peru.
Why did we eat here? – Tampu is the main restaurant in the Sanctuary Lodge at Machu Picchu. Breakfast and lunch are open to hotel guests & non-hotel guests (based on availability – reserve ahead). Breakfast buffet costs US$35. Dinner is open to hotel guests only. The other restaurant next door is a lunch buffet for the general public USD$44, that the hotel also runs.
Why did we eat here? – Quipas is a restaurante de cocina peruana contemporánea ubicado in Lima, Peru. Not a big spot, about 12 tables and a bar counter. They serve lunch and dinner. This was our first dinner in Peru and a highly anticipated one that is rated at 4.9 on Google. (They do ask you to leave a review after you pay) A fellow foodie suggested we try this spot. We were trying to get the best of Peru, but without tasting menus.
Foodnut travels, eats, and tells! We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over. We document our trip to Peru. Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and a lot of eating in between. Lots of weird eats and unexpected new food finds.
Foodnut travels, eats, and tells! We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over. We love Thai food and find some of the best in Thailand.
Why did we eat here? – We were staying at the Ritz Carlton Bangkok and had Free breakfast thanks to Chase Sapphire Reserved The Edit or Amex Platinum! It normally costs 1118 THB = USD$34, which is Very reasonable. This is not just a beautiful and great hotel, it is centrally located next to the One shopping mall. This mall has some great food options on floor B1 and 3rd floor.
Buffet Walk Through
Why did we dine here? – The Market is renoun to be one of the best Hotel Buffets in Hong Kong. Being big fans of luxury buffets and having ate at several over the years, it was next on our list.
Walk Thru Video:
One day in Hong Kong and we luckily picked a great dim sum restaurant!
This restaurant returned its original name: Lai Ching Heen – Signifying a homecoming, Yan Toh Heen got remodeled in 2022 and returns to its treasured original name, Lai Ching Heen after that. It started with that name back in 1984. Our latest visit was in summer 2026.
Last Update: 2026
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Foodnut travels, eats, and tells! We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over. We love Chinese food and find some of the best in Hong Kong.
Where does a San Francisco Foodie eat in Morocco? Follow our journey and learn from our experiences. Here are Restaurant Reviews and Notes from our Summer 2025 trip to Morocco.
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Top xiao long bao in Shanghai?
Jia Jia Tang Bao (佳家汤包) is a small but popular Shanghai steamed dumpling or Xiaolongbao shop in Shanghai established in 1986. Our first visit was in 2010, then 2014. Our most recent visit was in Summer 2025 when they had moved down the block to nicer location.
Dumplings worth flying across the Pacific Ocean for…
Yang’s Dumpling – Chinese name: 小杨生煎馆 or xiao yang sheng jian guan 生煎包 – is a popular fried dumpling shop serving pan fried pork bun or Sheng jian bao, a Shanghainese Chinese dish. It was formed in Shanghai in 1994 by Mrs. Yang, who still keeps her recipe secret. They have many locations in Shanghai and are opening more all the time even in Austrailia. We dined at the Shanghai Huanghe location nearest to our hotel by People’s Square.
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We recently finished a culinary tour of China in the Summer of 2025. Shanghai is a world class city full of great food. Most of the Chinese food was superior to that in the San Francisco Bay Area and even Vancouver, BC Canada.
We ate at Yung Kee’s Hong Kong Airport location, Level 6, Terminal 1 West Hall Airside.
Choice of any 2 roasted Meats (HK$380=$48) with Roasted Goose and Barbecued pork. They ran out of Premium Barbecued pork belly. The goose was delicious but had to be eaten with the skin or else it was dense and dry. Barbecued pork comes warm was very good. This was an expensive dinner but when you have limited time in transit! 8.5/10
We return to the first 3 Michelin star Chinese Restaurant in the world.
Upscale IFC Shopping Center – Glitzier than any USA Mall
Last Update: June 2025
We love Xiao Long Bao (XLB) aka Shanghai Steamed Soup Dumplings and have eaten all over the world seeking the best. Are you a Xiao Long Bao addict too? Read on.
One tip: If you are looking for good XLB, do not order them from a Cantonese Chinese restaurant. You are almost always guaranteed disappointing results even at the Best Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco: Koi Palace. Order these little balls of wonder from a Shanghainese Chinese restaurant.
We have a soft spot for buffets. Large assortments of food from around the world lets us try items that we would never order. High end buffets with everything from Prime Rib to Lobster to Foie Gras to Souffles are always on our hit list. Foodnut values quality in addition to quantity, so forget about Golden Corral.
Buffets originated in France, where French hosts would set up tables full of food so diners could help themselves during parties. This concept grew and was super sized in Las Vegas.
Last Update: May 2025
Be sure to secure your iPhone or Android Smartphone before you travel. Precautions will help prevent disaster.
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Reviews from our Summer 2024 trip to Paris. It has been about 15 years, so it was time to see Olympic ready Paris.
Here are Restaurant Reviews and Notes from our Summer 2024 trip to Greece – Athen and Naxos.
SAINT-JEAN is a plant based bakery and deli in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. They have a deli across the street. The baked items are stellar, unlike any we’ve had before. Their deli is across the street. Another nearby vegan baker spot that is closeby is Margo’s – Not as exceptional, but they serve nicer sandwiches. No gluten free options here. Prices are great, items would be at least 2-3x in San Francisco.
Josephine Chez Dumonet is a popular old school Bistro in the 6th Arrondissement, St. Germain, not far from the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was open in 1898 and is run by 3rd generation Jean-Christian Dumonet. We came to this restaurant to feel what Paris felt like in the old days. They serve half portions so you can sample lots of cuisine. They are known for excellent boeuf bourguignon, steak tartare, and roasted saddle of lamb. Our first visit was in 2009 and we returned in 2024.
We visited Osaka, Japan in December 2023 and made a list of interesting finds. Our goals are to eat local and seek out authentic experiences. Sushi, udon, soba, yakitori, oden, whatever! Yelp and Trip Advisor were not helpful in spotting places to eat at, only Google reviews were useful. We did not seek our Michelin rated spots.
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Coque (coal in Spanish) is a very expensive (340€) 2 Michelin star restaurant in Madrid Spain. There are five total Two star spots in this great city. (Available 160€ optional wine pairing)
Best Vegetarian heaven! Encanto is a vegetarian restaurant in Lisbon with one Michelin star from star chef José Avillez. We have no vegetarian restaurant with this rank back in San Francisco, so we had to give it a try. You can book online, they have a single 12 course tasting menu that is also available in English. Our server spoke English too.
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Restaurant reviews and guide from our recent trip to Portugal in 2023. We visited Lisbon and Porto and loved it.
Why did we dine here? – Yauatcha is a fancy Chinese restaurant chain with several locations in London. They are the more inexpensive sister of Hakkasan. We came for dinner and found it packed, with a loud clubby atmosphere. There are locations in India and Saudi Arabia.
Why did we dine here? – Indian food is a MUST when visiting London. Dishoom is a popular local chain of Indian restaurants that combines reasonable prices and decent food. (8 locations and counting) Rated 4.5 on Yelp. We had to wait 45 minutes for a Table at 5pm Monday!
Celebrity Cuisine is a One Michelin star Cantonese Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. It has ping ponged between one and two stars for years. Michelin 1 Starred Restaurant (2010, 2017-20), Michelin 2 Starred Restaurant (2011-2016) We were looking an easy same day online lunch reservation after a disappointing meal at Maxim’s Palace. This spot fit the bill, Perfectly. It is located in Central, across the street from the old school Lin Heung tea house.
Where does a San Francisco Foodie eat in Thailand? Follow our journey and learn from our experiences.
Here is a compilation of more casual restaurants, snack places we visited during our 2020 Asia trip. Our goal was to find good eats at reasonable prices, primarily restaurants where locals go. We have no interest sampling cuisine that is done better at home in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is challenging on an expensive ‘island’, full of pricey tourist traps.
Where does a San Francisco Foodie eat in the Singapore? Follow our journey and learn from our experiences.
Here is a compilation of more casual restaurants, snack places we visited during our 2019 Asia trip. Our goal was to find good eats at reasonable prices, primarily restaurants where locals go. We have no interest sampling cuisine that is done better at home in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is challenging on an expensive ‘island’, full of pricey tourist traps.
Gluttony in Hong Kong. We are lovers of high end buffets. Hong Kong is one of the top spots for pure gluttony with high end food options for Sunday Brunch. (Prime rib, Many raw seafood options, sushi/sashimi, Foie Gras and more) Past visits have seen us visit other top hotel buffets. We have methodically tried to dine at all the heavy hitters.
Best Buffet in the world?
In late 2019 we went back to the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore Colony buffet. It changed name and upgraded in 2015. The interior is much more ornate and structured. After reading about the food options in 2019, we felt it remains the top buffet in Singapore, in from of Rise and The Line.
Last Update: December 2019
Be sure to secure your iPhone or Android Smartphone before you travel. Precautions will help prevent disaster.
3 Star Hong Kong Restaurant with no wait. T’ang Court is a 3 Michelin star restaurant in the ritzy Langham Hotel in Hong Kong’s touristy Tsim Sha Tsui district. It got upgraded from 2 to 3 stars in 2016. Our last visit was in 2020 for dim sum lunch when we stayed upstairs and could just walk right in. (Protests worried visitors.) We previously ate there in 2011.
Best buffet in Hong Kong? Harbourside is a restaurant in the Regent Hong Kong hotel that specializes in Buffets for lunch, dinner, and Sunday Brunch. They serve Asian, American, and other international dishes. Our last visit was in the summer of 2011 for Sunday brunch.
Last Update: December 2019
Chicken Rice is a legendary dish at Singapore’s food hawker centers. It consists of chicken cooked in pork and chicken stock, rice with chicken stock, and some vegetables. Dipping sauce is usually a hot chili dip or soy sauce with ginger. Occasionally they throw in a bowl of soup. We read several articles that state that this is the number 1 thing many people miss when they leave Singapore. Chicken Rice is a National dish for Singapore.
We arrive skeptics, but left believers.
Be sure to secure your iPhone or Android Smartphone whenever you travel. Precautions will help prevent disaster.
The iPhone or any Android Smartphone are an essential tool when traveling to the UK – United Kingdom for tourists. Google maps, travel guides, language translation, and many other apps are extremely useful. Using our United States, USA AT&T iPhone in the UK is tricky. Verizon iPhones from the USA do not work internationally. Here are some tips on using your unlocked Smartphone in the UK.
An amazing find in Cancun! Porfirio’s is a Mexican restaurant in Cancun, right at tourist area Zona Hotelera, just north of the Hard Rock Hotel. We wanted to get some Mexican food and luckily this place was a short 7 minute walk from our hotel. (What is the point of eating sushi in Mexico?) Reviews were good. Porfirio is more than a restaurant, with on going dj’d music videos, live mariachi’s, it was the whole package.
Last Update: 2018
Foodnut travels, eats, and tells. We’re based in San Francisco but have flown all over the place. We love Mexican food and find some of the best in Cancun.
We recently finished up our latest culinary tour of Cancun in 2018. Other reviews farther down are from previous trips. Cancun is a world class destination full of great food. Most of the Mexican food was superior to that in the San Francisco Bay Area. The service is on another level here.
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