Downtown San Francisco has a lot of Indian and Pakistani restaurants but which one to choose? Some are awful, others merely average. So I was thrilled to find Lahore Karahi on O’Farrell Street at Leavenworth (the Tenderloin), just a few blocks north of Union Square. The owner, Zulfiqar “Guddu” Haider runs the place. He is the chef, cooking up delightful fiery curries and tandoori dishes from behind the counter. I ordered the tandoori fish which came on a hot sizzling plate, and the saag paneer (spinach with cheese). The spices he used for the fish and the saag paneer were not the ones commonly used in other Indian or Pakistani restaurants. These dishes were more savoury and unusual. The garlic naan was out of this world: thin, hot out of the oven, crunchy and spicy.

• Vibe: ethnic dive in the Tenderloin

• Pros: best Pakistani-Indian food in downtown San Francisco and for miles around; the dishes are much more delicious than similar ones in other restaurants because the chef uses different spices; the tandoori fish and garlic naan were fabulous. It also provides takeaway service.

• Cons: service can be slow because at times, it’s only the owner working there as chef, waiter and bus boy. The neighborhood, the Tenderloin, has a lot of homeless people and strange characters. During the day it’s okay, at night, probably more creepy. But that shouldn’t stop you from heading down to Lahore Karahi.

Lahore Karahi
612 O’Farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
+1 415 567 8603

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To see all of Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in San Francisco, go to our Google map below. The ethnic restaurants are marked in green.

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What I love about Sydney: the food, the rock pools, the weather, the people. Not necessarily in that order, but one of the most memorable holidays I have ever had in my life was spent in Sydney. Since this is about restaurants, let’s talk about the food. Why is it so good? Fresh ingredients, a multicultural urban population that loves cuisines from different parts of the world, excellent seafood, and an easygoing, informal style.

When I went there in February (summer), I was amazed that the mangoes were as good as the ones we get in the Philippines. The Vietnamese and Thai food were better than anything I have ever had in cities like San Francisco and Paris. So here’s my list of favorites, from more formal restaurants like Tetsuya’s to informal cafe/restaurants like Bill’s and Jones the Grocer. If you feel as if you’ve eaten too much, no problem. Swim at any of the delightful rock pools that dot the coastline. My favorite rock pool happens to be in Coogee Beach (although the one pictured above is in Bondi Beach).

Bill’s
433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
+61 2 9360 9631
www.bills.com.au
breakfast, lunch, brunch (delicious coconut bread)
[Note: I have two of Bill Granger's cookbooks which are excellent]

A Tavola
348 Victoria Street
Sydney
+61 2 9331 7871
Italian

Foveaux Restaurant and Bar
65–67 Foveaux Street
Surry Hills
+61 2 9211 0664
www.foveaux.com.au
Meat

Jones the Grocer
68 Moncur Street
Woollahra NSW 2025
+61 2 9362 1222
www.jonesthegrocer.com
gourmet food shop, cafe, restaurant, bakery

Ocean Room
Ground Level Overseas Passenger Terminal
Circular Quay West
+61 2 9252 9585
www.oceanroomsydney.com
Sushi

Tetsuya’s
529 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 9267 2900
www.tetsuyas.com

Universal
Republic 2 Courtyard Palmer St.
Darlinghurst
+61 2 9331 0709
Eclectic
www.universalrestaurant.com

The Wharf Restaurant
Hickson Road, Pier 4, Walsh Bay
+61 2 9250 1761
www.thewharfrestaurant.com.au
Australian

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Below is a Google map of my favorite places in Sydney.

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Montreal has so many good restaurants that putting together a list of favorites is asking for trouble. Inevitably someone will disagree with you. So let’s just say that this is a place to start and if you find better ones, let me know.

• Bazaar
  365 Laurier St. W.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 276 6999
  Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
  www.anise.ca

• Kitchen Galerie
  60 Jean-Talon St. E.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 315 8994
  French bistro

• Laloux
  250 des Pins Ave. E.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 287 9127
  Bistro
  www.laloux.com

• Les Cons Servent
  5064 Papineau Ave.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 523 8999
  French

• Liverpool House
  2501 Notre-Dame St. W.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 313-6049
  Italian

• Madre
  2931 Masson St.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 315 7932
  South American (Peru)
  

• Reservoir
  9 Duluth St. E.
  Montreal, Canada
  +1 514 849 7779
  Bistro, artisanale brewery

Below is a Google map of Mapplr’s favorite places in Montreal.

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Los Angeles is a wonderful place for dining out because of the ethnic diversity of the city and the presence of a lively arts and entertainment community. Here are my favorites (for now). I will update the list over time.

• Bastide
  8475 Melrose Pl.
  West Hollywood
  +1 (323) 651 5950
  French

• Catch
  Casa del Mar
  1910 Ocean Way
  Santa Monica
  +1 (310) 581 7714
  Seafood
  www.catchsantamonica.com

• Comme Ça
  8479 Melrose Ave.
  West Hollywood
  +1 (323) 782 1178
  Brasserie
  www.commecarestaurant.com

• Fraîche
  9411 Culver Blvd.,
  Culver City
  +1 (310) 839 6800
  Mediterranean
  www.fraicherestaurantla.com

• Jin Patisserie
  1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd
  Venice
  +1 (310) 399-8801
  Creative, unusual pastries
  www.jinpatisserie.com

• Osteria Mozza
  6602 Melrose Ave.
  +1 (323) 297 0100
  Italian
  www.mozza-la.com

• Paperfish
  345 N. Maple Dr.,
  Beverly Hills
  +1 (310) 858 6030
  Seafood
  www.patinagroup.com

• R-23
  923 E. Second St.
  +1 (213) 687 7178
  Japanese
  www.r23.com

• Rose Cafe
  220 Rose Ave.
  Los Angeles
  +1 (310) 399 0711
  www.rosecafe.com

Below is a Google map of my favorites in Los Angeles.

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When someone says, let’s go out for Japanese food tonight, they usually mean sushi. Unfortunately that leaves out an entire universe of Japanese dishes such hotpots, seafood, vegetables and meat roasted on a robata grill, and so on. Not so at Ozumo, which also offers more varieties of sake than I’ve seen in Japanese restaurants in San Francisco.

The first thing you notice about Ozumo is the elegant interior space: high ceilings, walls with wood panels, two sushi bars, and an exotic bar at Steuart Street entrance. The restaurant extends all the way to the Embarcadero so if you are lucky, you might get a table with a view of the ocean and the Bay Bridge.

The food is absolutely delicious and the varieties of sake will simply astound you. On the evening that we dined at Ozumo, we were very pleased with the advice that the staff gave us about the different kinds of sake on offer.

• Vibe: chic, urbane Japanese interior, well-dressed, hip young Asian clientele.

• Pros: amazing selection of sake, wide range of Japanese dishes (small plates, hotpots, robata grill, sushi), comfortable seating, noise levels are tolerable, some tables have view of the Bay Bridge and the ocean.

• Cons: large menu makes it difficult to choose requiring a return visit (or more), which given the quality of the food and surroundings, isn’t such a bad idea.

Ozumo
161 Steuart Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
+1 415 883 1333
www.ozumo.com

Click below to see all of Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in San Francisco (including Ozumo) on a Google map. The Asian restaurants are marked in green.

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