AUSTRALIA, "Acquolina" -26 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento, Victoria.

In the charming seaside town of Sorrento on the southern-most tip of mainland Australia, sits the authentic Italian cucina of Acquolina.

Milanese immigrant, Maria Grazie, and her Australian spouse, head-chef and somelier, Brett Johnson, run a firing trade here during the summer months. The pair then closes up shop and swaps the wild coastal beauty of Sorrento for the old-time glamour of Lake Como where they finesse and revitalise their cookery working at the Bellagio hotel.

As a result the pair never loses their enthusiasm, and their food, inspired by the culinary traditions of northern Italy, never tires.

Fresh, house-made pasta is definitely the highlight - whether it's the homemade beef casoncelli, the open prawn and porcini lasagna with light cream sauce, or the spaghetti bolognaise with preserved lemon and thyme. Simple, buttery veal scallopine is a bit too 50's comfort food for my tastes, but an old fashioned favourite nonetheless.

Mains are quite reasonable at $20.00-$28.00, so it's a perfect place for casual family dinners.

Stepping into Acquolina, however, means stepping into an Italian mindset. Expect all the drama, passion and temperament of real Italians. Here, you need to go with the flow and let charm work its magic. With Italian sous-chefs and waitstaff, and the eccentric, vibrant restauranter, Marie Grazie, it's a truly authentic way to eat Italian out of Italy.

HONG KONG - "Hutong" : 28/F One Peking, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

A penthouse with floor to ceiling glass windows, low lighting and magnificent views of the dynamic and glorious Hong Kong skyline, Hutong is spectacular, sultry and Szechuan.

It's a romantic, dreamy fusion of exotic old-world glamour and futuristic fantasia. With oriental showpieces, worn brick and sensuous purple silk the whole experience is magical.

The food is just as dramatic. Crisp soft shell crab is served in huge, polished wooden baskets buried under popping, fiery chilli peppers. Succulent chunks of lobster are stir-fried with chillis and spring onions, and juicy white fish fillet is steamed with generous helpings of garlic, ginger and shallots. As a lover of traditional Peking Duck, however, I would have preferred the usual plum sauce rather than the home-concocted syrup with which it was served.

Everything is perfectly cooked and devoid of gluggy glutenous sauces that sometimes mar Chinese food.

Altogether a stylish and beguiling experience in Asian cuisine.

P.S. Make sure not to miss the art-directed, shabby-chic oriental WC!

SEATTLE, "Union" -1400 First Ave. (Union St.) Seattle

Union Restaurant offers the simplest sort of fine dining. It may be an oxymoron but it's an apt description of this Seattle bistro.

With a concise, thoughtfully considered daily menu, the culinary focus is on fresh, seasonal, ingredients. Northwest-Pacific flavours, like Dungeness crab salad with avocado and seared sea scallops with ham hocks and lentils, sit alongside Italian strozzapretti with wonderfully rich lamb ragu, and tender, caramelised pork cheeks on potato mash.

The grilled mackeral on smokey, citrus lentils was more disappointing. The flavour of the fish bordered on bitter - perhaps stemming in some respects from its Atlantic origins, but also from charring from the grill. Salty, bitter and sour flavours desperately needed some sweetness to mellow them.

The atmosphere is modern and simple, with clean lines, mirrors and burgundy walls. It's not exactly cosey or casual, but has absolutely no pretense for a restaurant of its calibre. Prices are surprisingly reasonable too, with Appetizers around $15-$20 and mains $25-$30. Waitstaff are very attentive, well informed and relaxed.

Overall, Union food is modest excellence and reserved elegance. A must do in the rainy seaside city of Seattle!