Yu-U Japanese, Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Descend a small, dimly lit flight of stairs and you enter a stunning open expanse that is dominated by a wooden counter that encases the open kitchen. The wood glows under the discreet but intense spot light. When your eyes adjust, you see a another couple of stand alone wooden tables, each seats about eight.

Golden Sichuan Chinese Restaurant, Chinatown, Sydney

Golden Sichuan is a good restaurant that often gets overlooked because it's next door to that roti sensation, Mamak.  It must be heart-breaking to see the queues outside the Malaysian restaurant when your restaurant is only half full. But I'm attracted to this place simply because the lack of queues, when I'm in Chinatown and feeling hungry, I know I can always rely on Golden Sichuan.