The exterior of this restaurant is unassuming. But as you sit down to savor the restaurant's Chinese cuisine, you might just run into Britain's Prince Andrew and his entourage dining here.

Many might question the restaurant's shrimp dumplings -- the plum-sized ones aren't exactly Chinese dim sum. However, anyone who tastes them will enjoy the restaurant's innovative flavors. Food critics agree that this is one of the restaurant's most colorful dim sum dishes.

Whether it's the décor, the service, or the menu, Flower Drum has adopted a purely Chinese style. Gilbert Lau, the restaurant's founder and current restaurant consultant, has kept a close eye on Flower Drum's operations. The restaurant specializes in Cantonese cuisine, although customers can also enjoy delicious Peking duck here.

The opulent décor emphasizes the prestige of the clientele, while the dishes adhere to the finest Australian ingredients.

Sichuan prawns in a spicy sauce are plump and succulent; Australia's finest beef is memorable; and soft-shell crabs from Kings Island are a customer favorite.

And while Flower Drum's classic Cantonese dishes, such as grilled scallops, salt-and-pepper cuttlefish, and shark's fin, are fully in keeping with Guangdong's regional flavors, the restaurant's understated yet attentive approach to service is impeccable.

In contrast, Flower Drum's desserts are more restrained: simple pancakes topped with sweet and savory mango juice and served with fresh mangoes are simple and refreshing. (Photo 1)

2. Sydney: Buil-laumeatBennelong

Buil-laumeatBennelong, established by renowned chef Buillaume Brahimi, is located next to the Sydney Opera House. This multi-award winning restaurant is not only Guillaume's home, but also the hottest restaurant in Sydney city.

If you don't just see this crescent-shaped modern building as a post-modernist masterpiece or a stopover before entering the Opera House, you'd be wrong - some diners have even passed up VIP tickets to the ballet's premiere just to sit in the restaurant a little longer.

For gourmets who love Australian seafood, Guillaume's is undoubtedly a gastronomic paradise: the fresh lasagna with Queensland scallops, topped with grilled insects from Moreton Bay and a blue-sea crab fillet consommé, is simply impeccable.

The restaurant's desserts are also very special: the spiced raw pear cream lasagna has a wonderful texture; the buttermilk is rich and sweet with vibrant seeds, apricots and strawberries.

Guillaume's cuisine is quintessentially Neo-Australian, a blend of Mediterranean and South Pacific flavors. It's no wonder that Australia's top stars, politicians and models flock to the restaurant. (Photo 2)

3. Oxfordshire: Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons

World-class chef Raymond Blanc is not exactly a rising star in the culinary world, and for 20 years the charismatic Frenchman has been serving up his cuisine at the 15-century Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire. For 20 years, the charismatic Frenchman has been busy in the kitchen of the 15th-century Four Seasons Farmhouse restaurant in Oxfordshire. Today, the Four Seasons is part of the Orient Express specialty hotels.

The Four Seasons Farmhouse Restaurant is set in large, flower-filled gardens, and some of the ingredients are sourced from the estate's more than 80 acres of vegetable gardens. Blanc combines the British tradition of home-grown produce with contemporary French culinary artistry to create the restaurant's unique style.

Unlike the new generation of chefs, Blanc insists on cooking the purest French cuisine. This is one of the restaurant's best features. Celebrities such as Victoria Beck- ham, Richard Branson and Cliff Richard are regulars here, and the late Princess Diana was a loyal customer.

The menu consists of seven courses, including foie gras, spicy duck and pickled cherries. The restaurant's ravioli is exceptional: deliciously stuffed with quail eggs, spinach, freshly-spiced mushrooms and creamy chicken. The freshness of the finest sole salad and crabmeat mingle with each other and are served with Gewurztraminer's special sauce.

And Blank's original Mint Mango Soup and Chocolate Fudge with Pistachio Ice Cream represent the restaurant's most distinctive desserts. The combination of fresh food and fresh air creates a romantic feeling like being in a dream. (Figure 3)

4. San Sebastian: Arzak Restaurant (Arzak)

Arzak Restaurant is located in the coastal town of San Sebastian, Biscayne, Spain, the appearance of the family estate is very ordinary, often overlooked. But for this famously modern Spanish restaurant, that's just a clever disguise.

For 30 years, owner Juan Mari Arzak and his dark-haired daughter Elena have led the restaurant's entire team to many accolades and continue to surprise gourmets around the world. Housed in a rustic 1890s building, the restaurant's restrained, understated European décor is traditionally elegant, but Asak serves the most contemporary cuisine.

Flip through the menu at Asak and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Tender lamb chops are covered in a golden coffee foam, like a veil, and served with a crisp sauce. And the Basque specialty, the ayu fish, looks like a big silver teardrop, with a transparent, mysterious "coat" that gives it a unique texture.

The desserts at Asak's are often surprisingly good, too: chilled juice made from pressed Somali nuts, served with a chilled dairy drink, is a favorite summer dessert. And the cottage cheese ice cream or chocolate burger will never disappoint.

In Spain, celebrity chef Adrian Frerria of EI Bulli is known as the prince of Spanish contemporary cuisine, while Asak is considered the king of Spanish contemporary cuisine.

5. Monaco: Louis XV

Louis XV, established by Alain Ducasse, has all the elements needed for the world's finest restaurant: off-beat glamour, nobility and authentic Gallic décor. European aristocrats, socialites and French movie stars are regulars at the restaurant, and they seem to have a soft spot for Louis XV's Monaco cuisine.

When you go to the restaurant, be sure to dress up. Otherwise, your radiance will be overshadowed by the restaurant's gorgeous décor: elegant murals, lavish crystal chandeliers, and every detail of the design reflects the mind of the restaurant's owner.

Louis XV's menu is distinguished but not ostentatious. Proven?al delicacies and unique countryside flavors are perfectly blended in it, with the special vegetables from Ducasse's hometown, which are full of aroma and mouth-watering. The restaurant insists on using Limousin veal from the northern prairies or lambs from the Pyrenees, a pure French flavor that many customers find unforgettable.

Ducasse has also expanded his innovations to include bread. Still, after six courses, there may not be room in your stomach. It costs a whopping $335 per meal, though, and by the time it's over, you'll realize you got your money's worth.

6. LONDON: Go OldonRamSey

In the culinary world, bad boy Ramsey is as famous for his mastery of cooking as he is for his short temper. Recently, Ramsey held a cooking demonstration at which he once again went berserk, bringing the normally unflappable former member of British Parliament to tears.

Gordon Ramsay is opening his first restaurant, which is tucked away in a residential neighborhood on Royal Hospital Street. It's certainly a great place for diners who like a cozy atmosphere.

The restaurant is small, but one of the best of its kind. Signature dishes at Gordon Ramsay's include the oddly shaped creamy coleslaw with bitter cocoa sauce and jellyfish shrimp dumplings. The heavyweight menu, consisting of seven courses of lei, also includes a unique fish - soft, flavorful fish on a bed of chopped vegetables tossed in a tangy sauce. In addition, the restaurant has a special five-course menu for customers who are watching their weight.

Naturally, prices at the restaurant don't come cheap - this is London, after all. But who can resist such temptation when you get the chance to dine with the stars of theater, fashion and media?

Gordon Ramsay's desserts are pretty good too, but the restaurant's cheeses have to be mentioned - there are 40 different cheeses on display, with an expert's detailed explanation next to each one.

7. London: NobuLondon

Nobu Matsuhisa burst onto the culinary scene 10 years ago with his original Japanese cuisine. In the meantime, the restaurant has expanded from London to Los Angeles.

Famous movie star Robert de Niro raved about Nobu's dishes when he dined at the restaurant in Los Angeles, and that became the first major breakthrough in the restaurant's growth. Today, both de Niro and New York restaurateur DewNeporent are business partners with Nobuyuki Matsuhisa.

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa has taken the best of traditional Japanese cuisine and melted it with the refined art of New Age cuisine to form the perfect style for Nobu's restaurants. The black cod with Japanese soy noodle sauce has been driving many food critics crazy since the restaurant's inception.

Of course, classic Japanese cuisine is the star of the menu: prawn tempura rolls, seasonal wagyu beef, and a prix fixe lunch served at noon are among the restaurant's signature dishes. And the yellowtail sashimi with jalape?o is a chef's innovation.

Nobu's desserts are a break from traditional preparations and are to die for. Sweet hot chocolate shortbreads are wrapped in refreshingly smooth green tea ice cream; golf ball-sized doughnuts are covered in chocolate and pistachios and served with almond ice cream for a lip-smacking treat.

Nob's restaurant adopts an artistic approach to perfectly blend the different flavors of the East and the West, bringing customers a refreshing new culinary experience.

8. Paris: Joel Robuchon (L'ateLierDe JoelRobuchon)

In 1996, celebrity chef Joel Robu-chon announced his retirement, though no one believed his decision. Sure enough, in 2003, Robu-chon opened a new restaurant in Paris. His comeback didn't come as a surprise. The restaurant breaks the formal dining pattern of high-end restaurants, completely abandoning the reserved and pretentious traditional dining style, creating a relaxed and comfortable dining atmosphere. Kindly waiters take the initiative to interact with customers, and Joe Lubzon talks to different diners in the restaurant to find out if the dishes are to the customer's liking. The restaurant's specialty is pan-seared silver cod, and the dishes cooked on the searing grill are original specialties created by the master - who often travels to Spain on vacation and draws inspiration for his innovations from the local cuisine.

9. Los Lobos: EIBu III Rose

Assac brought Spanish cuisine into the new century, while fellow Spanish celebrity chef Atrian Frerria became a global culinary hero.

Frerria is very original. He is not a professional chef, but a halfway decent laboratory researcher. The modern Spanish cuisine he created is almost impossible to describe, and the restaurant's specialties of tortillas, empanadas and yam gnocchi are globally acclaimed Spanish delicacies.

EIBu III is located on the "steep coast" (CbstaBrava). That's where the owner, Feria, created his "foam" food - a variety of delicacies whipped into a rich, flavorful foam.

The restaurant's dishes offer an incredibly flavorful experience: a foie gras consommé with fragrant tamarind and a Spanish omelette - served in a martini glass and covered with a layer of potato foam.

In addition to the innovative Spanish cuisine, customers can also savor classic Spanish dishes here. And the restaurant's desserts are a pleasant surprise. A variety of desserts, including black beauty cone ice cream, saffron balls, rose balls and mint jelly make up the mouth-watering platter.

Last May, Feria and Juan Mari. Assac both spooned for the Spanish royal wedding in Madrid to rave reviews. (Photo 9)

10. California: "French Laundry Yountville"

The restaurant is located in the famous wine country of Napa Valley, and is one of the world's top restaurants.

Tomas Keller, the owner of the restaurant, is very kind, and his unique French cuisine attracts a large number of customers. The restaurant has a loyal clientele in Hollywood and Hong Kong, so the 17 tables are always packed.

Few can resist the temptation of the restaurant's nine-course menu, which is one-of-a-kind and includes everything from melt-in-your-mouth poached lobster to succulent cubes of lamb. If that's too much for you, there's also a five-course prix fixe menu.

The light and savory Tuna Nice salad and the flavorful lobster show Thomas Kohler's minimalist take on classic French cuisine - the restaurant's best feature. Of course, vegetarians can find something for themselves here as well - the nine courses of the set menu are meat-free and can be savored with confidence.

The restaurant's desserts seem to have surpassed their native French standard. The special chocolate cream is simply to die for, so be sure to watch your health.