Not sure what to have for your dinner tonight? Take some inspiration from your fellow Mobal Members as they share some of their most memorable meals from their travels around the world.
Not sure you’ll find some of the ingredients at your local grocery store though…
1. Sautéed bull testicles in France
“Sautéed bull testicles in Nice France.”
Richard
2. Jerk Chicken in Jamaica
“The most amazing meal was in Jamaica. It was an outside Jerk Chicken Stand on the beach. While the location was perfect in itself. The food was simply amazing. In fact it was so good we ate at that little stand with the wooden tables every single day of our vacation.
To this day both myself and the two other people I was traveling with all agree when someone asks us the best meal we have ever eaten Jamaica.”
Kim Mackey
3. Tapas in California
“DINKS Restaurant, Palm Springs, CA — Tapas, regular menu, ambiance and creative cooking like you have never had before.”
Howard Hamilton
4. Traditional French
“Moulin du Roc hotel in Champagnac du Belair, France – northern Perigord (SW France) – fantastic food that manages to be both simple and decadent in it’s deliciousness. Beautifully presented food that is local, fresh and perfectly cooked. Guinea fowl with lime sauce was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and fresh foie gras was the best ever. Worth every expensive penny and wonderful 17th century converted mill.”
Amy
5. Scottish lamb
“Ardnaseig Hotel – Loch Awe Scotland – phenomenal lamb in a beautiful setting. Fresh and local with an international twist on traditional Scottish ingredients. Each course just gets better in prix fixe menu – a little slice of heaven.”
Amy
6. Hortobagy palacsinta and Gundel palacsinta in Hungary
“Although not spectacular in the sense of being a sumptuous five-star meal, probably the most memorable meal my wife and I ever had was at a very small country restaurant in Per, Hungary, called the Feher Akac Etterem (White Acacia Restaurant). Both the Hortobagy palacsinta and the dessert Gundel palacsinta were hands-down the best we ever tasted in Hungary (and I have been to Hungary five times). Washed down with a local peach palinka, it was absolutely fantastic, enough to go back for if we ever get back to Hungary.”
Ralph Riccio
7. Surprising Vegan in Brighton, UK
“The most amazing and delicious meal was at a vegan restaurant in Brighton, UK. I had taken my vegan son and daughter-in-law to dinner at a restaurant we had never before seen. Honestly, I expected it to be quite terrible as my experiences in feeding my son since he chose to be a vegan had been tasteless. he food was beautifully presented – though I could not identify anything on our plates – and so I took pictures. I was glad I did as it was incredibly delicious. It was also expensive, though I was happy to pay every penny. It was beautiful, tasty, and the best surprise meal of my life.”
Michael Case
8. Tradition French
“Lunch at Tour Dargent in Paris. Beautiful room, table for two for our 25th wedding anniversary, fantastic service over a 2.5 hour lunch. The view of Notre Dame capped it all.”
Tom Honan
9. Svickova in Prague
“For pure uniqueness, my most memorable meal was a traditional meal of Svickova enjoyed in a local’s “pub” in Prague.”
Brian L.
10. Tunisian lamb
“The other was a fantastic meal of Cous Cous and Lamb in the Medina of Tunis at a restaurant called Dar Jeld.”
Brian L.
11. Thai food (in Sweden)
“Koh Phangan, Stockholm, Sweden – Absolutely amazing Thai food, with a very lively atmosphere. A must if you are traveling or living in Stockholm!”
Julia
12. Anything in Greece
“My most memorable meals have been more influenced by the “where” than the “what” I’ve eaten. For me, virtually any meal in Greece tops the list–the ambiance and surroundings, good humor, and friendly service make everything special.”
Betty Sheldon
13. Surprise in-flight cheeseburger
“Actually “while traveling?” I would have to go with an unexpected cheeseburger at 30,000 feet.
To this day I am not sure what happened, but on a flight (major carrier) we were given cheeseburgers for the meal.
Maybe not “amazing” but certainly the best surprise meal I have had in a while. Not to mention that a cheeseburger tastes pretty damn good at 30K.”
Godfather
14. French fish
“Le Petit Nice near Marseilles, a Michelin two-star, served the most beautiful meal I’ve ever eaten abroad during over 30 trips. The appetizer featured three types of fish perfectly placed upon a base of “sand” (actually sea salt), and each subsequent course was presented even more elegantly than the previous one.”
Lynda
15. Roman Pizza
16. Barcelona paella
17. Brazilian rodizio
18. San Fran sourdough
19. Viennese schnitzel
20. French seafood
“Most are memorable for the place as well as the food. PIzza in Roma; Paella in Barcelona; Rodizio (a parade of grilled beef) in Sao Paulo; Sourdough in San Francisco; Schnitzel in Vienna; Seafood on the coast in La Rochelle.”
John Beck
21. French airport food
“A business trip in the early 1970s took a friend and me to Rabat, Morocco, via Paris. We had a several-hour layover at Orly airport, which was then still the principal Paris airport. It was about noon when we got there, so we decided to “have lunch” at one of the restaurants. Best meal either one of us has ever had! We found out later that it was a Michelin two-star restaurant, and that people came out from the city specifically to eat there — not just travelers like us.
It gave new meaning to the term “airport food”.”
Jim Wilson
22. Insalata caprese in Italy
23. Grilled pork ribs in Italy
“Two, actually, though I consider this a meal some wouldn’t–insalata caprese! In Sorrento and throughout the Campagnia region and Amalfi Coast in particular made with “bufala” mozzarella so fresh and milky it almost squishes and tomatoes still warm from the vine garnished with fresh basil–drizzle some olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar over it and you’ve got heaven on earth! But for an entree, we had some simple grilled pork ribs and grilled veggies (all from local Sienese farms) on the road north of Siena in Tuscany at a small roadside restaurant. Mmmmmm…”
Loretta Lamberth
24. Traditional Italian
“The best meals that I have ever eaten while traveling have all been in local “Trattorias” in Italy. Coincidentally, these meals have also been the most reasonably priced, made with the freshest of ingredients and often the simplest. My personal favorites are lasagne, pizza and GELATO!!!!”
Phyllis Waring
25. Fish belly
26. Sea cucumber
27. Shark fin
28. 1000-year old egg
“Fish belly (actually swim bladder), sea cucumber, shark fin, 1000 year old egg (actually only 200-300 years old according to my host), birds nest soup, and a soup that looked like sinus drainage in Beijing. Their motto is “We everything on four legs but the table.” I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
D Nadler
29. Octopus in Spain
“My favorite meal was Octopus Galician style (butter and garlic) while seated al fresco in the Plaza Mayor in madrid, Spain. It was succulent.”
Robin
30. Street noodles
31. French crepes (in China)
“We are just returned from a trip to Shanghia were we ate many great things: a Younan meal, street food noodles, a great Peking duck …but the BEST was a Crepe restuarant in the French Concession where I enjoyed a crepe with tuna and many spices, my husband had a berry and cream crepe…..never under estiamate the Chinese!”
Lyn Muench
32. Traditional French (aboard Norwegian Cruise ship)
33. Traditional French (in London)
34. Seafood crudo
“1) Dinner in Le Bistro, the premium French restaurant on Norwegian Cruise Lines Pride of Aloha, while on a Hawaiian cruise. Escargots, foie gras (make that a double order for both, please) and duck a l’orange finished table-side. We were one of the few diners on the first night of the cruise and the waiter was as incredible as the food. We make it a point to eat at Zagat and Michelin top-rated restaurants everywhere we travel all over the US and Europe – and this topped them all. Probably one of most transcendent dining experiences I have had anywhere at any price – almost worth the price of the cruise itself considering how it bested meals at stratospherically pricey places like Tour D’Argent, Taillevent, etc.
2) Club Gascon in London where we had a 4-course lunch consisting of incredibly inventive preparations of foie gras (and we each had a different dish per course and shared) – including foie gras desserts!
3) Alberto Ciarla in Trastevere in Rome – the most incredible seafood crudo (sashimi – Italian style).”
David Held
35. Sheep’s brains on toast
“Sheep’s Brains with toast at a restaurant overlooking Kabul in Afganistan in 1978 just before the Russians arrived. I was there as a tourist back-packing from New Zealand to UK. At Bamyan it was so cold petrol froze in a truck (it turns to gel) so they lit a fire under the petrol tank.”
Evan Lewis
Do you agree or disagree with any of the suggestions, or have you got a suggestion of your own? Leave it as a comment below…
