2026 Challenge
This might actually be my favourite part — and honestly, I have no idea how I’m going to pull it off.
First of all, because coming from the hospitality world, restaurants and hotels are one of the foundations of how I see the world. I love the traditional places — the ones that have been quietly serving guests for decades. But I also love the new. The surprising. The unexpected. The adventurous.
Living in New York, I’m everywhere in the world all at once. It’s an incredible feeling — every corner of the city offers a completely different culinary experience. From street food to coffee shops, from the over-hyped trendy spots to ultra-fine dining. And we can’t skip past the fact that the different neighbourhoods sometimes hide real little corners of China, Japan, India — or even Italy. You walk into a restaurant, a bar, maybe just a little hole-in-the-wall, and suddenly you’re in Tokyo. Or Shanghai. Or Naples.
That’s what pulls me in about New York the most. That’s what makes it addictive.
And one of the most beautiful things about this city is that you can discover all of it however you want — alone, with your kids, with your family, with friends. Any way. New York lets you. A solo lunch at the bar of a tiny ramen place is just as natural here as a long, loud dinner with eight people. So yes — once a month, I also want to do this on my own. A meal where I choose the place, sit down by myself, and let the city feed me without anyone to entertain or accommodate.
So this column won’t really be about a challenge — at least not in the strict sense. Unless we count the challenge of constantly trying something new instead of falling back on the usual places. So: if you’re interested in the dining world of New York, this column is yours.
Intentionally. Internationally. Me.
R.
Intentionally Internationally Me 