For those travellers who like variety in their restaurant menus – and are cheese lovers like myself – there’s lot of options out there for you.  Also keep on your check list the cheese rooms that these “cheese-themed” restaurants listed below have.  These rooms allow you to learn the entire process of making cheese and have tasting menus.  A wonderful experience is to be had as the “fromelliers” (a cheese waiter, so to speak) make this all possible.

But if you want to have the ultimate cheese experience like I just described, you’ll have to go internationally.  But just know – it is well worth it.  And there’s 5 restaurants that I highly recommend where you can get that cheese fix; they are:

• Le Bouchon Breton.  Located in Spitalfields, London, England, htis high-end brasserie has a very impressive Gallic cheese trolley, including more than varieies of cheese.  Varieities such as: Le Testard, Corsican Fleur de Maquis and many more.  Frommelier Jean-Claude Ali Cherif also offers a series of regional-cheese master classes, coupled with wine pairings.  And just know that Ali cherif has been doing this for over 20 years, so he obviously knows what he is doing.  More information can be found by clicking here.
• Duhau Resturant & Vinoteca, Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  While they do have a restaurant, it is all about the cheese here.  Within the confines of the Park Hyatt stands a red-walled cheese room – the first of its kind in this country.  They tend to highlight the relatively unknown Argentine artisinal cheeses based on Eurpean stylings.   The tasting plates are served on a marble communal counter table which include such cheeses as: a Cordoba brie, Cordon – a goat’s cheese from Mendoza aged 15 months and Morbier, Manchego and Parmesan-inspired cheese served with fresh-fruit marmalades and excellent Argentine malbecs and cabernet sauvignons.  Remember – the room is minimalist in appearance, but the cheese is definitely not.  For more information, click here.
• GPO Cheese & Wine Room, Sydney, Australia.  The name of this establishment is fairly simple, but I can assure you of this – the cheese is not.  Located within a vaulted sandstone cellar in the historic GPO building, you will enjoy an extensive cheese selection from their “cheese board”, which changes seasonally and is divided into fresh, white-mold, washed-rind, semi-hard, hard and blue cheeses from Australia (naturally) and Europe.  Some of the accoutrements include truffled honey, muscatel raisins and hibiscus chutney.  A nice touch is the excellent wine-and-cheese menus with tasting notes; they even have a single-malt-and-cheese menu along with monthly master classes.  Diners are even encouraged to create their own cheese board.  Very innovative place to visit.  for more information, click here.
• Flow, Millenium Hilton Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand.  Very state-of-the-art and climate-controlled, you’ll definitely know you’ve arrived at Flow by the aromas that will meet your nostrils.  One of the very few cheese speciality places in the Asian corridor.  Lots of varieities to be had here, including Colston Bassett Stilton, Brie Royale with black truffle and an aromatic Pecorino di Fossa from Italy.  Knowledgeable cheese-and-wine butlers will assist you on pairings while they also have a dedicated cheese table for guests to sit at and share their cheese-and-wine knowledge.  A bit communal, so to speak – but worth the visit, nonetheless.  For more information on Flow, click here.
• Classified Cheese Room, Hong Kong.  An unusual name for a cheese establishment, but with plenty of variety of cheeses – 40 artisinal varieties, to be exact.  You get some options as to where you can enjoy your cheese findings – directly in the Classified Cheese Room, the Press Room restaurant (next door) or in situ – meaning you can also have your finds served from casual deli tables or from the Press Room’s wine cellar, which can seat up to 20 as it is also a private dining room.  The only cheese place of its kind in Hong Kong; for more information on Classified Cheese Room, click here.

Pioneer Travel, the official travel agency of Quality Vacations, has many travel packages to the above destinations.  To book or for more information, contact Stephen Rhodes at: indysteve1563@yahoo.com.  Under the subject line, type in Cheese Travel Packages.