In a culinary world filled with people grandstanding with the latest eye-catching novelty, it’s a joy to come across chefs who don’t go along with the ride. These are chefs who cook because it’s how they express themselves, and that self-expression may be subtle, and happy to plough its own furrow. They cook according to the dictates of the discipline, and according to the ingredients to hand, servants of the calling, helpmeets to the profession.
Here are five delightful places to eat from East to West, North to South.