Australian-born chef David Thompson moved to Thailand in the 1980s. He develops exciting new dishes based around native ingredients, mining century-old cookbooks for inspiring new flavour combinations to revive. His restaurant, Nahm, opened in 2010 in the Metropolitan Hotel and is a world leader in Thai cuisine. It's a great honour particularly for an antipodean chef.

Modena native Massimo Bottura, 50, has been hailed as Italy’s leading chef. The self-taught maestro started his culinary career in 1986 when he took over a roadside trattoria in his hometown. It was not long before he was apprenticing with French great Alain Ducasse. In 1995 Bottura opened his Osteria Francescana in the historic heart of Modena, a 12-table restaurant that in 2011 was awarded three stars by the prestigious Michelin Guide.

As one of the world’s foremost sommeliers, Nicolas Clerc’s devotion to his trade is clear. Having risen through the ranks of his profession, Clerc’s love of wine has set him apart from the competition.

From Vienna to Sydney, Vancouver to Kyoto, our correspondents survey the streets and crunch the numbers to create our special global city ranking.

Hail a cab from a Tokyo taxi firm whose white-gloved drivers arrive with immaculate manners, spotless cars, and carrying real pride in their work.

With a nod to the past and a wink to the future, Monocle takes a look at the world of perfume and the new generation of expert alchemists.

Swiss military food is amongst the best military food in the world. We attend kitchen boot camp to witness operational excellence in the field of the culinary arts.