Ben Groundwater
Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist and author with more than 20 years' experience. He specialises in food and wine – writing about it, as well as consuming it. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwater
Opinion
Food and wine
I ate at ‘the world’s worst restaurant’ and now it’s even worse
It’s world-famous and notoriously expensive, but don’t spend your money like this. There’s better food in the world.
- by Ben Groundwater
Latest
★★★★★
Air travel
Airport review: Forget the rankings, this is truly the world’s best airport
Doha is slick and modern and very pretty, but Changi is streets ahead in terms of its dining, shopping and entertainment options.
- by Ben Groundwater
This dish is a staple of one of the world’s most underrated cuisines
Cast aside all lingering images of 1980s famine and instead concentrate on Ethiopia’s amazing array of dishes, starting with the staple shiro wat.
- by Ben Groundwater
Opinion
Tips & advice
My anti-bucket list: The 12 things I’ll never do
People make travel bucket lists of things they’ve always wanted to do. This is the opposite. A collection of travel experiences I never want to have.
- by Ben Groundwater
The dish from a cuisine that’s unfairly ignored in Australia (and by me)
This dish comes from an overlooked region with a rich bounty of fresh produce from both land and sea, not to mention a variety of influences from countries near and far.
- by Ben Groundwater
Opinion
Tips & advice
The greatest travel experience of my life was filled with danger
Pretty much all my favourite travel memories feature some sort of discomfort or challenge mixed with the fun.
- by Ben Groundwater
This is one of the most beautiful regions on Earth. I’m reluctant to reveal it
To international visitors, Asturias remains something of a secret. And it’s one that, even now, I’m a little hesitant to let slip.
- by Ben Groundwater
This is one of the world’s most glorious sporting snacks
Consider the great sporting snacks of the world: meat pie in Australia; the hot dog in the US; samosas in India. And now, add this to that list.
- by Ben Groundwater
★★★★½
Airport reviews
This cramped, daggy airport is my new favourite
This isn’t a flashy, modern airport, and it doesn’t have many exciting facilities, but I love New Chitose with all of my stomach and heart.
- by Ben Groundwater
Opinion
Japan
Businesses charging foreigners more than locals? So they should
Some Japanese businesses are controversially charging tourists more than locals. Here’s why I have no problem with that.
- by Ben Groundwater
We all know pho, but few Australians have tried the Cambodian equivalent
The Cambodian version of pho is so popular in Vietnam, many there claim a version of it as their own.
- by Ben Groundwater