Friends, countrymen, makan kaki, lend me your ears. I shall show you the way to paradise. Food paradise, that is. Loosen your belt and get your ENO ready, for we are about to journey through Asia’s Greatest Food Cities and mark out the treasures the great food gods have laid on the table.
You see, we’re like you. We know that once you’ve got your flights from Singapore booked, the truly important questions come to mind:
“There got what to eat ah?”
“Eh bro, last time you went to Thailand, where did you have that Mango Sticky Rice ah? Looked damn shiok!”
“Where can I get the best sushi in Osaka? The stylo milo sushi chef kind”
Serous questions. We know.
From Penang to Taipei, our guide will fill you in on what’s the very best food in every one of Asia’s Greatest Food Cities. There’s honestly lots and lots of good food around, and part of the fun is uncovering the hidden treasures yourself. Particularly when it comes to street food in Asia.
But to get you started, these are the highlights of the best food to try in each city, as recommended by local insiders who are from those cities. We look at the most famous signature local dishes and where you should go to try them in Asia’s Greatest Food Cities.
Scurry on over and give those stretchy jeans a run for their money. (God knows you shouldn’t be wearing stretchy jeans for any other reason. But for makan, okay lah, give chance)
Best Food in Bangkok, Thailand
Sweet Thai chili, diced peanuts, glass noodles, and curries in every colour of the traffic light. Let’s do the Bangkok Jam
Must Try: Pad Thai
This stir-fried rice noodle, often topped with finely chopped roasted peanuts, chilli flakes and a squeeze of fresh lemon, is among Thailand’s most famous signature dishes.
It is typically served with peeled prawns and bean sprouts. It leaves a slightly sweet aftertaste. This dish feels fairly light, but in fact fills you up nicely. Always a great choice for lunch or dinner.
Easy to find on the streets of Bangkok.
Best Restaurant in Bangkok for Pad Thai:
Thip Samai Pad Thai is a long-established favourite, even for locals. The restaurant opens up onto the street, with long queues for their traditional-style Pad Thai cooked on charcoal stoves, giving it is a deeper flavor.
Lots of variations on Pad Thai here, including the popular omelette-wrapped “Superb Pad Thai”. Takeaway, OK!
Thip Samai Restaurant
313 Maha Chai Road
Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon
Tel: +66 (0) 2221 6280
Open Daily: 1730 – 0130
Must-Try: Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Shredded unripe papaya in a mixture of sweet, sour, spicy and tangy flavours – with a crunch. Due to the unripened papaya, the long strips of papaya are firm to the bite. It also creates a savoury dish rather than sweet.
Best Papaya Salad in Bangkok:
The two floors of Som Tam Nua on Siam Square are popular for som tam alone. Of course you can get other Thai dishes, but there’s a whole variety of som tam in particular to try here.
It’s a quick casual dining setup, and there’s often a queue.
Som Tam Nua
392/14 Soi Siam Square 5
Rama 1 Road
Tel: +66 (0) 22 51 4880
Open daily, 10:45 a.m.-9.30 p.m.
Famous Street Food Market: Yaowarat (Chinatown)
Stretching for 1.5km, Bangkok’s Chinatown offers a great variety of Thai-Chinese food. It’s most lively at night when all the stalls are open. Not just a tourist haunt, Yaowarat is where the locals gather to eat as well. Stir fry, glass noodles, seafood… lots of tasty options.
(Photo CC2.0: Pietro Motta)
Don’t bother waiting for queues to get shorter. Just jump in.
If you don’t have much time in Bangkok, go to Yaowarat street food market with an empty stomach and eat your way through Chinatown. You’ll pass some of Bangkok’s landmarks and must-visit streets within this area. For something a little more social, sign up for the Yaowarat Night Foodie Walk.
Best Food in Hanoi, Vietnam
Don’t play a Pho in Hanoi
Must-Try: Vietnamese Pho
Served with beef or chicken, Pho is a delicious signature Vietnamese noodle soup. It is probably the most popular street food in Vietnam.
There are different styles, including a sweet version or the light and herbal. Spice comes on the side. That is, you add your own chilli. The heart of this dish is in the broth. Go for Pho with brownish broths rather than clear — it’s a sign that they’ve boiled the beef bones for a long time for a delicious flavour.
The Best Pho in Hanoi:
It’s a 3-way tie for us between these restaurants. Pho Gia Truyen, Pho 24 (chain) and Pho Thin.
Pho Gia Truyen is located in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, with a humble setting. Pho 24 is a chain specialising in Vietnamese Pho Noodle with outlets across the country. If you need an escape from the crowds, Pho24 is a clean and comfortable place to enjoy some pho. The original stall is located opposite Saigon Sheraton Hotel. The third winning option for delicious pho, Pho Thin, is a very cheap restaurant frequented by locals serving up an authentic bowl of Vietnamese Pho. Quick service and tasty broth.
Pho Gia Truyen
49 Bat Dan
Old Quarter
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (08-4) 043800126
Pho 24
Vincom – 191 Ba Trieu St.
Hai Ba Trung District
Ha Noi, Vietnam
Tel: (08-4) 2222 5203
Pho Thin
13 Lo Duc Street
Hai Ba Trung District
Ha Noi, Vietnam
Tel: 438212709
Must-Try: Cha Ca La Vong
Vietnamese grilled turmeric fish with dill. It is named after the restaurant that first cooked up the dish. Slow-marinated freshwater fish is served to you on a small stove. Then lots of ingredients are tossed in right there in front of you in a sizzling pan, till finally everything is ready. Enjoy the fish with a bowl of pho, and stir in some fish sauce and shrimp paste.
(Photo CC2.0: Tri Nguyen)
Best Cha Ca La Vong Restaurant in Hanoi:
Cha Ca La Vong Restaurant on 14 Cha Ca Street. It’s a specialized restaurant in the Old Quarter serving just this one dish, slowcooked over charcoal, to a steady queue of customers daily.
You can only typically only find Cha ca la vong in specialized restaurants, serving solely Vietnamese grilled fish and nothing else. Another good restaurant is Cha Ca Thang Long (19 Duong Thanh Street), located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It’s more affordable and far less crowded for the same great quality of food.
Cha Ca La Vong Restaurant
14 Chả Cá, Hoan Kiem
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: 84-4/825-3929
Cha Ca Thang Long Restaurant
21 – 31 Duong Thanh Street,
Old Quarter, Hanoi
Tel: 04 3824 5115/ 04 3828 6007
Famous Street Food Market in Hanoi: Cam Chi Street Food Market
Walk down Pho Cam Chi street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter to preview the selection of great local Vietnamese food available, and settle down for a serving of whatever you fancy – a full serving of pho beef noodles or chicken porridge, a little Vietnamese snack of dried beef salad or Banh Cuon rice flour pancakes, or even Trang Tien ice cream for dessert.
Best Food in Hong Kong
Dim sum and then some
Must-Try: Beef Brisket Noodles, Hong Kong
Slow-cooked beef and rice noodles in a bowlful of delicious broth made with Chinese spices. A good beef brisket comes with juicy, thick chunks of beef that is so tender, it tears apart effortlessly with a light tug of your chopsticks. And when you’ve had a spoonful, the beef almost melts in your mouth.
(Photo CC2.0: jay.tong)
Next to the essential tenderness of meat, the broth is really the part of the Beef Brisket Noodles that delivers the hearty satisfaction. The stuff that makes it a great comfort food. This is where things get exciting for foodies who want to discover the best; Restaurants in Hong Kong serving Beef Brisket have different signature broths. Clear or thick, the broths are all ridiculously tasty. Super satisfying.
Best Beef Brisket Noodles in Hong Kong:
Kau Kee, Hong Kong. A renowned top contender for the best beef brisket noodles in Hong Kong, Kau Kee is a little shop that has been around for over 90 years. It’s so good, people start queuing before the shop even opens for business in the morning!
(Photo CC2.0: Jonathan Lin)
Don’t expect any fancy service here. But flavor, you can count on. At Kau Kee, you can choose from different kinds of noodles to come with your bowl of original clear broth beef brisket noodles. If you prefer a fuller taste, go for the curry sauce version.
Kau Kee Restaurant
21 Gough St, Central Hong Kong
+852 2850 5967
Must-Try: Hong Kong Egg Tarts
A yummy dessert snack, made of smooth egg filling in a flaky crispy pastry. You’ll spot the inviting bright yellow peeking out of these browned pastry cups in bakery display windows all around Hong Kong. Best enjoyed hot out of the oven!
The eggy filling is firm enough to be a little bouncy to the touch, but once you bite in, it has an almost custard-like, soft consistency. The beauty of the egg tart is the balance between the smooth filling and the firm but flakey pastry crust.
As for flavor, Hong Kong egg tarts are generally light and buttery, with some tarts having a stronger egg flavor than others. They are also ever so slightly sweet.
Best Egg Tarts in Hong Kong:
Hard to pick the best! Foodies will enjoy sampling egg tarts from different bakeries to find the one that makes their tastebuds happiest. We suggest Tai Cheong Bakery (chain of stores), Hoover Cake Shop and Honolulu Café.
Tai Cheong Bakery
G/F, 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
(+852) 83008301
Honolulu Café
33 Stanley St.,Central, Hong Kong
(+852) 2575 1823
Hoover Cake Shop
136 Nga Tsin Wai Road, Kowloon City
(+852) 2382 0383
Open daily, 6:30am to 11:30pm
Fine Dining in Hong Kong: Dim Sum at Tim Ho Wan
Imagine the very best dim sum, at a restaurant that’s been given the nod from the culinary experts, at a price that’s easy on your pocket. That’s Tim Ho Wan.
(Photo: Courtesy of Joyce Lim)
Run by the former dim sum chef at the highly-rated restaurant of Four Season’s hotel, Tim Ho Wan offers first-rate food at affordable prices. Despite being a no frills restaurant, the original Tim Ho Wan in Mong Kok was awarded 3 Michelin stars. So you can imagine the dim sum here is genuinely delicious and completely rewarding to the tastebuds.
Queuing is practically unavoidable due to the sheer popularity of this restaurant and all its branches. But for the quality of food at their prices? Totally worth it.
Try: Baked bun with bbq pork, steamed egg cake, vermicelli roll with pig’s liver, pan fried carrot cake, char siu pineapple bun, polo char siew bao, beef ball with bean stick, Malay sponge cake, cheung fun (steamed rice rolls).
Tim Ho Wan branches
G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
Tel 2788 1226
Open daily, 8am-9.30pm daily
Shop 72, G/F, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui
Tel 2332 2896
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, ifc Mall), Central
Tel 2332 3078
Open daily, 9am-9pm
G/F, 2-8 Wharf Road, Seaview Building, North Point
Tel 2979 5608
Open daily, 10am-9.30pm
Best Food in Osaka, Japan
Must-Try: Okonomiyaki
Japanese savoury cabbage-based grilled pancakes, dating back to the Edo period. Osaka’s style of Okonomiyaki is the most popular version. The pan-fried mixed batter includes quite a few savoury ingredients, including egg, cabbage and yam. Once cooked, it is then topped with a variety of ingredients, making it almost like a pizza.
Popular fillings are shrimp, octopus, pork belly and cheese. Then topped off with the sweet and thick Otafuku okonomiyaki sauce (like plum sauce) and dried bonito flakes. Wasabi, Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and seawood are some other great ingredients.
Best Okonomiyaki in Osaka:
It’s fun to visit Okonomiyaki restaurants that serve up teppanyaki style. Meaning, you get to cook your own Okonomiyaki at your table. Or, sit at the chef’s table for the best Okonomiyaki.
Here are 5 of the best Okonomiyaki Restaurants in Osaka:
Okonomiyaki Restaurant CHIBO
Okonomiyaki Restaurant BOTEJYU
Okonomiyaki AJIONOYA
Okonomiyaki FUKUTARO
Okonomiyaki MIZUNO
Must-Try: Kushikatsu
Skewered deliciousness. All sorts of ingredients, lightly battered, skewered on bamboo kushi and fried to just the right level that you don’t feel guilty. You can have breaded prawns, chicken, mixed vegetables, quail eggs and a whole spread of other choices. Dip in delicious sauce and enjoy. Have a chilled Japanese beer for the perfect complement to your meal.
(Photo CC2.0: kimishowota)
Best Kushikatsu in Osaka:
Daruma Kushikatsu is a family-run chain of restaurants in Osaka, with good service and very good Kushikatsu. Order a set of 12 skewers to sample a good range of meats and veg. The essential kushikatsu sauce here is very yummy. You get a generous serving. But no double dipping! This is a pretty serious rule of etiquette.
Daruma Kushikatsu
1-6-4 Dotonbori Chuoku
Tel: +81 6 6213 8101
Best Kept Secret: Nakatsu City Cafes
Nakatsu City is a pretty castle town. Not only is the setting perfect, so is the food. There are lots of gourmet restaurants in Nakatsu but we’re even bigger fans of all the great cosy cafes. A hipster’s dream perhaps?
(Photo CC2.0: Sotaro OMURA)
Check out Chiki Tea Café for some Matcha goodness and baked delights to go. Wander around and you’ll find lots more low-key options that are perfectly inviting for a cosy afternoon tea or a little wine in the evening.
Best Food in Penang, Malaysia
Laksa mania. Home of the nonya dishes by the Straits-Chinese in Malaysia, featuring beautiful fusion Asian flavours
Must-Try: Nasi Kandar
Aromatic white rice with curry ladled over it, and lots of ingredients on the side. Nasi means rice, and kandar means balance – a reference to the old days when hawkers would balance a pole over their shoulders, with containers at either end holding rice meals.
(Photo CC2.0; Krista)
Penang is famous for the full flavours of the hearty Nasi Kandar, which has Indian roots. Deep-fried chicken, sliced beef, fish roe, vegetables in sauce, brinjal, okra (ladies’ finger) are some of the usual suspects you will have with your rice. You should heap this onto the rice for ‘banjir’ – flooding. Flooding your rice is how you get a nice rich flavor and a good mix of your favourite ingredients.
Best Nasi Kandar in Penang
When you get to Penang, make a beeline for Merlin Nasi Kandar in George Town. It’s a standalone Nasi Kandar restaurant in the coffeeshop of Merlin Hotel, at the corner of Union Street and Penang Street. The locals love it, so you know it’s the real deal.
The usual fish, beef and chicken curries deliver the promise of spiciness, with the exception of the hard-boiled egg curry which is a little sweet. Try those and toss in some brinjal and other vegetables. Have some icy cold drinks ready to wash down the heat dancing on your tongue.
(Photo CC2.0: amrufm)
Alternatively, head to one of the oldest Nasi Kandar stalls. Line Clear Nasi Kandar is an authentic Malaysian-style street stall, located near Chulia Street. It runs 24 hours.
Merlin Nasi Kandar
Merlin Hotel, 10200 Pulau Pinang
Merlin Hotel, Lebuh Union, +604-264 2826, 11.30am-6.30pm
Nasi Kandar Line Clear
Jalan Penang, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
+60 4-261 4440
Open 24 hours
Must-Try: Asam Laksa
Oh Laksa. One of the shining stars of food in Southeast Asia. Penang Laksa is a sour, fish-based variation, quite different from the laksa you would find in Singapore. Penang’s asam (sour) laksa involves spicy soup, noodles and a mix of Chinese-Malayan ingredients. Hollywood actor Mel Gibson once named Laksa as his favourite food in the world.
There is a certain home-cooked goodness to laksa, particularly at the street stalls and humble family-run restaurants in Penang. Shrimp, shallots, garlic are some of the staples that go with the fish broth.
Best Place for Asam Laksa in Penang:
Air Itam Asam Laksa
Air Itam Market Pasar Road (Beside the Air Itam Market)
11500 Air Itam Penang
Best Food in Seoul, Korea
Si mi tai kimchi?
Top Restaurant: Song Jook Heon Restaurant
Taste a bit of everything Korean with Hanjeongsik. This is a traditional style of Korean dining, that reminds us a little of an upscale Nasi Padang, but the chef is in charge. You just sit pretty at your table and the wait staff will deliver dish after dish to your table, creating an amazing mini banquet for you. Starts off with appetizers and includes main dish of meat, fish or hot pot.
(Photo CC2.0: Hong Yun Seon)
Best to dine as a group. There can be as many as 10-30 dishes served, which everyone is meant to share. To be able to taste your way through the whole variety of food, gather a group and enjoy a long dinner tasting foods whose names you probably don’t know.
Reservations required.
Try: Steamed pork, bulgogi, salmon salad, hot duck patty
Song Juk Heon
37-2, Unni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul South Korea
Open Monday-Friday, noon-2 p.m., 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m
Top Restaurant: Yong Su San
Traditional Korean fine dining, closely adapted from the cuisine typically served to Korean royalty during the Koryo Dynasty. The restaurant is a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and listed in the Miele Guide to Asia’s Finest Restaurants. You can expect beautiful flavours served with style, quite literally fit for the king.
The restaurant itself is decorated with historically-inspired details, creating an ambience that transports diners to a grand time in Korean history in order to experience the feel of a traditional Korean royal feast. Yong Su San is located withinthe Financial District and a great way to savour Korean fine dining.
Try: Pork belly, braised short rib, black sesame tofu, royal kaesung style wrapped kimchi, skewered scallops and mushroom
Yong Su San
B1 Seoul Finance Bldg.
1-84, Taepyeongno 1-ga, Jung-gu,
Seoul, South Korea
Tel: 02-771-5553
Best Food in Singapore
“New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Singapore’s the city that never stops eating.” – Anthony Bourdain
Must-Try: Hainanese Chicken Rice
Fragrant rice cooked with secret recipe chicken stock, served with steamed or roasted chicken and cucumber slices. Soup on the side. The best chicken rice is often determined by the flavor of the rice and the accompanying chicken rice chilli sauce. Typically the chilli has ginger paste and soy sauce in it.
A simple everyday food enjoyed by locals, costing less than $2-4. Can be found in every hawker centre. Easily Singapore’s most famous dish.
Best Chicken Rice in Singapore:
Forget about chicken rice in high end restaurants. The hawkers do it best. You can find it practically everywhere and even humble stalls can serve up really really good chicken rice.
If we absolutely had to pick, we’d point you to Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice and Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Must-Try: Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab
Large crab served in a sweet, savoury sauce that is an amazing mix between chilli and tomato among other ingredients. Plus little strands of beaten eggs and crab meat soak into the sauce creating this delicious gravy base. Besides enjoying the crab meat itself, a big part of the meal is dipping deep-fried ‘mantou’ buns into the sauce. Mmm-mmm.
Black pepper crab is the popular alternative.
This is a specialty dish served in seafood restaurants, so you should order crab as the main dish and a selection of other sides, all to share. Sambal kangkong (vegetables in spicy paste), sweet and sour pork/fish, mantou fried buns, breaded butter prawns and fried rice are some of the good side dishes.
Best Chilli Crab in Singapore:
Make a reservation at the branches of No Signboard Seafood Restaurant (chain), Red House Seafood Restaurant (chain) or Jumbo Seafood Restaurant (chain) for delicious Singapore chilli crab.
Famous Street Food Market in Singapore
There are lots of food streets and ‘hawker centres’ in Singapore, where you can get a great variety of Singaporean food at very affordable prices. Most have an array of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Western food stalls. Halal and vegetarian food are often available as well.
(Photo CC2.0: Allie_Caulfield)
Lau Pa Sat, Maxwell Food Court and Newton Food Circus are popular ones around Central Singapore. If you’re up for venturing a little further out into the more residential heartlands, head to Chomp Chomp in Serangoon Gardens. The air is a little different here as it’s less touristy, but the food is equally yummy. Order a big thirst-quenching glass of sugarcane juice, longan drink, or fresh fruit juice to go with your meal.
We don’t recommend having Chilli Crab at the seafood stalls within the hawker centres. But you can and should try sambal stingray!
Hawker Favourites in Singapore:
Chinese Food – Hainanese Chicken Rice, Hokkien Prawn Mee, Char Kway Teow, Carrot Cake, Char Kway Teow
Indian Food – Roti Prata, Soup Kambing (Mutton soup), Nasi Briyani, Murtabak, Roti John
Malay Food – Nasi Lemak, Mee Rebus, Mee Siam, Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), Satay,
Best Food in Taipei, Taiwan
Must-Try: Oyster Omelette
A hot favourite among Taiwanese street food. Oyster omelette known locally as 蚵仔煎, pronounced “oh-ah-tzen”. Oysters and crispy bok-choi green veges wrapped in a thick tasty omelette. It’s topped with a red sauce that makes all the difference, as each stall has its own secret recipe for this red sauce.
(Photo CC2.0: Prince Roy)
Best Oyster Omelette in Taipei:
Easily found in night food markets across Taiwan. A great market to try is Taipei’s Shilin Night Markets.
Alternatively, wait your turn at Yuan Huan Bian for a local favourite oyster omelette restaurant.
Yuan Huan Bian
No. 45 Ningxia Rd
Datong District, Taipei
Must-Try: Bubble Tea
In Asia, we love love love our bubble tea. If you’re a fan yourself, you’ll love Taipei. Bubble tea is absolutely everywhere! The classics like milk tea are of course something you must try and compare yourself from brand to brand. But here are a few of our favourite bubble tea stores and their signature drinks.
(Photo: Toby Oxborrow)
Boba tea (aka bubble tea or pearl tea), are variations of tea with chewy tapioca balls at the bottom of the cup. As you sip your cold desert tea, the little pearls travels up a fat straw along with your flavoured tea, creating an interesting chewy texture.
These days bubble tea, despite the name, is not limited to just tea. You can have fruit flavours, milkshakes, coffee, yakult-mixes and more.
Best Bubble Tea in Taiwan:
It really comes down to personal preference. Some have better frothy finishing to their drinks, whereas others do the fruity flavoured teas much better. Keep your eye out for these 3 top Bubble Tea brands in Taiwan and sip your way through to your own favourite.
Chun Shui Tang (春水堂)
The birthplace of bubble tea. Good for Pearl Milk Tea. If you prefer a café-like environment to sit down and enjoy your tea over a chat, Chun Shui Tang is your place.
50 Lan (50嵐)
Good for tea latte, hazelnut milk tea, black tea macchiato.
Chen San Ding
A local favourite. Signature drink – fresh brown sugar bubble milk. Pearls are made with fresh tapioca. Expect long queues.
Famous Food Street Market in Taipei: Ningxia Night Market (宁夏夜市)
Street markets are all about the little snacks – or xiao chi. Shilin Night Market is Taipei’s largest and most well-known nightmarket, on Danan Road. A smaller one that is more popular for local Taiwanese is the Ningxia Night Market. Head to Ningxia for a more authentic Taiwanese night market experience, with a good selection of food with far less crowds.
(Photo CC2.0: llee_wu)
If you are travelling with young children, the little ones will enjoy the live ‘gaming’ stalls. They can, for example, can catch little fish or play pinball in an open-air arcade style.
Try: Apo Rice ball, oyster omelette, Taiwanese sausage, Liu’s Yam Ball, Tainan savory rice pudding, rice cakes, imagawayaki, sugarcane juice
Ningxia Night Market
Ningxia Road
Datong District
Open 6pm – midnight
Nearest train stations: ShuangLian (雙連) station, ZhongShan (中山) Station and TaiPei Station.
Photos: Various photographers under CC2.0 license, Shutterstock
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