Best places to eat around the world
Is there anything that transports you to another place or connects you to another culture more instantaneously than food? Fresh produce, gourmet restaurants, unique local specialties and the passion of acclaimed chefs come together to create an unmissable holiday experience. Bon appetite!
Penang, Malaysia
All of Malaysia is renowned for its food, but Penang stands out as the country’s most exciting epicurean destination. While the capital George Town has its fair share of fine dining restaurants here it’s all about the street food – the city is the street food capital of Asia and arguably of the world. The competition between vendors means that quality is high and so are the safety standards, a plus if you are generally nervous about eating on the street. The city’s Malay, Chinese, Indian and Portuguese influences come together in the form of spicy laksas, delicious satay, smoky char kway teow, freshly made roti and delicate dim sum.
Tokyo, Japan
In 2010 Tokyo overtook Paris to become the city with the most Michelin stars in the world with an impressive total of 281 starred restaurants, 14 of which have the coveted three-star rating. If you’ve got money to burn, book a table (well in advance) at Aragawa for the best piece of steak you will ever eat. But you don’t have to be rich to eat like a king in Tokyo. In fact it might just be the only place in the world where you can dine at a starred restaurant for less than $10 – as long as you don’t mind making lunch your main meal of the day. Nakajima is a one-star restaurant in Shinjuku that serves up a set lunch for just JPY800 (about $8). For that you’ll get a main course, like sardines, as well as rice, miso and pickled vegetables.
Lima, Peru
The Peruvians are sitting on some of the finest cuisine in South America, if not the world. The national dish, cebiche (or sometimes ceviche), is a mix of diced raw fish, lemon juice, coriander, chili and onions. Dishes are light and fresh, using seafood, brightly coloured tropical fruits, spices and lots of potatoes (Peru grows some 2,800 varieties of potato). Astrid y Gastón restaurant, a Lima institution, is currently ranked number 18 on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The owner and chef, Gastón Acurio, is a national celebrity and a champion of traditional Peruvian food, serving classics with a modern twist. One of his most famous dishes uses guinea pig (a local delicacy) in Peking pancake style – strange but delicious. You heard it here first: Peruvian cuisine is the next big thing.
Bordeaux, France
Paris might be the glitzy darling of the French food scene, but this historic region in the southwest of the country offers a food scene that’s both simple and decadent. It’s position right on the Atlantic Ocean means that traditional roast meat dishes will be paired with the freshest of oysters, and langoustines, mussels, shrimp and clams abound. La Tupina is the most famous restaurant in the region and, while it is perhaps a little kitsch and over commercialised, it’s definitely worth a visit. Bordeaux is also one of the major wine capitals of the world producing 700 million bottles each year, so you won’t have to look far to find a top-notch glass of red to pair with a slice of local foie gras.
Barcelona, Spain
Tapas, paella, olives, jamon – there are any number of delicacies that put Barcelona on the list. But the city’s real foodie highlight has to be the huge Boqueria market, which has been operating since the year 1200. Hundreds of stalls offer the freshest local produce, vibrant fruits and vegetables, piquant cheeses, thinly sliced meats and just about anything else you can think of. Fill up a basket and head to Gaudi’s Park Güell for a picnic in the sunshine. If you’d rather eat out, Dos Palilos is the hottest new restaurant in town serving Asian-style tapas prepared right in front of you. The owner, Albert Raurich, earned his stripes at the city’s famed El Bulli restaurant before it closed down.