Asian restaurants in Asia
-
Omar Duwur Restaurant
Out in Kota Gede, this is one of Yogya’s best restaurants, with a lavish setting in a 150-year-old colonial mansion. Offers a wide selection of Western (try the rack of lamb) and Eastern dishes (the chicken masala is great).
reviewed
-
A
Asian Heritage Row
As well as trendy bars, Asian Heritage Row - aka Jln Doraisamy - is lined with upmarket restaurants, perfect for a pre-party feast.
reviewed
-
B
Little Egret Restaurant
The Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve is a thickly forested 460-hectare ‘special area’ and is Hong Kong’s most extensive woodlands. It is home to many species of butterflies, amphibians, birds, dragonflies and trees, and is a superb place in which to enjoy a quiet walk. The reserve is supposed to emphasise conservation and education rather than recreation, and about 1km northwest of the reserve entrance and down steep Hung Lam Drive is the Kerry Lake Egret Nature Park and the much-touted, over-priced Museum of Ethnology. In the same complex is the delightful, multicuisine Little Egret Restaurant.
reviewed
-
C
1905
You can dine with ambassadors and ministers in this classy top-end restaurant set in a charming former Rana summer palace. The tables on a bridge over a wonderful lily pond add a definite colonial Burmese feel, so it’s fitting that there are several Southeast Asian dishes on offer. Lunch is light and casual, with sandwiches and salads. Dinner is a more serious affair, so dress up for dishes such as beef Wellington or salmon mousse layered in rainbow trout ratatouille and tomato hollandaise sauce. If nothing else, it’s a very romantic place for drinks.
reviewed
-
D
Tho Yuen Restaurant
Our favourite place in town for dim sum. It's packed with newspaper-reading loners and chattering groups of locals all morning long, but you can usually squeeze in somewhere. Servers speak minimal English but do their best to explain the contents of their carts to the clueless round-eye. Do try the steamed sticky rice with mushrooms but remember not to take too much from the first cart that comes by, although you'll be tempted - save room because there's more to come.
reviewed
-
Gonghwachun
The set meals are the best deal at this quite posh and formal restaurant. A W25,000 set meal offers eight courses, not large portions but well-presented and with contrasting seafood flavours. Also included is the invented-in-Incheon-Chinatown jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce). The scallops in a spicy, finely chopped sauce are a stand-out. Walk up the road from Incheon station – Gonghwachun is the large four-storey restaurant facing you.
reviewed
-
E
Spice Market
Spice Market is a Who's Who of Asian dishes, from pad thai to nasi goreng, along with more interesting fare like the grilled whole fish with chilli, dry shrimps and coconut stuffing. Thai dishes are authentically fiery, with sweet tamarind sauce to cool the mouth, and there are lots of lime, coconut and satay tastes. The décor is divided into traditional Thai, Singapore and Malay seating.
reviewed
-
Food Courts
The shopping malls around town are littered with food courts. Try Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (Komtar; Jln Wong Ah Fook) and the upper level of the Plaza (Jln Ungku Puan) shopping centre. The basement of Johor Bahru City Square (108 Jln Wong Ah Fook) is stuffed with Chinese, Japanese and Western restaurants and cafés; for coffee, Starbucks (wifi zone) and Coffee Bean are on the ground floor.
reviewed
-
F
Anaar
Recently relocated to new premises, Anaar remains one of Kabul’s lovelier restaurants. There’s a wide selection of Thai, Indian and Chinese dishes with vegetarians particularly well-catered for. Thankfully, the new premises still feature a lantern-hung garden for al fresco dining, otherwise withdraw to the cosy interior, decorated with traditional Afghan crafts.
reviewed
-
G
Sevva
Owner and style guru Bonnie Gokson has her casual glamour stamped all over this restaurant, which features a climbing garden, contemporary European art and a chicly healthy menu. But the pièce de résistance is the wrap-around outdoor terrace commanding million-dollar views of Central that will surely get you high, even if the famed crunch cake doesn’t.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
H
Monsoon
Monsoon serves up a variety of pan-Asian cuisine from peanut satays to steamed shrimp dumplings in an evocative tropical café setting. Alfresco seating and fruity cocktails help stave off the oppression of Tokyo's notoriously muggy summers, while tropical lagers and spicy curries will help you escape the depression of Tokyo's notoriously grey winters.
reviewed
-
I
Club 51
The grand, open floorplan of this villa sets the tone for a special evening out. Huge Chinese lanterns cast a warm glow over the upstairs dining room, and an array of couches and tables dispersed among potted plants creates Hanoi's most luxurious space. The menu ranges from East to West without indulging in the fusion concept.
reviewed
-
J
Peak Lookout
Whether you like its colonial air or not, you’ll admit that this 60-year-old establishment, with seating in a glassed-in veranda and on an outside terrace, has more character than all other Peak eateries combined. The food is excellent – especially the Indian and Western selections – as are the views.
reviewed
-
K
Maw Shwe Li Restaurant
This small, friendly, out-of-the-way place is usually crowded with locals, and the curries are excellent and cheap. Shan specialities include pei pot kyaw (sour bean condiment) and hmo chawk kyaw (fried mushrooms). It doubles as a bar and can be a little dark but the food gets plenty of local support.
reviewed
-
L
Den Rokuen-Tei
Modern twists on seasonally changing Japanese izakaya (pub/eatery) dishes are matched with an array of wine, beer and sake cocktails. Private tatami (woven floor matting) rooms are available, but at this relaxed, stylish perch on the top of Parco 1, the lovely open-air terrace is the prime property.
reviewed
-
M
Restoran Sup Hameed
With sprawling tables well beyond the actual restaurant like a trail of busy, dining ants down the sidewalk this ultrapopular smorgasbord at the north end of Jln Penang has everything from spicy sup (soup!) and nasi kandar to roti canai. Curried squid is the house speciality.
reviewed
-
N
Swad Restaurant
Rooms in this mid-range hotel may be overpriced, but the restaurant is top-notch, offering a dizzying range of Indian, Chinese and Continental dishes in contemporary surroundings. Save some space for the lip-smacking gulab jamuns (deep-fried balls of dough soaked in rose-flavoured syrup).
reviewed
-
O
IndoChine Waterfront
The IndoChine cartel’s riverside operation boasts Boat Quay views and sumptuous surrounds – dark leather chairs and glittering chandeliers. The menu is a sophisticated collation of Vietnamese-, Cambodian- and Laotian-inspired dishes. No MSG, colouring or preservatives are used in cooking.
reviewed
-
P
Halia
The outdoor deck at Halia is a magical spot. Surrounded by the Botanic Gardens’ ginger plants and twittering birds, it’s perfect for a lazy breakfast, a light lunch, or a romantic dinner. From 3pm to 5pm every day except Sunday, there’s an English Tea, with scones, jam and sandwiches.
reviewed
-
Q
Green T. House
We could describe the soaring white walls, high-backed chairs and eye-popping decor for hours, but you'd still need to come see it for yourself. The cuisine is best described as Asian fusion with tea somehow worked into almost every dish. Reservations advised. English menu available.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Nyonya Secrets
This tiny place hidden down a nondescript side street offers a menu of spicy Nonya favourites such as otak-otak (fish wrapped in banana leaves) and sweet-and-spicy kerabu (flavoured with lemongrass, chillies and coconut) prawns. It does excellent-value set lunches.
reviewed
-
R
Mega Box
One of the newest shopping arcades promising all forms of entertainment under one roof, the dining options here span a large spectrum of Asian cuisines including Japanese, Vietnamese and regional Chinese. Western restaurants are few at the moment but the choice is bound to grow.
reviewed
-
S
Three Monkeys
Mellow music and artworks set a cultured mood. The tables overlooking the rice field out back make it magical and the place for romance. By day there are sandwiches, salads and gelato. At night there's a fusion menu of Asian classics, including addictive Vietnamese summer prawn rolls.
reviewed
-
Nanaya Colonial
This fashionable restaurant overlooking the Hori-kawa serves beautifully presented Pan-Asian dishes to match its Asian-modern style. Among the eclectic choices: Chinese yam with scallops, rare tuna steak and grilled eel with rice. Open 'til midnight for stylish drinks too.
reviewed
-
T
Shanghai Surprise
This smart subterranean restaurant specialises in Thai, Chinese and an attempt at Japanese cuisine -everything from tom yum and nasi goreng to lemon chicken. Prawn and duck also feature on the menu and while the flavours aren't straight from the Orient, the food is tasty.
reviewed
