Other restaurants in Asia
-
Lady Restaurant
One of several garden restaurants in this part of town, Lady serves some exquisite Thai food. Unfortunately, there’s no English menu, but you can’t go wrong with đôm yam gài bâhn (Isan-style spicy and sour soup with free-range chicken), Ъlah tábtim râht prík (deep-fried red tilapia with sweet-and-sour chilli sauce) or pàt gà rèe gûng (shrimp with Indian curry sauce).
reviewed
-
Hijau Restaurant
This place rocks the tastebuds, serving everything from Indian specialities including an outrageous vegetarian aloo ghobi (potato and cauliflower dish) for RM10 and tandoori prawns for RM26, Chinese dishes (try the excellent ginger fish for RM8) and authentic Western dishes including good breakfasts. It’s set on a hillside terrace perfect for sunsets over a bottle of wine (from RM40).
reviewed
-
Nana’s Restaurant
A very polished restaurant with an army of helpful staff, cocktails, icy cold beer and delicious North Indian food. The selection of veg and non-veg curries is impressive – from Afghani to Vindaloo, and there’s Chinese, and of course the local seafood: pomfret, dara, prawns and surmai. A great feature is the family room where families and females can dine in a no-stare zone.
reviewed
-
A
Sun with Moon
If Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami opened a restaurant, it would look exactly like Sun with Moon. The cavernous interior has light-filled seats (sun?) and dark little nooks (moon?), hanging Japanese lanterns and shag carpets. Kamameshi (rice dish cooked in an iron pot) is delicate and the desserts taste as good as they look (the tofu cheesecake is playfully served in a bird cage).
reviewed
-
Jay Tiw
A block away from Kok Kaat towards the city centre, Jay Tiw boasts only 19 dishes, but emphasises quality over quantity. To reach both restaurants, hop on any sŏrng · tăa·ou heading south along Th Saengchuto and ask to get off at săh·lah glahng jang·wàt (City Hall). The restaurants are more or less across the street –just look for the rows of stainless-steel pots.
reviewed
-
Kasbah
This complex is a popular expat and local haunt. Zāffrān (mains Rs160 to Rs300) is enclosed, but feels like an open-air terrace shaded by slatted blinds, and is popular for its tasty Mughlai food. Then, for impressive French cuisine try the serene Café de Paris (mains Rs350 to Rs800), or, if you feel more like some Italian tucker there’s decent, palely elegant Spago (mains Rs300 to Rs750).
reviewed
-
B
Loong It
To eat like a local, look no further than this rustic but delicious northern-style food shack. There’s an English-language menu on the wall, but don’t miss the sublime lâhp gài, minced chicken fried with herbs and topped with crispy deep-fried shallots and garlic. The restaurant is on Th Phranorn near the intersection with the Superhighway; look for a sign that says ‘Local Food’.
reviewed
-
Squido’s Restaurant
Reminiscent of many traveller spots in southern Thailand, the widescreen TV at this popular restaurant is never turned off – it’s a perpetual screening of Hollywood action movies and music videos. That said, Squido’s serves some of the best food in El Nido – at the very least, the largest variety including specialities like chicken goulash, stuffed squid, baked mussels and t-bone steak.
reviewed
-
Talat Pratu Chiang Mai
In the early morning, this market is Chiang Mai’s communal larder, selling foodstuffs and ready-made dishes. If you want to make merit to the monks, come early and find the woman who sells pre-assembled food donations (20B); she’ll explain the ritual to you. Things quiet down by lunch-time, but the burners are re-ignited for a large and popular night market that sets up across the road.
reviewed
-
Del Italia
The Italian villa decor here – the semi-alfresco terrace with hanging plants, the faux terracotta walls, the wooden pantry on the 1st floor – is a little theme-y but lovely even so, especially at night. Some of the Italian food here (ahem, pizza) is so-so, but most is sublime, for example, the artichoke and bocconcini salad with sundried tomato. Bottles of Italian wine start at Rs1500.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
C
Fresh Café
A pair of recently self-exiled Arizonans have opened up this restaurant, a welcome breath of fresh air for those weary of fish and Filipino cuisine. An informal survey declared Fresh’s the ‘best burger in Palawan’ but there’s other good comfort food like chilli, country fried chicken and mashed potatoes, lasagne and burritos. Imported beers and brewed coffee round out the highlights.
reviewed
-
Bamboo House Restaurant
The closest thing Port Barton has to a full-fledged restaurant, Bamboo House is near the Caltex station and Elsa’s Beach Cottages. It’s a friendly family-run place with several tablecloth-clad picnic tables and a few small nipa huts in the yard. Seafood dishes like the fish curry and shrimp sinigáng are especially good; another winner is chicken schnitzel with French fries.
reviewed
-
D
RN Buffet & Take Away
This superclean little eatery above a grocery shop offers a six-dish lunch buffet that’s not excessively spiced. Unfortunately, military restrictions in the neighbourhood mean it’s closed in the evenings. The restaurant also does a mean line in savoury pastries and cold drinks. It’s run by a delightful English-speaking couple who get their inspiration from a Delia Smith recipe book!
reviewed
-
E
Chutneys
Decked out in black furnishings and pastel colour schemes, this chic-but-cheap restaurant offers some of the best South Indian fare in town. Try the signature dish, a ‘cap dosa’, one of 30 types of dosa (paper-thin rice- and lentil-flour pancakes) available. The dress code requires long pants. Despite the upscale atmosphere the prices make this place accessible to midrange budgets.
reviewed
-
Huong Mai Restaurant
The local speciality is de (goat meat), usually served with fresh herbs and rice paper to wrap it in. A good place to try this is the blue-walled Huong Mai Restaurant. There is an English menu, though the staff don’t speak English. Try the fried goat with chilli and citronella, and don’t let the oversized goat’s head mounted over the counter intimidate you.
reviewed
-
F
KOTO
Stunning four-storey modernist cafe-bar-restaurant overlooking the Temple of Literature, where the interior design has been taken very seriously, from the stylish seating to the fresh flowers by the till. Daily specials are chalked up on a blackboard and the shortish menu has everything from yummy pita wraps to Red River fish ’n’ chips. The bar also has a mighty fine cocktail list.
reviewed
-
Khaao Chae Naang Ram
Khaao Chae Naang RamKôw châa (camphor-scented chilled rice served with sweet/savoury titbits) is a dish associated with Phetburi, and this roadside stall in front of a noodle restaurant is considered one of the best places to try it (it’s an odd flavour and icy texture, but worth a go). There’s no English sign; look for the cart under the old blue awning).
reviewed
-
G
Nam Chuan Coffee Shop
Nam Chuan Coffee Shop is the name of this food court – inside are many individually run stalls, including Christina Jong’s which serves Sarawak laksa from 8am to 3pm Thursday to Tuesday. As with other food courts come at different times of the day and you’ll find different operators running each of the stalls – some doing the breakfast and lunch, others just working in the evening.
reviewed
-
Yellow Chilli
A stylish chain-restaurant conceived by celebrity chef, Sanjeev Kapoor, locals flock here to tuck into delights like the hariyali machchi (charcoal-grilled, mint- flavoured fish), rogan josh (slow-cooked mutton in yoghurt and fennel gravy) and blackcurrant kulfi (firm-textured ice cream). There’s a good veg buffet (Rs165; lunch only). Dinner reservations wise.
reviewed
-
A&C Restaurant
The A&C is a real treat. The restaurant has been carved out of a local home, so dining here feels a bit like popping in to see the relatives. Tasty home-cooked Sri Lankan meals whipped up by the proprietors are varied and flavourful. To get here from Matale, take the same turn-off as the Matale Heritage Centre, but then take a sharp left rather than the road to the centre.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
H
Favola
Le Meridien’s showcase Italian restaurant features a flamboyant chef who has transformed mama’s cooking into a high-tech affair using molecular gastronomy techniques to prepare foams, infused oils and savoury ice creams. Hints of vanilla and pumpkin oil add dramatic character to fettuccini, but the best bets are the surprisingly affordable pizzas with wood oven–crisped crusts.
reviewed
-
To Be Korean Café
Traditional Korean pork barbecue (RM23) as well as pages of other specialities (some vegetarian) can be enjoyed here while your feet get the dead skin nibbled off them by little fish – the tables are placed over a pond so can dine with your feet in or out of the water. There’s also a selection of ‘Korean healthy teas’ (from RM3.50) that purport to cure a plethora of ailments.
reviewed
-
I
Malis
The leading Khmer restaurant in the capital, Malis is a chic place to see and be seen. The garden is the most atmospheric, but air-conditioned dining is available in the maze-like building. The original menu includes beef in bamboo strips, sand goby with ginger and traditional soups and salads. Popular for a boutique breakfast, as the menu is a good deal at US$1.50 to US$3.
reviewed
-
Dream Café
Multiple traveller recommendations fly the flag for this main-drag place with a cool, shady garden. It’s a cosmopolitan wee spot with good espresso coffee, well-executed Western dishes like tortilla chicken wraps, and smoothies and salads for the healthy traveller. Don’t be too pious, though: the beers are nice and cold. Internet (Rs 5 per minute) is also available.
reviewed
-
Galabo
Galabo is a kind of open-air food court with around 90 stalls – tuck into local specialties like nasi gudeg (unripe jackfruit served with rice, chicken and spices), nasi liwet (rice cooked in coconut milk and eaten with a host of side dishes) or the beef noodle soup timlo solo here. It’s very sociable, though you’ll have to bring your own Bintang.
reviewed