Regional restaurants in Asia
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A
Cofi Ii
One of the current hot spots with younger expats and locals for after-work drinks (non-alcoholic of course), stingy but enjoyable meals, and internet use. Try the chicken cooked in honey. It’s on the second floor of the shopping centre.
reviewed
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B
Café 43
Tucked away in a residential lane, this casual eatery continues to get rave reviews for good food at good prices. The fact that it’s run by a very friendly family doesn’t hurt.
reviewed
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Dōtombori Arcade
Dōtombori Arcade (Dōtombori Chūō-ku; Namba Station on the Midōsuji, Yotsubashi or Sennichimae subway line) is the heart of Minami, and it's crammed with eateries. This is not the place to go for refined dining, but if you want heaping portions of tasty food in a very casual atmosphere, this place can be a lot of fun. And because it sees a lot of tourists, most of the big restaurants here have English menus.
reviewed
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C
Amethyst
Set in a stunning lemon-coloured, colonial-era building, this place is comfortably posh. The lush garden setting and patio dining takes the cake for restaurant ambience. Expect comfy couches, tasteful antique furniture and afternoon tea with lovely cucumber-and-mint-chutney sandwiches.
reviewed
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D
Brothers Café
Looking like a film set, in one of the finest French-colonial buildings in town, the attention to designer detail is perfect. It is properly pricey by Hoi An standards, so many just drop by for a drink in the gorgeous riverside garden.
reviewed
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E
Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Mylapore
Dependably delish, 'meals' at the Saravana Bhavans, although this locale has some 'special meals' if you're willing to pay a bit more.
reviewed
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F
Salt 'n' Pepper
Superbly average food, but the streetside tables bustle nightly with punters having a special-teapot tipple.
reviewed
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G
Le Giang
A wide range of Vietnamese favourites here, plus an upstairs terrace to catch a breeze.
reviewed
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roadside carinderia
The kind of food stalls commonly found in some Southeast Asian countries are conspicuously absent from the streets of Manila, but there are roadside carinderia . These basic eateries, often family owned, display a selection of pre-cooked dishes on a counter or in a glass case. They usually include adobo (pork and/or chicken cooked in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic), sinigáng (pork, fish or prawns in sour soup) and various preparations of bangús (milkfish, native to the Philippines). These places are called turu-turò (literally point-point) as ordering is a simple case of pointing at whatever takes your fancy.
reviewed
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H
Genroku Sushi
Of course, Minami is all about shōtengai (shopping arcades) and the Sennichi-Mae Arcade is one of the biggest. In addition to all the pachinko parlours here, you'll find lots of cheap, casual restaurants like Genroku Sushi a bustling automatic sushi place where plates of sushi cost a mere ¥130, and Izumoya an old unagi (eel) specialist that serves tasty dishes like mamushi nami (small unagi over rice) for ¥700, or the larger tokujō (special unagi, ¥1400). It's on the corner with a brownish marble front.
reviewed
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I
Guìlín Rén
Cheap set local meals at this ever-popular and handy restaurant designed with a fast-food, no-nonsense approach. Orange-and-white-clad employees even go through motivational songs to boost morale and foster team spirit. There's no English menu, but dishes include three-flavours hotpot (三鲜火锅; sānxiān Huǒguō) and black pepper beef with rice (黑椒牛柳砂钵饭; hēijiāo niúliǔ shābō fàn). Instant coffee served.
reviewed
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Huīzhōu Měishí
Located on the west bank of the river, this small and friendly family-run restaurant has no English sign, but it's a good spot to sample local Huizhou-style cooking, from stewed stone frog (hóngshāo shíjī; 红烧石鸡) to filling Anhui-style fried noodles (huīshì chǎomiàn; 徽式炒面) and fried meat slices in Anhui style (huīshì huíguōròu; 徽式回锅肉).
reviewed
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Greenbelt Shopping Mall Restaurants
You are only limited by your ability to choose when you eat in Makati. There's something for every budget and taste. In fact the restaurants in the Greenbelt 2 and 3 shopping malls are among the best and most popular in Manila. On any night, hordes of people stroll past the many fine restaurants on various levels pondering which one to select. It's a fun scene.
Almost every place in Makati, especially those in Greenbelt, has both air-con dining rooms and large outdoor patios that are perfect for people-watching.
reviewed
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Chìshuǐqíng Jiǔjiā
Chìshuǐqíng Jiǔjiā is casual but beautifully decorated and specialises in dozens and dozens of types of bamboo dishes. So much care has gone into the menu and décor, that the unpleasant wait staff comes as both a shock and a huge disappointment. However, the rest works so well, foodies looking for something a little different may still decide this place is worth taking a risk on.
reviewed
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Xiao Wangfu Roast Duck Restaurant
Excellently located just north of the Crowne Plaza, this small and homely corner eatery is easily spotted for its traditional portico, red lanterns and white tablecloths drying outside. The duck is recommended and there's a range of pre-prepared chilled dishes just inside the door that makes ordering a breeze - just point, take your seat with a bottle of Tsingtao stout and wait.
reviewed
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J
Hakata Ippudo Ramen
Hakata Ippudo Ramen; Look for the big red lantern at the entrance to this cosy and bustling rāmen shop, one of several branches in town. The English menu boasts of Hakata-style gyōza dumplings, traditionally made small so dainty Hakata women would not have to suffer the indignity of opening their mouths too wide to eat them.
reviewed
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Sureswar Hotel and Restaurant
Mongla isn’t overflowing with eating options. The local favourite is the Sureswar Hotel and Restaurant, located on the main drag, next to the Hotel Bangkok. It stocks the standards and has a handy ‘food catalogue’ painted onto the wall in English.
reviewed
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K
Tonkatsu Ganko
Sometimes you need something a little heavier than noodles and rice, and tonkatsu may be the call. This popular tonkatsu specialist near Namba station is easy to spot with food models in the glass case out front (next to an NTT Docomo shop). There's a picture menu.
reviewed
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L
Irudhashu Hotaa
Our favourite ‘short eats’ place in town is this perennially busy meeting place by the Henveiru football field. After prayers at the next door mosque, it’s always rammed, and the spicy fish curries and selection of hedhikaa are delicious.
reviewed
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M
Khemkhong View Restaurant
One of the many riverside restaurants lining the Mekong, the split-level Khemkhong View has an extensive menu with choices such as spicy prawn and coconut soup, squid láap (salad; or intestine láap for the more adventurous) or steamed, fermented fish.
reviewed
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Xiǎo Tǔdòu
This dōngběi (northeastern) eatery is packed with families, couples and groups of all ages who come for the eponymous potato dish that's anything but small; it's a hearty and delicious stew of spuds and greens in a meaty broth.
reviewed
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Naku Café
Not many folks seem to wander into this casual eatery run by some very shy but very friendly staff. Local Naxi dishes outshine the foreign items: the Naxi claypot needs salt but is packed with tofu, potato, turnip, carrots, broccoli and cabbage.
reviewed
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N
Deep Down South
Here you'll find all the South Indian culprits expertly executed. First have a lassi, and then go for a masala dosa served on a plastic banana leaf, backed with an all-you-can-eat sambar. Room left over? There's a sweet shop attached.
reviewed
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O
Gin Sen
This casual, approachable place serves delicious kushi katsu (meat and veggies deep fried on skewers), a greasy but tasty treat. It's on the 2nd floor of the Gurukas building; there's a Lawon convenience store on the ground floor.
reviewed
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P
View Kheam Kong Restaurant
Alongside falang fare and generic stir-fries, this riverside restaurant serves a good Luang Prabang sausage salad, fried green chilli with duck, and Luang Prabang–style stewed fish. Seating is on a large balcony with fairy lights.
reviewed
