Restaurants in Asia
-
A
Bar-B-Q
Three interconnected dining rooms offer different but similar menus in this enduring family favourite. Decor is comfortably unpretentious.
reviewed
-
B
Summer Harvest
Top-notch Indian and Chinese food, cold beers and international sports on the TV attract travellers to this warm and inviting restaurant.
reviewed
-
Taste of India
This tiny place has just five tables and is often full with diners savouring North Indian veg and nonveg curries and tandoori chicken.
reviewed
-
C
Romdeng
Also under the Mith Samlanh Friends NGO umbrella, the elegant Romdeng specialises in traditional food from the provinces and offers a staggering choice of traditional Khmer fare.
reviewed
-
D
Pho 2000
Near Ben Thanh Market, Pho 2000 is where former US president Bill Clinton stopped by for a bowl.
reviewed
-
Lǜyáng Húntundiàn
Founded in 1802, Lǜyáng moved here in 1999 and continues to satisfy ever-hungry local appetites with wonton dumplings ( 馄饨, húntun, Y8 to Y15), fried rice dishes ( 炒饭, chǎofàn, Y12 to Y15) and soups ( 汤, tāng, Y8 to Y12). No English menu, but try yínyú húntun ( 银鱼馄饨, whitebait wonton soup, Y15), gālí jīdīng chǎofàn ( 咖喱鸡丁炒饭, curry-flavoured chicken fried rice, Y15) or yāxuè fěnsī tāng ( 鸭血粉丝汤, duck’s blood soup, Y8). They also do delicious steamed dumplings ( 小笼包, xiǎolóngbāo, Y8 for four dumplings). Pay first at the counter, then hand your slip to a waitress.
reviewed
-
E
Rum Doodle Restaurant & Bar
Named after the world’s highest mountain, the 40,000½ft Mt Rum Doodle (according to WE Bowman, author of The Ascent of Rum Doodle, a spoof of serious mountaineering books), this famous bar is still milking a dusty (1983!) Time magazine accolade as ‘one of the world’s best bars’. It’s long been a favourite meeting place for mountaineering expeditions – Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Messner, Ang Rita Sherpa and Rob Hall have left their mark on the walls – and a visit here feels like a bit of a pilgrimage for mountain lovers. Trekking groups can add their own yeti footprint trek report to the dozens plastered on the walls. The restaurant serves up decent steaks, pasta and…
reviewed
-
F
Bookworm
A combination of a bar, cafe, restaurant and library, the Bookworm is a Běijīng institution. Perhaps it’s the 14,000-plus books you can browse while sipping your coffee, or working your way through the extensive wine list. The food maintains the bookish theme, with sandwiches (Y42) and dishes named after famous authors, even if it, and the alcohol, is overpriced. The Bookworm is much more than just an upmarket cafe, however. It’s one of the epicentres of Běijīng cultural life and hosts lectures, poetry readings, a Monday-night quiz and an annual book festival. Any author of note passing through town gives a talk here. The local listings mags will tell you what events are…
reviewed
-
G
Kyūbey
If you can splurge on only one Tokyo sushi experience, make it this one. Established in 1936, Kyūbey’s quality and presentation have attracted a moneyed and celebrity clientele ever since, seeking incomparable quality and presentation. Go for broke with kaiseki (course menu, lunch/dinner from ¥10,500/15,750), or have it served on pottery by famed artisan Kitaoji Rosanjin for ¥31,500. Otherwise just peruse the Rosanjin exhibition on the restaurant’s 4th floor. Kyūbey continues to make headlines: in 2009, it bought at auction half of a single bluefin tuna that sold for a staggering ¥9.63 million (and sold single cuts of toro from it for ¥2000!).
reviewed
-
H
Manchurian Special Flavour JiǎVozi Restaurant
With its singing waitresses in their colourful qípáo (traditional Chinese dress) and a menu that proclaims, ‘We all love you’, this friendly, noisy restaurant specialises in the cuisine of northeastern China, a region of icy winds and biting cold. That means lots of hearty meat dishes such as stewed chicken (Y28) and shredded pork with wild vegetables (Y25). But the real deal here are the delicious jiǎozi. There’s a whole range to pick from, but the green pepper and pork, Chinese cabbage and pork, and pumpkin and egg are particularly addictive. Try a few bottles of Hapi, Harbin’s very own beer (Y12), to make it the perfect Dōngběi experience. English menu.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Grandma's Kitchen
Highly popular with locals, this chain restaurant cooks up classic Hángzhōu favourites; try the hóngshāo dōngpō ròu (红烧东坡肉; braised pork). There are several other branches in town.
reviewed
-
I
Alameda
Consistently high-class fusion cuisine with a Brazilian twist in a light and spacious environment makes this Běijīng’s finest Western restaurant. The Brazilian chef changes the menu daily, but regular dishes include filet mignon in a rosemary and red wine sauce with roasted potatoes and pan-fried whole tiger prawns. There is an à là carté menu but the two-course set lunch and dinner menus will satisfy most people’s appetites. Dessert costs extra though, while the extensive wine list is not cheap (from Y200 a bottle). Sophisticated without being snobbish, it’s a place to splash out. It’s essential to book.
reviewed
-
J
Bhojan Griha
In the same vein as Bhanchha Ghar, but perhaps more ambitious, Bhojan Griha is located in a recently restored 150-year-old mansion in Dilli Bazaar, just east of the city centre. It’s worth eating here just to see the imaginative renovation of this beautiful old building, once the residence of the caste of royal priests. Most of the seating is traditional (ie on cushions on the floor), although these are actually legless chairs, which saves your back and knees. In an effort to reduce waste, plastic is not used in the restaurant and mineral water is bought in bulk and sold by the glass.
reviewed
-
K
Lords
By far Negombo’s most creative eating experience. Martin, the British owner of this half restaurant, half art gallery, brings a larger-than-life presence to the place and is a rare thing among expat restaurant owners in that he actually works on the floor and in the kitchen making sure that everything is just spot on. The food, which is so superbly prepared and presented that the thought of a free meal was enough to get the president himself to come and open the restaurant, is a hybrid of Western and Eastern flavours. The gallery displays excellent contempory work by local artists.
reviewed
-
L
1221
No one has a bad thing to say about this smart expat favourite and rightly so, as it has never let its standards dip over the years. Meat dishes start at Y42 for the beef and dough strips (yóutiáo), and the plentiful eel, shrimp and squid dishes are around twice that. Other tempting fare includes the roast duck (Y108) and braised pork (Y68). The pan-fried sticky rice and sweet bean paste (from the dim-sum menu) makes a good dessert. It’s also worth ordering the eight-fragrance tea just to watch it served spectacularly out of 60cm-long spouts. Reserve.
reviewed
-
Khao-Mao Khao-Fang
Like dining in a gentrified jungle, this place, designed by a Thai botanist, replaces chandeliers with hanging vines, orchids and lots of running water. It also has one of the more interesting Thai menus you'll find anywhere, with dishes featuring local ingredients such as fish from the Mae Nam Moei or local herbs and veggies. Try one of the several delicious-sounding yam (Thai-style spicy salads), featuring ingredients ranging from white turmeric to local mushrooms. The restaurant is north of town between the Km 1 and Km 2 markers on the road to Mae Ramat.
reviewed
-
M
Sha Tin 18
When done right, the Peking duck (whole $398, half $218, 24-hour advance booking required) here – with skin airy like a kiss – is excellent, but sometimes the birds aren’t rescued from the heat in time, and they taste burnt. However, that is a kink this just-opened restaurant may be able to iron out, given time. The pot-stickers ($68), mustard greens ($78) and Chinese-themed desserts are quite delicious. Take a ringside seat at the show kitchen and see if you agree with us. The Hyatt Regency is a five-minute walk from University MTR station.
reviewed
-
Tinder Box
Just adjacent to Crossroads proper, the Tinder Box is a genteel delicatessen and restaurant. Make this the last place you visit in Cebu, lest you find yourself returning compulsively to browse for imported French vinegar, Australian gouda, cave-aged gruyère, Swiss yoghurt and Belgian chocolate. The Australian steak (P825) is extraordinary, as are the lamb shanks braised in cabernet sauvignon. Vegetarians will have to settle for the fancy cheese platters (P150 to P350). Groups of five or more should book ahead for a table in the atmospheric wine cellar room.
reviewed
-
N
Wabiya Korekidō
This slick restaurant on Gion’s atmospheric Hanami-kōji serves what, for lack of a better term, we will call ‘haute yakitori’. It’s the nicest yakitori we’ve had, and the setting is a lot more elegant than your typical yakitori joint. At dinner, the shunsaiwabiya kōsu (full chicken course; ¥3675) is excellent. At lunch, choose from one of the meals on the picture menu outside. The name of the place is written in English in tiny letters on the black-and-white sign.
reviewed
-
O
Vinoteca
Quite possibly one of the hottest restaurants in the city at the time of writing, this inevitable crowd pleaser offers open-air dining overlooking the gardens of Tokyo Midtown. As these tables are some of the most in-demand seats in the capital, you would be wise to book in advance (in fact it's necessary) to ensure that you don't let down your better half.
Although true Italian connoisseurs may find fault in the slight Japan-isation of the menu, the food here is nevertheless spectacular, and the alfresco dining is arguably the city's best.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Street Food
Indulging in Solo's Street Food should on be everyone's list of things to do. Roaming hawkers pack the streets at night advertising their wares by screeching, striking buffalo bells or clattering cutlery. Of the plethora of dishes on offer, try nasi gudeg (unripe jackfruit served with rice, chicken and spices), nasi liwet (a local speciality incorporating rice cooked in coconut milk and eaten with a host of side dishes) or srabi (mini rice puddings served on a crispy pancake with banana, jackfruit or chocolate topping).
reviewed
-
P
Hawker Stalls in Chinatown
Chinatown has some of the best street food in KL. From late afternoon the pavements along Jln Sultan and Jln Tun HS Lee fill with plastic chairs and tables, and mobile kitchens are set up in the street, serving an astonishing array of Malay and Chinese dishes. Many of the food stalls stay open till midnight or later and you can get a filling meal of rice and spicy stir-fried beef with a cold beer for as little as around RM20.
Everything is prepared fresh so the food is almost always safe to eat, but stick to stalls with lots of customers.
reviewed
-
Q
Always Café
What draws the regulars here are the excellent value set-lunch specials with coffee (11am to 5pm), and the buy-one-get-one-free happy hour (5pm to 8pm). The food is a mix of Asian and Western, from Indonesian nasi goreng (fried rice) and Shànghǎi-style eel to bacon cheeseburgers and pasta. It’s a friendly place with chequered tablecloths and an old parquet floor which, along with the wi-fi access, makes it an easy place to while away an afternoon or evening. Fans of afternoon tea can find it here (Y48 for two).
reviewed
-
R
Daiwa Sushi
Waits of over one hour are commonplace at Tsukiji's most famous sushi bar, but it's all worth it once you're past the noren (curtains) and your first piece of sushi hits the counter. Unless you're comfortable ordering in Japanese, the standard set (seven nigiri, plus maki and miso soup) is a good bet; there's a picture menu. Though the staff may be too polite to say so, you're expected to eat and run so others can partake in this quintessential Tsukiji experience.
reviewed
-
S
Padang Brown Food Court
Everyone in town knows that this is the spot for delectable popiah (spring rolls) although the won ton mee (egg vermicelli served with pork dumplings or sliced roast pork) and bubur caca (it's pronounced cha cha - don't be so childish - and it's a delicious dessert porridge made with coconut milk and banana) is another good reason to try the food in this area. In the afternoons try the yong tau foo (clear Chinese soup with fish balls, lettuce, crab sticks, cuttlefish and more).
reviewed