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Food is without a doubt the best thing about travelling. The opportunity to try new and exciting dishes on a daily basis makes the whole experience what it is. New flavours, new spices and the excitement as a plate or bowl is put down in front of you is unrivalled. Deciding on the best meal of the entire trip is near impossible. I have decided to write about what I think is the best meal I had in each country and even that is difficult. With each country and each city, I am spoilt for choice. So after 8 months of travelling and visiting 14 different countries, here are my best meals of 2018.

Singapore

Mutton Murtabak @ Singapore Zamzam

It wasn’t until my last meal in Singapore that I visited ZamZam. I went there stuffed, in no mood to eat but I knew I had to try it. I was seated upstairs at the only available table and I ordered Teh Tarik (Very sweet, pulled tea) and a small Mutton Murtabak. What arrived at my table was way more filling and way more delicious than I could have imagined. The mutton itself was perfectly spiced. What enhanced the flavour, even more, was the curry sauce that was served on the side. Each meat option (beef, chicken, goat, etc.) comes with a different curry sauce that compliments the dish perfectly. It added a little bit of heat and was a great way to mix up the flavours. The accompanying Teh was also lovely for washing down the murtabak.

It was probably a good thing that I waited until the last meal in Singapore to visit ZamZam because otherwise, I might have ended up back there every day. This dish narrowly beat Hainanese Chicken Rice from Tian Tian Chicken Rice to the top spot. Chicken rice is the national dish of Singapore and is simple but beautiful and fragrant.

Malaysia

Laksa @ Pasar Air Itam Laksa, Penang

As I said, it would be near impossible to pick my favourite meal of the entire trip. If I was forced to make a choice then this right here would be the winner. God himself couldn’t make a more perfect bowl of food. It was spicy, sweet, sour and just exploded with flavour in every bite. It took an hour on the bus through the crazy Penang traffic to get to this restaurant, but it was definitely worth it. The bowl is made up of thick rice noodles and a good helping of red onions, herbs and chillies. They are then soaked in the broth about three or four times before the vendor serves the bowl full of this murky coloured broth that is full of shredded mackerel. The dish is then finished off with a spoonful of prawn paste.

Watching it being made was like watching an artist at work. It was such a complex process made to look so easy. The end result was magical. Laksa was once voted as the 7th most delicious food in the world by CNN. There is nowhere better in the world than Penang to try Laksa and this right here is widely regarded as the best Laksa in Penang, which makes this particular bowl of Laksa quite special. In Malaysia, I also loved wanton mee which would have taken the top spot but nothing was dislodging this bowl of Laksa.

Thailand

Khao Soi @ Khao Soi Khun Yai, Chiang Mai

Before my last trip to Chiang Mai, I could take or leave khao soi. I went back to this Northern Thai city excited to once again eat khao kaa moo (stewed pork leg with rice) from the famous “Cowboy Hat Lady”. Then I walked into Khao Soi Khun Yai and tasted a bowl of their khao soi. From that moment on, I was hooked. I couldn’t get enough. 7 out of the 9 days I was in Chiang Mai (they close Sundays). I made my way there between their opening hours of 10 am – 2 pm for this bowl of spicy goodness. You get the choice of either pork, beef or chicken. I always opted for pork and the generous helping of meat is served in a perfect mix of spicy broth and noodles. You can then add your onions and lime, plus more chillies if you wish.

I now know that every bowl of Khao Soi will be compared to this one and inevitably lose. Thailand and Chiang Mai has some of the best food you could ever imagine, but nothing comes close to beating khao soi to the top spot. I also did quite a bit of heavy drinking in Chiang Mai, which was when I discovered that Khao Soi was the perfect hangover cure. I’d go to bed at about 5 am, wake up at 11, have a bowl of this and I would feel a hundred per cent.

Cambodia

Fish Amok @ The Christa Restaurant and Bar, Siem Reap

Cambodian food is just ok. When you have Thailand to the west and Vietnam to the east, it can be hard to compete. I do love two of their national dishes though, amok and lok lak. The best meal I had this time was a fish amok in Siem Reap. Amok is a steam cooked curry in banana leaves. It is heavily made up of coconut cream and is never too spicy and served with rice. This was the best amok I have ever had. You could just taste how fresh it was. The fish came in big meaty chunks which can also be quite rare to find. It was a very nice, light and fresh dinner. I don’t think it would make a list of the best 14 meals of the trip but it was certainly the best meal I had in Cambodia.

Laos

Pizza @ Secret Pizza, Luang Prabang

Not very local, I know. To be honest, I was only in Laos for 5 days and found it to be quite expensive. As a result, I spent 4 of these days eating the cheapest food I could find. It wasn’t bad but nothing worth writing home about. Then on the last night, I decided to splurge a bit. It wasn’t just the pizza that made this so good, it was everything about the meal. Secret Pizza is located in an Italian guy’s back garden, about a 30-minute walk from the centre of the city. It only opens 2 days a week and the atmosphere makes it so special. The pizza was delicious and cooked in a homemade stone oven. Then there was the wine, the Tiramisu for dessert and the after-dinner coffee. It felt like a rare night out for dinner among what was a very budget trip.

China

Xi’an Hamburger & Biang Biang Noodles with Stewed Pork @ FanJiLaZhi RouXiaMo, Xi’an

I made no secret that I struggled to find good food in China. I’m sure that it was because I didn’t speak the language more than that the food wasn’t there. That being said, it was here and Yang’s Dumplings in Shanghai that I had two of the trip’s top meals. There was only one winner though. The Xi’an speciality of hand-pulled noodles were freshly made and sold in a bowl with stewed pork and all of its juices. They also sold amazing Xi’an Hamburgers. This is the same pork that is served with the noodles but instead, it is stuffed inside a crispy, freshly baked flatbread. The pork was perfect, you could taste the master sauce in every bite. One of these and a shared bowl of noodles would leave you almost unable to move. I can’t imagine a scenario that would make me return to China, but if I ever did, it would be to Xi’an to eat here.

Hong Kong

Signature Wanton Noodles @ Mak’s Noodles

In a country with food as diverse as Hong Kong, it can be hard to pick a favourite. I had to choose Mak’s though, I went there 3 times in 6 days so I feel like that makes it deserve the top spot. This famous noodle shop served a simple, yet a delicious bowl of wanton noodles. Each wanton was stuffed with a full prawn. There was about a handful in each bowl and a good portion of fresh thin rice noodles. It was so good and addictive. It seemed it would come up in discussion before choosing where to eat for almost every meal.

I originally went there because Anthony Bourdain had visited on one of his previous trips to Hong Kong. If it was good enough for the master himself then I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. They also served an amazing bowl of beef noodles but it was wantons that were my dish of choice.

The Philippines

Pork Sisig, Grilled Liempo and Fried Tilapia @ SuperSix, Manila

It was not only the food that made this meal so great but also the setting. After spending so long in China, a meal on a plastic stool by the roadside was heaven. On my first night in Manila, I headed to here, ordered a whole host of food and stationed myself with a beer and watched the world go by. Finally, I was back in South East Asia. The food proceeded to arrive at the table dish by dish for me and my girlfriend to share and, whilst it was not the healthiest meal, I couldn’t fault for a second how tasty it was.

First was the liempo, grilled pork belly that is common all over the Philippines. It was slightly fatty as it always is, but grilled to perfection and served with a delicious, tangy dipping sauce. Then the full fish arrived to be picked at. Fresh and tender pieces fell straight from the bones. Within a couple of minutes it was gone, eyes and all. Last to be served was the big dish, the sisig. This is the heart attack inducing, a sizzling plate of pig’s face and liver, fried up with onions and served with an egg. This was the perfect meal at the perfect time and I will never forget it.

To read my full Manila Food Guide, click here

Indonesia

Babi Guling @ Babi Guling Gung Cung, Ubud

Babi Guling translates to suckling pig in English. This Balinese speciality is made by spit roasting a whole pig. This makes the skin so crispy and leaves the meat tender and juicy. I returned from climbing Mount Bromo in Ubud and decided that now was the time to reward myself with a big plate of Babi Guling. I got a takeaway box full of rice, chillies, blood sausage, vegetables and unrecognizable sauces that gave off a mean kick. The whole thing combined for a delicious plate of food. I had my eye on eating here the minute I arrived into Ubud and it lived up to all my expectations. The whole host of different ingredients might not look as appetizing as other food to some people but there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to try it. Who knows when I am going to be in Ubud again?

Sri Lanka

Four Vegetarian Curries @ Cafe C, Ella

There was always so much selection when eating in Sri Lanka. My favourite foods were always when you get a selection of curries and combine them all together for one delicious taste. I loved this restaurant in Ella, the staff were friendly and the setting looking onto the main road was excellent. But it was the food that was worth visiting for. Dhal, jackfruit, pumpkin and okra curry the first time and then dhal, cabbage and melon, mixed veg and aubergine the second time I visited. Both were served with a bowl of rice, poppadoms and a selection of chutneys. The flavours were insane. It always seemed strange to be getting 4 beautiful curries and then mixing them together so you can’t taste them individually, but it really works. This was definitely the pinnacle of a very tasty month in Sri Lanka.

Turkey

Breakfast @ Lades Menemen, Istanbul

By far the hardest decision of the whole post. Every time I thought I made a decision, my brain would go “what about x?”. I finally landed on my favourite breakfast in the country. Breakfast was always a treat in Turkey, but so was every meal. I enjoyed an incredible breakfast in Eskisehir and in another restaurant in Istanbul but Lades Menemen just edges both of them. It was off the main street in Istanbul, a small place that had a steady flow of local clientele.

My personal choice of breakfast from here was sucuklu menemen. This was an egg dish that also contained tomatoes and green chillies. A heavy amount of oil is used in cooking and the end result is a piping hot scrambled egg with tomato and its juices running through it. I added in some sucuklu which is a smoky Turkish sausage. This added flavour took it to whole new levels. Then I would have some bal & kaymak (clotted cream and honey) and a cheese plate. This was all used to spread on the ridiculously fresh bread that came with every portion. It is not often that breakfast is my favourite meal, but in Turkey, it is something special.

To read my full Istanbul Food Guide, click here

Bulgaria

Chicken Clay Plate, Wild Boar, Mixed Fried Potatoes and Kidney Bean, Avocado Salad @ Ale House, Sofia

This was another meal that the setting enhanced the quality of already delicious food. Ale House doesn’t look like much from the outside, but down the stairs in the basement, the restaurant opens out. I went as a party of 4 and between us, we ordered a huge amount of food to be shared. Each plate was brought to us individually making the meal last a couple of hours. This was probably to keep us pouring beer from our own personal beer tap on our table. The food was delicious though. My favourite was, surprisingly, the salad that the waiter recommended. I am not a salad person but this was incredible. Every plate we ordered was perfect though. The staff were funny and friendly, the food delicious and the unique personal beer tap just topped it off. An all-round great meal!!

Romania

Roasted Cabbage and Pork Shank with Polenta @ Bucatarasul Cel Dibaci, Bucharest

Budget friendly, good Romanian food was not always easy to come by. This restaurant in Bucharest was certainly an exception. Everything about it looked like it should have cost way more than it did. The food was fantastic. The roasted cabbage and pork shank really surpassed my expectations when it was put down in front of me, as did the polenta. A couple of beers with dinner and even a complimentary shot made the dining experience even better. This wholesome meal on a cold day in Bucharest was, for certain, the best meal I had in Romania. I will be sure to return here more than once if ever I am Bucharest again.

Hungary

Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes @ Kisharang Etkezde, Budapest

Home cooking in a tiny restaurant in the middle of busy Budapest. Walking off the street, you feel like you are almost walking into somebody’s kitchen. With only about 3 tables, you have to pray to get a seat here quickly. The food is worth it though, it’s delicious, heart-warming and very very homey. Their goulash soup is very tasty but I always went for the stuffed peppers and potatoes. The peppers were stuffed with meat and rice and then covered in a tomato sauce. It might not win points for presentation but this was a perfect winter’s meal. It was the first place I ate at in Budapest and I then chose it as the setting for the last meal of my entire trip.

About Post Author

The Roaming Irishman

roamingirishman@gmail.com

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