Introducing myself as a travel foodie cos I'd love to hear recommendations re. 1) specialty foods where you live or where you've been and 2) restaurants/street food places you'd recommend in your city. Will update with some of mine later for Adelaide & Auckland Spoiler Particularly interested in the following places since I'll be going later this year! - Luoyang, China - Xi'an, China - Chengdu, China - Dalian, China - Rome, Italy - Venice, Italy - Berlin, Germany - Zurich, Switzerland - Paris, France - London, UK - Cambridge, UK ... + potentially Belgium, Netherlands and Scotland. + Singapore though I doubt I'll have long enough to dash out of Changi airport during transit time.
If you are a spicy guy, I recommend mapo tofu in Chengdu, super spicy. SiChuan's mapo tofu also has its own unique hotness.
Spice training for Chengdu at the moment! I'm usually pretty good with spice but probably a little under-prepared for there. Are there any restaurants you'd recommend specifically?
I think the name is 陈麻婆豆腐 . Been there once only and failed to conquer 夫妻肺片, that thing is killer spicy for me.
Hahaha I'll try! Only got 3 days there ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Anyway, first update from me. Adelaide, Australia Spoiler For dessert, Eggless is one of my favourites. Their menu changes every month and I've been religiously going for a while now to sample their new creations. I'm particularly fond of their tiramisus and panna cottas, but often the unusual item on the menu surprises me! Too lazy to upload photos from my phone atm but will fix later
Update 2: Melbourne, Australia Stuck at login server so finally updating this thread There are probably a lot more experienced people with Melbourne food than me given I’ve only been there 3 times for short trips. Some places I liked and would recommend nevertheless: Dessert Spoiler Calia in Emporium I’m a fan of tea-infused fruit based desserts... the lychee and jasmine tea flavours complemented each other nicely in this glistening thing. Would recommend. Their desserts look pretty. :3 I haven’t tried their lunch/dinner menus yet but my foodie friend has recommended too. Brunch/Lunch/Dinner Spoiler Higher Ground Melbourne's has a really strong brunch culture (and are probably mildly overpriced for Australian standards) so it's hard to choose out of such a myriad... The kale salad here struck my friend and I by complete surprise though! Kale!! (no offence to kale lovers out there ) It's so good! Unexpectedly good. Juicy Bao in Chinatown I've been to Shanghai, I've been to Changzhou/Suzhou/Nanjing and I've tried many places that sell Xiaolongbao and Shengjianbao. Juicy Bao's steamed 'dumplings' as they're called are comparable to the ones I've eaten in China. It's uncommon to see such authenticity in a country so far away from China but this place really does it well. NB: There is almost always a queue. In terms of service + good bao, I would stick to Ding Tai Fung in Emporium (there are multiple branches across the world). If you want less authentic but more soupy, similarly nice and slightly cheaper bao, try Shanghai Street nearby. Tim Ho Wan, Chinatown This is not the original branch of this Michelin star restaurant but nevertheless, my heart gets drawn to their BBQ pork buns every time I drop by Melbourne. With a sweet, crispy shell and succulent char siu pork filling, I'd highly recommend this. Probably more to come. I have too many photos on my phone too lazy to update Adelaide for now, next will likely be Auckland.
I didn't forget you, just gonna ask my grandpa this weekend when I'm done with my internship and back home Enjoy ur foods and Godspeed waiting for more photos
my grandpa told me 中山街老孙家羊肉泡馍，but I cannot find it on the https://www.google.com/maps/search/+西安老孙家泡馍/@34.3199825,108.6639751,10z (he went uni in Xi'an about 50 years ago..., he said it was a time u cannot buy things with menoy, u need tickets that were assigned to people by government following their Market plan)heard they opened some outlets so u can also try (same names so showed in the Map), there's a lot Pao Mo in Xi'an's Muslim Quarter but...... personally I wouldn't recommend Muslim Quarter as most natives don't go there for the overprice and bad service attitude(but it might be convient for visitors for they got all-in-one-street so u can see a lot foreigners there), also if u prefer pork Ro Jia Mo maybe go somewhere else LOL
I second Mrkaren. The Muslim Quarter was overpriced generic crap but some stuff looked pretty cool. Like flower design cotton candy or a misty rock/cereal thing. Local places are always cheaper and tastier and will not let you down. If you have time or find yourself in Yangzhou, you should get Yangzhou fried rice and Yangzhou buns.
Hey, haven't been back to Melbourne since April this year but will definitely try and make a trip next year! On the subject of sushi, Tokui sushi's egg roll is literally the most amazing thing on earth and I'm not even vegetarian GAI <3 Thanks Karen need to hit one of these up haha. Train from Chengdu to Xi'an and accom confirmed for 25-28th September!! Super keen to try all da food heh Thanks! No active plans for Yangzhou this time round but I've heard many things about the fried rice now!! Have been to Jiangsu quite a few times now but keen to go back again The plan will probably be January 2020! No updates today cos lazy to dig up photos from phone... still looking for food suggestions particularly in Europe!
Update! I'm now in Chengdu but have spent my last two weeks in Luoyang. Noteworthy mentions: Donkey meat soup! Luoyang's quite famous for soups and I've personally never been against eating unorthodox things so... the place I tried it at was an old franchise called 匡家驴汤. Spoiler 不翻汤 is another specialty soup and its name comes from a rather odd story from (supposedly) back in the 1600s... the broth base is a mixture from chicken soup and pork rib soup, and the other bits and pieces they put into the soup adds to its uniqueness. Spoiler Confused noodles? I think is probably the best way to translate what they call 糊涂面 in Luoyang. Rather than a traditional noodle soup, the broth is made much thicker with use of a cornflour base and a range of other ingredients (peanuts, beans etc). Spoiler ^Both dishes above I tried in the old city of Luoyang where there's a cross-shaped intersection filled with small eateries. Unusual to its counterparts in other cities, Luoyang's maintains standard pricing and keeps most of the stalls traditional. Chengdu until Tuesday and then Xi'an until Friday~ more updates to come. Happy mooncake festival to all!
Wow, that's pretty cool and my roommate is also from LuoYang. Happy Moon Festival mate, an old Chinese sayings that people looking upon the moon in this day, even if u are afar from home, u with ur old friends and famliy all can share the same full moon that let u know u are still together somehow.
I'm so bad at names and there's a 0% chance I'd ever remember restaurant names in another country without pictures My visit to Italy -But for food in general do not have atypical ethnic foods in Rome (sushi, ramen, chinese etc), they're not as good let me just put it that way Why would you try non-Italian food when you're in Italy?!!! Because pasta and pizza gets so repetitive lol, even if they're some of my favorite foods. I'd venture to say you can't go wrong with any pizza at each city in Italy, but thats based on my traveling to only 5 or 6 cities I think. And then whatever is the local specialty was always pretty good. And eat lots of gelato every single day because you'll never have the same quality and quantity ever again To Paris -France, I didn't get to try this and it was my number one goal so please do so for mankind. Dining in the dark, it sounds so funn Other than that the deli bread and meats with wine non-figuratively cheaper than water are all bomb, and whether its cliche to picnic at the eiffel tower or not you should do so anyway We went on 2 food tours in or around paris and they were both good. tried 4 different crepe places and they were all good. wish I could name my fave tho because there was one i think near montmarte Short trip in switzerland -Apparently theres one in Zurich. I was only in geneva for a day after zermatt, didnt really try a lot in switzerland but most memorable was a really dope ikea looking layout restaurant called Manora. It's awesome for pictures and the food looks amazing, like a restaurant quality plating buffet of every food imaginable . Unfortunately the food was okay and just looked incredible Super short trip in London -Regarding London: (if you're like me and you were only there for 1 - 2 days) if I were to talk to my family I'd in all honesty advise to accept the common and probably undeserved saying that english food isn't typically otherworldly. I'm sure there's a million other places I could have gone that people know of, and you don't have to get fish and chips, but I'd focus on getting drinks with locals with amazing accents. The one thing I regret is not doing that enough. This statement should be taken for granted tho cuz I was barely there 2 days. omg gtop says this server is based in england im scared p.s. not food but watch a play in london please the accent makes everything 10000000x better than what youd see at home
Happy festival! Hope you enjoyed the (almost) consecutive public holidays in China! am now in Rome and gelato is soooooooooooooooooooooooo good ======================================================================================================== Update: Chengdu There's so much food omg. 3 days simply wasn't enough to appreciate the amount of specialties here (the incessant rain following my entire trip in China didn't help). I had 麻婆豆腐，宫保鸡丁，豆花，红油抄手，担担面，麻辣兔丁 and the infinitely famous hotpot to name a few things Photos to come cos lazy atm
Update I realise I literally only update this during long server checks rip.. and the worst part about not keeping up is I can no longer remember the names of some of the places I've been to D: =============================================================================================== Xi'an: Took everyone's advice by avoiding buying food at Muslim Quarter like the plague (although I did walk along the street and snacked on some 桂花糕 on the way). Had 肉夹馍 Spoiler for whatever reason I like the fried 馍 better than whatever proper way you're meant to make them even though they're probably a lot more unhealthy and 羊肉泡馍 Spoiler on two separate occasions; ironically the random places I walk past tasted better than places I meticulously checked on 美团 :S... Other things worth mentioning... the 凉皮，biangbiang面，臊子面 that I tried were all really good will try to remember the places later if anyone is interested! Dalian: My extended relatives all live here so I mostly ate at home lel. The one thing I would recommend is this fairly new franchise known as 东北第一锹, where they serve, literally, a giant shovel of seafood + another shovel of vegetables all cooked in a giant pot right onto the table in front of you. Interesting experience and the food was reasonably well done (unsurprising, given Dalian is rather famous for its seafood )! Spoiler Italy: Gelato gelato gelato Literally had gelato everyday and replaced a few meals with it tbh. In all fairness I can't get used to eating pasta every meal (possibly pizza, but eh), despite the ones I had all being super nice. BUT THE GELATO SO GOOD OMG Berlin: Had a lot of Turkish food that my friend took me round to lel. Apparently food central in Germany is down south - will needa visit at some point! Switzerland: Chocolate chocolate chocolate The macaroons at Sprungli were actually amazing though, they melt in your mouth it was such bliss. Restaurants otherwise were hella expensive and food was .. okay. Scenery makes up for it! Paris： This was my favourite place in Europe for food by far... literally every bakery you walk past has nice things, there's a giant selection of eateries and restaurants and food was a new experience for me. Will update formally later because Paris deserves it Until next time... (getting lazier by day
Cambridge: Not really the place to go for foodies imo (please correct me, begging) but dinners at Pembroke College are open to the public and are decent variety. You sit in the great hall which is pretty cool xD York: Yorkshire pudding is their signature and is decent for England though the overflowing arrangement does make things a little difficult to logistically eat. Spoiler There is a potions shop in York's Diagon Alley equivalent which does this chocolate-butterscotch-caramel drink that is literally i-kid-you-not better than butterbeer! I lost the photo... Toulouse: Go have a raclette at some point. It is a cheese wheel that you pour melted cheese onto a mix of potatoes, bread and cured meat. It makes you feel disgusting afterwards but is honestly an experience because CHEEEEEEEEEEESE. Spoiler sorry @ the guy who's photobombing by accident... Apparently there is a signature known as cassoulet in Toulouse but don't think will have enough time to try... rip. London: TBD since I'm not done with London yet but there is a fantastic Moroccan high tea place called Momo. Their mint teas are fantastic
Necroing my own thread because I need new food suggestions for Taipei, Singapore and Rio de Janeiro. And probably somewhere in the States though I'm not 100% sure where yet. hmu!
