How to find "hidden gems" in difficult food markets?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NYC, SFO
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 18
How to find "hidden gems" in difficult food markets?
When you travel to a place with good food that is difficult to find for outsiders, what kind of tools do you use to find the best stuff out there?
For example, when you go to Vietnam and want the best bowl of Pho or you are trying to find the best Pad Thai in Bangkok, how do you approach the search? I am trying to figure out the most efficient and reliable ways to explore for great food destinations during my travels in general. Maybe we could learn something from each other.
For example, when you go to Vietnam and want the best bowl of Pho or you are trying to find the best Pad Thai in Bangkok, how do you approach the search? I am trying to figure out the most efficient and reliable ways to explore for great food destinations during my travels in general. Maybe we could learn something from each other.
Last edited by DCMN; May 8, 2012 at 10:06 pm Reason: typo
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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This. Plus, you can often get a good recommendation by striking up a conversation with people at your hotel, cab drivers, friendly people you meet and then cross checking the above. Plus, searches in Flyertalk's own Trip Reports forum will lead to some excellent ideas.
#6
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: 127.0.0.1
Posts: 947
When I ask locals for places to eat, I ask people who have no vested interest in where they send me, i.e, I don't ask the hotel, taxi drivers, or souvenir stands.
We were in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and wanted a good seafood restaurant that did not cater to tourists so I went into the Sony store near the hotel and asked one of the employees for a recommendation. His recommendation turned out to be one of the top meals of the trip, and one of the most inexpensive.
We were in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and wanted a good seafood restaurant that did not cater to tourists so I went into the Sony store near the hotel and asked one of the employees for a recommendation. His recommendation turned out to be one of the top meals of the trip, and one of the most inexpensive.
#7
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,638
1. when looking for good places to eat ethnic food, look for people of that ethnic group.
2. avoid any restaurant where the average age of the diners appears to be under 25.
3. don't eat at any korean restaurant that has pictures of food on its signs (this is certainly true of LA, but it may work elsewhere).
2. avoid any restaurant where the average age of the diners appears to be under 25.
3. don't eat at any korean restaurant that has pictures of food on its signs (this is certainly true of LA, but it may work elsewhere).
#8
Join Date: Jan 2009
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#9
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
#10
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: United States
Posts: 355
There are a lot of things to consider when you are going to choose an eating place, like cost, quality of food and comfortable services. The most important thing to be noticed is the style of their representation to impress the guests. After this, you will come about what kind of food is to select.