Best City in the world for Food?
Jun 15, 2016, 6:46 am
#46
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,224
I cannot agree with anyone who says London and I am amazed by the amount of acclaim. Yes its immigrants bring very high quality food but you can find that anywhere. The UK has brought nothing to the culinary world. Yes the food is acceptable but so pretentious. Cereal cafes. Toast cafes. Grilled cheese food trucks. Burger bars that serve weird over thought out meatballs that are unweildly and impossible to eat. It's a [redacted] burger, not something complex like curry. Novelty cafes that serve food in weird containers. London hipsters are so obnoxious. Places that claim to serve "authentic texas bbq" but nobody has a clue what a moist cut is, not that it matters because they're chopping the brisket completely wrong. Yeah the restaurants are really cool and I went to this neat tex mex place with a massive our lady of guadalajara neon sign but the "authentic yucutan tacos" came without any cilantro or lime or hint of chipotle. You can overhear tables mention how "authentic" the food is and how it's "obviously the best". It's fake and I see why native londoners are getting hostile to gentrification. also finding good fried chicken in london is very challenging considering how many fried chicken establishments there are. I'm not saying the food is horrendous but it's all jam and no toast
ahem anyways in no order
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (hawker centers)
Lima (quality of ingredients, Peruvian cuisine is arguable one of the best in world, and cafe culture)
Naples (i had nothing but pizza for 4 glorious days. breakfast lunch dinner. ate next to trash piles, with stray dogs, with stray dogs in trash piles and it didn't matter. oh and cafe culture)
New York (you can get any type of cuisine you want)
Houston (same as ny but they obviously do bbq 10000x better...and the best peking duck i've ever had was in hou)
Maputo (seafood and mozambiquan food culture is ^^)
best japanese food outside of japan i've ever had was in honolulu. by far. they even structure the restaurants exactly like the japanese ones
i find hawaiian food highly unappealing but if you like spam and steamed pig go for it
ahem anyways in no order
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (hawker centers)
Lima (quality of ingredients, Peruvian cuisine is arguable one of the best in world, and cafe culture)
Naples (i had nothing but pizza for 4 glorious days. breakfast lunch dinner. ate next to trash piles, with stray dogs, with stray dogs in trash piles and it didn't matter. oh and cafe culture)
New York (you can get any type of cuisine you want)
Houston (same as ny but they obviously do bbq 10000x better...and the best peking duck i've ever had was in hou)
Maputo (seafood and mozambiquan food culture is ^^)
best japanese food outside of japan i've ever had was in honolulu. by far. they even structure the restaurants exactly like the japanese ones
i find hawaiian food highly unappealing but if you like spam and steamed pig go for it
This thread seems to confuse whether we are talking about the best regional cuisine in the world, in which case the capital of that region will likely have the best versions, or whether we are talking about places which offer the best of the best - clearly if it's the latter, then London and NYC are streets ahead. If it's the former, then we can have a long list - Naples for tomato based sauces, Bologna for meat-based ragu, Sarlat for foie gras, Tokyo for sushi etc. etc. Perhaps even Lexington for fast fried chicken, if you can call that food.
Jun 15, 2016, 6:58 am
#47
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 2,833
I cannot agree with anyone who says London and I am amazed by the amount of acclaim. Yes its immigrants bring very high quality food but you can find that anywhere. The UK has brought nothing to the culinary world. Yes the food is acceptable but so pretentious. Cereal cafes. Toast cafes. Grilled cheese food trucks. Burger bars that serve weird over thought out meatballs that are unweildly and impossible to eat. It's a [redacted] burger, not something complex like curry. Novelty cafes that serve food in weird containers. London hipsters are so obnoxious. Places that claim to serve "authentic texas bbq" but nobody has a clue what a moist cut is, not that it matters because they're chopping the brisket completely wrong. Yeah the restaurants are really cool and I went to this neat tex mex place with a massive our lady of guadalajara neon sign but the "authentic yucutan tacos" came without any cilantro or lime or hint of chipotle. You can overhear tables mention how "authentic" the food is and how it's "obviously the best". It's fake and I see why native londoners are getting hostile to gentrification. also finding good fried chicken in london is very challenging considering how many fried chicken establishments there are. I'm not saying the food is horrendous but it's all jam and no toast
ahem anyways in no order
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (hawker centers)
Lima (quality of ingredients, Peruvian cuisine is arguable one of the best in world, and cafe culture)
Naples (i had nothing but pizza for 4 glorious days. breakfast lunch dinner. ate next to trash piles, with stray dogs, with stray dogs in trash piles and it didn't matter. oh and cafe culture)
New York (you can get any type of cuisine you want)
Houston (same as ny but they obviously do bbq 10000x better...and the best peking duck i've ever had was in hou)
Maputo (seafood and mozambiquan food culture is ^^)
best japanese food outside of japan i've ever had was in honolulu. by far. they even structure the restaurants exactly like the japanese ones
i find hawaiian food highly unappealing but if you like spam and steamed pig go for it
ahem anyways in no order
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (hawker centers)
Lima (quality of ingredients, Peruvian cuisine is arguable one of the best in world, and cafe culture)
Naples (i had nothing but pizza for 4 glorious days. breakfast lunch dinner. ate next to trash piles, with stray dogs, with stray dogs in trash piles and it didn't matter. oh and cafe culture)
New York (you can get any type of cuisine you want)
Houston (same as ny but they obviously do bbq 10000x better...and the best peking duck i've ever had was in hou)
Maputo (seafood and mozambiquan food culture is ^^)
best japanese food outside of japan i've ever had was in honolulu. by far. they even structure the restaurants exactly like the japanese ones
i find hawaiian food highly unappealing but if you like spam and steamed pig go for it
There are currently 65 Michelin-starred restaurants in London.
How many in Houston ?
Jun 15, 2016, 7:00 am
#48
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: fwp blood diamond, dykwia uranium
Posts: 7,251
i like taquerias and shacks located in underpasses, not so much sit down places that have unnecessary add-ons like plates and cloth napkins, except this one place in houston which makes the most bomb a-- peking duck. i'm serious.
Jun 15, 2016, 7:15 am
#49
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,026
Dear all,
For those who need to be reminded: dial back on the uncivil attitudes and snark and sarcasm, please. Civil and respectful comments are welcome; unnecessarily personalized remarks are not.
Thanks
cblaisd
Co-Moderator, Dining Buzz
For those who need to be reminded: dial back on the uncivil attitudes and snark and sarcasm, please. Civil and respectful comments are welcome; unnecessarily personalized remarks are not.
Thanks
cblaisd
Co-Moderator, Dining Buzz
Jun 15, 2016, 10:40 am
#50
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
My personal votes would be Hong Kong and Milan. Making my first trip to SIN in December so i look forward to adding it to the list. Reputation alone makes SIN a place all eaters must visit.
Jun 15, 2016, 10:44 am
#51
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
houston had / did a PR push, there are articles on ethnic dining scene etc
in texas, seems austin is better regarded / very unlike the rest of texas
clearly, london has numerically less hip/pop trendy stuff than LA and NY
singapore is actually like what they claim, but seems to only offer that
in texas, seems austin is better regarded / very unlike the rest of texas
clearly, london has numerically less hip/pop trendy stuff than LA and NY
singapore is actually like what they claim, but seems to only offer that
Jun 15, 2016, 2:44 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: fwp blood diamond, dykwia uranium
Posts: 7,251
if you want to go off the michelin metric (which is certainly a respectable metric) then tokyo should be mentioned yet this seems to have been omitted in the thread. london, like most global cities, have fabulous fine dining (that i have had the pleasure of being dined at) but are not what i would recommend for a food trip. of all my top 10 best culinary experiences, i can only recall 3 that were not on buckets or plastic chairs or its equivalent
op asked for places of eating worthy of acclaim and something to make a trip out of, and the quality of small town bbq joints makes tx (particularly around austin) worthy of a food trip, not to mention that if you have the misfortune of being in houston, you can get any cuisine you want and done right. however i wouldn't reccomend houston solely for a trip (you think i'm that insane?), i'd reccomend mozambique or peru first. however a particular double standard exists if one views taquerias in cali, nev, nm, az, tx with derision yet praises hawker centers in kl or sin.
yes london does bistros and fine dining well, but beyond donairs or fish and chips it's casual/pub dining scene is obnoxious and horrible. gb can't do burgers right... seriously it's just 70/30 meat smashed and with salt+pepper and high quality agricultural produce that gb must have
i was raised poor so "slow fried" chikin, bbq, and taquerias have a resonance. i have been fortunate to done get educated and then live around the world. when these friends/family visit my home i'm proud to share said "cuisine" (quotations others) with them (including the bomb a-- peking duck in houston i'd be happy to send yall to). either they're patronizing me or they really liked eating a loaded pulled pork stuff baked potato with an ice cream scoop of butter in it. or maybe both. i'm just giving my 2 cents.
but seriously london pub food is awful. even toronto is better.
btw i'd love to hear (in good faith) peking duck suggestions, i've had it in pek for weeks, i've had it in hkg and tpe. off us59 in the filthy h was the best i've had yet.
maybe i've been in africa too long
Last edited by cur; Jun 15, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Jun 15, 2016, 4:33 pm
#55
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 2,833
as i said my standard of dining is different than most of yall. when i go somewhere to eat for fun i'm gunning for rich delicious incredible unique food. ribs, pork, chili cheese fries, tostadas, burritos, trinchado, peri peri prawns prawns prawns
if you want to go off the michelin metric (which is certainly a respectable metric) then tokyo should be mentioned yet this seems to have been omitted in the thread. london, like most global cities, have fabulous fine dining (that i have had the pleasure of being dined at) but are not what i would recommend for a food trip. of all my top 10 best culinary experiences, i can only recall 3 that were not on buckets or plastic chairs or its equivalent
op asked for places of eating worthy of acclaim and something to make a trip out of, and the quality of small town bbq joints makes tx (particularly around austin) worthy of a food trip, not to mention that if you have the misfortune of being in houston, you can get any cuisine you want and done right. however i wouldn't reccomend houston solely for a trip (you think i'm that insane?), i'd reccomend mozambique or peru first. however a particular double standard exists if one views taquerias in cali, nev, nm, az, tx with derision yet praises hawker centers in kl or sin.
yes london does bistros and fine dining well, but beyond donairs or fish and chips it's casual/pub dining scene is obnoxious and horrible. gb can't do burgers right... seriously it's just 70/30 meat smashed and with salt+pepper and high quality agricultural produce that gb must have
i was raised poor so "slow fried" chikin, bbq, and taquerias have a resonance. i have been fortunate to done get educated and then live around the world. when these friends/family visit my home i'm proud to share said "cuisine" (quotations others) with them (including the bomb a-- peking duck in houston i'd be happy to send yall to). either they're patronizing me or they really liked eating a loaded pulled pork stuff baked potato with an ice cream scoop of butter in it. or maybe both. i'm just giving my 2 cents.
but seriously london pub food is awful. even toronto is better.
btw i'd love to hear (in good faith) peking duck suggestions, i've had it in pek for weeks, i've had it in hkg and tpe. off us59 in the filthy h was the best i've had yet.
maybe i've been in africa too long
if you want to go off the michelin metric (which is certainly a respectable metric) then tokyo should be mentioned yet this seems to have been omitted in the thread. london, like most global cities, have fabulous fine dining (that i have had the pleasure of being dined at) but are not what i would recommend for a food trip. of all my top 10 best culinary experiences, i can only recall 3 that were not on buckets or plastic chairs or its equivalent
op asked for places of eating worthy of acclaim and something to make a trip out of, and the quality of small town bbq joints makes tx (particularly around austin) worthy of a food trip, not to mention that if you have the misfortune of being in houston, you can get any cuisine you want and done right. however i wouldn't reccomend houston solely for a trip (you think i'm that insane?), i'd reccomend mozambique or peru first. however a particular double standard exists if one views taquerias in cali, nev, nm, az, tx with derision yet praises hawker centers in kl or sin.
yes london does bistros and fine dining well, but beyond donairs or fish and chips it's casual/pub dining scene is obnoxious and horrible. gb can't do burgers right... seriously it's just 70/30 meat smashed and with salt+pepper and high quality agricultural produce that gb must have
i was raised poor so "slow fried" chikin, bbq, and taquerias have a resonance. i have been fortunate to done get educated and then live around the world. when these friends/family visit my home i'm proud to share said "cuisine" (quotations others) with them (including the bomb a-- peking duck in houston i'd be happy to send yall to). either they're patronizing me or they really liked eating a loaded pulled pork stuff baked potato with an ice cream scoop of butter in it. or maybe both. i'm just giving my 2 cents.
but seriously london pub food is awful. even toronto is better.
btw i'd love to hear (in good faith) peking duck suggestions, i've had it in pek for weeks, i've had it in hkg and tpe. off us59 in the filthy h was the best i've had yet.
maybe i've been in africa too long
I genuinely don't think you have a clue what you're talking about when it comes to food in London.
I sort of got that impression from your previous post when you wrote about " grilled cheese food trucks " in London.
I'd be interested to know where you came across these.
Jun 15, 2016, 5:01 pm
#56
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
there can be interesting points re ethnic, obviously ethnic can be better in origin country
but variety can be a strength, in terms of having ethnic from multiple / many countries
but variety can be a strength, in terms of having ethnic from multiple / many countries
Jun 15, 2016, 7:44 pm
#58
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: RSE
Programs: AA Exp|VA Platinum
Posts: 15,504
Originally Posted by Clint Bint
I sort of got that impression from your previous post when you wrote about " grilled cheese food trucks " in London.
Jun 15, 2016, 8:18 pm
#59
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Home
Programs: AA, Delta, UA & thanks to FTers for my PC Gold!
Posts: 7,676
Jun 16, 2016, 2:13 am
#60
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 2,833
Really? Chilli cheese fries are "unique". This sounds more like your list of comfort food than anything unique or incredible.
Well I'd wonder why someone goes to London looking to eat what they have at home. I don't think London will ever come close to Houston in the grilled cheese trucks/capita metric.
Well I'd wonder why someone goes to London looking to eat what they have at home. I don't think London will ever come close to Houston in the grilled cheese trucks/capita metric.
I could be wrong but it does seem a bizarre method of judging a city's culinary excellence anyway.