Travel website Time Out recently released a list of the 2024 best culinary cities in the world. The list is based on the results of a survey by thousands of people around the world about the food in their cities. The survey concerns must-visit restaurants, must-try specialties, and rating culinary delights in their city based on quality and affordability.
Kuala Lumpur is listed number seventh among the list of 20 cities from different parts of the world, with nasi lemak as the must-eat item. The top position is given to the city of Naples which is famous for its pizzas.
Timeout states that Kuala Lumpur is a big, delicious melting pot, with a food scene influenced by Malay, Chinese and Indian culture and reflective of centuries of migration. Nasi lemak, an aromatic dish of coconut milk rice, crispy anchovies, cucumber and boiled egg, was named the city’s must-eat meal, followed by Thai tom yam soup and roti canai, a crispy pan-fried flatbread.
Other than the city capital of Malaysia, there are also other Asian cities included in the list. Check out some of the cities.
4. Ho Chi Minh City
Sweet, spicy, fragrant, fishy – however you’d describe it, Vietnamese cuisine never compromises on flavour, and you can sample the very best of it in Ho Chi Minh. Beyond the streetside food stalls and bustling markets hawking banh mi, snails, broken rice and offal stew are a clutch of Bib Gourmand and Michelin-starred restaurants serving up creative renditions of classic dishes. But by far the most mentioned dish in Timeout’s survey was pho. The warming noodle soup – in the south typically heavily garnished with basil, coriander, chilli and hoisin sauce – is a Vietnamese staple, ubiquitous across the city.
5. Beijing
Beijing is a city for carnivores. Asked which dish everyone should try when visiting their city, locals overwhelmingly put meat on the menu: gongbao chicken, hot pot, and (of course) peking duck were the most common answers. But veggies won’t be disappointed, either – stir-fried, steamed, spiced or parcelled in a dumpling, you can find the good stuff all over the Chinese capital. And while Beijing has its share of gourmet restaurants, the city’s many snack streets and night markets ensure eating out won’t cost a fortune – grab a jian bing (a Chinese savoury crepe) and a local beer and you’re set.
6. Bangkok
Street food capital of the world, Bangkok unsurprisingly ranked as the third-most affordable city to eat out in. Sizzling in streetside woks or served up from a boat in a floating market, street eats are the lifeblood of the city; locals named som tum, a sweet and slightly spicy papaya salad found in many a sidewalk stall and rickety pushcart, as the Thai capital’s must-eat dish. Beyond the markets and no-frills food joints is a city flush with gourmet accolades: Bangkok has 34 Michelin-starred restaurants under its belt, and won big in the recent Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards.
8. Mumbai
Mumbaikars are rightly proud of their city’s food scene, scoring it the highest for quality of all cities surveyed. Locals’ favourite dishes are proof that this city is full of explosive flavour: fiery manchurian (roughly chopped vegetables or meat, fried and smothered in a sticky sauce), creamy butter chicken, and street food staple vada pav (a deep-fried potato dumpling stuffed into a bread roll, accompanied by red and green chutneys) were named Mumbai’s must-eats.
19. Osaka
Much like Lyon for France, Osaka is known as the belly of Japan. From conveyor belt sushi to mouthwatering street food at Kuromon Ichiba – a huge covered market dubbed the kitchen of Osaka – you’ll need to come hungry; the culture of ‘kuidaore’ (which roughly translates to ‘eat until you drop’) is strong here. Takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and okonimiyaki (a savoury pancake cooked with cabbage, seafood or meat, smothered in different sauces and toppings) were named the city’s must-eats. And while your stomach might be full, your wallet needn’t be; Osaka ranked as the second-most affordable city to eat out in on our survey.
