Bangkok tops best street food cities in the world

[Marie]

The 10 best street food cities in the world

A trio of Southeast Asian cities took the top spots in a ranking of the top 10 street food cities, with Bangkok, Thailand emerging as the best in the world, notably for its variety and abundance of options.

In a virtual trip around the world, members and editors at travel website VirtualTourist.com gave top marks to the Thai capital for its offerings like Pad Thai, green papaya salads, mango sticky rice, and chicken with green curry.

VirtualTourist.com is a user-generated travel site which, as of 2008, has been part of the TripAdvisor Media Group and counts 1.2 million registered members from 220 countries around the world.

Members recommend Soi Rambuttri in the old district of Bangkok for street fare, as well as Soi 38 near Sukumvit for its evening food markets which are open until 3 am.

In second place was Singapore for its hybrid gastronomy ranging from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan fare (Chinese and Malaysian), and its reliably safe and hygienic street food stalls.

Specialties to try in Singapore include Hainanese Chicken Rice -- steamed chicken with a ‘jelly-like' layer and rice, cucumbers, chilies and pounded ginger; chili crabs -- in a garlicky, fiery paste; and laksa -- a spicy Peranakan noodle soup.

Rounding out the top three street food cities was Penang, Malaysia, for its multicultural cuisine. Like Singapore, food is heavily influenced by Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures. Foods to try include Char kway teow -- stir-fried noodles, a tart, hot and sour fish soup called assam laksa, and satays of beef, chicken and pork.

Meanwhile, travel guide Frommer's named Bangkok, Tel Aviv and Istanbul as the top street food destinations in the world.

Here are the top 10 best street food cities in the world, according to VirtualTourist.com:

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Singapore
3. Penang, Malaysia
4. Marrakech, Morocco
5. Palermo, Sicily
6. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
7. Istanbul, Turkey
8. Mexico City, Mexico
9. Brussels, Belgium
10. Beachside Ceviche in Ambergris Caye, Belize


Source:
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/10-best-str...095604044.html

[yy]

Proud that SG clinched second prize...

[issanboy]

I have always enjoyed the street vendor foods in BKK and SIN.

[Curt]

I spent 5 days in Singapore. I can't recall any street food.

[Marie]

These days "street food" in Singapore can be found mostly in "Hawker's Centres" and Food Courts. Most of these Hawker's Centres are located in suburbs or housing estates, but Food Courts are everywhere.

A couple of years back when I was enrolled in a training course in Singapore, I used to patronize street food around Bukit Merah (a housing estate) at lunchtime. Their diners were mostly office employees working in that vicinity. The variety of choices was overwhelming and the prices were quite affordable. However at night, since I stayed in Allson Hotel on Victoria St, I'd dine al fresco at Clarke Quay and Bugis Street which were just walking distance. Still it was hawkers' food but was a little bit more pricey though similarly tasty. During fieldwork days in Jurong (the place houses many industrial factories) we ate in stalls which catered mainly to factory workers --hence, prices were really cheap, and servings were big! Sometimes we ordered to-go meals for our dinner back in the hotel.

I also have had opportunities to sample street food at the old People's Park and at Chinatown. And more recently as I was booked in a hotel on Orchard Road, I enjoyed "hawker's food" in many Food Courts nearby. Some of these are frequented by students and you could find decent meals for as low as $ 2-3. There's also a relatively new entertainment center called "Vivo City" by the Harbour which houses stalls serving hawker's meals. Noticeably these cuisines enjoy the patronage of many foreigners who work for mutinational companies which abound in the area.

[issanboy]

These days "street food" in Singapore can be found mostly in "Hawker's Centres" and Food Courts. Most of these Hawker's Centres are located in suburbs or housing estates, but Food Courts are everywhere.

A couple of years back when I was enrolled in a training course in Singapore, I used to patronize street food around Bukit Merah (a housing estate) at lunchtime. Their diners were mostly office employees working in that vicinity. The variety of choices was overwhelming and the prices were quite affordable. However at night, since I stayed in Allson Hotel on Victoria St, I'd dine al fresco at Clarke Quay and Bugis Street which were just walking distance. Still it was hawkers' food but was a little bit more pricey though similarly tasty. During fieldwork days in Jurong (the place houses many industrial factories) we ate in stalls which catered mainly to factory workers --hence, prices were really cheap, and servings were big! Sometimes we ordered to-go meals for our dinner back in the hotel.

I also have had opportunities to sample street food at the old People's Park and at Chinatown. And more recently as I was booked in a hotel on Orchard Road, I enjoyed "hawker's food" in many Food Courts nearby. Some of these are frequented by students and you could find decent meals for as low as $ 2-3. There's also a relatively new entertainment center called "Vivo City" by the Harbour which houses stalls serving hawker's meals. Noticeably these cuisines enjoy the patronage of many foreigners who work for mutinational companies which abound in the area.

I ate mostly at chinatown too, since the hotel my company put us at was right across the street from it. I've been to vivo city but never eaten at any of the places there, however the food options all looked good.

[fileeep]

I’m sure this is something we all can agree on; Thai food is number 1…...aroi mak!

[yy]

I spent 5 days in Singapore. I can't recall any street food.

Besides the hawker food Marie mentioned, there is the food sold at pasamalams (Malay word for 'open air night market'). There is usually at least one pasamalam operating in one part of SG at any one time, but because there is no way even local people can know in advance when and where the next one will be (save for the sight of makeshift shelters and stalls being pitched the day before the pasamalam), it is mostly a thing of luck for tourists to be able to visit one.

The street food sold at pasamalams is very predictable; fried fishballs, fried toufu stuffed with seafood and other fried bite-sized things on a satay stick, fried tapioca, candy floss, popcorn, Japanese octopus balls (tokoyaki or something of that name) and quite similar foodstuff to be found at Thai temple fairs, I will imagine, except for the oh-so-famous Ramli's burgers (a Malay-styled burger which originated from Malaysia and took Singaporeans and Malaysians by stomp not long after). N definitely nasi lemak, murtabaks etc.

[alvinkhoo]

hawker styled food in SG simply "dilutes" the term, street food....