In Simon Majumdar’s memoir, “Eat My Globe” (out in paperback Feb. 2), he takes the world — and his bored taste buds — by storm. Tired of his 9-to-5 job, the Londoner decided to travel to 30 countries in 12 months to “go everywhere and eat everything.” Currently still digesting, he shared with Metro his top five destinations every adventurous epicurean should try to visit.
The Philippines
“The cuisine of the Philippines turned out to be a huge surprise. A meal prepared for me by artist and gourmand Claude Tayag, in Pampanga, now rates as the best of my entire life. In particular was a seafood Kare- Kare stew made with prawns whose heads you ripped off to allow the fat to dribble into the sauce.”
Dakar, Senegal
“A simple dish of Mafe (a stew simmered in a sauce thickened with ground peanuts), served at a small restaurant in the middle of the Sandanga Market convinced me that Dakar was a great choice as an eating destination.”
Japan
“Any food-obsessed person would be hard-pressed not to be wowed by the quality and sheer variety of food in Japan. A meal of eel served over rice during a visit to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo was a highlight.”
India
“Mumbai is certainly the eating capital of India and very possibly of the whole of Asia. I have regular daydreams about eating stuffed roti at the Bade Miyan street stall near the Taj Hotel and the prawn gassi at Appoorva, a restaurant specializing in Konkani cuisine.”
Mexico
“My hitherto low opinion of Mexican cuisine had been formed by the versions I had in London. My prejudice was challenged by the wide-awake flavors of a ‘taco de tripa’ eaten for breakfast at a market in Guadalajara and blown apart by a meal of Birreria at El Chololo in the same city.” metro
