How to eat your way through a new country

One of the perks of living in Dubai is having a direct flight to almost any country in the world, which gives me the perfect excuse to fly halfway across the globe for a meal: Franklin Barbecue in Austin that serves the best brisket in the world; Tokyo's Afuri for their yuzu ramen; or Gaggan's progressive indian cuisine in Bangkok. For me, food is so inseparable from any travel experience that skipping the tagliatelle al ragu in Bologna is the equivalent of missing the Colosseum in Rome. Here are some tips to show you how to eat your way through a country.
1.Research, research, research
Yes, you should always leave room to reach your destination, get to know the locals and ask them about their favourite restaurant, but most top-rated restaurants need advance booking. I go into deep research mode a few weeks ahead of my trip and cross-check different sources: Conde Nast, Vogue, Bon Appetit, Eater and my favourite, a book called Where Chefs Eat. I then check the restaurant on Instagram and Google Maps to get a better idea of what they offer and check the reviews.
2. No need to pick between 11 restaurants, you can try all of them:
I usually manage to cram three breakfast spots, three lunch spots, two dinner spots and maybe three snack spots in one day! How? Every place is usually known for one good thing, so go in and order that thing only. Share it with a friend or two so you can leave room for the remaining dishes. Another tip is to plot all of these places on Google Maps and then go, one by one, based on proximity.
3. If there's a queue, it's probably worth queuing for
When I was in Tokyo, it was hard for me to communicate as the people I was surrounded by didn't speak English. But I realised then that wherever people were queuing, the food was out of this world. And that's what I ended up doing - walking around until I saw a queue, not even knowing what type of food the restaurant might be offering. And it was always a positive surprise.
4. Manage a high-low combo budget
I try to offset a $100, 25-course meal at Gaggan in Bangkok with a visit to the street market for a $5 pad thai, and it's equally good food - just in a different way.
5. Don't know what to order because of language barriers?
I usually go for two things here: I either look around at what everyone else is eating and point at the dish that looks the tastiest or I go through the place's social media and look for the most Instagrammed dish.
- Lynn Hazim
is a food blogger. You can check out her Dubai restaurant reviews on www.ns4y.com or follow her on Instagram @nosoupforyoublog

Food definitely plays a huge role when it comes to representing a country and influencing its culture, traditions, history and even beliefs. It's probably why most travellers, myself included, have a penchant for trying out the local cuisine. For me, personally, Brussels would have been incomplete without its Belgian waffles, Egypt without its koshary, San Francisco without its clam chowder, Sri Lanka without its coconut curries and Bali without its delicious nasi goreng.
When we travel, not only is it important to soak in the sights but also pursue enjoyable, memorable dining experiences. From street stalls to fine dining establishments, always do your research to make the most of your trip. Social media is packed with beautiful images of destinations offering gastronomic adventures. You can certainly make plans just by following food pages on Instagram and bookmarking restaurants that have you drooling.
The same habit led me to have an unforgettable gourmet experience at 3-star Michelin restaurant Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas. It's also how I found Raan Jay Fai, the first Thai street food chef to be awarded a Michelin star.
Another essential way to learn about a place through its food is to interact with locals and discover hidden gems. A fond memory from my recent trip to Egypt is one where our local taxi driver pointed us in the direction of a tea shop located right in the middle of a bustling street market. It was filled with tourists and locals alike, and the sound of hawkers selling their wares alongside a group of locals singing folk songs remains one of my fondest memories of Egypt.
If you'd like to go all out, consider eating with the locals. Various websites such as www.eatwith.com and www.
withlocals.com offer tourists the opportunity to be hosted by locals for a meal. This is a great way to learn about another culture away from the usual bustling tourist attractions.
So, the next time you visit a country, be a traveller, not a tourist. And be sure to eat like a local and experience the place for what it truly is.
- Deepali Agarwalla is the food blogger behind www.grubafare.wordpress.com. You can follow her on Instagram, Trip Advisor and Zomato @grub_a_fare, and on Facebook @GrubAfare