Asia

If you’re ready for a break from Chinese fare, this is a place to try. The menu is European, and the interior is extremely comfortable, with velvet curtains and wine-laden wooden slots flanking a dramatic spiral staircase. A new chef, Australian Matthew McCool, who came on board in 2011, has earned raves in the Chinese capital for his inventive cooking. Look for dishes such as the signature goat cheese cannelloni sprinkled with crystallized star anise on a bed of puréed eggplant. McCool loves using products from his homeland, so you’ll see steak options including Australian wagyu beef with smoked foie gras, and an amazingly succulent lamb shank braised for 12 hours and served with baby vegetables and a potato purée. There is an impressive number of wines by the glass.

This Bangkok favorite occupies a converted house that offers outdoor seating and a traditional Thai atmosphere. The menu covers a wide range of Thai dishes, and the curries, especially those with seafood, are excellent. The level of spice intensity can be adjusted to suit your palate. The extensive wine list is particularly strong in sparkling wines, which go very well with this food. Unlike many upscale Thai restaurants in the city, the Thais themselves patronize this one, so it is always full, and reservations are essential.

One of the great culinary traditions of Singapore is Peranakan cooking, a striking blend of Chinese and Malaysian styles (also known as Nonya and Straits-Chinese). It is generally considered the province of home cooks, but Blue Ginger has brought it to the fore in this handsome restaurant set in a restored shophouse. Peranakan cooking relies heavily on spices. House specialties include braised chicken flavored with a blend of seasonings and cooked with Indonesian black nuts, deep-fried eggplant with chili paste and soy sauce, and sautéed prawns with coarse black pepper and soy sauce. This is an upscale restaurant that will nonetheless give you a real taste of local cuisine.

If you’ve ever been intrigued by dishes such as bird’s nest soup, abalone or shark’s fin soup, this is the place to try them. But you don’t have to confine yourself to exotica. The selection of dim sum is impressive, and you’ll also find other marvelous dishes such as roast suckling pig, exquisite crispfried chicken, baked stuffed crab, and stuffed duck “Emperor” style. Certainly, the cuisine outshines the prosaic décor. Because of its renown, the restaurant is always full, and if you are not a regular, the service can be indifferent. But don’t let that detract from an encounter with authentic Cantonese food at its best.