By George Shaw

Vietnam: Plastic stools, fragrant noodles and Bourdain’s beloved street food 

In Vietnam, following in Anthony Bourdain’s footsteps means experiencing food at its most informal and atmospheric: sitting on a plastic stool, ordering from a small family-run eatery and watching daily life unfold around you. Bourdain returned to the country repeatedly throughout his career, drawn not only to its vibrant flavours but to the people, stories and sense of place surrounding every meal.

Hanoi offers perhaps the most recognisable stop. At Bún Chả Hương Liên, Bourdain famously shared bowls of bún chả with Barack Obama: grilled pork served with rice noodles, fresh herbs and a sweet-sour dipping broth. Elsewhere in the city, travellers can seek out steaming breakfast pho, bánh cuốn rice rolls, stuffed bánh mì and strong Vietnamese coffee, following local guides to family-run favourites.

Further south, Hue provides another important connection. Its signature bún bò Huế, a fragrant, spicy noodle soup, was among the Vietnamese dishes Bourdain particularly admired. Selective Asia can incorporate everything from early-morning street-food walks and visits to local markets to Hoi An food workshops, Imperial-style dining in Hue and guide-led Vespa food tours through Ho Chi Minh City.

Selective Asia offers tailormade tours to Taste Vietnam which can incorporate everything from Hue’s multi-course Imperial feasts to private picnics bedside rural rice fields everywhere from Mai Chau to Hoi An. 

South Korea: Everyday shelves, local comfort food and Bourdain-inspired discoveries 

Anthony Bourdain travelled to South Korea twice for his television series, exploring the country’s relationship with food through Seoul’s street-food markets, barbecue restaurants and lively drinking culture. His visits included communal meals and late-night dishes shared over soju but also celebrated the quick, informal food woven into everyday Korean life, a culture that travellers can experience for themselves in the country’s supermarkets and convenience stores.

Packed with ready-to-eat meals, snacks and drinks, these stores offer a good place to start, with samgak gimbap, triangular rice parcels wrapped in seaweed and filled with tuna mayonnaise, kimchi, beef or spicy pork, alongside gimbap rolls, dosirak lunch boxes, rice bowls, salads and packaged side dishes.

For a deeper look at Korean home cooking, larger supermarkets are especially rewarding. Travellers can browse shelves of gochujang, doenjang, gochugaru chilli flakes, dried seaweed, noodles, rice, kimchi and seasonal produce, each offering clues to the flavours underpinning Korean meals. South Korea’s supermarkets provide the kind of informal but revealing food discovery Bourdain valued: an insight into what local people cook, crave and keep close at hand.

Selective Asia’s 14-day tour Saké and Seoul: Japan & South Korea is priced from £4,890, includes all listed activities and is available to book year-round. Flights not included

Budapest, Hungary: one of Europe’s hidden food capitals 

 

When Anthony Bourdain reached Budapest in 2015 to film an episode of Parts Unknown, he found a city that was, in his words, “almost ludicrously beautiful” and, beneath the palaces and grand boulevards, “a country that has experienced a lot of heartbreak.” He ate accordingly: goose liver terrine and pork trotter stew beneath the gilded ceilings of the New York Café, blood sausage at a butcher’s counter on Király utca, a schnitzel so vast he joked he could surf it back to his hotel.  What his visit revealed was a city where food, history and human connection come together around the table. More than a decade on, Budapest has been named Europe’s most authentic food destination in a SAGA survey of 5,000 restaurants across 125 European cities, with a score of 98/100.

On the Buda side of the Danube, Kimpton BEM Budapest offers a fitting base for travellers looking to follow in his footsteps through the city’s markets, neighbourhood restaurants and traditional dishes, and one rooted in the same history, standing on Bem József tér, the square where the demonstration that became the 1956 revolution began. Executive Chef Attila Fehér leads the hotel’s three dining concepts: AGOS, Bar HUSO and FENNEN Rooftop Bar. At AGOS, Hungarian heritage is reimagined through a Mediterranean lens, with dishes ranging from wild boar goulash and Bakonyi Mangalica to venison Wellington and smoked goat’s cheese panna cotta. Recognised with two Gault&Millau Toques and named among Hungary’s Top 35 Restaurants, the restaurant reflects Budapest’s evolving food scene while staying firmly rooted in local ingredients, traditions and character.

Rates at Kimpton BEM Budapest start from € 200 per night. The rate is based on double occupancy. https://kimptonbembudapest.com/ 

Italy: UNESCO-recognised traditions and the flavours of Lake Garda

Image Credits: Cape of Senses

Anthony Bourdain once named Northern Italy’s Lago di Garda as a destination he never tired of, describing the Alpine lake as a place that satisfied his mind, body and stomach in equal measure. He also spoke fondly of a favourite local agriturismo, which he described as a best-kept secret frequented by Italian families rather than international tourists.

Following UNESCO’s recognition of Italian culinary traditions as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2025, Cape of Senses is celebrating the ingredients, craftsmanship and rituals that make the country’s cuisine so distinctive. Perched high above Lake Garda, the hotel offers an authentic taste of Veneto through freshly caught lake fish, Garda olive oil, regional radicchio, seasonal vegetables and herbs grown close to the water. 

Guests can settle in for comforting, osteria-style Italian cooking at La Pergola or watch the sun dip over the lake during a more creative dinner at Al Tramonto. The hotel’s signature “Mosaic” dish brings together lake fish and seasonal vegetables, while newly appointed chefs Gioele Grienti and Michele Rizzi are giving traditional regional flavours a fresh, contemporary perspective.

Prices start from €470 per night for 2 people including breakfast. For further information please visit: https://www.capeofsenses.com/en/ 

Ecuador: Island-grown coffee and farm-to-table flavours in the Galápagos

In his 2010 No Reservations episode on Ecuador, Anthony Bourdain explored the country through its food, seeking out local eateries and street vendors and sampling everything from simple stews and roasted meats to fresh fish and exotic fruits. That same spirit of discovering a destination through its flavours comes to life at Montemar Eco Luxury Villas, where private chefs create meals using the freshest seasonal produce grown on the property and sourced across the Galápagos.

Set on a 43-acre estate in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, Montemar brings guests closer to the ingredients and landscapes that define the islands, with produce harvested from its organic garden and transformed into relaxed, farm-to-table dining experiences. Giant Galápagos tortoises roam freely around the estate, while Montemar’s organic Arabica coffee grows beneath tropical fruit and native trees, helping restore former pastureland into healthier habitat. Guests can follow the coffee from harvest to cup, discovering its distinctive notes of chocolate, nuts and dried red fruits. 

Prices start at c£755 GBP per person, per night, including all meals cooked by private chef, transfers and programme of fully tailored experiences and guiding, provided by local guides.  https://montemar.ec