The idea for this blog post came about as my husband and I were elated after a truly memorable dish we had during a recent date night. What made it so perfect was that it was perhaps an overlooked dish and one that our waiter referred to as a “sleeper on the menu”. (I’ll get to that dish later on in the post, don’t you worry!) We were addicted to its flavor and how it could be so simple, yet so tasty. Okay, I’ll tell you what it was… sikil pak (pumpkin seed dip)…keep reading to find out more about this dish!

This inspired us to come up with a list of two other dishes that stand out and are so unforgettable that we still think about them years later and would go back to the locations just to eat them. We realized these dishes have other attributes in common. One, they are not pretentious or elaborate in appearance. Two, it made us consider that it takes some real talent, labor, and love to produce a truly “must try” addictive dish that can anchor your menu. It seems difficult to really nail a single dish with such consistency.

Without further delay, here are my current TOP THREE FAVORITE DISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

WHAT: Thai Coconut Rice Dumplings with Black Sesame Gelato

WHERE: Farm to Table Hideout in Bangkok, Thailand. 15 Soi Tha Klang, Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200 - just a few blocks from the Chao Phraya River and the 24/7 Flower Market, Pak Khlong Talat.

TELL ME MORE: After a fabulous (and very hot) morning at the Wat Pho Buddhist Temple Complex, we hopped on the Chao Phraya River Express Boat to keep exploring the area. Side note: Highly recommend the Wat Pho Complex for the Reclining Buddha plus the Thai Massage School at what is considered the first public university in Thailand! Also, the Express Boat is another recommendation. It was an efficient and pleasant way to get around since the River flows through the city. Onboard they handed out a guidebook and we paged through to find an ad for a restaurant called Farm to Table. We decided to hop off the boat and make our way to this restaurant. Our navigation took us to Farm to Table Organic Cafe on Atsadang Road, which is the more compact outpost of the sister location Farm to Table Hideout! These locations are 500 feet away from one another but it is a maze to find the Hideout! Hence, the name. You’ll discover nondescript alleys, twists, and turns until you reach the Hideout which is a diamond in the rough.

Inside the Hideout, you will be greeted with a lovely courtyard and welcoming atmosphere. Step into the restaurant and you’ll find plenty of comfy seating and a menu that you’ll want to try everything. See the menu HERE. We had the Roasted Chicken and Passionfruit sauce, Roasted Pork Rib Rice and Hong Kong Kale, Lime Butterfly Pea Lavender Soda, and Thai Tea with Homemade Ginger Syrup. But, you came to hear about the dessert! If you look at the menu, you’ll see that the choices are insane. Our bellies could only muster up the strength for one dessert to share. We chose well. The Thai Coconut Rice Dumplings plus Gelato. You could pick any flavor of Gelato and we went with the Black Sesame. This dish was an incredible combination of flavor, texture, and temperature! The warm, chewy rice dumplings in the CUTEST little cups paired with the cool, smooth Gelato were out of this world.

Follow them on FB: (2) Farm to Table, Hideout | Facebook

WHAT: Salt Beef Bagel

WHERE: Beigel Bake, 159 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB

TELL ME MORE: This 24/7 Jewish Bakery is an East End London institution. We were introduced to this gem on the amazing East End London Food Tour with Eating Europe. 10/10 satisfaction with this food tour company. Our guide Cara was delightful and educational. She had a true passion for food and history. This was fun for our whole family including our kiddo. We learned about the rich, complex, and diverse history of London’s East End which was once known for slums, and Jack the Ripper (!) is now a cultural mecca. What we love about London, in general, is its diversity and abundance of all types of food. This was magnified while walking around the East End and Brick Lane where you’ll find tons of shops, art, markets, curry houses, and more!

Beigel Bake is home to the melt-in-your-mouth salt beef topped with hot English mustard and pickled gherkin, all piled high in the world’s softest bagel. This was our fourth stop on the tour and by this time I was getting pretty full, and the fact that I couldn’t stop eating this bagel AND wanted more is proof that it was legit. The Beigel Bake team has perfected these recipes. This was hands down my favorite item on our tour and we tried a lot of tasty food. I love that the place itself was unassuming in appearance - just a small shop with a line down the street. I love that the salt beef bagel was unassuming in appearance, as well! There wasn’t any fancy garnish to hide behind just the quality ingredients and brilliant execution stealing the show after one bite. (The Prince and Princess of Wales plus other public figures and celebrities have visited this shop!)

Follow them on IG: Beigel Bake 🥯 (@beigel_bake) • Instagram photos and videos

WHAT: Sikil Pak

WHERE: Nixta, 1621 Tower Grove Avenue, Saint Louis, MO, 63110 USA

TELL ME MORE: My husband and I were on a date night to Nixta where they turn out creative and elevated Mexican cuisine. They don’t limit themselves to one region, you’ll find a diverse selection from ceviche to mole to crispy octopus. As mentioned in the intro we started with this dish at the suggestion of our waiter. Sikil Pak is a Mayan pumpkin seed dip from the Yucatan Peninsula. We love trying new foods so this was a perfect kickoff to our meal. When it was set on our table, we both looked at it with bewilderment. Is that it? Of course, we had their delicious tortilla chips as a vehicle for the dip, but would soon find out that this dip could stand alone. It was our favorite thing and we found that it had an addictive flavor! So complex and smokey, we scraped every last bit of this memorable dip.

Follow them on IG: Nixta (@nixtastl) • Instagram photos and videos

Must-Try Dishes From Around the World