Top Chef Winner Hung Huynh Traveled Throughout Asia. Damn, Did He Eat Well.

Seoul

Vietnam 

The PhilippinesThailand

Chilled pork belly rolls with cucumbers and a honey chili garlic soy sauce at Central World Mall in Bangkok.

I met up with a friend who used to work with me in Las Vegas, and we checked out all the street stalls. There are more in Thailand than in Vietnam and the food is so spicy. One interesting thing I tried was the ant larvae, which was mostly texture and didn't taste like much. I really loved how Bangkok was so trendy but also had its real traditions and grittiness.

After two days in Bangkok, I headed to Chiang Mai in the northern part of the country, where they had the most amazing food. My favorite was the khao soi, floating curry noodles, which was the most perfect balance of taste, texture and flavor I had ever put into my mouth. The dish comes with crunchy noodles over egg noodles all floating in a curry-based broth.

Next was Koh Samet, a small island, which was so relaxing. I just ate more and watched fireworks on the beach at night. The craziest part of the entire trip occurred when I flew back to Bangkok for my very last night in Asia. After partying pretty hard, I decided that I wanted to pull a Hangover so I postponed my flight for two days and went out to get a tattoo! But the guy who was supposed to drive me to the tattoo place pulled a knife on us at the hotel and then tried to scare me for money. In the end, I just paid him off for gas money but it could have been a lot worse.

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