A cursory glance at Bobby Ghosh’s Instagram feed is enough to get an idea of how much the managing editor of Quartz loves his food.
Ghosh’s gastronomic adventures have seen him savor everything from sea urchins to camel eyeballs, and his passion for food — particularly of the non-vegetarian variety — something that’s very much an ideal for the rest of us wannabe foodies to aspire towards.
Given my awe of his food connoisseur status, I asked Ghosh to list five of his favorite places from around the world to grab a bite to eat. In response, he said, “That’s tough, because there’s so much great food that I’ve had at so many different places… It’s really hard… I’ll just caveat [my list] by saying that these are the finest places that spring to my mind today — if you ask me tomorrow, the composition may change by one or two!”
With that caveat in mind, take a look at five of Ghosh’s favorite eateries from around the globe, listed in no particular order:
1. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo, Spain
Ghosh declared this restaurant located in the Basque region of Spain as “one of the finest” he has ever been to; a declaration that has been echoed by several other visitors of this Michelin-starred establishment headed by self-taught chef Victor Arguinzoniz.
His dishes, all of which have been “infused with the taste of fire” from his home-made wood-fired grill, have reportedly had diners wanting to throw themselves on the grill in moments of ecstasy, which is reason enough for me to jot Asador Etxebarri’s name down in my never-ending list of places to go to before I die.
Asador Etxebarri | Plaza de San Juan, 1 48291 Atxondo, Bizkaia, Spain | Tel: +34 946 58 30 4
2. Asturianos, Madrid, Spain
Another Spanish eatery makes its way into Ghosh’s list of favorite places to dine, with this particular restaurant having the honor of being called by The New York Times as “one of a handful of places where Madrid’s chefs and food writers, its wine vendors and restaurant owners go for ‘real’ Spanish food.”
Ghosh fondly remembered “the wonderful seafood” cooked by chef Doña Julia in this small, family-run business, whose homely nature is one of the reasons for its loyal customer base.
Asturianos | Calle de Vallehermoso, 94, 28003 Madrid, Spain | Tel: +34 915 33 59 47
3. Momofuku, New York, U.S.A.
Ghosh admits that his inclusion of David Chang’s Momofuku in his list of favorite eats is solely because of his love for one specific item on its menu — Momofuku’s famous pork buns. “The steamed pork buns at Momofuku is my favorite thing to eat in New York,” Ghosh declares.
As this New York City joint is the only place on Ghosh’s list that I can say I have been to as well, I heartily second this recommendation — those pork buns can be addictive.
(For those of you who dare, try making a batch of pork buns in your own kitchen by following this recipe here.)
Momofuku Ssäm Bar | 207 Second Avenue, New York | Tel: +1 212 254 3500
4. Chilli Fagara, Soho, Hong Kong
Ghosh reveals that he isn’t the only one in his household to be fascinated with this Szechuan restaurant in Hong Kong — his wife, Bipasha, is also a fan of Chilli Fagara’s spicy offerings. “My wife, at one point, threatened to run away with the chef there,” he says. “And I gave her my blessing.”
As it so happens, Ghosh’s wife didn’t follow up on her threat, but one can’t help but wonder if orgasmic descriptions of Chilli Fagara’s food are, well, not exactly hyperbole.
Chilli Fagara | 51A Graham Street, Soho Hong Kong | Tel: +852 2893 3330
5. Aminia, Kolkata, India
When asked for a favorite restaurant in India, the Bengali Ghosh picked out this legendary Kolkata establishment that opened its doors for the first time on India’s Independence Day in 1947.
Ghosh swears by the specialty biryani, kathi rolls and other dishes served at this restaurant, whose patrons have included famous names like M. F. Hussain and Sachin Tendulkar. “Aminia is the taste of my childhood,” he says. “It’s the taste of my youth.”
Aminia | 6A, SN Banerjee Road, New Market Area, Kolkata | Tel: +91 33 22651318
To see more of what Ghosh likes to eat, follow him on Instagram, and his hashtag #GhoshEats: @ghoshworld.
Aby Sam Thomas is a writer and journalist currently based out of Dubai. Talk to him on Twitter @thisisaby.
