Our guide to the best things to eat, see, and do in all of our destinations.
Cambodia’s rainy season, which spans from May to October, often raises concerns among travelers who worry about constant downpours disrupting their plans. But reality is quite different! Known as the “green season,” this period transforms Cambodia’s landscapes into lush, vibrant scenes that are truly breathtaking.
Craft beer hasn’t been in China as long as traditional brews, but it has been transforming local palates and making a noticeable mark on the global beer map since the late 2000s. This new wave of flavorful and character-rich beers has gone beyond well-known brands like Tsingtao or Snow, introducing a variety of creative local brews. In Shanghai, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation, the craft beer culture has exploded, fueled by a growing middle class with a taste for gourmet experiences and a desire for more than just the ordinary.
Shanghai boasts a unique culinary style known as ‘Benbang’ (本帮菜) or ‘Hu cuisine’ (沪菜). Originating in communal neighborhoods, this cuisine emphasizes the natural essence of fresh, seasonal ingredients—from vegetables and seafood to delicate water plants. Influenced by nearby regions like Zhejiang, Suzhou, and Anhui, these dishes balance light, delicate flavors with just the right hints of sweetness and savory depth.
From Peking duck to the humble dumpling, we have compiled a few of our favorite foreigner-friendly local restaurants in Beijing. Criteria for this list means they have menus with English and/or photos and serve authentic and stupid-delicious fare. This is your meal itinerary if you’re traveling through Beijing. Don’t just pick one, try them all.
Whether it’s cold outside, or you just want a good place to spend the afternoon, these are our favorite Shanghai Coffee Shops. Pull up a cozy seat and watch the local life go by at these cafes.
Coffee culture isn’t strong (or native) in China, but these cafes in Beijing will have you thinking otherwise. Criteria for our list considered all of the following: good coffee, decent wifi, comfortable vibe, and clean bathrooms.
This is not your standard "go to a market and then a street-food stall" experience. We’re way beyond that. Come visit us throughout China, Cambodia, and Portland USA.
We love the cafe vibe in Cambodia, and throughout Phnom Penh’s bustling concrete jungle it’s quite easy to find a place to chill at one of the city’s coffee shops or cafes. Coffee has become a way of life for Cambodians, and it took us a long time to narrow down our list of favorites. The cafes here focus on espresso drinks, which leaves our coffee-snob Portland team sometimes wanting more, but make up for it with great vibes and endless menus full of fresh fruit smoothies and brunch.
After three years, China is reopening its border to tourists, effective immediately! Based on what we’ve seen in other parts of the world post-pandemic, the best time to visit a reopened country is early – before all of the crowds return. We’ve got all the details you need to start planning your next trip to China…
Portland has what we think is the best food cart scene in the world. These Portland food carts & food trucks are our favorite food-on-wheels options in the city! Just to note, the order is not indicative of a ranking, they’re just what we think are the best Portland food carts.
Did you know that the East Foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia is China’s first officially recognized wine appellation and is now home to some of the best wineries in all of China? Here are five interesting facts about China’s answer to Bordeaux…
Xizhou is the name of a village just outside Dali’s old town in China’s Yunnan province. Baba is local slang for bread. Xizhou Baba is the greatest thing since sliced bread – literally! As you walk along the cobble stone streets of Xizhou, it won’t take you long to recognize old charcoal ovens that bake this famous local street food. Peek inside a Baba shop, and you’ll see fresh dough being kneaded and prepared by hand. You’ve got to try this addictive snack yourself!
Xizhou is the name of a village just outside Dali’s old town in China’s Yunnan province. Baba is local slang for bread. Xizhou Baba is the greatest thing since sliced bread – literally! As you walk along the cobble stone streets of Xizhou, it won’t take you long to recognize old charcoal ovens that bake this famous local street food. Peek inside a Baba shop, and you’ll see fresh dough being kneaded and prepared by hand. You’ve got to try this addictive snack yourself!
For thousands of years, Yunnan people communicated and traded with each other along what’s known as the “Tea & Horse Road.” This ancient trading route stretched for over 4000km, and served as a link to places like India, Tibet, and Central China. While it became famous for its most traded commodities, tea and horses, it was a way of life for local nomads and small minority groups in the region.
Join us as we visit San Yue Jie, a street just outside Dali’s old town that transforms into a market every week. The street itself is named after the 3rd month of the lunar calendar, which holds the biggest festival of the year for the local Bai minority people – and the weekly market is the best place to experience their local life and culture.
We put this article together to shed some light on what Portland is like during Covid-19. Please keep in mind changes and updates seem to happen daily in Portland and throughout Oregon, but will keep this updated the best we can.
Our coconutty Yunnan Palooda Dessert Recipe may not seem very “Chinese,” but that’s because it has a long history! Originally from Persia, these flavors made their way through India before eventually making its way to Yunnan, China.
Many Yunnan dishes are influenced by SE Asian flavors. Our Yunnan Ghost Chicken Recipe, known locally as guǐ jī, is no exception. Cilantro, mint, and birds eye chilies bring tons of flavor to this tasty salad.
Straight from our Yunnan cooking class, this Yunnan Clay Pot Rice Noodles Recipe (Yúnnán xiǎo guō mǐxiàn) is prepared in a small clay pot and full of flavor from fermented soybean paste and pickled cabbage.
Looking for a fresh team building or work outing idea? Our “Flavors of China” Restaurant Tour in Beijing is the perfect chance for you to visit 4 restaurants in one night, discover a plethora of new dishes, and have an amazing time together with your group.
Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift for the foodie in your life? Take a look at our favorite locally made food items in China and add them to your holiday shopping list for the foodies in your life!
If you want to try the best food in Cambodia, our first recommendation is our local food tours that will take you to no-menu, no-English humble eateries, where the best food is always hiding. If you’re at a local place with an English menu, or your hotel’s got local fare on room service, then here’s a list of Cambodian foods to try.
If you’ve ever been on one of our Portland food tours, you know we are passionate about the food and drink we serve. You probably even heard your tour guide say the dish was “the best thing on the menu” or their “favorite food in all of Portland!” So we’ve compiled some of our favorite recipes from our tour right here, plus a boozy extra, for you to try at home!
What to eat, where to stay, what to do, how to get around; we’ve got it all covered in our free travel guide for Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Make the most of your Best of Portland Foodie Box and try out these recipes. We chose the most delicious ingredients straight from Portland-makers and curated special recipes for you to try.
Typically made from sorghum, Baijiu (pronounced bye-joe) is the number one selling alcohol in the world, and by a long shot. Around the world each year, more baijiu is sold than whiskey, vodka, gin, tequila, and rum, combined. And yet, it remains virtually unknown outside of Chinese drinking culture.
This Shanghai Travel Guide is packed full of tips for what to eat, drink, do, and where to stay, plus a lot more!
No need to stress about where to stay in Xi’an; we’ve done the work for you! A lot of Xian’s top-rated hotels online are far from the city center, most of our selections below are in a great location and centrally located. We have guests staying in the city every night, so here is a list of their favorite Xian Hotels and places to stay – all of which we recommend and are especially great for foodies.
The following list is not ranked, and the criteria to make it on here is to be noteworthy, provide a traditional tea experience, and serve up stuff that’s stupid delicious.
We’ve put together a list the best restaurants in Chengdu to try in this amazing city. All of them offer a great variety of dishes in a foreigner-friendly environment with English menus. Our recommendation? Try them all.
Here’s our list for the best Portland chocolate shops to satisfy your sweet tooth! From amazing beans to bars to milkshakes to drinking chocolate, you can definitely fuel your chocolate addiction in this lovely city. All made with care by Portland locals, you’ll love the chocolate choices at these chocolate shops.
In Xian, noodles are reign supreme. You won’t find rice in these parts due to the climate, Xian is all about noodles and they come in every shape, size, and flavor. Shops selling factory-made noodles don’t survive in noodle country, so here’s our list of the best noodles in Xian.
There are few things humanity agrees on, and in that very short list is dumplings. In China the most popular type is called Jiaozi (饺子) or water dumplings (水饺), meaning traditionally they are boiled in water, as opposed to their many well-known and equally delicious steamed cousins.
This Beijing Travel Guide is packed full of tips for what to eat, drink, do, and where to stay, plus a lot more!
Ahh, the fabled Chinese Burger! This is the first food you should think about trying when visiting Xian. Often labeled as the world’s first burger, Roujiamo was first made about 2500 years ago. Handmade bread is crispy on the outside and soft inside and stuffed with tender fatty pork that has stewed for hours (in fact, some local shops claim it has been stewing for decades!).
At Lost Plate, we love a good bubble tea. Some of us love it a bit too much (you know who you are.) It’s common for deliveries of steamy cups of creamy tea to show up at the office daily. Even though bubble tea has permeated the globe, China is where the craft has been perfected. Here, it’s a perfect blend of both science and art. It’s just a way of life now.
The small yet rapidly growing micro-brew scene in Cambodia’s capital is what everyone in the West reminisces about. Passionate brewers setting up shop in their garage (or as close to a garage as you can have in Phnom Penh,) tinkering with local ingredients and brewing batches big enough to share at one or two bars. The result is some of the best beer you can find in Asia…and drinking it in some of the most intimate hidden gems that you’ll find anywhere.
Here’s our list of the best breweries in Portland to have a pint, grab a growler or crowler to go, and eat some delicious food. And if you join our Evening or Food Cart Food Tours, you may even get to visit one of these fine establishments and drink a pint with us!
China isn’t known for its sweets, but as the temperatures drop and we approach the winter holidays, there are a few special treats that start appearing on the streets of each city. Here’s a list of the top 5 seasonal treats that you’ll find all over China in the winter.
If you’re looking for some locally inspired gifts for the foodies in your life then our Portland Gift Guide for Foodies is going to be perfect; we’re not sure there is a more passionate group of foodies in Portland than us! These are the first places we go when we’re looking for something fun to treat ourselves (or our loved ones.) Plus a bonus snack stop at the bottom if you’re looking to treat yourself as well.
A fair amount of visitors take advantage of one of Siem Reap’s many unique offerings: bugs. Well, bugs for eating. But it’s not just a tourist trap, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that two billion people, more than a quarter of the world’s population, eat bugs as part of their standard diet.
Drinking in China is a big deal, only Tajikistan and Russia have a higher alcohol consumption per capita. In fact, the best-selling beer in the world is Chinese – Snow. And to top it off, you’ve probably never heard of the most sold alcohol in the world- Baijiu (which is a Chinese, check out our guide here).
Pub Street is cool for a short while, but the best bars aren’t there. Check out our guide to the best places to grab a drink in Siem Reap.
Email: info@lostplate.com
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