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Tatler Asia
23-05-2025
- Tatler Asia
A feast for the senses: 9 immersive food museums around the world
2. Cup Noodles Museum, Japan With headquarters in Osaka and Yokohama, this museum transforms the humble cup noodle from a convenience store staple to a canvas for creativity. Its centrepiece is the My Cup Noodles Factory, where you can design your own cup, choose the soup flavour and toppings and watch as your personalised creation is vacuum-sealed before your eyes. In the Chicken Ramen Factory, you'll knead, steam and flash-fry noodles using the same method that inventor Momofuku Ando pioneered. Between hands-on experiences, check out exhibits on the cup noodle evolution and the humble shed where it was invented in 1958—a reminder that it's not the tools, but the idea that makes innovation possible. Also read: Japan's famous Cup Noodles Museum has opened in Hong Kong 3. Hollands Kaasmuseum, Netherlands In a weigh house where cheese traders have conducted business since 1365, the Hollands Kaasmuseum (Dutch Cheese Museum) puts visitors at the centre of a centuries-old industry. Exhibits display traditional tools, from wooden moulds and antique butter churns to hand-carved carriers, which cheese porters still use during Friday market demonstrations from April to October. Right outside the museum doors, visitors can witness the cheese-trading ritual that has remained largely unchanged since the Middle Ages—complete with white-uniformed guilds, rhythmic bargaining calls and the distinctive hand-slap method of sealing deals. Also read: To brie or not to brie: These are the best cheese platters and charcuterie boards in Hong Kong 4. Wonderfood Museum, Malaysia In Penang, dubbed Malaysia's food capital, the Wonderfood Museum features larger-than-life handmade replicas of over 100 dishes. What makes the museum extra interesting is its focus on action—visitors can pose as hawkers dramatically tossing noodles or pulling teh tarik with theatrical flair. Beyond the unique photo opportunities, the exhibits serve as an archive, documenting the country's multicultural food culture and preserving culinary techniques and presentations. Also read: A weekend in Penang: Must try spots to eat, drink, and play 5. Musée Art du Chocolat, France Explore chocolate in its most extraordinary forms, ranging from architectural replicas to life-sized sculptures that could be mistaken for bronze if not for the unmistakable aroma. Housed in an 18th-century mansion, the museum reveals its treasures in a series of immersive displays. Discover chocolate-making secrets from plantation to finished product, techniques to create chocolate sculptures and works of art by master chocolatiers and contemporary sculptors. With its rich storytelling and hands-on confectionery workshops, this culinary museum is one of the most unique museums to visit for chocolate lovers. Also read: What makes a great chocolate dish? We ask chefs and chocolatiers 6. World Coffee Museum, Vietnam Located in the coffee-growing region of Buon Ma Thuot, this museum houses over 10,000 artefacts spanning coffee's global journey, from traditional coffee grinders to modern brewing equipment. Exhibits follow coffee's essential stages—planting, harvesting, roasting, preserving and enjoying—showing how each step has evolved across cultures and centuries. The museum's architecture reflects its natural setting through curved blocks that evoke traditional Ede long houses and Central Highlands rooftops. Founded by the Trung Nguyen coffee company, the museum has an on-site cafe that serves speciality brews reflecting the styles and techniques explored in the exhibits. Also read: The ultimate bucket list for discerning coffee lovers: 9 best travel destinations to visit 7. Food Wanderer x Lakbay Museo, Philippines Manila's tribute to Filipino culinary identity blurs the line between food museum and immersive theatre. Set in a village-like environment with jeepneys and corner sari-sari stores, the experience is like going on a culinary road trip across the archipelago's over 7,000 islands. Watch a dance performance inspired by the Pahiyas Festival, taste local delicacies such as dried fish and puto (steamed rice cake) and try on traditional handwoven costumes. Between activities, snap photos with replicas such as the Chocolate Hills or Mayon Volcano, connecting food traditions to the land that shaped them. Nearly all of the 14 exhibits are constructed from repurposed materials, including used rubber slippers, rubber tires and old car mats. The museum also partners with over 100 micro-, small- and medium-scale businesses across the Philippines, creating a market for their products and connecting urban visitors with rural producers. Also read: All the new restaurants in the Tatler Best Philippines Guide 2025 8. Southern Food and Beverage Museum, USA This New Orleans landmark doesn't just document Southern cuisine—it deconstructs the historical forces and cultural exchanges that shaped it. From plantation-era cooking traditions born under slavery to the vital role of Black-owned restaurants during the Civil Rights Movement, the museum reveals how food has long been a site of power, resistance and identity in the American South. Exhibits explore the evolution of Cajun and Creole cuisines, the legacy of Louisiana's shrimping industry, and the regional nuances of barbecue. Cooking classes, available through advance booking, offer hands-on opportunities to engage with these traditions. Also housed within the museum is the Museum of the American Cocktail, which traces the storied history and offers a taste of New Orleans' cocktail culture. 9. Museum of Food, Singapore Unlike conventional museums, this mobile museum functions as a roving cultural ambassador, popping up in shops, schools and public spaces. Exhibits showcase traditional kitchen tools such as stone grinders, mooncake moulds and specialised implements behind heritage recipes. Beyond preserving artefacts, the museum brings vintage recipes to life, ensuring Singapore's multicultural food traditions live on through practice. You might find yourself tasting sambals and chutneys, pickling vegetables for achar or wrapping nasi lemak in banana leaves—not just observing history, but living it in this hands-on culinary experience.
CNA
17-05-2025
- CNA
3 must-try food experiences in Yokohama beyond Chinatown: Visit a ramen factory, eat OG Japanese western food
Just a 30-minute train ride away from downtown Tokyo, Yokohama is the less frenzied, breezier sibling – figuratively and literally since it is by the sea. The first port city to open up to foreign trade in 1859, it pioneered a unique food culture that marries foreign influences with Japanese tastes. There's yoshoku, their unique Japanese take on western food now popular around the world. Think Ma Maison, Mos Burger and Saizeriya. But perhaps the most iconic is chuka (meaning 'Chinese food'), which originated in Yokohama's Chukagai (Chinatown), the biggest in Japan. It is Yokohama's most popular attraction with its distinctive Chinese gates and Kanteibyo, a temple dedicated to the warrior deity Guan Yu. The streets are filled with restaurants offering all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets, steamed buns, Hong Kong dim sum, Taiwanese giant chicken cutlets, and souvenir stores selling kitschy goods. But many of these are mediocre tourist traps, and you can find comparable or better chuka elsewhere, such as at Ikebukuro in Tokyo. Most visitors will probably dine at Instagram or TikTok famous spots in Chinatown or even the historic Red Brick Warehouse, which has been converted into a chic dining and shopping enclave. But why squeeze with the madding crowd? Try these three foodie experiences instead. 1. VISIT A RAMEN FACTORY AND COOK A 4-COURSE MEAL My 17-year-old teenager and I booked the 'Yokohama Ramen Adventure From a Local Noodle Factory To Home' on Agoda. The five-hour tour was the ultimate cultural immersion experience, especially for ramen lovers. Our host Akiko met us at Kikuna Station, just 10 minutes away from Yokohama station or 45 minutes away from Tokyo station. A short bus ride took us to her family's small noodle factory, which was started by her grandfather and is currently run by her brother, Taka. The jovial Taka schooled us on the difference between ramen, udon and soba, which are made with different ingredients. Their factory specialises in ramen and we checked out different types of dough, cutters and machines, some of which were from his grandfather's time. We customised our ramen by choosing our preferred dough (we took the chewiest option), width and straight or wavy noodles. Then the fun began. As our customised ramen shot out of the machine in small bunches, we had to weigh and roll each into precisely 20-gram balls, and place them neatly in a tray. Armed with our customised noodles, we headed off to Akiko's elegant apartment nearby. We made Mizuna and Tofu Salad with Fried Jako (a small fish like our ikan bilis) and marinated and wrapped our own gyoza. They were so good, my son and I polished off at least 20 between us. Akiko shared practical tips on making ramen broth without brewing it for hours, with readily available ingredients. (She will take you to a supermarket after the cooking lesson to shop for them.) We successfully replicated the rich and creamy tonkotsu-style broth and made marinated eggs. We assembled our ramen with Japanese fish cake, veggies and cha shu that she'd made ahead, which we torched for a smoky finish. The meal ended with a dessert of Matcha Shiratama Cream Anmitsu with freshly made glutinous rice balls, and a glass of Umeshu for me and a non-alcoholic beverage for my son. Akiko will also give you printed and pdf copies of all her recipes and send you photos that document your adventure. Tip: Taka's ramen is usually sold to commercial customers but tour participants can buy them from just JPY70 (S$0.63) per ball. We kept them chilled in freezer bags (easy to get from Daiso) in our hotel fridge and packed them in our check-in luggage. The ramen keeps fresh for 10 days so time your tour at the tail-end of your trip if you want to buy some. The usual price is S$166/person on Viator but we found deals on Agoda (currently S$119/person) or AirBnB (S$113/person). Pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian menus are available upon request. Maximum of five people per session. 2. EAT OG YOSHOKU AT HOTEL NEW GRAND When Japan finally ended its 250 years of isolation from the world, Yokohama was the first port city to open. Naturally, it was the first to offer yoshoku, or Japanese-style western food. In the 1930s, Hotel New Grand's Swiss Grand Chef Saly Weil concocted his famous spaghetti Napolitan, seafood doria and custard pudding a la mode for his Western guests. These include luminaries such as actor Charlie Chaplin, baseball legend Babe Ruth and American general Douglas MacArthur. In fact, when General MacArthur arrived in Yokohama on Aug 30, 1945, as the Supreme Commander of the post-war occupation of Japan, the hotel was his first stop. Taste the OG yoshoku that these historical figures supped on at The Cafe. During our visit in March, we enjoyed their Kid's Lunch For Adults promotion and tried all three signature dishes, a soup and a beverage at JPY5,500. You can top up extra for their popular cream soda and a full-sized custard pudding a la mode. Bonus: Hotel New Grand is just opposite Yamashita Park, Japan's first seaside park which opened in 1930. Look out for the Guardian of Water statue of a woman in the middle of a water fountain, a gift from San Diego, the sister city of Yokohama. You can also visit the Hikawa Maru museum ship that is permanently docked there. For more info about Hotel New Grand, click here. 3. SLURP UP 8 BRANDS AT THIS RAMEN MUSEUM Founded in 1994, Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum is the world's first ramen-themed amusement park and a testimony to how seriously the Japanese take their national dish. It is a five-minute walk from Shin-Yokohama station, and 45 minutes away from Tokyo station. Learn about the history of ramen, including the answer to this burning question: Is ramen Chinese or Japanese? Make sure you come hungry because there are eight ramen shops, all showcased in a streetscape replication from 1958, the year instant ramen was invented. All stores offer small and regular portions and every customer must order at least one small bowl. Prices vary; expect to pay a very reasonable JPY600 upwards for a decent portion. At Ryu Shanghai Honten, their thick ramen came with a scoop of red spicy miso in the centre, like the rising sun on the Japanese flag. We savoured the changing flavour as it slowly melted into the soup. At Hakata Bunpuku, a Fukuoka brand which has since expanded to Yokohama, New York, London and Sydney, the restaurant owner is a miso sommelier and his secret recipe blends five types of raw miso into his stock made with bonito, chicken, pork and kelp. The noodles are made using premium Minaminokaori flour and come thick and flat, or thin and wavy, and is a hearty bowl of goodness. You can also enjoy old school games, buy Japanese snacks and toys, and attend a short Ramen Making Experience class. (Extra charge and reservation required.) Don't miss the Rahaku Sugomen Lab. Customise your instant ramen for JPY600, including the complimentary option to use your own photo for the lid. Pick your noodles, broth packet (eight flavours, including milk miso and dried sardines shoyu), and three out of the 17 ingredients. We chose naruto (Japanese fish cake) and Chinese dumpling (like dried wanton) and a piece of dried cha shu, and topped up 100 yen for a freaky-cute Tako-san sausage. Can't decide between visiting Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum and the CupNoodles Museum? Families with kids may find the latter more interactive and entertaining. There, you can also customise a cup noodle for JPY500 but you can only draw on the cup, while the Ramen Museum lets you customise the lid with a photo. The ramen restaurants here offer much, much better food. The CupNoodles Musum's International Noodles Bazaar, designed like an Asian market, sells noodles from Italian pasta to Korean cold ramen and Vietnamese pho at a standard JPY500 each but expect small portions and food court standard. As hardcore ramen lovers, my son and I preferred Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum.
