Lonely Planet has revealed the results of a survey carried out within its global community of staff, authors and travel experts to find the world's most popular destination for a good meal, and Singapore has been ranked top, alongside New York. Singapore and New York topped the list of favourite cities in which to “gorge oneself”, based on their wide variety of food options, from 'cheap street food to pricey fine dining', leaving Rome and Paris, cities that are both world-renowned for their gastronomy, in joint second place. Melbourne, San Francisco and Oakland were awarded joint third place.

Singaporeans have a well-known love affair with food, so it’s no surprise that a gastronomic adventure of local and international fare distinguishes Singapore as the food capital of Asia. Home to some of the world’s best restaurants, Singapore offers world-class gastronomy at Morton’s at The Mandarin Oriental Singapore, as well as home grown restaurants such as Iggy’s, Les Amis and My Humble House which have been named among the world’s top 100 best restaurants by the prestigious Restaurant magazine.

During the last few years new dining enclaves have grown organically and thrive at the cluster of colonial bungalows at One Rochester and the colonial army barracks that make up Tanglin Village and Dempsey Green near the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Elsewhere, Clarke Quay along the Singapore River also offers a number of restaurants specialising in a variety of world cuisines – from contemporary northern Chinese cuisine to Indian fine dining to even Moroccan & Middles East delicacies. These, coupled with the city’s ever growing range of hip and trendy bars, make Singapore one of the world’s most exciting gastronomic cities.

An array of brand new restaurants and bars will further enhance Singapore’s dining options with the opening of its two new integrated resorts, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa, in the first quarter of 2010. They will include six Celebrity Chef restaurants at Marina Bay Sands helmed by Mario Batali (New York), Daniel Boulud (New York), Wolfgang Puck (Los Angeles), Santi Santamaria (Barcelona). Guy Savoy (Paris) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Sydney).

Singapore’s local cuisine is very much a reflection of its cosmopolitan, global outlook and multi-cultural mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese), Eurasian and other influences. In addition to a variety of international and continental cuisine, many restaurants offers a delectable menu of local fare, while food centres serve up an array of local dishes at affordable prices. Perennial favourites that can be enjoyed at most eating establishments include Chilli Crab, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Satay and Curry Fish Head – all flavours that are Uniquely Singapore.