Fortunately four to five meals per day of char kwey tiaw (fried noodles in soy sauce with egg and various additions), asam laksa (Penang's famous, indescribably good curry noodle soup), rojak (fruit and veggie salad in a sweet dark shrimp paste) and much, much more, goes down a lot easier than heavier Western foods.

BBC: Finding a favourite hawker stall in Penang

Many of the dishes are things you will never have seen before, even if you love Thai food, and they offer a 5-course tasting menu where you pick one dish from each category (curry, salad, soup, etc.) for a full-blown Thai flavor experience, one that can be expertly paired with wines.

FORBES: Nahm, London, UK

Allow the chef to prepare a balanced meal composed of five essential dishes: Thai salad (yum), chilli relish (kreung jim), stir fry (jan phat), curry (keng) and soup (nahm keng).

BBC: Business trip: Bangkok