My Top 10 FAVORITE Foods of 2023! Happy New Year!

hey guys this Mike chin Happy New Year's Eve everybody hope everyone is having an amazing food filled holiday season and as we say goodbye to 20123 I wanted to take a look back at some of the tastiest moments of this year so here are my top 10 yeets for 2023 and before get into that I just want to give a big thank you and shout out to the sponsor of this video ag1 I've been taking H1 for several years now I can say without a doubt one of the best decisions I made for my health ever I've never been good about taking vitamins I never know exactly what to take so I end up just getting a bunch of different bottles that are expensive it's a hassle to manage to refill but now every single morning one scoop or travel pack of A1 put it in my travel bottle 8 to 12 oz of water I use sparkling one I can shake it up and drink and that right there gives me a science driven formulation of 75 vitamins minerals probiotics Whole Foods sourced nutrients is basically it covers my nutritional basis and because I eat a lot gut health is really important to me in ag1 like I said has prebiotics probiotics plant-based enzymes that helps with digestion and overall gut health there's also magnesium B vitamins that help support sustained energy throughout the day without the caffeine crash you get from coffee also I really don't like eating fruit but this gives me my daily dose of vitamin C zinc functional mushrooms and more to support my overall immune Health since I incorporate this into my morning routine I feel better I have more energy I got a subscription for my parents as well now they take it every day so if you want to give it a try go to my link down below and you'll get a one-year supply of vitamin D3 K2 which is really important to support your immune health and five free travel packs with your water I do want to say that I went to a lot of amazing food places this past year so trying to narrow that to 10 was extremely difficult it's like going to an amazing Buffet but you only get to eat 10 things also since I already did a video on the best buffet in the world I'm not going to include them on this list so let's get started with number 10 nestled in the heart of Austin Texas kg barbecue really isn't just your typical Texas barbecue joint now I love traditional Texas barbecue I love it but here Chef kin Blends the rich flavors of his Egyptian Heritage with the classic techniques of Texas barbecue creating a dining experience that's really both familiar and wonderfully exotic during my visit Chef kareim took me behind the scenes to reveal the artist behind his Fusion Creations these are lamb bacon ribs really nice and fatty the belly fat over here we got our pomegranate pork cribs as you can see they are dry rubbed right now with Pander and F Greek and oregano and this is what they're going to look like after they're blazed in our pomegranate barbecue sauce this is one of the most glorious spreads of barbecue I have ever encountered it doesn't just smell good it's absolutely beautiful so Chef Kim came to Texas from Egypt to learn about Texas barbecue fell in love with Austin the rest is delicious history and all the classic barbecue items incorporates a ton of Mediterranean Egyptian spices ingredients for example this is one of the most popular food items here it's a classic Texas brisket sitting on top of yellow rice covered in tahini sauce and traditional Egyptian salad then on top of that spiced nuts and dry fruits and pomegranate seeds here we have a traditional Egyptian salad potato Sal Salette with beet to give it some pinkish color cardamon pistachio rice pudding which is a Egyptian Sesame candy on top and pistachios these are pomegranate and zatar glazed pork rib zatar is a very very common spice found in Egypt there's no salt on it so it just adds a ton of fragrance and Herby flavor fatty juicy and I mean juicy Kaa seasoned with mint and Nutmeg let's start with the brisket The Toasted nuts dry fruits traditional Egyptian salad of course the juicy brisket smoked for 12 hour hour till it's perfectly buttery and melty and glistening I love this so so much this is one of the greatest ways to eat beef BRK this is more than a flavor bomb this is a flavor nuke number nine a traditional Jamaican breakfast at arow walks rest stop in Handover Jamaica this was a place my friend and guide Das took me and this rest stop is really a little Oasis where tradition and flavor merge in every single dish when I arrived there were eating up the past for breakfast their menu is a celebration of Jamaican flavors from steamed fish and brown stewed turkey neck to homestyle chicken and vegetarian Delights every day giant pots of food are cooked over Logwood and pimental wood fire which is a tradition that not only imparts unique flavor but also align with their philosophy of healthy and well-being and watching the Cooking process will definitely wet your appetite and for me that's especially true when the bread fruits start roasting on the fire so so I got pretty much a little bit of everything in this box I got some cow foot some stewed pork stewed chicken oh my gosh the fish deep fried first tell it's perfectly crispy on the outside then is stud in some sort of brown gravy there's steamed vegetables here called pochoy there's curry chicken and on the other plate there is the roasted bread fruit that's what I wanted to try the most there's pumpkin green bananas boiled dumpling or sweet potatoes there's yam it's also a fried dumpling let's start with the cow foot this is super super tender and gelousy looking and look at this thing just jiggle around that's so good beans vegetables and I love these little Parts with the mirrow inside look at that going to be some scrumptous beef butter oh that's just the best part just being able to watch this cooking process is so interesting because most of the food is stew with so much seasoning the degree of sophistication when it comes to putting all the flavors together incorporating so many different spices and vegetables making it taste the way it does it's a pure art dining here wasn't just a mere meal it's really an experience an authentic Jamaican cooking right in the heart of nature this was one of the most unique and delicious breakfast experiences I've ever been to the people are all incredibly generous and nice so if you ever find yourself in Handover Monte go Bay make sure to try this place out and if you can get there early wash them cook breakfast this is going to make it taste that much better next at number eight in my top food experiences of 2023 funi Ramen in Tokyo Japan this is a place that really redefined the ramen game with its unique and Rich schem funi schem soup is a culinary Masterpiece combining chicken bone sardines Bonito flakes kelp is really a labor of love and is boiled for 8 hours filtered for six and then matured for a full day and you can taste all that from the first slurp Wow first all the noodles are so perfectly chewy the flavor of the dip and broth it's just like a thick Rich Umami up this there's pork in here there's nor there's bamboo and I always will recommend getting skimming if you ever in Tokyo I mean I like a traditional B Ramen but skimming is just so much better in terms of texture so they put the chashu right into this dipping broth right here so tender number seven con salad at wiie De in Nassau Bahamas this was my first time in the Bahamas trying a KK salad and after the first bite I was hooked and for the next couple days proceeded to order kch salad pretty much every single chance I got the freshness of the bahami and KK salad is really unparallel KK is sourced straight from the waters ensuring that each butt is as fresh as can be and the Kung salad I have was a vibrant mix of freshly diced conk riped Tomatoes crisp onions bell peppers there's fresh fruits like mangoes pineapples strawberries all brought to life with a citrus zing and a ton of heat also the the first day I order two thinking it was going to be kind of small don't do that if you go to will the Kung salad is ginormous also locals that I met there told me that is the place they always go to as well anyway the tender conk mixed with all that fruit and citrus was just an explosion of flavor and watching the KK salad come together is an experience in itself this is 100% a must try if you are ever in the Bahamas number six the Coconut Club in Singapore this is the place that really redefined the traditional Nasi lamach experience Nasi lak is one of one of my favorite foods it's one of the first dishes I've ever tried when I went to Singapore and I absolutely fell in love with it now normally Nasi lamak is a pretty inexpensive dish and the Coconut Club is known for its upscale version of nasil lamak it's served with organic chicken and a rich coconut rice prepared using a custombuilt cold press machine I really didn't know what to expect for a fancy nzi lamach but this was absolutely mindblowing this is the first time I'm having a Michelin n my mouth is watering non-stop I'm smelling the sambba I'm smelling those fried chili crumbs the Fried Chicken this Fried Chicken is just beautiful look at that golden skin perfectly fried that thing is going to be so scrumptious and crunchy on the outside oh it smells so good oh go my first bite of food back in Singapore I always have super high expectations for that first bite and this wow this chicken is just perfection the flavor is M blowing thin layer of crispy skin on the outside just covering up all that delicious juicy tender meat and one bite you will fall in love with the flavor that it's marinated this amazing blend of spices that's going to make you want to pretty much just never stop eating this that is some Exquisite Fried Chicken Next Bite take some of the chicken get some of the chili crumbs get a bunch of that coconut rice this is a game changer of a coconut rice I think this is my favorite naso ma in Singapore the rice is so fluffy these little fried chili crumbs they're so much heat but through all that you definitely taste that coconut I love these little fried chili crumbs because they have a little bit of char so you get that tiny bit of bitterness and crunch with your bitee next up just going to combine everything together just got to get a bite with everything chicken peanuts an chovis eggs I love absolutely everything about those Nashi lak the ingredients are amazing sometimes you get L lak sometimes a little crispy Eno might be a little stale or the peanuts might be a little stale none of that here coming in at number five on my list is my all you can yeat Brazilian Barbe you dream come true I went to Barbacoa in sou Paulo which was pretty much like stepping into a Brazilian barbecue fairy tale where every night a parade of perfectly cooked meats on skewes Dance endlessly to your table until you just cry out for Mercy I love all you can ye Brazilian barbecue buffets always wanted to try it at its source in Brazil and this place was just pure magic this Medallion that starts and stops your meat parade first time i' ever seen as not a piece of cardboard so let the meat parade right [Music] begin first two cuts I got a lamb rib and a piece of sirloin and couple different types of rice M wow the rice has more yellow stew with little pieces of beef that is not only delicious it is spicy this is like some sort of super spicy fried rice wow and look at how perfectly cooked that lamb is that juice is just dying to flow out nice amount of fat right by the bones oh Bo this is the juiciest most tender and again the juiciest like a waterfall of juice juiciest Lim rib I've ever had in my life this is unbelievable how much juice is in here oh my gosh the spe especially that fattier part right by the bone where it's extra charred that part is just the [Music] best Paka the best cut of meat at any Brazilian barbecue oh my gosh I've been to a lot of Brazilian barbecues that is the most melting your mouth piece of Pia I've ever had this thing is so beautifully charred got that great great Smokey flavor of course that little piece of fat M the peas with the fat is just a brushed they just brought over another cut of pay and this one's a little Medallion look at this oh look at all that juice this looks like it's cooked to absolute perfection oh my God the juiciest steak I've ever had at a bazan barbecue hands down and right now the meat just keeps coming I got a piece of fling steak here it's more but man this thing is tender and juicy at number four we're zooming into the taco Heartland of Los Angeles at Villa tacos now imagine a smoky Blue Halo around a tinted stand or even from a half a block away you can smell the mosquite wood that's Villa tacos for you and when you're walking towards it it's like being pulled by a gravitational force and here Victor Villa and his team a mix of family and friends are turning out these Blue Core Masa wonders top with everything from chizo to ranera assada beef just came off the grill calling that piece of beef tender will be insulting its tenderness the marinade is so good that piece is smoky it's Char to Perfection all I'm thinking about after putting that piece in my mouth I can't wait to get more we make it in house so that's that's what's special uh about this chis so make it from scratch and then we put in the casing uh our meat we also marinated in house and the chicken is also marinated in the house chizo oh my gosh homemade chizo too oh that's so medy and [Music] good that is a juicy juicy piece of chicken oh it's so juicy it's such a nice chart on the outside so this is the queso Taco Trio this is what they recommend I get just look at the beautiful colors and a queso Taco a layer of grilled cheese on the outside their famous blue handmade tortilla right above that this is the chicken one right here there's onions cilantro cheese another great thing about this place the guacamole never cost you extra this is a very fully loaded taco look at that tell me that's not making you hungry right now so my mistake that tortilla is actually on the outside with the L of grilled cheese right above [Music] that are you kidding me with this thing it's unreal this some the best tacos I've ever had in my life this is crazy mindblowing punch me slap me in the face multiple times delicious wow I mean the me when I tasted it was already crazy good inside there's a layer of beans as well so much cheese the guac gives in a nice creamy texture I'm just going to put some of the delicious biscus pickled onions in here just to give it some Crunch and I got some of the homemade salsa as well chicken like I told you guys so tender so tender there's so much I want to say about this Taco but I feel like it doesn't do justice for how good it is the tortilla with a slight hint of sweetness the Crusty grilled cheese the tender chicken the creamy beans and the delicious quac every part of this is masterful masterful and such a loaded taco with so many different types of flavors and textures I I don't think I've ever had a hgo like this before the beef is so tender so tender so tender one bite you can tell that's some quality beef the salsa they make here that's delicious as well this is something I want to eat every single day of my life every single day I'm so sad I only have one taco left this is the [Music] chizo that's some melt in your mouth pure flavor m t are so Smokey as well I don't think I've ever been so hypnotized by a taco before and I hate myself because I'm leaving Los Angeles tomorrow I don't think I can bear the thought of my life without this Taco in it if you are in Los Angeles if you ever come to Los Angeles this should be one of the top spots on your list next coming in at number three on my list is a London hidden gym stram kitchen my friend Shane from burgers and beets took me to this place by the way burgers and beets another amazing Place best burger in London he showed me this local hidden gym run by Chef Fernandez this plays every single bite the flavor just sends a shock we through your body all right this next dish and this is a freshwater prawns from say what's these called cabaneros and they're covered it looks like some fried garlic chips I don't know what the green sauce is on top but I'm excited to find out yeah Cheers Cheers oh my gosh this T so good holy how do you do it uh braak the head suck the juice you suck the juice right abely okay that's the best part that's that's a friendship uh Make It or Break It moment right this looks so freaking fresh here we go that is exactly where all the flavor and the pra reside the shell is super super soft mhm that's a lot of meat on this prom a lot of beautiful looking meat W that is seriously good so creamy yeah it's creamy it's soft amazingly succulent and the sauce I mean it's garlicky Savory it's great but again it's not like we're tasting only the sauce qu flavor is intact yeah it's beautiful again masterfully done right so you have some wild scops those size of scalps are not easy to find to is from Gala in Spain uh the PRS are from Argentina Tuna from the Indian Ocean everything fresh enjoy guys thank you so much thank [Music] you as I was saying Shane I think you massively undersold this platter maybe you've been hanging around your steak too much and everything looks small to you yeah maybe okay can you tell me what all this you've got the Gan poo the Gan octopus you got the the large scallops the Argentinian prawns whole seas and then you've got the Indian Ocean tuna tuna how do we even begin how there's no there should be an instruction manual that shows up so just lemon on everything I'm just going to go for something less intimidating so I'm just going to grab a fry so octopus oh that looks tender very tend yeah Cheers Cheers buddy you taste the subtle sweetness of the octopus but the texture is what's crazy about this you barely need to chew wow this is so good we were speaking in the kitchen about obviously um car who use of the just R so it's it's a wood fire oven manufactured in Catalonia in Spain the use of the Inca wood and everything an Ina wood again from Spain but it just gives that kind of you know sweet smokiness and that's just the most perfect thing let's rescue this tuna tuna about fall off just from uh you C slicing into the octopus and the and the tuna falling off yeah you can see how tender this is already that is really Smoky tendra tuna and just loads of juice on the inside you can taste the freshness you can taste that delicious sweet tuna flavor you want to go for a scallop I I want to go for a scalp so bad and this is by far the biggest scalps I've ever seen in my life look at the size of this and it's cooked with some Rosemary you can tell right away this is going to be succulent and falling apart when it goes in your [Music] mouth super sweet wow this is the greatest scallop ever and this sauce little vinegar olive oil herbs again that beautiful Smoky flavor in the most succulent scallop on this planet maybe I don't [Music] know I personally have no idea what Ariel's complaining about about wanting to come on the surface I mean I bet she can have this anytime she wants I know I I'll trade my legs for this a lifetime eating these gallops you can have my legs so these are Argentinian prch really sweet super sweet super me the shrimp natural wami in this is off the hook coming in at number two this was a once in a lifetime culinary experience for me and it was at Kuku Ginza in Tokyo now I do want to say that if you don't like crap this place is not for you but if you do stepping into K fuku it is like walking into a different world one where king crab rues Supreme here the crab isn't just a dish it's the start of a 2hour gastronomic show and it's performed by a chef table side I mean if you thought Mr Crab had the ultimate crab setup prepare to be amazed first crab dish crab sashimi and a crab meat that's just straped over straw tint looking thing I think it's just really just kind of get the excess water out of the crab meat and the chef said just to eat it like this dip it in the soy sauce I never had crab sushi me before wow that's tender oh [Applause] okay the Sashimi crab like I said i' never had it before that's the crab at its absolute sweetest and most tender and this is the Shabu crab so part of the crab is cooked to rare and the chef says just to eat this on his own with no soy sauce or salt same amount of sweetness and a slightly firmer texture that's almost like eating two completely different different crabs the chef's going to take these three crab legs and put it back into the shower and cook it to medium rare and what's amazing is he's cooking a lot of this just by hand holding the hand over the boiling shaboo and now the crab meat is cooked to a perfect medium rare [Music] the texture is unreal it's like I never had king crab before today and the rest of the legs it's removed and then the meat is lifted up off the shell a little bit and place back onto the grill and now it's sitting in my plate perfectly grilled king crab a little bit of citrus orange juice to put on the crab everything kind to happen in the last 10 minutes he is lightning speed and preparing the king crap because there's a finite amount of time before the meat changes a bit so to get the sweetest most tender the best out of the king crab you got to eat everything right away wow I've had King crap plenty of times in my life this is like having it again for the first time you taste that awesome smoke from the barbecue I've had king crab in shaboo before I've had king crab off the grill before it's never been this naturally sweet it's never been this naturally tender this might just be the ultimate king crab experience also while I was eating this The Head and the body of the crab was taking into the kitchen and it's being boiled and now it's back at the table [Music] [Music] oh [Music] this is the heart of the king crab and there's some ginger and vinegar sauce to dip it in M wow very meaty that's definitely not what I expected good amount of umami flavor and this is the front of the crab right here the texture is definitely different than the leg part it's still soft bit more of the chew than the legs so much umami [Music] this may not be the sweetest part of the crab or the most tender part of the crab there is definitely the most tasty part of the crab the meat right inside the body and all that guts and energy just has so much flavor it's pretty much the essence of the crab a lot of that stuff are parts that usually restaurants would just throw away mm that's the best part and then what Chef did was pretty much take out all the joints of the crab and scrape out all the meats from the joints look at this this is all joint meat right here there's a lot of meat in the joints holy moly wo switching from crab energy back to the meats from the joints and legs and going to surprise me by how sweet this is the natural sweetness of the crab will shock you so amazing finally at number one of plays that makes me want to visit Phoenix Arizona every single day Kebab grilling go this place as soon as you step inside it's clear you're in for something extraordinary the air is filled with the aroma of spices and Grilling meat which really is a smell I wish somebody would just just bottle and call it like cha Grill number five or something here The kebabs are marinated and skewed than roasted over live charcoal by Chef Tony who's one of the nicest person I ever met and the result some of the best barbecue I've ever had I mean I had a giant platter of food sitting in front of me and everything from the meats to the rice to the sauce and the side dishes absolutely perfect what you got going on over here I have thigh I have pork rits I have Black Angus kuy de and then you use what kind of just what charcoal uh M mosqu oh yeah look at the feast I'm about to embark on right now and and the meat just looks a mesmerizing everything looks charred to absolute perfection look at that beautifully roasted jalapeno Sano roasted tomatoes just bursting with juice I also got some eggplant salad some chimy cherry there's some yogurt sauce dipped the meat in and shirazi salad and this is again made inhouse eggplant salad is so good zesty Smoky eggplant with a good amount of acid this is going to go so well with the meat the szi salad is amazing big chunks of tomatoes onions cucumbers you can tell right away all this is going to go so good with the meat we just cut a piece of this pork if this is a food dream may I never wake up never this is some of the greatest barbecue anywhere holy moly this is good I thought this was going to be too much food I don't think so oh man this is amazing the pork so juicy so juicy with that delicious Char on the outside also every time I chew it's like open the fluck it on this pork the sauce that's added inside it's Tony secret recipe that thing is Savory it's buttery little bit of a bite so much flavor in that sauce Chase it with some rice and grilled jalapenos this is way too good if I live in Phoenix I'd be here all the time I just get one of these trays every day for lunch and as good as the pork is eating it all together like Tony recommended it's just the best way to do it take a bite of pork you can take a bite of that jalapeno Sano peppers for some added smokiness where heat it also acts as a bit of a pallet cleanser this is such a gem of a place I mean there's a lot of dipping sauce here I haven't even used it yet honestly you don't really need it it's that good on its own chicken thigh oh my gosh it's so crazy there's definitely a lot of herbs and spices that's put into that house made sauce you can definitely taste it in the chicken thigh again just like the pork Uber tender super juicy everybody you get that tiny hint of bitterness from the CH and so much smoke I love everything that's in display everything serves a purpose the onions the tomatoes the rice I keep trying to remind myself to use the sauce and I keep forgetting because every single meat tastes so good on its own oh that Kebab is delicious minced Ingot beautifully tenderous there's a lot of spice in here you can see the juiciness inside the Kebab like that Tas it with some Tomatoes jalapenos it's no exaggeration to say this might be too good I'll stay here you get this whole plate so those are my top 10 favorite yeets of the year and as we step into 2024 may your tables be filled with love laughter and of course tons of amazing food and a huge thank you to everybody for joining me on this crazy food Adventure over the past several years and as always thank you all so much for watching until we eat again in the New Year see you later