Celebrity food travels: Actor Chua Enlai’s top places to eat in New Delhi

If travelling were a nationwide competition, Chua Enlai would probably be a gold medallist. The actor and host visited 29 countries last year, 13 of them for the first time. In 2025, “My goal is to travel to my 100th UN country”, he enthused.

And, on all of his travels, “I almost never miss the food at home as I’m always seeking the flavours of where I am. Trying the local cuisine is an extremely important part of my travels. I expect every meal to be an event – be it a street food ‘event’ or a Michelin star-worthy ‘event’. No instant noodles, packets of chilli sauce or room service club sandwiches for me, please”.

Instead, “Dining on fresh, locally-grown produce is a privilege that we don’t often get in Singapore,” he said. “We should travel and eat that good stuff.”

His philosophy is that “we can also find culture, history and architecture on a plate”. “To be honest, I may not necessarily like what I taste, but food completes the experience for me,” he shared. “Temple, tick. Cathedral, tick. Beach, tick. Civic centre, tick. Local food, double tick.”

Some of the exotic foods he’s sampled recently are tsuivan (fried noodles with meat and vegetables) in Ulaanbator; khinkali (soupy dumplings) and khachapuri (cheese and egg bread) in Tbilisi, Georgia; and Ghanaian shito in Accra, which is “made of dried shrimp or other seafood with peppers and spices. I thought it was hae bee hiam! It’s savoury and spicy and a delicious accompaniment to anything. I tried to buy some but apparently every household makes it differently and my guide said that the best shito is the one made at home. Sounds like the words of any Baba or Nyonya I know!”

When visiting a new place, he looks for food tours to join; “I also go to Netflix and look up Somebody Feed Phil to see if he’s been where I’m going, then try to go where he went”.

One thing he isn’t partial to: “I don’t have a sweet tooth, so those IG-worthy cafes ‘decorated’ with OTT pastries and various other bakery items don’t do it for me.”

Asking him to pick one city to share his recommendations for is “like asking someone to choose their favourite child”, he lamented.

But he finally settled on New Delhi, since “I travelled to Delhi twice in the past year”. But his total number of trips to the city number more than five, he estimates, as “I very much enjoy travelling to India. It’s a massive country with so many sights that one can never complete it.” New Delhi, in particular, is “cosmopolitan enough to offer a variety of traditional and imaginative modern fusion cuisines”.

At the same time, the Old Delhi area within the city “is utter chaos yet utterly memorable. Everything and anything happens on those narrow streets. It is fabulously noisy. There are people everywhere going about their daily routines alongside cows and rickshaws.” While he enjoys the sights and sounds of the abundant street food on offer, “I am bit cautious about it as I have a sensitive tummy. I just love watching them cook and put it on display”.

So, where does he like to go when hunger pangs hit?

INJA

On my most recent trip, the loveliest surprise I had was at Inja, housed in the boutique The Manor Hotel, located in a gated community in Friends Colony. My meal was so delicious. I had a buffalo tenderloin in tataki style with onion chutney, ponzu and puffed bhangjeera; Karikadi shrimp with mustard oil, green chilli Yuzu kosho and pressed mustard oil; and Kosho miso and peanut glazed grilled cabbage with leek and parmesan.

They also have an excellent cocktail programme called Panch Indri with many imaginative recipes, as well as your classics.

CAFE MONIQUE AND CAMILLO’S

Next to Inja are two little European cafes. There’s Monique that does French pastries, and Camillo’s, a casual Italian place. Both overlook the peaceful garden of The Manor and once you are in bustling Delhi for a while, you’re going to be seeking a quiet respite!

INDIAN ACCENT

I also dined at the renowned Indian Accent. They did a short residency at the Mandala Club (in Singapore) recently. This is at The Lodhi which was once, and perhaps the first, urban Aman. It is an award-winning restaurant and currently sits on the list of Asia’s 50 Best. I did the lunch vegetarian tasting menu. We started off with some mini blue cheese naan, and then had cauliflower kofta, Kashmiri morel mushrooms, a 100-layer paneer and some amazing chaat, among other dishes.

CARNATIC CAFE

We swung by Carnatic Cafe for a short break on the way to the Supreme Court. It is a South Indian restaurant that also does dosas, idlis and other vegetarian options.

PESHAWRI

The truth is, many people don’t just do Delhi. The Taj Mahal in Agra is undoubtedly India’s most famous historical landmark and most people travel to Agra from Delhi. It’s almost an inevitable stopover on your way to the grand marbled mausoleum.

So, when you are in Agra, I’d recommend a feast at Peshawri – sister restaurant to the very famous Bukhara at the ITC Maurya  hotel in Delhi. Peshawri at the ITC Mughal hotel also features Northwest Indian cuisine. The barbecued delights that come out of their tandoors are quite out of this world. There are also amazing naan and dal.

THE OBEROI AMARVILAS LOUNGE

Here’s where you get a posh view of the Taj Mahal (if the weather allows it). The Lounge at the Oberoi Amarvilas has a terrace overlooking the tiered swimming pool and it stares directly at the Taj Mahal in the distance. You can enjoy this magnificent view while sipping a gin and tonic or a delicious cup of tea.