Going Global: A World of Food

One of the joys of an exotic summer holiday is experiencing new cuisines, but if you have no money or any form of responsibility it's tough to go globe-trotting. This world tour of Scotland's eateries shows that life's little hassles shouldn't stop you from trying dishes from across the world. We look at the best options from five continents, from Western Europe to the Far-East, via the West End of Glasgow and the East Neuk of Fife.

AFRICA
You can't miss Edinburgh's Khartoum Cafe (6 Gillespie Pl), other than through frustration at the Scottish weather leading you to mistake it for the sun. This Sudanese takeaway offers more than just a blinding paint job, with falafel, wraps, baba ganoush and rock-solid coffee ensuring that your eyes won't have all the fun. From there, it's a short trip to Morningside and the South African outpost that is the Zulu Lounge (366 Morningside Rd). Boerewors, biltong, and muffins the size of your fist are all on the menu in a cafe that rivals a Ryanair cabin for making good use of limited space.

INDIA
Glasgow's reputation as a curry valhalla has become something of a cliché, but with good reason. Restaurants like the Banana Leaf (76 Old Dumbarton Rd) offer authentic, delicious Indian dishes you'll struggle to find elsewhere, and may even struggle to identify while you're there if The Skinny's last visit was anything to go by. Then there are the likes of Green Chilli (1293 Argyle St), which offers dishes for just a pound every Tuesday and Wednesday, making them a good shout for those of us who are stay-cationing out of financial necessity rather than to give Mother Earth a rest.

SOUTHEAST ASIA & AUSTRALASIA
Despite our mediocre climate, it is still possible to get top-notch sub-tropical food in Scotland. In Edinburgh, the outrageously-named Kampong Ah Lee Malaysian Delight (28 Clerk St) belies its basic aesthetic to serve up cheap and delicious Malay meals that justify the title. Over in Glasgow, Asia Style (185 St George's Rd) gives a similar experience, delicious Asian cuisine in unassuming and charismatic surroundings. For those wishing for a taste of further south, Kublai Khan (26 Candleriggs, Glasgow; 43 Assembly St, Edinburgh) serve up kangaroo amongst other unusual delights such as ostrich and zebra, making a trip an appetising alternative to a safari holiday.

THE AMERICAS
Brazilian barbecue joint Tropeiro does meat. Lots of meat. At their restaurants in Aberdeen (1 Golden Sq) and Glasgow (363 Argyle St), nattily-dressed gauchos will bring you almost any meat you can think of, from juicy steaks to chicken hearts. They'll do so until you're fit to burst, so exercise your usual holiday level of restraint. Think of the USA, and you think of burgers and a culture which crushes all those who step before it. So it's ironic that the Cambridge Bar (20 Young St, Edinburgh) has outdone the imperialist pig-dogs on the burger front, with an outrageous array of toppings and some tasty pints to go with them.

EUROPE
What look at world cooking would be complete without a nod across the Channel? Edinburgh's La Garrigue (31 Jeffrey St) flies the French flag in the capital with simple, well-executed bistro cooking, and even drew the attention of the swearing enthusiast Gordon Ramsay. If you're suffering from culinary jet-lag, head across town to the oasis of Germanic calm that is Falko Konditormeister (185 Bruntsfield Pl). Falko blend their own coffee, and serve it up with a boozy, creamy Black Forest gateau that's not so much a cake as a feat of engineering. Or alternatively, sack the lot, head to the coast and hit the Anstruther Fish Bar (43 Shore St, Anstruther) for some world-renowned fish and chips. Well, it is holiday time after all.