Singapore declared world's culinary capital

South east Asia travelling isn't just an experience for the eyes and ears, but also a tour for the taste buds, with each country in the region offering up its own unique and exotic cuisine.

But according to a new study, Singapore is not just the culinary capital of the region but of the whole world, making it a must-visit destination for foodies.

The city-state has long been famed for its excellent street food, and is a great place to go for top quality dishes at low prices.

However, research carried out by Richard Florida, one of the world's leading public intellectuals on cultural innovation, reveals that Singapore also has more world-class restaurants, relative to the size of the population, than any other country.

In his article The Geography of Great Restaurants published by The Atlantic, Mr Florida explained that he used San Pellegrino’s annual ranking of the world’s 100 top restaurants to calculate which countries have the highest number of quality dining establishments per capita.

Singapore came out well on top, with six world-class restaurants per ten million people, followed by Hong Kong (4.8), Switzerland (2.5), France (2.1) and Belgium (1.85).

Aun Koh, founder of The Miele Guide, an annual roundup of Asia's best restaurants, says Singapore deserves to be considered a leading food capital.

"By the same standards that people might say that New York, Paris, London and Tokyo are culinary capitals, Singapore has definitely become one," he told CNNGo.com. "It is the culinary capital of south east Asia.

"We have local chefs like Willin Low and imported talents such as Andre Chiang whose technical skills are on par with the best of the best anywhere in the world," he continued.

"These chefs are pushing new boundaries and influencing peers in their city and around the world."