Curry laksa from Malaysia or sushi from Tokyo? Bibimbap from Seoul or dim sum from Hong Kong?

While foodies may endlessly debate the merits of their favourite dishes, each of these Asian delicacies has found its way into the top 10 food experiences in the world.

Singapore's well-loved chilli crab has been ranked 17th.

The global list of the world's 500 best food experiences was revealed in the pages of Ultimate Eatlist, a new book by travel guide publisher Lonely Planet.

Top of the list was pintxos - a small Spanish snack typically eaten in bars - from the Basque coastal city of San Sebastian, followed by the curry laksa.

Other Asian delicacies beating the local crustacean dish were sushi from Tokyo (third), som tum (papaya salad) from Bangkok (fifth), bibimbap (a mixed rice dish) from Seoul (eighth) and Hong Kong's dim sum (10th).

The culinary recommendations in the book came from experts including top chefs like Elena Arzak and Eric Ripert, television chef Andrew Zimmern and BBC MasterChef judge Monica Galetti.

Staff and contributors around the world were also asked to nominate their favourite food experiences.

The list was then narrowed down to 500 by Lonely Planet's food editors, with the help of Australian celebrity chef Adam Liaw and food blogger Leyla Kazim.

Lonely Planet destination editor Matt Phillips said the book was more than just about the best dishes, CNN reported on Tuesday.

"When you have a salad Nicoise in New York, you might think, 'Oh, this is nice.' When you have it where it came about (in France's Nice), you realise why these ingredients are together," Mr Phillips said.

"I get it in this place. It is the perfect dish on this hot day. The dish goes with the environment you are in," he added.

Singaporean foodies interviewed yesterday had bittersweet feelings about the listing, with some questioning the basis on which the rankingwas derived, while others said they would take it with a large pinch of salt.

Some were bewildered why chilli crab might rank so far below curry laksa, for example.

Restaurateur Violet Oon said the list was good fun and gave her ideas on what to eat around the world.

The doyenne of Singapore cooking said she used to organise "gourmet safaris" in Singapore, taking guests by tour bus to eat six courses in six different restaurants in one night.

"Maybe I can now hire a private plane and take a group of foodies to fly around many cities and eat a dish in each city. Isn't this truly a millennial experience!" she said.

Artichoke chef-owner Bjorn Shen enthusiastically agreed with the ranking of pintxos and laksa as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. "I can't think of many more things in this world I love more than pintxos," he said.

However, he said he preferred pepper crab to chilli crab any day.

He added: "It is all so subjective.

"I agree with the ranking because it confirms my own personal bias.

"But, of course, others may feel differently."

Chef Han Liguang of one-Michelin-starred restaurant Labyrinth, who is known for his many deconstructed versions of chilli crab, saw Singapore's recognition on the world stage as a step forward.

"It shows how far our cuisine has come in becoming distinct on its own terms and is not just a melting pot of cultures from around Asia," he said.

"Hopefully, this will open the doors to the world taking a keener interest in Singapore food."

Makansutra founder and food consultant KF Seetoh, however, criticised the ranking, saying: "This doesn't do justice to the few thousand other dishes around the world. Nobody is fit to say what food is best."

Chef Shen Tan, who specialises in modern Singapore cuisine, said: "I don't think chilli crab is a good representation of Singapore food culture. To say that one dish would represent Singapore food culture is also simplistic and reductive.

"That is the issue with rankings like this."