Leaving behind his executive chef position at Les Halles restaurant in New York City, Anthony Bourdain travels around the world in search of “the perfect meal” in his latest book, “A Cook’s Tour.”

Based on the success of his previous book, the culinary expose “Kitchen Confidential,” the Food Network came along and made a 22-part series called “A Cook’s Tour” as well. The show received a lot of positive press, and Bourdain’s chronicle of his experiences is an excellent counterpart to the entertaining series.

Bourdain is a man’s man, a chap (for all those who have taken a Tim Allen class), and his strong opinions and food preferences provide an easy humor which keeps the pages turning. He notoriously hates vegetarians, non-smoking places and, devil of devils, the Food Network, all of which account for amusing reading.

The best part however, is that he is perfectly aware of his own hypocrisies: “I’ve had a lot of fun trashing Emeril and Bobby and the Food Network’s stable of stars over the years. God, I hated their shows. Now I’ve gone over to the dark side too … I sold my ass.”

His travels take him to a variety of interesting and exotic locales, as he seeks to simultaneously fulfill his “Boy’s Own” adventure fantasies. In Morocco he feasts on roasted lamb testicles in the middle of the desert with the Tuaregs. In Japan he eats a multi-course sushi meal at a country geisha house. In Russia he drinks vodka at a mafia nightclub.

He ventures into the heart of Khmer Rouge territory in Cambodia, cooks with Basque revolutionaries in Spain, winds up and down Vietnam and sits at the table of some of the world’s finest chefs — such as Gordon Ramsay in London.

He gamely tries everything, eating the best and freshest of what the locals have to offer. Eventually he goes so far as to downing the still-beating heart of a cobra, earning lifetime bragging rights in the créme de la créme of his food encounters.

Wry humor dominates lengthy passages in the book — of special note is the episode where the Food Network sets up a vegan-hosted potluck for Bourdain in Berkley, California.

He promises to be nice, but can’t restrain himself from ripping apart the vegans, beginning with their treatment of vegetables (“… not one of them could cook a fucking vegetable. Fergus Henderson, the grand master of blood-and-guts cookery, shows more respect for a simple side of sautéed baby spinach … than any of these deluded vegans showed me in 10 elaborate courses …”) and ending with an all-out assault on what he considers to be a flawed ideology.

Bourdain also displays a serious, even sentimental side, which leads to poignant observations about culture and travel. These segments are refreshingly unpretentious in a genre dominated by self-congratulatory works.

By the end, Bourdain comes to the predictable conclusion that “the perfect meal” is an elusive concept, depending entirely on context and memory and often better in retrospect. In getting us there, Bourdain maintains a comfortable, conversational tone, which makes for an incredibly enjoyable read.

This effect is heightened by his good-natured self-awareness, which buffers his strong opinions. “A Cook’s Tour” combines the best of both food and travel writing into one fine package, making it ideal reading for anyone interested in either.

Grade: A/B