Maritimes, Canada

 There are few places in the world that go on full display for Fall. The Canadian Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) are, in my humble opinion, on the top of that list. From breathtaking coastlines to vibrant autumn colors to some of the best seafood I've ever eaten, these Eastern provinces of Canada make a perfect fall destination.

First stop: Halifax, Nova Scotia. After dropping off bags at the hotel, I rushed out to try my first Atlantic lobster. Restaurants such as Hart & Thistle Gastropub and Salty's, located at the harbour, serve up  delicious lobster, Haddock grilled to perfection in cedar wood sheets,  excellent Chowder, Seafood casserole and a great selection of locally-brewed beers.

Another night, we found ourselves at Five Fishermen, a well established Halifax restaurant, which has an unlimited mussel and salad bar. We had lobster stuffed scallops paired with a glass (or more) of Seyval blanc. Nova Scotia produces some really good white wine. Don't miss out on buying a few bottles to take home with you. For a sweet-tooth craving, head to Sugah! They serve hand-paddled ice cream with any mix-ins of your choice in neat, little chinese take-out boxes. I tried the strawberry ice cream with rum cake and it was delish!

Next stop: Cape Breton to catch the fall colors. At Cheticamp, a primarily Acadian town, you can try a great harbour-front meal with mussels, crab, grilled cod and sole. Everything we had at the Harbour restaurant was fresh from the sea and cooked with simple ingredients to compliment the natural taste of the seafood. Fresh meals coupled with the breathtaking views of Cabot trail, and good hiking make for a perfect vacation spot.

Next, we went to the legendary setting of Anne of Green Gables: Prince Edward Island. Lush and green with beautiful old-fashioned homes, PEI is picture-perfect. We dined at Claddagh in downtown PEI where we had the freshest oysters, Lobster gnocchi with lobster cream sauce and lobster & scallop sausages. Personally, for me, Claddagh will go down as one of my most memorable meals ever.

A quick stop to see the Hopewell Rocks meant an overnight stay in the tiny town of Alma. While there, we went to Tides Restaurant where we had some of the freshest scallops: Scallops au gratin and Sambuca scallops.

At the end of the week, we just kicked back and hung out at pubs sipping on Nova Scotian wines, beers & Caesers (Clamato juice, tobasco sauce, worcetershire, celery salt & vodka on ice). Be sure to see a Ceilidh (Celtic music party) before wrapping up your time with the beautiful  & bountiful Canadian Maritimes.

Sydney, Australia (Part II)

Sydney truly is one of the most multi-cultural cities I've ever been to. It is difficult to believe how diverse the food is until you're actually there. One of the most popular is Thai food. Spice I am in Surry Hills (small place, BYOB) and Let's eat Thai in Marrackville are among the most respected. Serving appetizers like curry puffs to standard staples like Green curry with Thai eggplant and pork blood jelly to some really authentic dishes like Ka nom jeen (fermented rice vermicelli with fish curry sauce). I highly recommend multiple trips to these restaurants. You won't regret it.

Other popular cuisines include Malaysian food. Malay Chinese in the CBD is always overflowing with people, serving delicious Laksas (a spicy vermicelli coconut curry noodle soup served with meat of your choice). Mamak is another great choice serving up absolutely delicious Roti canai, Nasi lemak (rice soaked in coconut cream served with roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, hot spicy sauce and optionally chicken or beef) and Kari ayam (Classic chicken curry cooked with freshly ground spices and chunky potatoes). The Malaya restaurant at Darling Harbour offers a good dining experience with appetizers like Roti Jala (lacy and net like pancakes) and other fabulous curries.

Never forgetting the plethora of Chinese food available in and around China town. The Yum Cha (also known as Dim Sum) with delicious dumplings and tea is a popular brunch choice. You can watch fresh noodles being made at restaurants like China Noodle House and Seabay.

If none of the above tickles your fancy, there's Brazilian, Spanish, Lebanese, Indian, and much, much more. You can never get bored of the food and all the choices this global city has to offer.

Sydney, Australia (Part I)

When it comes to food and meeting people who share my love for eating, Sydney offered me one of the best experiences I've ever had. Myself and 3 lovely ladies (Beccy, Alana & Anita) made it our mission to explore the city and its rich diversity of cuisine and drink.

We started in Darling Harbour with Hurricane's, a fabulous steak joint overlooking the water. Juicy cuts of beef served with peppercorn sauce & sauteed mushrooms, beef & pork ribs with a healthy helping of barbeque sauce and a hearty side of chips (thick cut fries) is enough to make anyone happy and content. There are several other waterfront dining options at Darling Harbour but this had to be the most memorable.

While visiting the iconic landmarks of Sydney (the Opera House & Harbour Bridge), there is no shortage of places to eat. From fresh food at the Vintage Cafe at Nurses Walk to late night pancakes at Pancakes on the Rocks to fish & chips at Circular Quay followed by Passionfruit ice cream & dark chocolate at Guylians waterfront chocolate cafe, you almost feel spoilt for choices. If you want to pick something quick before hopping on a ferry, I highly recommend a steak or chicken pie with potatoes & mushy peas from Pie Face.

Moving away from the tourist spots to where the locals hang out, Newtown offers a great selection of cafes, restaurants and bars. My first brunch in Sydney was at Clipper's Cafe where I gorged on a lovely smoked salmon benedict with several cups of flat white (see blog on Melbourne for definition) and lattes.

For the thirsty, the Lord Nelson brewery, the Australian, Bavarian Bier cafe & Slip Stream are great watering holes complete with outdoor patios. One of my favourites was the 4 Pines Brewery in Manly where you can order hot croquettes to go with your cold beer. For a classier selection of cocktails, I definitely recommend the Blu bar at the top of the Shangri-La hotel, Steel in the CBD as well as Zeta bar.

To satisfy the sweet tooth, there's nothing like a Suckao from Max Brenner, where you melt your own chocolate in warm milk and Chocolate Frogs from Haigh's. Lunch options in the CBD include the basement of the GPO, food courts every two blocks and delicious chicken & peri peri chips at Nando's.

No, you can never go hungry in this spectacular city and to prove it, I have decided to write a second blog on Sydney. Coming soon....

Melbourne, Australia

When I first moved to Australia, the three adjectives I heard most associated with this city were cosmopolitan, cultural and "livable". After being in Sydney for 3 months, I decided to find out what all the fuss was about and booked a weekend trip to Melbourne.


Determined to show me how culinarily superior Melbourne was to Sydney, my friend, Matt, took me to a delightful cafe called Dead man espresso in South Melbourne. I started with a delicious "flat white", which is steamed milk with a shot of espresso. The french toast here was unlike any other I had tasted: Ciabatta French toast with dried fruit compote, poached pear and crème fraiche. Over breakfast, Matt was telling me about the third-wave coffee movement that was becoming hugely popular in Melbourne, which aims to produce high-quality coffee that is considered an artisanal foodstuff (like wine) rather than a commodity. So, I decided to get a cup of the pour-over coffee made from unblended Brazilian beans. I was very impressed with its smoothness and sweet currant flavour.

After a tram ride to the Melbourne Cricket Club and a tour of the Central Business District (CBD), it was time for lunch: High Tea and Chocolate Indulgence at Aria. Leaf tea was served with delicious English favourites such as cucumber finger sandwiches and scones with chantilly cream & preserve, on a traditional three tiered silver stand. The Chocolate Bar, which was also included with the tea, had some exotic chocolate creations from Yucatan, Costa Rica and Madagascar as well as fine chocolate houses like Lindt, Callebaut and Haigh’s.

In the evening, we met up with some friends for drinks at Roof Top bar in the CBD. This place has some great downtown views and serves up some mean cocktails. Dinner was at Portello Rosso, a Tapas and Jamon bar on Warburton lane, and it was an absolute feast. We had red peppers with goat cheese, delicious little Croquettes, lentils, chorizo, mackerel and Paella to share. For dessert, we all split a plate of Churro with chocolate and warm, Spiced chocolate pudding.

There's no shortage of chocolate & cake shops like Cacao is St Kilda and Koko Black at the Royal Arcade. I now understand what's so great about Melbourne. With its trams, bustling downtown, pubs, bars and cafes, it's a little slice of Europe with an Australian twist.

Beijing, China (Part II)

By day 4 in Beijing, I considered slowing down the pace. So, my breakfasts were very light consisting mainly of Congee (a healthy rice porridge) and tea. Lunch was usually ice creams and fresh fruits, providing some relief from the sweltering heat and sun. Dinner, however, was the one meal where I splurged.

Our friends, Ran Xiao & Gretta, invited us for dinner to try some authentic roast duck, which is a local favourite. They took me to Xiao Wang's home restaurant inside Ritan park. In addition to its great location and decor, this place is known for great food. We started out with plates of mushroom, bitter gourd and pickled radish, followed by one of their signature dishes: Deep fried spicy spare rib. The roast duck, served with pancakes and sweet soubean sauce, was mouthwateringly delicious. The main course also included a platter of sweet potato, boiled chestnuts, groundnuts and purple corn. Unlike in the West, alcohol is usually consumed after a meal. So, our hosts took us to the swanky Xiu bar at the Park Hyatt hotel for some great cocktails, whiskey and ambience.

The next night was another culinary adventure. A few friends took me out to Mala Youhuo, also known as Spirit Spice, for some tongue-numbing Sichuan food. I let the lovely Soo and Jie Xia order for me and what a great job they did. We had Beef tripe & duck blood in chili sauce, Spicy hot frog, Curry beef, Steamed sparerib in sticky rice wrapped in Reed leaves, White pear in red wine, Chicken with pepper, Deep fried kidney beans and Bean jelly in chili sauce. The highlight was a giant bowl of Boiled snakeheaded fish in hot oil. This dish is quite oily but the fish has really good flavour. Fortunately, there were 8 of us sharing this meal or I wouldn't be able to try a little bit of everything.

Another place that came highly recommended was "Ghost Street". Tucked behind Beijing's Inner Dongzhimen Street, this area is said to have derived its name from the city's old "Ghost Fairs". Known to Beijingers as Gui Jie (which actually does not mean ghost), this place is a favourite amongst locals with its red lanterns, traditional courtyards and hundreds of restaurants along the street.

I could go on and on about Beijing and its amazing food culture but this is one place where you have to experience it to understand how good it really is.

Beijing, China (Part I)

Beijing is one of those cities where no matter how much food you try, you always feel like you're just scratching the surface. And rightfully so. Restaurants, bars and food stalls, serving local & international cuisines, line the streets of this sprawling metropolis. This blog entry is merely a humble attempt to capture my 6 day culinary experience.

The first meal was a piping hot bowl of noodles with spicy, shredded pork at the Raffles city mall in Dongzhimen. Although this was a great start, I was hungry for more. For dinner, I ventured out to Wang Fu Jing to try some of the local street foods. You can find everything from giant turkey legs, meat on sticks, fried beetles and dumplings. I settled on scorpions. The scorpions, kept alive on sticks for freshness, are fried right in front of you. They were absolutely delicious! Crunchy and juicy at the same time. I loved it so much, I decided to go back and try some more.

The next day consisted of an exciting trip to the Great Wall. Lunch was included with the tour and it was a feast! Fish, spicy tofu, fried pork fat, flat noodles with pork and rice, all meant to be shared by everyone at the table.

After an exhausting day, dinner that night was a welcome affair. Guocheng Luo and his lovely wife Jane treated us to a great meal at In & Out restaurant in the Sanlitun area. The Chinese name for this restaurant Yi Zuo Yi Wang (一座一忘), meaning "Sit for a while and forget your troubles", is a more fitting name for this sanctuary inside the bustling city. The food is typical of the Yunnan province. We started with Lijiang black jelly, fried potato cakes, fried egg with jasmine flowers, and BBQ fish bundled with lemon grass (dongba style). This was followed by pineapple rice, served inside a pineapple, and "over the bridge" noodles, accompanied with sweet rice wine served in a bamboo barrel. Yes, people here know how to eat and they eat well....

The next day, after a mandatory trip to the Forbidden City, I decided to visit Nan Luo Guxiang and its Hutongs, a quaint little street, packed with bars, cafes, restaurants and shops selling souvenirs and traditional crafts. A great place to eat and drink or just hang out at night.

To be continued....

Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena de Indias, on the northern coast of Colombia, was a great cultural & culinary experience. Within the walls of the Old City you find bustling plazas and squares and no shortage of fresh, delicious food.



My dwelling of choice was Hotel
Casa La Fe, a bed and breakfast in the Old City. Morning breakfasts included Colombian coffee, Empanadas and Arepa con Huevo. This Caribbean arepa is deep-fried with a single raw egg inside that is cooked by the frying process and is a classic example of "Fritanga", or fried food.

On my second day I took a tour boat to a small island called Isla del Pirata where I saw a fisherman catching and scaling some fish in the morning. By lunch time, I was enjoying a typical coastal dish called Pargo Rojo or Whole Red snapper served with coconut rice and fried plantains. This was fish at its freshest and tastiest.

Don't hesitate to venture out of the Old City and visit La Cocina de Socorro on Calle del Arsenal. This restaurant has a 25 year history and its ceilings are covered with empty wine bottles. But I mostly remember it because they served some of the best Ceviche I've ever had.

Although the beach side city of Bocagrande has some fine restaurants, I decided to pop into a small street side stall and was thoroughly satisfied with a bowl of piping hot, spicy Fish stew curry accompanied with cool fresh fruit juices.

This place is where Gabriel García Márquez dabbled in magic realism and truly with its warm food, climate and people, it's easy to understand why.