Penang is my favorite street food city in the world. The mash up of cultures here is something to behold-Chinese, Nonya, Indigenous, Thai, Euroean, Indian etc. all seem to be getting along. Culinary traditions are some of the most in depth and complex in the world.
Once you go to this country and begin to study its history you will see that much of what Asia believes and eats has roots in this nation. Ankor Wat should be a requirement for all travelers. Food is interesting and vastly different than its neighbors. In a word-wonderful!
In a few words, quaint, charming, hospitable and forgiving. A lovely landlocked country that goes along at its own pace with great food and ancient sights.
One of the greatest success stories out there. Basically in 1 or 2 generations this country went from outpost to economic giant. Great street food and easy to maneuver-an excellent intro to the region.
If you want the best regional Chinese food, this is the place to go. I have had more great Chinese meals in this country than I have had anywhere else. It beats Hong Kong by a long shot.
I never tire of the food here-its healthy, fresh and vibrant. The culture is so old and so unique that its my favorite place to travel of any country in the world . I love the people and craziness of life emerging from sequestration.
Thailand is full of paradox. In some ways extremely chaste and in others a cesspool of excess and weirdness. I love the mash up of food here-the curries the liberal use of chiles, the insanity of Bangkok and the beauty of the jungle and beaches. Once you taste it from the source its very hard […]
How do you distill 7000 years of cooking history into anything comprehensive? You cannot. Its a maddening place-humanity on a whole different level. I was the opening chef of the first Park Hyatt on the mainland. I traveled and studied quite a bit over those 2 years and have been back a number of times […]
A paradox of ancient and ultra modern. My time in Japan was extraordinary and I try to get back at least 1 or 2 times a year. Never will you see quality in ingredients like you do in Japan…
Crazy is this experience. During the pre-opening of the Park Hyatt and all its delays left me with actual weekends off. I decided to take a cooking class and sought this place out. It was a typical vocational school set off the 4th ring road on a side street in a local apartment building with […]