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| Morrison & Robert |
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CHOCOLATE |
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MELTDOWN |
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America leads the way in “sweet dark” |
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RESURRECTING |
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THE PEPPER MILL! |
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There was a time in upmarket American restaurants when long, hand held pepper grinders were the epitome of swank style. |
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KAMPOT |
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PEPPER |
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Kampot is a riverside village in Cambodia, near the former French colonial beach retreat of Kep. |
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WEST COAST |
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FLAVOURS |
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Chicken salad with herbs |
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Fresh spring rolls |
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Fish Cakes |
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Red Curry Basted Chicken |
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AIRLINE |
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STANDARDS |
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Standards in airline travel is hotting up as an issue in Asia. Having just traveled on two major U.S. carriers across the Pacific , we could easily say their economy trays tasted little better than a thawed tv dinne |
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CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
Robert Carmack and Morrison Polkinghorne wrote the Food & Drink chapter (p69-81) |
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 Dishing & Spooning for Bali |
Bali INDONESIA |
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We scoured the restaurants of Bali -- adding a few inches to the waist in the process -- sampling the freshest local fish and lobster, fattened foie gras and recherché foodie imports on this "island of the gods.” |
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Despite Bali's tragic tourism crisis in 2002, this remains a great destination. The local Hindu population (some 95% of the island's population) literally ooze with gentility and hospitality. And despite its fixed exchange rated with the US dollar, eating here is still one of the world's cheapest fine dining experiences. (Wines and alcohol are another matter!) As for hawker food stalls, the prices are almost laughable. Where else in the world would you get crisply roasted suckling pig for a dollar? Surely the island's finest restaurant experience is Seminyak and particularly Kafe Warisan … (read on) |
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And for upland visitors to the central region near Ubud, join us as we traipse through the restaurant scene there. There will be some shocks and surprises. Our friends are equally divided whether they prefer Ubud's Mozaic… (read on) |
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| CHARGING UP |
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“Charging up" is the new catch call at hotels these days. |
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A friend running an upmarket B&B informs me that seminars encourage the principal – from an extra charge for mid morning check in, to more money for softer pillows. Get ready for the consumer back lash. On a recent stay at the Victoria Hoi An in Vietnam, we were incredulously asked to pay US$5 for a bucket of ice to accompany our room service dinner. We’d love to hear your own feelings on the subject. |
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On a recent trip to Baltimore’s Marriott Waterfront, we were appalled at their $3 per day charge for use of the in-room safe. Here’s looking forward to the day when a clever liability lawyer catches them for not supplying theft-free rooms. To be fair to the Marriott, they made up with their great service sending me back a forgotten camera battery charger. Not only that, they sent it return courier for free. In this age when hotels are being encouraged to “price up” for everything from down pillows to early check in, this is the sort of service that will bring us back. More on Baltimore... |
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| RESIDUAL SUGAR |
AUSTRALIA |
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When we hear the terms “residual sugar” and “Asian cooking” in the same breath, we usually run the opposite direction. Personally, we savor a dry pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, or even an old-vine grenache to quaff with SE Asian and Chinese cooking alike. |
| (Syrah or shiraz tends to be too tannic, however.) But this white has us drinking it by the case – and little wonder at its cost. From Hungerford Hill in the Hunter Valley near Sydney, Australia, is a new range of smartly packaged, cleverly named, moderately-priced wines that are extremely drinkable. The Fishcage sauvignon blanc chardonnary blend has just enough sugar to stand up to chili dishes, so we’re back to drinking white wine again.. Better yet, despite Australia’s long, hot drought, they've controlled the alcohol content to a standard 12.5% 2003 Fishcage White |
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| KELP PEPPER |
NEW ZEALAND |
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First introduced to us by a thymus-deprived friend who needs iodine, Valere Kelp Pepper is a bit of a misnomer. The taste of this dried kelp is slightly salty, and definitely not spicy. But we love it on our instant noodles, and it has a positive affinity to fish. (Caution: when we added too much on a plate of spaghetti, it turned a bit slimy.) Giant macrocystis pyrifera kelp is hand harvested in the pure ocean waters of Akaroa Harbour, Tory Channel and the Chatham Islands, then naturally dried after picking. It’s rich in minerals, vitamins, and trace elements, plus abundant in iodine and potassium. The Valere family claim that their dried kelp is the secret to great fish and chips. valere@xtra.co.nz |
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| SUMMER BEACH WINES |
AUSTRALIA |
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With most of the world heading into the throes of summer, it's time to resurrect a perennial complaint: why don't Australian wineries make more good-quality "beach wine" for hot weather? Most are too big and robust -- which would be considered rare praise in other countries. Even drunk straight from the fridge, crisp whites become leaden under just a few minutes glare of the torpid sun. Occasionally, we've taken to Portuguese vinho verdhe in desperation. That was until we chanced upon a delicious colombard from Joe Grilli, under his Primo Estate Label. It's official nomenclature is La Bien Dina, presumably to counter European Union legal restrictions. On especially hot days, drink it on the rocks, which is an improvement over wine spritzers diluted with seltzer. A gorgeous wine considering its under A$15 price. And oh, it's screw top as well. |
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| SWEET & SPICY CARAMBOLA |
Globetrotting Gourmet Christmas Card 2006 |
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Sweet & Spicy Carambola
4 carambola/star fruit
1/4 cup tamarind puree
1/3 cup palm- or brown sugar
large pinch of salt
1 fresh red chili, finely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted coconut
1 lime, cut into wedges |
1. Slice carambola into stars; refrigerate.
2. Stir tamarind puree and sugarover medium heat till dissolved; cool. If too thick, add a tablespoon of water.
3. Arrange stars on a plate and sprinkle with salt; drizzle sauce atop. Scatter with chili and coconut, and garnish with lime. If desired, top with roasted peanut bits.
Serves 4 |
| STYLING:Robert Carmack DESIGN:Morrison Polkinghorne PHOTO:Julian Watt |
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| WEATHER TRAVEL PLANNER |
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Speaking of forecasts, what happens elsewhere on the Equator? Plan on warm to hot weather throughout, but monsoon rains vary dramatically. The main part of Thailand, from Bangkok north, and east to Vietnam stays rainy until November, then magically dry the next six to eight months. (Northern Vietnam, especially the highlands, can prove chilly in December and January.) Conversely, the pan handle of southern Thailand, plus Malaysia, Singapore, and the Indonesian archipelago switches into full monsoon season when regions north of the 10th latitude turn dry in November. Consequently, we'll be packing our brolly. The South Pacific bears the brunt of December and January storms, with cyclones the norm in Oceania during the holiday months and well into the new year. While temperatures hover high, it's inclement at best. |
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SCREW TOP |
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WINES |
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we're convinced that wines for immediate consumption benefit from screw tops. |
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TOMATOES |
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When it comes to tomatoes, marketing hype seems to override reality. |
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ISSAN ON |
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MY MIND |
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Khon Kaen, The Crossroads of Thailand's Northeast.
written for T.A.T. Newsroom by Robert Carmack |
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| GREEN LIP LITTLE NECK CLAMS |
Dunedin NEW ZEALAND |
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We fell in love with New Zealand's latest "green lip" offering -- clams from the southern shores near Dunedin. Like the namesake green lip mussels, these shells have a verdant tinge, but insides surprisingly glisten an opalescent purple. The meat is a cross between cockle and clam -- although the New Zealand promotion to American clearly labels them as "little neck clams." Indeed, sales to the distant US continent are rocketing, while nearby Australia's quarantine presents them landing on the Fatal Shores. |
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Inquiries to Southern Clams Ltd roger@nzclams.com |
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| CAIPIROVSKA |
Dunedin NEW ZEALAND |
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For those many whetted appetites requesting a recipe for the quenching caipirovska featured in our last tgtgNewsletter: take 1/2 lime, 1 heaping tablespoons sugar, crushed ice and 1/4 cup/4 fl oz. vodka. Cut the lime into small bits, including rind but not seeds, add sugar in a glass, and mull until dissolved. Add vodka, ice and swill. The story goes that a London bartender ran out of cachaça one day, so substituted vodka, and then gave it a Russian-sounding name. The best we've quaffed so far is at the Alila Manggus resort on Bali. As they say in Guide Michelin, "worth a detour." |
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| DIEN BIEN PHU MARKET TURNS 50 |
Saigon VIETNAM |
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2004 marks the 50th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu. As every French student learns, 7 May, 1954 is the date that the Vietnamese defeated the French in the country’s decisive battle to end colonialism in Southeast Asia. Sadly, 1954 did not mark the end of war in the region, and even after the fall of Saigon in 1975, the former colonies of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia experienced a further two decades of privation. In the 1990s Vietnam began opening its borders to both tourism and investment, in a policy of Doi Moi,. It was not until 1994, however, that the US lifted its remaining trade embargo against its former enemy. |
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Dien Bien Phu is now a popular tourist destination, with two flights daily on Viet Nam airlines from Hanoi. The name means Chief Frontier Post, and although the region is cut off from much of the country by majestic mountain ranges, it maintains a strategic location near the Lao border, and just 75 miles/120 km from China. Consequently, French General Henri Navarre reasoned that a build up of his forces here would strangle Viet Minh transport routes to the south, and likewise prevent assistance to the Pathet Lao guerrilla fighters west across the border. This left the communist Vietnamese with little alternative but to fight. |
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After a 56 day siege under the direction of Ho Chi Minh’s right hand man and chief strategist General Vo Nguyen Giap, he outmanoeuvred the French troops under Colonel de Castries. The Viet Minh dug extensive tunnels into the area, and launched wave after wave of attacks. Finally on 7 May, 1954, the French surrendered, but at the cost of 25,000 Vietnamese lives versus 3,000 French souls. One of the world’s most decisive battles was over. |
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Surprisingly, the battle took place several days after French and Vietnamese delegates had already begun meeting in Geneva to negotiate the end of French rule. This victory hastened the French withdrawal, and ensured favourable terms for Vietnam, although a year later the country divided into North and South. The rest is history…. |
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