| Dear Food Travel Lover. |
| Croustillante means crisp, and we sampled these paper-thin pineapple flex crowning coconut ice cream at Alila Cha Am. Presentation was stacked high atop a thick ring of |
 |
| fresh pineapple poached in vanilla and cinnamon-infused syrup, plus dacquat. |
|
|
|
| Presumably its wordsmith chef means circular dacquoise, a nut meringue, but here, genoise sponge substitutes. To Make: lightly sprinkle fruit slices – from pineapple, apple, pear -- lightly with sugar, then dry in a slow convection oven for an hour or two. |
| We always like Alila hotels, both for high standards and true green credentials. Our upcoming Royal Laos FoodTOUR in October billets at the brand-new Alila Resort Luang Prabang. This is their second property in that Unesco-heritage listed city, with opening dates timed for our arrival www.alilahotels.com/luangprabang |
| |
• OUR NEXT FoodTOUR |
 |
 |
|
There’s still seats available on this next FoodTOUR.
Space is limited, and registrations
close at the end of this month. |
 |
|
 |
 CENTRAL VIETNAM |
|
|
|
NORTHERN LAOS |
| 20-27 September Beginning in Danang and ending in Hue: historic Hoi An during Autumn festival; plus colonial hill station Ba Na; and Cham towers of My Son. |
1-8 October Beginning in Vientiane: plus mysterious Plain of Jars, ancient vessels the size of a man and 1500 years old; Luang Prabang staying at the brand new Alila Resort – we’ll be its first arriving guests. |
|
 |
Two longer options incorporate both tours above, traveling across the DMZ and famed Highway 9 to charming colonial towns Savannakhet and Thakhaek in Laos, picturesquely nestled along the Mekong River. |
|
|
| DANANG TO LAOS |
|
|
|
CENTRAL VIETNAM + LAOS |
| 27 Sept-8 Oct For those on a shorter schedule, this 12-day trip omits the Vietnam week, departing from Danang or Hue directly to Laos. |
20 Sept-8 Oct for 19 days, including the central Vietnam tour in full, plus Laos. |
|
| READ THE DAY BY DAY ITINERARY HERE > > > |
| |
• DESSERT, ANYONE? |
 |
|
|
 Are you an Entrée or a Barbeque? The categories were coined by Greg Rapp, a specialist in menu writing. He applies four to diners: |
| Entrees don’t want a lot of explanation about ingredients, composition, just the name and price; Desserts, by contrast, order the newest, most trendy styles. Barbecues, as one might imagine, are folksy get together sorts sharing plates and like chatty servers wearing name tags. And finally, Recipes are customers who want to know about the ingredients. |
| |
• HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANOI |
 |
|
|
 |
Vietnam's capital city Hanoi celebrates its 1000 anniversary the first two weeks of October. From the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, to its Old Quarter trade streets, to imposing French colonial architecure, this city posivitely excels. Hanoi was capital of French Indochina from 1902-1954, and afterwards, of the divided north, then re-unified south. |
|
| Behind every successful man is a woman, say the French. Franco-Vietnamese chef Didier Corlou is a whirlwind of energy, consulting and opening new eateries with utter abandon – and invariably with stellar results. His newest: 36 RUE TRES JOLIE. Guiding light is wife Mai’s family dishes, handed down from her grandmother Madame Hien. This makes Didier’s third enterprise in Hanoi – including home cooking school, plus Verticale restaurant. www.didiercorlou.com |
| |
• PRESS |
|
|
|
| Robert’s article Gastronomic Innovation – Thai Culinary Art Goes International can be accessed from www.tatnews.org. It profiles leading Thai practitioners overseas, and their latest trends. |
| Just Add Spice. Qantas, The Australian Way in-flight magazine features Globetrotting Gourmet® tours, amongst a select group of leading-light tour purveyors, in the current August ’10 issue. www.qantas.com.au |
 |
|
| Chiba Prefecture: Robert Carmack savors the emperor's soy sauce outside Tokyo. Our chapter runs in To Japan with Love, edited by Celeste Heiter; out mid-year: www.thingsasian.com |
|
| E-Travel Blackboard profiles Globetrotting Gourmet® upcoming tours to central Vietnam & Laos. Royal Foods of Vietnam and Laos www.etravelblackboard.com |
| Read Robert’s review of Shanghai Mansion for TAT Newsroom. Bangkok’s Chinatown is overlooked by tourists to the Thai capital, but it’s an exciting destination, boasting the city’s freshest fish, myriad tea shops, ancient temples, and bargain haberdashery. |
| |
• TEA |
 |
|
|
| We’ve long despaired for the perfect cuppa, an English brew made from loose black leaves, steeped in a pre-heated pot with boiling water for 3-5 minutes. It's losing ground to tea bags; worse, those are composed of cheap finings. However brewed, forget the nonsense about adding milk to the cup first – it chills the porcelain. We’re delighted to hear Institut Paul Boucuse and Sri Lanka’s Dilmah tea family set up a theory and practice course. |
By contrast, rinse semi-fermented and black tea leaves with barely boiling water prior to brewing: don't rinse green. Steeping temperature is well below boiling point for green and oolong teas, lest they turn bitter. (At home, we pour kettle water first into a small glass jug prior to the pot, and cool the water as low as 60C for fine Japanese gyokuro.) Southwest China grows China’s best oolong, pu-erh and jasmine, and our last tour to Yunnan learned the rules at Kunming’s famous Dr. Tea. |
 |
Taste the best tea at its source, with Globetrotting Gourmet Yunnan2 FoodTOUR in Feb/Mar '11. Itinerary is totally new, viewing spectacular terraced rice paddies, and glorious canola fields in seasonal full bloom. |
|
|
|
| |
• GARLIC |
 |
|
|
| Investing in garlic returns a far better profit than stocks, at least in China. A favorite of cashed-up punters, this rhyzome's price rose 286% last year, making it by far the best performing Chinese asset. Some 60% of garlic used in US restaurants is of Chinese origin, while conversely, China reduced its total garlic planting by 50%, meaning future shortages are imminent. |
| |
• BROWNIES REDUX |
 |
|
|
We erred in last issue’s discussion on brownies.
Origin is Chicago's Palmer House, not San Francisco. As Chicago maven Judith Dunbar Hines explains: The Brownie was 'invented' by the Palmer House chef because the Palmers of the hotel fame were city leaders and she was asked to head the 'women's pavilion' at the Fair. She included box lunches in her plan and challenged the chef at the hotel to make a dessert which was dainty and not messy (most desserts here at that time were pies from the English tradition) and he did the cake in a shallow pan and cut it into small bits. And the brownie was actually named by Sears Roebuck, a Chicago-based catalog shipping business, much later when they sold boxed mixes based on Mrs. Palmer's recipe. |
 |
Also: Our description of the
perfect brownie -- unleavened and
slightly chewey -- elicited a response from Randi Levin, aka The Muffin Lady, who shares two recipes. Yes, they
should not be cakey, but fudgey is ok, as long
as they are not too fudgey.
Randi won a Gourmand International
World Cookbook Award in Stockholm. |
|
|
| |
• TUNA: END OF THE LINE? |
|
|
|
| The world’s most popular fish is endangered. This year’s failure to enact Pacific fishing quotas on Bigeye tuna leaves both canned and fresh at risk. Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan are unable to follow the advice given to them by their own scientists, decries a Greenpeace spokesman. Meanwhile, Pacific island nations, already under threat from global warming, face unsustainable fishing in unregulated zones outside their legal borders. |
| Skipjack is the sole canned tuna from sustainable numbers. At risk is albacore and yellowfin. Put bluntly: if your canned tuna does not specify variety and origin, avoid it. |
 |
| |
| Similarly, eschew blue fin tuna. Although its sashimi is exquisite, it’s not worth the environmental cost. Over-fishing plagues Southern blue fin and Atlantic blue fin, and both face extinction. Do more: tell your local restaurateur and store manager that this is an issue of importance to you. |
Prestige restaurant chain Nobu continues selling endangered blue fin tuna. So when journalist Jemima Sissons queried chef Nobu Matsushisa in The Wall Street Journal, he replied testily: We don’t do anything illegal, but some groups continue to attack us. If the government makes it illegal, I will follow. But so far there is nothing. Also, blue-fin tuna is tradition in Japan. Nobu-san knows full well the ramifications of his stance, not to mention his role model. www.sustainablesushi.net Sydney chef Justin North of prestige Becasse includes two blue fin recipes in his signature cookbook. |
|
| Hawaii is the first US state to ban sharks’ fin. Asian trend-setters increasingly eschew this prized and pricey delicacy, but others relish its unique gelatinous texture at banquets. It’s also cruelly harvested: typically de-finned while alive, then thrown back to sea to die slowly. We’d especially like Malaysian-Singapore star chef Sam Leong to set an example. |
| |
• HOTEL RAVES |
 |
|
|
Banyon tree Lijiang, China
We billeted our Jan ’10 tour members at the Banyon Trees in Lijiang and Zhongdian (Shangri-La), and quite frankly, both properties deserve their status amongst China’s 10 best hotels. No small accolade in a country with infinite competition. Our room view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain was so spectacular, it’s now the screen saver on our I-Phone. Chef Alan Yong wooed our group with a gala dinner highlighting the province’s rich wild mushroom culture. www.banyantree.com |
|
Banyon Tree Ringha, Zhongdian, China
Restored ancient Tibetan farmhouses compose this Shangri-La property, high on the Tibetan plateau. The all-suite rooms are mammoth, and we didn’t want to leave premises. Chef wowed our group with a Tibetan Barbecue cooking class, ranging from grilled yak meat to gargantuan Shangri-La trout, and steamed Tibetan ham with goat cheese. www.banyantree.com
We are so enamored by both properties, we’ve reserved again for next year. Tentative dates Feb 20-Mar 6, so plan your travel calendar now. Join us in China’s most beautiful province: Yunnan. 20-28 Feb. We’ll travel from Kunming to the province’s Southeast, its famed terraced rice fields, and golden fields of flowering rapeseed/canola. Our optional extension,
Mar 1-6 flies to Unesco-heritage Lijiang, and Zhongdian on the Tibetan Plateau, staying in unbridled luxury, pampered with the best tastes. |
Travel+Leisure magazine recently listed the seven most beautiful rice terraces in the world:, Yunnan rated # 2, plus Banaue in the Phillipnes, followed by Bali Indonesia, Annapurna Nepal, Chiang Mai Thailand, Long Ji China and Lao Cai/Sapa in near the Chinese border in Vietnam. We hosted our northern Vietnam food tour group here mid ‘-09, and will be featuring Yunnan’s paddies in our Feb/mar ’11 tour. CLICK HERE
|
 |
|
|
| Unico Grande Silom |
|
|
Sofitel Centara Grand |
It closes for a few weeks in September/October for a final face lift. About time. >>>
|
Renovations at our favorite Bangkok hotel near finish, which is quite contrary to events unfolding at the annex Central Shopping Mall. >>> |
|
|
 |
Plaza Athenee, Paris
Paris’ staid and proper Plaza Athenee features two specially designed Barbie rooms in the fashion doll’s favorite color: pink. Each connects to Mom and
Dad’s digs next door.
There’s only two such rooms,
and both revert in September.
www.plaza-athenee-paris.com |
|
|
| Alila Cha Am, Thailand >>> |
Silq, Bangkok >>> |
|
Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas, Arizona.
At the ritzy end of Phoenix, we expected a lot more. Stick to… >>> |
| |
• USA |
 |
|
|
| We lucked into the US food circuit in April. Scottsdale Culinary Festival, then Seattle Restaurant Festival, and finally International Associaton of Culinary Professionals annual conference in Portland Oregon. |
Delighted to find Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
at Pike Place Market especially their nugget-sized
fresh curds, or squeaky cheese. A paucity of washed rinds, no goat, nor sheep. Only cow. Vache! |
 |
|
| Also lunched twice to Etta’s Seafood in Seattle, the first time on their a la carte menu, repeating the next day with their Festival Special Menu. Night and day, chalk and cheese. While the main menu halibut on day 1 was exemplary, their discount menu soup on day 2 was tasteless, so we opted for a wedge salad instead. |
|
|
Is the salad wedge back?
It’s solid, not tossed, a single piece cut from head lettuce, tres a la mode, and ambrosially topped with creamy dressing. A light, loose head is sweeter, so avoid heavy firm and tight. We also noticed fried pickles on many a Northwest menu. Origins from the South, but who dug up this little gem so far from home?
Definitely more delicious than they sound. |
 |
|
|
| |
• PLONK |
 |
|
|
| Wine with Thai food is always a popular subject with our readers. The first-ever Bangkok International Wine Fair runs from 25-27 Nov, with some 200 producers from 15 countries. Organizers seek to establish Bangkok as the leading wine hub for mainland Southeast Asia – but the kingdom must drastically cut its exorbitant taxes to achieve that. |
| Hong Kong cut imposts to zero, and Singapore countered with a volume vs percentage tax. Thai import rates soar to 275%, and 230% for domestic. www.bangkokwinefair.com |
|
|
| Learn more about Thai wine at its source: Khao Yai, about an hour north of bustling Bangkok, in bucolic countryside. We’re organizing a weekend Isan Food & Wine Masterclass with PB Vineyards and neighboring vintners mid next year. Taste the kingdom’s production, plus study Northeastern Thai regional culture. www.isanfoodfestival.com |
| Tentative Masterclass dates 4-5 June, 2011. We’ll follow with a week’s private coach tour of the region, feasting on what is arguably Thailand’s tastiest tucker. Full tour Dates June 2-12. |
|
| I HEART Thailand T-shirts were all the rage when we visited Bangkok, just days after the frenzied rioting, looting, torching and bloodletting of late May. Let’s pray for a yellow and red shirt blend, to help bring peace to its deeply polarized populace. |
 |
The country’s new tourism focus is inner peace based on Buddhist conscripts of Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. Thai hospitality and graceful warmth will likewise counteract recent events, as the country begins to heal. |
|
| More importantly, foreigners were never targeted, and there was never any contagion to other countries. Throughout, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport operated as a safe and efficient hub to neighboring nations. |
| Our Laos and Vietnam Royal Foods tour scheduled in September/October is not affected at all by the Thai political protests, and there are easy alternatives to Bangkok airport for those concerned. |
| Pimp Your Maid runs the headline in a Bangkok freebie tabloid, but the reality is much more sedate. Indian Cooking Classes for Maids @ at Mrs Balbir’s. US$100 for lessons, plus B500/$15 dinner voucher, gift bag and apron. Little wonder the Red Shirts rebelled! No web, Bkk tel 02 651 0019 |
| |
• PHUKET, I'LL GO |
 |
|
|
| The idyllic island Phuket is officially Australia’s favourite overseas haunt, overtaking closer Bali. Aussies now rate # 1 for foreign arrivals, as well. |
| Fittingly, when last on Phuket we lunched with long-time resident and expat Aussie Susanne Ultman, co-owner of the island’s pacesetting Ban Rim Pa restaurant. Nestled picturesquely on cliffs over popular Patong beach, this is an institution for nearly a decade. The complex also houses contemporary fare at Joe’s downstairs, and rarefied Italian at their Da Maurizio. There’s also a Chinese eatery nearby, currently undergoing a new revamp. Stylish nights out on an idyllic island. www.baanrimpa.com |
|
| The most exciting 'new' food we’ve eaten in Bangkok, is how we initially described Bo.Lan. Certainly impassioned, refined dishes, with a quest to capture authentic flavors of yesteryear. So we were delighted to receive an invitation to their first anniversary party earlier this year. |
| The restaurant since launched a program of cooking classes – something we’re be sure to attend. Little surprise the guiding lights of Bo.Lan, Duangporn Songvisava & Dylan Jones. bolan.co.th |
| Also on the Bangkok food front: Nahm at the Metropolitan hotel. We are waiting for some chairs and then we'll open, says its chef. Michelin-starred David Thompson brings his London eatery to the Thai capital, and our mouth waters just thinking about it. |
| Hajime Japanese restaurant in Bangkok launches a robot service, combining food preparation to actual serving at the table. Owners say contamination risks are minimalized. Any chance of lubricants dripping on the sushi? |
| |
• COOKS' BOOKS |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Food Sake Tokyo, The Terroir Guides, by Yukari Sakamoto. The Little Bookroom. A well-researched guide to take on board to Japan, but why the hefty weight? If publishers really want a practicable travel series, get rid of trendy designers, use thinner paper stock, but keep the facts. Others in the series:
Budapest, regional Italy, Rome, Burgundy.
Amazon
|
| Twit for a song. Britisher Paul Smith traveled the world with nothing but Twitter introductions, and paid practically nothing. He’s since written a book, Twitchhiker. His first travel plans were to Campbell Island, off New Zealand’s coast, but his breakthrough came when actor Stephen Fry – an inveterate Tweeter – shared news to his vast army of followers. Almost immediately, he was deluged with offers, from a Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry ticket; flying trans-Atlantic on a donation of frequent flyer points; plus complimentary LA to Auckland gratis ex Air New Zealand. |
|
| |
• MYANMAR / BURMA |
 |
|
|
The US should broaden engagement with Myanmar/Burma to reach more of the population, and take a long term view despite growing concern over upcoming elections, says a report from New York based Asia Society. Elections are scheduled for 7 November. |
Help support the local Burmese economy, and especially its citizenry, by joining Globetrotting Gourmet next travels through Southeast Asia’s least developed – and most original – country. |
|
| |
• MISCELLANY |
|
|
|
 |
Real men don’t eat chicken.
Or so claims Bolivian president Evo Morales, claiming
producers inject birds with female hormones.
Because of that, men who consume them have
problems
with being men.
The Bolivian president also condemns Coca-Cola:
It is harmful. Imagine what it contains.
Cocaine, for one thing. And that comes from Bolivia.
READ MORE>>> |
|
Sucker bite.  A katipo spider in New Zealand bit more than it could chew when it sucked a Canadian tourist’s penis. After skinny-dipping on a beach, the 22 year old awoke to throbbing pain, which eventually led to hospitalization for heart inflammation, and a discharge some 16 days later. New Zealand prides itself in being devoid of dangerous and poisonous wildlife. It’s sole exception is the katipo, related to America’s black widow and Australia’s redback. As an endangered species, it’s rare to attack, but thrives on sandy beaches, especially under driftwood. |
B.S. With cows blamed for a rather unbelievable 20% greenhouse emissions, India’s environment minister calls for
an end to its consumption.
But instead of embracing vegetarian fare, how about husbanding grass-fed cows?
READ MORE>>> |
 |
|
| Chlorine Pool. Has someone been taking America’s chicken for a swim? Russia, the world’s largest chicken importer, banned US poultry for failing to meet new safety requirements proscribing chlorine-treatment. Asian chicken producers, previously devastated by bird flu, will now fill the void. America previously supplied 600,000 tonnes annually of Russian’s total 760,000 tonnes of imports. |
| |
• TOP WORST & BEST LISTS |
 |
|
|
| Ugliest Tourists |
Spain & France rank low, but Germany, Japan, Canada best… READ MORE>>>
|
|
| Top 5 airlines |
| Where service excels at all levels and class, in alphabetical order: |
| Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Kingfisher, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore. >>> |
| Moneyed Air Cos |
Full-Service Qantas tops, and America’s #8 Southwest the only budget carrier on the list.>>> |
|
|
| Cheapest cities |
| There’s a reason they’re low priced, so travel at risk: |
| #1 Karachi, Pakistan >>> for the full list. |
|
|
| Top airports: 1.Changi/Singapore, 2. Incheon/Korea, 3. Hong Kong. |
| Best airport toilets: Hong Kong, Incheon, Kansai. No American ports made the grade, but Europe’s Copenhagen, Munich, Amsterdam, Zurich rated high in other categories, while Frankfurt fell from grace. ROYAL FLUSH |
| • FLYING HIGH |
 |
|
|
| The future of Japan Air Lines stewardess uniforms is as risque as that financially-troubled airline itself. With mass layoffs, there’s concern many a frock will go astray. Seems Japanese fetishists titillate to its wardrobe charms, and black market JAL and ANA booty fetch as much as $24,000. Airline execs worry such antics besmirch their image. Solution: sewing microchips into uniforms for easy tracing. If used JAL costumes fetch such a high price, what costs a Virgin? |
 |
| In the case of British Air stewardesses, outfitting was the furtherest thing from their mind. Cheeky pix of flight attendants lifting up their skirts surfaced on a porn website, flouting cabin crews’ distinctive red, white and blue bits. Pix were taken by staff fooling around on an aircraft, then sent to friends. They were never intended to get out and it would never have occurred to the girls they would end up on a porn site a source told the The Sun. |
|
| Which leads to a further dressing down: An English lass was arrested in August for stripping to her bikini in a Dubai mall. The incident occurred after chastisement from a traditionally-garbed woman. Her retort: unveiling then and there down to skivvies. Reportedly, there are multi-lingual signs in the complex admonishing women to wear respectful clothing. |
US airlines made $1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2010 just on luggage slugs and optional charges, according to the Government Accountability Office. In other parts of the world, free meals and complimentary check-in baggage are still the norm on full service carriers.
More Airline News |
| Mind you stash Flight attendants on Vietnam Airlines are |
 |
accused of stealing over
$12,000 from a passenger's handbag. When the plane landed the money was gone. On-ward journey staff eventually found the stash – but under another seat. >>> |
|
You Get What
You Pay For
Tempted by low fares on a discount air carrier? Authorities revoked Viva Macau's license after the thrifty airline failed to assist passengers stranded by flight cancellations |
|
|
Processing on board
Indonesia’s Garuda suffered notorious press when the EU banned its flights for safety. Now they’re back, and here’s a feature for others to copy: Immigration on Board.
>>> READ MORE |
|
Most egregious is Ireland’s Ryan Air, and it’s perennial call for pay toilets and stand-up seating. Spend a pound to spend a penny. It's an old bone regularly dug up to feed press and further publicity. More worrisone: decreasing toilets to just one per 189 passengers. That will enable us to remove two out of three of the toilets and make way for at least six extra seats says a spokesman.
|
| To see which airline charges what, visit luggagelimits.com |
| So what happened to the Warsaw convention allowing 20 kilos, and US standards decreeing 2 bags? Are consumer affairs advocates ensconced in first class trimmings, neglecting what’s happening back of the coach? |
 |
| In the US, only two airlines still allow free baggage check ins: Southwest (2 bags) and Jet Blue (1 bag). To hammer the point, Southwest painted 50 aircraft with the slogan, Free Bags Fly Here and an arrow pointing to its cargo bin. |
| Southwest also tagged 1,000 luggage carts across the system with banners saying I Carry Free Bags. We recall when America West originally allowed 3 free check ins. |
|
| |
• TRAVEL NEWS |
|
|
|
| Visit this new website focusing on Korean cuisine, plus restaurant reviews, food columns, blogging and forum areas. Viewers can also share content on their own social networking areas , like Twitter and Facebook. www.koreataste.org |
 |
| Korean food's international popularity has risen dramatically, with much credit due to long-running TV soap opera Dae Jang Geum, taking place in the ancient royal kitchens. There's now a goal to promote Korean food as one of the world’s top 5, with increased tourism to match. |
|
Travel agents want to charge airline extras on their reservations. >>>
Use travel agents when making group bookings, arranging multi-leg-stopover travel, or as an added protection when unexpected problems arise – such as this year’s eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano. So says Christopher Zinn, spokesman for Choice, Australia’s consumer organization, commenting in the SMH Traveller section.
Bangkok regains the top spot in Travel + Leisure 2010 World’s Best Awards readers’ survey, followed by Chiang Mai at #2, then Kyoto, Japan and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Meanwhile, 10 Asian hotels rate in the top 100 hotels in the world. |
| • UPCOMING FoodTOURS |
 |
|
|
| Join us for a gastronomic adventure of a lifetime |
China's Yunnan province Feb 20-28, 2011
& Shangri-La/Lijiang post tour Mar 1-6 |
Thailand June 2- 12, 2011
Isan Food & Wine Masterclass, Khao Yai + Isan province, Northeast Thailand |
 |
Cheers,
Robert & Morrison |
|
|
THAILAND 
