Tastiest Travels #4

Fourth installment of Tastiest Travels! I am really glad it has been able to get this far. If you're interested in submitting something to the series please send an email over to communicationisdifficult@gmail.com with the subject "Tastiest Travels" and I'll send you the details!

Today we have some great food entries from seriously all over the world! Enjoy the tastes!

Xam

xamjulliarde.blogspot.com

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Spicy Lemon Scampi

Where you can get it: Makati, Philippines @ Café Mary Grace

Budget

The first time I dined at Café Mary Grace was with my mom, after a little bit of shopping spree with her. I have always loved eating pasta; it is my comfort food, I cook it all the time when I’m alone and hungry at home, and eating pasta never gets old for me. So, when we ate at Café Mary Grace, I knew I had to try this. Smeared generously with lemon juice, topped with prawns and lightly sprinkled with some spice, I definitely enjoyed the Spicy Lemon Scampi! What I love even more about this was that its portioning was neither too large, nor too small, for a hungry stomach. It gives you that satisfied feeling yet leaving you wanting for more. 

Samurai Sushi

Where you can get it: Dubai, United Arab Emirates @ Sumo Restaurant

Upscale

Just a couple of months back, I traveled to Dubai to renew my residence visa. I have always been a fan of Sumo Restaurant so, one day, I decided to try their New & Hot Samurai. It is shrimp tempura and crabstick roll that is topped lightly with salmon, avocado, cream cheese and mayo. It has the perfect fusion of crunchiness and softness, spiciness and sweetness. Even with a small appetite like mine, one order of Samurai was not enough. I ordered 3 and one order was about 6 pieces! Until now, every time I travel back to Dubai, I still order Samurai. It is just so good; it feels like falling in love with your longtime beau over and over again, but way better.

Chocolate Crepe

Where you can get it: Paris, France

Budget

It was late in the evening, my friends and I were exhausted from walking around the city, and good food was what we needed. We strolled around our hotel area, looking for the best food we can try. After a few minutes, we found a little crêperie restaurant nearby. Putting my few basic French phrases to good use, I ordered one crêpe with hot chocolate melting from the inside, coffee ice cream on the top and heavy vanilla whipped cream on the sides. Perfect balance of hotness and coldness, equal rhythm of sweetness and bitterness, I thought I was in heaven! Truly, France is the home of the best crêpes. 

Gemma of Gemoirs

http://gemoirs.tv

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Falafel Hommus Tahina & Salad with Pitta

Where you can get it: Bangkok, Thailand @ Ethos

Budget (500 baht/$13) 

Struggling to find a vegetarian option in Thailand, I was recommended to try vegan and vegetarian restaurant in the Khao San area of Bangkok. Multiple people whom I had spoke with praised their food and I was really excited to try it! One evening after working in Nakhon Pathom, a colleague and myself ventured into Bangkok so I could eventually experience this much talked about cuisine for myself. I don't know if everyone had gotten my hopes too high or my tastebuds had changed during my stay in Thailand but I wasn't blown away by the food. It wasn't bad food, the humous was actually really good - I can sometimes struggle to find the perfect humous and it was nice to have some non-spicy and vegetarian food at last. I was so excited to eat here, I probably overindulged by following my meal with a chocolate pancake and multiple fruit shakes and Kombucha tea, leaving Bangkok feeling absolutely stuffed! The atmosphere was relaxed and informal, there were low tables and cushions to sit cross-legged on the floor and soft lighting, creating a middle-eastern dining experience. My bill seems somewhat expensive for Thailand, but the restaurant is located in a touristic area of Bangkok and I saw no Thai people dining at the time I visited Ethos

Chicken Stew

Where you can get it: Bangkok, Thailand @ Cafè La Vela Steak and Coffee

Budget (64 baht ~$1.70)

I discovered this cute little cafe nestled beneath the U Delight 2 tower in the Bang Sue area of Bangkok. After arriving late in the evening to the area for work, I wanted to find somewhere close by to eat and I ended up at this place. I wasn't expecting both convenience and yummy cuisine but I was pleasantly surprised! Consequently I keep returning to this clean and calm little place every time I am working in the area and I try to order something new each time. However the menu is in Thai, so I have to just point at the limited amount of pictures on the menu but I haven't yet struggled to order from their delicious drinks and dessert list.

Honey Toast with Fruit and Ice Cream

Where you can get it: Sam Phran, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand @ Green Mountain Coffee

Budget (60 baht ~$1.50)

Directly opposite the Nakprasith school gates, myself and fellow teachers would flock to this place for refreshing iced beverages every lunch time. After enduring one too many questionable school dinners, I decided to order some honey toast after witnessing the alluring imagery of the sweet treats on offer. The portion sizes are huge and I would strongly advise you to learn from my mistake and share. At the time, you will be enjoying the warm, soft toast, drizzled in honey or chocolate syrup, contrasting with the refreshing, chilled and quickly melting ice cream, to notice the full and sickly feeling you are about to experience. In this case you can definitely have too much of a good thing! But this place is great and the "lovely coffee lady" is so sweet - sometimes she would give me free drinks and snacks from the vendor next door. The only thing I would change is the plastic cutlery, cutting through the toast can prove quite difficult and would often result in me getting sticky hands (and face) as I devoured this scrumptious sweet treat!

Garlic Pepper Chicken with Rice

Where you can get it: Sam Phran, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand @ Aroy

Budget (100 baht ~$2.75)

I figured it would be rude not to include a Thai meal, or even a Thai restaurant considering my entire post consists of food in and around Bangkok. It’s hard to know the name of a restaurant when it’s written in Thai and the majority of places I do eat Thai food in Thailand are from street food vendors. However this one restaurant, located by my apartment in Sam Phran (just opposite the Malee factory) in Nakhon Pathom province, became my favourite sit down restaurant in Thailand. It makes such a difference when the server can speak English and the menus are translated to English and this is one of the main reasons I loved this place. The food was also very tasty and although I set out to try everything on the menu, I tended to alternate between garlic and pepper chicken and cashew chicken, just because I knew I would enjoy my meal. I could never work out how my bill was calculated as it varied because they would charge everything separately (rice came separate and they would always bring me a bottle of water without me ordering one) but my bill generally came to around 100 – 120 baht. Although a couple of quid sounds ridiculously cheap for a meal, this became expensive to me after eating street food for 25 baht per meal, though the portion sizes here were somewhat bigger and I could sit at a table and access their wifi.

The entries this week were fantastic! I am starving after just having finished my own lunch. Thailand is now a top spot I want to get to for food, as Gemma's entries are all fantastic. And Xam's crepe picture has me questioning my dislike of crepes. Thanks again girls for your great submissions! Stay tuned next week 

Tastiest Travels #1

A few days before I left for Japan I asked some fellow travel bloggers if they wouldn't mind helping me out with this idea I had for a collaborative post. I got a great response for my idea and have had a number of fantastic submissions. So many, in fact, that I am comfortable making this a series. I'll feature two different bloggers a week and share with you the things they have shared with me!

The topic of the posts is food. Since moving to Japan my love of food and cooking and eating has grown. I am more adventurous with my diet and I have grown to appreciate the natural tastes of food. When I traveled to Vietnam my favorite thing was the food, and I even went on a food tour that was one of the best experiences of my life. So I asked the bloggers to share with me the three best things they've eaten while traveling! Hope this provides some great insight if you find yourself in any of these places.

Marisa Martin

www.thetravelingstorygirl.com

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Pescado del rio

Where you can find it: Mindo, Ecuador

Budget (~$10)

·         Deep in the rain forest of Ecuador, a small town called Mindo offers a unique eating experience. For just $10 you can catch a fish from the river and have it cooked for you! Catching the fish was surprisingly easy and you can watch it be prepared right in front of you. If you prefer, you have the option to take the fresh fish and prepare it yourself. It is a very fun way to eat fresh fish just like a local! The fish was very good and had a delicious taste to it. The herbs used to season it were kept secret but they added the perfect flavor!

Wiener Schnitzel with Fries

Where you can find it: Heidelburg, Germany

Budget (~$10)

·         I remember this meal especially fondly because it was the first real meal I had eaten in almost two days. I came across the restaurant on the main Hauptstrasse of Heidelberg, Germany, while searching for the school I would be studying at. I never found the school, but I did find this delightful meal! The meat was cooked to perfection and wasn’t too dry or too rare. Even though I didn’t order my schnitzel with sauce on it, my meal was scrumptious! I can hardly wait to return to Heidelberg so I can stuff my face full of this Weiner Schnitzel!

The-Best-Pasta-I-Have-Ever-Eaten

Where you can find it: Fussen, Germany

Budget

·         After spending all day hiking around Neuschwanstein castle, the only thing I wanted to do was get back to my hotel room and sleep. Unfortunately, we were among the last people to leave the castle and missed our train back to Munich. I was with my parents, so the three of us had roughly an hour before the next train came along. We were starving so we began to hurriedly walk the streets of Fussen in search of food. The only problem was it was during the World Cup and Germany was currently in the process of slaughtering Portugal (4-0). We finally stumbled upon a pizza shop where we could get something to go. The owner was so nice and jovial that he made sure to get our orders out as soon as possible. I found it so ironic because the owner was Turkish, serving Italian food in Germany. I thought it was funny anyways. The three of us took a picture with him and hurried back to the train station. We didn’t try the pasta until we were on the train, but it was the best pasta that I had ever eaten. Nothing I’ve had since has even begun to compare.

Hadas Aharon

http://www.thefashionmatters.com/

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Shakshuka

Where you can find it: Israel/Tunisia

Specific Restaurant: Dr. Shakshuka

Budget

As an Israeli, I grew up eating Shakshuka for breakfast almost every weekend. Therefore, as an expat, the flavor of Shakshuka always reminds me of home. Originally from Tunisia, Shakshuka was introduced to Israel by Tunisian Jews during the fifties. Ever since then Shakshuka became one of the most popular Israeli dishes. The spices that are being added to the dish vary, depending on the cooker, which makes each Shakshuka unique. The famous Israeli restaurant “Dr. Shakshuka” took the dish even farther and they are serving it with a wide variety of additions such as meat, cheese and vegetables. The best way to eat shakshuka is to dip a piece of bread in it.

Salty Frech Crepe

Where you can find it: France

Budget

As someone who lived in France for a year, I saw a “creperie” (restaurants that serve crepes) in every corner. Naturally, I couldn’t go on without trying the salty French crepes. When I first ordered the salty crepe I was a bit concerned since it seemed odd to me to eat a crepe that is not sweet. However, I was pleasantly surprise as to how tasty it was and how natural it felt. Therefore, it is no wonder why French crepes are one of the most popular dishes in the country. In France, you can order your crepe with basically anything- all types of meat, cheeses, eggs, vegetables or sea food; whatever you can think of. 

Pastel de Nata

Where you can find it: Portugal

Specific restaurant: Pasteis de Belem

Budget

Pastel de Nata is a Portuguese egg tart pastry. I first tried it in Belem, Lisbon. I was stunned how delicious this pastry is, and therefore it is a must-try for everyone who visits Lisbon. The most well-known place to eat this pastry at is “Pasteis de Belem”. The restaurant has a rich history of making delicious pastries; it will provide you with an excellent traditional experience. While you’re at Belem, which is a short distance from Lisbon city center (accessible via train), you should also visit other tourist attractions including the magnificent Tower of Belem and the Hieronymites Monastery

Thanks again to Marisa and Hadas for the great submissions! Definitely writing a few new dishes to my list of foods to try while traveling. That last egg tart looks especially tasty to me!

If you'd like to submit something for the series, please send an email over to communicationisdifficult@gmail.com with the subject "Tastiest Travels" and I'll get back to you as soon as I can with details!

Check back next week where we will feature some foods from Austria, Vietnam, Croatia, the Philippines and the US!