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
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
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)
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
