Best Restaurants Around the World 2011

To me Chinese is one of the best cuisines in the world.  However I understand that food is a personal choice.  Some, although not many, can live on crisps and toast only.  Yes they exist!  I have seen them on Discovery channel.  To them they are fed to survive rather than to a bigger extent that it is also something to enjoy.  Food plays an important part in Hongkie's life, 42.3% of Hong Kong people travel in search of good food.  One of my favourite local weekly travel magazines have recently invited some influential foodies to select their best restaurants around the world and I would like to share with my readers which one I would love to try:

1. Tickets - Barcelona - Spain 
   One of my holiday destinations in 2012 is Spain.  What I remember about Spain is their delicious tapas bars, the stylish Madridians, Gaudi and their way of living.  So I am definitely tempting to try this tapas bar. 
   
   The godfather of molecular gastronomy and one of the best chefs in the world, Ferran Adrià, announced the closing of his 3-Michelin star restaurant el Bulli few months ago.  It has disappointed many gourmet eaters especially those who had been waiting for a year to try to get a table.  But fret not, he has opened a more 'down-market' molecular tapas bar - Tickets in Barcelona and the head chef is his brother Albert.  If you want to book a table, you only need to wait for three months.
   
   Try The Oysters with its Pearl, The Olives, Jamon de toro
   
   
2. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - London - UK
   Blumenthal's food is impressive and fun but too much of a trouble to try it yourself - watch his TV series Heston's Feasts and you will know what I mean.  It's just not something you will do at home.  For this reason, I would love to visit one of his restaurants.  Dinner is nested in Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London.  It has earned its first Michelin-star just after ten months it has opened its doors.  I do like the thrill of molecular food and besides Adrià, nobody else does better than Blumenthal.  BUT I think the attraction of this recently opened restaurant is its 'gentrified' traditional British menu.
   
   Try Meat Fruit, Mandarin, Chicken Liver Parfait and Grilled Bread and Roast Scallop, Cucumber Ketchup and Borage
   
   
3. Noma - Copenhagen - Denmark
   Noma has been voted the world's No.1 restaurant by the reputable British gourmet magazine - Restaurant.  I have never been to Scandinavia nor tried their cuisine but now I have noted this restaurant down, I have a good reason to make a trip there in the future.
   
   
4. El Celler De Can Roca - Girona - Spain
   Roca is another successful molecular gastronomy restaurant situated in the outskirts of Barcelona.  Currently holding a 3-Michelin star, their food is theatrical.  I like it that you have only got two menus to choose from - either the Tasting Menu or the Feast Menu.  The average waiting time for a table is six months so I guess if I do decide to go there in 2012, I should book now. 
   
   Try Caramelized Olive Tree, Campari Bombon
   
   
5. 三田牛 飛苑 - Kobe - Japan
   Okay by now I am kind of wanting some 'normal food'.  Hien does not have any Michelin star but nothing beats a nice piece of char-grilled marbled Kobe beef steak.  Slightly different to molecular gastronomy, the chef here focuses on simple preparation of quality ingredients.  Sometimes less is more, I will be very happy just having this beef with a bowl of plain rice.
   
   Address: 神戸市兵庫区松原通1-1-69. Tel: 0786816529　
   
   
6. 吉士酒家 - Shanghai - China
   Xin Ji Xhi group has a few branches in Shanghai and the one on Tian Ping Road is their oldest branch.  I have been to the one in Xi Tian Di and personally much prefer the decoration and atmosphere there.  I was taken there for my birthday and the food was absolutely scrumptious.  It is Shanghaiese so expect something perhaps greasier with strong flavour.  This is definitely on my list if I ever travel to Shanghai again.
   
   Address: No.41 Tian Ping Road. Tel: 21-62829260
   
   
7. The Press Club - Melbourne - Australia
   Geroge Calombaris is one of the presenters of Master Chef Australia and he's also one of the top 40 chefs in the world.  He owns five restaurants in Australia and one of them is The Press Club which is a Greek restaurant.  Greek food isn't that popular in Hong Kong.  I guess there just isn't much demand for it here.  I always enjoy the food when I am in Australia because they have rich fresh produce which makes a huge difference for a dish.  Much of the western ingredients available in Hong Kong are imported and I remember the first time I could really taste a tomato was when I was in Perth. 
   
   I enjoyed my 2-day visit in Melbourne when I visited a few years back so next time when I am in town, The Press Club will definitely be one of my dining choices.  Their food looks really appertising and it will be indulging to try their 4-course set.
   
   Try Larisa "Kotopoulo" slow-cooked chicken breast, Naoussa Arni-Lamb
   
   
8. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand
   I would have enjoyed Thai food much more if it's not that spicy.  I have visited many famous local Thai restaurants and just couldn't finish a meal without drinking ten gallons of water because of too much hot spice!  I always wanted to visit Nahm during my visits to Bangkok but never got around to it.  The chef of Nahm actually comes from Australia.  So I think he will go easy with the spice, this is one top of my list when I visit Bangkok next.
   
   Try Fresh crabs cooked with turmeric and coconut sauce
   
   
   
   
   
   

High Tea-ing in HK

One of the quintessential things to do when visiting HK is to have afternoon tea and the most popular choices are at The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental and recently on top of the list is Four Seasons.

The lobby of The Pen where the rave for traditional English high tea began in HK was spectacularly-decorated for Xmas this year. I picked a work day and arrived half an hour late (the afternoon tea time started at 2pm) and the queue was crazily long! So I gave up and headed to MO instead.

Honestly the food is much better at MO but nowhere beats the vibe at the Pen. The clotted cream and rose petal jam are my favourite but I can never finish all the scones.

[ Mandarin Oriental High Tea Set ]

[ Clotted Cream and Rose Petal Jam ]

[ Really cute mini bun with eggs and chive ]

Bali (Part 3)

Day 4 – Ubud

• Monkey Forest – Most shops in Bali are on a really busy road with a narrow pavement. Apart from the beach in Seminyak, there isn’t many places you can go for a nice walk. So it’s really nice walking in Monkey Forest for a change. 
• Monkey Forest by its name is the sanctuary for monkeys. The driver had warned us not to bring any plastic bags with us. I did bring two pieces of toast left from breakfast and also a few pieces of fruit with me. At the entrance of the forest, there is a food stall sells small bananas. I hid my food safely and stepped into the forest timidly. At the entrance, there were a group hanging around and begged for food. Suddenly there was a little monkey snatched and ripped open a girl’s plastic bag from her behind and her guidebook and biscuits she just bought (probably come with the white plastic bag) were all over the floor. I know I wasn’t supposed to laugh but the whole incident just happened in a few seconds and it’s just so comical. I couldn’t help myself not to laugh out loud. While everyone including the girl was still in shock, the monkey just sat there with its little legs wide opened and started to shake the guidebook and open the packets of biscuits. The girl wanted to get her guidebook back but the forest ranger warned not to disturb the monkey until it’s gone. At the end, the monkey showed no interest with the biscuits - what a waste!

  

  [ The little theft is in no rush to escape! ]

  

  [ A family is waiting to be fed at the entrance of the forest ]

• Actually the monkeys weren’t hostile. They are only interested in you if they know you carry food with you but they are also cautious and tend to keep their distance. Basically there are lots of them all over the forest – both old ones and the baby ones. If you are afraid of them, do not bring any plastic bags or food with you. Generally they are friendly. Keep your distance if you want to feed them. I gave a young monkey an orange but it didn’t know how to open it. Whilst I was peeling the fruit, in a split second it was snatched from my hand by an older monkey. 

  

  [ I shared my breakfast with this monkey ]

  
• It took us an hour to walk around and watched the monkeys. Some love to sit on people’s shoulders but be careful because they do bite even playfully sometimes. 

  

  [ This one looks pretty chill out ]

• Shopping in Ubud – We did a loop around Monkey Forest Road, Raya Ubud, Jalan Hanoman and Jalan Dewisita. There were a few jewelry shops and some sell handicraft and homeware. I think the shop fronts look more interesting than their merchandise they sell instead. 
  
  
  
  
• Spa at Nefatari – Our package with the hotel accommodation comes with an hour massage and a dinner for two. The setting of the spa is nice. The room opens up to a hillside with a stream running along. It was raining heavily on that day so the air was damp and a bit cooler when we didn’t have many clothes on. I must admit it wasn’t that comfortable lying on a damp cloth but the massage was good. I also had a head massage and hair mask. The headrest was the least comfortable in the world but the masseur was attentive. There was a massive gecko on the wall but things like that are common in Bali especially the spa is semi-open. I would say the spa was good but not great.

  

  [ Our spa room at Nefatari ]

• Dinner at Nefatari – As said our package came with a dinner set for two at our villa. We had fried beans, traditionally roast Balinese duck and rice. The duck was tender and cooked off the bones, it was delicious but I wish there was more meat on the duck. 

  

  [ Our villa Nefatari ]

  

  [ Dinner included in the package ]

• Jazz Café (Jl Sukma 2) – The Jazz café has a jazz band performing live from 7:30pm onwards and they are also a restaurant although everyone seems to enjoy the music more. I was glad they served tea as I don’t drink.

  

  [ Jazz Cafe ]
  

Day 5 – Ubud

• Ubud Market – the best thing you can get in this dilapidated market is the range of herbs available. We got a big packet of saffron and vanilla pods for Rp.50,000! This market makes great photographs but kind of dirty. We didn’t stay for long as there were kids begging for monies.
  

  

  [ The dilapidated Ubud Market ]

• Lunch at Sari Organik (800m down the Abangan/Water Way) – This restaurant sits on rice padding fields and it takes around 20-minute walk from where the car dropped us to reach the restaurant. The setting of the restaurant is beautiful. It did make me think that how dull my office looked. They do yummy fruit juice and really wholesome dishes with fresh produced farmed by them.

  

  
  

  

  [ Healthy lunch at Sari Orgaik ]

  

  [ Sari Organik sits on rice paddling field ]

  

  

  [ Sign of the cafe ]

• Cooking class by Paon – we booked the cooking class the day before and it was around Rp.350,000 pp. It was a practical class and we had the food we made afterwards. Their morning class includes a visit to the market but not the afternoon one. We were picked up at our hotel around 3pm and were taken to a rice paddle fields. The host explained to us how the waterway worked and showed us the difference between organic and normal rice. Paon is a family-run business and there is a big kitchen at their home where the lesson undertakes. Before the lesson started, everyone had a welcome drink, there were six of us. While we sat in their ‘lounge area’, the host explained to us the layout of a typical Balinese home, how different rooms are built in a certain direction etc. Every Balinese home has their own temples where they have regular prayers and perform ceremonies such as worshipping their ancestors. I thought the introduction was interesting.
• The cooking class was taught by the wife. She’s very friendly. She showed us what we were going to make (I think there were six dishes and dessert) and then everyone did a bit of chopping and cooking. It was a practical class and we were showed how to make a basic yellow sauce which was the base of most of the dishes of the night. My favourite was the mushroom soup with a lemongrassy broth. The satay cooked on a traditional barbeque was also nice too. It was really fun and we really enjoyed knowing about the local culture, tasting the local cuisine which we made ourselves and saw a real Bali home. 

  

  [ The home kitchen ]

  

  [ Our instructor showing us the traditional Balinese stove ]

  

  [ Our cooking class in action ]

  

  [ The results ]

  
  

Bali (Part 2)

Day 1 : Seminyak

• A good breakfast is the perfect way to start a day. This is also my favourite time during my stay at Anantara. The restaurant is semi-open and is overlooking at Seminyak Beach. We ordered a cooked breakfast from the menu which offers both Asian & Western choices. On the buffet table, there were a variety of fresh juice, cereal, tropical fruit, salad and pastries. After breakfast, we went for a walk on the beach. There are lots of surfers in the sea but it’s too choppy to swim. If you want to have a swim, it’s best to go to Jimbaran Bay which is an hour by car from Seminyak. 

  

  [ Our room ]

• Shopping – there are little boutiques lining the main street Jalan Raya Seminyak and Jalan Laksmana and Oberoi, but they aren’t that great. The only impressive shop I found was Sea Gypsy which sells locally designed silver jewelries. 

  

  [ Jewellery shop - Sea Gypsy ]

• Tea at Biku (Jl. Raya Petitenget no.888) – Biku is a restaurant, tea house, book store and antiques in one roof. Set in a traditional Balinese house, it’s located in the main street of Petitenget so it’s very easy to find. The place is cozy but food was so so. To be honest we ordered an ‘Asian tea set’ but weren’t impressed. The masala tea was very nice though. Setting of this café is really quite cute but I think it’s best to stick with the western menu.

  

  [ Masala Tea ]

  

  [ Biku ]

• After tea, we went back to the hotel and just chilled out on the beach while sipping cocktails. It’s just so relaxing and traders on the beach trying to sell cheap jewelries and offer massage didn’t bother us much. I did pay for a 45-minute massage but to be honest, it wasn’t that great but I thought that will help the local a little bit.

  

  [ Sunset on the beach ]
• Dinner – Waroeng Bonita (Petitenget 2000). This local restaurant offers both Indonesian and Western food. The traditional Balinese garden setting is quite romantic but the food we had was disappointing. Sorry to say that apart from the salad in our hotel. I wasn’t impressed with Balinese food. However, do try their western menu as there are good reviews on-line and prices here are reasonable.
  
  
  

Day 2 – Seminyak

• Our original plan was to visit Kedonganan Beach in Jimbaran, since it was raining on that day so we stayed in Seminyak instead.
• Honestly there isn’t much to do in Seminyak. We were told that there were more boutiques around Ku De Ta, the popular upscale restaurant in Jalan Laksmana but it’s pretty dull there so we ended up going back to the hotel. By then I was quite pleased that we stayed in a nice hotel.
  
  
  Funny story - our balcony overlooks at a group of beautiful swimming pools always with lots of people lying around. So we thought we would go there but we couldn’t find the entrance. So we walked on the beach and trying to get there and we were told that they are properties of Royal Beach, the traditional Balinese style hotel just next to us. Originally I was going to book this as it’s much cheaper but as we had already booked a traditional villa for Ubud so we wanted something more modern and upscale. I think Royal Beach is a good choice after seeing the pool.

  

  [ Our room overlooking at the nice pool .... shame it's next door! ]

• We had a stroll on the beach and found ourselves ended up in Ku De Ta, so we had a late lunch on their lounging chair overlooking at the sea. The food was really delicious but very very expensive in Bali’s standards. I had grilled octopus salad with chorizo – it was done very well. 

  

  [ Ku De Ta]

  

  [ Yummy grilled octopus and chorizo salad ]
  

• Was planned to see the sunset at Pura Uluwatu but it’s quite a track there and the weather wasn’t great so we gave it up. It’s supposed to be Bali’s most spectacular shrine perching on a high promontory overlooking the surf at Uluwatu. Every evening at sunset there are dancers present a thrilling performance of kecak, Bali’s traditional dance. Both men and women will need to rent sarongs and sashes at the entrance if you are not already traditionally dressed.
• Dinner at Chandi (Jalan Laksmana 72) – Chandi is ranked high on Tripadvisor and that’s the main reason we went there. The food was excellent. It’s western menu but with a clever mix of Asian herbs and ingredients. The seafood was especially cooked really well.  I really enjoyed the meal there. The decoration of the restaurant is modern but also cozy. 

  

  [ Deep-fried calamari and salad with grilled scallops ]

  

  
  

Day 3 – Ubud

• We had hired a very comfortable MPV to take us around Ubud for 6 hours. The car picked us up at Anantara.
• On our way towards Ubud, we visited a couple of local handicraft villages, Tohpati Village for the hand-made Balinese batik and Celuk Village the Silver craft centre but weren’t impressed. I think we could have given them a miss. 

  

  [ Batik Village ]

• The next stop was a coffee plantation but it was a small family-run one. We saw the famous animal ‘produced’ the expensive Luwak coffee. We had a cup but it wasn’t that amazing but then we couldn’t tell whether it was the real Luwak coffee.

  

  [ Coffee Plantation ]

  

  [ The animal that 'poos' the famous Luwak coffee ]

• Then we drove up to the Kintamani Volcano. There were lots of tourists around and we stopped for a buffet lunch. Food was sub-standard but the view overlooking at the volcano was really nice. I must say so far I wasn’t impressed with the sight-seeing spots in Bali. There are tour companies organise hiking trip to the volcano.

  

  [ Kitamani volcano ]

  

  [ We had lunch in this restaurant ]

• After lunch, we were driven to Tegallalang Rice Terrace. It is also known for having the longest row of art shops in the whole of Bali. We were stopped constantly by the street hawkers but the view of the rice paddies was amazing.
  
  
  
• Our last stop was at the Ubud Palace in the centre of Ubud before checking-into our hotel – Nefatari.
  
  
•  Dinner in Naughty Narui (Jalan Sanggingan, Opp. Neka Museum) – This little charming BBQ joint became famous because of Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations. Not only their BBQ ribs were scrumptious and tender, as recommended by the Chef/TV host, their Martini was also amazingly authentic and just right. That’s something you won’t expect in such a shabby but quite cute old place. Food is of course excellent too. We had a big slab of ribs, green salad and some rice. The sauce for the ribs was really tasty, I would have loved to have more ribs but they only come in one portion!
  
  

  

  [ Scrumptious ribs! ]

  

  [ Naughty Nuris ]