Category: Restaurants
Detox? How very wholesome...and utterly dreary, darling. I know it is oh-so-à la mode to be a beaming paragon of clean living and clean eating, but let’s be real: behind every smug “After my sunrise yoga session I had an acai and goji berry enema, now my third eye (and small intestine) has never been clearer! Namaste, b*tches!” post on social media is a hangry neurotic who’d close their chakras for a fat, juicy, cheeseburger. Deprivation is passé, moderation is key, and the occassional indulgence is essential. A monthly Retox is where it’s at, and no, you won’t even have to get up before noon. I can hear the decadence calling!
#THISISNOTASUNDAYBRUNCH
April 04, 2019
atas:
(MALAY)
1. adverb, preposition: above
2. adverb, adjective, noun: upstairs
3. colloquial: upper-class, high-class
Eg: “She’s so atas, her phone contacts read like The Tatler 300 List*.”
*DID THAT GO OVER (I MEAN, ATAS) YOUR HEAD? I’M SORRY, I TRIED.
For too long, the phrase ‘atas’ has been thrown around by pressed Malaysians and Singaporeans to denote snobbery. Reverse snobbery, how quaint: I can relate. The struggle is real. Fortunately, The RuMa Hotel and Residences seeks to reclaim the word ‘atas’ by offering an elevated dining experience at their slick yet surprisingly accessible mezzanine-level (see what they did there?) restaurant Atas Modern Malaysian Eatery. Up, up, and beyond...
March 11, 2019
Spanish Fly: The Journey Home from Morocco, by way of Spain
SAN SEBASTIAN - BILBAO - BARCELONA
This past summer I made my virgin voyage to Africa, with a tour of Morocco that took me through the Atlas Mountains, the Saharan desert, and coast to coast. It was an extensive road trip that covered at least a dozen cities and towns, 9 of which I blogged about. But sometimes, you can have too much of a good thing. As they say in France (and Morocco) - c’est l'embarras des richesses. After 10 days of being on the road, spending each night in a different town or city; and eating enough tagine, cous cous, and lamb to last a lifetime; I couldn’t quite head straight back to the grey skies and gravy of England, could I? I needed a transition destination - a holiday to recover from a holiday, if you will - in a country that was different enough to be interesting yet familiar enough to ease me back into reality. So I spent 5 much-needed days in Spain: decompressing and recalibrating in San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Barcelona. As one does...
November 30, 2018
A FEAST FOR THE EYES AND FOR THE STOMACH: CONSUMING THE WORLD’S GREATEST COLLECTION OF CHINESE ART AT THE NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM & SILKS PALACE RESTAURANT IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN
My first impression of the gargantuan yellow and white Chinese-style building topped with green roofs was that it looked like a mountain sentinel. Rising from and sprawled out across the verdant hills of Taipei, the National Palace Museum is indeed a guardian - of the rich history of one of the world’s greatest civilisations. At a cursory glance, the Northern branch of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan is the very image of stability, power, and longevity. However, this impressive complex belies the close call of its collection’s near-desecration and destruction at the hands of those who would have wiped out nearly ten millennia of history in the name of their so-called Cultural Revolution. The National Palace Museum in Taipei spoke to me, not only as a lover of art and history, but also as one of the greatest achievements of my great-grandfather’s party who sought to rescue and safekeep their beloved country’s legacy after it fell to the Communists. I spent a day in the National Palace Museum one of the most famous attractions of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and then an evening eating a tribute to some of its more precious artefacts at its luxury restaurant, Silks Palace. My idea of the perfect ways to take in art and history.
July 08, 2018
The Eight I Ate: 8 of my Favourite Brunch Spots in Melbourne, Australia
😋😋😋😋😋
If there ever was a hill to die on, it would be the Melbourne food scene. And what a delicious hill. Melbourne cafe culture is some of the best in the world - for that, you can thank the Italian community and their love of coffee - and extremely competitive, to boot. The best meal of the day in Melbourne is arguably brunch, which Melburnians have elevated into an art form: from ridiculously photogenic superfood platters heaving with berries, grains, and seeds; to experiments with international flavours (2017 was the year of Korean-flavoured everything), to the hangover-friendly classic comforts of smashed avo on toast. I spent 3 weeks attempting to eat my way across the city and the suburbs, and although I hardly made a dent in the culinary offerings of Melbourne (I did say it was a hill to happily die on...), I can confidently recommend these 8 Brunch Spots in Melbourne that you must try the next time you are in town.
🥑🇦🇺🥑🇦🇺🥑
THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY MY FAVOURITE CHINESE SAYING “THE EYES ARE BIGGER THAN THE STOMACH”. I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER HAD THESE MANY FOOD COMAS IN SUCH A SHORT SPACE OF TIME...
May 08, 2018
SISTER SISTER: Malis and Topaz - Two of the Best High-End Restaurants in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Hey sis! I’ve found the Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield of Phnom Penh’s restaurant scene. Like the Sweet Valley High twins who have so little in common, these two restaurants exist almost side by side - separated by a 5 minute walk on the same street in downtown Phnom Penh - and belong to the same family (Thalias, a leading company in the Cambodian hospitality industry), yet seem like polar opposites: one being a revival of an almost-forgotten traditional Cambodian cooking style, and the other being French haute cuisine that is classic and unlikely to ever go extinct let alone out of vogue. Like the Wakefield twins, the two restaurants have more in common than their personalities suggest: both Malis and Topaz represent an era in Cambodian history, both are two of the most highly-rated restaurants in Phnom Penh. Want to keep it in the family next time you’re in the city? I got you, fam...
February 12, 2018
~ A Michelin Starred Mother's Day Meal at LA DEGUSTATION BOHÊME BOURGEOISE ~
HASHTALSKA 753/18, PRAGUE 11000
Our last night in Prague was the eve of Mother's Day. In Malaysia, we celebrate Mother's Day on May 13 (the same as the USA), a good 2 months later than the UK, which is handy because the British occasion reminded and gave me ample time to plan how to treat my mummy dearest. I mentioned in my previous post that our weekend trip to Prague was a mother-daughter holiday and that we were eating at only Michelin-star restaurants in an effort to dodge the stodge. I'd heard great things about La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise - the Michelin starred restaurant and flagship of the popular Ambiente restaurant chain. Our meal was memorable - not necessarily for the right reasons - but it certainly made for hilarity. Curious? Read on for my review of one of Prague's most highly acclaimed gastronomical destinations...
June 15, 2017
What goes around comes around. That must be how it looked for this Londoner to travel across the world to Australia, only to find herself in the Melbourne outpost of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Heston Blumenthal is the Willy Wonka of British gastronomy whose name conjures visuals of snail porridge, feeding frenzies at Waitrose for his fancy Christmas puddings, and outrageously fabulous history-themed feasts. So obviously when the second (and only other branch) of the original Dinner by Heston in London opens in Melbourne, the city's collective foodies - especially the ones who missed out on the Fat Duck pop up - got excited. Some even declared it Melbourne's best dining experience. Like hell I was going to let that slip under my nose, or rather past my tongue, especially when the menu featured dishes with an Australian twist created especially for Dinner by Heston Melbourne.
May 10, 2017
There are some wars you just don't wage - don't even get me started on the Sydney vs. Melbourne debate - including taking on the Melbourne foodie machine. It's a fight not even the most expansive of appetites would win; what with Michelin star restaurants, too-cool-for-school (and bookings too, judging from some of the queues) brunch spots, and all-round excellent eateries that proliferate the city faster than you can say "pop up hole-in-the-wall matcha dessert bar*". Conquering Melbourne's culinary offerings is at best an uphill struggle - I'm not just talking about climbing up Hosier Lane, post-food coma, in heels - and everyone will have different, passionate opinions about where and what to eat in the city. I did the best I could during my stay despite some hiccups like not making reservations**. Here are 11 Melbourne Restaurants, Bars, and Cafes I Tried and Loved.
*no, I'm not thinking of a specific place but I'm sure one has already existed in recent Melbourne history...
**the ones that got away: Movida Next Door, Naked for Satan, Naked in The Sky, and Vue de Monde. Sob.
May 08, 2017
SPEAKEASY, BUT CARRY NO SELFIE STICK - THE REVIVAL OF KUALA LUMPUR'S CHINATOWN THANKS TO 3 NEW HIDDEN WATERING HOLES
October 06, 2016
HIGH STEAKS AT STK ROOFTOP IN NEW YORK'S MEATPACKING DISTRICT
I didn't even have to cross the Hudson river to get my fill of all things hip, edgy, and forward. Everything about Downtown New York satisfied and silenced the judgemental cool-chaser in this Shoreditch girl (the London equivalent of a Brooklyn Baby) - the East Village bars, the shopping and architecture in SoHo, and of course the seriously stylish evening (and weekend) crowd of the Meatpacking District. Then there was the food, that no amount of Midtown burger joints with dive bar-affectations could compare to - from my quintessentially Manhattan birthday brunch at The Standard Grill to the hearty post-hangover pancake brunch at Bubby's in Tribeca, and of course the decadent meal Luxy and I had at the Meatpacking District outpost of STK Rooftop.
ALL PHOTOS MINE, EXCEPT FOR PHOTO 4 (PRESS IMAGE)
September 02, 2016
3 SERIES: The First Brunch of my 30's at THE STANDARD GRILL, NEW YORK
I'm not one to make a big fuss about my birthday (oh, you managed not to die in the last 365 days? Well done, do you want a cake or something?) but this year was rather more special. You see, a woman is often conditioned to anticipate her thirties with the dread of loss: be that of youth, suppleness, or relevance in this fickle and ageist world. And that is even if she hasn't spent the last 2 years of her twenties feeling increasingly helpless and trapped in a downward spiral she hasn't the strength to climb out of, never mind dare to do anything but put on a brave front and fake a smile throughout. I remember all too clearly the despair and fear I felt on my 29th birthday (I kept the notes I made that day, for posterity) but what a difference a year makes. In the past few months I've rediscovered what it feels like to be free, happy, and loved. So when Luxy invited me to join her in New York City and Orlando, I jumped at the chance to do something for myself and myself only. I said "Yes!", booked my flights, expedited a USA visa application (that dramatic debacle deserves its own blog post), and before I knew it I woke up - still hungover from the 3 bar + 2 club-bender of the night before - in our suite at The Conrad to this adorable birthday surprise.
It was our last full day in NYC, but it was the first day of my thirties, a fresh start, and only the beginning of something brighter, bigger, and better than ever. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when in New York do as the New Yorkers do and have brunch. And brunch we did - at the lively, hip, always-packed The Standard Grill in Manhattan's achingly cool Meatpacking District.
THANK YOU LUXY FOR PHOTOS OF ME, AND ALSO FOR TAKING THE REINS OF THIS TRIP. LOVE YOU!
August 27, 2016
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