Get those utensils ready for a culinary journey around the
world from your kitchen. Food can be such a memorable part of a holiday as we
experience new flavours, ingredients and methods of cooking. I often come back
from a trip, still buzzing, and immediately try to recreate the experience once
I am home, before the anti-climax sets in, with food being one of the best
ways. We take a look at some of our staff’s standout dishes they have had the
pleasure in enjoying from around the globe and why they were just so good. I am
salivating just thinking about it.
Eating Okonomiyaki – in the back streets of Tokyo!
A savory pancake made with flour, eggs, shredded cabbage,
and your choice of protein, topped with a variety of condiments. It is
delicious and a MUST DO if you visit Japan. They prepare it at the table which
has a built-in iron griddle and then you can either cook it yourself or the
chef will do it for you. Click here for the recipe.
Fun fact: the meaning of Okonomiyaki is basically “what you
like, grilled” okonomi meaning "how you like" or "what you
like" and yaki meaning "cooked”.
No-one makes a Greek salad like the Greeks IN
Greece!
I’m going to go with one of my most recent holidays to
Greece – and the good ol’ tried and tested Greek Salad. Why was it my favourite? We were in Greece to celebrate our
anniversary and made the most of our 3 meals a day PLUS morning and afternoon
tea. We ordered a Greek salad to
accompany our main dish with every lunch and dinner. The produce was so fresh, vibrant and the
best tasting tomatoes I have ever had!
Even better than my homegrown tomatoes – must have something to do with
their rich soil! The feta cheese block
which sat on top of the salad was sprinkled with dried Greek oregano and then
drizzled with olive oil – amazing! I
believe it was solely the freshness of the ingredients and the simplicity of
the dish which produced so much flavour. Click here for the recipe.
When in Vietnam……
White Rose - A speciality of Hoi An, this dumpling was named
after its colour and shape. Just delicious and melts in your mouth. Click here for the recipe.
So many favourites!
Italian Focaccia: mostly found in the south of Italy and they call it ook ook (the Molfetesse version). Very simple focaccia with tomato and a few olives but so tasty! Click here for the recipe.
Korean BBQ: All you have to do is order your favourite
meat/seafood and all the side dishes come complimentary! Cook on your own hot
plate and have a feast! Side dishes include, kimchi, sesame leaves, lettuce,
chilli, garlic, noodles and more but I can’t remember them all! Click here for the recipe.
Pork Legs: Same process as Korean BBQ where you just order
the meat and all side dishes come complimentary. Pork is already cooked so you
don’t cook anything yourself. This feast only costs us AU$60 total in Korea, including
drinks for 5 people! It’s incredibly cheap and the food is amazing.
Crème Brulee Crepe: Had this in Tokyo, they have so many
crepe stands around but this one was my favourite! Anyone that has a sweet
tooth would love this! Click here for the recipe.
So many stories involving cheese…
I was in Annecy a small holiday village in the mountains
across the border from Geneva. Annecy is called the Venice of the Alps and in
one of the valleys nearby they specialise in a making Raclette cheese. I was
sitting at a small restaurant along one of the canals and ordered Raclette as
melted cheese and pickles sounded like the perfect antidote to the light
drizzle that was raining down outside. When the Raclette arrived at my table
there was a large cheese surrounded by a bar heater. As the heater melted the
cheese I picked up the pickles or steamed potatoes and dipped it in the melted
cheese resulting in a whole mouthful of cheesy goodness. I left the restaurant
with a belly full of cheese and rolled back to my hotel. Click here for the recipe.
Katz deli in New York is one of the oldest and longest
lasting Jewish delis in Manhattan. The brisket is to die for and for a sweet treat
afterwards the New York cheesecake will fulfil your every desire. The line to
get in is well worth the wait! Click here for the recipe.
The best Italian pizza
My favourite I can remember is a slice of pizza I had in
Venice. It was a huge slice, I swear it was the size of my head. We sat out on
the Grand Canal eating our pizza it was awesome! It was cooked in a wood fire
and was just a simple margherita pizza but I haven’t had a pizza that comes
close since! Click here for the recipe.
Spanish pintxos is life
I purposely visited San Sebastian in Spain after hearing
about how amazing the food was, in particular, their pintxos, which are small
bites of food. I fell in love with eating at pintxos bars and personally loved
the Old Town area with its laneways full of different bars with a wide
selection of pintxos lining the bar. Some places will hand over a plate to you
so you can choose your own food, otherwise, others will ask you to choose while
they fill the plate for you. It’s considered to be somewhat of an appetiser,
but in my case, I made this my main meal. I really loved moving from bar to bar
to try different foods along with a sangria. Bars would often have live music
which created a vibrant atmosphere. One of my favourites would have to be
piquillo peppers filled with a sweet cream cheese served on a slice of crusty
bread. Click here for the recipe.
I always enjoy a Pho or two, or five!
Arguably one of Vietnam’s most loved street food dishes thanks to its beautiful fresh herbs and fragrant soup. Pho, pronounced “fuh” is typically made with bone broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs and spices, generally beef or chicken and usually eaten by the locals for breakfast or a late night snack. Click here for the recipe.
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