Actually, outside of Shanghai, I think Chengdu might be  my favorite city in China so far. I love the spicy Sichuan cuisine from chili oil hot pot to the addictive dan dan mian (spicy pork noodles). But I think most of all I loved the people watching. And there is no place better to go than People’s Park to take in a cross section of city life in this sprawling city of 7 million in South West China.

Here, at the entrance to the park, you can see a woman spinning sugar into edible art.

A familiar sighting during the week days is Chinese grandparents looking after the little ones, while the parents go off to work. It is this multi-generational living that creates such a tight family network. Being from the US, I will say as families rarely live near one another, you get a flavor of what closeness could look like. It’s no wonder in China the families are so intertwined and influential in each other’s lives.

For example in the marriage market section of People’s Park, grandparents and parents seek spouses for their unmarried family members. One of the people I am with translates a sign, “….female, age 30, 160cm tall, masters degree and is an engineer in a technology company in Chengdu.” I comment that she sounds like a real catch and my friends replies, “…well she is a bit old which makes you wonder what is wrong with her and why she is not married yet.” This is China…marriage is not only a symbolic rite of passage into independent adulthood, but it is also a social requirement. And thus the marriage market…if you cannot meet the right man (or woman) the family will intervene and find one.

The park has an amazingly lush bonsai garden which is meticulously kept. In this section of the park it is a place of serenity and contemplation. You also feel as if you are in a library and should be quiet out of respect.

Locals gather around the koi pond and feed the fish.

Some of China’s most important literature comes from Chengdu, so it is no surprise to see culture is alive and well in the nicknamed “Hibiscus City.” Local groups do traditional dance in the park as well as some more modern styles. Here you see people in traditional costumes doing more formal groups dancing as well as folks who spontaneously join from the crowd to do the traditional group dances of the region.

Finish it off with a trip to the tea house inside the park and you complete the experience. Here people of all ages gather to drink tea, play checkers, read and get massage – an ear massage to be specific. Sounds strange?….it is, a bit…read on.

The ear massage is kind of massage inside the ears, although to be fair it looks a bit like ear cleaning. There are a variety of tools for this, including metal rods with bits of cotton fluff on the end as well as a metal fork. The fork is tapped to produce a subtle vibration and when the vibrating fork touches the metal, the vibration is transferred inside the ear through the stick producing a massaging effect. I couldn’t bring myself to do it after years of hearing about people perforating their eardrums with Q-Tips, but here you see a local man enjoying the traditional Chengdu tea house ear massage.

Some of us just had a tea – pictured below is lemon tea, which is preserved lemon and goji berries served with sugar rocks.

All and all it’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in Chengdu and get a feeling for the people, the culture and the place – a definite “must do” for tourists and visitors to Chengdu.

Surely you have noticed that in recent years foam is all the rage in the restaurant world. Except perhaps on a traditional Italian menu or at a burger joint, foam seems ubiquitous on today’s modern menu. And it’s no wonder why…foam has an ethereal taste profile that one simply cannot achieve with a heavier sauce. The incorporation of air makes it feather light on the palate. Want a hint of brine on that lobster dish? – try a foam. Want to give a the briefest hit of the essence of lemon on that dessert? – foam again.

But did you ever wonder how to make foam? I did. So I asked and was told by a chef friend, “well with an Espuma, of course!” I felt a “duh” was implied at the end, as if all advanced home cooks or foodies should know. Since I didn’t know and was curious, I thought you might benefit from my inquiry.

An Espuma device (as seen at left) incorporates the necessary air into a liquid to make a foam. You see, any foam is simply a liquid transformed by the addition of air – think of meringues as the pioneers of foam.

Typically what gives foam body is the inclusion of a protein. So that lemon foam I mentioned above….you couldn’t simply put lemon juice into an Espuma and get foam, you would have to add a protein element so the Espuma can give the liquid body – in this case, for a dessert, egg whites might do nicely.

Now, you know….Espuma!

As much as I enjoy writing about travel, I also enjoy reading about it. Here are two of my favourite books in which the authors go on journey’s that are both physical and emotional. I, like these authors, have discovered the most authentic versions of myself by finding myself completely out of my element in foreign surroundings and cultures.

I was surprised to learn that the 1980′s brat-pack actor Andrew McCarthy is also nowadays an esteemed travel writer. McCarthy writes for the likes of National Geographic and Outside magazines. The Longest Way Home is his story of finding himself post-rehab for drug and alcohol abuse through travel. He explores Latin America and Europe and in his journeys is able to connect with himself by connecting through cultures and ultimately finds his way to a committed relationship back home.

Honeymoon with My Brother is another such book, where Franz Wisner finds himself jilted at the altar and still the holder of tickets to a Latin American honeymoon. He invites his brother, and the “honeymoon” with his brother turns into a 53-country journey over 2 years. They go off the reservation, so to speak, when they toss their copies of Lonely Planet and discover the adventure of unplanned travel. Franz and his brother are now a sucessful travel journalism duo with Franz doing most of the writing and his brother as the photographer.

Both books are amazing stories of people lost, and then found through the transformative experiences of travel. Definitely worth a read if you are looking for summer travel reading and inspiration.

Many of you know I write for Chubby Hubby, the Singapore based food / lifestyle blog. I have written about a variety of topics for CH, including Michelin-starred chef interviews, recipes, about contemporary artists in China, etc. But apparently my MOST popular article to date is an article on sushi etiquette.

It seems perhaps there are still a lot of unanswered questions on, or lingering anxieties, that we might not be doing everything correctly. Heaven forbid your local sushi restaurant thinks you are a rube because of mistaken table manners! Read this article and you’ll never have to worry again.

Singapore is brunch heaven for brunch lovers. Aside from dim sum, brunch isn’t really an Asia “thing.” But like many things in Singapore, the brunch culture has risen from the intersection of East and West that this country is so well known for. And in Singapore, while the elaborate champagne brunches are de rigueur, there is also no shortage of little cafes and restaurants offering casual, leisurely brunch options. Some of my favourites include Epicurious and Spruce, but now also Choupinette. As any true brunch lover knows…Eggs Benedict is the true test of a brunch menu. And at Choupinette, you may find one of the best Eggs Benedict in Singapore.

It’s simple, really – poached eggs on toast with a slide of ham and hollandaise sauce. All fairly basic items, except perhaps the sauce which is only slightly more complex, make up an Eggs Benedict. But yet somehow, all over the world, there are a great many mediocre versions floating around. At Choupinette in Singapore, they have managed to get it just right. Having a bakery on site no doubt helps provide the perfect English muffin. A lovely salty ham is used. And of course poached eggs. But the magic here is in the combination of it all under a rich, eggy blanket of hollandaise delicately scented with nutmeg.

Paired with a cappuccino enjoyed in the French country styled environs and you have an ideal spot for a I-just-rolled-out-of-bed, newspaper-reading, satisfyingly relaxing brunch.

Choupinette
607 Bukit Timah Rd
Singapore 269708
Telephone: +65 6466 0613

While I no longer live in Singapore, I do get there about 6-8 times a year. There are so many cool and new restaurants that have opened in the last year, I find it hard to keep up. Every time I go, I am torn between old favourites and newcomers. But being a foodie, I ultimately cannot resist the lure of something new….possibly better. And I think on this trip, I have found a new favourite – Catalunya at Fullerton Bay – right next door to an old favourite, the Lantern Bar at Fullerton Bay Hotel. To my mind, together they are the perfect combo for a waterfront Singapore night out.

When I was living in Singapore, the Lantern Bar at the Fullerton Bay Hotel was a very glam spot to have a drink or meet friends. It was also my go to place to take visitors given the impossibly luxurious infinity pool in the foreground and the  dramatic city view of Marina Bay and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the background.  They have an endless list of classic cocktails – I like the Moscow Mule or the Pisco Sour. And also, some amazing snacks like their truffle fries.

But mainly, it’s all about the view – the picturesque cityscape as well as the abundant people watching. It’s one of Singapore’s most glamorous scenes so prepare for a parade of Louboutin’s and LV bags. That said, I can turn up in casual attire like sandals and a sundress and feel equally at home, so don’t feel like you have to be totally glammed up just to have a drink. While I think the nighttime view is the most dramatic, it’s also quite stunning for an afternoon cocktail.

What I like to do is go for a cocktail around 7pm and see the sunset. And then on this particular evening, I head over to Catalunya, a wonderful new Spanish tapas restaurant just on the other side of the Fullerton Bay Hotel. In typical Spanish style, I make my booking a bit later, say 9pm. That way you get the best of both worlds – a cocktail in the tropical setting of Singapore and then a feeling that you have jetted to Barcelona for a late night dinner. (OK, so I know 9pm is still early for the Spanish, so I am taking slight concessions here.)

Catalunya, is all about classic Catalan cooking and tapas. Chef Alain Devahive Tolosa is at the helm and brings the best of Spanish cooking to Singapore, having  spent a decade in the kitchens at elBulli Restaurant and elBulli Catering. The restaurant manager is also an alumni of elBulli (12 years) and the mixologist comes from the venerated Eclipse Bar at the W Hotel, Barcelona. So you know you are in for a thoroughly authentic Catalan dining experience.

While we went for dinner, after having drinks at the Lantern Bar, after seeing the Catalunya bar and the tapas bar menu, I might just come here one evening for just for tapas and cocktails at the bar. It’s got a rather cozy, intimate feeling with a sexy edge as a result of the nooks and crannies for seating and the orangey-red light emanating from the bar umbrella lighting.

But tonight, it was all about the dinner feast. And apparently, the signature dish at Catalunya is the Roast Sucking Pig. I can say with confidence after tasting, I can fully vouch for the menu’s recommendation. How to describe without sounding like an advertisement? Well, it was everything you would expect a perfect roast pig to be – juicy and tender on the outside with the skin crisped to almost a crackling state. And I personally love the rustic presentation on a cutting board, makes it feel as if it is fresh from a Barcelona mama’s kitchen.

We also tried some tapas including the Calamari, which I have to admit was too chewy. It was entirely average, so I would recommend perhaps skipping this and going with some of the other more unique tapas offerings.

But, the Croquettas de Jamon were stunning. I personally think one can judge the quality of a restaurant on the more simple items and the level of perfection in which those are executed. Ham croquettes are an exceedingly common Spanish tapas dish, but like anything else…there are amazing ones and average ones. At Catalunya these are truly amazing and not to be missed.

Next up was the Lobster Rice – a take on paella, except with grilled lobster on top (not pictured). I think we were a bit stuffed at this point, but that said, we managed to polish off the grilled lobster with ease. It was juicy and tender and easy to eat thanks to pre-cracked shells. And the rice mixture was a wonderful complement with the flavours of the briny sea as well as new and complementary spices coming in to elevate  the dish overall.

I was also impressed with the wine list. It’s not always the case that one can find a wine list that has a good representation of the best that Spainish wine has to offer. More often than not, it’s the more bulk affordable Spanish wines that populate the lower end price range of many wine lists. So I was happy to see for the first time in Singapore a truly proper Spanish wine list with everything from young Torrontes to aged Crianza’s, Reserva’s and Gran Reserva’s.

So if you live in Singapore or are just visiting, I do highly recommend an evening in the Fullerton Bay area. Between Lantern Bar at the Fullerton Bay Hotel and Catalunya, it’s truly a destination zone for charming cocktails and world class Spanish fare.

Lantern Bar
Fullerton Bay Hotel
80 Collyer Quay Singapore 049326
Telephone: +65 6333 8388

Catalunya
The Fullerton Pavilion
82 Collyer Quay Singapore 049327
General enquiries: +65 6534 0188
Reservations: +65 6534 0886

When I moved to Thailand some years back, I eyed Thai Iced Tea suspiciously for several weeks before I decided to try it. It was probably the strange orange color, bordering on nuclear in appearance. But once I actually tried it, there was no turning back. The creamy sweet concoction tasted like milky heaven, and what was once an avoidance, became an obsession. As they say, never judge a book by its cover.

Nowadays, I don’t live in Thailand, but I still have a craving for a spot of Thai Iced Tea every now and again. And when I do, I used this easy recipe to make it at home.

Thai Iced Tea

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 C black tea leaves 
  
• star anise, ground tamarind, cardamom and/or other spices, to taste (optional)
• 6 C boiling water
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
• 1 C evaporated milk (most traditional), whole milk, half and half, or coconut milk

Directions:

1. Steep the tea leaves (and any optional spices) in hot water for 5 minutes, then remove the tea leaves and spices
2. Then while tea is still hot, stir in sugar until dissolved, then stir in condensed milk.
3. Next, allow tea mixture to cool to room temperature.
4. Fill tall iced tea glasses with ice, and pour in tea mixture until glasses are roughly 3/4 full. Then, carefully top off the glasses with evaporated milk, whole milk or coconut milk, but do not stir as the final addition should remain as its own layer at the top of the glass.

It’s very, very, very sweet. As such I prefer to enjoy it on its own rather than with a meal. If you are like me, you will start finding excuses to have it….afternoon treat, dessert, snack….

The longer I am in Asia, the more I enjoy the Japanese sense of humour. It is often quirky, a little left of center…but yet also always a bit cute and kawaii.

What is kawaii, you ask? Kawaii is the Japanese word for sweet, cute, adorable (pronounced like the US state of Hawaii). And the Japanese kick everyone’s ass worldwide when it comes to cute – seriously, no one does it better, read about it here! I think to fully enjoy kawaii you just have to suspend all your rational adult thinking, but we should all do that more often anyway.

So when I saw this the first time it made me giggle. Cats! As Sushi!!!  Then I decided to keep it on my desktop. And I looked at it when I needed a laugh. It never failed to make me smile. I hope you will enjoy this purr-fect sushi presentation as much as I did

I remember when I was about 10 years old and visited the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and saw the pandas very kindly sent to the US by China. I never could have dreamed at that age I would later live in China and get to personally visit the pandas in their native home of Chengdu. So many things about my life have been surprises and somehow are all the more sweet for being unexpected. So as I spent a day visiting pandas in Chengdu, I was feeling mighty lucky indeed.

At the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center outside of Chengdu, one can get up close and personal with the pandas. The best time of day to go is the morning feeding, around 8am. They get a shower while eating apples in the enclosure, and then they are released into the habitat to as eat astonishing quantities of bamboo.

It’s actually interesting to watch their clumsy paws peel the bamboo before eating it. Apparently they only like the tender, green inside stalks. They like to lie on their backs and peel the bamboo, leaving the shells on their bellies.

In the enclosures where there are multiple pandas, they are all under 2 years old – they have to be separated after that or they will fight.

In captivity, panda mom’s don’t look after the babies, so there is a nursery to take care of them for the first month, until they are more self sufficient. In nature, the panda mom would hug the baby and not move for a solid month!

Pandas pretty much just sleep all day after eating. And they prefer to sleep in the trees because in the wild, it is safer and away from possible predators.

I learned that the Chinese for panda is Xióngmāo, which means “bear cat.” Seems fitting….

They also have the red pandas here, which look like crosses between foxes and raccoons.

These creatures are allowed to roam more freely and you can often find them passing between habitats, thus having the opportunity to mingle with the visitors.

Seriously, this is a must do! Don’t miss an opportunity to visit the Panda Center when you are in or around Chengdu.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

1375号 Xiongmao Ave

Chenghua, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

I was delighted by this recent series on the Conde Nast Traveler website. It’s all about pets that live in hotels…all over the world – where they live, a bit about them, their “job” at the hotel and photos. It seems Fairmont hotels is the most progressive with pet ambassadors across their properties worldwide. I love the idea. So charming and engaging and I am sure makes a hotel stay feel that much more warm and personal. Plus, they are damn cute. Check out the photos and stories here.

(above is “Higgins Bottomley,”  a 2 year-old beagle that has the esteemed position of  Director of Pet Services at the Palomar Hotel in Dallas, Texas USA)