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TASTE
eat and drink
local flavours to savour
IN KOH SAMUI YOU MUST TRY…
Chef Wally’s Orgasmic Salmon (right) at Zazen Restaurant (Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa, tel + 66 (0)77 425085, www.samuizazen.com). Known for using organic ingredients, Belgian Chef Wally oven-bakes the salmon in a macadamia herb crust with goat’s cheese, quinoa and spring vegetables, and serves it with spicy tomato Veracruz sauce. The result? Simply orgasmic, or so said one diner after tasting the dish and the name has since stuck. Goes well with Zazen’s stunning view over Bophut bay.
QUICK BITES
Several recent openings and must-try venues in China are making waves. Aux Beaux Arts (MGM Grand Macau, tel +853 8802-3888, www.mgmgrandmacau.com) offers an authentic French experience in the heart of Macau. Staff here are trained in both French customs and the French language to make your experience that much more authentic.
Further north, the dining scene in Xi’an is no longer limited to Chinese banquet restaurants. Savvy locals flock to Cafe Ren (Sofitel on Renmin Square, tel +86 (0)29 8792- 8888, www.accorhotels.com) for gourmet coffee and tea, snacks, and a delectable dessert selection including too-pretty- to-eat macarons (right). Across town in the Gaoxin high-tech development zone, authentic Thai food can now be guzzled at Siam Garden in the Shangri-La Hotel (tel +86 (0)29 8875-8888, www.shangrila.com).
“ Beer has fewer calories than a glass of milk or a glass of apple juice. Drinking beer won’t make you fat, but over- consuming beer will. ”
– Scott Kerkman, Chief Beer Officer at Four Points by Sheraton (www.fourpoints.com), a mid-range hotel which opens its Siem Reap property next July. Their Best Brews programme will offer speciality beers from around the world.
LOCAL BREW
Venture out of your hotel for a morning cuppa and you’ll be surprised by how tea and coffee is served in Asia. Whether you’re in Thailand, Laos or Singapore flavours are more intense than what you are probably used to and each caffeine fix is served with a dollop of sugar or sweetened condensed milk (or both!) for that extra pick-me-up.
Toffee-coloured, milky tea (near right) is the norm and coffee is very strong – evident from its deep, russet-brown hue (middle right). Iced versions (far right) are slightly less of a sugary shock to the palate and are wonderfully refreshing in the heat. Ask your concierge to recommend an authentic tea shop or coffee house.
JUST DESSERTS
How do pastry chefs stay trim? Can desserts be healthy? Two of the world’s top dessert specialists tell all:
In the past decade alone, Spaniard Oriol Balaguer has received accolades like “Best Pastry Chef in Catalonia 2003”, “Best Dessert in the World 2001”, and “Best Dessert in Spain 1997”. Taking a break from running his chocolate studios in Barcelona, Madrid and Tokyo, Oriol will host cooking classes at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (tel +852 2132-0188, www.mandarinoriental.com/landmark) from 3–8 November.
Dutch pastry chef Ruben Jan Adriaan has worked with renowned chocolatier Pierre Marcolini in Belgium and Pierre Hermé in France. Now executive pastry chef at The Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore (tel +65 6275- 0331, www.thesentosa.com), he arrived on the island in 2007, launching the trendy Gourmet Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts before taking his current position.
Most versatile dessert ingredient?
Ruben: Almonds. They can be used whole, ground, in flakes, as a paste, part of a praline and even in strips! Ground almonds are good for macarons and cakes, whereas the paste is used in Christmas stollen and Sacher biscuits.
Oriol: Chocolate, without a doubt – due to its unique characteristics, ease to work with, and also because almost everyone likes it.
Favourite Asian dessert?
R: A Thai concoction of coconut cream, fresh slices of mango and chewy sago.
O: From the ones I’ve tried, my favourite would be Chinese candied banana fritters.
Asian ingredients you love to incorporate into your creations?
R: Lime zest and kaffir lime leaves. Gula melaka (palm sugar) goes well with Mascarpone mousse.
O: There are so many, but to name a few: coconut, mango and spices.
Guilty pleasure?
R: I also love to indulge in chocolate, but only once in a while!
O: Eight Textures of Chocolate (above). It won the “Best Dessert in the World” award in 2001.
Healthiest dessert?
R: Yoghurt ice-cream with passion fruit and orange compote, topped with crunchy baked hazelnut crumble.
O: Strawberries with a little bit of vinegar and Tahitian vanilla ice cream.
How do you stay trim with all that sugar?
R: Moderation. I just have a little taste of the dessert instead of finishing the entire serving.
O: I always try to add sugar to get the best possible flavour, not to make it too sweet.
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