While there was much to absorb and luxuriate in during our few days in Rajasthan, the elaborate Rajashani royal cuisine was clearly one of the highlights. Typical local fare here tends to be made with creativity from the few ingredients that grow locally. However, elaborate versions of this same cuisine mastered by generations of royal cooks can clearly impress even the palate of the most jaded foodie.
We have been doing smaller ‘discover India’ vacations during winters to give our daughter a first-hand experience of the history, art and culture of the country she was born into. My childhood memories of vacations were of long train journeys (those days it took three days to get to Kolkata from Mysore!), meeting lots of relatives and elaborate dinners. We rarely spent vacation time at beaches or hilltop resorts then.
A lunch meeting with a fellow colleague who is also a foodie can come with unexpected pleasures! That is what happened during a short business lunch in Singapore. Arteastiq, like its carefully spelt name suggests, tries to meld art and tea drinking into a seamless experience for those who have a taste for both.
Arteastiq first tasted success when they introduced the unique concept of an Art Jamming studio tea cafe in their Orchard Street location. The restaurant we visited is their newer one, which combines the art studio and tea concept with a more traditional Chinese menu in Mellenia Walk.
On the hunt for something new I had expanded my search to include the neighbouring areas of Union Square. I was rewarded with this interesting find which showed up with 4.5 stars on Yelp! from 2700 reviews. Users raved online about their 'top' Asian fusion fare and about their top-notch seafood specialities. I clearly had to try The House right away!
Another restaurant. Another celebrity chef. Chef/owner Tyler Florence is well-known to viewers of the Food Channel and has several cookbooks in his name as well. Wayfare Tavern is his culinary outpost where he brings to life traditional American food in very interesting surroundings. The animal heads on the walls, the gold eagles on their plates, the pewter plates and curved Windsor chairs all add up to a lot of atmosphere.
Like neighbouring England, some of the best food in Ireland is of the simplest kind. Then what better place than one of the old-world pubs to try some local food with the drinks? TimeOut had recommended the Porterhouse in the Temple Bar area, so after a walk through Dublin Castle and Trinity College here I was. The Porterhouse is a large pub with three levels, an excess of wood and lots of old-world charm. It is also Dublin's oldest microbrewery pub that only sells its own beer labels.
