‘Food’ Category

Top 10 Best Countries for Food

January 24th, 2012 Tushar Mathur

Food has always been a priority for visitors, apart from sightseeing. Whenever we go to a new place, the first and the foremost thing we look out for is a restaurant in order to enjoy the cuisines. You can even know the local culture by the cuisines. There are certain countries, where their cuisines are the highlight and it draws people from across the borders. Following are one of the best countries for food.

Thailand: Asian countries have been for years known as the ones with exceptional cuisines and Thai cuisines top the list. The ingredients and techniques used for making the Thai cuisines stands apart from the rest. Most of the dishes will have chilies and garlic, without them a Thai cuisine seems incomplete. There are other signature ingredients such as lemon grass, coriander and lime juice these ingredients are necessary because they make the cuisines special and delicious.

Greece: Starting from Olives to Octopus, taste of the Greece cuisines lies upon the fresh and unadulterated staples. The flavors of the cuisines are simply marvelous; they will always leave you wanting for more. The fresh fishes, rosy tomatoes and extremely delicious breads can leave an ever-lasting impression upon you. The mid day meals are a common ritual in this country and it is also followed by visitors in the country. Since Wednesday and Thursday are fast days, which mean that meat is not taken on these days, so as a vegan, you can expect to feast on different vegan dishes particularly on these days.

China: Another country, which deserves to be ranked in this list, is China, as it has a vast history of serving its visitors with a plethora of culinary. There are a wide range of back-alley shops and four star feasting halls. This country is an epitome of keeping balance of different things and you would not fail to notice this balance in the fruits and vegetables for countering strong spices and meat. Chinese do consider rice as an important food but noodles takes the top spot, as it is taken with almost every dish as an associate meal.  There are a wide range of delicacies available in this country and most of them have a lot to do for the country’s geography and its history.

France: French have always been famous for their food, no matter what it is but their cuisines are world famous and certainly thanks to these cuisines French comes in the league of top 10 best countries for food across the world.

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Eating around the world

December 21st, 2011 Tushar Mathur

There is no doubt that different people around the world have different spending habits when it comes to food. Some are more likely to eat out and others are more likely to stay home. But when it comes to an average trip to the grocery store, what are the price differences from country to country? Are some families about to take advantage of the best savings rates because they are spending less on food?

Putting Together a Shopping List

The best way to compare prices is to assume that everyone is putting the same items in their basket. For this comparison theUnited States,United Kingdom,Spain,FranceandAustraliaand their prices are represented. Of course, you can’t be sure that every family is placing these items in the cart.

Different countries have different cuisine, meals and specialties, but there are some things that most families just can’t live without. This includes items like milk, bread and eggs. For the sake of adding meat, chicken breast was included as was fresh cheese.

In order to include fresh produce to the overall prices, the same amount of items like apples, oranges, potatoes and a head of lettuce were also added to the shopping cart. Finally, a bottle of water, a bottle of mid-range wine and domestic and imported beers along with cigarettes were also included. Again, while every family may not have these items in their shopping cart, it helps to give an overall picture.

After finding some of the best savings rates, you may be considering a trip to any one of these locations. You can imagine at one point during your stay, wandering in to pick up some of these necessities to cook your own meal or to bring over to the house of a friend. Even grocery prices can be important to a traveler.

Comparisons

When the grocery list is complete and everything is in the basket,Spaincomes out on top. In most cases, in an item-to-item comparison,Spain’s food prices were less than all the others. Milk, eggs, bread and even a bottle of wine cost less inSpainthan any of the other countries represented.

As a stark comparison, the cost of the same basket of groceries inAustraliawas almost double. Bread, eggs and chicken breast were much higher as were the cigarettes and spirits purchased. There were no items that were less inAustraliathan anywhere else.

What does this mean? It could mean that the people ofSpaincould be more likely to take advantage of the best savings rates with the money they save on groceries. However, there are a variety of different factors to take into consideration when looking at the cost of items in a grocery basket.

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Best Places For Breakfast In Paris

December 8th, 2011 Tushar Mathur

Without a doubt, the best breakfast in Paris is to find the places serving the best pastries and coffee. Ideally, you want all butter croissants, pain au chocolat made with real dark chocolate, baguettes to die for, and excellent coffee. But there are also other kinds of breakfasts to get in Paris that widen the spectrum and make the act of going out for breakfast just a little more fun.

First, let’s start with great places for a traditional Parisian breakfast.

For the ultimate Parisian breakfast treat you can go home and rave about, make your way to Laduree. Not only will you be able to order lovely scrambled eggs and toast, but you also have the opportunity to order simply wonderful croissants and their to die for macaron cookies to dunk in your coffee.

If you are a connoisseur of artisanal breads, your hero, Eric Kayser, has a bakery full of breads as good to look at as they are to bite into. His cookies are pretty wonderful also. Have them wrap up some goodies for you and carry them down the street to an outdoor cafe where you can unveil them and also have your coffee.

Crepes are a great breakfast food and some of the best are found at Breizh Cafe. Their beautiful big buckwheat galettes are filled with savory or sweet fillings. You will be torn no doubt. The answer is to have one of each. Start with a mushrooms, cheese and bacon one and finish with a pear with chocolate sauce with almonds and ice cream. Yum.

Another popular crepe stop is the L’Avant Comptoir, a small squeeze-in kind of place that turns out lovely crepes filled with things like ham and cheese or steak. Follow it up with a chocolate and banana crepe. This is a very affordable way to have breakfast in Paris hotels at a place known for great food. Just next door is its sister restaurant that is considered a citadel of fabulous food by the world’s foodies.

Rose Bakery is sublime for breakfast. Go there for a slice of chocolate orange polenta cake and a soy cappuccino. The long bakery counter holds a wide selection of quiche, cookies and cakes if you feel like seconds.

Looking for an all American breakfast? Head over to Breakfast In America, slide into a booth and get ready for delicious bacon and eggs, and pancakes with real maple syrup. Open for brunch and very crowded so go early. They also have free WiFi.

A great place to go for weekend brunch is Eggs & Co. You guessed it.

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The 5 Best Coffee Houses in Melbourne

October 24th, 2011 Tushar Mathur

The 5 best coffee houses in Melbourne

Known as the coffee capital of Australia, Melbourne is renowned worldwide for its many excellent coffee suppliers and coffee shops. It largely owes its rich brewing tradition to the huge number of Italian and Greek immigrants that flooded the city after the Second World War and today is home to hundreds of independent coffee houses. We’ve listed our five favourites from a very long list – visit one, order a freshly brewed java and put your feet up after a long day’s sightseeing.

Seven Seeds
Seven Seeds is renowned throughout Melbourne as being one of the best micro-roasters in the city. Sourcing the best beans from around the world, the coffee shop offers both single origins and carefully selected blends to roast on site, ensuring the coffee is fresh and the aromas wonderful.

Market Lane Coffee
Like Seven Seeds, Market Lane sources and roasts its own high quality green beans, only serving coffee that is in season. All coffee is roasted to order to ensure that it is as fresh as possible and the baristas are more than happy to share the origin stories behind each coffee. Tucked away in the corner of Prahran Market, it has a bustling atmosphere and is the perfect place to stop after browsing the market’s stalls.

Proud Mary
With a syphon bar, a range of grinders, a roaster and an incredible custom-made Six-Group Synesso espresso machine, Proud Mary certainly has the tools with which to produce fantastic coffee. With a very varied coffee menu, paired with its impressive array of gadgets, the team behind Proud Mary are seriously passionate about their coffee and the result is seriously good cups of blended and single origin coffee.

Mario’s
One of the many cafes that line Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, Mario’s serves rich, dark, Italian coffee alongside hearty breakfasts and Italian comfort food. Its retro interior and unpretentious, friendly, upbeat atmosphere make it the ideal place in which to relax. Sip an espresso at the window bar and watch the world go by.

St Ali
Housed in a converted warehouse, St Ali is named for the ‘patron saint of coffee’, the Sufi mystic Ali ibn Umar al-Shadhill, who is said to have originally started the craze for the black stuff. The warehouse roasts its beans here and packages specialty coffees to sell to the public but part of the vast space is dedicated to serving customers some of the most exquisite coffee in Melbourne.

 

Emily Buckley has visited Melbourne many times and loves to share her favourite cafes, bars, restaurants, attractions and hotels in Melbourne with HotelClub customers.

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A Hawaiian Delicacy

September 23rd, 2011 Tushar Mathur

You know how you go to the grocery store and see rows and rows of the processed meat marvel known as Spam? If you’re anything like me, then you have no idea who is eating all of this mystery meat product. You would probably be shocked to hear that our Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama, is an avid fan of the canned meat. The first President of the United States to come from the archipelago of Hawaii loves to eat spam because it is the most popular food of his home state.

According to a report by The Today Show, Spam gained popularity during World War II when American troops brought it over because of the lack of refrigeration and the rationing taking place on all food products. Throughout the years, Spam became a staple in the islands and has endured ever since.

In Hawaii, there is a strong Japanese influence on the culinary scene. Everything from sushi to traditional Izakaya fare can be found in major cities and resorts to small island villages. A Japanese retort to the influence of Sushi is the popular dish called musubi; which translates into “rice treat.” The dish is simple and consists of sushi rice and a grilled slice of Spam wrapped in nori. The dish is so popular throughout the state that you can find it everywhere from restaurants to convenience stores.

Very recently, during the Hawaiian Rice Festival in Honolulu, the world’s largest musubi was constructed. Droves of Spam fanatics flooded the festival and took snapshots with their prepaid phones to post on their Facebook accounts. The mass of Spam and rice weighed in at over 200 pounds, and was cut up and portions of it were given to the homeless.

Hawaii also offers up Spam in traditional American comfort food dishes amongst its varied islands. The dish of Loco Moco consists of a plate of rice, covered in brown gravy, topped with spam patties, and topped with a fried egg. It is the Hawaiian equivalent of biscuits and gravy, slinger, or garbage plate. Fast food chains like Burger King and McDonald’s offer dishes like Spam and eggs for breakfast instead of Egg McMuffins and Croissanwiches.

While Spam might not be a mainstay in mainlanders’ diets, it is a Hawaiian tradition as important as surfing and getting lei’d.

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Fine Dining in Las Vegas

July 14th, 2011 Tushar Mathur

If you are a tourist in Las Vegas and you’re looking for a fine dining experience, then there are plenty of outstanding restaurants to choose from. From Chinese to French to world fusion, the choices are virtually endless. The following restaurants are just a few of the top spots that have earned a reputation for providing an outstanding culinary experience for even the most selective foodies.

Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel

With its hip, club-like atmosphere, Nobu is known to attract big crowds of fun-loving Vegas visitors. Both the food and service have earned a great name, with some of the menu favorites such as sushi, lobster ceviche, shrimp pasta and scallops in spicy pepper. Be prepared to spend some money, however, as most of the dishes tend toward the more expensive end of the price scale. For the absolute best experience, try ordering the chef’s tasting menu, which includes five courses of some of the best selections on the menu.

Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace

If you have to choose just one restaurant in Las Vegas, then let it be Spago. With its great location in the Forum Shops, it is one of the best places to enjoy a great meal while watching people enjoy the sights and sounds of Sin City. Most guests suggest that the meatloaf is a must have, but the pizza, pasta and salad selections are equally divine.

Picasso at the Bellagio

This very upscale restaurant allows visitors to enjoy delicious French cuisine while sitting beside some of the world’s most priceless artworks. Formal or semi-formal dress attire is recommended, which suits the restaurants elegant atmosphere. The best way to enjoy the fine selection of food is to order a sampler meal that includes several different selections from the menu. Guests should be prepared to pay handsomely for this fine dining experience, but the excellent food is well worth the price. Bellagio is also known for it’s award winning sophisticated Las Vegas casino. You might want to try playing blackjack and explore other casino games.

Emeril’s at the the MGM Grand

World-famous celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse recently opened this restaurant in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and it has quickly become one of the hottest tickets in town. The restaurant features modern Creole and Cajun cooking, and many of Emeril’s visitors walk away swearing that they have just eaten the best meal of their life. Don’t miss out of the signature dishes of the mouthwatering New Orleans BBQ shrimp and the tantalizing Banana cream pie with banana crust and caramel drizzles. Avoid long lines by making reservations well in advance of your visit.

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Beijing – Crazy Food or Culinary Delights?

June 10th, 2011 Tushar Mathur

Travellers from around the world have always found China a fascinating place to visit and it really is, despite the fact that it can be difficult to travel here, and communication can be a bit of a nightmare. The culture is totally different and a shock to the system for many, and the food… well it can be a little extreme to say the least.

Beijing may like almost every country in the world have its share of McDonalds and Subways dotted across the streets, but if you step down the side streets away from the well worn paths most visitors travel, and you’ll find the real Beijing cuisine. Different isn’t always bad though, and diversity is good for the soul, so take a deep breath, and summon up your courage and order from the bizarre menus that are on offer. Try a seahorse kebab, a starfish on a stick, or perhaps a deep fried scorpion would tantalise your taste buds?

Beijing is awash with restaurants, it’s said there are more than 40,000 here and that’s not including the numerous stalls you can find on the streets and in the food markets. Most establishments stick with Chinese traditions and mark the festivals through the year with unique culinary experiences, so if there’s any celebrations on when you visit, you’ll be in for a treat.

Quirky though many of these dishes may seem, they’re not just provided for the tourists. Traditional Chinese beliefs are that the body parts of different animals hold medicinal properties – sea horses and lizards are supposed to be great for improving a mans virility for example.

Some of the delicacies and delights you might get the chance to sample include:

• Silkworms, grasshoppers or Seahorses served on sticks.
• Snakes head soup
• Ducks feet marinated in blood
• Pig face
• Peacock
• Solidified duck blood
• Deep fried bee larvae (more common in Yunan province than Beijing)

Other things are eaten here too such as maggots, cockroaches and other bugs, and you’ll find them on the menus in some poorer areas, but these aren’t generally considered to be delicacies just cheap meals to resort to for those who can’t afford better.

If your canine companion is your best friend, then you may not be keen to hear that dog features widely on Chinese menus but it’s worth knowing even if it’s just because you want to avoid eating it.

Body parts that we wouldn’t generally consider here in the UK crop up too, pigs penis and lambs testicles fried and coated in chilli aren’t uncommon, and cat’s feet and live rat embryos can also crop up too.

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Delicious foods to eat on an Indian holiday

May 11th, 2011 Tushar Mathur

Due to the extensive use of various spices, herbs, different types of exotic fruits and vegetables are grown in India, Indian cuisine is often characterised as vegetarian. What you will learn on your India holidays, even if you are not the biggest fan of “rabbit food”, is that a wide range of dishes and cooking techniques that each family of the Indian cuisine consists of can make the “rabbit food” deliciously tasteful, and you will find it is not really ‘rabbit food’ at all!

Hindu beliefs and cultures have played a major role in the evolution of the Indian cuisine that your palate will enjoy once you decide to go on holidays to India. Large-scale cultural interactions with Britain and Mongols, that turned it into a blend of unique and various cuisines, have contributed to making your Indian holidays the most tasteful holidays for you and your tastebuds!

Indian food consists of a number of different regional cuisines, which all have the basic similarities and one of those is – they will definitely spice up your India holidays.

Before you go on your exciting holiday to India, you more than likely want to know that most Indian dishes consist of rice, whole wheat flour also known as atta, and a variety of vegetables and pulses. Coconut and fish are also widely used in eastern and southern Indian dishes.

Some of the most popular dishes you simply must try on your India holidays are Prawn Masala, Mutton Curry, Aloo Dum, Chicken Vindaloo, Milk Appam, Karanji, Garam Masala, Stuffed Egg, Tamarind Rice and Gulab Jamun. There are also side dishes, like chutney – preserves and achars – pickle, to complete the India holidays of your taste buds. When you book holidays to India make sure to remember to treat yourself with one of the delicious milk based sweets once you get there.

Besides the main dishes there ares a large number of snacks that will keep you refreshed and are healthy while sightseeing, so it is important to come familiar with them before departing on your holidays to India. Some of the most popular ones are samosas, pakodas, vadas and chillas.

When it comes to drinks, do not bother to pack tea and coffee before leaving for your holiday to India, since they are both very popular over there. You may also enjoy nimbu pani – lemonade, lassi and coconut milk.

Meals are traditionally eaten while sitting on the floor, but with the modernisation of India, this common practice has diminished to a great extent.

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Shake Up Spring: The Best Mixed Drinks This Season

April 15th, 2011 Tushar Mathur

Ah, it is that time of year again; the air is sweet and smelling of earth, and the Sun is bringing green things back to life, and warming our sorry winter bones. As the weather gets warmer, we will begin to venture out into the streets again, love and laugh with our friends, take long walks with the dog, break out our tennis rackets, and search for ways to cool off again. Some of the finest ways to cool down at the end of a warm spring day are refreshing cocktails.

One of the markers of spring is horse-racing, all leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May. And the Kentucky Derby wouldn’t be the same without tall,icy mint juleps. The most important thing to remember when mixing a mint julep is NOT to buy a mixer from your local liquor store. Go the extra mile and pick up some mint leaves from your grocery instead. You will also need two and a half ounces of bourbon, a teaspoon of powdered sugar, and two teaspoons of water. Muddle four mint leaves, the sugar, and the water in a glass. Add crushed ice and bourbon, and stir. Toss in a straw and another mint leaf or two as a garnish, and voila, you have a cool, refreshing, traditional mint julep.

For an elegant occasion, such as a wedding reception or Sunday brunch, try the cherry blossom tini on for size. This interesting and lovely take on a martini is made with sake, instead of vodka. Begin with two and a quarter ounces of sake, three-quarters of an ounce of triple sec, three-quarters of an ounce of cranberry juice, one-quarter of an ounce of fresh lime juice, and a dash of orange bitters. Shake ingredients vigorously in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Strain into a martini glass. If you like, and can get your hands on them, you can garnish with a cherry blossom. If not, a lemon twist makes a nice garnish also, beautifully complementing the blushing pink hue of the cocktail.

Springtime brings us our fine feathered friends we haven’t seen since they flew the coup for warmer climates back in the Fall. In honor of their lofty return, mix up a batch of hummingbirds, a fruity, creamy, earthy cocktail that keeps your taste buds dancing. For this drink, you’ll need a blender and some crushed ice. Add to the blender half a banana, two ounces of coconut cream, two ounces of creme de bananas, two ounces of rum, half an ounce of coffee liqueur, and two ounces of strawberries. Blend until smooth.

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Atlanta Dogwood Festival

July 21st, 2010 Tushar Mathur

Atlanta Dogwood Festival is the perfect place for an art lover to be in. It has been an annual feature in Atlanta for the last 74 years. Like every year, this year also it was held in the Piedmont Park, Atlanta. The gala event marks the onset of spring. The festival was started way back in 1934, as an initiative, by Water Rich, to celebrate spring. It is at this time of the year that the flowers of Dogwood tree are in full bloom. As usual it lasted for 3 days.

This year it was held from the 16th to 18th of April, 2010.The entry was free though the visitors had to pay for food stalls and for wine tasting. Tickets also had to be purchased for comedy shows. Every single penny spent was worth the price.

The artists from all over North America look forward for the Atlanta Dogwood festival as it is the platform where they can showcase their talent. Various art forms are displayed. Art, music, dramatics, and comedy were all enjoyed. The events were exciting enough to keep the adrenalin flowing. Besides the guests could enjoy beautiful spring weather in the huge, lovely lawns. Live performances by renowned artists, thrilled the guests.

Food has always been a major attraction of Atlanta Dogwood festival. Many leading restaurants participated in the grand event. Drinks and refreshments did the rounds. The visitors enjoyed the popular city cuisine.

The festival was a big hit with children of all ages. This year also, different activities like face painting, rock climbing, games, fireworks, air show etc were organised. Thus, kids find enough things to keep themselves occupied with. Several competitions are held for children and adults. Hot Air Balloon Race, fashion shows are star attractions of the event.

Atlanta Dogwood festival is the perfect destination to be visited with the entire family. One must visit Atlanta at the time of spring and be a part of festival. A visit to Atlanta’s Dogwood festival can be culturally enriching and a lifetime experience.

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