Mmmmmmmm…Malay Food!

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Malaysia

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Asia, Beef Rendang, Bijan, Food & Drinks, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Malay Food, Malaysia, Malaysian Food, Nasi Lemak, Petronas Towers, Precious Old China, Satay, Selfish Years

While still in Orlando, Mr. Selfish discovered a beef rendang recipe on allrecipes.com and fell in love with it. Since there were no Malay restaurants in Orlando, we kept cooking this one recipe of beef rendang, which epitomized Malay food for us. We knew that we would try as much Malay food as possible while in Kuala Lumpur.

During our first night in KL, we walked to Kampung Baru to feast on Malay street food. The view from the night market of the Petronas Towers was magnificent, and the food was great to boot. First, we tried some delicious chicken and pork satay. They were cooked over an open flame to perfection.

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The Delicious but Expensive Food at the Conrad Koh Samui

21 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Conrad, Conrad Koh Samui, Food & Drinks, Hilton, Koh Samui, Selfish Years, Thailand

Mr. Selfish and I truly enjoyed our stay at the beautiful Conrad Koh Samui. The only downsides were: (1) the location and (2) the food.

As to location, the Conrad Koh Samui is quite far from the airport and pretty much everything else on the island. Mr. Selfish already went over how we hired Mr. Samui Samui to solve the issue of transportation. However, the location also made it very expensive and inconvenient to leave the property. As a result, other than a diving trip that we took, we stayed on property, which meant that we had to eat on property.

The food was tasty but man, was it expensive! Luckily, I am a Gold Hilton Honors member so we had free breakfast at Zest. We typically ate breakfast as late as possible to make it into a brunch and then had an early dinner. The breakfast spread was quite impressive. You could order an egg selection from the menu, including eggs benedict, English breakfast, etc., and then still eat from the buffet.

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Exploring Beyond the Sanctuary

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Phangan, Selfish Years, Thailand, The Sanctuary

Mr. Selfish and I loved our week-long stay at the Sanctuary. We attempted to explore Koh Phangan outside of the Sanctuary, but we didn’t really do that much. Here are a few of the places that we tried beyond the Sanctuary.

First, we walked to Bamboo Hutt for traditional Thai food. Although the food at the Sanctuary was delicious, their strong point was the vegetarian food, not the Thai food. However, you had to walk across a very rickety pier to get to the Bamboo Hutt so we only managed to go there once for lunch.

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I Didn’t Know Vegetarian Food Could Be So Tasty!

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Phangan, Selfish Years, Thailand, The Sanctuary, Vegetarian

During our week-long stay at the Sanctuary, Mr. Selfish and I ate many meals at the Sanctuary’s restaurant. The Sanctuary specializes in vegetarian fare and even offers detox packages as an extra option for a yoga holiday. Mr. Selfish and I did not opt to detox but we did enjoy the vegetarian food very much.

The Sanctuary’s restaurant is set right next to the beach. There were even hammocks on which you could lie and doze.

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The Best Cup of Coffee in Asia: Ristr8to in Chiang Mai

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Chiang Mai, Coffee, Food & Drinks, Ristr8to Coffee, Selfish Years, Thailand

I don’t know what it is about Asia but they sure do love their Nescafé (instant coffee) here. I personally find it quite disgusting but have been nevertheless drinking plenty of it to get my caffeine fix in the morning. When I found out that Chiang Mai had a fancy coffee shop, I knew that Mr. Selfish and I would try it.

We visited Ristr8to twice during our week in Chiang Mai. It was far away from our apartment but worth the trip. The coffee was perfectly brewed, had beautiful latte art, and was absolutely delicious.

The menu was a little intimidating at initial glance, but there are basically two steps to ordering coffee at Ristr8to. First, you choose the type of coffee you want – e.g., caffé mocha, flat white, cappuccino, etc. Second, you choose the type of beans – e.g., Ethiopian, Brazilian, blended, Thai, or decaf.

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Learning to Make Thai Food in Chiang Mai

10 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Thailand

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Asia, Chiang Mai, Cooking Class, Food & Drinks, Oriental Cuisine Thai Cooking School, Selfish Years, Thailand

Mr. Selfish and I have attempted to make pad thai on a few occasions. Each time, we failed miserably. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the recipes we had used may have included ketchup. As a result, I knew that we would take a cooking class in Thailand and learn the proper way to make pad thai.

Since we had a week in Chiang Mai, we decided to take the cooking class there. Chiang Mai has so many cooking schools available that it is a bit daunting to choose a class. I ended up choosing Oriental Cuisine Thai Cooking School, because we had the option to make pad thai, as well as a curry paste.

We took a quick trip to the market to buy the ingredients and then headed to the chef’s home to start cooking. Our chef was knowledgeable and funny. She also took a shining to Mr. Selfish after he said that he liked spicy food. Of course, his food was crazy spicy by the end of the day.

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The Delights of Balinese Food

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Bali, Food & Drinks

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Bali, Food & Drinks, Indonesia

Mr. Selfish and I didn’t know much about Balinese food prior to this trip. The only other time we had had Indonesian food was in Amsterdam. We had enjoyed a variety of delicious and very spicy small plates, which is known as Padang and is from the area of Sumatra. This type of cuisine is entirely different from Balinese cuisine, so we were excited to learn about actual Balinese food.

One of our best meals in Bali was at Ibu Oka, where they serve roasted pork (“babi guling”). This dish is distinctly Balinese. The Balinese prepare the pork by stuffing and infusing it with a spicy concoction typically involving turmeric, coriander seeds, lemongrass, black pepper and garlic and then the pig is spit-roasted. Yes, it is just as amazing as it sounds.

Bali Food 17

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Feasting on Market Food in Marrakech

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Africa, Food & Drinks, Morocco

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Africa, Couscous, Food & Drinks, Morocco, Tangine

Mr. Selfish and I were a little skeptical about eating the market food in Marrakech. However, I learned from the Lonely Planet guide at the riad that the market stands are actually regulated by the government and have stringent sanitation standards. With that knowledge, Mr. Selfish and I ate our meals at the market stands and have yet to suffer any consequences (other than a full belly).

We started with a local restaurant right outside of the market. There was an outdoor elevated patio, at which we enjoyed a nice view of the market. We ate the tangine and couscous, both of which were divine.

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Edinburgh Food – Haggis and More

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by mrsselfish in Edinburgh, Europe, Food & Drinks, United Kingdom

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Afternoon Tea, Balmoral, Chipper, Deep-Fried, Edinburgh, Food & Drinks, Haggis, Mars Bars, Oink

Mr. Selfish and I had heard horror stories about haggis, so we knew that we had to try it. Haggis is the national dish of Scotland. It is prepared from sheep’s parts (heart, liver and lungs) and minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt. Although traditionally it is encased in the animal’s stomach, it is now typically encased in sausage casing.

We first tried Haggis at Nicholson’s, a traditional Scottish pub, located in Haymarket. It was served traditionally here – with neeps and tatties (mashed turnip and potatoes). It was quite yummy. We also got the sausage and mash in case we didn’t like the haggis. Fortunately, we enjoyed both.

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Searching for the Best Guinness in Dublin

24 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by mrsselfish in Europe, Food & Drinks, Ireland, Searching for the Best . . ., United Kingdom

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Food & Drinks, Ireland

For our singular whole day in Dublin, Mr. Selfish and I decided to find the best pint of Guinness in Dublin. It was all for the sake of science!

Ireland Trip Report

Ireland Overview
Driving in Ireland
Castles, Castles, and more Castles
Kylemore and Connemara
The Cliffs of Insanity!
The Loop Around the Dingle Peninsula
Searching for the Best Guinness in Dublin
6 Hotels in 7 Nights! Part 1
6 Hotels in 7 Nights! Part 2
Ireland’s Fine Eats – Part 1
Ireland’s Fine Eats – Part 2

In search of the perfect “black stuff,” we drank pints at six locations: (1) Guinness Storehouse, (2) The Stag’s Head, (3) Grogans, (4) The Palace Bar, (5) Davey Byrne’s, and (6) Kehoe’s. We were looking for a consistent and creamy flavor in our pints of Guinness, and ambiance of the pub is also a consideration. We used a ten-point scale rating system, one being the lowest and ten being the highest.

1. We started at Gravity Bar, which is the bar at the top of the Guinness Storehouse with the 360 views of Dublin. Admission to the Storehouse was 16.50 euros per person, but if you buy the tickets online, it is only 14.85 euros.

Although the public is not allowed to tour the brewery, the Storehouse is a self-guided tour through six floors concerning all things Guinness. Mr. Selfish and I have been on several brewery tours, and they are all pretty much the same. The Storehouse was actually quite interesting because it provided a brief overview of the brewing process but also went into depth about the history, marketing, and branding of Guinness.