In March 2020, precariously right before COVID-19 hit Europe and the Americas real hard, I ventured to Barcelona, Spain. Why Barcelona when Spain’s cases were on the rise? Well, at the time the recorded official cases were around 500-600 centered around Madrid and most importantly I figured it was worth the risk because….upon calling, I…
Category: restaurant
Review: The American Bar and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
In early February I decided to go for a weekend to revisit London. I had visited once before in 2010 and at the time I recall I felt the stereotype that London lacks good food was true. But I noticed in the years since the London food scene seems to have changed, the city itself…
Review: Capella Shanghai JianYeLi
At the tail end of a recent trip to Shanghai, my family met up with me and we opted to book with The Capella Shanghai Jian Ye Li. Located in the XuHui district in and around the French Concession of Shanghai, The Capella Shanghai has taken basically an entire old Shanghai Shikumen town village and…
Review: restaurant Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo
In my previous post I wrote about my short but sweet time in Monaco and how one of the highlights was my meal at Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse. The meal was truly exceptional and quite memorable, certainly top 5 dining experiences and most definitely worth the journey to Monaco. Le Louis XV is…
Dinner at Gaggan, Bangkok: Pushing the Boundaries of Stereotypes
My 2019 culinary adventures started off with quite a bang (literally so many dishes exploded with flavors and textures at this restaurant) at Bangkok’s Gaggan, 2018 World’s #5 and Asia’s #1 restaurant. Headed by Indian Chef Gaggan Anand, Gaggan has shown the world that Indian food is complex, historic and can be refined and is…
Dinner at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana
The summer evening of Saturday August 25, 2018 in Modena, Italy was to become one of the most surreal and unforgettable ones of my life. It would be the night, with a massive stroke of luck, that I, after two previous failed attempts at securing a reservation and giving up on the waitlist, clear the…
Weekend in Mexico City, Mexico
[Weekend Trip Series] This past weekend a friend and I ventured to Mexico City, Mexico. It was my first time in the country of Mexico and I was quite excited. 10-15 years ago you would hear about how polluted and unsafe Mexico City was. I can say that that is certainly no longer true. Sure…
Weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
[Weekend Trip Series] Two weekends ago, I visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was my first time in Rio and in Brazil. For many countries a visa is required to visit Brazil, a requirement that was waived during the Olympics. For U.S. Citizens the hefty visa fee pays off as the visa lasts ten years,…
Review: Balwoo Gongyang Restaurant, Korean Temple Cuisine
I watched Netflix’s Chef’s Table season 3 Episode right when the season premiered and was immediately inspired by Chef Jeong Kwan, a buddhist nun from the Chunjinam Hermitage at the Baekyangsa Temple, South Korea. She probably came into the American spotlight when Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in NYC invited her to cook at…
Thanksgiving Weekend at German Christmas Markets
[Weekend Trip Series] For Thanksgiving break 2016 my friend and I ventured out to Germany for the Christmas Markets. We specifically opted for Nuremberg, which plays host to one of the most famous Christmas Markets and on the Friday of Thanksgiving break was the opening night of the Christmas Market, with a special opening ceremony. We…
Weekend in Quebec City, Canada
[Weekend Trip Series] In early October 2016 I decided to head up to Quebec City, Canada to meet up with my mom and aunts as they prepared to board a Northeast cruise trip. Multiple U.S. carriers fly nonstop flights to Quebec City from the Northeast, specifically the NYC area. I flew Delta from JFK to…
NY Times: Restaurants That Harness the Bounty of Taiwan
The New York times recently published this great article highlighting some of Taiwan’s excellent farm-to-table haute-cuisine restaurants that have really elevated Taipei’s dining experience as well as diversified its options. “Taiwan offers possibilities for farm-to-table dining that don’t exist in Singapore and Hong Kong.” What an incredibly true statement. There are five restaurants the article…
