week 4: indonesian street food

credit photo: phingelicious.com

Let me begin by proclaiming that: I LOVE STREET FOOD!! I love love love it. Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain – for going rogue and promoting street food culture the unfussy way- are my culinary heroes, although sometimes they do over-rate food joints/ dishes for the sake of television.

Believe you me, when it comes to street food, I am a true believer. And I hope to preach the gospel of street food to every corner of the globe. So hear me roar!! There’s nothing I love more in travelling than discovering an array of unique delicious street food in a new city. There’s no better and faster way to get you to mingle with the locals than flocking the food carts by the dozen. I therefore standby my moto when travelling: “That stone monument will always be there, but that lady selling mouth watering bowls of noodles is about to run out!”

week 3: le déjeuner sur l’herbe – a french picnic

Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe – Edouard Manet

Rejoice! For spring has come. And with spring comes primroses, bright new dresses, and asparagus! Which can only mean one thing: a picnic is in order. And a French one that is! Because wine and baguette just look so good on lush green grass don’t you think?

chicken nanban

When I was a poor student in Paris, me and my then (also struggling) boyfriend (now my husband) used to love to hunt for great yet easy-on-the-pocket eateries in the city. One of our favourite joint was this Japanese canteen tucked up in the heart of the very chic quarter that is Opéra. My husband would order udon or ramen, and I would almost always order chicken nanban: gingery fried chicken pieces (aka chicken karaage) in a spicy sour broth with a serving of tartar sauce on the side. A small bottle of cold sake would accompany our very satisfying date-meal.