Grand Hyatt Mumbai Eats

I was lucky to stay at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Mumbai for a week, which gave me lots of opportunities to gorge on their awesome buffet.

breakfast!

Like this spread I had at breakfast.  Everything was tasty, but I loved the flat pancake thing on the top, a dal pancake (made with lentils).  I liked the green chutney quite a bit too, it was a bit spicy and went well with the pancake.

brunch!

And then there was more food for brunch.  Green rice with various butter chicken, curries, and breads.  OMG, the roti was soooo good at the there.  Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  So flavorful that there was no need to eat anything with it.  The plate on the left contained bunch of random Thai/Chinese noodles.  And the small bowls on top were chutneys and  raita.

desserts

Then I ate my way thru Indian desserts.  Indian sweets are very very sweet.  They are mostly almond paste, condensed milk, or coconut milk based.  Super tasty, but you really don't need a full plate to feel satisfied.

more dessert!

And you definitely don't need a bowl of yogurt-y saffron-y dessert on top of the plate.  But you should.

more!

More stuff!  I really like the lentil soup in the little bowl and the aloo paneer on the top left.  Love Indian cheese!

random spinach

Then I ate this random spinach salad thing.  It was actually really good.  The spinach was mixed with chopped nuts and came with a cherry sauce.  Sweet and salty, my fav combo.  The only weird thing was that the spinach was shaped into little hockey pucks.  Who knew hockey pucks can be so tasty.

Dim Sum in Hong Kong

I love dim sum.  Probably because I love anything wrapped in dough (dumplings, pierogies, raviolis, empanadas, etc) and dim sum has a lot of stuff wrapped in dough.  So I was super excited when I had the chance to eat dim sum during my trip to Hong Kong a few weeks ago.  And there were dough wrapped dishes aplenty.

dough wrapped!

Long noodles with shrimp is probably one of the most beloved dim sum dishes.  Silky smooth rice noodles, succulent shrimp, doused in light soy sauce.

 more dough!

Shu mai is another well known dough wrapped dish, this time with pork and shrimp.

fish balls

We also ate some non-dough related dishes, like this fried fish ball.  It was full of stinky fish sauce loveliness.  Which I'm a huge fan of.  More fish flavor, condensed.

silver fish

It was my first time eating fried silver fish, but it won't be the last.  Soft flaky fish fried to a light crispiness.  Oh yes....

fried tofu

I've had plenty of fried tofu before, but this was very different.  It was lightly breaded which gave it another savory flavor dimension.  Definitely on my to eat again list.

more fish balls

One can never eat too many fish balls in Hong Kong.  So we must have it in another form, this time, stewed in a slightly sour cabbage soup.

and more dough

More dough wrapped meat!  I didn't eat this since I was getting full, but now I regret not trying this char shiu bao.  I can almost imagine the fluffy steamed bun with the sweet bbq pork.  Sad...

more fried!

There was also another fried tofu, this time topped with scallions.  It was tasty but I preferred the fat pillowy ones above.  The lightening quick chopstick action you see there was getting some lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice chicken.  One of my favorite dim sum eats.  Probably cuz I'm a slave to any sticky rice dish.

purdy

Another dim sum first was a jello dessert made with chrysanthemum and goji berries.  It was fragrant and tasty.  Nice light finish to the meal.

dessert 2

Oh wait, I lied, I had another dessert, in the form of mango pudding soup with tapioca.  Maybe not a light finish to the meal, but definitely a very nice one.

Random Brussels Eats

I ate at Café  Leffe twice while in Brussels.  The food was good there, but really, I loved chilling in Sablon, sitting at their comfy outdoor area, and people watch.  

shrimp salad

The food was fresh and clean, like the shrimp salad above.  Sweet shrimp and salty parmesan were tossed lightly with bitter arugula.  Perfect for a hot summer day.


Then I negated any healthy eating by ordering some frites to go with my salad.  No regrets here.  The fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  My only complaint would be that they were not as liberally salted as I'd like.  In fact, I don't think they were salted at all.  I sprinkled salt on them, but by that time, it was too late.  Salt doesn't stick to non-straight-out-of-the-fryer fries.  Remember that kids.  Remember or your fry tastiness will not reach its full potential.

so much potential, wasted

Another day, I had a salad with lardon, grilled chevre cheese, and frites (or course), washed down with some of the cafe's namesake, Leffe.

lard-on

There were a generous amount of lardon.  I also loved the walnut chunks sprinkled throughout.  Despite the chunks of cheese and pound of lardon, the salad managed to be light.  I was thankful for the light hand in dressing.  The frites were again under salted, but overall, I was happy with the meal.


I ate lots of moules while in Brussels, it was the start of moules season!  I had it for dinner one night at Restaurant a la Folie.

with frites of course

The mussels were prepared with onions, parsley, the usual.  But it also had thinly sliced fennel, which I loved. 

I also had disks of fried cheese.  Yup.  Another light meal sabotaged by a plate of fried fat.

ooze

The final night in Brussels, I ate at Chez Leon, a super touristy place that was known for their mussels.  But I was fairly mussel out at that point, so I replaced one seafood with lots of seafood.

seafood, how i love thee

The bouillabaisse came with toast points, aioli, and cheese.  It was hearty in its lovely seafood murkiness, but bright in its freshness.  I especially loved the flaky fish and the prawn heads.  People should really consider making a dish completely out of prawn heads, I'd eat it.

Bits o' Stuff - Cendol

Shaved ice is probably my favorite dessert.  I can eat it for a meal.  I can make room for it after a meal.  In Malaysia, I tried to stuff as much cendol (the Malaysian version of shaved ice) down my gullet as humanly possible.  My favorite was a drink/cendol combo from a street vendor near our hotel in C-town.

best dessert ever

It was a shaved ice made with topped with chewy "pasta" jelly, corn, oatmeal, coconut milk, condensed milk, and the star - gula (palm sugar). Then the whole thing was topped of with creamy chai tea. ALL MY FAVORITE THINGS IN ONE GULP.  Holy cow, it was so good. So good that J-me and I walked around in 100 degree heat the next day looking for the vendor.  We found him after much persistence.  Then we returned everyday while there.

ice being shaved!

I miss it everyday....

Milano Eats

Since I have such a backlog in photos, I'm just going to post random meals in non-chronological order.  My blog, my rulez, with a z.

I had a delicious piadine with cotto, arugla, tuna, and cheese for lunch one day near the office.

piadine split

I don't know why toasty things are so tasty.  But they are.  Crispy tortilla-like shell shattered into the creamy cheesy and bitter arugula, a nice light lunch.

For dinner one night, we sat by the lovely Navigli enjoying the breezy summer night while chomping down on pizza.

pizza

I had one with mozzarella di bufala, prociutto, and porcini.  I like prociutto, but it was a bit much for me.  The crust had a great chew but got soggy in the middle.  But the mozz and porcini were tasty.

I also ate various pasta dishes while in Milan.  My favorite being the gnocci with shrimp and zucchini.

clouds of taters

The gnocci was like little pillowy clouds of potatoes.  It was lightly tossed with olive oil.  Definitely one of the lightest gnocci dishes I've had.

Going on my mushroom and shrimp kick, I also ate tagliatelle with shrimp and mushrooms.

noods

The noodles were good but I thought the dish was a little too buttery overall.  It was an interesting mix of earthy mushrooms with the light shrimp.

At Malpensa airport, I scarfed down a simple but delicious sandwich.

sandwich

Just some nice crusty focaccia, smeared with a bright pesto and layered with slices of tomatoes and mozzaralla di bufala.  Sometimes, the most satisfying meal is also the simplest.

Copenhagen is Mighty Tasty Part 2

Damn, I have so many delicious meals that have not joined the cyberworld of ChubberBlub.  Sorry meals.  You were tasty and should be shared with the world.  First up, 3 more meals in Copenhagen, a mighty tasty city.

Dying for some roughage in the forms of greens after too much overindulgence, I happily stumbled on Riz Raz, an casual and cheap (in Nordic standards) in the Latin Quarters (according to the guidebooks) or Piss Quarter (according to the locals).  Riz Raz was awesome.  They had a veg-heavy lunch buffet to be enjoyed while sitting in a beautiful garden/courtyard.

i ate 2 of these

The food leans Mediterranean, with pita and falafels (eh), fresh hummus and tabbouleh (yum), and a number of salads.  Unsurprisingly, my favorite was the watermelon and cucumber salad (bottom right).  Look at those watermelon chunks!  Aren't they gorgeous in their ruby glory?  

For lunch one day, I randomly picked a place that had seats and looked traditionally Danish, and had the best name.  Restaurant Puk.  Interestingly, both Restaurant Puk and Riz Raz are featured in my guidebook, but I didn't know it until after the fact.

more herring!

I ordered their smørrebrød of herring with chives, onions, raw egg yolk.  I loved it.  I am very smitten by smørrebrød.  It's perfect for a person who likes to dissect her sandwiches and plan the perfect bite each time.  Also, you should remember that I love the hearty Danish bread, which was a perfect vehicle for the loads of stuff that topped it.  The herring was light and slightly tangy, offset by the super fresh egg and pungent but sweet onions and chives.  I want to eat it again now.

more fish

So smitten by smørrebrød, I ate it again the same day at Axelborg Bodega.  This time I went for the whole shebang, smørrebrød with fried fish, grilled fish, and little shrimps.  The avalanche of seafood completely covering the bread.  The fried fish was so flaky and light.  I especially loved the crispy edges.  The little shrimps were refreshing, similar to the shrimp salad I had in Norway, with a squeeze of lemon to bring out the freshness.  The grilled fish was nice and buttery, good but my least favorite of the three.  And yup, that's a dollop of caviar and mayo on top on top.  

Now, I'm on a hunt to find smørrebrød in NYC.  Please do share if you know of any!

Copenhagen Part 1

Copenhagen is Mighty Tasty

Copenhagen is a tasty tasty city.  I don't know what I was expecting before I went there, but what I was greeted with was a whole lot of fresh and clean flavors, with an emphasis on seafood - my first and last love.

I'm very lucky in that I have some of the sweetest and most welcoming coworkers around the world, who all indulge me in my obsession for food.  See that spread below?  See that?  Yep, I ate that, washed down by way too many glasses of beer and schnapps.  (seriously kids, don't attempt a self-imposed schnapps tasting, no matter how intriguing schnapps dripped over amber sounds)

i blame the schnapps for my blurry pic

This awesome meal was partaken at København Caféen, a classic Danish restaurant.  The spread above is for 4 to share and came with *deep breathe* pork chops-herring-salmon-fried fish-pickled veggies-cheeses-chicken salad, and probably other stuff that I can't remember.  My favorites were the fried fish and various herrings.  I LOVE HERRINGS!  So fresh and tasty, with that tang that only herrings have.  The fried fish was super flaky, moist, and tender.  The platter came with a bunch of delicious Nordic breads - dense, hearty and studded with nuts.  Slather on some lard, they were the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

Thanks guys for the awesome time!

Another night, we ate at Skipperkroen in Nyhavn, the beautiful harbor of Copenhagen.  It was a beautiful late summer night to sit outside while enjoying... MORE HERRING!

obsessed

Yep, I got the herrings 3 way - curried, with capers, and traditional.  I liked the curried and traditional the best.  The sweet curry went well with the sweet and tangy fish.  While the traditional one really lets the herring flavor shine.

Along with the herring sampler, I also got the half lobster salad.

roe roe roe

Just a super fresh lobster prepared simply garnished with a tangy mayo sauce.  Check out that roe!  That totally made my day.

I ate more herring during my stay in Copenhagen, but you'll just have to wait for the next post.  muhahaha

Sweets of Belgium

Belgium is a tasty city.  Really really tasty.  Even the simple waffle is a revelation.  I'm not a huge waffle fan, but now I know I'm not a huge American waffle fan, but Belgian waffles?  Yes please!

oh so good

Belgian waffles are much denser, with a crackly outside and chewy inside.  You can get them plain on the go, or topped with a bunch of stuff.

embellished!

Like strawberries and powder sugar, with a little bit of syrup....

pierre marcolini

Macarons are my favorite cookies.  So when I went to Pierre Marcolini to get chocolates and saw macarons, I had to get a box for myself.  Damn, they were good. There were a couple of pistachios, a mojito (bright and citrucy), vanilla, chocolate, and others.  All of the flavors were awesome and all of them had the perfect texture - crackly outer cookies and creamy insides.  YUM

pastries

I also ate a lot of pastries in Brussels.  I pretty much ate a lot of everything.  Exhibit A, my breakfast one morning was a pain au chocolat and an egg tart.  The pain was perfectly light and flaky.  The egg tart reminded me of the Chinese egg tarts that I love.

sweet finale

When you get an espresso or cappuccino in Belgium, they usually give you a small piece of cookie or chocolate to nibble.  At some places, they also give you a bit of chocolate mouse and cream.  Free dessert!   I love Belgium.

L'Orangerie du Parc d'Egmont

I ate at the most beautiful garden during a recent trip to Brussels.  You don't believe me?  Check out the view from my seat on the patio of L'Orangerie du Parc d'Egmont.  Told you so.

L'Orangerie du Parc d'Egmont

For my eats on that beautiful day, I had the filet americain and frites, basically a steak tartare.  It was delicious.  

filet americain

Tender and fresh.  Mixing in the gherkins, chopped onions, capers, and the mustardy mayo, it was the perfect light lunch. There was no stringiness and no gumminess, which are the common issues with steak tartare.  A light salad rounded out the plate.

Golden Delicious

Gotta get frites with every meal in Brussels.  Super crispy skin holding in the fluffy soft potato innards, dipped in some creamy mayo.  So very simple and so very tasty.  Look at those golden fries.  Best when fresh, but still good to nibble on when cold while relaxing in L'Orangerie with a nice Belgium ale.

Dinner at Aldea

Aldea has been on my Must Eat List for a long long time and last Friday, I finally crossed it off my list!  Actually, now that I've eaten there, I just moved it to my Must Eat As Often As Possible List.  I completely respect that George Mendes, the exec chef, was there all night cooking the food I ate.  You really don't see that much in NYC anymore.  I think that dedication just made it all the more tasty.

he's the one without a hat

We opted for the 5 course chef tasting, but had to add on the sea urchin toast with cauliflower cream, sea lettuce, and lime.

kinda life changing

I'm a bit of a sea urchin whore.  This was awesome.  The creamy oceany roe was offset by the crunchy flat bread and seaweed.  Too friggin good.

Then came the amuse bouche, not one, but three.  Oyster w/pickled ramp vinaigrette, bacalao croquettas, lobster gazpacho w/ summer berries, wild herbs.

amuse bouche

Yes, THREE!  Three delicious, incredibly fresh, incredibly flavorful dish.  The oyster was briny and crisp.  The croquetta was light and creamy.  The lobster gazpacho was just awesome, sweet and acidic-y, summer in a little cup.

First course was foie gras mi-cuit with birch beer gelée, peanuts and cocoa nibs.  It was served with thick slabs of toast.

 foie!

This was genius.  I loved the combination of the creamy and unctuous foie with the slightly bitter sweetness of the cocoa nibs and the birch beer gelée.  nom nom nom.

Next up was the octopus a la plancha with balsamic, olive oil, and chickpeas.

octopus

The octopus was perfectly cooked, lightly chewy with a smokiness that was mellowed by the balsamic.

The third course was monk fish cheeks.  Cheek meat!  I heart cheek meat of all edible animals.  I think cheeks is the flavor of that animal times 10.  Like monk fish cheeks taste like monk fish meat times 10.

monk fish!

Then came my favorite of the night, arrozo de pato - duck confit, chorizo, olive, duck cracklings.  Seriously you guys, I'm-in-love. I kind of want to marry this dish, or at least move in together.

will u b my valentine?

It was like a paella cooked in a shallow pan, so all you get is the good stuff.  By good stuff, I mean the crunchy soccarat that you scrape up on the bottom of the pan.  And then, just to make sure that there was to be too much awesomness, they mix in duck cracklings, then top with perfectly cooked duck.

Before the dessert, we were given a palate cleanser of mint and sorbet.  Then we were presented with a banana cake thing with espresso ice cream.  I'm sure it's not a cake thing, but I can't think of the term and it's not on the online menu.  Fail!  The top layer was bruleed.  I welcome all desserts with crackly sugar layer.

dessert

Because that was not enough food, we also ate all of the petit fours.  My ability to eat beyond capacity never ceases to amaze me.

more!

I really really enjoyed Aldea.  The food was inventive and delicious.  I loved the open kitchen and great service.  I'm already planning my return trip.