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RickBehl

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Everything posted by RickBehl

  1. Thanks for the tips. We did a trip to Hua Hin over 5 years ago and the one thing I do remember was the Tom Yam Soup which was completely on another level compared to what I had eaten in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand. Will try and take your advice about the street eating although to be honest the older I get the more cautious I seem to get too... Trying to deal with tummy problems is one thing but trying to deal with the same problems and having a 1 year old and a 3 year old jumping and screaming around you is a whole other ball game :-) Anyway, I'm slowly accumulating a small list of places although it doesn't seem to have the same amount of amazing foodie destinations as say Bangkok... Will try and report back hopefully with some more up to date advice for the next traveller... Cheers Rick
  2. Hi all, Heading to Hua Hin in a few weeks with the family (wife and two young kids). Everything I've read so far seems to suggest that there are not a lot of great 'authentic' dining options in Hua Hin? I'm hoping that has changed over time and that there will be some places to get real Thai food hopefully specific to the region and some specialities. Anyone have any advice or personal tips on where to go? We're quite adventurous travellers and eaters although now we have two kids (aged 1 and 3) we obviously cannot climb down a mountain to get to a beach side restaurant anymore :-) Thanks in advance, Rick
  3. Ahhh... I think I bought a knife from Aritsugu in Kyoto a couple years back. Is the shop near the Nishki food market area? They even inscribed my family name on it. It's a great knife but I think my sharpening skills need some work... I bought the whetstone they recommended at the same time but I can never seem to get it as sharp as I think it could be... I'm sure it's not a knife problem but my own poor technique...
  4. Well, I don't have a lot of time to be honest, only 2 days in Tokyo and then moving to Kyoto for another 5 days. Add the fact that I don't speak Japanese and it might make things harder to research/find once I am there... But I'm happy to be told otherwise... I was under the impression that even Pro chefs in the west were using Global knives quite widely?
  5. Oops! Sorry, missed that small detail. Thanks!
  6. Thanks. Any idea on prices? relative to other parts of the world?
  7. Hi, Will be in Tokyo for 2 days at the end of this week and just wanted to check on the latest situation regarding buying Global knives there. Can anyone advise on: 1) Where to buy? Still at the Yoshikin store? 2) How are the prices compared to those in the US or Europe? (especially with current FX rates) 3) Do they sell knife 'sets' in Tokyo? Thanks in advance, Rick
  8. I am travelling to Tokyo (2 nights) and Kyoto (5 nights) next week on my own. I am primarily going to photograph the autumn colours but as I am a real foodie I wonder if anyone has suggestions for solo dining. Also I don't particularly want to break the bank so my budget will be up to USD 30 for lunch and maybe USD 50 for dinner. I may have one splurge if I find a suitable place... So what I am looking for are the budget-mid price gems that locals and maybe ex-pats have made popular... I don't speak Japanese so ideally places that have English menus/staff... The list of foods on my to-try are: Tonkatsu Unagi Sushi Yakitori Tempura Sukiyaki/Shabu-Shabu Izakaya Not sure if all of the above are suitable for lone diners (eg, Shabu-Shabu is probably more a communal experience) Here are some thoughts for Tokyo so far: Breakfast: Daiwa Sushi Lunches: Butagami or Tonki, Izu-Ei or Nodaiwa Dinners: Birdland, Tsunahachi Rin or Asagi I'm staying in Shinjuku in Tokyo and would prefer not to travel too far to get to restaurants. Any thoughts? Rick
  9. Thanks Blether. Will take note of these places. A couple of other places I have been reading about are: Ka Jok See Siam Indigo China Inn Abdul's I'm quite interested to try and find some of the muslim-influenced dishes that should be prevalent in Southern Thailand. Being of Indian origin myself I can never have enough Roti and Curry :-) But I also read about a sort of Thai Biriyani called khao mok gai which the Thai muslims cook which sounds interesting... Rgds Rick
  10. Thanks Blether, we'll try and make it to Palai Seafood. I'm thinking the other options are to ask the hotel staff where they would go to eat with friends for an evening out... Rgds Rick
  11. Hi Blether, thanks for the reply. I'd like to think we know Thai food reasonably well. I myself have been to the country probably 5 times in the last 6 or 7 years (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Koh Samui). Both myself and my wife are of Asian descent and can handle a fair amount of heat before reaching for the ice cold drinks... I like to find Thai restaurants/eateries which offer dishes/foods that either I have not seen before or are specific to the region where we are eating. I'm not really interested in eating another green or red curry or a pad thai... Dishes I like are the unusual soups (ie, not the straight Tom Yam, Tom Kha varieties) and also the salads (especially the Northern/Isaan types)... We haven't booked our hotel yet but we have been told to avoid Patong as it's too developed. The areas we have been recommended to stay are Kata, Laguna or Mai Khao areas. As for budget we are not really restricted... But based on experience it's not usually the expensive places where you have those meals that you remember... Normally you experience those in some off the road but well know by the locals place which serves amazing food at very reasonable low-mid prices... I hope that gives you a bit more information to go on :-) Thanks again, Rick
  12. Hi, I'm heading to Phuket in Thailad in a couple weeks for a 5 day break. I will be with my wife and 9 month old baby. Both my wife and myself love good authentic Thai food (ie, not the Tourist-Friendly version of Green and Red curries, etc)... Can good authentic Thai food be found in Phuket? or is it all toned down and made tourist friendly on this resort island? I have read that Phuket town offers some of the best options... Bear in mind that we are travelling with a 9 month old baby so hygiene, safety, and location are things to be considered when choosing a place to eat at.... Thanks in advance, Rick
  13. We're actually living in Hong Kong at the moment and so have our fair share of Dim Sum here... probably will try and stick to dishes we can't get here...
  14. We won't have our own car but we don't mind hiring a car & driver or even taking taxis...
  15. Hi All, Just a quick request for any recommendations for particular restaurants, hawker stalls, etc in Malaysia in either Malacca, Penang or Langkawi. We are fairly adventurous and can tolerate quite spicy food so don't hold back with those suggestions ! Thanks in advance, Rick
  16. Hope it's not too late to advise you ! I would recommend the Liqun Roast Duck restaurant. It is quite famous and located in an old hutong which was in the middle of being knocked down. Pretty difficult to find but worth the effort. The Beijing duck is fantastic ! Will try and think of some more if not too late... Rgds Rick
  17. We just got back from Chengdu too and we made sure to pick up a couple of small bags of the stuff. We had to wrap them in about 5 layers of plastic in order to ensure nothing 'leaked' into our clothing in our suitcases... Last thing I want is a 'Sichuan itch' :-) In Chengdu we had a dish of Ma Po Do Fu which was loaded with so much peppercorns (whole and ground) I thought I had nuclear fission triggered off in my mouth ! It was fun though ;-) Rgds Rick p.s. hopefully will be posting some pics and tales of our China culinary adventures soon...
  18. Hi Peter, Just a quick note. I'm now hot on your trail ! I've done Beijing (3 nights) and am now in Xi'an having spent our first night here last night... We arrived late in the evening and headed straight down to the Drum Tower muslim area for some skewers of meat and our first Yangroupamo ! It was good although I'm not passing the final verdict until I see how my internals handled the food for a good 24 hours :-) We have two more nights in Xi'an and then on to Chengdu ! Where are you now ? Regards Rick
  19. Thanks guys ! I'd don't know what I'd do with these forums :-) Looking forward to lots of culinary adventures ! Rgds Rick
  20. Wow ! Sounds delicious ! I'm definitely going to try and get me some of that in Xi'an ! Hopefully be posting a reply on my return :-) Rgds Rick
  21. Thanks for the quick response Jokhm. A couple of questions: i) What exactly is Roujiamo ? How would I pronounce it ? (Roo-Ji-Ah-Mo ?) ii) And what is Yangroupaomo ? (Yan-Group-Ow-Mo ?) ii) What exactly are the 8 treasures in the congee ? Nothing tooo squeamish I hope :-) Thanks for the hotel advice but we've already got something booked. Rgds Rick
  22. Hi All, I'm leaving for my first trip to China tomorrow. My itinerary is: Beijing - 3 nights Xi'an - 3 nights Chengdu - 3 nights Can anyone help to suggest unmissable dishes or restaurants in each place ? I'm fairly open to all food and can eat quite spicy stuff. I'm not too keen on anything to 'weird' though :-) Thanks in advance, Rick
  23. Hi Worm, I'm gonna do a trial run on the pakora's to see if I can do what you say with half-frying them before hand and then a quick fry when the guests arrive. I believe I have a couple of recipes in my books for them but do you have any pointers/advice on making them ? Also I'm now thinking about switching the potatoes to bhindi like you say. Should hopefully make the meal a bit more balanced... May also drop the chicken kebab starters if I can do the pakora's as I think there may be too many things going on for only 6 people... Rgds Rick
  24. Thanks again for the suggestions. Yes, the paratha or naan I will buy from the supermarket and heat up. Less work than making your own and probably more reliable as I have never baked anything before... I would love to make the pakoras as I am a big fan but I know that they are only good if eaten hot out of the oil with minimum standing time. Unfortunately this would mean that I would have to stand over a smoky oil filled wok while my guests were arriving... Can I make these beforehand and put them in the oven when guests arrive ? or will they lose their crispness if I do this ? If it's ok to do this does anyone have any good recipes ? I always like the potato or aubergine ones the most myself. The idea about putting the potatoes on the menu is that it would help to 'fill up' the guests just in case there is not enough meat there... Lassi is a good idea. Can it be made and stored in the fridge beforehand ? And yes, the raitha will still be on the menu as I believe that can keep in the fridge if made earlier. I tried the vindaloo recipe last night but it needs a bit of refinement. I took the recipe from these forums in an earlier thread and combined it with one from a cookbook. The result could be improved. Currently it doesn't quite have the tangy/sour taste I think it needs. Also could do with a bit less oil and a bit more salt. I've also kept leftovers for today to see how the flavour changes overnight. Will report back ! Rgds Rick
  25. Thanks Milagai, Still got a week left before the dinner but currently the menu is looking like this: Starters Tandoori lamb chops Chicken kebabs Some vegetable/fish starter Main Chicken Curry Pork Vindaloo Potato Curry Pulao Rice Naan Dessert Carrot halwa + ice cream Fruit Appreciate your comments but all guests are quite big meat eaters and I have never cooked lentils before... The naan or paratha I will buy from the supermarket as I have never made these before either. Could I make these on the BBQ too and then warm them later ? Any other suggestions for starters ? Been looking through all the cookbooks but can't see any exciting vegetable/fish starters... Thanks again, Rick
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