RickBehl

Hi All, I will be having a dinner party next week and was looking for guidance on the kind of things I can do to try and make it a success. I have 4 guests and there will be myself and my partner present too which will make a total of 6 people. The dietary criteria are: i) One guest is pregnant and is not keen on beef or mussels ii) All guests are non-veg iii) 3 meat-oriented males I myself am Punjabi but grew up in London and have only recently moved to Hong Kong. Asian ingredients are quite easily available here and my cupboard is already pretty well stocked with dry spices. My initial thoughts were to prepare a Punjabi/North Indian feast possibly including some of the following: Tandoori lamb chops (prepared on my charcoal Weber bbq earlier in the day and then warmed up at dinner time) Seekh kebabs (same prep as above) Tandoori chicken (again as above) Lamb or chicken curry Vegetable side dish Pullao rice Raitha Pickles Not sure about the spelling but Gajjrela (cooked carrot) dessert Currently I think the menu may be TOO much meat based so I may want to think about some lentils or fish dishes. Does anyone have advice on what I am preparing or recipes for the above. I have a lot of cookbooks but if someone has a 'killer' recipe, I would love to hear it ! Also I would prefer to prepare as much as possible in advance so I can enjoy the party myself :-) Rgds Rick

Ahah ! Austin, I think you are right. I'm always confusing my Thai sausages. Maybe they are a seperate subject of their own as there seem to be so many ! I have a number of recipes for different ones in one of my cookbooks. If people are interested I can post... Rgds Rick

Sai Ua is one of my favourite Thai foods ! I believe the way I ate it in Thailand before was wrapped up in a lettuce leaf with a thin slice of raw ginger. If you then dip this in a small bowl of thai sauce (fish sauce, lime, chopped chilli and sugar) it is pure heaven ! Also, I think the distinct taste of this sausage comes from the usage of sticky rice in the filling which is allowed to 'ferment' to slightly cure the sausage with a sour taste. I'm sure Austin can correct me if I'm wrong here Rgds Rick p.s. The only way I can get these sausages now (while living in Hong Kong) is from imported frozen packs from Thailand

Thanks guys ! I will add Ketut's place to my list and also will see if we have time for a cooking class at Bumbu Bali. Is there any preference from people on whether the class at Casa Luna is better or the one at BB is better ? Austin, thanks for the advice about hiring a car. Another friend also suggested this. Is it better to arrange this through a hotel or do you have any recommendations ? On the photo topic, I have the same three passions as you ! Food, Travel and Photography ! Unfortunately my photography is not quite up to your standard but hopefully one day ! Thanks again for all the advice and I will try and post some of my experiences once I return. Rgds Rick

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I think we would like to try at least some 'local' food while we are there so we will try and take in the night markets... I like your pictures by the way ! Are you a professional (food?) photographer ? Rgds Rick

Hi All, I will be in Bali next week for 9 nights of which 6 will be in Seminyak and 3 will be in Ubud. I know there have already been a lot of posts about Bali but I just wanted to check what the current hot tables were in both of these parts of the country. My current list of places to go are: Seminyak: Husk Ku De Ta Queens Tandoor Gado Gado La Luciola Ubud: Ary's Warung Mozaic Bebek Bengil 1 Cafe Lotus Casa Luna Any up-to-date advice appreciated ! Rgds Rick

Hi All, I have an urgent request ! I'm leaving London for Hong Kong tomorrow and will be spending 6 nights there. I'm there on a business trip but wanted to take the opportunity to try some of the highlights of the Hong Kong culinary world. So what I need to know is where should I most definitely go to eat ? and what should I eat ? Obviously Chinese food will form the major part of my diet for the week but I'll try pretty much anything once ! My budget is not unlimited but I'm willing to spend anywhere up to £50 or $650 HKD for a meal if it's worth it or even more if it is something which should definitely not be missed. Thanks in advance Rick

Hi there, I will be going to Sri Lanka for 10 days from next week. I would be very interested to hear about your dining experiences on your recent visit. Rgds Rick

Hi there, I've been reading about Hunan for a while now and have decided to give it a go. I will be organising a dinner for around 5 or 6 people in a few weeks time. I'm a little confused about the best way to ensure that you get the best dishes though. Reading the timeout review it mentions that when booking you should request the 'Chefs menu'. Is this the same as just turning up and telling Mr. Peng what you cannot eat ? It certainly seems like there are a small number of dishes which people are consistently praising which I would really like to ensure that we get in our selection. Our diners are all adventurous so would probably not mind getting various parts of animals which we may not be used to eating. But I would also like to try things like the tea smoked duck, tempura chilli/beans, some pork belly, etc. Can someone give me some advice on the best way to approach the ordering situation ? What dishes should I definitely try and include ? And also is it best to explain this when booking the table or when we turn up at the restaurant ? How many dishes (if we are asked) should we order (assuming we are 6 hungry adventurous diners) ? Thanks in advance, Rick

I hope they have better luck than the previous businesses on Westbourne Grove in that site. I've seen a number of establishments open and close within a year there. Eat and 2 Veg, Cafe Pasta, All Bar One, to name but the last three... You know what they say, some sites are just jinxed :-( Rick

My apologies, just skimmed the topic before posting ! Nice to know you are a fan too. Actually I went there recently and never even noticed the name change. Just had one thing on my mind on that rainy evening, that one thing being the Cha-Shou ramen ! Rgds Rick (who will try and read a bit more of the previous posts before posting)

My vote for best Japanese noodles (ramen) goes to Hamine on Brewer St. They do fantastic Cha-Shou ramen. Soupy ramen noodles in a great stock topped with slices of roast pork. Delish ! Rgds Rick

As you live close by, have you tried 'Crazy Homies' around on the corner. If so, how does it compare ? Yes, I would have thought they would at least have had the 'red chile salsa' and 'green chile salsa' sauces on the side ? I'm sure you know this already but P.V. is probably not the best place to be going to get to the heart of Mexican food... I'm guessing most of the bill was on drinks ? Rgds Rick

Walked past the Cool Chile Co taqueria in Westbourne Grove on Saturday afternoon and it was 'rammed'. I was very tempted to stop in but knew I would feel the wrath of the other half once she found out I had been without her... I'm hoping to make a stop this weekend and will report back ! Rgds Rick

Hi there, I will be spending 3 nights in Barcelona from this Saturday and was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of the best food available on a limited budget. I know a lot of mention has been made of places like Comerc 24 and Alkimia, etc but I think these may be quite expensive for me. What kind of prices can I expect to pay for a meal in a place like these ? My budget is probably between 30 and 60 Euros a head (including drinks and service). Also, I have heard that a speciality of Spain not to be missed is the milk-fed lamb. Is there anywhere in Barcelona which is famous for this dish ? We are actually thinking of driving to Figueres and/or Cadaques so any recommendations there would be appreciated too. I believe El Bulli is also located close to this region. How much does a meal cost there ? And how far in advance does one need to book ? Thanks in advance Rick

Hi, We are also going to be in Firenze on Easter Sunday although we have a train back to Rome at 15:29. Do you know whether we have enough time to eat lunch and get back to the station in time for our train ? We are staying in the Hotel Alessandra which is at Apostoli 17, Borgo SS, between Via dei Tornabuoni and Via Por Santa Maria, Near Piazza Santa Trínita. Can anyone recommend any other restaurants ? In addition what are the typical dishes in an Italian Easter Sunday meal ? Thanks, Rick

Mandola has closed down recently. Shame really as I quite liked it too and it was BYO... Opening up in its place is a Taqueria being run by the Cool Chile Co. (Sometime in April I believe). There is a thread on this somewhere else in the forums.. However, there are a number of Ethiopian and Moroccan restaurants in London. Momo is the most famous Moroccan. Highly stylised in decor and price. If you want something more down to Earth, I've heard good things about the Cous-Cous cafe in Bayswater (off Queensway) Rgds Rick

Wow again ! Thanks Calimero for your fantastically detailed response. I hope you don't feel you are giving away your most secret places ! I will try my best to get through as many of these as I can. Are these all in the same price range ? I am thinking of trying mid-range type places but that will not stop me from splashing out for a couple of extra special meals. Thanks again, Rick

Thanks again to everyone for all their advice. After talking to a few friends, they have actually advised me not to go to Naples as they said it was a little 'rough'. So now I am in two minds about whether to a) Still go to Naples (4-5 nights in Rome, 1-2 nights in Napes) OR b) Stay in Rome (6 nights) OR c) Go to Rome (4-5 nights) and one other place such as Florence or Siena (1-2 nights) Any advice ? Thanks Rick

Out of interest, what is the difference between Roman and Neapolitan Pizza ? (Apologies in advance if this has already been covered in another thread). Rick

Wow, great advice ! I will defnitely try and make it to both Orso 80 and Gusto and hopefully the pizzeria that DaleJ mentioned. But we may actually spend one night (two days in Naples) so may leave the Pizza tasting for that location. On that note, does anyone have any recommendations on Pizza in Naples. I have heard that 'Da Michele' (?) is supposed to be good. Rgds Rick

My girlfriend has planned a 5 night trip to Rome over Easter and I am really looking forward to it as this will be my first trip to Italy. I'm sure the food there bears little resemblance to the Italian fare we get here in London (unless you pay a lot of money) so I'm really keen to try as many things as possible. Can anyone provide suggestions on restaurants/dishes that should not be missed ? I don't really like sticking to the tourist places as these are more often than not offering pretty 'standard' cuisine tailored to the foreign palate. I would really like to go to those 'local' Italian restaurants that only the locals know about. Thanks in advance Rick

Not until you just mentioned it. Thanks, Rick

Ok, well, it looks like I got the wrong end of the enchilada... It is actually a 'Tequila Bar and Diner'. Diner in this case means only around 30 very cosy seats. The place was pretty quiet when we arrived with a few other token Valentiners out to kick start the night with a spicy hit. The menu is very limited and consists of Tacos or Enchilidas (a choice between Pork, Black Bean, or Chicken) for mains and churros and chocolate for dessert. The bar area plays host to a wide selection of Mexican beers and authentic tequilas. We didn't stay too long as my girlfriend wasn't too keen on eating plate after plate of tortillas. To start the drinking, I chose an Agave Margeurita (made with Agave syrup) which was great although I did think all margueritas were supposed to come with a salt rim-lined glass. This particular margeurita came sans sel.The girlfriend chose the sweet sounding Sangrita which turned out to be a shot of tequila and a shot of 'spicy tomato juice'. Again this was as good as I had had a year before in Mexico. So far so good. From the food menu we ordered a plate of Pork picadillo quesadilla which came with 3 sauces (green chile, red chile and a tomato salsa). These were fantastic and a real reminder of our holiday in Mexico. The sauces were authentically spicy and the tortillas seemed freshly made. Unfortunately, we did not stay much longer for food but I did manage to polish off a shot of Patron Tequila Anejo (aged) which was very smooth and well worth the price. So to sum up, it's a place worth visiting if you are the mood for drinks and snack type foods but maybe not if you want a 'full on restaurant' experience. I'll definitely be back if only to try the churros and chocolate ! Rgds Rick

There is a brief mention on the timeout site: http://eatdrink.timeout.com/ And a bit more info here: http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/a...23trlondon.html Oh well, I'll try and write up a quick review tomorrow ! Rgds Rick