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Each morning in Tokyo we would rise early, grab an onigiri (or two) and set off in search of the perfect coffee. Him a flat white, me a batch, filter or cold drip.
Little Nap Coffee Stand kept popping up in the foodie blogs and has been going strong since 2011. Owned by music lover Daisuke Hamada, you'll find a great playlist and even better coffee. Grab a coffee and small bite to eat and take your goods across the road to take in all that Yoyogi Park has to offer.
At the heart of Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is The House of Food & Wine. During the ten days 1000 £ Bend has been transformed into the festival hub. Warehouse style lavish parties take hold of the main event space and laneway whilst the pop up bar and eatery sits proudly at the Little Lonsdale entrance. Local legend Morgan McGlone, the Kiwi chef behind Belles Hot Chicken in Sydney and Melbourne, has crafted a menu inspired by #MFWF MasterClasses of old. Don't miss out on these cleverly created dishes.
Venison Scotch Egg - inspired by Brett Graham (The Ledbury London), MasterClass 2012
Bean Tamale, Charred Red Tomato - inspired by Enrique Olvera (Pujol, Mexico City), MasterClass 2013
Grilled Swordfish, Parsley, Mussels - inspired by Christian Puglisi (Relæ, Cophenhagen), MasterClass 2012
Beef Short Rib - inspired by David Chang (Momofuku Ssam Bar, New York), MasterClass 2010
Potato, Plums - inspired by Rosio Sanchez (Hija de Sanchez, Copenhagen), MasterClass 2012
There was so much to love about the Ace Hotel. A welcomed reprieve from run of the mill US hotel chains, where the dining options are lacklustre tourist traps to be avoided at all costs. Whilst Clyde Common is right off Ace's lobby, that's as hotel restaurant as this place gets.
Start your day with a hot breakfast, a hit list of staples right through to more decadent offerings to slam down with a coffee. Stop in for a quick snack, biscuits with housemade jam or pull up a spot at the bar and graze on snacks.
The communal tables are perfect to feast at lunch or dinner with a boisterous bunch. Make sure you make the most of Happy Hour from 3-6pm each day. Biscuits for brunch, burgers before basketball... we found ourselves heading back all hours of the day.
For travellers, locals and anyone who enjoys good food with good friends. Add it to your Portland list along with Ace's basement bar Pepe de Loko.
Often whilst travelling cravings for a no-fuss-could-have-made-this-at-home breakfast kick in. When these urges hit, we scoured Instagram for simpler plates and stumbled across Nelson the Seagull.
Open yet homely, Nelson the Seagull is a bakery, coffee house and cafe and a favourite amongst locals. Avocado on sourdough toast allowed a nice break from the waffle-laden menus of Vancouver. Rare roast beef and a miss mash of breakfast sides was a gamechanger. Great coffee and freshly baked sourdough - you can't go wrong here.
315 Carrall Street, Gastown
Vancouver, V6A 0A7
+1 (604) 681 5776
Instagram
Open: Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm
Sat - Sun 9am - 5pm
Nestled underneath Clyde Common is Ace Hotel's basement bar Pepe le Moko. Down the stairs you'll find an intimate spot for a drink or two and late night nibbles. Pull up a seat at the bar or sink into the low banquettes and while away the night over cocktails, oysters and conversation.
Pepe le Moko
407 SW Tenth Ave, Portland, Oregon
503.546.8537
Open 4pm - 2am
Facebook | Instagram
Fellow coffee lovers will totally nerd out at Revolver. Holy moly, this place is mecca. You'll find a rotating menu featuring world class roasters from North America and afar, plus a gazillion ways to have it brewed and served. Make sure you pop into the store and stock up on hard to find brew equipment and gadgets
325 Cambie Street, Gastown, Vancouver
Instagram
Mon – Fri 7.30am – 6pm
Sat 9am - 6pm (Sun closed)
Need coffee in Portland? Stumptown Coffee is your the answer.
1026 SW Stark Street
Portland, OR97205
Mon-Fri 6 am to 7pm
Sat-Sun 7am to 7pm
Strolling to the Portland Farmers Markets in the blistering cold, hoodies on and hands scrambling for warmth in pockets, had me wishing our Portland adventure was in spring. The markets would be brimming with sunflowers, brightly hued vegetables and stall after stall would be abuzz.
Instead, the cold snap which brought snow the following day, had us hopping around to shake off the morning chill. The markets are open all year round. Located in the perfectly American surrounds of Portland's State University with the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and Portland Art Museum close by. Whilst the stalls were a little slim, many local food vendors and artisans braved the cold to keep us warm from the inside out.
Mandy King is the creator of Money Bowl, a food stall dishing up SW Chinese Remedies. A cure for the frozen with hot rice noodle bowls, Sichuan hot pot veggie bowl and sticky rice balls on the menu.
Easily one of my favourite meals on our Portland trip was Money Bowl's Char Shao rice ball. BBQ pork, dried radish, woods ear mushroom and spices hidden in the centre with a Special tea egg. Only $5.50!
Get your hands on hot tamales at Salvador Molly's. At the restaurant the Molly's mob delve into South American eats and pop up with steamed tamales. The artichoke and gotija cheese tamale delivered.
A New Mexico style breakfast burrito was a hit at Enchanted Sun Burritos. Crammed with scrambled eggs, seasoned potatoes, NM green chile and Tillamook cheddar cheese in a warm flour tortilla with mandatory bacon or sausage.
Oh Franklin. You were all kinds of wonderful.
2016 Le Temps Retrouve ‘Macabeu’ Roussilon, France (macabeu)
Octopus with new potatoes and turnip escabeche
Chicken liver parfait with pickles and rye
Beetroot with lentils and goat curd
2016 Momento Mori Wines Staring At The Sun
Heathcote, Australia
Spelt grain braised in greens with dried olive
Braised beef shin with onion cream and salsa verde
Beans, zucchini and ricotta with smoked trevally
2016 Meadowbank ‘Pet’ Nat’ |
Meadowbank, Tasmania (chardonnay, pinot noir)
Half roast chicken, quinoa, radish and yoghurt
2014 La Noue Cabernet De Anjou
Tongola ‘zoe’ with pickles and rye
Plum, sancho and meringue
Artisanal Japanese Sake
Chiyo Shuzo Moromi Nigori
Nara,Japan
Somewhere between Miyanoshita railway station and the Fujiya Hotel, tucked behind a Coke vending machine, is a soda noodle house. Using the little Japanese we could speak we ordered edamame, beers and soba and watched this gorgeous duo work their magic.
It wasn't until our Tokyo adventure that I understood the sheer importance of this emoticon: 🍙. Light bulb moment! So much happiness... so much packaging.
Onigiri (🍙) are little parcels of rice, stuffed with salty or sour ingredients like umeboshi (plum), tuna, pickles or salmon, and wrapped in nori. 'Wait, so you mean like sushi right?' Oh heck no.. this little guy is a Japanese specialty in its own right. You will find the convenience store fridges heaving with these perfectly wrapped parcels all over Japan.
Each morning we would grab an onigiri or two (forever restrained from grabbing three) for the road. The ultimate snack to tide you over until breakfast. Onigiri fuelled many a hunt for a decent flat white or batch brew through the streets of Tokyo.
I stumbled across Purple Peanuts on Collins Street during my last trip to Melbourne, conjuring memories of Tokyo. This little Japanese cafe has been going strong since 2011 and championed the brown rice sushi explosion. You'll find a range of traditional eats including Tsuke Don, salmon sashimi marinated in mirin, sake, sesame and soy, and perfectly wrapped 🍙🍙 on the counter.
The best way to get to know a city is to get lost in it... or find its best donut store. After chasing the holey grail in Vancouver and finding Cartems, we went on the hunt in Portland.
Blue Star has been going strong since 2012 and now boasts outposts in LA and Tokyo. The bright hued Blueberry, Bourbon & Basil glaze is mindblowing! Made onsite using fresh blueberries, fresh basil, sugar and a splash of Bulleit bourbon. Now that I'm home wish I'd also had a Hard Apple Cider Fritter.
There is a bit of hype around Voodoo, another donut joint, but a few different foodie sources said not to bother.
Blueberry Bourbon Basil
PB&J
Lemon Poppy
Chocolate Almond Ganache
Old Fashioned
In the belly of industrial Vancouver you'll find internationally revered chocolate and pastry creators/innovators/wizards, BETA5. An absolute MUST on any trip to Van City. You're only an Insta-stalk away from realising why.
I somehow managed (so what if I ran to to the counter) to nab the last Douglas Fir cream. Sold out sticker triumphantly displayed above... glory moment! Limited edition sh*t gets me every time.
Douglas Fir: infused custard 72% dark chocolate mousse | 72% dark chocolate cremeux | pistachio sponge cake | dark chocolate mushroom.
Each season BETA5 release a new collection. Fall 2015 ensemble: roasted beet - ginger, porcini, pear - gingerbread, salted milk chocolate, spiced pumpkin and sage.
Don't leave without a box of BETA5's signature collection of award-winning chocolates. Smash hits are Fisherman's Friend, the Whole Cherry, Bay Leaf, Tropical Crunch and Imperial Stout. With added extras and house favourites Jasmine Tea,Caramelised Banana and Salted Chocolate Caramels.
413 Industrial Avenue, Vancouver. BC
V6A 2P8, V6B 2L3 map
Located in the purple-peach building
beta-5.com Facebook Instagram
☎️ 604.669.3336 info@beta-5.com
Tues – Fri 10.30am – 5.30pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 5pm
Stunning vistas and walkable neighbours, coupled with a dynamic culinary scene and flourishing focus on craft producers, Vancouver has all the attributes of a great city.
Our Vancouver holiday was over the Christmas break and we had a quick trip to Whistler spending time with family. We stayed at Westin Bayside located in Downtown. It was comfortable, a little dated but what to expect of big chain corporate hotels. The views overlooking Stanley Park and Dead Man’s Island were beautiful and it was a leisurely walk into town along the Vancouver Harbour. If I had my chance again, I’d choose an AirBNB in the cobbled old-town Gastown where we spent most of our time.
Each morning we would kickstart out day with coffee from Revolver then find a breakfast joint before venturing off to explore the neighbourhoods. Gastown was definitely a highlight and the majority of my recommendations below are in this ‘hood. I wish we had gone to seaside town of Kitsilano and spent more time in Chinatown. Be careful at night in the troubled neighbourhood of East Hastings as it’s a little scary and the homeless situation and drug-use is sadly very dire.
The dining scene is absolutely incredible and we managed to tick lots off our list. I hope this travel guide gives you some highlights on your adventure in Vancouver.
SEE | DIGITAL ORCA
📍 Convention Centre West Building, 1055 Canada Place
A breathtaking vista that makes you pause, Digital Orca is a 2009 sculpture by Douglas Coupland. The perfect backdrop for your orca selfie and mandatory 'sucked in we are on holidays' snap.
☕️☕️ | REVOLVER
📍325 Cambie Street
Revolver is founded on two things; coffee and the ultimate experience. The crew here live and breathe the bean. Top of my list by a long shot for your daily caffeine fix. Hell, next time I'd book an AirBNB close by just to ensure I could grab a Revolver coffee every morning.
Check out my blog post
EAT | MEDINA
📍 780 Richards Street
A brunch time institution in Van City. Take a trip to sunnier shores with Medina's Mediterranean style brunch. Favourites include spicy Moroccan lamb meatballs, tagine and paella. Interesting cocktails and waffles take breakfast to the next level. Head in early to avoid the lines. Check out my blog post.
EAT | TACO FINO
📍 15W Cordova Street
From humble food truck beginnings to bricks and mortar in four locations, Taco Fino has been slinging Mexican eats to taco lovers. Casual eats with swagger so order up big so you can try the everything on the menu. Check out my blog post.
DETOX | KROKODILE PEAR
📍 Plenty of locations around Vancouver.
Holidays should be about balance right? Get a vitamin dose with a side of detox from cold pressed juice legends Krokodile Pear. You'll see their fresh juices pop up all over the city.
EAT | NELSON & THE SEAGULL
📍315 Carrall Street, Gastown
Craving a no-fuss breakfast and 🥑 on toast? Then this place is for you. Check out my blog post
🍩🍩 | CARTEMS DONUTERIE
📍534 W Pender Street
New York has Underwest and Dough, Portland has Blue Star and Vancouver has Cartems. Artisanal doughnuts galore! Including glazed, cake, raised-yeast and huzzahhhh gluten-free! I loved the gluten-free cake version of Honey Parmasen and the seasonal Christmas beauties. Check out my blog post.
SEE | THE STEAM CLOCK
📍 305 Water Street
🍫🍫 | BETA5
📍413 Industrial Ave
Chocolate lovers! Attention please!
BETA5 was everything I'd dreamed of. Taking chocolates and those smashable cream puffs to the next level. Absolutely blown away with the attention to detail and love that goes into every morsel. Check out my blog post here.
SHOP | OLD FAITHFUL SHOP
📍 320 W Cordova Street
Stumbled upon this gorgeous homewares store on Cordova Street in Gastown. Full to the brim of locally made goods. Don't leave without a bottle of Bourbon Maple Syrup by Noble, handcrafted from fine Quebec tapped maple orchard. Stash a few baby bottles in your luggage as presents for the fam and avoid the tourist traps.
EAT | MEAT & BREAD
📍370 Cambie Street
No trip to Vancouver is complete without a Porchetta. An absolute must for food adventures!
Sandwich lords Meat & Bread have been dishing out the good stuff for over six years now and still have a line out the door.
Check out my blog post here.
L'ABATTOIR
📍217 Carrall Street
L’Abattoir is located in the center of Gastown between historic Gaoler’s Mews and Blood Alley. The restaurant was built in the 19th century and is the site of Vancouver’s first jail. Originally buttressed to the city’s main butchery and meat packing district, the name L’Abattoir pays homage to the neighbourhood’s colourful past.
Must try on the cocktail list is the Avocado Gimlet. A savoury take on the classic,
rosemary and olive-infused Beefeater gin, fresh avocado, Apfelkorn schnapps, lime.
Pull up a spot at the bar whilst you wait for a table. L'Abattoir is a hotspot and definitely one to book ahead. Missed out on weekend brunch, so check it out and report back!
EAT | ASK FOR LUIGI
📍305 Alexander Street
Ask for Luigi is a little off the beaten track in Downtown Eastside. Pasta is king in the buzzing little Italian joint. You will have to line up to nab your table. Handmade fresh pasta, Luigi's meatballs and olive oil cake are an absolute must. Check out my blog here.
DRINK | NOTTURNO
📍280 Carroll Street - Sorry this is now closed
This tiny bar serves seasonal Italian small plates, wine and excellent cocktails. We popped in for a pre-dinner drink. Negroni and a Felice. This seasonal gem fired with grappa, lemon peel and coffee bean essence, Cinzano Rosso vermouth, red wine reduction, white truffle syrup and Aphrodite bitters.
Travel Guide | Vancouver Canada
Believe the hype. Head in early and line up. Little Bao.
Chef May Chow has always been known to cause a stir in culinary circles. Starting out with her sell out pop-ups at farmers markets and then opening her 20-seater restaurant in SoHo in 2013. Little Bao quickly achieved cult status with people lining up every night. Roll into 2017 and she has been awarded Asia's Best Female Chef by Asia's Top 50 Restaurants mob. What a legend!
You'll find steamed boas with Asian-inspired fillings, combining old-school Chinese flavours in modern, against the curve ways. No trip to Hong Kong is complete without a few little baos under your belt.
Pork Belly: slow-braised pork belly, leek and shiso red onion salad, sesame dressing, hoisin ketchup
Beef: grass-fed organic beef, tomato, jam, roasted onion, sesame mayo, shiso, cheddar cheese
Fish Tempura: fresh market fish, tamarind palm sugar glaze, pickled lemongrass, fennel salad
Szechuan Fried Chicken: Chinese black vinegar glaze, Szechuan mayo, coleslaw
Salt ice cream w/ caramel
Green tea ice cream w/ condensed milk
Turducken; chicken stuffed in duck, then stuffed in turkey. It's like a babushka doll for birds that only comes out at Christmas. One year Mum cooked a next level turducken. With a spatchcock and quail added to the mix, it was easily the Kim Kardashian of turduckens. That's a whole lot of butt stuffing. Impressive to behold but sadly the end result was super dry and lacked flavour (side note: but damn good in mum's turkey pies the following day). My next turkducken experience on the other hand was dammmmmn fine.
Sandwich lords Meat & Bread have been in the meat and bread game for almost six years now boasting five locations. I'm pretty sure the line still wraps around the corner of Cambie Street at its flagship spot in Gastown each day. By some stroke of luck we snuck in just before they shut shop for the Christmas break.
With only four sandwiches on the menu, Meat & Bread serves three staples (Porchetta, Meatball & Grilled Cheese) and a changing daily special. I'm still kicking myself we didn't order the Porchetta just quietly. The Meatball + Turducken went down a treat, hands down worth the wait.
If you spot the Chocolate Bar at the counter ask no questions, just hand over your bills and stuff as many as you can in your pockets. Local chocolate company Beta5 hooked up with Meat & Bread for a night of unbridled smoky bacon and maple passion to create this incredible little love child. If your friends visit Vancouver and don't bring you one back, it doesn't mean they weren't thinking of you ... they probably just ate it on the plane (yep, guilty).
Oyama Sausage Co.'s applewood-smoked bacon in a maple caramel resting on a layer of roasted almond and milk chocolate nougat, coated in 63% dark chocolate and finished with smoked sea salt.
Canadian-born chef Matthew Abergel has some serious credentials. Having worked at high-end Japanese restaurants including Masa in NYC and Zuma in Hong Kong. He then opened cult yakitori restaurant Yardbird in 2011 before launching Ronin, a Japanese seafood and whisky bar, two years later.
Ronin will forever be remembered as that amazing spot in HK where we enjoyed our first glass of sparkling to celebrate our engagement. And the spot that I scammed a $100 candle outta Ryan simply because I finally said yes to his proposal. Mind you... he did ask 11 times throughout various un-romantic spots in Portland and we finally confirmed my acceptance before dinner. Oh the memories... 💍💗💍💗
Heading to Hong Kong? Make sure you book in nice and early.
Its been a long time between blog posts, so I thought I would start with a tranquil stroll through the rice paddy fields of Ubud. At the tail-end of a girls' trip, I scheduled in a few days of solitude to unwind and rest the liver. Fuelled by the encouragement of my dear friend Andjelka of Life Curator, I found solace in dreamy Ubud bidding farewell to the bustling streets of Seminyak.
I followed in my friend's footsteps; wandering the markets, slurping a PB&J smoothie at Alchemy, stocking up on coconut kefir and alkaline water, finding guidance at AmrtaSiddhi (an Ayurvedic Health Centre), and seeking out Sari Organik. Home to organic food and the best nasi campur of my life! Make sure you order a cold ginger tea and soak up the sunshine with a good book in hand.
To discover soul nourishing adventures in this corner of the world, check out Curated Ubud: A Travel Guide With Soul.
Ace Hotel. Could it be any more Portland if it tried? Good vibes, minimalist-chic decor, awesome music, hipster bikes and fierce supporters of everything local. I could go on. It even has its very own Stumptown Coffee joint!
Located in the Pearl District, Ace Hotel is truly at the heart of it all. Smack bang between great coffee and its own dining room Clyde Common and cocktail bar Pepe Le Moko and only a block away from the famous Powell's bookstore and other dining haunts like Tasty & Alder and the cultish Blue Star Donuts.
We stayed for four nights over the New Years break in a Standard Room at $230 USD per night. The rooms are pretty minimal, fitted out with comfortable futon-style beds and locally crafted furniture.
Loved being greeted with local goodies on the bed and a personalised note. For New Year's Eve we were given a thoughtfully curated list of what was happening in the city based on what mood you were in. It was these touches that made our stay uber special. And that mini-bar choc full of local goodness was something else. The room formerly known as 215 serves up, a delicious European-style continental breakfast every morning to guests. Dive in before you start your day. I don't think I could ever stay in a corporate chain hotel again!
The real highlight of Ace is definitely the communal areas. Tempting travellers outside of their rooms into the lobby. You'll find creatives tapping away on their Macbooks, exchanging stories or even just people watching. Make sure you check out the vintage black and white photobooth and get some snaps. It was always buzzing, an endless hive of activity. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough.
Trailblazing Portland's brunch scene, Tasty & Alder was created by co-owner and exec chef John Gorham. Now with a swagger of hotspots under his belt and a cookbook 'Hello My Name is Tasty' that pays homeage to the hits. We kept going back to this bright and bustling corner eatery.
Biscuit with royal's honey butter (addictive... would you like biscuit with your butter?)
If you haven't downed a Mary's or two.. have you really been to brunch?
Korean friend chicken with short grain rice, house kimchi and eggss
Buttermilk fried chicken
Chocolate potato doughnut with creme anglaise
Bim Bop Bacon & Eggs... stir like crazy
Tasty Sour | carpano antica vermouth, orange bitters, angostura bitters, lemon, orange
