We say in French: L’avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt (the future belongs to early risers) and if this is true, Vietnam will have a very bright future. If you wake up early in Ho Chi Minh, you could always do like the locals and head to Pho Hoa Pasteur for a good morning pho.
Street food in a food court? Well… only in Montréal where the ridiculous ban on selling street food has been hurting a city that needs a big kick in the ass renewal. Grumman’78 Comptoir is a simple way to bring the stuff that could be bought from a truck to the masses.
I’ve driven in front of Juu Hachi Ban ramen shop for 3 years before trying it. The shop is located on route 313 in the center of Fukuyama city. I found this shop listed pretty high up on a Japanese ramen website, so I decided to give it a go.
I like nabe, I like ramen and the combination of the two is a pretty darn tasty idea. If you want to try this creation, you will have to travel to Susaki on the island of Shikoku.
Every time I go to Tokyo, I am a bit overwhelm by the gastronomical choices I must face. Within the limit of my budget and appetite, I always try to eat something new and exciting.
I found Minatoya address in Pen with New Attitude magazine and armed with my Tokyo atlas, I slowly made my way to this mysterious soba restaurant which is located not too far from Shinbashi station.
I drank my first Vietnamese coffee at café Lam when I arrived in Hanoi. The coffee shop is located on the outer edge of the old town and when we got there, the customers were spilling out on the sidewalk. I grabbed two small plastic stools and sat between two parked scooters.
Kojima is a small city in the shadow of the Seto Sea bridge not too far from Kurashiki city. Once you go past the industrial waste land of Mizushima, Kojima feels like a breath of fresh air.
La vie en Café is located in a very odd little building behind the Okayama City Symphonic Orchestra. If you spend enough time in Japan, you quickly realize that there is not many old buildings in Japanese cities. This building seem to be clinging to another age among a sea of new constructions since it survived the bombing of Okayama. (Okayama castle which is about 5 min away was severely damaged)
There is a special place in my heart for food served on a stick: corn dogs, lollipops or perfectly grilled yakitori, it’s just a great and easy way to put food into your mouth. So it pretty obvious that I had to try kushiage on my last visit to Osaka.
Kushiage or Kushikatsu is a speciality of Osaka. The idea is simple: impale some food on a bamboo stick, dip it in batter, deep fry it very carefully and serve it burning hot . It’s the perfect bar food!
Coffee is addictive and finding a place to drink some is even more addictive.
I’ve drank coffee pretty much every where I ever been and my last visit to Osaka brought me to Link Handmade Roast Coffee just off the popular Shinsaibashi.
Have you ever been away from home for a very long time? I’ve now been away from Montreal since late July 2008 and I’ve noticed that what I miss the most from back home is food. Maple syrup, smoked meat and poutine seem to be part of my DNA.
There is something about the Bund that gives Shanghai a special feel, like catching a glimpse of the Eiffel tower in Paris or walking on the Brooklyn bridge with the Manhattan skyline in plain view.
During my stay in Shanghai, I just kept going back for a stroll on the Bund and I decided to find a place to eat on the Bund. The restaurant Jean-Georges located at No 3 in the Union Building immediately caught my attention.