Asia | cait +tiff

September 29, 2017
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T / how to get the shakes in chiang mai

There are only two things in Chiang Mai. Maybe three. Mostly just two. This post only focuses on one.

When I arrived in Chiang Mai, I felt like I had been adequately prepared to have myself some good coffee (thank you coffee Yoda!). And I was with some people who wanted good coffee. Because there is nothing worse than to be with people who are not willing to have more than three cups of coffee within a 24 hour period when all you want to do is drink coffee. Because it is literally all around you. You can drive 100km up a mountain through a national park and still find a decent latte from an Italian machine. And if Ponganes Coffee Roasters turns out to out to be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that’s totally cool. Akha Ama is just a hop and a skip away. What about brunch? Well, Overstand, The Larder and Rustic & Blue make food their primary objective, but their lattes are still above the norm of what you’d get back home. Also: see chicken and waffles. So thanks to the massive list that blogger to the north, Alana, put together, I thought I’d leave you the top three ways you could have your coffee.

Sriracha Maple Syrup Chicken Waffles at Rustic & Blue.

Stay at an Airbnb in Chiang Mai. For only one reason: you don’t get screwed by a hotel breakfast. Wake up and immediately leave the premises. Don’t be confined to very restrictive breakfast hours. Walk around any corner and you’ll probably find a really good. Like a latte that’s shares a table with Sriracha Maple Syrup Chicken Waffles at Rustic & Blue, Or The Larder’s Chorizo Breakfast Hot Dog if you’re in the Nimman Haeminda neighbourhood. Or the damn good breakfast pizza at Overstand in the Old City. The list is literally endless.

So many delicious, coffee-adjacent cuppas at Graph Table and Graph Cafe.

So many points for innovation, going outside boundaries and being a little nuts here. Sometimes it’s a little showy (yes, we get you won world’s best latte art), other times you’re thinking “how the heck did you get there?” And sometimes your coffee winds up tasting like a Christmas chocolate orange. Whether it’s fancy lattes with equally fancy names at Ristr8tto, or charcoal-laced concoctions at Graph Café and Graph Table, you’re going for something a little outside of the box.

So many coffee adjacent creative things at Graph Table and Graph Cafe.

Really get to know who’s growing your coffee at Akha Ama.

When more than one friend asks you to bring back coffee from Akha Ama, you get yourself a piccolo latte and their signature orange-infused Manee Mana cold brew concoction. The coffee served here is literally single sourced, when families from the Akha tribe in a northern town in Thailand cut out the middle man and began to not only produce, but process the beans themselves, all in a sustainable and ecologically free way (read: reduced use of chemicals). Inside the cafe, they’re equally proud of what they’re making. Baristas are coffee nerds to the highest degree.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use. Cait+Tiff are not liable for the shakes.

August 25, 2017
by caitandtiff Leave a comment

T / bangkok love song

It’s become a tradition now. Tiff gets new contract. Then Emily says I’m coming to Bangkok. Tiff immediately says I’M COMING (because having a new contract allows for flights of fancy). Tiff gets the heck out of dodge.

But first, a little bit about Emily (read her stuff here! and here). We met by chance outside the offices of this big organization in Phnom Penh nearly six years ago. We share the same birthday and at the time of our meeting one friend, which quickly ballooned to 28. Emily is also the one who introduced me to Cait. And there was that infamous roll of Hello Kitty duct tape from Target involved. And now we have this blog and amazing friendship and all these things I hold so dearly. So now you get it. She’s gorgeous. The conversation, brunch, gin and wine are in constant flow. We both love Emily.

And now about Bangkok. It’s got to be my favourite city in Asia. With the class and familiarity of Hong Kong (but without the prices, or my relatives), and the kids are so incredibly hip. The culture is homegrown and authentically Thai. It is so easy to get around (Uber and GrabTaxi are your apps to get) – and there are trains! I’ve written about it before. I’m writing about it again. The place is delicious. This time I hung out around the downtown center. Here are some of my faves.

Start at The Commons. You could in theory have all of your meals here. In my case, I actually did, over a 24 hours period. With Em not getting in till the following morning, I landed, based myself in the super central and perfect Thong Lor neighbourhood, and went on to have dinner, drink, big breakfast and coffee as lunch (because if you’re a Thai barista that just invented a thing called Banacotta – why not) all at the best concept to have ever been developed. Imagine if all the best restaurants in the city decided to open a small stand at a hawker center. Then bring a few great designers, air conditioning, a great community vibe and you have The Commons.

Any trip to Roast requires two coffees. The special one you need to wait for (because it features cubes of espresso that will slowly melt into that ice cold cream). And the one you need now.

You can actually have coffee as your lunch here. Because you’re probably so full from all the other meals. But also because the crazy baristas at Roots decided to put banana panacotta in your iced latte.

Then Em arrived and we needed food. Specifically Thai. Thanks to our Bangkok expert, Jane, we were well armed with recommendations. I originally thought Err was Jane’s way of saying that she was thinking. It’s actually a really great rustic-style Thai restaurant down an alley near the Chaophraya River. You feel every flavour. Not because there’s a massive chilli in there. The drinks are curated and so well designed around Thai ingredients. I’m craving Issan sausage and green curry as I type.

Toby’s is where you might order 1.5 dishes.

Yet another Jane recommendation! This one I had squirrelled away in one of our communication channels (there are at least 4). When I found it, Toby’s on Sukhumvit 38 instantly became a brunch objective. Because that’s apparently how I view food. With our limited time together, every meal and drink had to be quality. So that pumpkin scramble with smoked salmon had to be followed up by a ricotta toast topped with figs and dill.

Emily and I have fond memories of sunset balcony hangouts over G&Ts. So naturally I made us attempt to drink every single gin concoction that was part of Bangkok’s Gin Jubilee earlier this year. We only made it to two. But The Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental was by far the most memorable. Just LOOK AT THIS PLACE. It’s gorgeous in that colonial way you might feel ever so slightly bad about adoring. Also – where’s Ernest Hemingway?

Cait’s written about JJ market (sorry – Chatuchak). So I don’t need to add to the poetic waxing. But this is where you can find one of our favourite bag companies, TA.THA.TA (hi Kivi!) and all the treasures, which in my case were cacti and succulents.

Some JJ tips. It gets HOT. Bring a big shopping bag because you’ll unexpectedly wind up with a bunch of tiny things.

I usually don’t go for the tourist sites in Bangkok. But Jim Thompson has always stoked my conspiracy theory tendencies. Not only did the guy helped reinvigorate and bring the Thai silk weaving traditions to the West, but he also went missing while “going for a walk” in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia in 1967. So when Emily made the suggestion, I gave an enthusiastic YES and then went on to tell her all of my Cold War conspiracy theories (sorry Em). But mysteries aside, the Jim Thompson House is a gorgeous museum of a very cool period in Bangkok’s history. His house is a traditional masterpiece that remains in sumptuous green despite being in the heart of Bangkok. Also there’s a bunch of pretty silk on sale.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission to use. Cait+Tiff are not liable for a costly Bangkok habit.

August 3, 2017
by caitandtiff 1 Comment

T / not just temples – siem reap part two.

Here’s the thing about Siem Reap. It’s not just temples. Yeah, I know that 700 year old World Heritage Site there, emblematic of Khmer heritage and culture. But you can still celebrate that and avoid waking up at 4am and getting clocked in the head with a selfie stick mounted with an iPad. And for those of us who’ve been there more times than I can count, it’s also not a shabby place for a quick weekend getaway (see last week!). Siem Reap is a base for so many artisans and innovators. Basically, it’s where the cool kids are at, making gorgeous and delicious things and taking Khmer art and cuisine beyond anything.

I kept hearing from friends it was the place to be. And many of these places are in Kandal Village. No, not an actual village. But a couple of blocks that you can eat and shop the heck out of. Plus, these guys are organized like a tiny mafia of entrepreneurs, so naturally they’ve got an accessible map of it all that you can grab on the way in. So when you’re all konked out from the temples, you can spend all your money here.

So on my last weekend in the little city, I wanted to go a little nuts and find all these places.

PS – this little guide is not exhaustive. A weekend is obviously not enough. Next time – this food tour’s on my racket.

Start at Sister Srey in Siem Reap’s central market area – far enough that it that sufficiently avoids the obnoxious backpackers but still easily accessible. This little Aussie-inspired café has built up a following among expats and visitors over the past couple of years and I finally got to check it out. In addition to being a training restaurant, they also serve excellent coffee and affordable casual fare like chicken schnitzel sandwiches and YES, avocado toast for brekkie.

When you actually get to Kandal village, your probably want another coffee. Or maybe that’s just me. Anyways, our coffee Yoda and my buddy Corbett have been waxing poetic about Little Red Fox Espresso for ages. Their creations are beyond solid. I can’t think of another place in Cambodia that can serve a ristretto. Also – Montreal inspired bagels (which are apparently a theme in Siem Reap). And if you’re still hungry in Kandal Village and want something a little more on the vegan side of things, check out Vibe, down the street. We just got one in Phnom Penh and the city is ecstatic about the acai bowls and all the nut milks in the world.

There’s pretty much only one reason I can think of to go to Pub Street. If you haven’t been to Siem Reap before, then let me paint you a picture: fanny packs, drunken frat boys, gap year kids, and a crap ton of vendors shilling the same T-shirt. And fish massage. But I do have to say, this central tourist area has its charm – the little alleys with hidden treasures like Gelato Lab (Phnom Penhers – we’re getting one too!). I don’t think I need to say more. That scoop, above, is a Zabaione. t tasted exactly like one should. And I probably couldn’t find one anywhere else this side of the Mekong.

All of these eats and drinks have been recommendations from my buddy Mike. He has the luck of getting shipped up here a ton, so the man knows his lay of the land. But by far, I am most grateful for this one, even if its namesake was off in Madagascar. Georges Rhumerie was one of the most memorable meals. They start you off with a complimentary shot of their home-infused rum. And what follows is a meal (and series of drinks) inspired by Creole cuisines from the Reunion Islands and Georges’ own home of Madagascar. That means foie gras served alongside chutneys, gratins that seriously pop and the best sausages ever. Finish it off with baba au rhum and you’re fine. A three course meal for two, with beverages will not shatter your wallet at roughly $45. This is Siem Reap’s best secret that I may or may not have ruined. So make reservations.

So one last thing. I like me some good artisanal bread. A starter that’s past through centuries. A good pungent rye. And bagels. Zita and Jana started out on the farmer’s market circuit in Siem Reap and just finally broke their bread with Bang Bang (pronounced like the Khmer numPANG from which it’s derived). Zita makes the bread and Jana’s all about the cakes. Look at those babies! We flew back with a massive loaf of perfect rye and a half dozen of equally yummy bagels (of the New York variety for you purists).

Siem Reap being full of artisans means that you’re going to find things you would never find in Phnom Penh’s drone of occasional repetition. And most of the treasures you do find in the capital are crafted by the wealth of skilled artisans in Siem Reap. Ceramics is an excellent place to start. Before I left, my pal Hillary said I had to check out Louise Labourieres in Kandal Village. Not only did I get to check out her gorgeous goodies, but I got to meet the lady herself (thank you for that recommendation to Bang Bang!). Her collection of gorgeously designed and so well curated of pale pinks and torquoises that pair perfectly with the soft cream of her ceramics.

Then just up a couple of doors is Mademoiselle Thyda. Basically – buy all of your foodie friend gifts here. Everything in this store is regional and beyond Kampot pepper. You’ll discover what’s happening on the spice route in the hilly and indigenous northeast, or tiny organic farms that are just starting to dot the peri-urban areas in Phnom Penh.

And next door (see how convenient Kandal Village is?) is Niko’s Studio. I absolutely adore the French artist’s adornments painted on wooden Buddha carvings. I got to meet Niko herself and learn about how she approaches each piece. She even works in this studio itself so you might even get to see the piece you want crafted in action.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use. Cait+Tiff are not liable for prices of long haul flights incurred.

March 16, 2017
by caitandtiff 1 Comment

T / how i’m eating 2017 / ARTillery’s magic menu

Hello Quinoa Rainbowl! Nice to meet you!.

This week, a red headed birdy sent me a bit of magic! Jen, whom you previously have known as coffee Yoda and professor of beans, is also a doctor of menus! (Could mother of dragons be next?) Over the past few months, she’s been working with ARTillery Cafe in Phnom Penh to give their menu a facelift, and what a great job she’s done!

When it first arrived on the scene in 2012, ARTillery was pretty much the first restaurant in Cambodia to enter the realm of the healthy that went beyond salads. All of a sudden, raw, paleo, and gluten free, were buzzwords that became part of the Phnom Penh lexicon. I loved their menu! And it was a go-to for healthy fresh salads and fun plates. But like all good things, I overdosed on things.

This is where Jen comes in. She’s all about flavour, and has a genetic lineage to the healthy, nutritious and delicious. ARTillery’s new menu is still incredibly healthy. But it got kicked in the nuts. Kimchi quesadillas! Fa-waffles! Every single macro bowl you could imagine! And the dish that made me go a little nuts: paleo Disco Fries!

Fa-waffle!

So off to lunch I went today to deep dive into Jen’s garden of fun colourful things. With a couple of fellow foodies, we went a little nuts. Sadly not pictured are the Jump Start avocado, coffee, raw cacao and cashew milk smoothie I may or may not have devoured in one slurp. Nor the Cachata (cousin of horcata of course), or Chunky Monkey (we were obviously in the mood for chocolate). But I did get a snap of Jen’s amazing green fa-waffle with hummus and garlic tahini sauce (above). It’s officially my new happy place.

I also learned that I couldn’t tell the difference between jackfruit and chicken today. These tacos (below) were perfect.

Not your grandma’s tacos. These babies are jackfruit.

It’s healthy with a bit of a whimsy and magic. Fully customizable bowls. Protein, gut health, fermented things to your heart’s content. I like the good things and the healthy things. It’s exactly how I want to eat this year, and now that I’m desk-bound, my lunch hour just got a little more exciting. I can’t wait to try that cauliflower bun. If you’re in town, do wander down a certain brightly graffitied alley and give these guys a try.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang for cait+tiff. Please request permission for use.

December 1, 2016
by caitandtiff 2 Comments

T / go away / eat sleep walk ubud

This is the last post on Bali. I promise. At this point you’ve probably had the wonders of Bali driven down every orifice. So this one is going to be pretty basic. Everything Ubud. The one place we slept that we loved, the ten things we ate that blew our mind, the road we re-loved and the one walk we did which I wish we could do e’er weekend.

We knew we were meant to be flashpackers when we were 24 and the New York Times had recommended the Alam Indah family of hotels. At the time we had blown all of our money on this trip to Bali, but we knew we had to stay here. It helped that Alam Indah’s rooms can be as low as $45 per night during the low season (including breakfast and taxes). We fell in love with Balinese hospitality and the rich (yet not kitschy) local design of the hotel immediately. So we knew we had to stay with them again for lucky number eight.

And this time we could splurge (and not feel the pain of it) for a standing bungalow in the middle of a rice field at the Alam Jiwa. Balinese hospitality also means that you can order breakfast the night before and they’ll serve it on your veranda. All of the rooms, no matter what price, have their own little private terrace space.

This time we went for the Jatayu, a massive single room kampong (featuring the most comfortable king sized bed) with an outdoor, rice field-facing bathroom, and the most luxurious private little veranda. We didn’t necessarily feel like leaving.

The entire property, which is structured like a Balinese household compound, is stunning. Each residence behind a wall and a gentle little path through lily pads and rice fields. It’s actually mind blowing. You really don’t need to leave. Also pool, and complimentary afternoon tea? You really really don’t need to leave.

Fruit, muesli, yogurt, fresh squeezed OJ and babur (Balinese rice porridge with spinach) at 9am please.

Oh right, and breakfast (which is big and divine) served on your veranda in the luscious morning light? You’d be crazy not to.

When we travel, we eat everything. From the pig on the side of the road, to reservation attempts at the Michelin stars, or the new culinary upstart in town. And that’s exactly what we did again on this trip. We had really great new little discoveries (like the nasi pecel above), and obligatory pitstops (the babi guling below).

Babi Guling (aka roasted suckling pig, all the parts very much loved). Skip Ibu Oka, the place Anthony Bourdain exploded into a crowded tourist item. Any of the dudes with a big on the side of the road will be just as good.

Then my partner surprised me with something kind of epic and mind blowing.

Will Goldfarb worked the desserts at El Bulli. Drop Mic. That’s all you need to know right? Here are some other bits: he moved to Bali, he trains chefs there, and he opened a restaurant (in an abandoned night club) that is serving locally inspired sweets (and some savouries) and still dabbling in molecular gastronomy and the most delicious cocktails mastered by a barely legal Balinese bartender whose family makes all the local fruit-derived syrups and bitters. He’s also the nicest guy, and his roster of very cool chefs are the best conversationists. They will even be aware of the nuances of Cambodian food. You should absolutely order the 9 course dessert tasting menu. Share with two other work out buddies also visiting Bali, break the diet and have a sugar high.

Room for Dessert is located next to Naughty Nuri’s Warung on Jalan Sanginggan (open 4pm until late, 7 days a week). One of these dessert features coconut vinegar. Another has toasted gelato. I’ll let you guess which.

Pick a road that leads from Ubud’s city center to Gunung Batur and drive your custom café race (read: scooter you rented from your hotel) up through the rice terraces, through holy bathing sites, and all the temples. That’s all you need to do to get a sense of Bali. And if you have time, keep driving north, or west. Not enough people see this part of Bali. Tourists mostly stick around the island’s south east bend of beaches, yoga and parties. But there is so much more in between roads and down a dirt path. And if you’re feeling intrepid, wake up at 3am and climb the dead volcano at the end of the road.

Bathers at the holy pools of Pura Tirta Empul.

The roads are smooth. The green is so lush. And it is so easy to navigate and your fellow drivers are decent and polite. You have no excuses basically.

Bring your sarong.

Gunung Batur.

The very last thing we did was a bucket list item for me. The moment I saw this path through a gorgeous rice field, I just had to. The Campuhan Rice Ridge is eight kilometers of some of the coolest hikes you can do in the region. On both sides of you are rice terraces, gorgeous traditional Balinese homes sitting on hills and a bunch of romantically placed palm trees. Here are perfect instructions on how to get there. Bring mosquito repellant and a good pair of shoes. My flip flops didn’t exactly leave much to be desired.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use. We are not responsible if you can’t get a room in Ubud because it’s high season and you put off booking everything.

November 24, 2016
by caitandtiff Leave a comment

T / go away / re-interpreting

We rarely revisit places. With the assumption that a return would probably ruin the a previously held love. It’s like if I returned to Istanbul, sans coup, I’d feel like we’d be missing something. Without those 4am fighter jets, it just wouldn’t be complete. Or alternatively, re-booting Gilmore Girls on Netflix (!!!), without Edward Herrman. Same same but different, right?

Then we did it. We went back to a special place. My partner and I needed a break from the world. The kind of trip that was based on whimsy and great eats and not goals to have every amazing cup of matcha a city in Japan would have to offer. We were also trying to celebrate lucky number eight. So why not go back to the scene of the crime*? And sure it was different. Very different. But it also wasn’t the post-Eat, Pray, Love Bali that we imagined it to be.

Except for the grid lock in Ubud. That was bad. How did it get that bad?

So before I shared every bite you should take and every bed you should sleep in, I thought I’d just ruminate on the art of returning somewhere. It’s a weird feeling. Things are completely different and the same. The store that you bought that dress that you still wear? It’s gone. The streets are filled with retirees from the West and the East looking to get their yoga on. And this is low season. Remember that mostly-empty-surfers-only beach we found on our long motorbike trip up to coast? The hipsters took over. And all that cook batik went into hiding and has been replaced by resort wear.

But the roasted suckling pig on the side of the road is still delicious. The volcano you climbed is still there. And the overrated poop coffee is still available everywhere. Also, the Balinese are still the most hospitable and lovely people around. Oh, and the super tanned surfer boys are still riding around Canngu barefoot on their scooters sporting their Sean Penn-@-Fast-Times-at-Ridgemont-High hair? They’re still there too.

Also, a dude from El Bulli opened a restaurant in Ubud (more on that and a bunch of cool special things next week).

Bali is still a very special place. And we can afford to stay in a room that costs three times what we spent eight years ago.

Places change. Going back to Bali was like going home for me. In the case of home, Toronto stayed more-or-less the same, and it was my friends heading into big life changes. In the case of Bali, bigger changes happened. A gorgeous island suddenly became known to the world. And people flocked.

Eight years on, I’d still be happy to visit Bali again, though. We’ll just have to keep looking for those special hidden places.

*We visited Bali the first time in November 2008, just a week after the terrorists who had attacked Bali in 2002 were executed. Ubud and Seminyak were still fairly quiet. Very quiet actually.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use. Cait+Tiff are not liable for any costs incurred for sudden excursions to tiny, beautiful Indonesian islands.

July 28, 2016
by caitandtiff 2 Comments

T / postcards from istanbul

I knew I was stepping into a delicious place, thanks to Alissa. But I didn’t think my expectations could be blown through the roof. From the way citizens handled the attempted coup to the owner of the (delicious!) Gazientep kebab stall who insisted he repack my mess of bazaar purchases into a slightly less nutso annoying chaos. I was smitten. I can’t wait to explore the rest of the country, but in the meantime, at least I can look back at these little goodies I took.

We stayed in the perfect Airbnb. It was just steps from all the delicious and beautiful things. But not just that, our hosts messaged us to make sure we were alright once the coup started. Except we had the fortitude of being disconnected and clueless and replied, “we’re great! love this city!” Anyways, I loved this little rooftop apartment with the best view off the rooftop terrace, waking up to this view from our bed every morning. I never got sick of the calls to prayer, and even with the five flights of stairs to take us up, I would absolutely stay here again.

From this trip onwards, I am absolutely making Turkish lemonade, limonata, a constantly available beverage in my house. It’s basically minty lemonade, but the moment we saw that Turkish Airlines offered a homemade version on their drinks list, I was addicted. It’s all I want after hiking up a 45 degree incline.

Karakoy is where all the cool kids are. It was also just steps from our Airbnb, and on the way to the ferry that would take us to the Asian side of Istanbul. There is no excuse for not heading here. Just remember to make a reservation at Karakoy Lokantasi.

If you don’t have a Turkish breakfast, then you haven’t really visited Istanbul. Every single person I chatted with while planning this trip implored me to visit Van Kavalhti Evi (though, the above picture was taken at Cafe Privato), with their endless supply of delicious tea, and that massive spread! Bring friends and spend at least three hours here.

You’ll need to get an olive oil massage at the hammam because your neck will always be craned upwards while you’re at the Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, and all the other massive pretty things that make Istanbul resemble Disney World.

Tarlabasi Sunday Market is the perfect place to get a sense of Istanbul at it’s most normcore. Located in a middle class neighbourhood just a hop and a skip from Taksim Square, the place comes alive with olive vendors, cheese men, and all the peppers and spices in the world. All I wanted to do was buy all the produce, and every single variety of tomato.

The Asian side of Istanbul is just a 15 minute ferry ride from Karakoy harbour and across the Bosphorus. Our pal Abigail was absolutely right – you can just get lost over there, wandering every delicious street, from the seafood restos and fish market to all the bars on Kadife Sokak. We stumbled upon the most delicious honey, fresh scraped from the comb atop the thickest yogurt. Then came all the local brew and the fresh fish. We didn’t have any more room for the kunefe, which only means we’ll have to go back.

And rooftops. Those are always important.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use. Cait+Tiff are not liable for sudden urges to go to Turkey.

June 23, 2016
by caitandtiff 3 Comments

guest post / Alissa Ate Turkey (…errr Istanbul)

When the layover stars aligned and I decided that I’d be heading to Istanbul (en route to a far flung location) in a couple of weeks, I knew I had to crowdsource all the tasty things. And who best to do get the goods from? Our very own travel correspondent, of course! You’ve gone through all of her tips before, so you know this intel is quality. Thank you Alissa!!! – Tiff

Istanbul is one of my favorite cities that I’ve ever visited. It’s this incredible mix of traditional and modern, where elements of Europe and the Middle East blend to produce an atmosphere that is unlike any other. The markets are amazing, the architecture is phenomenal, and the food is beyond words. I stayed in Fener-Balat, a cozy little neighborhood of coffee shops and antique stores, where my friends live. Staying here provided a glimpse into the non-tourist side of Istanbul, and some of my favorite moments of the trip involved wandering this area, visiting farmers’ markets and catching up with friends over many cups of tea – spend 30 minutes in this city and you’ll soon realize tea and coffee are the vices of choice. Within moments of arrival, you’ll also quickly notice the plethora of street cats. Istanbul is known for their affection and respect for kitties, with dishes of kibble and water commonly left outside doorsteps. As a result, these are some of the cleanest, plumpest, and friendliest street cats you’ll ever encounter – expect them to curl up in your lap at cafes.

Here are some of the favorite things we did:

EAT:

Oldest Turkish delight shop: This place is legitimately the best Turkish delight I’ve ever had. Granted, most of what I’d had before was free samples on layovers in the IST airport BUT I still argue that this is the best. With the shop first opening its doors in 1777, I am pretty sure it’s the oldest as well.

Baklava: My friends were quick to warn me that they had to to find delicious baklava in Istanbul… in fact, they said it was gross. Whaaaaaaat? I took this on as a challenge and proceed sample various baklava establishments daily, at the end of the trip concluded: Ya it’s kinda….. wet. We did some Googling and learned that Turkish baklava is different than Lebanese, the former uses sugar water (hence the soggy) while the later uses honey. Try lots and see what you think, despite the wetness, I still found it yummy and loved just having a piece with a Turkish coffee and watching the world go by. This place is across from the Turkish Delight place and I would highly recommend. It’s gorgeous and you feel like you are back in time and fancy.

Turkish breakfast: EVERYONE HAS TO DO THIS! Go here and order the biggest breakfast thing, and also order the egg dish with sausage and also order the fried doughnut things and the cheesy bread. Drink lots of tea with it. The neighborhood around here is also really special.

Dinner at Karakoy Lokantasi (left) and a kepbab at Duramzade (right). Noms.

Kepbab at Durumzade. Bourdain ate here, so you know it’s the best.

Kunefe: There was this little cafe near the grand bazaar where we had phenomenal meat… and my friend was like, eat this you will die happy. It was kunefe and it was unreal. It’s fried cheese covered in honey and crushed pistachio. Keep an eye out for this treat!

Drink raki. It’s so strong, you’ll get so drunk and then like an hour later you’ll feel great. We drank lots of raki after the bathhouse and I’d recommend this as well.

Karakoy Lokantasi – this is a fancier resto, but still actually not expensive. It’s beautiful on the inside (one word: turquoise) and the food was phenomenal.

Lahmacun: this is like a Turkish pizza (but not at all) and it SO FREAKING DELICIOUS. Mincemeat on flatbread and then you put lots of greens and herbs on top, roll it up and munch. You’ll see them all over, be sure to eat one.

DO:

Blue Mosque (above) and Hagia Sophia, obvs. It’s unbelievably magical.

Turkish bath! We did ours in the neighborhood where we stayed at a very locale place, but can imagine the higher-end, historical bathhouses are also amazing. It’s a pretty incredible experience, who doesn’t want to have their skin scrubbed back to baby softness

Inside the Hagia Sofia.

Wander everywhere.

Do Asian side and European side, they are so different. The Asian side is really hip and a great place to bar hop at night and hear live music.

Hipster time in Karakoy, lots of little boutiques and cafes!

Wander Grand Bazaar, here you will find all the Turkish bath towels you’d ever want!

There are also these cisterns near the Hagia Sophia that are pretty spectacular.

All photos by Alissa Pries. Please request permission for use. We are not liable for costs incurred for last minute flights of fancy to Istanbul.

May 17, 2016
by caitandtiff Leave a comment

C / Hunt for Nyonya Popiah

I grew up in Tucson, the obvious hub for Malaysian food. It sounds weird, but I was lucky enough to have my friend, Michelle, whose family owned a Malaysian/Chinese restaurant, Seri Melaka. I spent a lot of time there in high school, draining the buffet of lo mein and orange chicken, but my 16 year-old dumb taste buds didn’t realize that the best stuff on the menu was the food from Melaka. When they opened a second restaurant, and I actually read the menu, I fell in love.

I went to KL last weekend to visit some friends and insisted on hunting down Melaka food, specifically one dish, Nyonya Popiah. Michelle’s restaurant served it and I ordered it every time, to the point where her mom would laugh at me for being such a one-trick-pony. It looks a bit like and Asian-inspired burrito, but is so much better than that.

The outside wrapper is sort of a spongey crepe, and the inside is filled with fried garlic, jicama, carrots, bamboo, lettuce, sambal sauce and probably some other amazing stuff I couldn’t identify. It’s a little salty, a little sweet, a little spicy and totally delicious.

Luckily, the internet provided me with information on The Straits Food Company (as in “Straits of Melaka”). This restaurant feels like two street food carts had a Malaysian hipster baby. The food was delicious, diverse, cheap, and served in a great atmosphere. Bonus points for the monster monsoon that provided the soundtrack outside.

So if you live in Tucson, go to Seri Melaka, and beg them to put nyonya popiah back on the menu. If you are anywhere near KL, get to The Straits Food Company, kind of right now. On the ceiling, in multiple languages, they have written “FOOD FOR ALL,” and we should be so lucky.

Who has two thumbs, a dumb grin and loves Melaka food? This guy.

caitsig

May 6, 2016
by caitandtiff 2 Comments

C / Hanoi Street Food

I love Hanoi. I went for the first time last weekend with a buddy from high school. We spent our days pho hunting, drinking coffee with ice cream in it, and seeing important historical stuff. We also walked about 40 miles, and got down with local snacks.

Hanoi is one of the liveliest places I have been, and people are outside all the time. The Old Quarter, where we stayed, was full of people eating street food, playing music, watching toddlers waddle down the sidewalk, hanging out with friends, and eating ice cream. There was a remarkable about of ice cream. It felt like a very social place, and finding a quiet spot was more of a challenge that I might have thought. The traffic is terrible (welcome to SE Asia) and it takes some cojones to cross the street, assuming you aren’t used to walking directly into oncoming traffic.

We did a lot of cool stuff in 4 days, but the best thing was the Hanoi Street Food Tour.

The tour is great, even though their website could use a little work. The staff is young, organized and attentive, and our guide, Cherry (potentially not her real name), was as informative as she was adorable. The company offers a number of different tours, from scooter tours of the city to cooking classes with local chefs. We decided on the 3 hour walking tour, running about $25 bucks.

The Tour

First stop: Bún chả

Bún chả is a traditional Hanoi dish, and a local favorite. The meatballs are made of braised pork belly, then grilled and dunked in a warm broth of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Add the super delicate rice noodles, a generous hunk of fresh garlic, and a handful of herbs. Cherry said that she had eaten it every day for two months, and I totally get why.

Second Stop: No Bo Kho

If all salads tasted like this, there would be no sad salad days. No Bo Kho combines shredded green papaya, fresh herbs, peanuts, fish sauce, brisket, and sweet beef jerky. No included in the photo is the garlic chili sauce I poured all over it. I think this was my favorite of the tour, but that’s like picking a favorite child. Or in my case, a favorite friend’s dog.

Stop Three: Beer Food

Simply called “beer food” this stop was basically just piles of deep fried delicious. From right to left: fried fermented pork sticks, “pillow cakes,”spring rolls, shrimp cakes. Let’s talk about this for a second. 1. Fermented fried pork sticks do not sound delicious, but they are. 2. Pillow cakes are not cake, and are named as such because sometimes people drink too much beer and need a pillow. They are filled with a mix of sweet sausage, ground pork, rice noodles, wood ear mushroom, and angel wings. 3. The spring roll is just that, but 400 times better than any peasant spring roll you may have tried. 4. Shrimp cake, also not cake, but rather a full-sized shrimp on top of a rice-flour pancake situation, deep fried together. It’s shrimpy bliss, and you eat the whole thing, head to tail. It’s not weird or gross, you are.

This is beer. It’s pretty ok, and it will run you 28 cents, or 5,000 dong. Dong.

Stop four: Girlfriend Rolls

I loved eating this. We stopped in a park and ate “Girlfriend rolls” while Cherry told us about the name. I’m going be honest, I didn’t listen the whole time because I was too busy shoving this into my face, but it was something about if you give a girl this treat, and she accepts it, then she is your girlfriend. Which is understandable, because it’s a super thin crispy pancake rolled up with fresh coconut, black sesame, dried sugar cane and condensed milk. If I lived in Hanoi, I would be everyone’s girlfriend.

Stop Five: Bánh cuốn

Oh I love these guys. Slippery fermented rice rolls filled with pork, wood-ear mushrooms and shallots. On top is fried garlic, pork floss (!), and a deep fried baby eel. Yum num num. The little green guy up top is not a lime, it’s a green cumquat that is only available this time of year. These dudes come with the standard fish sauce/sugar/vinegar sauce, but when it’s cumquat time, you squeeze that bad boy into the sauce, making everything a million times better. This might actually be my favorite dish.

Last Stop: Banh Mi and Egg Coffee

I didn’t take a photo of the banh mi because it wasn’t that good. It was fine, but no one needs a photo of a mediocre sandwich. The egg coffee, however, was awesome. Its made by putting a shot of very strong espresso at the bottom of the cup and topping it off with egg yolks whipped with condensed milk. Yeah. Not super light, but super delicious.

I can’t recommend this tour enough, I am not usually into tours. I learned a lot, ate a lot, and left with dreams of noodles; the best kind of dreams.