METRO WORLD NEWS
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Monday, 07 February 2011 www.metrotravel.com
TRAVEL we live where you’re going
DUTCH CUISINE GETS SOPHISTICATED {page 04}
On-the-go
Coffee essentials
www.metrotravel.com MONDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2011
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What’s inside
Get cross country fit
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More than Edam: Dutch cuisine goes gourmet {page 04}
Top 5 exciting food markets {page 05}
Essential accessories for a mobile coffee break {page 06}
Top 5 food markets {page 05} + Actress’ guide to the Chilean capital {page 02}
Get cross country fit {page 03}
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www.metrotravel.com MONDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2011
GET INTO MY CITY: SANTIAGO, CHILE The capital of Chile, Santiago is a vibrant city sandwiched between beaches to the west and snowy mountains to the east Your guide to the city is its hottest actress and TV presenter Javiera Acevedo A regular at the coolest and most glamorous fashion, music and television events, she knows exactly where you should be eating, shopping, dancing, JAVIERA ACEVEDO skiing and having a great time.
Setting the pace in Santiago I
would say Santiago is one of the safest cities in Latin America. What you will notice throughout your stay is how kind, open and loving everyone is. The quality of life here is amazing and it’s a city constantly offering you new opportunities and the chance to discover its amazing sources of arts and culture.
At the end of the day, Santiago is a city where I feel happy and with all the tips I’m about to give you, you will without doubt have the coolest guide to Santiago ever. For more information check out www.visitchile.org
First time? I never get tired of spending the day skiing in the Andes (chileanski.com). The famous mountain range is a dramatic backdrop for the city and it’s virtually impossible to not see the snow-capped mountains every time you turn your head. This can be strange when you walk around in the summer in 30-degree heat and still see the snow! It takes about 40 minutes to get to the top but it’s worth it once you are there. Stay within the ice theme and
VISIT CHILE
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go for an ice cream at Emporia la Rosa (emporiolarosa.com/emporio/) in the Lastarrias district.
Been there before? Go and visit the port of Valparaiso and go to the top of the Cerro Alegre or Cerro Concepcion hills overlooking the bay. Relax with a cup of tea, or a glass of wine - Chilean wine is amongst the world’s best and cheapest. If you can, head to the Colchagua Valley and embark on the famous wine route (rutadelvino.cl).
VISIT CHILE
Shopping!
Cerro San Cristobal
Eat I go to Divertimento when I want the best Chilean food. It's a little haven of peace located on the Cerro San Cristobal hilltop. Order a plate of mixed grilled fish and a glass of wine. (divertimento.cl) You can’t go wrong with a pizza at Tiramisu on a lazy Sunday afternoon (tiramisu.cl), or try my favourite Thai restaurants, Restaurant Ky (restobarky.cl) and Vietnam Discovery (vietnamdiscovery.cl). For a
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TIRAMISU
Tirasmisu
taste of the beautiful sea urchins or the more simple Italian stuffed sandwich try Bar Liguria (liguria.cl). I go to El Café de Buenos Aires for a lovely afternoon tea. It’s located on the ‘Plaza de las Lilas’.
Chileans are big fans of American-style shopping malls and Santiago is full of them. If you want somewhere with an outside space where you can have a drink during or after your shop go to Parque Arauco (parquearauco.cl). When I am here I go to Topshop or the Argentinean shop, Paula Cahen Danvers (paulacahendanvers.com. ar) for ethnic clothes. For the best boots and leather accessories I go to the Argentine store Rapsodia (rapsodia.com.ar/chile) located in Las Condes. The style there is very bohemian, hippie-chick. For some very chic finds (and to go somewhere other than a mall) go to Calle Alonso de Cordoba where you will find anything from jewellery and clothes stores to restaurants. I go to ‘La Suite’ to stock up on cool Brazilian shoes.
VISIT CHILE
Stay in Boutique hotel The Aubrey is in the bohemian quarter, Bellavista, and very relaxed. You will also be within walking distance of the Cerro San Cristolbal. (theaubrey.com)
Go out Dance the night away at The Clinic bar (Monjitas 578). After you have been out partying go for food at the Mercado Central market. It’s open 24/7. One of the best things to eat (to fight off a hangover) is Caldillo de Congrio, eel soup. VISIT CHILE]
Bar life Shopping in the sun in Santiago
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MONDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2011
TRAVEL WITH A TWIST: CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
3 Keeping fit on the snowy tracks THINKSTOCK.COM
PLACES TO CROSS COUNTRY
ANDERMATT Switzerland Quaint Andermatt has a sleepy, laid-back atmosphere. There’s great cross-country skiing here through lovely scenery, and some challenging downhill too. www.andermatt.ch
The beauty of cross-country is having the snow to yourself
Cross-country skiing is a great way to get healthy before spring It is great exercise, and the sunshine and mountain air will do you good Will Hide gets fit in Morzine, France
WILL HIDE
METRO WORLD NEWS TRAVEL@METRO.LU
“Not only does it get you fit, but it’s also great for clearing your mind as you swish along the snow under a sunny blue sky”
MORZINE AVORIAZ TOURISM
In some parts of the Alps the hills may indeed be ‘alive with the sound of music’, but on this particular wintry weekend the French mountains around Morzine were echoing more with the sound of shuffling and grunting mixed in with the occasional swear word. Rather than speeding down the slopes, I was crosscountry skiing, something I do every January as a newyear ritual. Not only does it get you fit (in my case from a very low base – hence the cursing), but it’s also a great for clearing your mind as you swish along the snow under a sunny blue sky. There are other benefits too. For a start it’s cheaper than downhill skiing; equipment rental is around 11 euro a day and you won’t need an expensive lift pass – especially in Morzine where you can catch a free bus to the trails if you don’t want to take a gondola. There are also nearly 100km of cross-country routes in the Portes du Soleil area so you don’t have to bump into other skiers. And there’s also the joy of not having to lug around a heavy pair of skis or boots: what you wear for cross-country ski weighs a fraction of what you put on for downhill. There are two types of cross-country skiing. Having previously tried the ‘classic’ method - a sort of backwards-forwards shuffle set
Quick tips LESSONS Cross-country ski lessons with French ski school ESF (www.esf-morzine.com) start from €55 pp per day including lunch as part of a group. WWW.TGSKI.CO.UK
Morzine
Morzine eats Lunch: If you’re cross-country skiing towards Avoriaz, grab a seat on the terrace at Chez Lenvers and tuck into tartiflette - potatoes, reblochon cheese and becon, 17 euro. Dinner: In Morzine try
in tracks, which is easier to pick up but slower - I wanted to try ‘skating’ this time, the sort of cross-country you see Winter Olympic athletes doing. It’s faster and more fluid but requires greater physical effort, as I soon found out. My guide, Francois Petitjean, started by making me waddle like a penguin to teach me to push correctly with each foot and find my balance. After a series of other exercises – most important of
L’Etale, Le Grillon or La Grange for an evening meal. Apres-ski: Hit the boisterous Cavern on a Tuesday evening: chalet staff have the day off on Wednesday so Tuesdays are when you’ll find them letting their hair down till the early hours.
which turned out to be mastering the snow-plough stop on such narrow skis, which are only attached to the boot at the toe – we were off. Before you could say vin chaud we had covered 15km of Morzine’s empty back country, before stopping for a well-deserved lunch on a terrace under a glorious, cloudless sky. For more information check out www.mor zine-avoriaz.com
STAY Will Hide stayed with TG Ski (www.tgski.co.uk) which offers B&B lodging from €299 per person per week.
TRAVELLING Transfers from Geneva airport to Morzine with Mountain Bus Company (www.mountanbuscompany.com) are from €40 pp one way and take around 1 hour 15 minutes.
RAMSAU Austria World Cup athletes train here on the 150km of cross-country tracks so try and pick up some tips from the best. The nearest airport is Salzburg, about 1.5 hours’ drive away. Skiing is possible until Easter although the season is extended on the Dachstein glacier. After a hard day you can grab a drink in town, or for livelier après-ski Schladming is 7km away. www.ramsau.com
BEITOSTOLEN Norway Fly to Oslo airport then hop on the resort bus (www.valdresekspressen.no) and you’ll soon be on the 320km of prepared cross-country tracks, some of which stretch into the Jotunheimen National Park. There is also a portion that is floodlit for night-time skiing for those who haven’t already found their way to the Svingen pub, which has live music at weekends. www.beitostolen.com
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MONDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2011
GOURMET TRAVELLER: HOLLAND
The gourmets have a new home: Holland Holland is no longer a culinary z-lister, known just for cheese wrapped in red wax There are now three Dutch Michelin-starred-chefs Be clever and you can sample their world-class creations at a reasonable price ED OUDENAARDEN /ANP
ROBERT VAN BRANDWIJK
Quick tips
EAT
METRO HOLLAND
From April until October top chef Marco Westmaas serves beautiful dishes in a wooden beach hut on the beach at Ter Heijde aan Zee, a village near The Hague, not far from Rotterdam. He cook simply, with butane gas, perfect for a sultry summer evening. www.elzenduin.com
ROBERT.VAN.BRANDWIJK@METRONIEUWS.NL
“Gastronomy can be affordable here too” Not long ago, Holland was a culinary wasteland. The height of gastronomy was steak and chips at the Van der Valk hotel chain, recognizable by its toucan mascot. But in 2011, Holland has become a culinary paradise. Three top chefs started the metamorphosis and and inspired a next generation of talented chefs. Helped by a flourishing economy Holland now has dozens of Michein-starred restaurants. It’s hard to book a spontaneous dinner at three-starrestaurants Oud Sluis (number 19 in the world) or De Librije (number 37), with a six-month waiting list for a €500 dinner for two. But if you want to taste ‘six preparations of oyster’ famously prepared by Holland’s top chef, Sergio Herman, then drive to his Oud Sluis restaurant in Sluis, and for a €65 lunch. Or dine at Pure C,
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DISHES TO TRY... WHEN YOU’RE GOING DUTCH FOR LUNCH
STAY Trendy Rotterdam has great hotels for every budget. Cheapest is awardwinning ROOM (from €20 a night, www.roomrotterdam.nl). Romantic Cherrycake & Chocolate is the best bed & breakfast in Holland, and it’s located in a 19th century mansion. (From 105 euros, www.cherrycake.nl)
TRAVELLING Holland’s top chef Sergio Herman gets to grips with the country’s seafood
Herman’s ‘resto-bar’ down the road in the nice coastal town of Cadzand, near the Belgian border. This beach restaurant offers local products — fish, shellfish and crustaceans from the province of Zeeland — and a three-course-dinner costs about €35. It’s like Ibiza, but Dutch. There’s affordable gas-
tronomy in Rotterdam, too. Cees Helder was the first Dutch chef to earn three Michelin stars. He sold his own restaurant, and is now the mentor at the beautiful riverside restaurant in the World Museum here. See an exhibition then eat an extraordinary meal, from €30. Sometimes the master himself is in the kitchen. Or try
the fancy Ivy. Chef Francois Geurds got his education at the famous Fat Duck in the UK. In Zwolle, at De Librije, you can have a lollipop of goose liver or tomatoes that look like strawberries. For those on a budget chef Jonnie Boer has opened up Librije’s Zusje (Librije’s Sister), in a former women’s prison.
There’ll be a circus on your plate for €65. Try the cod salad with pickled mushrooms. Michelin-ratings a bit too much? Look for a toucan along the motorway, for the other side of Dutch cuisine.
ANP
ANP
ANP
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PEA SOUP Pea soup, or ‘snert,’ is one of Holland’s most popular winter dishes. The thick soup is made of split peas, celeriac, leek and pork. It’ll warm you up during long skating tours, and costs just four euros. The dish is not complete without rye bread and smoked bacon.
MUSSELS FROM ZEELAND Mussels are the speciality of the watery province of Zeeland, and you’ll find them in every restaurant near the Oosterschelde estuary where they grow. They come all-youcan-eat for €20, natural, with beer, wine, Provençal or even cooked with sambal.
From Amsterdam and Rotterdam you can be in the most northern or most southern part of the Netherlands within three hours, so day trips are easy. Do mind the speed limit: speed cameras are more numerous than windmills. The ramified public transport, to every village, is a good alternative.
For more information check out www.holland.com
ANP
POFFERTJES
KROKET
HOTCHPOTCH
Poffertjes are like pancakes, but smaller, thicker, sweeter and soft from the inside. Poffertjes are made from flour, buckwheat and milk and cooked in special pans. Find them in special ‘poffertjes restaurants’ in big cities. Children love them.
This snack, made from ragout in a covering of egg, flour and breadcrumbs, is available everywhere. You can get one from a vending machine in snackbars for about €1. Get one for example at FEBO’s in Amsterdam or at train stations. Have it with mustard or with fries.
‘Stamppot’ is a hearty mash of potatoes, vegetables and baked pork. The most popular ‘stamppotten’ are those with sauerkraut and kale, accompanied by smoked sausage. Hotchpotch with carrot and onion is recommended, it goes with rib of beef.
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MONDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2011
TOP 5: FOOD MARKETS
Smell, sample, shop, then eat! Visit a food market to get a real taste of the country’s culinary life The cuisine can tell you a lot about a place And besides, where else are you going to find reindeer meats sold next to seafood?
ROMINA MCGUINNESS
FLCIKR CC ADACTIO
SEBASSTIANMORALES
ADAMBAKER
JNTO.GO
FLICKR CC IZIK
METRO WORLD NEWS
ROMINA.MCGUINNESS@METRO.LU
“Eating on holiday is always exciting, and visiting an food market can be a theatrical and atmospheric experience.” A country’s cuisine is shaped by numerous factors, including climate, geographical location, historical events and religion – and you’ll often find all of those qualities combined at the local food market. We’ve picked a top five of the most exciting ones in the world. For more information visit the websites listed.
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THE FOODIE
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THE SPICY
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THE SNOB
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Borough Market, London
Mercado De La Merced, Mexico City
Eliseevsky Food Hall, Moscow
Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo
THE FISHY
THE ROMANTIC
Held three days a week in London’s historic London Bridge, this gourmet market is home to independent traders selling high quality, seasonal produce that will thrill your taste buds, from organic fruit and vegetables, dairy, ciders and baked goods. Eat there: Try an ostrich, kangaroo or venison ‘bambi’ burger or pan-fried scallops at ‘Shell Seekers’. Take away: Brownies from Flour Power Bakery or pork pies from Sillfeild Farm. boroughmarket.org.uk
Spread out across four massive blocks, the city’s biggest market brings together culinary traditions and produce from all regions. Eat there: Enchiladas, burritos, tacos and quesadillas bursting with ‘queso blanco’, chewy Oaxacan cheese. Try a side order of cactus paddles ‘Nopales’ or ‘frijoles’, creamy re-fried beans. Take away: Intoxicatingly fragrant vanilla pods, dried chilies, sweet guavas and boiled candy.
Open 24/7, this centuryold food emporium is opulent, extravagant and exclusive. Its aisles lit by chandeliers, no wonder it used to be known as the ‘Temple of the Gluttons’. Eat there: Have a cup of perfumed tea with a Georgian cheese pie or jamfilled gingerbread. Make your way to the fresh seafood for some oysters. Take away: Red caviar, truffles, vintage alcohols (go for the Beluga Vodka) and Russian chocolates. www.eliseevskiy.ru
It’s the worlds largest fish market and global hub of fish and seafood exchange. More then 40,000 people come to buy and sell 2,500 tons and 450 varieties of fresh produce daily. Eat there: Try the bluefin tuna, sardines and sea urchins or the poisonous fish ‘fugu’ - if you dare. Take away: Take home dried sea slug caviar and on your way out stop and at the sushi, noodle and tempura stalls for a healthy snack. www.tsukiji-market.or.jp
This pretty morning harbour-side market offers dried reindeer meats and breads as well as fresh seafood. Eat there: In summer try cloudberries, blueberries and lingonberries. For a typical local lunch eat almond-flavoured potatoes and grilled reindeer sausages. Take away: Smoked reindeer tongue is a local speciality. Stop at the bakery stall to stock up on meat pies and cinnamon buns. www.visitfinland.com
Kauppatori Harbour Market, Helsinki
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MONDAY, 07 FEBRUARY 2011
GADGETS: MOBILE COFFEE BREAK
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ACCESSORIES TO GUARANTEE A HOT COFFEE WHEREVER YOU ARE
1 FLATTERWARE FOLDABLE CUP Disposable cups are environmentallyunsound and make your coffee taste crap. The Flatterware collapsible cup is moulded from a single piece of flexible plastic with a helical structure, so it folds flat then pops up out of its puck when you need to use it. It looks and feels a little funny but it does work. $12, www.flatterware.com
2 HANDPRESSO ESPRESSO MAKER Coffee-addicts will love making fresh espressos with this hand-held machine, whether they’re camping or taking a long road trip. Pump up the pressure, pour in the boiling water and insert the pod, and this eco-friendly gadget will produce a delicious espresso. Euros 99, shop.handpresso.com
3 THERMOS STAINLESS KING VACUUM FLASK Inventors of the famous insulated drinks bottle, Thermos, claim that their King Vacuum flask will keep your drink hot for up to 24 hours thanks to its TherMax double wall insulation. We found hot tea had cooled to warm but was still very drinkable after 24 hours. $19.99, Euros 49.99, www.thermos.com METRO WORLD NEWS
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