Viva Asia Travel & Food Magazine April-May 2012

TRAVEL

Australia, Vietnam, Thailand

FOOD

Old Australian Made New, Honey

Contents

08 CHEF

12. HOTEL

Crown Metropol Design-driven, this new hostelry is a landmark of new ideas and cutting edge design in Melbourne.

Tony Bilson Called by many the ‘godfather of Australian cuisine’ this groundbreaking chef returns to Bali for a nostalgic look at its serene culture – and to cook some of his classic food.

16 TRAVEL

26. TRAVEL

Melbourne has long been regarded as Australia’s ‘second city’ but now more people (even Australians) are drawn to the place than anywhere else in the country. We try to find out why.

Kai Speth is the GM at the splendid old Hotel Metropole in Hanoi.

He gives us a history lesson, not only about his pride and joy but about Hanoi itself.

32 TRAVEL

40. FOOD

Our visit to Melbourne and some of its great restaurants prompted us to delve into the traditional dishes of Australia that these restaurants are updating – to the delight of new generations of diners.

We go to Bendigo, a little town outside Melbourne that has quietly become a country artistic mecca – its current coup, the Grace Kelly exhibition, lately arrived from London’s V&A.

Contents

50 RESTAURANT A godchild of Guy Grossi’s Italian food empire, Merchant is unique in Melbourne with its fantastic Venetian cuisine.

52. Chef

Mickael Do Van, We meet the new chef at RIVA, Park Lane Jakarta’s signature French restaurant and find out why it is a whole new ballgame over there.

64 WINE

66. WINE

A enlightening look at a Hong Kong wine bar that not only delivers fine wine from all over the world, but cuttingedge design – all items inspired by wine itself.

News from a Dutch collector of old wines and spirits – he wants to sell his marvellous collection

68 DESTINATION

74. MIXOLOGY

Some hip and happy cocktails from W52, a chic new bar concept in Hong Kong.

Tee Time is new concept in Viva Asia – secret destinations for the keen golfer.

EDITORIAL

M

elbourne is a funny place. Grand buildings, long tree-lined avenues and a business and industrial hub. But it is also a centre of fantastic food, fashion and modern design. It is an Australian city but, with immigration and the concept of the global village, it is a little bit of Italy, Greece, England, America and, more lately, Asia and the Middle East. (We won’t even go into the current craze for authentic food from Mexico).

Melbourne is also much easier to get to for all these things than, say, Europe or North America. Garuda now flies direct from Jakarta and Denpasar and, if you fly business class, it is a whole new ballgame of comfort and service. Flat beds, gourmet food and fine wine.

So, we join Garuda and fly you to Melbourne to see what all the fuss is about. Food, events, the arts, sport, culture – and more food.

We also take you to Vietnam, fast becoming a hip destination in Asia – not least for its own history and the new ‘in’ Asian cuisine.

On the food scene, we meet two chefs who come from vastly different backgrounds but share a French technique – and a little risqué departure from the norm. Tony Bilson (from Australia) is cooking his class dishes in Bali and Mickael Do Van, his own take on cuisine nouvelle in Jakarta.

In our food pages, we look at the delights of cooking with honey – not just for desserts but for all kinds of first and second course dishes we think you will love. You will also love the simple versions of ‘Australian food’ – no such thing, many people will tell you. But there are some classic dishes from the last 100 years that are making a surprisingly welcome comeback.

We do enjoy your feedback and, to the readers who have asked for more food that is suited to our tropical climate, just wait for the next issue.

Enjoy this edition of Viva Asia, whether it be in this hardcopy form or on line. We enjoy bringing it to you.

TRAVEL

Australia, Vietnam, Thailand

Graham Pearce

FOOD

Old Australian Made New; Honey

Melbourne today is all about design. And one of the hippest examples is the Crown Metropol Hotel, beginning with the lobby you see here.

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Publisher PT Artha Cipta Pratama Editor in Chief Graham Pearce Production House Origomedia Art Director Abraham Ardiles Siahaan Graphic Designers Origomedia Senior Promotion & Advertising Meeliani meeliani@vivaasiamagazine.com Marketing Executive Lusy marketing.origo@gmail.com Rossy marketing@vivaasiamagazine.com Website www.vivaasiamagazine.com Email info@vivaasiamagazine.com Graphic Design Team ORIGOMEDIA Jl. Setiabudi III / 2A Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan 12910 Indonesia p +62 21 5292 1638 / 7031 6882 f +62 21 5292 1637 e info@vivaasiamagazine.com www.vivaasiamagazine.com Contact: Editorial: Graham Pearce gp@vivaasiamagazine.com

Advertising: James Weston jim@vivaasiamagazine.com

Our gratitude for some pictures in this edition to www.flickr.com

CHEF : TONY BILSON

Tony Bilson

FOOD & TONY BILSON Tony Bilson has been called The ‘Godfather of Australian Cuisine.’ He has presided over some of the most important restaurants in that country notably Berowra Waters Inn outside Sydney (1977), of which food critic Leo Schofield said: “giving a food award to this place would be like giving an architectural award to the Parthenon.”

T

ony Bilson has been called The ‘Godfather of Australian Cuisine.’

He has presided over some of the most important restaurants in that country – notably Berowra Waters Inn outside Sydney (1977), of which food critic Leo Schofield said: “giving a food award to this place would be like giving an architectural award to the Parthenon.”

He was back in Bali (thanks to Garuda sponsorship) as guest chef to cook for food aficionados at the InterContinental Resort in Jimbaran. He is no stranger either to Bali or the InterContinental. He once presided over the Treasury, the fine dining restaurant at the InterContinental in Sydney (also where he met then F&B manager Tom Meyer, now GM in Bali).

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“I first came to Bali in the 70s too see (the late painter) Donald Friend and it’s great to be back,” says Bilson. “I love Bali, its strength of culture, joy of life, moral code and the ceremonies.”

BALI Meeting Bilson in Bella Singaraja at the InterContinental, he is jovial, outwardly calm and the years sit well with him. Even at the stove, he sports his signature polka-dot bow tie under his apron. It was heartening to watch his patient approach with the local chefs.

His menu in Bali was a combination of the old and the new but especially delicious was the sliced duck breast (often tough but here fork tender) and (a nod to old France)

CHEF : TONY BILSON

the snapper quenelles – smooth, creamy and subtle – and the slow cooked shank of wagyu beef with marrow, tendons and chanterelles in a bordelaise sauce. Each dish on his menu was matched with an Australian wine.

CAREER In the last 40 years, Tony Bilson was the man credited with changing Australia’s food culture. He revolutionised the way they ate – and well before anybody had even heard of a celebrity chef.

He loved (and still loves) the Bohemian life and in Melbourne, he opened his first restaurant La Pomme d’Or while cohorting with the famous artistic push of the time, in theatre, music painting and sculpture. In the 1970s, the famous came to his restaurant and he still recalls jaunty times with the likes of ballet legends Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.

Wagyu Shank

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CHEF : TONY BILSON

Snapper quenelle

Eel carpaccio

Years later, a new restaurant, simply called Bilson’s was considered the Tour d’Argent of Sydney. Kinselas (1981, in a two-storey funeral parlour) brought Australia’s first brasserie together with the arts, the stage and music. “You always met the most interesting people there. They came to relax.”

He was also responsible for half a dozen of the most iconic restaurants in Australia.

His fortunes fluctuated and he freely admits he does not have a good business head.

“I suppose if I worried only about business and finances I would not have been able to concentrate on food and cooking,” he says.

cooked for three hours at 68˚. (Hence its tenderness).

His stay in Bali was all too brief and he chuckles at suggestions of yet another restaurant – if not in Sydney, maybe even in Bali.

“I may not open another restaurant but, of course, you can never lose interest in good food,” he says. “One interesting prospect upcoming is a proposal from my old mate Paul Bocuse for a TV show about cooking from the 1970s to now.” www.bali.intercontinental.com

“Australia is free from the French tradition (although they respect the culinary technique) and class structure; they can dare to be different with their food,” says Bilson. “Add to that an incredibly rich wine culture. It has been a melting pot of ideas now for 30 years.”

THE INTERCONTINENTAL MENU Jellied Lobster Consommé Chandon, Brut

Carpaccio of Conger Eel with Caviars Riesling, The Stump, d’Arenberg, McLaren Vale 2009

Snapper Quenelles with a Warm Salad of Mud Crab Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Cape Mentelle, Margaret River 2008

Aiguillette of Duck with Creamed Spinach & Baby Vegetables Pinot Noir, Chandon, Yarra Valley, 2008

Slow Cooked Shank of Beef Cabernet Merlot, Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, 2007

“And there is a constant state of change in our restaurants in Sydney – and, in fact, everywhere. Now there is an emphasis on high-tech cooking, take home food and also cooking at home,” he says.

“Slow cooking is the new thing. I am experimenting W a g y u S h awith n k everything. And you have to get it right. My beef was cooked for 36 hours at 56˚. The aiguillette of duck was

Tart Frangipane

Selection of Cheeses with Red Wine, Walnuts & Figs Cabernet Merlot, Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, 2007

Tart Frangipane with Mangosteen Ice Cream Tony Bilson & Tom Meyer

Chandon, Brut

Chocolate Soufflé Crêpes Tawny Port

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HOTEL: MELBOURNE

MELBOURNE'S NEWEST DESIGN ICON

Crown Metropol is an S-shaped building, 100 metres long, on the souther n bank of the Yar ra River.

It boasts sweeping views from its rooms and particularly from the outdoor ter race on L evel 28 (also a hotspot for private parties and events).

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HOTEL: MELBOURNE

O

ne level below is the hotel’s Isika day spa and the heated infinity pool and sundeck, sheltered behind double-storey windows.

Here, unexpected touches include trompe l’oeil pieces of art and custom-made furniture you would never expect to find in a normal hotel room.

Each of the hotel’s 658 rooms, studios, lofts and residential spa rooms (nicely featuring Australian artworks) also has a view, whether it be to the skyscrapers of the city or out to the water of Port Phillip Bay. The lofts, incidentally, have additional living and dining areas.

In Metropol’s private guest lounge (simply called 28) the colour palette subtly changes from pink to blue to yellow. Notice especially the ceiling-high bookshelf that only has bluespined books, actually a work of art created

by David Sequiera.

They do not call it the presidential suite – they call it The Apartment. This is already a favourite with visiting celebrities because it looks and feels like a private residence.

Fine dining is at Mr. Hive ‘kitchen & bar,’ where young English chef John Lawson is already wowing them with his modern take on traditional British food.

The hotel’s design challenges tradition, adding a sense of fun with unorthodox elements, dark, dramatic shapes and earthy, grounded silhouettes inspired by nature. Crown Metropol has the feeling that something exciting and unexpected is about to happen.

Metropol’s location is perfect: a short stroll across the River to the city centre and Crown Casino is across the street. www.crownmetropol.com.au

Chef Thierry Le Queau

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GALLERY

Cognac Class The design of this decanter is almost as fine as the taste of Martell’s Chanteloup Perspective cognac inside.

Its unique shape and detailing are inspired by a belvedere (we don’t have an English word; it means a place to enjoy a view), accessed by a secret path from Château Chanteloup where cellarmasters perfected this blend. It does, indeed, look over a beautiful valley in the Borderies. All secret of course, so the cellar is protected by a wrought-iron gate, also part of the archshaped decanter design.

This new blend is chosen from eaux-devie aged in this very cellar. The result is

a dark amber cognac whose nose gives you aromas of peach, apricot, fig, orange, lemon and gingerbread. Connoisseurs already know it for this aromatic impression remarkable for its complexity and the depth of its fruity notes.

GRAN MELIA Cares

Martell has just launched Chanteloup Perspective in Indonesia and throughout Asia. www.martell.com

On Children’s Cancer Day, staff of the Hotel Gran Melia in Jakarta called on the Indonesian Care for Cancer Kids Foundation (YKAKI), which is a home for less fortunate parents who do not have the means to finance their children who suffer from cancer.

YKAKI works closely with designated public hospitals and also provides education during the period of healing.

Heading the Gran Melia team was Mr. Fahmi, Director of Human Resources, who was warmly welcomed by Mrs. Pinta Manullang-Panggabean, Founder and Chair of YKAKI, and several of the children in care.

The hotel donated towels and bed-sheets, as well as cookies and cakes for the children.

“It was also well worth it to see children smiling, especially after undergoing operations and chemotherapy. A joy to see they still keep their spirits up while bravely fighting this disease,” said Fahmi. www.granmeliajakarta.com

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DESTINATION : VIETNAM

OLD HANOI The Vietnamese capital is coming into its own as a tourist destination. It is lucky to have history, architecture and good food to help it along. Kai Speth writes about this new Hanoi from his position as GM of one of those architectural icons.

Kai Speth

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DESTINATION : VIETNAM

N

ot long after the French opened the door on their architectural ambitions in Hanoi, they built my hotel, known today as the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

Opened in 1901, this hotel anchored the expatriate social scene for fifty years, hosting the likes of Charlie Chaplin, who honeymooned here with Paulette Goddard.

Graham Green and Somerset Maugham were also guests and today have suites named after them.

After the French decamped in the 1950s, the hotel fell prey to the privations suffered

by Vietnam as the country fought for its independence. It was not until many years later that the hotel persevered and found new life with a massive refurbishment in the early 1990s.

This was followed by another makeover, now complete, at a cost of some $30 million.

This includes the opening of Angelina, our Italian restaurant that already ranks as one of Vietnam’s finest.

We also invested heavily in our French restaurant, Le Beaulieu, which is the oldest restaurant in the city. Spice Garden is our Vietnamese restaurant and our Bamboo Bar is brand new, as is a new outdoor garden at Le Balcon.

And we are on the verge of opening a wartime air raid shelter as a memorial to the employees who worked here during the country’s great conflict with America.

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DESTINATION : VIETNAM

THE CITY When my work at the hotel allows, I have time to explore Hanoi. Here are some interesting facts. * Did you know that Hoan Kiem Lake, our charming teal green oasis in the midst of the city, is actually a souvenir of the Red River? About 600 years ago, the Red River shifted, leaving this pool of water. * Also on Hoan Kiem Lake is the Tortoise Tower, built by a wealthy 19th Century businessman as a burial site for his parents. But Hanoians didn’t agree that such a public spot should memorialise just one family so the businessman buried his parents elsewhere. * What may be the oldest, extant colonial French building in Hanoi is at the south end of Hoan Kiem Lake, not far from my hotel. Check out the date noted in basrelief - 1886 - at 3 Hang Khay Street. * Ho Chi Minh arrived in Hanoi for the first time in 1945 when he was in his mid-50s.

He lived in a house at 48 Hang Ngang Street in the city’s Old Quarter. * Hoa Lo Prison (where, incidentally, U.S. Senator John McCain whiled away years during the war) was opened in 1899 after the colonial French razed a pottery village. Hoa Lo means pottery kilns. The Americans knew the prison as the Hanoi Hilton. * The One Pillar Pagoda at Ba Dinh Square is a replica of the original, which the French razed when they abandoned Vietnam in the 1950s. * During the war with the United States, curators at the Temple of Literature buried the monumental turtles and the stelae that contain the names of 1,306 doctor laureates so the bombs would not destroy them.

In Asia, a winter is rare but we do have one in Hanoi. I love the spot-on description of Hanoi in winter, written by Robert Templer in his book Shadows and Wind: “In January and February, Hanoi looks like the set of a damp film noir, all furtiveness and smoky shadows with a soundtrack of slowly turning cyclo wheels.” I love the comparison to film noir, but Templer wrote those words back in the late 1990s. Cyclos no longer dominate the roads as they did then. Hanoi is history but we are also part of a modern world.

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Bunker Temple of Literature

Haris Hotel

TRAVEL : CRUISE

Exploring By Sea Viva Asia’s Diana Fisher goes adventure cruising in Vietnam.

T

here’s something exciting about taking a cruise. The anticipation of the unknown, setting forth on a completely new adventure in a part of the world I have never seen before. I am in Vietnam and I am ready to board ship for a ten-day exploration cruise.

We fly to Ho Chi Minh City (many of us – and them – still call it Saigon). And then in a taxi to the docks, jostling our way through the hustle and bustle, of thousands of motorcycles, each carrying its own precious cargo, be it family, trees, guttering, or even a large bowl of soup! And then there is our handsome ship, Orion 11.

She is small by comparison to many of the great cruising liners, just 88 metres long but with all the latest navigational aids, not to mention every luxury at your fingertips.

Together with her sister ship Orion 1 their expedition cruises journey to Borneo, Papua New Guinea, The Kimberleys, Japan, Tasmania, Russia, the Far East, New Zealand and Mawson’s Antarctica.

Diana Fisher

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TRAVEL : CRUISE No sooner aboard that we are in our cabins, all with either picture windows or a glass door leading onto a balcony. To say everything was ship-shape sounds a little punny but picture polished wood and brass fittings everywhere. As well, large wardrobes, and spacious bathrooms, then this is it.

The ship has 50 suites, can accommodate l00 guests and has a crew of 70 to look after us.

No sooner settled in, the lifeboat drill undertaken, and we are off to meet the Captain and crew.

Our Captain is indeed tall and tanned and quite charming. A Frenchman born in the Alps, Captain Jean-Pierre Ravanat now calls Tasmania home where he lives with his wife and two children.

So we are all set, expedition leaders of some renown are introduced as we meet our fellow travellers.

Capt. Jean-Pierre Ravanat

MEKONG Our journey begins in the Mekong Delta, passing numerous large container ships being filled with Vietnam’s greatest produce, rice. In fact the Delta produces more rice than Korea and Japan together.

Downriver to the sea, we pass hectares of bright green rice fields, the first of many more.

Mekong Delta

Next day we are off after an early breakfast on deck to visit Nha Trang. The French colonial architecture nestles beside modern skyscrapers, street stalls and traders of every description. We pass some of the vast fishing fleet, the small boats which daily bring in lobster, shrimp abalone and scallops and other fin-fish.

We were heading for Reunification Palace, or Dragon Palace as the locals say, with its war museum, filled with horrors of the American War. It is a very modern white building set in beautiful gardens with two large tanks residing on the side of the pathways, for this is where the war ended.

The Reunification Palace

All the interiors are teak; the reception rooms are finely furnished with silks and brocades, and all around, beautiful paintings and sculptures.

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TRAVEL : CRUISE

Temple of the Sea Godess

Notre Dame

Our next stop is Notre Dame, the miniature version of the Paris original and, beside it, the splendid Post Office.

Post Office

Down in Chinatown, the very ornate Temple of the Sea Goddess has a roof crowded with hundreds of ceramic figures; inside jars of incense cloud the passageways to the high altar where basket-like cones hang from the ceiling also burning incense. Atop it all, a very beautiful ceramic dragon.

Back to the ship for the first of many exquisite and memorable meals, which are devised by Sydney Chef, Serge Dansereau, owner of the famous Bather’s Pavilion at Balmoral Beach, and translated for our daily delight by Executive Chef Frederick.

It is easy to settle into shipboard life with daily outings on buses and the zodiac boats which whiz us into unexplored bays and floating villages. We visit temples and ancient tombs, pagodas and villages, where we see grass mats being made. Their markets are wonderful, selling all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. There is even a visit to a family house where handmade produce is for sale.

It is hard to believe that there are some 90 million inhabitants in Vietnam, making a wonderfully beguiling mix of cultures, of sights, sounds, smells and tastes.

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Temple of the Sea Godess

TRAVEL : CRUISE

ZODIAC Another day and we are off in our zodiac boats to the Baie De Cu Mon where hundreds of bright blue fishing boats are at anchor, waiting for their next fishing expedition. Many are piled high with lobster pots and giant strings of lights to attract the fish. School children run out to welcome us and danced along the shoreline – a love sight. We cruise along, enjoying the sights and we are amazed by women using their feet to row a boat. We also see some coracles, similar to half a walnut shell made of interwoven bamboo and waterproofed with resin and coconut oil. They are very clever the way they use a curved paddle to go straight…I know we would just go round in circles!

Life on board continues to be full of things to do … a wonderful library offers all kinds of great books, or you can be pampered in the spa, sunbathe by the pool, have your hair done or try the gym.

Every day there is a Trivia Quiz after tea, to the music of a grand piano, which amazingly can be played to sound like a full syncopated orchestra with rhythms from around the world. Such a delight especially after a magical dinner and dancing on the deck.

Days fly by and different adventures beckon.

We anchor for a short while in Da Nang, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as being a great trading port of the l5th to l9th

centuries. A bus takes us into Hoi An over the covered Japanese Bridge, believed unique with its Buddhist pagoda attached.

The markets are a kaleidoscope of colour and chaos. A tailor here will make you an outfit overnight.

After our visit to the King’s Arch and the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc we take a cruise on the river to the very splendid Century Hotel where lunch is accompanied by a performance by dancers in traditional costume.

No time for that but we did have time for a dip in the ocean in front of the Furama Resort’s vast infinity pools. It is heaven.

Our exploration cruise continues next day with a wonderful visit to Ha Long Bay, which includes a journey by junk to Sung Sot Cave. A steep 200-step climb takes us to the vast limestone caves in Cat Ba National park – simply outstanding, and beautifully lit in many colours to show the vast height of the towering ceilings of stalactites.

Next day a long bus ride to visit one of the most important sites in Vietnam. My Son is reached passing grand beachside hotels, endless rice fields, fish farms and gardens tightly planted with vegetables, tropical fruits and herbs. Suddenly, thick jungle gives way to a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples, the most important dedicated to the god Shiva.

Sadly they sit alongside giant craters, the result of a single week’s carpet-bombing by the US during a single week of the Vietnam War.

HUE Next day, a long drive brings us to the city of Hue, capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. As such, it is a walled and moated city, still filled with imperial monuments and Buddhist pagodas. Its million or so residents live on either side of the Perfume River.

We walk (and walk!) all over and through the Imperial Citadel, a most imposing structure covering a vast area.

Finally back to the ship on our junk and a great Vietnamese feast on deck for our last night. It is incredible, with baby roast suckling pig and so many other dishes to chose from. East certainly marries West on this glorious expedition cruise and makes for a joyful and happy marriage!

We also invested heavily in our French restaurant, Le Beaulieu, which is the oldest restaurant in the city. Spice Garden is our Vietnamese restaurant and our Bamboo Bar is brand new, as is a new outdoor garden at Le Balcon.

And we are on the verge of opening a wartime air raid shelter as a memorial to the employees who worked here during the country’s great conflict with America. www.orionexpeditions.com

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GALLERY

New Look at Rendezvous Grand Hotel Singapore After a recently completed S$25 million refurbishment, the Rendezvous Grand Hotel Singapore is creating a buzz with business and leisure travelers alike.

The renovation has transformed the Hotel’s 298 guest rooms and suites, grand lobby, elegant Palong Bar, Straits Ballroom and the adjoining new retail precinct, Rendezvous Gallery into an exciting and Singapore landmark. All guest rooms now feature custom-designed furniture, with state-of-theart technology, including 42-inch flat screen LCD televisions and Wi Fi for seamless connectivity.

The Rendezvous Gallery is a new dining concept where food and Asian heritage meet. Diners at the new restaurants and cafe can enjoy the Asian and botanical theme and bask in natural sunlight all day.

Upgraded meeting and conference rooms feature state-of-the-art facilities and a wide choice of options. The 3500 squarefoot Straits Ballroom provides a unique ambiance, with custom-designed flooring and crystal chandeliers creating an airy, sophisticated space ideal for meetings, seminars, conferences, wedding and cocktail events.

This investment in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel Singapore is part of Rendezvous Hospitality Group’s multi-million dollar rebranding initiative announced last year, uniting Rendezvous Hotels and Marque Hotels into one Rendezvous brand that is synonymous with superior value accommodation and a unique hospitality experience for discerning business and leisure travelers.

The Rendezvous Grand Hotel Singapore is perfectly located in the heart of the civic, cultural and commercial district along Bras Basah Road www.rendezvoushotels.com/singapore

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MÖVENPICK On Magical Huma Island Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is set to manage Huma Island resort – a private island in the heart of the stunning archipelago of Palawan Province in the Philippines.

The island is already famous among divers who love the exceptional corals and abundant marine life, as well 12 of the most iconic shipwrecks of the mid20th century.

Huma Island itself is also steeped in mystical magic from the tip of its rainforest-covered mountains to the bottom of its primeval caves. The endless pristine sands that ring the island were once home to “Ibrahim The Sailor” who was swept ashore 1352 when his galleon Huma was shipwrecked while on its way from India

to China. Ibrahim may be long gone but his legend and his ship’s name live on.

The Mövenpick Resort respects this history, as well as the unique natural beauty of a beach and rainforest paradise, and is the only resort on the island, with 80 over-water bungalows and reached by seaplane or speedboat.

There will six restaurants offering Lebanese, Italian, Asian and Seafood cuisine as well as a spa with glass floors so guests can enjoy the marine life below.

This will be the company’s second resort in the Philippines; the other in Cebu. www.moevenpick-hotels.com

TRAVEL : AUSTRALIA

MARVELLOUS !

M

elbourne is a large city almost at the bottom of the world. But the world comes easily to Melbourne: especially with food, fashion and design and, in turn, Melbourne goes graciously out to the world.

Outwardly, it is a calm and comfortable place but this façade hides a great energy. It is not hard to see why four and half million people would not choose to live anywhere else. And it is not hard to see why tourists are flocking there in ever-increasing numbers all year round.

The streets are large and often pleasingly tree-lined. There are a hundred parks that also add a wonderful natural element to seemingly endless urbanity.

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Melbourne is famous in Australia for it seasons. People to the swampy north will snidely complain about the cold winter.

Melburnians simply prefer to say ‘we have proper weather.’

Melbourne is also, well, classier. People dress better here; there is not that air of fickleness you find in Sydney - not the restless quest for the ‘next.’ It is said that it takes a long time to make a friend here but once made the friendship lasts forever.

TRAVEL : AUSTRALIA

The city is buzzing (especially with fashion and food) but you should take a look at some of the other attractions nearby – you can organise a tour to toffy Toorak, seamy St. Kilda or far-out Fitzroy, for example.

And there is always something happening.

It is now an international centre for culture and festivals, sport and entertainment. Did you know that the world’s first feature film was produced here: Soldiers of the Cross in 1900. Sadly the industry went into decline until the 1970s until movies like Mad Max were made (this one began the stellar career of Mel Gibson).

The city today is a mecca of modern design, architecture (both traditional and grand to cutting-edge modern), interiors, fashion and invention.

STAYING All the big hotel chains are in Melbourne, mostly in the CBD (InterContinental, Hyatt, Hilton, Langham, Crown) but you will also find many smaller boutique properties and a great many serviced apartments.

The historic Windsor, incidentally, is now Indonesian-owned. You can see all on line.

SHOPPING Melbourne is Australia’s fashion capital. As well as the big international brands, you will find a myriad of local designers of clothes, jewellery and accessories. Most are in the CBD but you could go to Fitzroy for vintage or Chapel Street in South Yarra for a sportier look.

EATING Some of the country’s best restaurants are here; in fact, some of the world’s best.

There is fine modern French, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Chinese. You will also be able to experience what is called 27

TRAVEL : AUSTRALIA

‘modern Australian food’ which is simple, robust, flavoursome, produce-driven and, usually, healthy.

There are scores of fine restaurants in the city itself but some of the better ones are also in Richmond, St. Kilda and Fitzroy – all former working-class suburbs now gentrified by younger generation professionals (we don’t like the old-fashioned word ‘yuppie.’)

Food of every type and quality is available everywhere. Best idea is to buy a Good Food Guide from a newsagent as soon as you arrive. It contains the starred places as well as others that are different and well worth a visit. If you want to research beforehand, you can read it on line.

Some of the best wines in Australia are grown around Melbourne. It is well worth a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula or the Yarra Valley where you have the added value of good restaurants and accommodation, much of it B&B. SPORT This is a city that loves sport and you can easily be part of it. Tickets to major fixtures are available on line or you travel agent can arrange.

Biggest attractions are the Australian Open Tennis, the F1 Grand Prix, the Phillip Island Motoprix and the Melbourne Cup horse racing carnival. This is not just horse racing but a huge social event. Many Jakartans have taken to buying corporate

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tickets, putting on their finery (including the obligatory hat) and enjoying the carnival atmosphere, driven by fashion and no small quantites of champagne.

If you want a local experience, try an AFL game in winter. This is the quaint local brand of rugby, which is often confusing to outsiders but nonetheless can be exciting.

You can also try a game of cricket in the summer – even more confusing…

EVENTS You can see a year-long list of events at Melbourne’s tourist website. There are a dozen festivals: comedy, music, arts and fringe. The Flower & Garden Show, Fashion Week(s) and The Food & Wine Festival is now a huge international event: you can see it on their website (www. melbournefoodandwine.com.au). You can book into any of the restaurant events or masterclasses or other events (such as the world’s longest lunch) – it was a coup this year to get René Redzepi.

TRAVEL : AUSTRALIA

History Settlers from Tasmania founded Melbourne in 1835. Just half a century later, Melbourne was introduced to the world through The International Exhibition of 1880 and the impressive architecture of that time can still be seen today. From then on Melbourne was notable for its wool and agricultural trading and only until the last 40 years Melbourne was considered the financial capital of Australia.

The city (located at the top of a large bay at the estuary of the Yarra River) was named after the British prime minister of the day, William Lamb, the second Viscount Melbourne.

The Victorian gold rush of the 1850s transformed Melbourne into one of the world�s largest and wealthiest cities.

As a result of this boom, Chinese migrants founded a Chinatown in 1851, which remains the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World.

The wealth from gold meant that a city could be planned and built. So they decided on a centre and linked some inner suburbs by boulevards and gardens.

Melbourne had become a major finance centre, home to several banks, the Royal Mint to Australia�s first stock exchange in 1861. Melbourne was now the richest city in the world.

ENTERTAINMENT Just look at the local newspapers for what’s on. And there is lots!

You will also enjoy a visit to one of the city’s historic theatres, especially the Princess or the Regent.

There are more than 100 art galleries in Melbourne. Most notably it is home to Australia’s oldest and largest, the National Gallery of Victoria. They have a huge permanent collection but check a newspaper for special exhibitions (Tutankhamen, Picasso, Matisse and so on).

You can also join the locals in a daily event: waling through the Botanical Gardens, a huge and beautiful open park on the edge of the city where you can picnic or eat at one of the cafes.

If you feel like a flutter, there is enormous Crown Casino complex on the southern side of the Yarra River, easily walkable from the CBD. Two centuries ago, the locals chuffed by their good fortune, called it Marvellous

Melbourne. Today, you will find a little bit of London, a little bit of Paris, a little bit of Athens and Rome – and a whole lot of modern Australia. And it is only five or six hours away.

GETTING AROUND Getting around Melbourne could be tricky.

You cannot just hail a taxi in the suburbs; there are none. Buses are a bit of a mystery; the local MRT is quite good but you have to know the right station to alight for your destination. Best option is the tram. They travel at street level and to all the places you will need to go. Maps are available but the fares are silly - no rounded off dollars in the on-board machines. Best again is the newsagent where you can buy a daily or weekly ticket so you can have as many trips as you like.

GETTING THERE

It was a time when people could afford leisure and the latter part of the 19th century saw the building of prestigious hotels (Menzies, Federal and the Grand, later called The Windsor) and the first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861.

Trams were introduced in 1885, cable being replaced by electric in 1906.

Consumer confidence soared and land values went through the roof. Large commercial buildings, coffee palaces, terrace housing and palatial mansions proliferated in the city. But every boom has a bust and Melbourne has suffered several since. It went into isolationist doldrums in the 1950s and 60s but today, it is a vibrant international city where a good work ethic is complemented by a keen interest in the arts and generally living well.

Garuda Indonesia now flies direct to Melbourne from Jakarta and Denpasar.

Check www.garudaindonesia.com 29

GALLERY

Branson In Bali It must have been the influence of his Balinese architect at his resort in the Caribbean. News is that Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has bought a villa in Bali.

And not just any villa, it is the Pancoran Retreat, the large estate built by bamboo queen Linda Garland in Nyuh Kuning near Ubud.

The complex sits on some 12 hectares of hillside and comprises seven guest villas with a beautiful swimming pool whose water comes from a natural spring.

Branson, of course, is founder of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines. He is British but lists his official address as Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands (where he flew in some Balinese to build his dining pavilion all those years ago).

He also owns an island in Noosa (Australia), as well as properties on Barbados and Antigua, both in the Caribbean.

Branson has possibly not yet visited his newest purchase because he told Britain’s Financial Times that “The most delightful thing about living on an island is that you’re completely in touch with nature. If you need space to think, there’s only the sound of the sea and local wildlife all around and if you want to party, there are no neighbors nearby to complain.”

We would never be the first to drop it to him that Ubud is a little more than an hour from any sea. But he certainly has nature – and possibly more wildlife (of any variety) he will need.

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TRAVEL : VICTORIA

AMAZING GRACE Monaco’s Princess Charlene char med the Australian town of Bendigo last month when she flew in to open an exhibition dedicated to the late mother of her husband.

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TRAVEL : VICTORIA

I

t is called the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition but it also covers the years after her film career when she became Princess Grace of Monaco. It is an extraordinary collection of gowns and items of ephemera from the Grimaldi family’s personal collection.

Prince Albert has sent his own message to accompany the event, saying: “This exhibition is of great importance to my family as it enters the final leg of its international tour.”

Strangely, but rather charmingly, it is not in Melbourne but in the historic gold-rush town of Bendigo – at its wonderful art gallery. This location means that tourists can plan a great little day trip from Melbourne; the easiest way is by train, just a 90-minute journey.

They can combine the gallery tour with lunch at one of the good local restaurants or even stay over, as there is plenty of quality accommodation.

The exhibition features spectacular film costumes such as the shimmering frock from High Society, haute couture gowns from Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent and meticulously tailored suits and American casual wear.

You will also see Princess Grace’s civil wedding gown, the Edith Head-designed dress worn by Grace to collect her Academy Award, some magnificent jewels and accessories – and the first and famous Kelly Bag, designed and dedicated to her

by Hermès and still sought after by women today.

The exhibition (first shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London under the auspices of the Grimaldi Forum) is a natural history of Grace Kelly’s style, from film star to princess.

Says the Gallery’s director Karen Quinlan: “The exhibition charts Grace Kelly’s unique influence on 20th century fashion and we hope to move you a little closer to the person, her classic style, her timeless elegance and ultimately I hope to enhance our understanding of this iconic woman whom we admire and still love. ” The exhibition runs until 17 June 2012. www.gracekellybendigo.com

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TRAVEL : MELBOURNE

D OW N M E M O RY

LANES

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TRAVEL : MELBOURNE

M

ELBOURNE became a grand (if not exactly great) city during the gold r ushes of the 19th centur y. The city fathers were upright, traditional, British (although removed by developing local lifestyle and sheer distance from Britain) and, at least architecturally, without much of a sense of humour.

In 1837, broad main streets, 30 metres wide, made a grid of the city. Behind these were the ‘little streets’ to ease communication and access. But still the blocks were too big so a myriad of even smaller streets were cut between them. An old surveyor’s map lists no fewer than 282 of these lanes in alphabetical order, from Adamson to Zevenboom (named in 1916 after a local brush manufacturer). All along them sprang up shops, small factories (especially garment makers) and not a few establishments of a seedier nature.

Most are open to the narrow stretch of sky above; others are covered like long galleria. You will see names like Hosier (where indeed they used to make stockings), Tattersalls (not sure if they ever had a betting shop), the Causeway (there was once a creek under it), Celestial Alley (obviously in the Chinatown precinct) and Gills Alley (God knows what they did there?)

Some are named after people long gone: Rankin, Degraves and Bennett, while new names have crept in, cheekily honouring Australian artists: AC/DC Lane and Dame Edna Place among them.

A recent mayor John So declared graffiti legal and then an outfit called Citylights street art project added even more life and colour to the lanes. Even the trash cans are painted. These newly colourful alleyways have naturally become a favourite for fashion and wedding photo shoots.

In the last decade, they have developed a life of their own and it is now a joy to walk through them, eat lunch, shop for clothes and jewellery and find little alternative emporia that would not survive mainstream rents.

M ad a me V i r t u e’ s D e a n H ew it t

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TRAVEL : MELBOURNE

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TRAVEL : MELBOURNE

They are all over the CBD and the tourist people will give you a map. But a good place to start is The Block Arcade in mid Collins Street – just enter and keep walking.

Uptown, they are more taken with restaurants and nightclubs. Downtown (at the financial end), they have pubs, picture framers, pantries, provenders and paradoxes galore.

Politicians flock from Parliament House a block away in Spring Street to Pellegrini’s for coffee and just down the way (also on Crossley Street, once known as Romeo Lane because it housed a couple of brothels) is bespoke shirt maker Charles Edward and, next door, Madame Virtue & Co., where Lady Gaga dropped $2800 for a vintage Chanel leather make-up case.

Some of the city’s coolest restaurants are in these lanes: MoVida, Laurent bakery, Gingerboy, Becco, Chin Chin, CODA and Cumulus Inc. Double Happiness, Von Haus – and the unique Italian Waiters’ Club opened in 1962 for restaurant staff to go after service but has long been open to the public at large for simple Italian food.

You will find Melbourne’s lanes fun, interesting, cheeky but quite grown up if you are prepared to drink in the boho atmosphere and indulge a sense of humour that would have shocked Melbourne’s stolid founding fathers.

You will meet all manner of people strolling around – and could that possibly have been Brad Pitt we spotted lunching at Becco?

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GALLERY

Hilton Plans 500 New Restaurants Hilton Worldwide has used its new internal website to canvas hotel owners interested in identifying new hotel restaurant concepts.

The result will see some 500 restaurants open in Hiltons around the world, both city hotels and resorts, in the next three years, mostly with established restaurateurs as partners.

They have already enjoyed success with places such as pairing of the Washington Hilton with Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and the development of Hilton McLean’s (in Virginia) award-winning original food and beverage concept, Härth.

“Our goal is to provide our hotels with great concepts that are unique to their regions and offer menu options that will appeal to their repeat customers,” saays Beth Scott, vice president of Hilton’s food and beverage concepts. It’s also a great opportunity for restaurateurs interested in growing their brand.” www.hilton.com

Three New Starwood Hotels For Bali Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts is set to open three new properties in Bali, as well as upgrading the meetings facilities at its existing properties to ensure maximum MICE attraqction.

The new hotels (all due to open this year) are a Westin resort in Ubud, a Sheraton resort in Kuta and a Le Méridien resort in Jimbaran. This will mark the debut of Starwood’s Sheraton brand in Bali as well as the return of the Le Méridien brand.

Starwood’s other hotels in Bali are The Westin, The Laguna, the W and The St. Regis.

All the new properties will have meeting spaces catering to different group sizes and purposes.

Says Chuck Abbott, Regional Vice President: “With the new openings, Starwood is set to become the hotel chain with the largest number of brands represented in Bali. We believe this puts us in a stronger position than any other players to cater to the various budgets and

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objectives of MICE planners as we can now offer them the most choices in terms of accommodation and meeting venues.”

The Westin in Nusa Dua has already hosted an ASEAN summit and the ensuing Presidents’ Retreat. The Starwood-managed

Bali International Convention Centre next door is also currently undergoing a major US$4 million facelift that includes the public areas, external landscaping and meeting rooms. www.starwoodhotels.com

The Sultan

FOOD : AUSTRALIA

MOD OZ FOOD Until the 1960s, food in Australia was fuel for survival. When the middle class began to earn disposable income, there was a natural interest in new kinds of food stuff that Mother would never dream of making. The 60s was also the beginning of the �great Aussie grand tour.�Everyone saved like mad to take a year or two off and travel the world and, naturally, eat.

M

igration after World War II also had a profound effect on the way Australia ate. Italian food became commonplace, a little German and French and a lot of Greek. In their footsteps came a huge influence from Asia, not only from migration but also because Australians were embracing Asia and Asian food, especially Chinese, Thai and Indian. Later it was Spanish and Middle Eastern.

Until the 1960s, it was mostly lamb. And lamb because there was lots of it and because it was affordable. (Strangely, chicken was expensive and only for special occasions). And it was lamb seven ways: big roast on Sundays and then no leftovers were wasted. Perhaps lamb fritters on Monday, shepherd’s pie on Tuesday. Wednesday could have been special with some newly bought lamb chops. Thursday could have been informal and sandwiches of sliced cold lamb and cauliflower pickles on thick crusty bread. (Processed bread was just on the way in). Or you could have been lucky enough to have a chicken, macaroni cheese or even go out to Lim’s to show off your new chopstick skills.

Probably on Friday, a sweet lamb curry (dodgy taste with bananas and sultanas) and Saturday was probably a meat pie at the football. Soups were big but often of the ‘sick people’ variety with lots of barley.

The Chinese have been in Australia since the Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. When the gold ran out, they turned to market gardening and opening

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little restaurants. Thus, just about every town in the country had a Chinese café – albeit serving cliché dishes that were westernized. Not so today as some of the best Chinese food in the world can be found in Australia.

What was usually good about this, so far, was freshness. Vegetables were often picked in the garden, fruit direct from the orchard, fish just caught and lamb just killed. Salads were made with lettuce (only iceberg in those days), tomatoes, cucumber and radish and usually with a ghastly dressing of canned condensed milk and vinegar.

(Condensed milk, however, had other delicious uses – see below). If you lived in the country, yabbies caught in the dam were heavenly.

Once Australia was liberated from costrestraint and tradition, the food culture expanded exponentially. Spices, herbs, garlic, with ingredients once considered very unusual, even avocados, zucchini and eggplant, certainly octopus and squid. Chefs began experimenting: usually the technique was French but it was influenced from everywhere. Just like California, a new cuisine emerged and it was given the name Mod Oz.

in cooking has emerged from reality television shows.

If you want to read more, look for books (or look on the Net) for recipes by names such as Stephanie Alexander, Ian Hewitson, Maureen Simpson, Lyndey Milan, Maggie Beer, Jane & Jeremy Strode, Donna Hay, Consuelo Guinness, Matthew Evans, Luke Mangan and Diane Holuigue. Special mention should be made of Margaret Fulton who was the first to put it all into a book; Joan Campbell, who taught us about ‘classy’ food in Vogue and Pamela Clarke who has taught nigh on four generations with foolproof recipes at the Australian Women’s Weekly. More lately, Jill Dupleix has given us utterly delicious and usually simple food in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

Mod Oz is here to stay but a fascinating trend is a return to old food, dishes from before the food revolution. They may be updated, spiced up here and there but people are finding comfort food comfortable again. This is especially so in the gastro-pubs so popular now, where you will often find a Shepherd’s Pie, a roast of the day, a fisherman’s basket, a prawn cocktail, pumpkin soup or even bangers and mash.

It is still an ongoing process; it has its own idiosyncrasies and it unashamedly takes inspiration from countries all over the world. Innovative but copycats as well: no new trend from overseas takes long to appear in Australian restaurants.

At home, of course, complicated showoff dinner parties have given way to easy ingredient-driven menus. Australians have historically cooked on an open fire.

Perhaps it took the Americans to perfect the barbecue but a huge percentage of home cooking in Australia is now barbecued. Not only meat and fish but vegetables – all served with some healthy salads; perhaps potatoes in foil.

Food magazines have been going for years and, these days a new interest

Here is a mini collection of old Australian food made new.

FOOD : AUSTRALIA MODERN ROAST LAMB . . . . . . . . .

SHEPHERD’S PIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Granny would blanch at this one and she would never have eaten it ‘pink’, but the updated version is scrumptious).

(A new ‘luxurious’ version of the plain old one)

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2kg leg of lamb Rosemary 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1kg potatoes, chopped coarsely 500g pumpkin, chopped coarsely 3 onions, halved 2 tbspns olive oil 2 tbspns flour 1 cup chicken stock ¼ cup dry red wine

Preheat oven to 200°C. Score the lamb with a knife and insert slivers of garlic and rosemary sprigs.

Rub with olive oil. Roast 15 minutes.

Reduce oven to 180° and cook, basting occasionally for 45 minutes. At this time, place the potatoes and pumpkins around the roast and drizzle with juices. If dish is not large enough, the vegetables can be roasted separately, drizzled with olive oil.

Remove lamb and let rest, covered. Keep vegetables warm. To make a gravy, strain the pan juices and return half a cup to the pan. Stir in flour and simmer until it bubbles. Whisk in stock and wine and stir until it thickens.

1kg leftover lamb, minced (or you could use beef mince but that would make it Cottage Pie…) -

Olive oil 2 onions, chopped 3 tbspns flour 1 bunch parsley, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 sticks celery, chopped 1 cup corn kernels 1 cup green peas 1/2 cup red wine 2 tbspns tomato paste 1 tbspn Worcestershire Sauce 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 6 potatoes, cooked & mashed with milk Grated cheddar

Pre-heat oven to 180˚.

Sauté onions, garlic for 2 minutes then stir in the carrots, celery and parsley.

Stir another 2 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with flour and stir. Add tomato paste, wine, stock Worcestershire and season. Simmer 10 minutes and stir in the cooked meat, peas, celery and corn and simmer another 5 minutes.

Serve with a green, usually peas or beans.

Pour meat sauce into a shallow casserole dish and spoon over mashed potato to completely cover. Sprinkle all over with grated cheese and bake 30-45 minutes until crust is golden.

CARAMEL PIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CAULIFLOWER PICKLES . . . . . . .

(A great favourite in the country, often served to slow down opponents at Saturday tennis…)

(These are simply delicious with sandwiches, not only of leftover lamb but ham, cheese, tomatoes, anything you fancy).

- 1 (400g) can sweetened condensed milk - 1 plain biscuit pie crust (see Lemon Cheesecake above) - Whipped cream for serving.

Take the label off the can of condensed milk and put in a saucepan and well cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for four hours, adding water to keep the can covered.

Make the pie crust as above.

When cool enough to handle, open the can and spread ‘caramel’ onto pie crust.

Cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with whipped cream.

Modern Roast Lamb

Shepherd’s Pie

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1 large cauliflower, in small florets 1kg onions, chopped 6 cups vinegar 2 cups water 2 cups sugar Half cup plain flour 2 tbspns mustard mixed in water with a dash of turmeric - Salt Mix the cauliflower with the onions and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tbspns salt. Cover and let stand over night.

Drain liquids from cauliflower/onion mixture and place in a large saucepan.

Add the remaining ingredients and boil until vegetables soften. Bottle and seal while still warm.

Cauliflower Pickles

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FOOD : AUSTRALIA

Cold Avocado Soup With Prawns

COLD AVOCADO SOUP WITH PRAWNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MOD OZ PUMPKIN SOUP . . . . .

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2 large avocados 1 clove garlic, finely chopped Juice 2 limes Pinch cayenne 1.25 litres chicken stock 12 cooked king prawns

In a blender, purée avocados, lime juice, cayenne, garlic until smooth.

Add stock and season. Divide soup among 6 bowls, top with chopped prawns and serve.

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Chilled Tomato Soup

Mod OZ Pumpkin Soup

(Thanks to Jeremy Strode)

1.5kg pumpkin 3 tbspns butter 2 onions, sliced 10cms ginger, grated Salt & white pepper 1/2 litre water or stock 100ml pouring cream Coriander for garnish

Sauté onions in butter 5 minutes and then add the ginger, salt, pepper and cook over low heat 15 minutes. Add pumpkin and about ½ litre of water/stock (you may have to add more) and simmer until pumpkin is very soft. Purée the mixture in a blender and, if want a smoother soup, strain. Return to heat until ready to serve. Garnish with a drizzle of cream and chopped coriander.

CHILLED TOMATO SOUP . . . . . . . (the original thanks to Joan Campbell)

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2 cans tomatoes, chopped 1 onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped Salt & black pepper to taste 2 tbspns tomato paste Dash Tabasco 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup pasta (macaroni), cooked 1/2 bunch dill, chopped 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup cream

Place the tomatoes in a saucepan with the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, tomato paste, Tabasco, water and dill. Cover and cook slowly until the onions are soft. Purée with cooked pasta, stock and cream until smooth. Chill and garnish with dill and chopped tomato.

FOOD : AUSTRALIA

Bangers & Mash

Lemon Cheesecake

Prawn Cocktail

BANGERS & MASH . . . . . . . . . .

LEMON CHEESECAKE . . . . . .

PRAWN COCKTAIL . . . . . . . . . .

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Crust : - 250g plain biscuits, crushed - 180g butter, melted

(Thanks to Joan Campbell)

8 sausages, your favourite kind 6 potatoes Butter Milk

Sauce: - 1 can tomatoes, chopped - 3 onions chopped - 2 cloves garlic, chopped - Pinch oregano - Salt & pepper to taste For the sauce: sauté the onions and garlic until golden. Stir in the tomatoes, season and simmer 15 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water.

Drain. Using a masher, crush them, adding a generous dollop of butter and enough milk to form a creamy consistency.

Prick the sausages with a fork and barbecue or grill until browned.

The modern way is to serve the sausages, mash and sauce in separate bowls so guests can help themselves.

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES .

(Thanks to Luke Mangan)

Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil and simmer until just tender. Drain well and leave to dry for a few minutes. Transfer to a shallow baking dish, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and add rosemary and a few dollops of butter.

Bake at 220˚ until golden and crispy.

About 20 minutes.

Cake : - 500g cream cheese - 1 can (400g) condensed milk - 4 tbspns lemon juice Mix butter and crushed biscuits together and press into a spring form cake tin. Bake at 180˚ for 8 minutes. Cool.

Beat the cream cheese until soft.

Vigorously stir in the lemon juice and condensed milk. Pour into crust and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready, turn out onto a platter and serve with whipped cream.

BAKED STUFFED APPLES . . .

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200g sultanas 100g dates, chopped Good pinch each ginger, cinnamon Irish whisky Butter Brown sugar 6 large cooking apples

Marinate sultanas, dates and spices in whiskey overnight. Pour off any surplus whiskey. Stuff the fruit inside the apples and place a good dollop of butter on top of each. Top again with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Put in a shallow baking tray and bake uncovered until the apples are soft, basting occasionally. Serve with all the juices and whipped cream.

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300 ml tomato ketchup 250 ml thickened cream 2 tspn Worcestershire Sauce Juice of ½ lemon Tabasco to taste Iceberg lettuce 750 g small cooked prawns, cleaned

Mix the sauce ingredients. Place prawns in a ‘lettuce cup’ in a martini glass and pour over sauce. Serve with thin slices of bread and butter.

APPLE CRUMBLE . . . . . . . . . . . .

- 1kg apples, peeled & sliced - 2 tbspns white sugar - Juice 1 orange - Good dash cinnamon - 3/4 cup plain flour, sifted with a pinch salt - 1/4 cup brown sugar - 90g butter Gently cook apples in orange juice with cinnamon and sugar. Pour into a pie dish.

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. With your hands, rub in the butter until you have a gravelly consistency. Stir in the brown sugar and spoon evenly over the apples. Bake at 200° for 40 minutes until browned. Serve hot with whipped cream or custard.

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GALLERY

New Palace Hotel In Tokyo With its enviable moat-side location beside the Imperial Palace, Palace Hotel Tokyo opens after a US $1.2 billion investment in the mixed-used development.

The new 290-room property succeeds two previous hotels, the Hotel Teito and Palace Hotel that occupied the same site from 1947 and 1961 respectively.

The hotel has an Evian Spa and aims to open restaurants they hope will be quick to attract Michel stars. The French restaurant, Crown is collaboration with Patrick Henriroux, who runs two-star La Pyramide in Vienne. Wadakura, its Japanese restaurant will be managed by Shinji Kanesaka, who also owns the landmark, two-star Sushi Kanesaka in Ginza. And the Chinese restaurant, Amber Palace, will be operated by the Chugoku Hanten Group, which also operates Tokyo’s two-star Fureika.

Despite its proximity to the Imperial Palace, a 3.5-square-kilometre green space in the heart of the city, an expansion of the old Edo Castle, where the Tokugawa Shoguns founded their capital, it is also on the edge of Tokyo’s most dynamic business district, Marunouchi. www.palacehotelstokyo.com

Depature From The Norm Here is an good idea for travellers caught in the midnight mayhem of flights out of Bali.

Many international flights leave Denpasar late at night so your options are to pay for an extra hotel night when you don’t sleep there or fill in the day and night by shopping and dining and then plodding to the airport with the overwhelming desire for a shower.

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The Haven in Seminyak has taken a step to help its guests with this dilemma: they have built what they are simply calling their ‘departure lounge.’

It is a relaxing area with tables, chairs, sofas – and shower facilities. Inside the resort, they actually call it the Havener’s Club Lounge. It offers free WiFi, TV

and entertainment, an informal meeting area if you a doing business, along with newspapers in several languages. www.thehavenbali.com

Millenium

FOOD : JAKARTA

HEAD START

gliatelle s a n d S q u i d I n k Ta Sole Fillet-Gamba

Sunday br unch is a fine tradition in Jakarta and there is a plethora of choice. But one smart hotel, Mandarin Oriental, says why wait til Sunday? So Saturday Br unch is now a feature of the city ’s dining scene.

Seared Foie Gras

ans White fish with be

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FOOD : JAKARTA Chocolate Melt

A

little cheeky but a clever marketing move – and obviously something people want because Saturday Brunch at Lyon is already a big hit.

Lyon has also done things just a little differently. There is a buffet of great nibbles (the duck rillette is a must), imported cured hams, gravlax of salmon, iced seafood, salads and delicatessen, as well as roast and pasta stations. And don’t miss the braised cold gammon with root vegetable salad and mayonnaise.

But remember to save room for the main courses that you choose from a menu on your table. The Lyon difference is that you can actually order as many as you like; the portions are quite small with this in mind.

They range from classic breakfast dishes to delights such as braised beef cheek, duck à l’orange, beef Bourguignon, grilled foie gras, lobster ravioli and bouillabaisse. Desserts could be raspberry millefeuille, chocolate fondant, pistachio burdaloue tart and mango Bavaroise.

If you have noticed a traditional French brasserie style to the food, you will be doubly pleased with the terrific taste – all thanks to exec chef Thierry Le Queau.

And, true to brunch style, you can order with or without free-flow wine. www.mandarinoriental.com

Chef Thierry Le Queau

Chocolate mousse

Macaroons

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GALLERY

Unwind in Style

In their flagship Mulsanne, Bentley has provided owners with the opportunity to unwind in style with an exquisitely detailed, Bentley-designed, luxury bottle cooler with space for two full-size Champagne bottles in a canted position, allowing opened bottles to be put back in the cooler. With one touch of a button, the frosted glass door quietly slides open to reveal three hand-blown and handcut lead crystal champagne flutes, displayed beautifully by the white LED accent lighting.

The flutes are exclusively created for Bentley by renowned British designer, David Redman of London, and echo the racing spoke design of the Mulsanne’s 21� 5-spoke Sports alloy wheel. The flutes can be placed in the bespoke-design bright chrome holders that deploy from the centre seat cushion.

These also adapt to work as normal cup holders when required. The bottle cooler and fluteholders are discreetly concealed when not in use and the elegant design of the cooling system means that no boot space is compromised. www.bentleymotors.com

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RESTAURANT : MELBOURNE

MERCHANT OF VENICE

Melbourne is very well known for its eateries; some of the best food in the world. The city is now host to a vanguard of some new styles of eating.

You will see this at a great new place called Merchant, billing itself as an osteria veneta.

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Its name is from Shakespeare and the almost retro room has been cleverly redesigned to seem casual, although the whole operation is very tightly managed. But why (suddenly) the food of Venice?

T

his simply means, of course, an informal restaurant that specialises in the food of Venice.

It is the brainchild of celebrity chef Guy Grossi and it sits in a strange space: in a gallery on one side of the Hotel InterContinental that leads to Melbourne’s tallest building. Outside is a life-sized Venetian gondola; behind it a terrace for snacks and cocktails.

“I found myself inspired by the rich Venetian culture on a recent trip,” recounts Guy Grossi. “Back to where my mother came from and my partners in this project, the Grollo family. The gothic buildings, an abundance of water and boats, food and wine being consumed with gusto – to me it seemed this was the glue that held this happy and social lot together.”

Many other people share his inspiration because the place is packed for lunch and dinner and for the aperitivo hours in between.

RESTAURANT : MELBOURNE

Polenta with gorgonzola

Peas & roast potatoes

Braised Rabbit

Calves liver & onions

Sausages & beans

Chestnut panna cotta

Like the conversation, the food here is meant for sharing. Small bite size snacks ‘cichetti’ are served as antipasti at the bar.

When you move to your table, a traditional but non-threatening Venetian menu awaits.

Entrées include risotti (including one of smoked eel and peas), risi e bisi, marinated octopus, bacala, aranzini, duck liver pâté, sardines wrapped in pancetta, sausages and beans, beef and tuna carpaccio.

There is a page of Venetian-style pasta: gnocchi with braised oxtail, pumpkin tortellini, spaghetti with clams. Then there is the best polenta and Gorgonzola dish we’ve ever had. (They are currently boasting about the first ‘polenta machine’ in Australia).

For mains, perhaps a flat or char-grilled fish, calves liver and onions, crumbed lambs brains with capers and nut-brown butter or braised rabbit with pine nuts. Many of the dishes are casseroles so vegetables are served on the side.

For dessert: tiramisu, apple strudel, Venetian trifle, ricotta mousse or, our favourite, chestnut pannacotta.

There are Italian cheeses, of course, and a very decent grappa list.

The food looks (and is: you can watch them make the pasta and the sausages) ‘home-made’ in its kitschy crockery and, like mama’s, it is delicious.

The wine list features only bottles from Italy’s north east and you can also order house vintages by the glass or carafe.

You will feel anything but an unhappy Shylock when you come to the bar where they are making Bellinis with peach purée and Grossi’s own Prosecco. Not to mention a top-notch Americano or a Negroni. www.merchantov.com

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CHEF : MICKAEL DO VAN

FRENCH R E V I VA L

Something different is happening at Riva, the French restaurant at the Park L ane Hotel in Jakarta.

You can notice it just by looking at the plates coming from the open kitchen. There are flowers (violets and nasturtiums), leaves of many kinds, fresh herbs, fr uit (especially pears) and – not – least three kinds of car rots: red, yellow and orange!

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he style is a combination of French classic and nouvelle cuisine with just a nod to molecular.

This is all part of the new menu by Mickael Do Van, the French chef recently arrived with some very hefty credentials from Paris.

Do Van has worked in some of the best two and three Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris. These include Le Cinq at Hotel Georges V, Les Ambassadeurs at the Hotel de Crillon, Restaurant Jacques Cagna Restaurant Ambroisie.

This is his first venture into Asia and he does admit to a rather severe dose of culture 52

shock. First, he must become accustomed to a smaller staff, although in Indonesia, there are still many more in the kitchen than, say Australia or the U.S. In France, he was also used to faultless supplies of produce.

Here, he must source new things or import originals from France (as he does with the varieties of carrot). One of his main tasks is adjusting to Pacific fish, often very different from Atlantic or Mediterranean.

Add to that, he is very, very French, even down to the Gallic snort during conversation, which many people think is one of derision but more often it means ‘c’est la vie.’

CHEF : MICKAEL DO VAN

Wa g y u b e e f w i t h F r e n c h c a r r o t s

Va l h r o n a c h o c o l a t e d e s s e r t Amuse bouche of asparagus

Lobster

His father was part Vietnamese, part Korean (hence his family name); his mother was French – and he pronounces his given name as ‘mi-ky-el.’ His family had a restaurant called Le Petit Chaudron in Chartres, where he worked casually until he went to culinary college in Paris. He is the youngest in the family, with two sisters and a brother.

JAKARTA Do Van speaks to his staff in English but prefers to converse in French where he does enthuse about his passion for cooking.

“I am keeping our classics, such as Dover sole, côte de boeuf and foie gras,” he says.

“But I have already found some Wagyu beef from Australia. I am currently importing almost everything else from France, including some of the vegetables.”

“But I also want to make some changes.

Let us just say the new menu will be classic French but also light and healthy.”

He is energetic, keen, impatient to get it all right. He is also intent to make Riva the finest French restaurant in Indonesia. We mention Michelin stars and he snorts again with good humour. “Well, they already have some in Singapore and that is not far away.

We have the room here at Riva, we have the service and I am working hard on supplies: ‘sans produce, sans product,’” he says, deliberately mixing his languages.

He has already been to Bali (and dined at Mozaic, which he liked very much). He is also looking forward (with not a little trepidation) to trying Padang food with his colleagues from Riva.

Meantime, he is busy meeting other French chefs in Jakarta and trying the food in their restaurants. “But best is when we can get together and relax on the balcony on Sundays.” And talk? “About French food, of course.” www.parklanejakarta.com

Chefs notoriously do not get much time away from their kitchens. Do Van is one of them until, as he says, he gets it all right.

But he is a very keen golfer and anxious to get back out in the open air.

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TRAVEL : UK

100 Years And Counting London is a huge city: daunting, often mysterious. But if you want the easy way of seeing and doing different things, the best way is just to leave it to the concierge.

In this case, at the historic Goring Hotel in Belgravia.

John Andrews, Head Concierge, The Goring

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TRAVEL : UK

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n 2010, The Goring celebrated its 100th year. Just behind Buckingham Palace, this hotel was the first in the world to offer its guests central heating and a bathroom for every bedroom. It is also the only hotel in London still owned and run by the family that built it, with the 4th generation Jeremy Goring keeping up the tradition begun by his great-grandfather in 1910.

Tower Bridge Exhibition

The hotel is quintessentially English and provides guests with unparalleled and exceptionally attentive service. One of these services is what is new and interesting to do in London. Having done all the usual haunts on previous visits we wanted to explore and experience something different. So Viva Asia asked Head Concierge John Andrews for some suggestions. * The Tower Bridge Exhibition – Visit the engine room and see the inner workings of London’s most iconic bridge. At certain times you’ll get to experience the raising of the bridge too! * Ceremony of the Keys – This is the traditional locking up of the Tower of London, an event that has taken place on each and every night, without fail, for 700 years. The importance of securing this fortress for the night is still very relevant because, although the Monarch no longer resides at this royal palace, the Crown Jewels and many other valuables still do! * Jack the Ripper Haunts – A spine chilling evening walking tour around Whitechapel where the mass murderer stalked and killed his victims! * Buckingham Palace – Literally an inside look at where Queen Elizabeth lives when she is in London. And you get a great look because only 40 people are taken on each exclusive tour.

Jack the Ripper Haunts

Buckingham Palace

Ceremony of the Keys

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TRAVEL : UK

* The Monument – This stands at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill in the City of London. It was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City. Climb the stone staircase of 311 steps to the viewing platform. * The Globe – Expert guides take you on a fascinating tour of the iconic Globe Theatre and auditorium, bringing the space to life with colourful stories from 1599, when it was the domain of William Shakespeare.

After its restoration, it is again a working theatre.

The Monument

Duck Tours

* Borough Market – This is London’s most renowned food market, a source of exceptional British and international produce. * Jason’s Trip – this is the original Regent’s Canal tour and has been operating since 1951. Jason is an authentic 100-year-old boat, which was originally used as a cargovessel on the canals. The guided tour runs between Little Venice and Camden lock.

Vertigo

* Burlington Arcade – This galleria has been a shopping icon for luxury goods for 200 years. Situated right on Piccadilly.

The Globe

Borough Market

* The Serpentine – This is a charming boating lake in the middle of Hyde Park.

Summer is best when there are 110 pedalos and rowboats, as well as a fantastic swimming area. The perfect peaceful getaway from the big city. * Geffrye Museum – This is one of London’s best-loved museums. It shows the changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day.

The Serpentine

Geffrye Museum

* Grays Antiques Market – This place is home to one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of fine antiques, jewellery and vintage fashion. * Vertigo – Enjoy a drink and the panoramic vistas atop Tower 42, which is 200 metres above ground level.

Jason’s Trip

Burlington Arcade

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* Duck Tours – It’s fun, quirky and it’s different! Perfect for all ages, it’s the only way to experience the sights and sounds of central London on land and river without leaving the comfort of your seat.

Grays Antiques Market

* Henry VIII’s Mound – This is the grave of the famous king of eight-wives at the highest point In Richmond Park, in the public gardens of Pembroke Lodge. From the Mound there is a protected view of St. Paul’s Cathedral in the city of London some 10 miles away. www.thegoring.com

View from Henry VIII’s Mound

GALLERY

THE WORLD’S BEST BEACHES So you don’t have to take our word for it – the winning beaches in 2012 have been fairly voted for by the millions of travellers who use TripAdvisor.

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ripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site and its information is provided by reviews and opinions of people from six continents.

The result of the Travellers’ Choice Beach Destinations Awards this year names 181 top beach locations, covering 21 regions around the world – including Indonesia and the rest of Asia.

For centuries, a holiday at the beach has held that certain magic that inland destinations do not have. Perhaps it is simply the combination of sand meeting sea with no man-made interference between these two great elements of nature.

This said, some of the world’s great resorts are built on beaches. So this means that, while you can enjoy sunbathing and surfing, you have five-star food and accommodation within walking distance.

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For other travellers, it might be the very isolation that attracts them – certainly in Indonesia and the rest of Asia, it is possible to enjoy a remote beach and then hang out at a little thatched-hut beachside warung with the locals.

In Indonesia, Nusa Dua in Bali, with its long stretches of white beaches, took the top spot, while palm-fringed Boracay in the Philippines laid claim to the best beach destination in the whole of Asia.

“These beach destinations provide inspiration for travellers who are looking for a quick weekend getaway nearby or planning a longer holiday. This means staying within your borders or venturing abroad,” says TripAdvisor’s Jean Ow-Yeong.

So, here are the best beach destinations for when you decide you need that break.

GALLERY

Travellers’ Choice award-winning beach destinations in Indonesia: 1. Nusa Dua (Bali) 2. Gili Trawangan (Lombok) 3. Nusa Lembongan (off Bali) 4. Lombok (Lombok Island) 5. Bintan (Bintan Island) 6. Amed (in Eastern Bali) 7. Jimbaran (Bali) 8. Canggu (Bali) 9. Tanjung Benoa (Bali) 10. Seminyak (Bali)

Travellers’ Choice award-winning beach destinations for the whole of Asia: 1. Boracay, Philippines 2. Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand 3. Ko Lanta, Thailand 4. Ko Phangan, Thailand 5. Koh Tao, Thailand 6. Kata, Thailand 7. Candolim, India 8. Chaweng, Thailand 9. Nusa Dua, Indonesia 10. Bophut, Thailand

TripAdvisor’s influence spreads to the whole world, so the global list is very interesting. The top 25 are: 1. Providenciales (a tiny island in the Caribbean) 2. Palm/Eagle Beach, Aruba 3. Tulum, Mexico 4. Negril, Jamaica

The list also lists individual regions – all places where there is a reasonably long coastline, so there is every chance of a fine beach.

In Italy, they like San Vito lo Capo, Villasimius, Cagliari, Otranto and Vieste.

5. Saint Pete Beach, Florida (USA) 6. Boracay, Philippines 7. Cancun, Mexico 8. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 9. Miami Beach, Florida (USA) 10. Varadero, Cuba 11. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (USA) 12. Playa del Carmen, Mexico 13. Virginia Beach, Virginia (USA) 14. Oludeniz, Turkey 15. Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) 16. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 18. Daytona Beach, Florida (USA) 19. Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA) 20. Lahaina, Maui (USA) 21. Cayo Coco, Cuba 22. Marsa Alam, Egypt 23. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 24. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 25. Icmeler, Turkey 26. Puerto Alcudia, Spain

In Spain: Puerto Alcudia, Benidorm, Playa del Ingles, Corralejo and Puerto Del Carmen.

In France: Porto-Vecchio, Biarritz, Calvi, Cassis and Juan-les-Pins.

In Greece: Skiathos, Mykonos, Corfu, Lindos and Stalis.

In India: Candolim, Havelock Island, Canacona, Salcette and Cavelossim.

In Australia: Burleigh Heads, Byron Bay, Coolangatta, Noosa and Broome.

In Central America: Santa Teresa, Playa Samara and Tamarindo (all in Costa Rica), San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua and Roatan in Honduras In the South Pacific: Bora Bora, (French Polynesia), Aitutaki and Titikaveka, both in the Cook Islands.

For the complete list (with opinions and photographs), just go to TripAdvisor’s website. www.tripadvisor.com

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FOOD : HONEY

The Bee's Knees

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here is no other natural ingredient as simple as honey. It has been a favourite of mankind for millennia and used in drinks, food and for medicine. The honeybee (apis mellifera) is thought to be one of the oldest forms of animal life still in existence today.

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In post-historic times, honey was mentioned in the Indian Vedas 3000 years ago. The ancient Chinese writer, Shi Jing wrote about honey in the 6th century BC. Many artifacts have indicated the importance of honey in ancient Egypt, both as a sweetener and medicine (a natural wound healer). The ancient Romans used honey in recipes and even used it as currency. The ancient Greeks revered honey so much that the honeybee was used on their currency for six centuries. Alexander the Great was embalmed in a coffin full of honey. They called it the food of the gods or “ambrosia�.

In modern times, honey is used as a sweetener instead of refined sugar. It is used in desserts, many savoury dishes and drinks – it is even an alcoholic beverage in the form of mead.

When scientists begin to look for all of the elements, they found a complex of naturally flavored sugars as well as trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids.

The 60,000 or so bees in a beehive may collectively travel as much as 88,00kms and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a half a kilo of honey!

Here are some honey recipes we know you will enjoy and out thanks to the Honey Board of the USA for some of them.

FOOD : HONEY

Spicy Grilled Fish

Simple Honey Chicken

Fruit Dip

SPICY GRILLED FISH

SIMPLE HONEY CHICKEN

FRUIT DIP

1kg fillets of snapper or cod 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup honey Juice 1 lemon 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 tbspn cornstarch 1 teaspoon garlic salt Grated zest of ½ lemon 1 tbspn thyme or basil

1kg chicken pieces 2 onions, chopped 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup slivered almonds Juice 1 lemon

250g cream cheese 1/4 cup honey Good dash vanilla Pinch cinnamon Juice lemon 1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 175˚.

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon juice; mix well. Spoon into a small bowl and top with almonds. To serve, place bowl on a plate and surround with assorted fruits such as grapes, and strawberries. Slice larger fruit.

Stir all ingredients (except the fish) in small saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and keep warm. Place fish on lightly oiled baking sheet. Grill a couple of minutes on both sides until just cooked. Serve topped with the sauce.

SALMON BURGERS 4 hamburger buns, toasted 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup ketchup 1 tbspn vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tspn horseradish Chilli flakes to taste 2 cans salmon, drained 1 cup breadcrumbs 1 large onion, chopped 1 small green capsicum, chopped 2 egg whites In a bowl, combine honey, ketchup, vinegar, horseradish, garlic and chilli flakes until well blended. Set aside half of sauce. In separate bowl, mix together salmon, breadcrumbs, onion, capsicum and egg whites. Blend in 2 tablespoons of remaining sauce. Divide salmon mixture into 4 patties and fry lightly in oil or grill on both sides. Place on buns and serve with reserved sauce.

Sauté the onions in the oil until golden.

Stir in the honey, almonds, lemon juice and season. Cook a couple of minutes and then pour over the chicken in a shallow baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Cook another 30 minutes uncovered.

(You could easily spice this sauce up with some harissa or preserved lemon)

CALABAZA EN TACHA (Mexican pumpkin dessert) 1 pumpkin, cut into large chunks 2 tbspns palm sugar 1-1/2 cups honey Zest of 1 orange Juice of 1 orange 3 cinnamon sticks 5 cloves 1 tbspn allspice 8 cups water In a pot, combine sugar, honey, orange zest and juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice and water. Bring to a boil. Add pumpkin pieces and simmer about 1 hour, until sauce has reduced by half to a thick syrup. The pumpkin should be fork tender, but not falling apart. Allow to cool and serve.

STUFFED PEARS 2 pears, halved Juice 1 lemon ½ cup yoghurt 2 tbspns honey Fresh fruit, chopped (can be pineapple, strawberries etc or mixture) Ground ginger Paint the pears with lemon juice to stop browning. Mix the yoghurt, honey, chopped fruit and ginger and spoon into the hollows.

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FOOD : HONEY TZIMMES (Beef & vegetable stew)

HONEY BANANA PUDDING

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAJINE

1kg stewing beef, in chunks 2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 carrots, in chunks 2 potatoes, in chunks 2 sweet potatoes, in chunks 1/3 cup honey Good pinch cinnamon 15 dried apricots 15 prunes

4 ripe bananas 300ml cream 300ml plain yogurt 2 tablespoons honey 1 tspn lemon juice Almonds

8 skinless chicken thighs 1/4 cup honey 2 onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cinnamon sticks 1 lemon, juiced 2 teaspoons turmeric 1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered

Brown meat in oil and remove from the pan. Add a little more oil and sauté the onions, garlic until golden. Return beef to pan; add carrots, salt and pepper to taste and enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes, honey and spices. Simmer 30 minutes until potatoes are barely cooked. Add dried fruit and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until beef is tender. If sauce is too thin, stir a little sauce with some flour and return to pot.

Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

HONEY LEMON PAPAYA I papaya 250g yogurt 3 tbspns honey Juice 1 lemon Mint Chop the papaya roughly and place in large bowl.

Meantime, blend yogurt, honey and lemon juice and fold mixture through papaya. Chill and serve with lots of fresh mint.

Honey Lemon Papaya

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Whip the cream until soft peaks form.

In another bowl, mash the bananas then stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Fold in the whipped cream. Serve topped with sliced almonds.

VEGETABLES IN SPICY HONEY SAUCE 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup peanut butter 2 tbspns soy sauce Dash chilli flakes 1 tbspn coriander 4 cups broccoli florets 4 cups sliced carrots 4 cups snow peas (can use snake beans) 6 cups cooked white rice Combine honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, coriander and chilli in a small bowl; mix well and set aside. Steam vegetables until crisp-tender; drain well.

Toss with peanut sauce a serve atop the rice in a large bowl.

HONEY STRAWBERRY PURÉE 2 cups strawberries 1/4 cup honey Juice ½ orange Grated zest of orange Combine all ingredients in blender and whiz until smooth. Serve over ice cream, flan, pound cake or sliced fruit.

Honey Strawberry Purée

Arrange chicken in a casserole. Pour honey over chicken; sprinkle with onion and then with minced garlic.

Add cinnamon sticks and sprinkle with lemon juice and turmeric. Top with apricot quarters and bake at 180° for 2 hours. Remove cinnamon sticks and serve with rice.

HONEY RICE PUDDING 1 cup rice, cooked 8 cups milk 2 cinnamon sticks 8 eggs, beaten with 1 tbspn vanilla 1-1/2 cups honey In a pot, combine rice with milk and cinnamon and simmer, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in a cup of this hot milk into the egg mixture.

Add a second cup and stir well. Add this warm egg mixture to the pot, stirring constantly. Add honey, stirring frequently until milk thickens. Allow to cool before serving.

* * *

Honey Rice Pudding

WINE : DESIGN

WINE INSPIRED

DESIGN

IN

HONG

KONG

WINE BOTTLE BULB by Guido Ooms The size of a standard wine glass, this quirky yet functional and high quality bulb has a life span of 30,000 hours (about 10 years). An elegantly subtle, wine glassshaped LED light bulb from Dutch designer Guido Ooms.

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WINE : DESIGN

Amo Eno (Latin for ‘loving wine’) is a chic bar in the International Finance Centre on the waterfront looking across the harbour to Kowloon. Their love of wine also extends to a love of fine design.

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hile the extensive wine selection and interactive table are already causing a buzz, but so are these fantastic new design concepts, all inspired by wine.

There is a large range of glassware and accessories that is sourced from all over the world by Amo Eno’s creative director, Brook Bradbury, one-of-a-kind pieces by a mix of emerging and established designers.

These pieces are part of the opening collection:

FLYING CUPS by Hrafnkell Birgisson You’ve heard of flying saucers, these beauties on their crystal stems seem to make cups the ones that fly. They are by acclaimed Icelandic designer Hrafnkell Birgisson and these beautiful one-of-akind pieces recall the history of European porcelain making. Birgisson cleverly uses recycled China teacups and wine glass stems to produce a ‘glassy’ cup of tea.

URSULA (BOTTLE HOLDER/COASTER)

by Silipot These user-friendly, vibrant and functional bottle holders double as coasters. They are made from durable silicone in a range of fashionable colours.

THE WINE TOTE by Graf & Lantz Hand crafted German design incorporating the traditional Japanese carpentry style, wa daiku, a design philosophy that stresses modern lines and structural aesthetics to ensure the marriage of understated luxury and traditional techniques. www.amoeno.com

BIG HEART by Etienne Meneau French sculptor Etienne Meneau (actually based in Bordeaux) created this hand-blown limited edition decanter in the shape of the ventricles of the human heart. He hopes to demonstrate, through mixing geometry with nature, how ‘wine becomes modern.’

Functional, as well for siphoning off the lees from a good red.

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WINE : LIQUOR SALE

WORLDS LARGEST COLLECTION OF 1905 MARTELL VERY CHOICE OLD VINTAGE COGNAC LIQUORS ON SALE FOR MILLIONS Very Choice Old Vintage Cognac Martell 1905

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utch connoisseur Bay van der Bunt reputedly has the world’s oldest collection of fine liquors and he wants to sell them. Price tag : US$ 8 million!

His historic collection, gathered over a lifetime, has some 5000 bottles, including whisky, armagnac, chartreuse, port, madeira, other rare liquors – and some cognac that is 250 years old.

At 63, van der Bunt is strangely a nondrinker. But he has dedicated half his life to the search for the rarest spirits in the world.

Some of his cognacs date to 1789, the year of the French Revolution and also the year George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the new nation of the United States of America. His oldest cognac bears the year 1760.

One large dusty bottle is dated 1795.

“Napoleon’s army took about 30 of these on campaign. It could be worth 150,000,” he says.

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WINE : LIQUOR SALE

He is hoping a single buyer who shares his passion will take the whole collection intact.

Many of them are the last of their kind, which makes them rare and therefore highly collectable.

If this is not the case, he envisions they will be split up between individual connoisseurs, exclusive restaurants and hotels and some business and political VIPs, including a couple of royals.

Van der Bunt says he is sad to see the precious bottles go but he and his wife have no children to take on the collection so he has decided to sell.

“Collecting has been very time consuming and it has cost a fortune but it has proved to be the best financial investment I have ever made,” he says.

A long time from 1789 but a new revolution, one of technology, has enabled Bay van der Bent to share his passion over the Internet.

You can visit him at www.oldliquors.com. www.oldliquors.com

Another is the so-called Comet Vintage, named after the Great Comet of 1811, one of the largest ever sighted and visible for 260 days.

French vintners thought it to be responsible for the long, hot summer, dry autumn and the following abundant harvest of that year.

Ever since, wines made under these ideal conditions have become known as ‘comet vintages’.

COLLECTING “My great grandfather and then my grandfather had hundreds of bottles which went to my father who passed on to me. So collecting is something I grew up with,” says van der Bent.

“Over the last 35 years, I also frequented auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

I bought from famous restaurants like Maxim’s and La Tour d’Argent in Paris and Le Cirque in New York when they thinned-out their cellars. Some cognacs even belonged to the estate of the Duke of Windsor,” he recalls.

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TEE TIME

THAI HIGH Golf enthusiasts will love Kirimaya.

It is a high-end nature retreat just two hours from Bangkok; the first boutique luxury resort in Khao Yai, the UNESCO World Heritage site nestled at the edge of beautiful Khao Yai National Park.

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he sensational golf course at Kirimaya has been designed by Jack Nicklaus.

It is a world-class 18-hole, par 72 championship course, set right in the middle of the area’s natural beauty.

It has clubhouse and locker rooms, a pro shop, restaurant along with conference and recreational facilities – so, ideal for groups and families as well as individual players.

To get that extra practice in, there is also a driving range.

The area around Khao Yai rises to 1350 metres above sea level so it is cooler than Bangkok, especially during the winter months between November and February.

It is a lush area, particularly good for flowering trees and shrubs, particularly wild orchids and winter is also the best time to spot wild elephants.

The rainy season in June/July brings the whole region into bloom and extraordinary butterflies abound. It rains for up to three hours every day when Khao Yai is called the “forest in the mist.”

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TEE TIME Kirimaya has 52 rooms with private balcony and four terrace suites with private pool.

There are also four tented villas with spa pool.

There are three restaurants: T-Grill, Acala and The Mist Bar. It has full conference facilities for 120.

While you take a rest from the golfing, here are some great suggestions for things to do: • Take a Night Safari through Khao Yai National Park to see the wild animals; if you are lucky some elephant.

• Enjoy bird watching: this park supports hundreds of species.

• Explore Phimai Historical Park, which has the largest collection of Khmer buildings in Thailand, taking in the Ban Prasart Archaeological site, dating back 3000 years. Another is to Phanom Rung Historical Park, 1000 years old and now fully restored to its original glory.

• Visit the Dan Kwian Pottery Village to see (and buy) its unique style of bowls, dishes and pots.

• Go Elephant Trekking, setting out just 10 minutes from Kirimaya from the wonderful Jungle House.

• Visit a winery. Khao Yai is the wine centre of Thailand – now producing some very decent vintages and many vineyards have good restaurants.

• Go to the Pakchong Night market where you can enjoy authentic Thai food, even down to a snack of fried grasshoppers.

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OUT & ABOUT

Live With Chivalry E

veryone was a winner when Chivas held their annual “Live With Chivalry” golf event at Imperial Klub Golf Karawaci recently. The event dubbed “A Game Of Brotherhood” saw players from across Indonesia enjoying golf on the well prepared course and sampling Chivas at the drink stations.

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Players competed for prizes on the course; nearest to the pin, nearest to the line, longest drive, best gross overall, best nett overall, and worst nett overall. Back in the clubhouse players were treated to dinner, entertainment, and plenty of Chivas and ice.

Everyone went home a winner with lots of lucky draw prizes including LED TV’s, smartphones, spa packages, hotel stays, and two motorcycles.

OUT AND ABOUT

INTRODUCING ABSOLUT ELYX Pernod Ricard Absolut held a spectacular event at the Kempinski Hotel Jakarta to introduce Absolut Elyx to their customers in Indonesia.

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OUT AND ABOUT

Made from 100% natural ingredients, Absolut Elyx is handcrafted and copper distilled for a natural pure taste. As a single batch vodka, made from a single harvest of single estate winter wheat, every batch is traceable from seed to bottle.

Distilled in a copper still that dates back to 1929, the sensory impact is unmistakable.

Copper catalyzation adds a highly prized and definitive silky texture as well as subtle savoury notes. Absolut Elyx is made with manual distillation. The temperature and precise rate of flow during distillation is controlled by hand. Every handle, knob and lever is adjusted manually. After distillation, the sensory team will taste and approve each batch before bottling.

Largely considered a dying art, these timehonoured manual distillation skills have been passed down through generations of Swedish spirit and vodka makers. This reliance on actual people, human intuition and ’feel’ is perhaps unusual in the modern world but fits perfectly with the proud spirit and vodka-making traditions of Absolut.

At the launch, Edhi Sumadi, Pernod Ricard’s Commercial Director expalined “With the launch of the Super Premium Absolut Elyx, The Absolut Company will sharpen its competitive edge in overall vodka category especially in the Super Premium segment to meet the strong increasing demand of Luxury Vodka among up-market consumers.

We strongly believe that Absolut Elyx will fulfill the ultimate experience for the great taste of luxury vodka for many years to come”.

ABSOLUT ELYX Natural purity in taste Nose: Clean,rich, rounded, aniseed and fresh bread, light cereal notes and mellowspice.

Palate: Medium bodied, silky mouthfeel with a wave of aniseed garnished by nuttiness, fresh cereal and mellow spice, with a hint of dryness underlining pure balanced richness.

Finish: Rounded mellow spice with fresh nuttiness and a clean, warm, smooth finish.

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MIXOLOGY : W52

W52 is a chic street-side bar in a trendy Italian restaurant in Hong Kong. It takes its name from its address, 52 Wyndham Street, just a stone’s throw from Lan Kwai Fong entertainment central.

W52

Its dĂŠcor is stylish art deco, with white marble tables, plush leather stools and you can sit inside or out.

Cocktails are a passion at W52 and their mixologists have just announced a zesty new list that guests can enjoy with complimentary snacks.

The new signature range is filled with a range of exotic fruit juices, fresh herbs and mint. Perfect for a steamy Hong Kong evening.

Here are five of the best. www.w52.com.hk

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MIXOLOGY : W52

GREAT TIME ‘On The Rocks’ 1 shot Grand Marnier 1 shot Sweet & Sour Dash homemade Vanilla Sugar Dash bitters Orange Juice Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour into a short glass over ice.

ROSE APPLETINI ‘Straight Up’ 1 shot vodka 1 shot apple schnapps 1 dash rose syrup Green apple juice, enough to fill glass Shake all ingredients together and serve in a chilled martini glass.

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MIXOLOGY : W52

ROSELLE MARGRET ‘Frozen’ 1 shot Roselle Tequila 1 shot Grand Marnier Dash lime juice Ice In a blender, whiz all the ingredients with ice until you have a frozen pink mixture. Garnish with roselle flowers.

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MIXOLOGY : W52

FIRST KISS ‘Straight Up’ 1 shot rum 1 shot Orange Juice 1 shot Grapefruit juice 1 shot Lemon juice Dash passionfruit purée Mint Shake all ingredients together well and service in a martini glass. Garnish with mint.

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GALLERY

Fat Spice No, not a new member of a girl band – great news if you are looking to lose weight and you like spicy food.

According to a new study from Penn State University, spicy hot curries and other Asian dishes are healthier by far than bland Western food.

Fun research, this. The people (overweight) who took part were given meals of chicken curry, Italian herb bread and a cinnamon biscuit. Two tablespoons of spices (rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, garlic powder and paprika) were added to each serving.

For s start, cinnamon and turmeric and other spices act as antioxidants that combat highfat ingredients.

Another interesting point is that they say these spices have the antioxidant power of a glass of red wine or 40g of dark chocolate, so everybody is winning here!

A meal high in fat produces high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in your blood; bring the risk of heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.

Subsequent blood tests showed antioxidant activity increased by 13% and insulin response decreased by 20%.

They found that if you add spices to the dish, it reduces the ‘triglyceride response’ by 30%.

So, if you have a Western diet, spice it up quick. If you live in Asia – as you were!

Banyan Tree Wins At Bali Salon Culinaire THE Banyan Tree resort in Ungasan has clinched a proud list of awards at the Bali Salon Culinaire 2012.

The team from Banyan Tree had 12 chefs and two F&B service associates and came away with three gold medals, two silver and five bronze medals.

Gold Medals Five course set menu, Fine Dining: Made Agus Winata, Rama Bagus Prihasta Creative Table Set Up: Irdian Eko Cahyono

Silver Medals Individual hot cooking (meat dish): Ida Bagus Gede Ananta Putra Five course set menu, Fine Dining: Wayan Wena

Bronze Medals Three courses set dinner menu : Antonius Agung Suryandita and (mystery

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box), Putu Agus Subawayasa Creative Table Setting: Nengah Widara Individual Hot Cooking : Dedi Mustofa Three course set menu : Made Suanjani (junior category) Jeunne commis: Made Nuka Wijayasti The Salon Culinaire is organised by Bali Culinary Professionals, a member of World Association of Chefs Societies, to encourage young professionals to work and compete in a team and individually; this year some 34 hotels were competing.

Judging is by a panel of overseas chefs based on the criteria of creativity, presentation, taste and feasibility of operational execution.

The Banyan Tree team all work in the resort’s Ju-Ma-Na, Tamarind and Bambu restaurants. www.banyantree.com

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COMPETITION

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Royal Kamuela Villas Nusa Dua

In each edition of Viva Asia we feature a photograph from a hospitality establishment somewhere in the world.

Take a look at the photograph above which shows the amazing view from the only Four Seasons Resort in Malaysia. The resort presents a tranquil retreat in the Andaman Sea, where UNESCO-protected mangroves showcase labyrinthine adventures between land and sea.

The question is if you were staying at this resort and taking in this stunning view where would you be?

Please email your answers to info@vivaasiamagazine.com and, if correct, you will be in the running to wine one of two 700ml bottles of Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac courtesy of Martell.

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