GEARING UP
On December 14, 2011 ·
Things are moving along here in Shanghai, China. And as the holidays fly by, I will be making a lot of changes to this site, as well as my other site “plumpoyster.com”. I will convert this personal food site over to “plumpoyster.com”, so that this site can become the home of my new oyster bar! We are gearing up here in Shanghai, and have an optimistic plan to be open in March, and rockin’ N rollin’ in May. Timing here has been working out for everything so far, and although we had originally planned on being open last month, we are happy with the progress.
November was filled with trade shows, special dinners, and oyster events. Patrick McMurray, the champion oyster shucker from Toronto, Canada was here for 10 days of Shucking Madness. As well as Micheal Blackie of Onterio, Canada, one of the best chefs in Canada. The three of us cooked up a storm, shucked up a storm, and had our own version of “Debbie Does Dallas”, only it was more like “The Three Pickle Heads Do China” (and actually it was more like “Five Pickle Heads Do China”…Have to include Peter and Rudy!). That may not be the best way to describe it, but lets just say we traveled all over Eastern China, had smash-hit events, and ate, partied, and had loads of fun. Keeping the sleep to a minimum of 2-4 hours per night, and work days of 12 hours or more, there was no room for nonsense (well, maybe more room for nonsense)… Either way, we had huge successes with oyster promotions, created a special bond to the Westin in Beijing as well as Starwood Asia, and will be having many more of our Culinary Rock ‘N Roll Asian Tours! Next time we may switch it up a bit but this time we went from Qingdao to Hong Kong, to Shanghai, to Beijing, back to Shanghai then Fuzhou, then Beijing again and then right into bathrobes to eat watermelon in Shenzhen, and Hong Kong again for our “Honeymoon”. Nuts.
The next one should be in April, and we hope to have it coincide with the Opening Party of The Plump Oyster in Shanghai! Keep tuned, as there has been LOTS of things going on here… And I will keep a more regular blog roll of all the happenings since the other “pickle heads” are back in North America, and I have a little more regular rest…!!!;)
And thanks again to our hosts in Fuzhou & Beijing. It was a blast!
QINGDAO SEAFOOD EXPO
On November 3, 2011 ·
At the Qingdao Seafood Expo, which is a massive seafood trade show. Trying to source good product, and understand the seafood market a bit more. Its quite impressive, and absolutely a massive show. this makes McCormick Place in Chicago look a little less significant!
I’ve also gotten a kick out of how pushy the Chinese booths are when a white guy like me walks by. I can’t make it passed them with out them making sure I take their informational flyers and such. I guess I look like a walking yuan. Funny.
PLACES I’VE BEEN EATING AT LATELY…
On October 17, 2011 ·
Fuchun – Shanghainese/Chinese. Excelent XLB
Yakitori Fukuchan – Tiny little Yakitori place on Changle Lu. I thought it was good. Definately get the GINKO NUTS. AWESOME!!!
Goga – Smart Asian Californian Fushion. Great on the terrace up top if the weather is good!
Mr & Mrs Bund – Contemporary. Its got the great location on the bund, and the food is great if you do the 200RMB lunch or after 11pm dinner…
LOCAL SHANGHAI EATS – LANXIN
Great little place that serves up Shanghainese food in a super authentic setting. 6 tables, lines out the door, quick service, and delicious dishes. Had some River Fish cooked in a fermented soy sauce, Stir-fried baby chard, Clams with Ginger and Garlic, Pork liver with a thick gravy, and the Pork Belly that is pictured. Melt in your mouth goodness, and with a hint of sweetness (as most Shanghainese cuisine is sweetened with sugar), but this place does it right, just enough sweet, but not too much!
LANXIN RESTAURANT – 130号 Jinxian Road
FINALLY A NEW BLOG ROLL POST! SORRY WEBSITE FOR NEGLECTING YOU ALL NOVEMBER….. CHECK IT OUT ON THE BLOG PAGE!
OSTRA REGAL – NEW OYSTER @ OSTERIA October 16th, 2011.
We’ve brought in a new oyster from Ireland this week! It is a “Ostra Regal” which is bred in NW France, then cultured in North West Ireland for 2-3 years, and a further 1 year in Southern Ireland.
The result is a deliciously refreshing blast of seasalt and seeweed brine, crisp plump oyster meat, and a delightful cucumber finish!
Come in and try these out!
NEW BAR MENU @ OSTERIA
On September 21, 2011 ·
*Looking to be out-of-town for most of the time running up to December, so the bar menu will be hit or miss. Please call ahead or e-mail me to be sure!
I will personally be keeping the kitchen open @ Osteria starting this Friday the 23rd!
May be some changes, but this is what we are looking at:
Choice of a Wine By The Glass, Paired with one of my small creations from the menu below…
Promotional price TBA!
JIAO BAI
On September 20, 2011 ·
My new FAVORITE vegetable has become “jiao bai”, a seasonal type of bamboo shoot that grows around Shanghai. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but there is a perfect balance of texture (crunchy, chewy, creamy) and flavor (bitter, sweet, savory) that I really cannot get enough of. Its kind of like bamboo shoots that you would find in a stir-fry, but its a little whiter in color, a little more interesting texture (more delicate) and it has this wonderfully tangy sweet flavor.
I was at a little Shanghainese restaurant and had this in a dish for the first time. It was in a slightly salty-sweet soy reduction this time. Delicious! I was a little greedy with my portion to say the least.
Luckily, and to my surprise, staff meal at the restaurant the next day was a stir-fry with lots of fresh Jiao Bai, and pork! I was beaming with happiness that I not only had this the day before, but had it AGAIN the next day, without even having to go looking for it!
Two days went by, and I had it at another Shanghainese restaurant tonight. Ahhh. Got to get as much of this stuff before winter comes and I wont be able to find it for a few months!!
FINALLY – SOURDOUGH BREAD @ OSTERIA! September 12, 2011.
After one trial-and-error period, where I discovered the pastry room to be too hot at night, we now have some Sourdough Bread! When I first tried to do my Sour starter, a barm, I did an Apple sour. Apple has the natural moulds and yeasts that start up the Sour. After two days it was going strong, and then….poof! The room I had the Sour in was too hot at night and it “over ate” and killed its self. DARN!
Trial number two has been much more successful. I realized the best place in the restaurant for a starter is the Wine Room, where after some deliberation (kind of a funny story), the temperature turned out to be perfect and consistent for a nice slowly fermenting Sour.
It took the usual five days until I was actually able to make some bread (yesterday), and it turned out quite nice! As you can see there are nice little blistery flecks on the crust of this bread, showcasing the nice acidity that is produced with the Sour. Shanghai has good Wild Yeasts!! Sourdoughs are too much fun. Its like having a bucket of hungry yeast babies that you have to feed every day…
Looking forward to the yeast getting stronger over the next week or so, and we will be having the bread incorporated into the menu! Yum!
OUT IN THE BOONIES!
On September 2, 2011 ·
Didn’t take long, and before I knew it I was out looking for cheap kitchen equipment. No place to put it, but my partner is all about looking for a good deal. Little did I know that the place was far from the center of Shanghai.
For over an hour we were slowly moving along side the amazingly congested flow of trucks, trucks, and more trucks, all with dirt and dust and chinese lettering all over them. Goods going to port to be shipped over seas, scrap metal going to be sold for something, garbage, boxes, cars, construction material, chickens, you name it, its on the road and moving! Plus it was hot and we were in a nicely full car. Cozy, sweaty and sun filled, rolling down a chinese highway.
No signs of things being slow around here (well, except for the traffic at times).
After we went past hundreds and hundreds of apartment buildings, factories, hotels, stores, etc, etc, etc, we were out in the middle of nowhere looking at piles of used and partially used kitchen equipment. From ovens to fabricated benches, stove tops, griddles, warehouses of coolers, lowboys, stacks of glassware, and rusty decrepit parts of kitchens past, even stacks and stacks of banquet chairs. This was surely the place to pick up a few things!
There were warehouses of chinese guys and scrap metal and welders all over. Re-fabricating pieces, making new ones, and even retrofitting these “custom” things (like a stock pot, that was rather rickety, but cheap enough I was considering it).
Needless to say I was excited, not only because we were starting to piece together the kitchen (maybe not exactly of my dreams, but at least the cheap Chinese version), and making some progress on negotiating some decent prices. Perhaps the boonies will be where the true infancy of “The Plump Oyster” has begun.
REAL ESTATE
On September 1, 2011 ·
It all comes down to location it seems. Shanghai was obviously a little cheaper and a little more “available” a few years back. Opportunities change as things become more saturated. Although there are still a lot more opportunities here than elsewhere in the world, I still need a good spot for this restaurant. Narrowing down on what will be the right size, right location, and correct price is a tricky endeavor. My biggest question has become, is what is the non-gringo price? I’m mean really, do I have to look like a sucker because I’m foreign? There are little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that charge about $2 US for a great meal, and I’m certain their rent is pretty darn reasonable!
Going to have to get a Chinese tutor so I can negotiate more like local….
I am happy to say that regardless, I am still enjoying those little tasty bites for cheap. My breakfast of Boa ze, the steamed bun dumplings filled with pork was delicious, and at around $.20 US for two, I want to pay their rent!
LONG NIGHT IN SHANGHAI…
On August 28, 2011 ·
So I’ve come to the conclusion that staying out until 6am drinking copious amounts of gin & tonics is NOT the way to get a restaurant open. Especially, when the following day was spent asleep. I woke up at 6 PM, with a good 12 hrs of sleep under my belt, thinking that perhaps it was 6am. I was not so lucky, and the alarm that I had set for 9am, obviously went completely unnoticed in my gin snooze.
After trying to do some work that evening, I was watching some UFC (Ultimate fighting), and thinking that my head felt just like the guy who just got the living shit beat out of him. And better for him, as even though he was getting punched repeatedly in the head, and was rather bloody, he was at work. I tried to work. Didn’t go super well. And I found my self sweating profusely, as my body tried to rid itself of about 15 cups of gin.
Shanghai is an interesting city. You have an odd mix of foreigners, travelers, business people, and people from just about every walk of life. The city is rather limited on the activity list though, and when you are not working, you’re probably out eating or out partying. Or both.
There is quite a crazy night scene here, and if you want to go from cozy lounge, to pool bar, to thumpingly loud cramped club, to one of the many super late night foreigner hang-outs with lots of working ladies, you can. And it will probably do you not a whole lot of good the following day. But thats Shanghai for you. Work. Party. Thats about it.
I’m happy to say that last night I did not have to endure such shennanagans, as I had the night prior. I had a nice bowl of coconutty Laksa and a nice fresh apple juice. My body was thanking me quite a bit this morning, when I was actually able to wake up at 5am, go for a long jog, and look for places to put this restaurant. Seems as if I’ll be off the train, or on the train, or what ever the hell that expression means. The one that will make my liver happy, and actually let me focus on getting a place opened so I can get other people drunk until the wee hours of the morning. At least then, I’ll feel better, and have some money… I hope!
YUM
On August 27, 2011 ·
Well, there really is nothing better than hole-in-the-wall street food in the morning. Doesn’t matter whether you are in Mexico picking up some freshly made tortillas, France with a baguette and some butter, Spain with some Pan con Tomate (not really street food, but its awesome), a bag of cut-up tropical fruit in Malaysia, or some fresh coconuts in Belize. This morning I was wandering around nice and early, about 7am, and got a little stuffed eating different kinds of Islamic breads that are made all over the neighborhood just south of my place. My favorite is one that has heavily seasoned stir-fried cabbage and carrots in between a thin flatbread. yum.
Nothing like fried bread in the morning! Breakfast of Champions.
Now I’m in a Starbucks (for the fast internet damn it!), listening to celtic fiddle music. Where am I? Somethings are just too weird in life.
ONE MORE NIGHT IN SHANGHAI
On August 26, 2011 ·
It really does not feel like it has been very long since I was in Shanghai. And the fact that I’ve kept coming back, over and over, seems to make sense. The craziness of the streets, filled with people, bicycles, scooters, taxis, busses, and cars zooming all about. The lights, chinese symbols all over the place, little whole-in-the places packed with people chowing down on tasty chinese food, and even the buzz around places like Starbucks and McDonald’s, which even as much I don’t like those two places it is rather funny to see them here, seemingly out of context yet fitting in so well.
The striking thing to me here, is how fast things can be done. Starting a business in the states seems like a particularly painfully slow process. Even when you are familiar with things and speak the language. I get here, and all the sudden, within days, I have a residence license, purveyors lined up, bank accounts, appointments with multiple realtors, and more opportunities and possibilities than I could have imagined. And I don’t even know the language!
I can imagine a little more accurately now the feeling of people coming from Europe to the US back in the day. Lots of commotion, “progress”, change, possibilities, opportunities, and monumental change from what they knew before.
Some times good things don’t happen until you throw yourself out there, and take a leap of faith so to speak (even if its a blind one)!
It Begins…
On August 24, 2011 ·
Due to popular demand, I must keep up an actual blog on this site. I’m assuming that because of my recent move, there will be plenty of exiting things to write about…
So far I’ve already had the delight of smuggling some cheeses into China, and worrying about my chef’s knives.
As for moving food around the globe, I will always be the one to try and test fate with some cured meats, exotic fruit, stinky cheeses, bags of powders and spices, basically all the things that can cause a delay at customs. Surprisingly enough, I’ve never had a problem.
Even one time at O’Hare when I had about 4 kilos (approximately 9 pounds) of various pork products including 2 kilos of Jamon de Iberico (the spendy Pata Negra) which was only wrapped in paper becasue the shop I purchased the glorious stuff didnt have plasic. I tried to conseal it by making a makeshift bag out of a dry-cleaning plastic jacket cover. Needless to say it was half-assed, and I could smell it when I picked up the bag at the carousel. When I went through customs he asked me, “what do you do for a living”, my answer; “chef”, then he asked me “are you bringing back any food or food products”, my answer; “nope”. The guy looked at me a little funny. Perhaps he was wondering if a chef can possibly go to Spain and not bring back food.
Luckily when I dropped off the immigration form at the next check point, the guy didnt seem to think that my bag should have gone through the x-ray. Lucky me, and lucky stomach. That stuff was delicious!
So when I headed over here, I have to do the same gauntlet. Why, aah, who knows. But this time I have a bunch of cheese and a roll of chefs knives and other kitchen paraphernalia.
Didn’t seem to be too much of a problem, as I picked up my bag after immigration, got my bags and walked towards the customs check point.
Now as in other airports, there are a few security guards, a roped off line, and an x-ray machine. It is very apparent that they are counting the people coming through, and picking specific people to go through the x-ray and check point. I was a little nervous that they may not understand the chef’s knives, so I was watching how they were counting people. I tried my best to time when I joined the line, so that I would be somewhere in the middle and not be selected.
At the same moment I’m thinking of my wonderful experience at O’Hare in ’05 when I went to Sweden with some kitchen utensils. The look on the policeman’s face when he pulled a 12 inch chef’s knife out of my bag was almost as priceless as the people behind me in line. I ended up on the flight only because some of the Chicago police thought they were getting a freebie meal at Carlos’ Restaurant!
But this is not Chicago, and they wouldn’t necessarily have a clue right? No free dinners I can give out yet…
So I jump in line and hope for the best.
That guy goes to the x-ray, that gal goes, and oooh, the lady right in front of me! Yeah, she’s probably got all kinds of illegal stuff. Take her!
Gotta love walking away from a potentially frustrating situation unscathed;)
But wait….!
I realize when I’m walking towards the metro in Shanghai that they have x-ray machines at all the stops. And there is the Maglev train. The one that goes 435km/hour, and gets you in to Shanghai in 7 minutes, so do they. Did I want to get a taxi and spend more money? Not really. So I’m wondering which train will be the best option with a bunch of knives in my bag. After much deliberation, I decided that if I spent more, and there were less people, maybe I would have less of a hassle. So I went to the Maglev, bought my ticket, and placed all of my bags on the belt that moved them into the x-ray machine.
Seems as if the girl standing and directing me, and the girl looking at the monitor had more important things to discuss. I was in Shanghai in 7 minutes! (Instead of jail in 7 minutes..;)
Funny thing is, I’m pretty sure everything I brought was ok to bring into the country! I did get a little worried though, that there may have been a little difficulty explaining such things.
Now I just need to focus on recipes, suppliers, spaces, and so forth…
AVEC – CHICAGO
August 2011 – As a super last minute dinner, I scrambled to make it downtown yet again. Two nights before I had a rather long flight, and I had not really finished many tasks including packing, I had to go to this little place. Avec is a restaurant that was started with the help of the team at Blackbird, a Chicago staple. They have nailed this place amazingly well. I had no idea that it had been around for about 6 or 7 years, or I would have frequented this place ALL the time. They are also affiliated with Publican, another great place in Chicago that I was un-aware of until this summer…
The ambiance is a little strange to me, as I was thinking Ikea, and my friend was thinking Swedish sauna. But disregarding that, the interior is rather simplistic, but done right. The kitchen is very small, and the space is small, but this leaves the focus on the food and the drinks. All of which are fantastic. I was impressed with all the dishes, simple preparations and presentations done right. The wine list and the rest of the drinks were all well thought out.
A certain side of me was a little upset, because they have used many ideas from Spain that I plan to use. And they have done it right. At least I’m in China now, where its rather normal to steal ideas. (even though I was going to do some of the stuff Avec is doing before I even knew about them!!)
This is place that I can whole-heartedly recommend, and recommend to try anything, as I’m sure it will be awesome.
RAY RADIGANS – Pleasant Prairie, WI
August 2011 – This old Supper Club from 1933 is still a great spot for a classic midwestern Wisconsin meal. The place still has great character, food, drinks, and even music some nights. I had the Calve’s Liver with onions, quite delicious. Their relish tray is a must before your meal, and should be enjoyed with a martini or a gin and tonic. The Cottage Cheese is mixed with garlic and herbs, and is to put it simply, to die for.
Places like this should stay the same, and be around for ever. luckily, this one has done just that.
TANK SUSHI – CHICAGO
August 2011 – Tank sushi still has awesome sushi, great non-sushi menu, drinks, and fantastic staff and owner. In Lincoln Square, its out of the congested Chicago food scene, so you have room to breathe. With that said, you will still be surrounded by a cool crowd of raw-fish loving folks. If you like sushi, you will love this place.
I usually dont suggest to people to go fro the rolls, as Im a nigiri/sashimi kinda guy. But the rolls here are really good and artfully prepared.
My favorites are the Latin Heat, Alaskan Night, and Ocean Sunday.
THE GIRL AND THE GOAT – CHICAGO
July 2011 – One of the uber-popular food joints in Chicago lately, The Girl and the Goat was truly a pleaser. I found it strange to have to meet at the place when it opened at 4:30pm in order to get a seat. I was curious when I asked, “Do we really have to get there that early??”. Well, lets just say that at 4:45 the place was full and they were giving people over an hour+ wait time!
I was skeptical at first, but was truly impressed with the attentive, knowledgeable, and excited staff, the food, decor, and the drinks. Great cocktails, and a wonderfully prepared and executed “sampling” menu, as I’d like to call it. I really have fun at restaurants when I can try different things, share them with people, and not really over eat or over-order. Helps when everything is super tasty and prepared well, like it is here. Wish there was not a line out the door though!
And I suppose its fitting that I’m reduced to rushing out to dinner at 4:30pm. I’m getting OLD, as some of my friends have pointed out! …Can I kindly request that the Girl and the Goat do and “early bird special”?? This may add to the line, but I can show up there at 3:30pm for sure!
GIRL and the GOAT
(Pictured above are the delicious Diver Scallops.)
ARAMI – CHICAGO SUSHI
July 2011 I Went here recently with some friends of mine, including one of the best waitresses of this newer sushi bar in Chi-town. It was quite a great experience, enhanced with some good sake, and a goofy chef. I thought it was quite funny that the guy (chef B.K) thought I was starting a restaurant at the “Hotel Shanghai in Chinatown” here in Chicago. Is there a “Hotel Shanghai” here???
At our staffer’s recommendation, we all had the chef menu; an amazing collection of sushi & seafood dishes that dazzled the palate and our eyes.
Pictured is the chef flashing our ebi nigiri & uni mayo with a blowtorch.
Little review here….ARAMI. Along with some of the most recent places I’ve been in the Chicago area.
LAKE BLUFF BREWERY
Damn good fresh beer at the Lake Bluff Brewing Company. Who would have thought it….. Cool spot, good brew, good service! In Lake Bluff, where it was a dry village for how long?? Although even in Prohibition there was booze coming though LB…fyi
http://www.lbbrew.com
YOU KNOW WHEN…. YOU ARE BACK IN CHICAGO…
Nachos and beer at McFadden’s on State St. Its a chain, and its not the best nacho. But it was relaxing…. Not sure what I was thinking, but I felt like I had to put some crap food on my site..!
Xix BAR BARCELONA
Gin & Tonics at another level here in Spain. Certainly one of the most popular drinks here, and arguably one of the most expensive too, they surely make a good Gin & Tonic.
Xix Bar in Barcelona makes the best I think. They don’t skimp on the gin, they have 60+ to choose from, and they go through all the motions to make them right.
Places to eat and drink in Spain…
My favorite gins are these…
G’Vine- Florasion: Floral semi-sweet gin, with plenty of hints of spices. Super well balanced on the nose and on the palate. Very smooth. From France. Good with Fever-Tree Tonic or Q tonic (which is lightly sweetened with Agave).
Gin Mare: A specialty Spanish gin, based on Medditeranean herbs and flavors. It uses Arbequina olives, thyme, basil, and rosemary to add an interesting herbal touch. Its a little strong, but has great flavors. Good with Boylan Tonic Water or Fentimans Premium Tonic Water.
Tanqueray Rangpur: Tanqueray, but with Rangpur, a type of Indian Lime Hybrid. Extra botanical flavors and the citricy punch from the rangpur make this much more interesting than regular Tanqueray. A little sweeter than a Dry Gin as well, but only a hint of sweetness. Goes well with Fever-Tree Tonic.
Citadelle Gin Reserve: Interestingly kept in oak casks for a few months. Gives this gin another level of flavor and curiosity. I had one with 6 O’Clock Tonic, and although not the best, quite interesting.
IN MADRID? and thirsty for a Gin & Tonic….? Head to the trendy (but well done) La Cabrera. Calle Bárbara de Braganza 2
, Madrid
. Tel +34 913 199 457. http://www.lecabrera.com/ They have a tapas bar upstairs done partly by Sergi Arola, and a cocktail bar downstairs. Always busy, and always a good place for a cocktail. A little on the pricy side.
BULLS AND WINE, VENTA LAS VACAS, SPAIN
May 23rd, 2011.
I surely need to elaborate on this one. Long layover, bad connecting flights, ended up in Madrid and quickly was drinking wine all day and watching buzzed winemakers get the run around from young bulls… I was exhausted, but very enthused! Hilarious.
Headed to the real-deal bull fight this weekend, but This was a lot of fun. Small ring, small bull, drunken Spaniards.
Brillant. (except for this compounding a serious jet-lag…)
More photos from Spain, and a real Bullfight in Madrid.
ONE MORE NIGHT IN SHANGHAI…
I’m screwed for life after this restaurant. This is the kitchen @ Fuchun in Shanghai. My favorite Xao Long Bao being made….
I swear I can stuff my face with these perfect little dumplings any old time. SO GOOD.
Had to mess up my flight back so that I could gorge on them one more time!!
XLB heaven.
WU YI MOUNTAINS, FUJIAN, CHINA
Wu Yi Mountain and Wuyishan.
Here is the “Burgundy” of Tea in China. Rows of Tea plants all over the hill sides, tea shops everywhere, and tastings abound.
Famous for the Oolong tea, this is great for lovers of black and red teas. They grow green teas as well, but its not known for these. It was great fun to go around and taste tea, try to bargain for a price that was not a “tourist price”, and check out the gorgeous country side.
A bamboo-raft ride down the Jiuqu Xi River is a must, albeit a little touristy.
FUZHOU, CHINA
Fuzhou, China. (me pictured, at a Blind Massage clinic)
One of the best things I’ve done in China (non-food related) has been going to Blind Massages. Yes, Blind, since this has been a traditional occupation for blind people in China for centuries.
The blind massages can be much more intensive than a regular massage. This is well beyond what is called a “deep tissue” massage. These guys go to school for massage for two to three years, and really learn the in and outs of muscles and the body. Obviously their ability to read your body is much more pronounced than a normal massage therapist. It is amazing how quick they can find your issues, and even explain what you’ve done to yourself. Couple this with the fact that they are much more willing to dig into your muscles than most massage therapists in the states. If you let them, they will REALLY get down to the root of your body aches, using their hands, fingers, and elbows (and most of their body weight). I have some rather bad back issues, and some good sport injuries to enhance the problem, and these guys made major progress.
There is absolutely no nonsense with these massages (as long as they have been to school, so check before hand). I have to say that in general these are the only massages where they really try to fix the root of the problem, work on the muscles that need it most in a manner that helps long term, and you REALLY feel better afterwards with permanent results.
Without a doubt after going to many different places of blind massages these are the best therapeutic massages.
If anyone reading this heads to China, you should definitely seek out a couple blind massages. They can be tricky to find, but ask around. You’ll be surprised how good you feel after, and even more surprised with the bill. Its REALLY cheap, especially compared to US and European prices. It can be from around $5 per hour!
I will try to get a list of places together so people can find some of the ones I’ve been to!
HAINAN, CHINA
HAINAN, CHINA
May 5th, 2011
The city of Sanya is on an island in the most southerly part of China. Originally I was not going to go here, but had a change of heart. The place is considered the “Hawaii of China”, and I likened it to the “Hawaii, Bali, Dubai” due to the nice tropical beaches, amazing water, rapid development, and lush green mountains.
For food, seafood is king, and there are many local specialties. For starters I will talk about one of the more interesting dishes I had…
And so here I’ve gone and done it. I’m probably going to get a little feed-back on this one, but I had to do it.
There are certain foods in the world that certain people have problems with. I tend to not agree when it comes to a lot of these certain foods (well, mainly the certain people). For instance, I will be the first one to give you many reasons why Foie Gras is not produced in a detrimental manner to the animals (especially compared to a lot of the other foods that such people consume without thinking about). Plus it is an age old food tradition, that is unbelievably satisfying.
This particular one on the other hand, may raise a few eyebrows. I was even told before I left, what ever I do “don’t eat ____!!”
But I have felt inclined to try just about everything, so I had to give this a try.
Have a look, and if I’ve offended…tough (and this meat was most certainly not tough!!)
SO what was for lunch!!?!??
SINGAPORE
So this may not necessarily look like an epic food moment, but I can assure you that it was.
I was thinking while standing in queue to get a bowl of this, for a good hour plus, what makes a truly amazing food experience?
For starters you obviously need good food. And I mean really good food; great ingredients, great preperation, good techniques, timely preperation-service-on-the-table-in-your-mouth timing, and the right mix of textures, colors, flavors, and seasoning.
Now the question becomes, why does this not happen more often? There are quite a few restaurants and food places that can cook up some good ingredients in a timely fasion, season things right, and make you really damn satisfied…
The thing is, for a truly epic food moment, you need other factors involved. This experience in Singapore may help explain to you why foodies (and nuts like myself) go to great lengths in search of epic food experiences.
MALAYSIA
April 28th, 2011.
No no no no no!!!!! I saw way too many of these walking the streets of Panang looking for a place to stay. VIP McDonalds people everywhere? What the hell does this mean?? I didn’t see any McDonalds anywhere, so perhaps there was an area outside of town with McDonalds everywhere along the road or something…
When I think fast food like this, I immediately think declining traditional food, out of business old food operators, and chubby little local kids. So I kind of panicked!
Luckily, to my surprise, there is vibrant street food culture in Panang & Kuala Lumpur. And despite all these stickers on cars everywhere, there are plenty of interesting local specialties, local eateries, street food, and asian fusion cuisine that is hard to match anywhere else.
Have a look at Malaysian food, beyond my McDonalds freak-out….
THAILAND
April 25th, 2011.
When I think of Thai food, I think of spicy chilies like these ones. Spicy enough to build up a big sweat and burn the mouth.
Most dishes I ate came riddled with sliced chilies, and most tables had chilies in vinegar, dried chilies, chili pastes, and chili sauces…
If you like spicy food, you will love Thailand and the local fare.
Have a look at my quick trip through Thailand.
CAMBODIA
April 16, 2011.
Arriving from Laos to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Its Mango season here still, and when the weather is quite hot the mangos are seductively sweet! I have been loving the abundance of fresh and perfectly ripe tropical fruit! Delicious!
Rife with a bloody past (and even currently there are conflicts), Cambodia has its fare share of tragedies. Even so, the people are remarkably friendly, and the landscape is beautiful. From a food standpoint there are many influences, including the need to eat anything available do to war and poverty, but there is still a decent list of Khmer dishes and food traditions. A country basically closed to many foreigners for decades, it was only in the mid 1990′s that there was any sort of tourism. This has definitely left the country with some amazingly remote wilderness, and a feeling that it has not been completely spoilt by the western-world.
Have a look at my visit to this complex country. CAMBODIA.
LAOS
April 9th, 2011.
So not knowing that Laos was going to be like this when I arrived was kind of a shock. A nice one though…
Their new years is a big water fight, for cleansing and purification, but its also a party. What was definitely not a foodie trip, was really fun and interesting. Check it out!
LAOS!
VIETNAM
April 2nd, 2011.
Spring Rolls and noodles everywhere here in Vietnam. These tasty ones were at Quan An Ngon, right on Rue Pasteur in HCMC. It was really great traditional Vietnamese food at local prices and a great atmosphere to boot!
Check out more eats and scenery in VIETNAM…
HONG KONG
March 17th, 2011.
Some places can evoke a certain feeling. A feeling on mystery, evolution, change, and movement. Hong Kong is definitely one of these places. Seeming to be on the edge of the future, but partially stuck in the past, this is a place of contrasts. Although there are other places in the world to bring out these thoughts, Hong Kong has a wonderfully concentrated version of this.
The concoction that is HONG KONG…
TIM HO WAN
March 16th, 2011.
Hmmm… Non-descript Chinese store front, looks like your usual dim sum place, little yellow paper menu for jotting down your choices… But wait, is that a Michelin sticker with ONE star on the door?? Check out the worlds cheapest Michelin starred restaurant…
SICHUAN
March 2nd, 2011
Ok, so you see that little red oily bit, between the edge of the bowl and the edge of the noodles?? Yeah, its kind of hiding in that bowl of Ni Rou Dan Dan Mian…. That is chili oil, with chilies and sichuan peppers. Plus the little red bits in the meat on top are chilies as well. Now get me straight I LOVE spicy food, and I can handle really hot food. (Eating a whole, raw habanero pepper has not been out of my realm..not sure whats wrong with me…)
Thing about this was, I had this bowl and the ones featured below as well, and I was so syked to eat these freshly made noodles, that I inhaled them and then got whacked with the spice, heat, and numbness from the sichuan pepper! Delicious.
Read more about spicy Sichuan food in CHENGDU…
SHANGHAI
February 15th, 2011.
Shanghai – It is quite apparent that ancient Asia is tucked into small pockets of a modern monster. This place is huge, busy, and changing fast. I always though that the US was a huge, fast paced, modern country, changing constantly. But Asia is on another level, and with billions more people. The most noticeable thing is the enormous contrast between old and new, and the proximity of it all. You have street vendors selling time honored snacks for pennies on the dollar, while a multimillionaire drives buy in a Ferrari, perhaps driving though the old neighborhood he grew up in.
Vibrant and wild, this place is sure to turn your head a few times!
Check out more on ASIA…
