Chubby Hubby - 2/86 - food, family & the finer things in life

Pleased to Meet You, global trendsetter, Western Australia

One of my favorite places to eat, on past trips to Perth was Harvest, a wonderful laid-back space in North Freemantle. Brunch at Harvest was a must on many a visit. Sadly, Harvest closed down in 2013. So, when I heard that owner Clint Nolan had opened a new place, this time in Northbridge, I marked it down as one of our possible must-try restaurants for our March 2014 trip. And then, later, when I started reading some of the early reviews and blog posts about Pleased to Meet You, it quickly became the one restaurant in Perth that I knew I simply had to try. Continue Reading →

Looking for the best sushi in Bangkok? Try Isao Sushi

I miss living in Bangkok. I miss the Thai food, the Thai massages and the beaches. But one of the things I miss most is Isao Sushi. Sushi???? As one of the most missed things from Bangkok? Yes, indeed! Continue Reading →

An interview with Joey Gan of GSH Conserves, a boutique Singaporean food producer

Last year, while visiting the Christmas edition of Public Garden’s flea market, my wife and I met Joey Gan, founder of GSH Conserves, a local producer of some insanely good sauces. Because we always like to support local artisans, we purchased several jars of Joey’s products and promised, when we had the time, to interview him for this site. Continue Reading →

Sticky date pudding

When I’m skimming through a dessert menu contemplating what to have, the words that make me stop browsing and come to an immediate decision are “sticky date pudding”. I see those three magic words and I’m done. I close the menu, order and impatiently wait to indulge in my dessert. It doesn’t help that my hubby is similarly, a sticky date pudding fanatic. This basically means we have plowed through a significant number of sticky puds together, and unfortunately, only a third of them were stellar, some were stodgy and hardly any good and startlingly, many fell downright flat. Recently, I stumbled upon a sticky date pudding recipe on Nigella’s site, and registered that it’s actually a really easy dessert to make! I tucked that thought at the back of my head, and a few days later, found a bag of dates in the pantry. You can all guess what happened next. Continue Reading →

Family friendly wineries and microbreweries in Margaret River, Western Australia

Some of the things I was genuinely worried about when planning our family holiday in wine country was whether our son would be cool with letting papa, mama and his grandparents visit some wineries, for meals and also for cellar door tastings. I honestly should not have worried because, as I discovered, many of the best vineyards—and microbreweries as well—cater not just to old farts like me, but also to young visitors. Continue Reading →

One perfect day in Hunter Valley, New South Wales

Braemore Vineyard – Courtesy of Thomas Wines

The Hunter Valley Wine country is New South Wales’ largest wine region. Its proximity to Sydney, a drive less than two hours away, makes it a perfect escape from the city. One day in the Hunter can pack a lot of activity and ignite the senses without wearing you out as a visitor. It’s an ideal detour from the joys of Sydney’s harbour and beaches. Continue Reading →

Knee Deep: The best vineyard restaurant – and maybe the best restaurant – in Western Australia

A year ago, a foodie friend has posted some pictures from a meal he was having in Magaret River, the picturesque wine region that is 3 hours south (by car) of Perth, in Western Australia. He was raving about a chef and a vineyard restaurant that neither I nor my wife had heard of. And since we both trust said foodie friend, we made it a point, on our recent trip Down Under, to check out Knee Deep Winery and have lunch at the vineyard’s restaurant. Continue Reading →

The stunning Villa Chandra in Ubud, Bali (thanks to Airbnb)

Ever since my last trip to Bali, where I spent four idyllic days on the beach at Nusa Dua, I have been constantly thinking about going back. But this time around, I yearned for the lush hills, ravines and lurid green paddy fields of Ubud, which I have fond memories of, from my honeymoon years ago. The therapeutic effects of being enveloped by peace and tranquility was what I desperately needed to dissolve the stress of the daily hustle and bustle of the city. Continue Reading →

Fresh and zingy coleslaw

My 5-year old son tried coleslaw for the first time the other day, and he absolutely loved it! I seriously don’t know what took me so long. He generally loves crunchy vegetables, and enjoys dipping cucumber and raw carrot sticks in Japanese goma dressing or Korean bean paste, arugula in vinegrette and chomping on the cold iceberg lettuce cups in Chinese restaurants that are served with steamed ginger chicken. As any mother would be, I’m thrilled by his enthusiasm about raw cabbage and carrots! But instead of drenching the vegetables in store-bought dressing, I tried my hand at making my own, and am happy to report that the slaw was a roaring success. Continue Reading →

Keeping the kids happy in Margaret River, Western Australia

Once upon a time, my wife S and I visited Margaret River, located three hours (by car) south of Perth, Western Australia, on an almost annual basis. In fact, we had some of our best and most romantic holidays there. We’d almost always rent a house or cottage, spend the day visiting wineries, checking out local food producers and end the day with a homecooked meal, washed down of course with a new and yummy discovery. Continue Reading →

Michelin Starred Dim Sum at Tin Lung Heen, Ritz Carlton Hong Kong

When I go to Hong Kong I cannot get enough of dim sum. With the tradition of dim sum originating in Southern China, there may be no better place in the world than Hong Kong to experience this classic Cantonese weekend “brunch” ritual. And while I do have a few “go to” favourite spots for dim sum, I am always up for trying new places. Having heard about Tin Lung Heen from a great many foodie friends, I was sure this would be on my list for this Hong Kong trip. Continue Reading →