Posts tagged with ‘Food’
Villas in Sri Lanka
Saturday, November 28th, 2009, by Sam ClarkThe villa concept in Sri Lanka is much misunderstood and so it’s a theme I come back to - in the (probably) vain hope that someone might read this blog and help get the following messages out.
1: Villas are a wonderful option for staying in Sri Lanka, both for couples looking for luxury and privacy at a reasonable cost and for families looking for comfort and value.
2: Villas in Sri Lanka are generally not cheap and they are not basic self catering units as you get in the west.
3: Villas in Sri Lanka are great value.
I’ll deal with point 2 first. We at Experience Sri Lanka spend much of our time explaining that villas in Sri Lanka are not like cheap European/Australian/US villas/self catering units, that you cannot get them without staff and that you will pay a fairly decent rate, even for the most basic.
There are several reasons why the villas are not cheap:
Best restaurants in asia
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009, by Sam ClarkWe constantly get asked to reccommend our favourite restaurants to clients and this worries us as it seems to change so quickly. What suits Peter, seems to annoy Paul, in much more pronounced a way than hotels or more general hotel experiences. I am often tempted to let people chose for themselves by reading the numerous blogs and reviews out there. However, we can always make the table booking for you too…. As usual speak to us directly here.
For Vietnam in particular there are some brilliant blogs on the subject - the writer of Noodlepie has long since left but the info is still there and it is fantastic. I really like a Girl In Asia too. There are many more.
For us here is a quick list to get you started of places we have experienced… This is by no means definitive though - there are simply thousands of incredible options, from street food to high end dining… These are just places we like - I wouldn’t even remotely claim to be expert enough to pronounce on what is best…
Hanoi - Quan An Ngon. Great idea - brought some of the best street chef’s together under one roof - paid them a regualr wage, added a decent markup and made this a brilliant introduction and must visit if time is short.
Hoi An - The Cargo Club is great for Vietnamese food and a relaxed and stylish introduction to the country….
Siagon - personally i’m huge Pho fan… but for high end eating Nam Kha is fun.
Bangkok - where to start - it’s ridiculous and I usually end up with street food but Suan Kularb - has a great variety of Thai and Chinese dishes as well as Dim Sum to die for at lunchtime and the best steamed fish around in the evening.
Cambodia - anywhere on the south coast where delectable fresh seafood, Cambodian spice pastes, French cunning and Kampot pepper collide to extraordinary affec but the fish amok at The Jasmine in Kampot is particularly blinding….
Suggestions from the floor?
Vegetarian Thai delights at Ariyasom Villa, Bangkok
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009, by Tom ArmstrongAriyasom Villa is one of our favourite hotels in Bangkok and is one of the city’s more unusual and unique places to stay. Beyond the superb location, luxururious rooms and sense of old Bangkok history that runs through the original 1940 building, the hotel has a very special food angle in its restaurant. Owner David Lees has been a devout vegetarian for many years and the ‘Na Aroon’ fine dining restaurant at Ariyasom serves no meat at all (fish dishes are served though).
But this is only the beginning. The team of cooks and David himself are incessantly creative and experimental in the kitchen, serving a huge range of classic Thai cuisine suitable for vegetarians. On top of the Thai side of the menu are a rotating selection of fusion dishes, European influenced dishes and seasonal favourites. (more…)
Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey - a review:
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009, by Sam ClarkRick Stein did us a massive favour by doing a programme that focused, almost exclusively, on the area that we specialise in. Apart from Laos, all our bases were covered – Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia and of course, Thailand. A big ‘thank you’ to Rick then, as we saw a definite increase in inquiries from the sort of people keen to do something a little different and sample the true flavours of the region – something which we can deliver!
I also think we are well placed to review the show and watched it with great interest. Not only do we know the countries very well, but we are all fairly greedy and get thoroughly over-excited by the thought of South East Asian food. We also know a few of the characters featured in the programme and all of the hotels featured.
Asia Wishlist - No. 1 Knai Bang Chatt
Monday, August 17th, 2009, by Sam ClarkStuck in my office in Wandsworth putting together tours for people in Vietnam is a decent way to make a living. My thoughts do wander sometimes though, to the places I am working on, and where i would like to go next.
With 2 small children, much of this is purely a pipedream, but number 1 on the list has to be Kep in Cambodia and Knai Bang Chatt in particular.
My colleague, who visited recently, came back raving about the laid back charms of Kep, the delicious buckets of Kampot Pepper Crab available in the markets at a dollar a throw, the hike up Bokor mountain to see the ethereal abandoned hilltop colonial resort up there and dreamy boat trips out to empty paradise islands. Having loved the rest of Cambodia, but missed Kep on previous visits, I am most keen to get back.
He also said that Knai Bang Chatt was the best hotel he had ever stayed in. That would all depend on what you’re looking for, but personally, the converted villas sound fantastic, and the thought of the food - a cunning French and Khmer fusion, too good to be true. (more…)
The 5 Best Eco Lodge’s in Asia
Friday, July 31st, 2009, by Sam ClarkThe last two posts about new eco lodges in Sri Lanka has got me thinking about the abundance of this sort of place in Asia now, coming under the somewhat subjective heading of an ‘Eco Lodge’.
The Mudhouse at night!
Kep and Kampot
Thursday, June 25th, 2009, by Harriet ClarkHidden away in the south eastern corner of Cambodia are these two coastal getaways. Unique and definitely a little rough around the edges - though it is in this that lies their charm. (more…)
What to eat in Singapore in 24 hours?
Thursday, June 18th, 2009, by Sam ClarkIn my opinion Singapore is one of the finest place to eat in the world - in terms of good food per square footage I would say it is totally unbeatable.
Singapore food
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Saigon and the Mekong Delta
Thursday, June 18th, 2009, by Harriet ClarkAs we walked through Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), or Saigon as the locals still determinately call it, we realised that it is a very different city to Hanoi. While the traffic remains as insane the feel of the city and the set up for tourists is very different.
Selling Pineapples on the Mekong Delta
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Nha Trang
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009, by Harriet Clark
Arriving in Nha Trang was quite a strange experience as it is so different from all the places we have visited so far in Vietnam. It is a real ‘holiday’ destination (for Vietnamese as well as westerners) and has a Vietnamese feeling of a spanish holiday resort! If you want peace and quiet then this is not the place for you, but we had a lot of fun there nonetheless.