Flemish Art, Food, Etc.

Two museums in Bruges that house some of the world’s finest collection of Medieval and Flemish art are the Groeningemuseum and the Sint-Janshospital. Both museums contain an impressive collection of Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck. For food lovers, there are quite a number of excellent restaurants in Bruges. Many serving Flemish cuisine. There are also tea rooms that dot the city, serving tea, coffee, pastries, and of course, Belgian waffles. I stayed at the Grand Hotel Casselberg Brugge, consisting of a 19th century building and a new wing, with rooms that face the canal. The hotel…

Food and Rest at the Cape

October 18, 2015 Categories: Accommodations · Cape Town · Food · South Africa · TravelTags: Aubergine · Cape Cadogan · Cape Town · La Petite Ferme · South Africa · Test Kitchen

Cape Town has established itself for its world-class fare, combined with great views and historical venues. It is quite unfortunate that I only had three full days in this city to try out its food. Three restaurants that I had my agent book a month and a half prior to my arrival are Test Kitchen, Aubergine and La Petite Ferme. Opened in November 2010, Test Kitchen is the 30-seater restaurant of celebrated chef Luke Dale-Roberts. British-born, Luke trained in Switzerland and England before heading to Asia for a five year stint, launching restaurants in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines. Today, Test…

Sayari Camp

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 Categories: Accommodations · Serengeti · Tanzania · TravelTags: Asilia · Safari · Sayari Camp · Serengeti · Tanzania

The camp I stayed at for four nights in Northern Serengeti is the Sayari Camp, part of the Asilia group of camps and lodges. Lying across the border of Kenya by the famed Mara River, this is where the migratory herds of wildebeest brave the crocodile-infested waters of Mara River to reach the grasslands of the south this time of the year. Sayari Camp is comprised of 15 tents spaced 20 to 25 meters from one another. There is a main camp with a lounge and dining room where it opens up to a pool overlooking the game-rich plains. The game…

Tanzania

October 3, 2015 Categories: Accommodations · Arusha · Tanzania · TravelTags: Arusha · Arusha Coffee Lodge · Tanzania · Travel2 Comments

Jambo (hello)! After a 10-hour flight from Toronto and an 8 hour stopover in Istanbul, I board another flight — this time for another 6.5 hours to bring me to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. And no, I am not here to hike the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro. Arriving at 1:20 am local time, I am driven for an hour to the city of Arusha for a short shut eye before I catch a bush flight to my final destination in Tanzania. Arusha is a cool, lush and green town near the foot of Mount Meru and fringed by coffee, wheat and maize estates. So it is no wonder that…

Dublin Eats (& Sleep)

July 10, 2015July 11, 2015 Categories: Accommodations · Architecture · Dublin · Europe · Food · Ireland · TravelTags: cafes · Dublin · Food · Ireland · Restaurants · The Westbury · Travel

Dublin is one serious food lover’s destination. Chalk it up to pure ignorance, but I was delightfully surprised at the number of excellent restaurants and eateries in town. My very first stop after I landed and checked into my hotel was to have the hotel concierge book me a late lunch at The Greenhouse located off St. Stephens Green. Chef Mickael Viljanen, who was crowned the Best Chef in Ireland 2015, prepares innovative Irish cuisine that is both sublime and “art” in itself. Etto on Merrion Row was added to the Michelin Bib Gourmand list that recognize restaurants that offer…

New York Minute

May 12, 2015May 15, 2015 Categories: Accommodations · Architecture · New York · Travel · USATags: architecture · Art · New York · Travel

Well, it was more than a minute – closer to 5,700 minutes or an extended long weekend – of food debauchery in the gastronomic capital of New York City. What brought me here this time (not that one needs an excuse to be in this city) was primarily a reunion with dear friends from the old University days. Stories were told, bottles of wine were consumed and laughter all around while we reminisce and remember how we have always enjoyed each other’s company. [The food debauchery will be detailed in the next post.] I tried out a different hotel for this trip,…

Mangiare e Dormire

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 Categories: Accommodations · Europe · Florence · Food · Italy · RomeTags: Cibreo · Eataly Roma · Florence · Food · Gelato · Hotel · Italy · Restaurants · Rome

“Eat and Sleep” Good food and good wine are plentiful in Italy. Even a simple pasta dish with just olive oil tastes extraordinary. Here are a few restaurants I tried — mostly recommended by friends and locals. Osteria Del Cinghiale Bianco (the White Boar) in Florence serves good reliable typical Tuscan cuisine. Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina is a quaint wine bar located across Palazzo Pitti that also serves traditional and modern Italian cuisine. They specialize in small production, high end wines. I was at Cibreo Trattoria when I last visited Florence 13 years ago and the experience was…

Another Gotham Weekend

October 12, 2014October 13, 2014 Categories: Accommodations · Architecture · Food · New York · Travel · USATags: Blue Bottle Coffee · Bryant Park Hotel · El Colmado · Gotham West Market · Ivan Ramen · New York · Pearl and Ash · The Spotted Pig · Van Leeuwen

Another weekend of what felt like an unending gorging in New York! My first stop was the Gotham West Market. A retail and food destination that opened late last year in New York‘s Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood and features eight food purveyors. It was a paella lunch at El Colmado – Seamus Mullen’s classic Spanish tapas bar. And an after-lunch cup of mocha at Blue Bottle Coffee. Located in East Village is Van Leeuwen artisanal ice cream store. Again, I just came across this place while wandering around. Van Leeuwen started out with two ice cream trucks in 2008 and has…

New York

July 11, 2014 Categories: Accommodations · New York · Travel · USATags: Hyatt 48 Lex · New York · Travel2 Comments

I’m in New York for three days. For this trip, I stayed at Hyatt 48 Lex and was pleasantly surprised. This 3-year old hotel is not like the other standard flagged hotels. It is more of a boutique-hotel set up with only six rooms per floor and several original artwork throughout. There is a compact lobby on the ground level and a more comfortable lounge on the second floor. One cannot complain much for a decently-priced hotel room located in midtown Manhattan.

Shukran

June 21, 2014June 16, 2014 Categories: Accommodations · Marrakech · Morocco · TravelTags: Four Seasons Hotel · Jemaa el Fna · La Mamounia · Marrakech · Morocco · Musee de Marrakech · Souks · Travel

To this day, I still say “Shukran” or Thank you to Morocco for an unforgettable experience three years ago. I hold fond memories of my journey through Marrakech and Central Morocco and here are some of the other sights to take in. For centuries, the unique and extraordinary square of Jemaa el Fna has been the centre of Marrakech. Meaning “Assembly of the Dead“, the name refers to when the square was a place of execution until the 19th century and severed heads were placed on display. Today, the open square is the heart of Marrakech. Every night, it fills with musicians, dancers, storytellers,…

where's gary

Category: Accommodations