But what about the food? (part 2)

From Macao and Hong Kong, we went to Thailand -- where a bounty of yummy foods awaited.

Thailand
I think I enjoyed the food in Thailand more this time for a couple of reasons: 1) I finally took a class and understood the ingredients and how they contributed to the overall flavours of popular Thai dishes, and 2) my recent increased tolerance for spicy foods allow me to at least sample many of the spicy flavoured dishes, which I must say, are much better than their de-spiced versions!

Most memorable meal would have to be a tie between lunch at the Blue Elephant (probably because I cooked the whole meal myself), and the traditional Royal Thai meal at the Sala Rim Naam at the Oriental Hotel. I still have dreams about my favourite Thai dessert of all time -- coconut sticky rice with fresh mango. The rice part may sound a little fishy, but all together, it's definitely a winning combo! As always, I'm still a sucker for lemongrass iced tea, which I tried to have almost everyday. :)

In Chiang Mai, I was also impressed by the calibre of non-Thai dishes that were available at the hotel. For example, when we arrived late on the first night, I ended up order pasta from room service (you know, comfort food) -- the squid ink fettuccine was cooked perfectly al dente, and the seafood flavours spot on!

Cambodia
I'll be the first to admit...I had very low expectations for Cambodian food. Not because I didn't think that they had a big food culture (because all Asian cultures have big food cultures!), but I just didn't think that I would like it that much. And in the end, the local food "won out" -- all of the western food that I had was pretty greasy and tasted slightly funny (even the eggs at breakfast), while the Khmer and Asian foods were generally okay. Rice is also a staple in Khmer food, so I always had enough to eat. :)

For my last dinner in Cambodia, I got a free Khmer tasting menu meal at the hotel's restaurant, Meric. I remember a lot of it tasting very similar to Thai food, but the dishes that really caught my attention were the green mango salad with dried snake (yes, SNAKE), and the fried frog on a stick. Well, they had a nicer name for it, but it was literally an entire frog battered and deep-fried and served on a stick. And yes, it did sort of taste like chicken. Let's just say I ate a lot of rice that night.

Vietnam
Oh I do love Vietnamese food. From their super strong coffee to the simplicity of a good bowl of pho, the Vietnamese food in Hanoi was great. I have to admit, I didn't really eat off the street that much -- I really tried, but every stall I stopped at, I managed to see where and how they washed the food and the dishes, and then very quickly lost my appetite. So in the end, I stuck to Vietnamese restaurants, where at least I couldn't SEE the kitchen. Besides the ice cream, the pho and the spring rolls, I have to say that the French food in Hanoi (at least at the Metropole) was pretty spectacular. I had some macarons that would absolutely divine, and a beef tartar (prepared 3 ways) that I had was also quite yummy. My reco's for the city: Fanny's for ice cream, the Sofitel Metropole for French food and pastries, and Pho24 for hygienic but yummy pho. Also, check out Au Lac Cafe for coffee, and Bobby Chinn for a dose of other-worldness in the midst of the chaos of Hanoi.

And as for all the meals in between (as in, in the air)? Let's just say that I'm sad that I didn't fly Singapore or Cathay Pacific this time. Thai was tolerable, but everything else (Vietnam, Bangkok Airways, and United), you're better off starving.