A few of the Authentic Italian Cuisine in Koh Samui, at the La Taverna

Attila has been making noise about having an authentic Italian Pizza in Koh Samui. I've checked randomly through the tripadvisor and I've recommended the la taverna il ristorante italiano. I'm truly attracted by the post that has rated la taverna as one of the few classic Italian Restaurant that is still available on the island.

A very friendly service from the restaurant owner to arrange a table for 7 of us that we can sit comfortably, despite we're at the peak dinner hour and we've not booked in advanced. A nice starter of bread and Grissini or bread sticks that are served with Tomato Salsa and mixture of olive oil with vinegar as dipping.

Attila is so eager to try out the Pizze Salame E Gorgonzola that consists of tomato, pork salami, Mozzarella and Gorgonzola Cheese. I like the strong taste of the Gorgonzola that goes well with the saltiness of the salami. The dough is slight crispy at the outer layer yet it's still soft, this is a delicious Pizza! I've chosen the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara that is one of the basic pasta that is cooked with pork bacon and creamy egg sauce. The sauce is very tasty and I've definitely enjoyed the bacon that has been sauteed to a slight crispiness. Well, maybe a small preference from my side... if the onion is chopped into smaller pieces?

Lovingly to try out a sweet dessert, I've decided for the Profiteroles. It looks and also tastes alike cream puff except these puffy balls are topped additionally with chocolate sauce. Delicious but can I have more chocolate sauce, pleasssss... 

I'm happy to see Attila's smile on his face. He has been so satisfied with this restaurant.

Address:

168/18 Moo 2, Chaweng Beach,

Tambon Bophut, Koh Samui,

Suratthani 84320, Thailand.

Ladurée, They Make Macaron

I like Macaron but I don't simply buy or try out this pastry anywhere. It's more towards the mood and also the trust towards the brand of the Macaron. Being advised by Su that I can checkout the Macaron at Ladurée in London and the easiest spot is at the Harrods Shopping Mall.

I'm impressed by the Ladurée Tea Room that has been setup inside the Harrods, it's elegant! As I'm in a hurry, I've decided to take-away a box of 8 Macarons that cost £1.85 each. Randomly choosing over the varieties that are served here, I've decided for the Chocolat pure origine Ghana, Pistache, Pétale de rose, Caramel a la fleur de sel, Fleur d'Oranger, Ananas, Marrons and I think the Praliné. They're basically ranging from the flavours of pure chocolate from Columbia, pistachio nuts, rose petals, caramel with salted butter, orange blossom, pineapple, chestnuts to the pralines. The pastry cookies are crunchy while the filling is not over-sweetened and these combinations are definitely making up to a delicious Macaron. Anyway, my favourite still goes to the Macaron in Korea - by Ruben Jan Adriaan.

I've shown the Macarons to Attila's family and they love it completely! I've at least completed a main item in my checklist to London - Ladurée!

Official Homepage

Chino Latino, the Award Winning Pan-Asian in London

It's my 1st trip and it's a short trip for myself to London. I've decided for a night at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel that is located at the Albert Embankment. It's nearby the Vauxhall Underground Station, that has made my move-around such an easy task. The greatest fact for myself is the London Eye that is located within the walking distance. This is the main and this is one of the reason that I've wanted to visit London, other than the Tower Bridge.

I've decided to try out the Chino Latino Restaurant that is located at the ground floor of the Riverbank Hotel because it has won the award for the Best Pan-Asian. I've missed out the lunch hour that I've to stay at the Bar & Lounge area but luckily that the food is also served by the same restaurant. I've chosen the Crispy Duck that comes with sliced cucumber, chili, spring onion and being served together with the Hoisin Sauce. There's a few steps to enjoy this Oriental Dish. Firstly, the waiter will help by shredding the duck drumstick into tiny pieces. Then, the duck meat is to be wrapped together with the various vegetable in the steamed dumpling skin. Lastly, the sauce is garnished on top of the ingredients. The whole wrap is to be eaten as one dumpling! The duck meat is very tender and the dish is indeed very delicious. Yet, this is not the most delicious or unique duck dumpling that I've ever eaten because the sauce is not as tasty as the one that I've tasted at Chin's Restaurant in Penang. My personal opinion, the sauce is thicker and heavier at Chin's that it gives an extra "kick" to the duck meat. Besides, the vegetable is cut into thinner slices that are more even in term of thickness and shape.

Chino Latino is no doubt a good restaurant that should be considered for a delicious Oriental Dish in London. At the same time, I'm truly grateful that I can try out the same dish yet in a more delicious taste, back in my own home country. 

What Can You Do during the Winter of Christmas?

I've never celebrated Christmas in the cold Winter, under the ambient with the temperature that is lower than 5°C. Merry Christmas or "Frohe Weichnachsten" and we've decided to visit Germany in December 2014. It's not common to see white snow during the Christmas in Regensburg yet the low temperature is sufficient for me to enjoy some activities at the Christkindlmarkt.

Christkindlmarkt is a special scene that is available only before Christmas time in Europe. There's plenty of huts whereby people are selling the hot drinks, the sausages and also some decorations here. My favourite things to do are to drink a mug of hot wine or the Glühwein and also to eat a bread with sausage or the Wurst Semmel. Glühwein is the wine that is cooked with cloves, cinnamon and tea whereby it's meant to be served warm during the cold weather. You can try out the red that is made of grape or the white that is made of apple. The Glühwein is slightly harsh in the taste due to its alcoholic content that you can opt for the Kinderpunsch if you prefer the sweeter taste and it's without alcohol. I'm very happy as I've tried out the 1/2 metre Putenwurst Semmel or the Turkey Sausage. It's very juicy and tender whereby the saltiness goes well with the mixture of sweet and spicy senf.

Besides that, it's a must to try out the Christmas Stollen. It's a tradition for Christmas in Europe whereby it's actually alike the bread that is filled with raisins and dried fruit. Attila's favourite is the Edelmarzipan for its sweetness. I've tried it for the 1st time and I'm crazing about it completely. It's such a delicious dessert and not to forget the various Christmas Cookies as well.

Christmas is a reunion time for the family. Everyone gathers for a dinner together while the presents are placed under the Christmas Tree, to be unwrapped only after the meal. In the tradition of Molnar's family, we're eating Sauerkrautwickel or the cabbage roll that contains minced meat and being boiled together with the Sauertkraut or the sour white cabbage. My favourite dish by the Mom and I love it!

On the 26-Dec-14, the snow has finally landed at where we're staying... It's a beautiful scenery, isn't it?

Nanyang & Thai at the Eastern Wishes

The Eastern Wishes is a Nanyang & Thai Restaurant南洋泰餐小厨 that is located at i-avenue. It's getting popular among the Penangites that it's frequently visited by the workers from the nearby industrial areas especially during the lunch hour. One of their regular customer is my dear boyfriend, Attila.

We've visited the restaurant on my request as I'm really eager to try the specialties here. I've taken the Seafood Tomyam Soup Bihun东炎海鲜米粉 while Attila has taken his regular meal of Pineapple Fried Rice黄梨炒饭. The Tomyam soup is actually too salty that it makes me feeling very thirsty after meal. The rice vermicelli is served together with the prawn, squid and fried fish meat. The prawn is very soggy but luckily that I can enjoy the succulent squid and the smooth fish meat. The Thai curry powder is indeed making the fried rice to taste very appetizing. I don't really like the canned pineapple and the raisins but both of the ingredients go well with the slight spiciness of the fried rice.

Besides, we've ordered the Golden Sandy Mantis Prawn金沙虾蛄肉 and the Sambal Kangkong马来风光. The mantis prawn is coated with the salted egg yolk, it's very delicious and this is definitely my favourite dish here. The Sambal is quite salty that it's better to go with rice.

I've enjoyed some of the dishes at the Eastern Wishes. This is indeed a nice restaurant that is suitable for gathering with the families and friends, to go for food sharing.