All eyes on Milan

THE eyes of every fashion and style expert on the planet will soon turn to Milan as the city celebrates Fashion Week 2018 (Wednesday 19th to Tuesday 25th September).

As the countdown to this ostentatious annual event continues, the city's most famous pan-Asian restaurant is putting the finishing touches to a new menu. KOWA's new collection of dishes is every bit as stylish as the 1.6 million beautiful people who will soon descend on the city in celebration of fashion and design.

Spanning both Chinese and Japanese cuisines and including sashimi, dim-sum, uramata and robaki, this sleek new set of dishes also includes a greater range of vegetarian choices, in line with requests from diners.

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San Antonio celebrates like no other

WHEN it comes to Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, there's no place in the United States that observes this traditionally Mexican holiday quite like San Antonio. This year, as the city celebrates its Tricentennial anniversary, there will be more than 20 unique events from October 20 through November 3 -- more than any other city in Texas, and likely any other city in the country. 

Mexican roots run deep in San Antonio (which is a previous colonial capital of New Spain and state capital of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas). The city is a three-hour drive from the U.S.-Mexico border, and more than 60 percent of the city's population is of Mexican descent. This cultural heritage is evident through San Antonio'sunwavering celebratory spirit -- the city hosts a seemingly endless roster of festivals and events each year, including the 10-day-long Fiesta San Antonio in April -- and also is distinctly felt when it comes to Día de Los Muertos.

This year's events run the gamut, from small gatherings with traditional altars and face painting to multiple-day festivals featuring live music, stilt walkers, Mexican cuisine and festive parades. In addition to official celebrations, restaurants and cafes across San Antonio will showcase altars, customary décor and fresh-baked pan de muerto, a popular type of sweet bread that is also used as an offering to loved ones who have passed. This collective spirit offers an unforgettable way to experience the city, as well as to gain insight into this unique, historic holiday which views death with lightness and humor rather than fear. Most events are family friendly, allowing children to learn about the rich traditions of the holiday, helping it continue for generations to come.


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Eat more local

DATA gathered by Booking.com from over 50,000 global travelers, reveals six in ten travelers (61%) pick a destination for great food or drink. There's no denying the significance of culinary travel, with more than a third (34%) of travelers, rising to 40% of millennials, planning to take a food trip in 2018.

Almost half (49%) of travelers hope to be more adventurous with the type of cuisine they eat, rising to 60% of millennials. One way to achieve this is to sample local delicacies whilst traveling. Almost two thirds (64%) of travelers will try to eat more local food in 2018.

Top destinations for local food:

Ipoh, Malaysia 

Kaohsiung, Taiwan 

Nagoya, Japan 

Johor Bahru, Malaysia 

João Pessoa, Brazil 

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Colmar, France 

Lima, Peru 

Catania, Italy



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Bangkok has it all

#BANGKOK has been voted as the “Best City Destination in the Asia Pacific” for the third consecutive year by readers of DestinAsian magazine, a leading travel and lifestyle magazine. The cosmopolitan capital of #Thailand was recognised “for its vibrant mixture of historic sites, contemporary style, cuisine and nightlife”.

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Conservation Cuisine

LIONFISH, one of the most destructive invasive fish species ever to reach the #Caribbean, are wreaking irreparable damage on coral reefs by eating practically everything they come across. And they eat a lot: A lionfish's stomach can expand up to 30 times its normal size.

It has become of particular concern to environmentalists who lament the fact that lionfish, with no natural predators in the Caribbean, continue to grow at an alarming rate, with scientists fearing the invasive species may never be entirely eradicated from the region's seas.

But, a high-end resort company in St. Lucia is doing its bit by including the fish as part of its famed cuisine.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, executive director of Jade Mountain and its sister resort Anse Chastanet, together with her culinary team, have launched a "conservation cuisine" initiative preparing the lionfish as a delicacy.

"It is not much of a stretch," declared Troubetzkoy. "Lionfish is a white flaky, but firm, fish with a flavor between grouper and mahi mahi."

To ensure diners get to try as many takes on the fish as possible, Troubetzkoy said, "we are serving a multi-course dégustation menu with paired New World wines, in which we showcase the quality and taste of this very unique fish."

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Picture Credit: A Lionfish meal compliments of the culinary team at Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resorts.

Nordic Cuisine New Culinary Tours in Sweden

WITH Nordic cuisine still trailblazing around the world, now is the time to discover Sweden’s iconic food on home turf. With a whole host of new foodie experiences on offer this summer, from seaweed foraging and open fire cooking through to new culinary cycle tours and quirky bar and restaurant launches, #Sweden has plenty to keep even the most avid food fanatic entertained.

New seaweed foraging and cooking class on the west coast

Catxalot, a seaweed producer from Grebbestad in West Sweden that supplies many of Sweden’s top restaurants, has launched a new seaweed foraging and cooking workshop. Food fans are taken down to the seashore to learn which seaweeds are good to eat, where to find them, why they’re so good for you and how to cook them. After foraging for seaweed, oysters and mussels, the group cooks dinner together from the produce they found. The seven-hour class costs SEK 1,450 (£129) per person. This is one of several classes and events that Catxalot organises throughout the year. www.catxalot.se/en-GB

Get back to nature with a forest yurt stay and open fire cooking
At Nyrups Natur Hotell in Höör in Skåne the focus is on enjoying the peace and beauty of nature – right down to the food. Accommodation is in yurts amongst a beech forest, and everything is cooked outdoors over open fires. The hotel owners provide guests with quality local, seasonal ingredients and easy to follow recipes, enabling them to work with the fire and prepare a delicious meal with flavours of the forest. An overnight stay starts from SEK 495 (£44) per person and ingredients for cooking meals over the fire start from SEK 125 (£11) per person. The hotel is reached via a 35 minute drive from Malmo followed by a one kilometre walk through the forest.

Food and farming at Lindegren’s Nordic Viking pig farm

One farm on the Bjäre Peninsula is offering a hands-on farming and culinary experience, centred around its herd of rare breed Linderöds pigs - an ancient, native breed that has been part of the Skåne way of life since before the Viking era. Over two days, guests will gain an insight into raising the animals, processing the meat and modern Nordic cooking. With the help of some of the region’s best chefs and using herbs and vegetables harvested from the farm as well as the pork, guests will prepare meals in the traditional way over an open fire. Available on 18-19 June, 27-28 August and 13-14 September 2017, the trip costs SEK 6,250 (£554) per person and includes all meals, accommodation, guide and clothes needed for working with the animals. www.lindegrens.se

Become a winemaker for the day

As the southernmost region of Sweden, Skåne is gaining quite a reputation for its wines, with leading experts tipping it as the place to watch. Discover why on a day experiencing the life of a Swedish winemaker at the small-scale vineyard of Frillestad. After an explanation of wine growing and its various practical tasks, visitors are able to put this knowledge in to practice, with tasks such as cleaning grapes, pruning, topping the vines or measuring the sugar content of the grapes. Over a light lunch, would-be-winemakers will enjoy a wine tasting and then visit the winery to discover how the wines are made. Lasting around four hours, this experience costs SEK 600 (£53) per person. www.frillestad.com

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Breakfast like a Queen

LUXURY private hire venue, Borthwick Castle has launched the world’s most expensive porridge exclusively for guests staying in April.

Chef Derek Johnstone has taken the Scottish staple to new levels and given it an extravagant twist to reflect the surroundings and décor of the castle.

The rich porridge is made from organic spelt and king crab, flavoured with Dom Perignon champagne and saffron, then topped with white Alba truffle and sea urchins, Beluga caviar is served on the side, for added luxuriance. Each dish costs £200 per serving with an additional cost of £150 per 25g of caviar.

Johnstone said: ‘The inspiration for this recipe comes from the sumptuous surroundings of Borthwick Castle and in particular The Great Hall, where Mary Queen of Scots was once entertained. As a Scotsman, I wanted to take the most traditional of Scottish delicacies to the next level and create something to wow even our wealthiest guests, using the finest global ingredients.”

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Picture Credit: By Peter van der Wielen - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30225602

Toronto Caribbean Festival turns 50 this year.

THE Toronto Caribbean Carnival is an exciting three-week cultural explosion running from July 11- August 7. 

Caribbean music, cuisine, and revelry as well as visual and performing arts are all on the menu. It has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. 

As the #Carnival is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of #Toronto will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, Steel Pan and Brass Bands. 

torontocaribbeancarnival.com

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Gourmet Ski Safari

THE #Dolomites Gourmet Ski Safari, now on offer from #Ski Solutions combines the opportunity to indulge in world-class high altitude winter sports as well as the refined cuisine and fine wines of Northern #Italy.

Explore 12 different ski areas including the famous Armentarola run, one of the longest and most beautiful slopes in the Dolomites under the expert guidance of a qualified mountain ski guide.

Accommodation on this six-night safari includes a mix of comfortable four-star hotels and authentic Dolomite rifugi, the traditional and charming ‘shelter’ huts tucked away in the mountains. As the safari passes through the Trentino region, guests might sample mouth watering treats such as ravioli alle pere selvatiche (ravioli with wild pears), fagot da mont (tasty tortelli pasta with black mirtillo and braised deer), and la zuppa di porcini e patate (soup with mushrooms and potatoes).

The safari ends with a delicious dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant on the final night.

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Taste of Mexico

MEXICO'S cuisine is far more than tacos and burritos. It's full of flavor from indigenous plants and grains, and regionally distinctive. Tia Stephanie Tours, a premier operator of cultural and culinary tours to #Mexico, has now created three geographically-targeted gastronomic itineraries to Mexico, specifically: Yucatan, Baja California, and Oaxaca.

Culture and Cuisine of Yucatan
Yucatan's geographic location, distant from mainland Mexico and its blend of influences, including: Maya, Spanish, Lebanese, French, has created a singular culinary palate and kaleidoscope of flavors. Here, the cuisine is "Yucatecan" and not "Mexican," with dishes such as: sikil pak, fish tikin-xic, pollo and cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, and papadzules. Beginning at the Mercado Lucas de Galvez, travelers learn about ingredients such as sour orange, native squash, red and black recados (rubs or pastes) that make this region different from the rest of Mexico. A visit to Yucatan would be incomplete without exploring the Classic and Post Classic Maya Era sites, such as Uxmal and Mayapan and swimming in the deep blue, fresh water cenotes (sink holes). The trip begins in Merida, travels to Uxmal and continues to Campeche City in the state of Campeche.

Flavors and Landscapes of Baja California
Like the Mediterranean, Baja California's arid, sunny and seaside climate, is known for its seafood, olive oils, cheeses and is the epicenter of Mexico's wine production. This journey begins in Tijuana, were the urban revival of this border city becomes very evident to travelers. With renowned architecture, cooking schools, museums, restaurants and cutting edge food truck parks and craft beer! Baja's Museum of the Americas showcases the early settlers, missionaries and immigrants, who shaped the region and introduced grape cuttings here.

Beyond Tijuana, this journey takes travelers to Tecate, the northern entry to the Valley of Guadalupe to explore the wine production here, including famed vintner, Hugo d' Acosta's La Escuelita, wine making school, and numerous farm-to-table, al fresco dining options. Moving to the coast, seafood is explored and savored in Ensenada and Rosarito, famed for its fresh fish, seafood tostadas, and lobster. It is the birthplace of the margarita cocktail!

Maize, Mole & Mezcal: Traditions and Flavors of Oaxaca

Beginning with maize, the foundation of Mexico's ancient and present cuisine, moving to Oaxaca's renowned molé sauces, and finishing with the distilled beverage, mezcál, this trip not only introduces travelers to these foods, buts examines them within the historic and cultural context of Mexico.

Learning about ancient corn and its early domestication, which led to the great civilizations in Mexico and understanding how corn is the cornerstone of Mexican communities, including its daily ritual and veneration.

The revered distilled beverage, mezcál, will be explored, from the soil, agavé varieties and to its preservation. Given the recent boom in mezcál around the world, the mezcaleros are struggling with demand. This is creating strains on the ecosystem and the industry.

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Picture Credit: scanudas 44853242@N02/28244468364 Uxmal via photopin,  jypsygen 79538062@N00/3259854964 chicken with mole sauce via photopin, milkmyvolvo 134539284@N08/25687240253 Tijuana via photopin

Berlin tops for Michelin stars in Germany

THE new #Michelin Guide has been introduced and the associated star awards for fine dining restaurants announced. There are now 18 #restaurants boasting 25 stars altogether in #Berlin. 

The restaurant einsunternull in Hannoversche Strasse in Mitte has received its first star. Just around the corner in Chausseestraße is the restaurant that is the second winner of the evening: Rutz, which already had one star and received two this year from the Michelin judges. The team led by chef Marco Müller has already received many awards and the Rutz with its accompanying wine bar is well-known name in the Berlin restaurant scene.

The definitions of the stars have been in place since the 1930s: One star: “A very good restaurant in its category”. Two stars: “Excellent cooking, worth a detour”. Three stars: “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”

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Tickle your taste buds in Italy

#ITALY offers the food and wine enthusiast a great destination to visit in Autumn and Winter. Listed here are some events that might entice you to book a flight and head off for a short break.

EUROCHOCOLATE, Perugia, Umbria - October 14-23
The 23rd edition of Eurochocolate, the annual celebration of all things chocolate.

WHITE TRUFFLE FAIR, Acqualagna, Marche - October 30 to November 13
Acqualagna’s central square, Piazza Mattei, hosts the Fair with over one hundred stands, where you can buy fresh truffles and other local quality products such as cured meats, wine, honey and cheese.

EIN PROSIT, Friuli Venezia Giulia - October 20-23
The 28th food and wine festival with tastings of regional food in the many restaurants, wine tastings, workshops, seminars and other events related to the theme of food and wine.

MERANO WINE FESTIVAL& CULINARIA FOOD FESTIVAL Merano, South Tyrol - November 4-8
At the Kurhaus, the famous Art Nouveau building in the heart of Merano, fine wines and haute gastronomie are brought together with the simple unifying idea of “true excellence”.

FESTA DEL TORRONE, Cremona, Lombardy - November 19-27
Torrone is the sweet nougat typical of Cremona, now famous all over the world. This year 's festival dedicates 9 days to its delicious creation with stalls selling all types of torrone, shows, music and historical re-enactments.

CIOCCO SHOW Bologna - November 16-20
The Ciocco Show in Bologna is as major event dedicated to chocolate which pays homage to the food of the gods: a schedule of tasty treats, fun, culture and shows.

FIERA DEL BUE GRASSO Carrù (Cuneo) - December 8
The “Fat Ox Fair” is an irresistible event- a living mix of local traditions, excellent food, competition, good wine and colourful people from bull breeders to bull buyers. Eat the famous “bollito misto” to complete your day!

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Picture Credit: By Imre Solt 

Scottish Legends in an Aston Martin

BRITISH luxury brand, Aston Martin, and luxury travel company, Elegant Resorts, will be collaborating this autumn on a bespoke collection of exclusive, self-drive tour experiences through the Elegant Journeys series, available in September and October 2016. 

Scottish Legends 25th to 30th October - Majestic Scottish scenery, fairytale castles, warm hospitality, superlative service, fine cuisine and traditional outdoor activities are just a selection of the tempting features available to driving enthusiasts on the Scottish Legends journey. In the refined elegance of an Aston Martin, privileged clients will travel through the beguiling scenery of the Highlands and Isle of Skye on an unforgettably thrilling journey, staying in a handpicked collection of Scotland’s finest luxury accommodation, including centuries-old castles and remote ancestral homes.

All for only £8,950 per person but this does include hire of the car!

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Picture Credit: byb64 50879678@N03/15370497719 Inveraray Castle, (1746-1758), Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, Ecosse, Grande-Bretagne, Royaume-Uni. via photopin.com

Thailand targets women travellers

THAILAND’S tourism authority has launched a campaign to attract women holidaymakers, especially those from India.

Soraya Homchuen, at the authority’s Mumbai office says: ‘Once a negligible proportion of Thailand’s market mix and only visiting on family holidays, today women travellers represent 30% of our arrivals from India. We would like to scale this up to 60-65% by 2022.’

Ms Homchuen cites a study by Thomas Cook earlier this year, which concluded that 70% of women today prefer to travel with friends instead of family members, and many studies have indicated that culture, cuisine, spa, and shopping are the main interests of women travellers.

‘#Thailand emerges as the perfect choice and the best fit for this segment,’ she says, ‘because it meets all these needs effectively. An Amadeus study has indicated that by 2020, the women traveller’s market would have grown by 891%.’

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Picture Credit: Copyright David Kernek

Festive Algarve

#PORTUGAL’S Algarve region has more to offer holidaymakers than golden sand beaches and sunshine.

As a region renowned for its exquisite #cuisine and fresh produce, the #Algarve is great for food lovers. Throughout the year, towns and villages celebrate many of the region’s traditional dishes and the history behind them. During the Caldeirada festival in June, restaurants showcase their interpretations of the classic Algarvian seafood dish. Olhão’s seafood festival and Portimão’s sardines fest – both in August – are some of the events that food lovers shouldn’t miss.

July’s Art Doce festival in Lagos runs over three days and celebrates the region’s marzipan and other artisan desserts.

In August, the annual medieval festival in Silves attracts large crowds. Over four days, there are battle re-enactments, street theatres, jousting tournaments, banquets, and medieval music.

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Picture Credit: Vila Real de Sto. Antonio (Portugal) via photopin.com

Restaurants in worldwide celebration of French gastronomy

Twenty-five UK restaurants will be taking part in the second global Goût de France/Good France event on March 21.

#GoûtdeFrance/Good France is a global initiative supported by the French Foreign Ministry. Taking place in restaurants and French embassies around the world, the event will showcase the ‘vibrancy, creativity, and innovation’ of French cuisine.

Restaurants from local bistros to fine dining establishments are taking part, and the menus are priced at the discretion of the restaurant. Menus will be based on fresh, seasonal and local produce with reduced levels of fat, sugar, salt, and protein.

The participating UK restaurants are:

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester (Mayfair, London)
Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons (Great Milton, Oxfordshire)
Boundary Restaurant (Shoreditch, London)
Brasserie Joel (Westminster, London)
Escoffier (Westminster, London)
Fleur De Sel (Edinburgh, Scotland)
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Covent Garden, London)
L'Escargot (Soho, London)
L'Etranger (South Kensington, London)
La Garrigue (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Lazenby's on York Place (Scarborough, North Yorkshire)
Le Garrick (Covent Garden, London)
Le Petit Nantais (East Molesey, Surrey)
Le Pont de la Tour (Tower Bridge, London)
Les Deux Salons Restaurant (Trafalgar Square, London)
Maison Bleue (Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk)
Marianne (Notting Hill, London)
Mon Plaisir Restaurant (Covent Garden, London)
Mosimann's (Belgravia, London)
Pillars University of West London (Ealing, London)
Rivea London (Knightsbridge, London)
Taste (Cumbernauld, Scotland)
The Clarendon Hotel (Hebden, North Yorkshire)
The French Table (Surbiton, London)
The Grill at the Dorchester (Mayfair, London)

The participating restaurants' menus can be seen on the Good France website: www.goodfrance.com. Table bookings should be made directly with restaurants.


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