restaurant review: je-ngor kitchen in lat krabang

Seafood Spring Roll.

Staying near Bangkok International Airport (BKK) does not have to be a drag. It may not be near the fun Bangkok night markets and restaurants and streets, but this area, called Lat Krabang, can still be proud of its seafood offering, thanks to Je-Ngor Kitchen.

travel zen on friday: spotting geisha in kyoto

In Gion, we were fortunate enough to see some geisha (or maiko - geishas in training) 

walking around in the early evening.  Gion is a lovely place to visit - lots of tasty restaurants, bars, and dessert and souvenir shops.

restaurant review: 511 kobe beef kaiseki

(Tokyo, Japan).  I've had Kobe Beef in Japan and then in the U.S. several times, and there is no comparison.  The Kobe Beef in Japan is divine - literally melt in your mouth goodness that is packed with gorgeous, meaty flavor.  What you get in the U.S. is a pale comparison - not necessarily bad - but not the real thing.  I'm not sure why that is the case, but after being disappointed in both Los Angeles and New York multiple times, I just don't bother anymore.

The restaurant is down these little steps.

On this trip to Tokyo, I wanted to introduce my husband to the awesomeness of true Kobe Beef in Japan and after some research, I decided to go to 511 Kobe Beef Kaiseki for a "special" romantic dinner.  For first timers, it is a nice introduction to Kobe Beef set in a fine dining establishment.  I would probably say it's more French in decor and service, and rather formal.  (Note - If this isn't your style there are teppanyaki restaurants that serve Kobe Beef that are much more casual.)

One of the prix fixe menus.

restaurant review: tong tem toh in lat krabang

The Food.

If you ever find yourself staying near Bangkok International Airport (BKK) - perhaps due to an early or late flight - and night market food has lost its luster, I recommend a visit to the Paseo Mall in Lat Krabang, which is the neighborhood where BKK is located.

Yes, it's a mall, but the food there is not your typical American food court selection. Sure, there is a McDonald's and a Starbucks that cater to the expat community, but there are also other local restaurants that provide tasty, non-Western fare.

Tong Tem Toh is one of those local restaurants in the Paseo Mall.

travel zen on friday: bangkok at night

A breathtaking view from the Lebua Sky Bar in Bangkok.

View from the Lebua Bar.

my beauty must-buys when i'm in japan

On my last trip to Japan, I did A LOT of research on what to buy in the beauty and skincare department and returned with quite a haul from both high-end (e.g., Isetan and Takayashima Department Stores) and drugstore (e.g., Don Quijote, Bicqlo, etc.).  After a few months of trying a lot of the products, I have already discovered firm favorites that I know I will repurchase next time I go to Japan.  (And yes, I plan to return!)

They include in no particular order:

restaurant review: kao tom pui in trang, thailand

Food at Kao Tom Pui.

"Trang is Thailand's new food haven," was what we were told while planning our trip to Thailand. Mr. Sazy Rock has previously been to the country but not to Trang so he was very enthusiastic about checking it out.

Kao Tom Pui.

True, there were night markets, Malay inspired dishes (due to its proximity to Malaysia), Thai-style dim sum for breakfast and such. But, it's still a very sleepy, small town (about an hour away from the coast that provided the gateway to the glorious Andaman sea islands) and spending four week nights there (I heard weekends are better) was a bit of an overkill.

Although we indulged in street food and night market action, we did find some decent sit-down places to eat. One of those was at Kao Tom Pui, located on the Main Street leading to the train station, and where we dined two nights in a row.

travel zen on friday: omotesando in tokyo

Looking over Omotesando bathed in sunset colors.  I love this shopping area - loads of highend shops on the main stretch but surrounded by amazing vintage stores, restaurants and coffee/tea shops.  I could spend all day here if my husband would let me...

day 7 in tokyo: tsukiji fish market, tonkatsu at butagami, whiskey at shot bar zoetrope and 7-eleven dinner

The goal for the morning was to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market - the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world.  Most tourists who go want to see the live tuna auction and/or want to eat at Sushi Dai.  Both options require you to wake up super early and wait in line - like 3 or 4 am early.    If you really want to do this, do your research - make sure you are going on a day when the market is open, etc.  Also, consider going on the earlier side of your trip since you will likely be jetlagged so waking up that early may not be an issue if you can't sleep anyways.

I had been to the market years ago and I seriously deliberated whether I wanted to see the tuna auction on this trip ... but I had seen enough videos of the event and I really didn't want to wake up at 3am to get in line to witness the auction.  (I think they have a set number of spots for visitors, so you get in line and if you are lucky enough to get a spot, you are given a vest where they will take you to a designated area to view the auction.  Sazyrock went and it seemed cool, but I prefer sleeping...)

restaurant review: jaekoy in bangkok

In my last post, I introduced you to my friend, Lex. Mr. Sazy Rock met her during his travels and I've since met her during ours. She's been living in Bangkok and was happy to show us her eating haunts. 

For our next outing, Lex has introduced us to her friend, Han, who was originally from Isaan, in the northeast region of Thailand. Although Han now happily lives in Bangkok, he still wanted to eat some of his hometown's cuisine every so often. 

On this outing, Lex and Han introduced us to their favorite Isaan restaurant in town. Isaan cuisine is known to be spicy, which I love, and pungent, which I also love. So, we were very excited to check it out. We went to Jaekoy, located off the Ratchathewi BTS stop.

The Jaekoy Feast.

travel zen on friday: petra through the siq

Petra is an amazing sight to behold. Aside from all the Nabatean history and the splendid architecture, visiting this UNESCO Heritage sight gives you that satisfying feeling of reaching the temple that housed the Holy Grail (that's for the Indiana Jones fans out there). 

Below is a picture of the Treasury from the Siq, a long narrow canyon.

Petra.

shopping at don quixote - a must stop in japan for quirky souvenirs, tasty snacks and drugstore beauty!

Don Quijote (or "Donki") is a discount chain store with over a hundred locations throughout Japan.  It's like Target on steroids!  They sell almost everything - including, drugstore beauty goods, pharmaceuticals, food items, liquor, souvenirs, cosplay costumes, electronics, household items, etc. etc.  It is a must stop even if you aren't interested in shopping because the offerings are just so vast and weird that you can happily spend a few hours in exploration and amazement.

 

Floor upon floor of goods!

I think most tourists go to the Akihabara ("Electric Town") location which is massive (about 7 stories high with a popular maid cafe and a claw machine arcade on the top floors).  (In case you don't know what a maid cafe is, it's basically an overpriced cafe serving very cute food - imagine chicken curry and other entrees, ice cream sundaes, and beverages in the shape of teddy bears and bunnies - all served by young Japanese ladies in french maid costumes... a bit odd, but apparently it's a thing in Japan.  I think you are required to buy a certain amount of food and drinks to be in the cafe - similar to a 2 drink minimum in comedy shows - but you are paying a premium.)   But I actually preferred the one in Roppongi - less crowds and I think the luxury section had better options for Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags.

restaurant review: soul food in bangkok

Soul Food.

Eating while traveling is an amazing thing. But, it's even more special when one meets new friends.

Through our travels, Mr. Sazy Rock and I have met so many people that we've kept in touch with through the years. One of those friends is Lex, who the hubs met on his own travels around the world but I've since met in our travels. Lex is a lovely young lady from Malaysia who has recently moved to Thailand. She's also really into food. I've met her twice before in other places she's lived in - Kuala Lumpur and London - and each meeting involved a lot of eating. I actually really love that about her because she's introduced me to many tasty and memorable haunts.

When I told her that Mr. SR - who she lovingly refers to as "Uncle" - and I were visiting Bangkok, she made sure that we had to visit her favorite restaurant called, Soul Food, in Thong Lo in the Sukumvit area of Bangkok. I was more than happy to be led around.