Jetsetting Piggys

Piggys are on summer hiatus!  We have been flying around checking out awesome eats in other cities (and countries!) and we can't wait to report back.

Here is a little piggy souvenir from somewhere I visited recently.

Of course, it was piggy love as first sight.  Recognize this pig?

It resides in Thomas Keller's amazing ad hoc restaurant in Napa, California!


Here is another cool shot from my travels:

Eating oysters while being treated with a reflection of San Francisco's Bay Bridge.


We'll be back soon!

Piggy KL

La Cuisine Paris (Cooking School)

You know what they say - when in Rome.... except in this case, when in PARIS, do as the Parisians do. 

One of my must-do's when I was Paris was to take a cooking class.  There are lots of options to choose from.  A search on the internet will pull up lots of classes run out of people's local apartments, and the Ritz is also well-known for their classes.  Trufflepig help set us up with a great option, La Cuisine Paris, an English-speaking cooking school located minutes away from Notre Dame.  

They offer a variety of classes, from cooking to pastries, but we opted for a French classic (and one I've always been intimidated to attempt at home!) - Soufflés!  We learned how to make both a sweet (chocolate) and savory (cheese) kind which I'm itching to try again now that I'm back home.  They both came out delicious.  

Cheese soufflé and vinaigrette salad

There were about 10 students in my class and I was very glad to hear that the instructor was a real honest to goodness American!  Woohoo, no need for that French-to-English iPhone app.  But not to worry, we weren't taking lessons from a newly transplanted American.  No, that wouldn't do.  Chef Randall moved to France over 20 years ago and has been cooking his way through the country since.  We were in good hands.  

Beaujolais, France - Unique Tour and Fabulous Dinner

Our one full day in the Beaujolais region was spent with Madame Francoise Barbet, coordinated through Jack at Trufflepig.  A lady who emanates boundless knowledge and love for the Beaujolais region, she truly made our day spectacular.  Heck, I think we fell in love with the region just because of Francoise!

Not only did she give us a history lesson of Beaujolais, but we saw with our own eyes how the region is changing, in a sad way.  As Beaujolais wines are becoming less in demand in the market, wine makers are closing shop, and in turn pulling up their vines.  It's a sad thing to see - vacant lots with roots all torn up.  It is a beautiful part of the countryside nonetheless, and we had such a wonderful learning experience getting to taste various types of Beaujolais wines.  It's opened up my eyes to see past the stereotype that Beaujolais wines are 'weaker'.  So. Not. True.  There is a subtle balance to be appreciated, and a blend of delicacy and strength that I imagine must take generations to master.

We had the opportunity to meet one of these families who have been growing grapes and making wine for many generations.  I've learned what a special breed these wine makers are - their profession full of very hard work, and a lot of joy.  On our day with Francoise, she took us to meet the Romy family.  They are such nice people - we met Monsieur and Madame Romy and their son Nicholas.  One of my favorite memories of the trip is tasting their wine with them over an assortment of cheeses. 

Beaujolais, France - Even More Wine and Food

Next up after our journey around Beaune was the Beaujolais region, about a 3 hour drive South.  We stopped along little towns along the way, some of which were really teeny tiny.  Each town has its own distinct character, and I'm pleased to say some of my good memories of the trip were just from wandering around and soaking in the beauty of the region.

Putt, putt, putting along the way in our round European car...

We started our morning off making a detour to the town Chagny, where there was a lovely market in the middle of town.  It was here where we saw rows of chacuterie, fresh bread, flowers, cheeses, and vibrant fresh vegetables and fruits.  Locals were milling around carrying baskets or tote bags full of goods.

Impressive assortment of cured meats

Beaune, France - Endless Food and Wine (Part II)

Bonjour mes amis! Picking up from where we left off on Tuesday, let's get through the rest of the delicious local food I had in Beaune, as well as a fabulous wine tour around the Côte d'Or where some of the most expensive wine-producing grapes are grown.

One of our favorite meals of the trip was had at Le Bistro de L'Hôtel, a restaurant attached to L’Hôtel de Beaune in the center of the village.  The service was warm, friendly and attentive.  Even the kitchen staff were waving hello to us while we were sitting at our table! The quality of the food was evident, and flavors were not too heavy or overdone. 

We started off with an amuse-bouche of tuna rolled in poppy seeds with citrus juice, followed by appetizers: seared tuna with poppy and chives, and a fresh tomato salad.  They were all light yet balanced in flavors.  The tomatoes were surprisingly delicious - they were cooked and served chilled.  Sprinkled with basil and crisps, and with a light coating of olive oil, it was like eating bursts of very fresh tomato sauce.

Amuse-bouche: tuna rolled in poppy seeds with citrus juice

Appetizer: Tuna

Appetizer: Tomato salad, so fresh!

Beaune, France - Endless Food and Wine (Part I)

Us Piggys have sure been busy circling the globe lately.  Piggy KK is in Asia and I recently returned from my trip to France.  I have so much to share with you! I spent some time soaking in the local culture (wine!) in the French countryside region of Burgundy. We visited some local winemakers, drank wine with them in their cold dark cellars over cheese or potato chips, whatever was their fancy. We drove through lovely villages with rolling fields, soft hills and farms. We walked through a weekend market, and oh the arrays of chacuterie and cheese were to die for! I had some delicious traditional French meals, and go figure, fell in love with snails. After four days, we made our way to Paris. The empty roads, silent nights, and random cows were fun, but I was looking forward to getting back to the hustle and bustle of a city.  I'm definitely a city girl at heart! Paris needs no introduction - a truly beautiful city with magnificent food. It'll take me a couple of posts to get through all of this, so let's start at the beginning!

Set on doing France right this time, we enlisted the help of a trip planning service. Their name itself, Trufflepig, sent our imagination fluttering with what kind of experience they could help us arrange, and they totally lived up to everything we hoped for and more! And seriously, all thanks goes to Jack at Trufflepig, who really knows what he's talking about and has an awesome accent to boot.

Street view in Beaune

Mid-Asia Trip Check In!

Hey fellow piggys!  Piggy KK checking in here - miss me yet??  I've been on the go for over two weeks now and am finally on the last leg of my trip!  So far I've noshed my way through Singapore, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and am now indulging my way through Taipei!  Only a few days left until this little (or not so little anymore) piggy is officially on a serious diet, so I better get moving to my next culinary adventure before my time runs out.  For now, I'll leave you with some pics of my most recent eats.  See you all back in NYC soon!

Fresh Taiwanese Breakfast!

Mos Burger midnight snackie

Crispy Tofu and fresh shrimp Wonton Soup

Coffee Roll Cake during afternoon tea

Thanks for reading - Piggy KK

Chili Crab, Beef Noodle Soup, Shaved Ice Galore!

Can't let Piggy KL have all the fun now can we?  Its now my turn for a getaway and I'll be heading to Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia for the next three weeks!

Don't be sad my piggy friends, my belly will be full and I will have much to report when I return!  In the meantime, I've saved some posts to keep you all entertained while I'm away so make sure to keep on stopping by.

And since Asia is 12 or so hours ahead of NYC, I know I'll be battling some crazy jet lag hunger pangs.  This only means that I'll need to pack some snackies to hold me over while I'm adjusting!  Take a look at what's coming with me to keep me running:

My trusty travel snacks!

Okay piggy friends, its time for me to finish packing and get on out of here!  Tata for now! 

Thanks for reading - Piggy KK

While I'm wining away in Burgundy...

Bonjour! I'm currently exploring Burgundy, France, walking around town, soaking up the local sights and drinking some wine.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with these fitting words...

Have a good weekend!

Piggy KL

Osmanthus Candy

I'm so excited to share this amazing find with you!

When I was vacationing in China 5 years ago, I visited a beautiful city called Guilin.  I traveled there along the Li River and it truly was one of the most pristine places I've ever had the honor of seeing.  I even sailed past water buffaloes in the river!

Beautiful scenery along the Li River

Water Buffalo!  I waved hello but they were busy drinking water...

Guilin is known for its gorgeous scenery and its name translates to "forest of sweet osmanthus".  (Osmanthus is a fragrant flowering plant).  One fond memory of my visit to Guilin was having a very delicate candy called Osmanthus cake.  The airport at Guilin was the last place I had found it.  Ever since then, I have perused the candy aisle at Asian grocery stores hoping to find Osmanthus candy again, with no luck. I felt like I won the lottery when I found it at a newly opened grocery store in Chinatown called New York Mart!

Osmanthus Candy

Dinners & Lunches in Taiwan

In my last post I re-lived some of my favorite small eats in Taiwan.  There are endless casual and delicious places to discover! However there are also a ton of sit-down places and finer dining.  The cuisine in Taiwan is very heavily influenced by the Japanese, so it really is a wonderful fusion of Chinese and Japanese. Here's a smattering of a couple of the bigger meals I had in Taipei!

Business Lunch at Sumie

One huge difference between Taiwan and the US is that they actually take lunch hours! While the norm for us (especially in the Financial industry) is that we grab something really quick and work while eating at our desks, the norm in Taiwan is to get away from the office and have an hour+ long meal.  So jealous!  As such 'Business Lunches' are quite popular.  While I was in Taipei I tried the Business Lunch menu at Sumie, in the San Want Hotel.  It cost about $30 to $40 USD per person.  We got a lot of food for the value, check it out:

Prices for the Business Lunch vary depending on the main 'entree' that you choose, but you still get [Before your entree] Sushi, Salad, Appetizer (Eggplant), Mushroom and Turnip Soup, [After your entree] Oden with Miso Soup, Mochi dessert. So much food!

Eggplant appetizer.  Delicious! and Beautiful

Small bites in Taiwan!

I've returned from my trip to Taiwan, and I can confidently say I lived up to my Piggy name!  Taiwan has an abundance of good eats and I was fortunate enough to find amazing hole-in-the-wall places and also experienced some fancier dining as well.  Believe it or not I even found a Beef Noodle Soup Festival.  I've been back for over a week now and am going through withdrawal missing all the yummy Taiwanese treats I had.  In my next few posts I'll share some drool-worthy pics, and if you ever make your way to Taiwan be sure to message me and I'll share some of my favorite spots!

The trip started off great with a surprisingly delicious serving of chicken congee on our flight from JFK to Taipei.  It even came topped with ginger, scallions and mushrooms. Well done Eva Air!

Breakfast

One of the things I love most (and therefore miss most!) about Taiwan is breakfast time.  It's no ordinary danish or toasts there.   We're talking about egg pancakes, radish buns, meat buns, soybean milk, fried crullers, rice 'burritos'... gosh the list goes on, and now I'm totally making myself hungry again even though I just ate dinner :(

There was an awesome family-run Taiwanese breakfast joint right around the corner from my in-law's apartment. Quite literally - a hole in the wall.

Here's the "menu"... I would offer some translation except the only things I can decipher are the numbers!  Don't worry, I took pictures...

Egg pancakes ("dan bing").  Light and fluffy beaten egg is topped with a thin pancake and rolled up.