{Luang Prabang Eats} Tamarind

Favourite meal in Luang Prabang? By a landslide, a Lao lunch at Tamarind - an unassuming looking restaurant, cooking school and purveyor of Lao ingredients run by an Australian/Lao couple. The emphasis here is on authentic Lao food prepared with the freshest local produce, minus the more Thai-centric coconut and curry dishes that are sometimes mistaken for being Lao (read more on Lao cuisine here).

We tried:

- The Lao dipping platter with khai pene in lieu of bread or chips - the dips provided a kaleidoscope of colour and Lao flavour, and included smoky eggplant, a hot chilli paste mixed with buffalo skin, a fresh tomato salsa and a coriander/garlic blend

- Stuffed lemongrass (oua si khai) - lemongrass stalks slitted and stuffed with a mixture of chicken, kaffir lime and coriander, then roasted, served with obligatory sticky rice

- Bamboo shoot soup (gaeng nor mai) - young bamboo shoots and a mountain of local vegetables in a rich, hearty, earthy, green soup (vitamin overload!)

- A namesake tamarind juice and a ginger/lemongrass juice - perfect antidotes to the heat and some of my all time favourite flavours

Every sip, bite and taste was amazing, with the fragrant chicken in lemongrass the overall winner. Am already regretting there wasn't enough time to sample more of the menu or take a cooking class. Note to the travel gods: there'd better be a next time!

P.S. Total bill - in case you're wondering - 109,000 Lao kip, just over US$13!

Tamarind, opp. Wat Nong, Luang Prabang, Laos

{Shoptalk} Luang Prabang finds

What: Embroidered cooking apron
Where: Textile market, Sisavangvong Rd
Price: 25,000 kip/US$3

What: Lao Mountain Coffee (organic - grown in Laos' Bolavan Plateau region) and Lao honey
Where: Kopnoi, Ban Aphay, nr. L'Etranger Books and Tea
Price: Coffee - 70,000 kip/US$8.75; Honey - 30,000 kip/US$3.75

What: Black and brown scarf, handwoven by Phuthai people using naturally dyed organic cotton
Where: Laha, 165 Pakharm Village, Sisavangvong Rd
Price: US$15

What: Blue and white cotton scarf, handwoven
Where: Ock Pop Tok (Lao for East meets West), Sakkarine Rd
Price: US$10

And some things for our daughter and baby on the way...

What: Embroidered reversible hat (above) and red bonnet (below) for impending new arrival, both made by Akha people
Where: Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre, base of Mt Phousi, behind Dara Market
Price: White hat - 60,000 kip/US$7.50; Red bonnet - 40,000 kip/US$5

What: Cotton/batik wraparound top

Where: Night market, Sisavangvong Rd

Price: 20,000 kip/US$2.50

What: Akha hilltribe doll

Where: Kopnoi (see details above)

Price: 80,000 kip/US$10

(NB: All US prices approximate)

Tripbase charity project - free travel ebooks

The travel secrets I contributed to Tripbase's ebook project are now online! The travel company has just launched their free ebook series, consisting of 7 different downloadable books featuring tips and tidbits from a whole bunch of travel bloggers from around the world.

My Cambodia tip on handmade, homemade shopping can be found in the Worldwide book, and my tips on Kampot pepper and alcohol shopping are in the Food themed book. The best part of all - Tripbase has promised to donate $1 to charity:water for every person that downloads an ebook (see my blog's sidebar for a little tally of how much my readers have helped donate). Fun project, Tripbase!

{Cafe Crush} Le Banneton, Luang Prabang

When you go back to one cafe five times during a three day stay, you know it must be doing something right! In Le Banneton's case, it's a combination of their fresh, flaky French pastries and a calm setting facing a large standing gold Buddha statue in leafy temple grounds. The cafe can be found down the chic, boutique end of Sisavangvong Road towards the end of the peninsula, so it never seems too busy. Spot on service from the lovely Lao staff, a dark wood interior, antique collectables dotted around and copies of the New Yorker and Conde Nast Traveller to read complete the crushworthy picture.

Go for: chocolate croissants, quiche and lemon tart, sweet Lao service, totally chilling out
Not for: hmmm...crowds? It's tough to think of a 'not for' this time - Le Banneton has the perfect cafe experience pretty much nailed!

Le Banneton, opp. Wat Sop, Sisavangvong Rd., Luang Prabang, Laos (there's also a branch in Vientiane)

MamaMia Q&A and Irish Wanderings guest post

Some exciting news (well, for me anyway!) - an email interview I did with MamaMia about expat life in Vietnam was published! For non-Australian readers, MamaMia is the blog brainchild of Mia Freedman - ex-Cosmopolitan magazine editor, author, columnist, tv commentator and much, much more (basically, Australia's maven of all media!). The website has a HUGE following as evidenced by the sometimes hundreds of comments left for each post. It's something of an online community conversing on a wide range of issues, from body image to relationships to all sorts of zeitgeisty topics - and more recently, expat life! You can read my interview here.

Also published - a guest post I contributed to Irish Wanderings (learn more about it's author, Niamh, here). Titled 'Lost in transition: from traveller to expat', it's about the mindset morph I underwent the further entrenched I became in my new life in Asia. Interested to know your thoughts - if you're an expat, or a traveller, or a traveller turned expat, can you at all relate?

{Luang Prabang Eats} Khai Pene

Not so much a restaurant review as per my usual 'Eats' but a dish in profile - a delicious Lao snack called khai pene. Ubiquitous on Luang Prabang's menus, khai pene is basically dried river weed (think the Mekong River's answer to seaweed), topped with sesame seeds, dried tomato and garlic then fried. It's light, crispy, savoury and highly moreish, equally tasty eaten alone or with some kind of dipping sauce, like Lao chilli paste. Along with gracing most of the town's menus, it's also for sale by the packet at the local food market, so you can spread the khai pene love beyond Luang Prabang's muddy shores!

{Luang Prabang} at a glance

We just spent a few days in picture perfect Luang Prabang, Laos - strolling by the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers (albeit in crazy heat), scoffing croissants in French/Lao cafes, sampling strong, earthy Lao coffee, exploring serene temples and eating amazing Lao food (fried river weed, anyone?!). More to come soon, but here are a few glimpses of beautiful Luang Prabang...

{Cafe Crush} Trung Nguyen, Hanoi

I've mentioned how much I love Vietnamese coffee brand Trung Nguyen before (no, they're not paying me!), but this time, it's their coffee plus a gorgeous leafy setting that equals my first TN cafe crush.

In the vicinity of Hanoi's Ho Chi Minh Mausoluem, this Trung Nguyen outpost is the perfect spot for a sweet and strong Vietnamese dripper coffee - their Legendee variety of course - while (unbelievably) breathing fresh air and escaping the city's noise. There's a cool indoor section with arched bamboo walls, but my pick is the outdoor part amongst the tropical plants and fishpond - Hanoi cafe heaven!

Go for: an iced coffee with milk (make sure its Legendee), and a completely different Hanoi cafe experience

Not for: the snappiest of service - something about the relaxed ambience?!

Trung Nguyen, 36 Dien Bien Phu, Hanoi

{Shoptalk} Hanoi & Hoi An

Just a few little things I found in Hanoi recently (plus one thing from Hoi An!):

1) Black bamboo placemats (set of 6)

From: Miscellaneous carbon-copy tourist shop, Nha Chung Street
For: 90,000 dong (approx US$4.50)

2) Hilltribe girl paintings (x 2)

From: Phuong Dong Art Gallery, 127 Hang Bac Street
For: 60,000 dong each (approx. US$3 each)

3) Mother of pearl lacquer tray

From: Van Loi, 87 Hang Gai Street
For: US$9

4) White stone chopstick holders (set of 10)

From: Thuong Gia 1, 7 Hang Trong Street
For: 50,000 dong (approx. US$2.50)

5) Pink, turquoise and white 'prayer flags' (for Z's room)

From: Breeze, 2 Nha Chung Street
For: US$16

6) Scandinavian-look fabric (1 square metre - for diy wall hanging on a canvas)

From: Hoi An Cloth Shop
For: 50,000 dong (approx. US$2.50)

N.B. All Hanoi addresses are in the Old Quarter

{Behind the Blog} Niamh of Irish Wanderings

Niamh having a fish foot massage in Thailand (squirm!)

A writer, blogger and ex-expat, Niamh Griffins of Irish Wanderings once called Thailand home (among other places) - a former Girl in Asia! Now back in Ireland, she's rediscovering her homeland, and makes me realise that returning home need not mean the adventures are over. Read on for more on Niamh...

Where do you live/where are you now?
I moved back to Ireland 14 months ago after a few (cough) expat adventures. Falling in love again with soft days, mountains and learning to tolerate the rain.

Misty Ireland

Antrim, Ireland

What are you currently...

...reading?
The Lovers by John Connolly and no, it’s not as soppy as you’re thinking. It starts as a cop thriller but soon draws in ghosts and demons. This is where I take a break from reality while pretending to be gritty.

…listening to?
Pages from Julie Feeney. I discovered her browsing around YouTube and then realized she’s Irish and brilliant! Songs that stick in your head for all the right reasons and her videos are really creative.

…watching?
I finally worked out why everyone loves Mad Men and am now addicted. I find myself wondering what I’d look like in gloves and a twinset but not sure if they’d go with the battered Converse.

…eating?
My version of Thai food – I lived there for 9 years and my tastebuds just can’t handle food without chilli and coriander! I shop at the ‘Asian Market’ which looks like someone hovered up food from supermarkets in every country in Asia and spat it all out on a Dublin sidestreet.

…wearing?
Fake Uggs, jeans with long-john thermals underneath and a woolly jumper – with sunnies because it’s trying to be spring here in Dublin.

…planning?
To take over the wor…Oh, sorry, must keep that a secret! Seriously, this is the summer of getting to know Ireland. Shamefully there are still counties (states) I haven’t been to so lots of picnics, hikes and cold-water swims are on the agenda.

…obsessed with?
Dan Carter from New Zealand. Even if he played golf I’d love him. But as he plays rugby well, let’s just say the obsession grows. From a distance mind, I’m not dangerous!

Favourite cuisines?
Thai, Thai and Thai. I especially love Isan food from the North-east – heaps of chillies and sticky rice. There’s a vegetarian place in Bangkok called Mai Kaidee and it is the best food in the world. So there. But Mexican is a close favourite – there’s nothing like steaming refried beans with rice on a winter’s day.

Favourite travel destinations?
I love the buzz in Delhi, Sydney, New York … and Bangkok of course. And then I’m a big nature lover – hiking and trying to do water-sports so Himalayas, the West of Ireland and well, anywhere that’s clean and you can scream and splash water about!

Niamh in the Indian Himalaya

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where and why?
I’ve been getting a craving to live in India lately. It keeps popping up in conversations and appearing out of the side of my eye. And even though I lived in Sydney for two years, I never made it to New Zealand and that would be a great adventure for a year. The people are so lovely, I’ve great friends there, it’s beautiful and they love sport, yay!

Who/what inspires you?
I’m always inspired by women who’ve taken their lives, shaken it up and made a difference to people around them. Someone like social entrepreneur Caroline Casey who’s changing the way we see differently abled people. But also my Mum who grew up in a very sexist time in Ireland, traveled the world anyway and tries her best to make my siblings and I into nice people.

3 of your must-read blogs?
Aagh, what a choice! Obviously I love this one! But for traveling and dreaming I read:
Paddy in BA for photos and news from a wandering expat
Peregrine by Nature for beautiful photos that always make me stop and think
Shantiwallah for little insights that make me realize it is possible to stay in one place and be happy!

Thanks Niamh!

{Cafe Crush} Nola Cafe, Hanoi

A tranquil, bohemian coffee and culinary outpost in the charmless, backpackery end of Hanoi's Old Quarter, Nola is one of my favourite cafe finds to date. Downstairs is dimly lit and a bit more bar-like, but head upstairs and it's like an art students' sharehouse meets quirky granny's loungeroom. Mismatched vintage furniture, old gramophones and musical instruments, potted plants and a choice of loungeroom, rooftop terrace or two other cosy terrace rooms await.

The noise of the narrow, congested streets below could barely be detected as I settled in for a refreshing juice (real! no sugar!) and beef pho cuon Ha Noi - delicious fresh rice paper rolls filled with tender beef and fragrant herbs reminiscent of those found in famous Vietnamese soup dish pho. I'd only eaten pho cuon in Saigon before and these were a world apart, so I'm glad I've finally tried them at the source.

Go for: the peace, the pho cuon (38,000 dong - around US$2), the original decor

Not for: slick surrounds or the most hygienic kitchen (if the idea of a chef with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth while cooking offends, this isn't the place for you!)

Nola Cafe, 89 Ma May, Old Quarter, Hanoi

{Hanoi} Highlights

Last week we spent a few days in Hanoi - a place I love to visit over and over for its architecture, lakes, great shopping and vibrant street life.

Something I love about returning to a place several times is that once you've ticked off all the requisite must-sees you can focus on more important issues, like seeking out the city's best coffee (in case you're new to this blog, you won't find much on the typical tourist sites Vietnam and the rest of Asia have to offer (yawn!) - it's more about the fun and frivolous stuff, like food and shopping!).

Some highlights from my latest Hanoi jaunt:

• Stopping at cute cafe La Place for a lemon mint freeze and cha ca lunch while overlooking the cathedral
• Macarons from L'Epicerie du Metropole, the delectable little deli at the chic Sofitel Metropole

• Our Parisienne-style room at the same hotel, with happiness-inducing splashes of red in the bedroom and bathroom

• Shopping in the Old Quarter, which never seems to get old (especially on Nha Tho, Nha Chung and Hang Gai streets)
• Surprisingly good natured bargaining, and feeling like I actually got some bargains
• Early morning walks in less than 25 degrees celsius and wishing it could stay that way all day
• Ginger icecream at Fanny's (amazing Vietnamese ice-cream brand) after circumnavigating Hoan Kiem Lake in the Hanoi heat, post early-morning too good to be true chill

• Seeking out (and finding) crushworthy cafes, like the leafy Trung Nguyen on Dien Bien Phu (above) and boho Cafe Nola - posts to come soon!

{shoptalk} Vincom Center - Saigon's shiny new mega-mall

Saigon is not a city known for its mall culture. Sure, there are a couple of small malls like Saigon Centre, Tax Centre and Paragon out in Phu My Hung, but most pale in comparison to those found in Bangkok or Singapore or other large Asian cities...until now!

Vincom Center opened this weekend - a 'real' mall right in the heart of Dong Khoi Street, Saigon's glitzy main drag. While some naysayers may bemoan the mall's detraction from bustling markets and small, independent businesses, most Vietnamese people would probably disagree - Vincom Center's presence propels Saigon into the new Asia, a continent aspiring to prosperity and consumerism and flashing one's cash. Evidence? The hordes and hordes of Vietnamese visitors to Vincom on the weekend dressed to impress and posing for photos both inside and out. The people watching was just as much a spectacle as checking out the shops!

As for those - it's basically a mix of everything Saigon has to offer plus a few newbies, all in one convenient, air-conditioned building (no more dodging motorbikes and waffle ladies and dying in the heat to get from one favourite store to another). There are high-end brands like Furla, Armani and Jimmy Choo (though it's not open yet), mid-range places like French Connection, Mango, Levis, Converse, La Senza and Accessorize, and a whole floor of kids clothing and toys (among the brand names was one of my favourites - a dodgy 'fallen off the back of a truck' shop selling similar stuff to Saigon Square with some great 50,000 dong/US$2.50 pieces - fresh from the factory floor, but a bit lost enroute to the US or wherever!).


As for food, there are ice-cream chains Fanny's, Bud's and Snowee's, a second outlet of one of my favourite cafes - Kita, the ubiquitous Pho 24 and Highlands Coffee, Thai Express and some Korean chains, and a second Saigon outlet of MOF - the cool Japanese dessert place I blogged about recently.

Overall, I think it offers a welcome change to the Saigon retail scene, and in the hot season, a cool and comfortable place to escape to if you're up for schlepping 'round the shops. Now if only there was a decent bookstore....

Vincom Center, cnr Dong Khoi & Le Thanh Thon, D1, Saigon