Om Nom Nomad

Florentin Brunch | Steve’s Food-Bar, Tel Aviv

Shuk Levinsky is becoming a very interesting neighborhood in the culinary sense. With new restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and gastro pubs, opening up constantly, and lot of available parking space nearby (a rare commodity in Tel Aviv), it has become one of our favorite go-to areas. To name a few interesting establishments: Ouzeria expanded to open the sister restaurant Ouzeria Next Door (fantastic food, high VFM but we didn’t enjoy the service), a great and decadent American bakery named Sweet Box opened up (don’t miss their huge decadent cinnamon bun) and Fifi’s, a tiny Thai place which created a buzz and amassed long queues.

Egg tarts (蛋撻) are a very popular traditional snack in Hong Kong and a must in the tasting list of any first-time-visitor to HK. These tarts are available in most bakeries as well as some dim sum restaurants but there are some bakeries that specialize in them. One of them is the famous Tai Cheong Bakery, established in 1954, which is considered to have the best egg tarts. The bakery is conveniently located at the Mid-Levels Escalator area, which you’re probably going to visit anyhow while in Hong Kong – so why not stop at this small bakery while you’re there. While they have a few more branches around Hong Kong, this one is the original and notorious one.

Ranked #27 on 2015 Asia’s 50 Best, Ryunique by Tae Hwan Ryu offers modern fusion cooking showcasing cutting edge techniques. It mixes Japanese and French cuisine, all while using Korean ingredients. Don’t expect Kimchi here, though – the flavors are very familiar to the western palate.

The kitchen is headed by chef Tae Hwan Ryu, who previously worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo, Sydney and London. Ryunique, an amalgamation of his name and the premise of his concept for the flagship restaurant, was opened in 2011.

Om Nom Nomad - Giant Candy Haul from Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore

We’re back from an amazing tour in southeast Asia, which included Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore. What do you think took up most of the space in my luggage? Snacks, of course.

This is the second of a series of posts containing tasting of over 35 types of candy and snacks I collected during my travels. The first post in the series can be found here. Today we’re about to discover another 9 snacks, four of which are part of the honey craze which swept South Korea. Read More

3D Latte Cats and Cartoon Cheese Cake | La Douce, Seoul

South Korea, the nation of Kimchi has turned in recent years to a nation of coffee shops. In a city with more than 17,000 coffee shops (source: reuters), it’s not surprising that some of them are among the most extraordinary and bizarre themed cafe joints in the world! Korean themed cafes include ring making cafe , cat, dog and even sheep cafe, Hello Kitty themed cafe, Lego Cafe, selfie cafe and a photo studio cafe. Just think of a concept – there’s probably already a cafe in Seoul just like that!

Travelling in Seoul, It’s impossible to avoid the cafe craze. When I was planning our trip, I made sure to include a visit to some of its more unique cafes and I will be sharing those experiences here during the next couple of weeks. The first cafe experience I shared was from the Poop Cafe in Insadong. Today I’m going to take you to a different neighborhood – Hongdae and another quirky, yet more subtle, cafe place – La Douce.

It was early morning and we were were standing on the street in hot and humid Hong Kong, with our stomachs rumbling, our expressions puzzled, examining the line of people queuing up to the restaurant. We weren’t sure what to expect.

Australia Dairy Co is an experience you do not want to miss when visiting Hong Kong. It is a traditional Cha Chaan Teng restaurant (literally meaning “tea restaurant”) offering cheap dishes of Hong Kong cuisine. Don’t be mistaken to think there’s any connection to Australian cuisine though. Australia Dairy Co specialize in steamed milk pudding, scrambled eggs, toast and custard dishes. It was named by its founder, who worked on an Australian farm in the 40’s. You’ll often find this place described as an iconic restaurant, an institution, a consensus.

The Italian restaurant Magazzino was opened almost a year ago by the same people behind the burger chain Moses, Zozobra and the pizza joint Tony Vespa. The huge, urban hangar is situated right in the heart of the construction works on Harekevet street, making access harder. However, there’s a big parking lot right at the entrance to the restaurant. The place is aimed towards large groups and families. This was evident when we visited on a Friday lunch and saw it packed with parents and their kids. We were seated right by the entrance, where every person opening the door also gifted us with a gust of hot and humid summer air. It didn’t help that next to us sat a couple with a baby which once in a while tried to verify that their large stroller could not, in fact, move through solid objects like our chairs and table.

Little Bao is a modern Chinese diner located at the heart of the bubbly Soho area. It’s easy to recognize by the gigantic baby-shaped pink neon bulb. They offer an original take on classic comfort dishes. Chef May Chow, formerly of Bo Innovation and Yardbird, takes the traditional bun and elevates into a hip and edgy dish.

South Korea, the nation of Kimchi has turned in recent years to a nation of coffee shops. In a city with more than 17,000 coffee shops (source: reuters), it’s not surprising that some of them are among the most extraordinary and bizarre themed cafe joints in the world! Korean themed cafes include ring making cafe , cat, dog and even sheep cafe, Hello Kitty themed cafe, Lego Cafe, selfie cafe and a photo studio cafe. Just think of a concept – there’s probably already a cafe in Seoul just like that!

Visit my post about 16 of Seoul’s Coolest Coffee and Dessert Shops

EatWith is a new(ish) and unique way of dining. Basically, you go to a stranger’s house to eat dinner prepared by said stranger, with other strangers who came to the stranger’s house. Sounds weird? Well, it is. But It’s also very fun! It provides a way to get a glimpse into other people’s life, listen (and tell) interesting stories as well as share your passion for food with other foodies. I’ve been subscribed to the EatWith newsletter for a while now, waiting patiently for a specific host’s event to be scheduled. As luck would have it, just a week ago, Summer Endevors by Urbano was announced.

Om Nom Nomad

nom tales from near and far

Florentin Brunch | Steve’s Food-Bar, Tel Aviv

Egg Tarts – a Traditional Chinese Snack | Tai Cheong Bakery, Hong Kong

Fine Korean Dining for a Western Palate | Ryunique, Seoul

Giant Snack Haul from Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore [Part 2]

3D Latte Cats and Cartoon Cheese Cake | La Douce, Seoul

Get In – Eat Breakfast – Get Out | Australia Dairy Co, Hong Kong

A Place for your Terrible Twos and Your Grandma | Magazzino, Tel Aviv

The Hippest Bun in Town | Little Bao, Hong Kong

A Coffee Shop that Gives a Crap | Poop Cafe, Seoul

Home is Where the Liquid Nitrogen is | Urbano My Food Lab, Tel Aviv