Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2016 i Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Macau

THIS MONTH ON TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM 4 PLUSH SUITES YOU WON’T WANT TO LEAVE These ultra-luxe hotels and resorts excel in pampering guests. 5 NIGHTLIFE HOT SPOTS IN JAKARTA Indonesia’s capital is heating up after dark, as these stylish speakeasies prove. 100 PLACES TO GO IN ASIA Cruises to cafés, Oman to Tahiti, our ultimate travel bucket list across the region. LOOKOUT An idyllic wellness resort in Bali; a riverside bistro in Borneo; cool crowdfunded gear for your next trip; the latest travel deals and more. travelandleisureasia.com DOWNLOAD US T+L TABLET EDITIONS Available on iOS, Android, Win 8 and Zinio Desktop Reader. FOLLOW US TWITTER.COM/ TRAVLEISUREASIA FACEBOOK.COM/ TRAVELLEISUREASIA PINTEREST.COM/ TRAVLEISUREASIA INSTAGRAM.COM/ TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA KEEP UP WITH US Sign up for our newsletter for monthly highlights and offers from T+L Southeast Asia. TANDL.ASIA/NEWSLETTER CONTACT…

On our Watch If you’ve seen a jump in hotel prices in your favorite cities, blame business travelers, whose growing ranks are putting rooms at a premium. HRS Global Hotel Solutions compared 10 Asian business hot spots from the first quarter of this year with last, and found rates rising in seven. 32.6% Average hotel price increase in Bangalore, India, the region’s highest. 3 Cities (Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore) where rooms are likely to cost more than S$200. S$287 Average cost of a hotel room in Tokyo, the region’s most expensive. -9.8% Drop in Kuala Lumpur’s average room rate. 0 Percent change in hotel rates in Sydney. #TLASIA OUR READERS TRAIN THEIR LENSES ON LIP-SMACKING SWEETS AND SAVORIES Green papaya salad with shrimp balls, in Vietnam. By @aurora_traveling Carnitas with…

When I moved to Bangkok from Saigon, I didn’t expect to be missing pho bo; surely someone would have brought this hearty, cure-all beef noodle soup over the border. But after so many Goldilocks-like pho fails (this one’s noodles were too thin, that one’s beef was tough or sparse, no one’s broth was quite right), I gave up, resigned to living a pho-free life and set about finding another spicy, soothing hangover remedy. And then Phuong Tran brought her perfect pho to Smalls, already one of the best hangouts in Bangkok. The Saigon native simmers her broth for 12 hours, making it full-bodied and flavorful. The rice noodles are al dente, the bean sprouts are crisp, and you get a mound of scallions and greens, plus Sriracha and hoisin sauces…

You have an excuse to plan even more trips across the region in the coming year, with eight airlines buddying up to increase flight options and drop airfare rates. Cebu Pacific, Jeju Air, Nok Air, NokScoot, Scoot, Tigerair Singapore, Tigerair Australia and Vanilla Air recently formed the Value Alliance, the world’s largest low-cost-carrier alliance. For travelers this means better deals and connectivity throughout Asia Pacific as they bundle their networks together, making it easier to visit both marquee destinations like Tokyo and Singapore and farther flung sites, like Thai islands and Aussie outposts. Customers will be able to view, select and book the best-available airfares on flights from any of the airlines in one transaction, directly on any of the partner websites, with the help of cool new tech developed…

You’ll need only one swimsuit this season. This one works for both dinner in the Philippines... …or for lazy days island-hopping across Indonesia on your liveaboard phinisi. Prices are in U.S. dollars and may vary by country and retailer.…

SPARKLING, TURQUOISE INLETS. A magnificent natural harbor. Architectural and cartographic homages to Queen and country. Wonky English. A population that comes largely from other places. Put this way, Hong Kong and Australia have much in common. Both have obvious British links, ever since the British colonial overlords began shipping convicts and tea from Hong Kong to Australia 150 years ago. Today, the trade winds have reversed, sending a generation of Australian-born and -trained culinary professionals to Hong Kong. They’ve sought opportunity and inspiration in the city, and they’re now transforming the foodand-drink scene. The trend began about five years ago, with third-wave coffee joints like Manson’s Lot, in Wan Chai, which uses Di Gabriel beans roasted in Sydney and is owned by two Aussies and a Singaporean. “People came in…

Literally translating to “Mix-Mix” the ubiquitous Filipino dessert of halohalo is exactly that —a delightful mishmash of garishly colored sweets. It can definitely elicit some raised eyebrows from the uninitiated but once you get past its over-the-top festive looks you’re in for a serious treat, and there’s no better place to indulge than in the lobby of The Peninsula Manila where a few years ago, during an anniversary promotion, a crowd of 4,000 lined up past the main avenues just to have that singular experience. Settle yourself into one of the prized couches and leave decorum behind as you cradle your halo-halo close to your chest, shamelessly digging your way into deliciousness. Time is on your side with this dessert as each layer melts and melds into the other in…

IT WAS GETTING ON TOWARD SUNSET AT ANNANDALE, A 1,600-HECTARE SHEEP and cattle farm turned luxury lodge on the Banks Peninsula, a slightly flattened asterisk of land southeast of Christchurch, New Zealand. The light had turned rich and golden, and the twin newborn lambs dozing 0n the gravel road glowed like movie idols. Annandale’s director of hospitality, Callum Farnell, slowed the SUV to a crawl until they got the picture. They wobbled to their feet and then, all of a sudden alert and quick, dashed away, their legs clacking like a marionette’s. “The trip today takes a little longer because we’re in lambing season, and they have the right of way,” Farnell said as he resumed the 35-minute drive from the property entrance to the restored 19th-century Shepherd’s Cottage, where…

WHAT WE FIRST NOTICED DRIVING EAST FROM VENICE were the sudden hills, fog clinging to their peaks, and the groves of persimmon trees, heavy with fire-orange fruit. Soon the signs changed from Italian to Slovene and four-sided Romanesque church towers began rising in the distance, and everything looked almost familiar, but not quite. The sensation wasn’t entirely unexpected. As a country, Slovenia is not even 25 years old, but for centuries its territory formed a buffer zone between larger nations, a land ruled by outsiders who left indelible traces before leaving. Visiting the country felt like being somewhere I’d never been but seemed to remember anyway. Nowhere is this living history more apparent than in the local food and wine, two of the most exciting reasons to come to this…

1 Philipp Engelhorn Foreign Relations Page 37 Engelhorn is a big fan of the indie, Aussie vibe at Hong Kong’s Mansons Lot café, “in a nice side street in Wanchai, perfect to sit outside and work while watching the city walk by.” Of the bursting food scene, he says, “as the MTR expands, old neighborhoods are being ‘discovered’ for new restaurants. That is a great excuse to break out of the old Central and Sheung Wan circuit.” His advice for taking perfect food photos? “Sit close to the window. Use available daylight. Shots straight from above are my favorites—they show the presentation and chef’s skills best in a single image.” Instagram: @philipp_ engelhorn 2 Alessandra Gesuelli WRITER Timeline: Cheryl Koh Page 22 In Singapore, Italian writer Gesuelli’s sweet tooth steers…

THE SON OF an American air force officer and a Hiroshima bomb survivor, chef Jeff Ramsey knows the many nuances of delicately navigating cultures. The finesse extends to Ramsey’s innovative multicultural cuisine, which earned a Michelin star in 2008 at Tapas Molecular Bar in Tokyo’s Mandarin Oriental. In Kuala Lumpur, he currently runs Babe (babe.com.my), which opened last November, and creates riffs on tapas-style dishes with Japanese accents. After spending his childhood in Washington, D.C., at the age of 19 Ramsey became an apprentice to Masataka Kudo at Tako Grill in Kudo’s hometown of Kuroishi, Japan. “He was my Mr. Miyagi and I was his Daniel-san,” Ramsey recalls. In addition to teaching Ramsey the basics of Japanese cuisine, Kudo also gave him lessons in discipline, assigning tasks like building and…

THE PLEASURES OF EATING WELL: NOURISHING FAVOURITES FROM THE COMO SHAMBHALA KITCHEN Banish all lingering preconceptions of health food you might harbor—this gorgeously photographed book inspired by Amanda Gale, COMO’s group executive chef for 15 years, has nothing to do with the drab, punitive salads of yesteryear. The 147 recipes accumulated over the course of a decade span the globe, encompassing everything from Indonesian tempeh curry to Thai pomelo-and-crayfish salad. Much like the spas and wellness retreats that inspired them, all of the dishes manage to feel indulgent despite being good for you. US$60. OCTAPHILOSOPHY: THE EIGHT ELEMENTS OF RESTAURANT ANDRÉ Whether he’s presiding over his eponymous eatery in Singapore or Raw, his more casual outlet in Taipei, it seems that chef André Chiang can do no wrong. So it’s…

BANGKOK YOTA SAMPASNEETHUMRONG AND JIRAYU KOO-ARMORNPATANA, @WEAREKINKIN 47.2K followers Of-the-moment food trend? The new generation of Thai local chefs are fearless enough to push boundaries and approach traditional recipes with a whole new perspective. Name a local foodie gem. Along Bang Khun Non Road are foodstalls serving everything from soup with fish balls to boat noodles with pig’s blood. Every time we’re in the ’hood, we go to a shop called Nai Ouan where you just point and order. There are plenty of Thai curries, stir-fries and soups. Our go-to dish is kanom jeen gaeng kiew wan neua (rice noodles with green curry). Pricey-but-worth-it meal? Sushi Masato (sushimasato.com; 20-course omakase Bt4,000) recently relocated from New York to Bangkok. They serve omakase in the Edo-mae style. Every ingredient is fresh and at…

Ordering at Hafuu is simple: once past the Japanese noren at the entrance, just ask for the beef-cutlet sandwich. Yes, there are set menus. Yes, there’s a pricier ¥5,000 Wagyu beef sandwich. But all you really need as you sit down at the 16-seat wooden counter, aside from your appetite, is that four-piece beefcutlet sandwich. From this perch you can see all that’s going on in the elongated kitchen, a scene that will whet your appetite for what’s coming. Pressed with coleslaw, encased in toast, the thick-cut beef is seared on the outside and sliced in half to reveal a beautiful bloodred inside. But it’s the simple taste and melting texture of the cutlet that will leave you moaning for more. Each bite is a reminder of what beef should…

EVER WANTED TO QUIT YOUR JOB AND TRAVEL? A new generation of the workforce is heading off to distant lands without quitting at all. Thanks to an ever-more connected world, employees in the tech and creative sectors are hanging onto their sources of income while exploring the beaches of Borneo or the tea plantations of Sri Lanka. According to FlexJobs, the number of available remote positions worldwide rose 36 percent in 2015 from a year earlier, and while global stats are still shaky, Freelancers Union estimates that among Americans 53 million already do some form of freelance work—a number that’s expected to rise to half of the workforce by 2020. “There has been a massive shift towards remote productivity in the last few years. Cloud technology paired with collaborative tools…

THE TEAM PLAYERS Everyone has coworkers, even if they don’t share physical desk space. In addition to industry staples such as Google Docs and Skype, these programs are built to help all of you work together despite the distance. MindMeister Creativity seldom happens in a vacuum, which is why this collaborative brainstorming tool is such a boon. The web-based program allows your group to share ideas in the form of colorful, instantly comprehensible graphics. mindmeister.com; free basic version, with tiers up to a professional business version for US$90 for six months. Trello Generate and share Pinterestesque boards for any kind of task with team members anywhere in the world with this visual aid. Trello can set specific deadlines for jobs and will automatically notify other users in the crew with…

“A RAINY DAY IS A PANCAKE DAY,” Angela Kim told me as a storm whipped up outside. “On rainy days, Korean people go to suljip and eat pancakes and drink makgeolli because the sound of the frying pancakes is like the sound of rain falling.” Philosophy behind this excursion to a suljip, or pub, in the Gongdeok neighborhood on Seoul’s southwestern riverbank sorted, we ate fried pancakes and drank makgeolli—the cloudy, slightly sparkling, fermented rice liquor that comes in more flavors than Baskin Robbins. I was lifting yet another drink to my mouth when a deepfried hot dog on a stick snuck into my field of vision. A guy in black-rimmed glasses peered through the divider between our booths, eyebrows raised and with an impish grin. “Want to try?” he…

NIGHT OF CUPS Nightlife is a fundamental part of Bangkok’s fabric— making a bar crawl one of the best ways to get an authentic portrait of the city. Venture to these diverse hot spots for a glimpse at the everevolving scene. House on Sathorn As the sun sets, the locals head to outdoor watering holes like this terraced bar, set in an 1889 mansion. Sip a gin tea beneath parasols, tropical trees and mirrored skyscrapers. thehouse onsathorn.com. Havana Social Enter this clandestine 1950s-style joint via a dilapidated phone booth. You’ll find fedoras, cigars and a crowd that can pull off both. Order a Cuba Libre and the Latin vibe is complete. fb.com/havanasocialbkk. Sing Sing Theater Come here for live performances and a slice of the past. Lanterns, cheongsamclad dancers and…

AS WE ALL KNOW, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT ASIA IS THE FOOD. In this month’s food special is everything from the storied histories of dishes such as Burma’s tea-leaf salad to the Aussie-chef invasion of Hong Kong. Elsewhere are mouthwatering tales of Asian-inflected pastries in Singapore; some of the region’s Instagram food stars; my all-time favorite beef sandwich, only found in Kyoto; and a fond farewell to a market like no other. For a delicious look at local and leisurely eating habits, turn to page 74 and “A Savory Character,” a glimpse of food-mad New Zealand. Fresh ingredients dominate where, until recently, there wasn’t much of a food culture at all. Things have changed, thanks in part to oenophiles, locavores and even a whiff of Asian influence, with…

FAR FROM HOT OFF THE PRESSES, many of the Chinese newspapers currently on display at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall in Singapore have had more than 130 years to cool. Titled “Early Chinese Newspapers in Singapore (1881-1942),” this exhibition offers a rare glimpse at the Chinese printing industry in the Lion City, as it developed from the 1880s to the 1942 Japanese occupation, recounting the rise and fall of various newspapers, the shifting journalistic trends and styles, and the evolving needs of the Chinese community, through the years. The collection of more than 100 artifacts, historical documents and images—including 19th-century wooden printing blocks, a Hakka-Malay dictionary published by a Singapore printing press in 1929, and old issues of Lat Pau, Singapore’s first Chinese daily— tells the story of…

The first time I went to Burma, there was only one thing on my checklist: lahpet thoke, or fermented tea-leaf salad. I wasn’t just curious to try this worldfamous national delicacy that has garnered much love from San Francisco to Shanghai; I was yearning for it. More than a year had passed since I tried the savory snack in Shanghai, where I singlehandedly finished two shared plates of it. Its sweet-sour lightness pleased my Thai palate, while the deep-fried nuts kept me voraciously chomping. It was a delightful teaser, but the trip to Burma promised a more authentic introduction, and the House of Memories in Rangoon didn’t disappoint. Here, soft whole tea leaves (as opposed to chopped cabbage in Shanghai) soaked up the zingy dressing and married beautifully with sweet…

HYDRA The bohemian and fashion sets (Leonard Cohen, Chloë Sevigny) have alighted here, joining forces to create a happening art scene. Take a two-hour hydrofoil from Piraeus, which is only a 20-minute drive from Athens. Hydra is either about simple, charming guesthouses like Orloff (orloff.gr; doubles from €153) and Cotommatae Hydra 1810 (cotommatae.gr; doubles from €170) or villa rentals. Five Star Greece (fivestar greece.com) can help. The Deste Foundation (deste.gr/hydra), a cuttingedge gallery in a former slaughterhouse, is a must-visit. PÁROS Despite its great beaches, easy access, and a variety of water sports, Páros remains off the radar—which is why families head here to avoid the crowds. Take a 40-minute flight from Athens or a leisurely three- to four-hour boat ride from Piraeus. Páros has plenty of hotels, but big…

WHY GO The Asmat The traditional ways of this historically isolated tribe in coastal West Papua, Indonesia, are changing quickly. Polar Bears Their Arctic habitat is affected by melting sea ice. Petra The ancient trading center in Jordan, which is carved into cliffs of rose-colored sandstone, is forever on the World Monuments Fund watch list because of regular earthquakes and flash floods. Antarctica The wildlife here, including penguin, whale and seal species, is threatened by warming seas and changing ice depth on the continent’s western reaches. Orangutans Their Borneo rain-forest habitat has been diminished by illegal logging and commercial agriculture. THE EXPERIENCE Zegrahm’s 100-passenger Caledonian Sky sails from Manado, Indonesia, to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Over 2½ days, guests meet Asmat tribespeople and can buy their coveted, intricate wood…

Travelers may head to Xi’an to gawk at the scowling terra-cotta warriors, but it’s the food that often causes them to stay. Most find themselves drawn to the Muslim Quarter, where vendors hawk cumindusted lamb skewers, sticky-sweet persimmon fritters, and rou jia mo, a wonderfully messy flatbread laden with braised beef or lamb. Justly famous as these street delicacies are, when visiting politicians are in town, they head for a more refined, although no less unique, kind of eatery. De Fa Chang Restaurant takes the humble dumpling and elevates it to an art form. Yes, the usual pork-stuffed jiaozi are here, but they’re accompanied by more whimsical variations often resembling their filling. Miniature ducks bulge with kaoya, while wrinkly walnuts are stuffed with a sweetsavory spiced nut mixture. Some of…

IF I LEARNED ANYTHING about Memphis in the years since attending college there, it was that the city was famously unchanging. Known almost exclusively for fall-off-thebone ribs and smoky blues clubs on Beale Street, the Tennessee river city was like a time warp. This theory fell apart on my most recent visit, when Memphis felt undeniably different. The city hit a significant turning point in 2009, when mayor A. C. Wharton vowed to focus on quality of life and community by adding green spaces and making the city safer—a longtime issue for Memphis. “He uncorked pent-up urban energy,” says Pat Brown, a local who co-owns the T Clifton Art gallery in the booming Broad Avenue Arts District. This paved the way for game-changing chefs, innkeepers and shop owners to open…

SUPER SAVER Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore This 27-story eco-skyscraper has 30-meter-tall garden decks and a façade of soaring vertical overgrowth that set the hotel apart: a true oasis in Tanjong Pagar’s sea of concrete, glass and steel. The Deal Opening promotion: a night in a Superior room, from S$165 for two; book by July 31. Save 50%. stayfareast.com. CITY HONG KONG JW Marriott With this deal, there’s no need to hunt down free Wi-Fi to upload all your Instagramperfect shots: your upgraded harbor-view room comes with one complimentary mobile SIM card per room for local calls and unlimited 4G data. Not much of a shutterbug? You can opt for a HK$50 Octopus card for public transportation and convenience stores instead. The Deal Discover and Stay Connected in Hong Kong: two…