Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Macau

ASIA’S NEW GENERATION OF DESIGN HOTELS Some of Asia’s most ambitious hotel designers and architects shared their secrets with us. INTO THE JUNGLE IN SABAH On the eastern fringe of Borneo’s protected rain forest, a new tourism venture welcomes travelers into the heart of the jungle. A CULINARY JOURNEY TO CAMBODIA Passionate foodie and renowned fashion designer Phillip Lim shares his top places for local cuisine in Siem Reap. LOOKOUT Bangkok gets a new, unconventional fine dining hot spot; introducing a stylish new Singapore boutique; rail travel in Japan just got even more glam; Saigon opens a sophisticated art space; 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/trav elleisureasia pinterest.com/travleisureasia instagram.com/travelandleisureasia KEEP…

I HAD A NIGHT FREE IN TOKYO EARLIER THIS YEAR, WHEN A JAPANESE friend came up with a great suggestion. We would tool around the metropolis, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants with no obvious signage. We ate well— small fish dishes with of-the-moment vegetables at one stop, hand-made soba accompanied by out-of-this-world tofu at another. What tied it all together, though, was the sheer joy of eating shoulder to shoulder with Tokyoites who know where to go and enjoy eating without reservation. In this, our annual food issue, we learn time and again that if you follow the locals, you’ll eat well. Writer Diana Hubbell introduces culinary journeys led by resident foodies through Hong Kong, Melbourne, Rangoon, Penang and Manila (“Feast for the Senses,” page 63), to name but a few of…

VIJAY MUDALIAR LIKES to get his hands dirty. Rummaging for curry leaves, harvesting wild figs, hunting for ripe starfruit: it is a messy business but the bounty is transformed into elegant cocktails at Mudaliar’s bar, Native (tribenative.com; cocktails from $S19), where Asian spirits are mixed with fruits, spices, and insects that the team collects by hand from their travels throughout Southeast Asia. European cocktails like the Negroni and the Sidecar used to be all the rage, but today there is a growing number of marquee bartenders who pride themselves on local sourcing. Goodbye Campari and cognac, hello sparkling Japanese sake, Sri Lankan arrak and Indian whisky. Mudaliar wants his bar to reflect his Singapore roots. “Asian ingredients are the tastes I know and love,” he says. The Red Light District,…

Beyond BURMA | THAILAND | SPAIN + MORE FOOD PORN HAS TAKEN MANILA’S social-media scene by storm. A new generation of adventurous gourmands are willing to trek beyond the obvious to the city’s gentrifying districts just to try the latest photogenic eats. Lower rents in these neighborhoods mean it is easier for up-and-coming talents to set up shop. It’s in this scene that hot young chefs are firing up Manila, serving their creative energy and youthful enthusiasm on well-adorned plates. Meet a roster of culinary wunderkinds who are funneling international inspiration, classic training and innovative techniques into building new and distinctive dining concepts. MADE NICE SUPPER CLUB Type of cuisine: Intercontinental Head chef: Jack Flores The sparse interiors match the pared-down Continental menu with only a handful of appetizers, mains…

CHANUPHAN (TONG) HORSUWAN Anantara Riverside Hydroponic farming—growing plants using nutrients and water without soil—was first developed by the Aztecs on Lake Tenochtitlan 1,000 years ago. A modern innovation was made on this side of the Pacific by the father of Anantara’s farm manager, Tong: an efficient, chemical-free, quickcultivation hydroponic growth table that continuously pumps cooled, fortified water to roots planted along it. Last year, Tong and his team converted 4,000 square meters of roof into weather-controlled greenhouses filled with such tables, growing produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and melons at an astounding rate of 12 to 50 kilograms each per day, used by hotel chefs in everything from Chinese stir-fries to fresh juices. Tong’s favorite blooms? Lettuces, kale and wheatgrass because, if grown hydroponically, they contain triple the essential nutrients…

SUPERSAVER Anantara Hoi An Revel in the charm of historic Hoi An with this package that grants you a cruise for two down the Thu Bon River. Additionally, enjoy round-trip airport transfers and daily breakfast at the resort’s riverside restaurant. The Deal Thu Bon River Cruise package: two nights in a Deluxe Balcony room, from US $191 for two, through December 31. Save 60%. hoi-an. anantara.com. CITY SINGAPORE Mandarin Oriental Take in unmatched views of Singapore’s skyline from the luxurious quarters of this classic haven. With this package, a fourth night in one of their elegant suites is yours gratis. The suite’s floor-toceiling windows make rooms the perfect (and not to mention most comfortable) place to catch Marina Bay Sands’ nightly light show. Also included in the deal is a…

“I can’t stand bubbles,” announced Cédric Bouchard, a scruffily handsome winemaker who looks more like an indie rocker than the producer of some of the most rarefied champagnes in the world. Bouchard talks quickly and has a lot to say—much of it expressed in a rural French version of skater slang. As we stood sampling his wines in the frigid cellars beneath his home in Landreville, in southern Champagne, he decreed the delicate pearlescence in one of his experimental cuvées to be “vachement monstre, quoi”—the Gallic equivalent of “totally gnarly.” This was a good thing, bien sûr. Bubbles may be Bouchard’s pet peeve, but he’s been finding radical ways to discreetly incorporate them into his wines. His hallmark is a gently elegant spritziness, as opposed to the Perrierlevel carbonation found in…

Often, it’s the little extras that can change an everyday exchange into a meaningful encounter and no one knows that better than Dean Song, Guest Relations Officer at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel. It was 3:30 a.m. and all was tranquil until Dean got a call from a distressed guest, whose infant daughter was running a high fever. Instinctively, Dean arranged a car to the nearest hospital, but, on seeing his guest frantic with worry about her child and nervous about handling the situation in an unfamiliar country where she did not speak the language, he stepped his assistance up a gear and gallantly accompanied them to the Emergency Room. Here he stayed, communicating adeptly with staff and remaining faithfully at the child’s bedside throughout her treatment until both…

“Match each glass of wine with an eight-ounce cup of water.” — Peter Hack ett , direct or of the Institute for Alt itude Medicine. Add chia seeds to water or food. “Chia seeds absorb nine to 12 times their weight in water,” dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot says, meaning consuming them can help you stay hydrated longer. On long-haul flights, researchers from St. John’s University in Taipei advise travelers to drink 1 LITER of water every 5 hours. Avoid drying, alcoholbased moisturizers. Instead, Dr. Cowl recommends a vitamin E lotion to combat dry skin. “don’t forget that fruit and veggies count towards your daily fluid goals.“ Nutrition expert and dietitian Toby Amidor suggests snacking on hydrating produce to up your H2O intake.…

ALFRESCO 64 Lebua at State Tower Chivas Regal has splashed out a ton at Oxford University on cutting-edge research on the synesthetic connection between taste and our other senses. With the opening of Alfresco 64, the highest outdoor whisky bar in the world, the question becomes, how do the cinematic sights and sounds of the City of Angels affect how we savor scotch? The answer is, positively indeed. Standing on the teak-floored bow of this luxury yacht in the clouds, hovering right atop the southern bend of the Chao Phraya River, sipping a Chivas Exclusive lebua blend, for example, you feel like you’re in a secret hideaway Bond-movie bolt hole. The feeling of penthouse privilege is only heightened by the custom glassware designed to intensify aromas and chill your aqua…

*Prices are listed in U.S. dollars and may vary by country and retailer.…

Glasgow SCOTLAND Often overlooked in favor of history-rich Edinburgh, this city is in the midst of an art and design renaissance thanks to grads of the Glasgow School of Art. Young alums now run chic shops in town, like Bluebellgray (bluebellgray.com), known for textiles and housewares with impressionistic floral motifs, and Trakke (trakke.co.uk), which offers a line of adventure-ready bags and backpacks. And they’ve given new life to the city’s studios and galleries: spots like the Glue Factory (thegluefactory.com) and the Modern Institute (themodern institute.com) show work by homegrown talent. For dinner, don’t miss Alchemilla (thisisalchemilla.com; mains £9–14), where Nordic décor meets Mediterranean flavors—a nod to chef Rosie Healy’s time at Ottolenghi in London. Take in a concert at St. Luke’s (stlukes glasgow.com), a venue in a converted church, then rest up at the mod CitizenM…

I’M ON A MOHING A WALKABOUT with Rangoon-based chef Kevin Ching. In old tea shops, we tuck into hearty bowls of the tangy catfish soup, slurping the mildly fermented rice noodles mixed with stewed banana stems, lemongrass, coriander and heaps of black pepper. In between toothsome bites, we peer at each other through pungent swirls of mist and try to pick apart the bewildering textures and flavors in an attempt to get to the bottom of the country’s obsession with the iconic breakfast soup, considered by many to be the national dish. Mohinga is fishy business, we find out. Born in the backwaters of the Irrawaddy Delta, the peppery soup combines chunks of river catfish, thickened with toasted rice and chickpea flour and garnished with lime, soft-boiled duck eggs, coriander,…

I TOLD MYSELF NOT TO FEEL GUILTY for starting off my trip a bit hungover. It had been three years since I’d been back to Spanish Basque country—where my father is from and where I’ve lived off and on—so when I arrived late in Bilbao I headed straight for dinner. It was already 11 o’clock, but the streets were filled with families and weekend partyers, and the bar tops were still lined with plates of pintxos. Naturally, I stayed out later than I’d planned. Now I was shaking off a headache with a café con leche before heading out of the city. I hadn’t come to see Jeff Koons’s puppy-dog topiary or pieces by other international art stars at the Guggenheim, which put this part of Spain on the map…

AUSTRALIA Historical Cafe Society Trek, Melbourne Coffee Tours Melbourne’s baristas are to latte art what Rembrandt was to oil painting, and the city’s cafés are the stuff of caffeine-fiend dreams. Amble with Maria Paoli, director of Australian Women in Coffee and a prominent figure in the local espresso scene for 15 years. Her knowledge of both growing and roasting has taken her to coffee plantations all over the world, and her anecdotes make the two hours whizz by. “I see tourists standing in line for cafés all the time, unaware there are other coffee shops nearby that offer a much better experience,” Paoli says. The standard tour introduces you to the java junkies behind your flat white; the Private Xpresso Trek explores the evolution of the local coffee culture, from…

Portals to the past are ever ywh er e in Hue . Rickety, produce-laden carts and livestock present formidable obstacles on the road. Weatherbeaten pagodas and moss-covered tombs appear through thick foliage and a curtain of drizzle, the signature weather quirk in this part of Central Vietnam. After piloting my motorbike through the countryside on the outskirts of the former imperial capital, I’m not surprised to find my terminus, the home-gallery-eatery of artist and restaurateur Boi Tran, is imbued with a potent air of nostalgia. A garden of flowering plants and placid koi ponds, and a complex of low temple-like wooden buildings smack of timeless tradition. So too does the elegant, feminine bearing of my host, resplendent in a black ao dai, who seems to glide around her domain. But…

HOTELS Brae Six minimalist suites constructed with recycled materials featuring artisanal furniture, right next to the restaurant. 4285 Cape Otway Rd., Birregurra; 61-3/5236- 2226; braerestaurant.com ; doubles A$715; closed July 3–27, 2017. Chateau Yering Hotel A heritage-listed property bordering the Yarra River. The mansion, with 32 individually decorated suites, was reborn in 1997 thanks to current owners Len and Elly Milner. The stuffed toy cat on the bed doubles as a do not disturb sign. 42 Melba Hwy., Yering; 61- 3/9237-3333; chateauyering.com.au; doubles from A$415. Forrest Guesthouse Four stylish rooms along a veranda overlooking the greenery, near mountain bike trails and walks to waterfalls. 16 Grant St., Forrest, Otway Ranges; 61-3/5236-6446; forrestaccommodation.com.au; doubles from A$225. RESTAURANTS Brae 4285 Cape Otway Rd., Birregurra; 61- 3/5236-2226; braerestaurant.com; tasting menu from A$220, alcohol pairing…

1 Stuart Walmsley PHOTOGRAPHER Australian Pastoral Page 84 Melbourne-based Walmsley (try his favorite Curry Cafe in Northcote for genuine Indian tastes and craft beer) notes “a conscious shift in Victoria to more detailed menus, fresher and more local produce and a paddock-to-plate mentality.” He says chef Simon Stewart at Bespoke Harvest in Forrest “takes pride in knowing all his suppliers and delivering an unforgettable seasonal taste of The Otways.” He’ll also not soon forget the surprise dinner orchestrated by chef Matt Stone “on a sundrenched Black Spur Ridge, a table in the rainforest laden with local treats, fine wine and kangaroo tail broth.” Instagram: @stu_walmsley. 2 Lillian Chou WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER Feeding the Dragon Page 94 The American journalist has been living in Beijing and eating her way across China…

NEWS + TRENDS + DISCOVERIES HERE&NOW THE BARTENDER LIFTS THE LID on a miniature treasure chest inked with Chinese characters and a heady plume of perfumed smoke escapes. When the fog clears, I see the scarlet glint of a Smoking Gun, a sultry spin on a Negroni. A basket of miso-brined karaage (Japanese fried chicken) materializes beside it. The latter is dubbed “ki-mo-chi,” which roughly translates to “feel good.” As for the colloquial meaning in Japan—well, you’ll have to ask Google about that. “We’d been open for two weeks before I noticed that guys kept giggling every time they ordered it, while the women looked confused,” says Luis Diez, the restaurant manager, shaking his head. “So I looked it up on my phone and… Oh.” The man behind the cheeky moniker…

LUCA FANTIN IS MAKING himself right at home in Bali. Since the Michelinstarred Italian chef’s first visit in January, he’s opened a second restaurant here. Bulgari Bali, perched on the dramatic cliffs of Uluwatu, hosts the latest Il Ristorante Luca Fantin. Open only for dinner, the 36-seat restaurant bears the signature stamp Fantin puts on all his dishes, an edgy take on classic Italian. At the original Tokyo Bulgari, which has held a Michelin star since 2012, Fantin applies Japanese touches to contemporary Italian cuisine. An alla carbonara sauce, for example, uses sea urchin instead of egg. “The only thing I bring to Tokyo is Carnaroli rice, olive oil and Parmesan cheese,” he says. Since Bali is a tropical island without the agricultural resources of Japan, relying on local produce…

MEET MIZUHO NAGAO, a chef with a distinguished soba lineage. His family runs a soba restaurant in Fukuoka and his father is one of Japan’s top soba chefs, awarded accolades from the imperial family. After finishing school and getting his soba-making license (a certification required of all soba chefs) Mizuho stepped into the family kitchen where he spent 13 years mastering the noodle dish. In 2007 he started his own restaurant in Fukuoka, and now he’s bringing his soba skills to Bangkok with the opening of Soba Factory in the new Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park hotel. As you enter the izakayastyled restaurant, you’re greeted by the smiley face of Mizuho working on his authentic Fukuoka-style soba in the open kitchen. “I’ve adjusted the tsuyu sauce,” Mizuho says, “but otherwise…

Maxwell Road Hawker Centre. This hot spot next to Chinatown is perennially packed and you can count on long lines at Tian Tian Chicken Rice, where the classic dish has won international recognition— Anthony Bourdain tweeted praise for their chicken rice and Gordon Ramsay lost to them in a cook-off—but even the lesser-lined stalls have noteworthy noshes, like the delectable dumplings at Special Shanghai Tim-Sum and the bak chor mee at Ah Guan Mee Pok. 1 Kadayanallur Street. Tekka Centre. Set next to one of the city’s biggest wet markets in Little India, the biryani, Tandoori breads and curries are delicious renditions of North and South Indian favorites, but the Chinese stalls are superlative as well, with standouts including 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodle and Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice. For…

DAY / ONE Santimamine Caves Guided tours of this site in Basondo are available by appointment. santimamine@ bizkaia.net. Oma Painted Forest Stroll Agustín Ibarrola’s monument to Basque art and tradition outside Basondo on your own or book a guided tour. 34-94/465-1657. Hotel Torre Zumeltzegi This 13th-century stone tower in Oñati has spectacular views of the Basque mountains, beautiful rooms and an excellent restaurant. hoteltorrezumeltzegi.com; doubles from €77. DAY / TWO Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu After visiting this futuristic church in Oñati, continue on to the Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park, which offers excellent hiking. Hotel Maisonnave Pamplona’s Plaza del Castillo, where some of Hemingway’s favorite bars remain in business, is a short walk from this well-kept boutique hotel. hotel maisonnave.es; doubles from €140. DAY / THREE Jorge Oteiza Museum This…

CAFÉS & RESTAURANTS TIVOLI ROAD BAKERY Bread is baked fresh every morning at this venue in South Yarra, owned by pastry chef and baker Michael James and his wife Pippa. 3 Tivoli Rd., South Yarra; 61-3/9041-4345; tivoliroad.com.au. ATLAS DINING Twenty-two-year-old chef Charlie Carrington changes his menu every four months as he explores the cuisine of a different country. First stop Vietnam, then Israel; the current Korean-food menu runs until August. 133 Commercial Rd., South Yarra; 61-3/9826-2621; atlasdining.com.au; four-course menu A$50. CHIN CHIN Get in line at this classic for all Asian-food lovers in Melbourne. Tattooed executive chef Benjamin Cooper whips up creative Southeast Asian cuisine. We think the flavors are pretty authentic, but you be the judge. 125 Flinders Ln., Melbourne; 61- 3/8663-2000; chinchinrestaurant.com.au; menu from A$60. LEE HO FOOK…