I have other Malaccan posts to write about but because today is December 31, a pretty significant date in Japan, I’ll save Malaysia for later.
Since I started writing this blog in 2010, I have been doing the end-of-year wrap-up posts highlighting whatever main events I had in each month of a given year. This year I will take a different approach and talk about some of the most memorable eating experience I had in a given month. Here we go.
I was in Hue, Viet Nam in the early part of January on holiday. The grilled meat on skewers is minced chicken wrapped around lemongrass which you remove from the skewer/lemongrass and wrap in rice paper with veggies, dip in sauce and eat. Tasty.
Technically this photo is from January but because my visit to France extended to the first couple of days in February, I am posting this as my February experience. Went to a wine bar in Arles wanting to eat lightly and this snack-like meal turned out to be one of the best.
I was in Eugene, Oregon for the first time in March. I did not expect much from this local restaurant to which I was taken but was quite blown away by this salmon. Had great Chinese in Toronto, Canada and a special homemade lunch in New York on the same trip as well.
Two of my good friends and I go to a region-specific restaurant every month and for April, we went to a Bhutanese restaurant in Tokyo. Bhutan, to which I have been twice, is a special place to visit and this “ema datshi” brought back fun memories.
Vacationed in Moscow, Russia in May which may not sound too much like vacationing but had some great food including the signature beef stroganoff at the classic Metropol Hotel.
In June at a business dinner in Tokyo, had Korean samgyeopsal barbecue for the first time and it was surprisingly good. Not sure if it’s just the restaurant we went to or if it’s the norm but the BBQ was served with many different kinds of herbs and lettuces which enhanced the taste of the meat.
My best friend and I go out for sushi every month to the same sushi restaurant and this is from July. I used to think that this prawn was better served raw but at some point this year, we tried it boiled and discovered that this was better.
My August vacation was spent in Switzerland, staying in Lugano, Basel, and Zürich. Was set on trying cheese fondue at least once and got to do it in Basel.
In September I took a guest out to a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo, one that I frequent. I knew the food was going to be good and the rice at the end was exceptional but it was more the company that made this dinner a particularly special one.
October is the birthday month for my best friend and me. We took a day off to do a lavishing lunch in a Michelin-starred French restaurant.
I had so many soft-serve ice cream cones this year. This one from November I had in Hibiya is though good nothing special. I was just so surprised by the sheer size of it and how it was served.
And finally in December, did a brief end-of-year vacation in Malacca, Malaysia. Had several good dishes and this was the best. At a Portuguese-Malaysian restaurant, the huge baked fish is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in complicated spices. Spicy and somewhat sweet at the same time and very aromatic.
So that’s it for my 2013. Another year of great eating experiences for which I am grateful. Hope everyone is having a peaceful new year’s eve.
A blog by Ayako Mathies 