When I was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, I followed a private cooking lesson, and tried several local restaurants. A dish that featured on the menu of local restaurants that serve Northern Thai food was “hors d’oeuvres”, an assortment of … Continue reading Nam Phrik Kapi (น้ำพริกกะปิ, Northern Thai Spicy Shrimp Dip)
When I was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, I followed a private cooking lesson, and tried several local restaurants. A dish that featured on the menu of local restaurants that serve Northern Thai food was “hors d’oeuvres”, an assortment of … Continue reading Nam Phrik Num (น้ำพริกหนุ่ม Northern Thai Green Chili Dip)
When I was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, I followed a private cooking lesson, and tried several local restaurants. A dish that featured on the menu of local restaurants that serve Northern Thai food was “hors d’oeuvres”, an assortment … Continue reading Nam Phrik Ong (น้ำพริกอ่อง Northern Thai Tomato and Pork Dip)
After two years it was time to return to Ciel Bleu, the two Michelin star restaurant at the 23rd floor of the Okura hotel by chef Arjan Speelman with a wonderful view of Amsterdam. My previous visit was in 2023 … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Ciel Bleu** (2025)
I’ve always thought that sushi could only be eaten just after it was prepared, as the raw fish needs to be refrigerated to keep it fresh, whereas the rice will be ruined if you refrigerate it. Both the texture and … Continue reading Everything Gets Better Using Sous Vide, Even Supermarket Sushi
It’s been a while since I’ve prepared a recipe I discovered through another blog. But when I saw Frite de Cordero on Accounting for Taste, I immediately knew I wanted to prepare a sous vide version of it. Frite de … Continue reading Frite de Cordero (Spanish Lamb Stew)
Italians are very proud of their culinary heritage, and rightly so. There are even some traditional Italian dishes for which an official recipe has been established. This helps to preserve the traditional dishes in their original form. The most famous … Continue reading The New Official Recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese
The Lafite Laureate is a wine tasting competition for individuals in the Netherlands. It is organized by the Verenigde Vinologen Nederland (Dutch Association of Vinologists). “Vinologist” is a Dutch title for someone who has passed the Dutch wine knowledge SDEN … Continue reading Lafite Laureate (Vinoloog van het Jaar) 2025
Deventer is a historic town in the east of the Netherlands, on the banks of the IJssel river. This is not a part of the country that we visit often, and we had never been to Deventer before. I knew … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Bouwkunde
Restaurant Vinkeles in the Dylan Hotel is located in a historic building in the historic canal district of Amsterdam and has held two Michelin stars since 2023, with Jurgen van der Zalm as chef. My previous dinner at Vinkeles was very nice … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Vinkeles** (2025)
This tasty and elegant, but simple to prepare, appetizer was inspired by a dish I really liked at Wills Domain in Western Australia. As usual, I did not try to prepare an exact copy of the dish, but merely used … Continue reading Scallops with Avocado, Daikon, and Tosazu Dressing
The very first dish we had when we arrived in Thailand was Khao Kha Mu. We got it in Chiang Mai near the north gate of the old city at a stand that is famous for a lady with a … Continue reading Thai Pork Leg Sous Vide on Rice (Kao Ka Moo / Khao Kha Mu / ข้าวขาหมู )
Thai pickled mustard greens (ผักกาดดอง / Pak Gad Dong / Phak Kat Dong) is an essential ingredient for Thai dishes like Khao Soi or Khao Ka Moo. It is basically an oriental version of sauerkraut. I don’t care so much … Continue reading Homemade Thai Pickled Mustard Greens
This is an appropriate recipe for the first blog I’m writing after my trip to Australia (and a bit of Thailand), as this was inspired by a dish I had in restaurant Rebel Rebel in Canberra during the Australian wine … Continue reading Raw Kingfish with Boquerones, Orange, and Fennel
I have so often eaten Italian food prepared by Italians (both in restaurants and at home) and have studied so many Italian cookery books, websites, blogs, and forums, that I am confident when I am cooking Italian food and know … Continue reading Thai Cooking Lesson
For our last dinner in Australia went to De’sendent, one of the few fine dining restaurants in the Margaret River area that is open for dinner, as most of the fine dining is at winery restaurants and only open for … Continue reading Dining in Australia: De’sendent
Our third and last lunch at a winery in Margaret River is at Leeuwin Estate, to celebrate my birthday. To us as Dutchies it is peculiar to see a winery called “Leeuwin”, because it is a Dutch word (for female … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Leeuwin Estate
We are on holiday and therefore I wasn’t planning on doing a profile on a winery or wine region, even though we have been to some very nice cellar doors in the different regions we visited to stock up on … Continue reading Singlefile Great Southern Wines
Boquerones en vinagre is a Spanish recipe for fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar, olive oil, parsley, and garlic. It is often served as tapas in Spain. A very similar preparation is the Italian alici marinate, with the main difference that … Continue reading Boquerones en Vinagre (Marinated Anchovies) made from Sardines
Our second fine dining lunch at a Margaret River winery was at Vasse Felix. This is the oldest winery in Margeret River, established in 1967 (so in fact not old for European standards). Like most wineries in Margaret River, it … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Vasse Felix Winery
We are now in the Margaret River area, in the south-west of Australia, south of Perth. This area is known for having a Mediterranean climate and its wines. Many wineries have a very good restaurant that offers a tasting menu … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Wills Domain Winery
Wildflower is regarded as Perth’s best modern fine dining restaurant. According to the website, every dish celebrates the local resources honoring the six seasons of the Noongar calendar. It is amusing to me that it is apparently necessary in Australia … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Wildflower
We are spending the Dutch winter in the Australian summer, and this is the first time I am not cooking at home for Christmas. I have very limited cooking equipment in the camper, and when I did the shopping for … Continue reading Tagliatelle with Rock Lobster (Tagliatelle all’Aragosta)
O.MY is the restaurant of brothers Blayne (chef, on the left) and Chayse (sommelier, on the right) Bertoncello in Beaconsfield, about 45 minutes from downtown Melbourne. They started the restaurant back in 2013, when they were only 19 and 23 … Continue reading Dining in Australia: O.MY
Hogget Kitchen is a ‘farm to table’ restaurant that is located in the Wild Dog winery, just outside of Warragul in Victoria, Australia. The restaurant has a great view of the vineyards. The blackboard in the restaurant doesn’t list the … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Hogget Kitchen
When I posted the recipe for Cod with Macadmia, Lemon, and Broccolini, I already mentioned it could also be prepared with sea bass. I like the version with (European) sea bass, sometimes also referred to by its Italian name branzino, … Continue reading Sea Bass with Macadamia, Lemon, and Broccolini
As we were strolling down the Esplanade in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Australia, we saw a restaurant called Sodafish on a boat and had a look at the menu. We were surprised to see a degustation menu with wine pairing. The … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Sodafish
Saint Peter is a fine dining restaurant in Sydney that specializes in fish. Saint Peter is another name for the fish also know as John Dory. All the dishes include fish, even the dessert. The restaurant prides itself for using … Continue reading Dining in Sydney: Saint Peter
My friend Irene got me some organic pears from the tree in her garden. They were not the typical pears that are used to make poached pears in the Netherlands (stoofpeertjes), which turn red when you cook them. But they … Continue reading Poached Pears with Lemon Syrup
Librije is the restaurant of chef Jonnie and maitre/sommelier Thérèse Boer (despite the same last name we are not related) in the city of Zwolle, which has held three Michelin stars since 2004 and is the only restaurant in the … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2024)
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