Turkish delight

Happy new year everyone! I'm back from my trip to Istanbul, and what a trip it was. Meatballs, baklava and fireworks were as fabulous as I expected. Snow and seagulls were less anticipated but no less spectacular.

We stayed at the Ibrahim Pasha hotel, sadly more expensive than we originally intended due to the weak pound, a gorgeous boutique hotel right in the heart of Sultanahmet. We were mere steps away from the blue mosque and with a well stocked library, cosy log fires and a resident dopey labrador to boot, I was in seventh heaven.

We started our mornings with a sumptuous Turkish breakfast. The generous spread of rustic breads, honey, juicy jams, olives, halloumi and other cheeses, boiled eggs, oranges and strong, sweet tea really hit the spot and set us up perfectly for days spent sightseeing and, er, more eating.



Street food was simple and tasty. I tried a Simit, a kind of sesame encrusted Turkish bagel. Carts selling these and roasted chestnuts tempted us at every corner, as did the patisseries selling sticky baklava and fleshy, rose-scented turkish delight.



Our first lunch was at Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi, a small, busy and traditional restaurant in the central tourist area of Sultanahmet. We were whisked to a table, where we chose from the short-and-sweet menu of kebab, kofte and a choice of two salads.



My pre-trip investigations on the Chowhound boards indicated that the meatballs were to die for, and they certainly were melt-in-the-mouth delicious (especially when coated with a zingy chilli sauce, doled out to each plate by a white-jacketed waiter). The lemon-drenched white bean salad was also perfect in its simplicity.



We also tried the local sour and salty yoghurt drink, Ayran, which was the ultimate post-chilli palate-cleansing refresher.





Dinner at Cafe Rumeli was spent in a cozy candlelit nook, devouring heaps of vegetarian mezze and a delicious, slow cooked tomato, rosemary and lamb dish.

Other eating places of note included Balikci Sabahattin (Sabahattin the Fisherman), a classy fish restaurant with calamari in possibly the lightest batter I have ever crunched. We fought over the last dregs of sweet red peppers and aubergine in soured yoghurt before tucking into the catch of the day. We chose our fish variety (sea bass for me, snapper for him) and whether it was to be grilled or fried. Fresh, simple and delicious.

We also took a short tram ride to Hamdi, which served miriad kebab varieties in a rooftop dining room with views over the Bosphorus. The sublime sesame pitta bread was puffed up like pillows, the baklava was unctuously gooey (as it should be!) and tiny cups of bubbling, mud-like coffee finished off the meal in true Turkish style.

Our final night was spent chowing down in-room on some takeaway Turkish pizza with sheep's cheese followed by yet more baklava and washed down with a few beers. We then saw the new year in from the roof terrace of our hotel, complete with a view over the blue mosque and flocks of seagulls erupting overhead at the first sound of fireworks.

We survived, unscathed by the gulls overhead, and were very sad to leave the following afternoon. Istanbul was a fantastic place to spend new year, with atmosphere, history and tasty rustic treats galore.

Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi, 12 Divanyolu Cad, Sultanahmet. Tel +90 212-520-0566
Cafe Rumeli, Ticarethane Sok. 8, Sultanahmet. Tel +90 212-5120008
Balikci Sabahattin, Seyit Hasan Kuyu Sokak, Cankurtaran. Tel +90 212-458 1824
Haamdi, Tahmis C. Kalcin Sokak 17, Eminonu. Tel +90 212-528 0390

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

I'm back from the wilderness, the arctic tundra to be precise, where I've been spotting polar bears, braving blizzards and, of course, finding all the best places to eat.

First, let me just say that Churchill, Manitoba, Canada is NOT a gourmet destination. With a population of around 900 people and no roads linking it to the rest of the country, Churchill has something of a captive audience. And in polar bear season, when the bears gather near Churchill in readiness to go north for seal hunting as soon as the sea freezes, it's pretty hard to get a table anywhere.

Gypsys is known as the "Place to be in Churchill" and is certainly a favourite with all the tour guides and drivers. It is always packed full of locals and tourists alike, staggering in from the sub-zero temperatures to tuck into something great.

And when the weather's like this....






You need food like this...



Ah yes, the Gypsys Bakery long john. It's a super-sized, super-sweet chocolate eclair. Quite simply the best foodie experience in Churchill. Unless you're a bear of course, in which case a nice bite of ring seal will go down nicely (don't watch if of a nervous / seal loving disposition!).

The Princess

7 essential Hong Kong foodie experiences

This is it - after seven months living in Hong Kong we're heading back home to the UK today. In honour of our move I thought a list of the best bits of Hong Kong wouldn't go amiss. If you're planning a holiday here or moving over to work then these might just come in handy.

So with no further ado, these are my top Hong Kong foodie experiences:

1. Indulge in some high end dining at Hutong, Felix, Gaddi's, Toscana or M at the Fringe.

2. Brush up your chopstick skills then try some authentic Chinese cuisine at Spring Deer, Yung Kee or XinJiShi.

3. Find the latest hot tables with OpenRice, Hip Hong Kong or the Word of Mouth guide.

4. Haggle at the street market in Central, anyone for a fresh fish head?

5. Get away for a weekend in Macau for tasty egg tarts, distinctive Macanese cuisine and gambling.

6. Learn from a pro at a cookery class with Martha Sherpa. She teaches traditional Chinese, Thai and Dim Sum.

7. Or just stay at home and dream, by reading one of the many Hong Kong food blogs. Two of my favourites are Girl Eats Hong Kong and Cha Xiu Bao.

There may be a brief hiatus before I get reconnected to the net, and then The Princess and the Recipe will start in its new incarnation as a UK food blog.

Joi gin!

The Princess

Macau

We've just got back from a fantastic weekend in Macau. Only 40 miles away from Hong Kong and easily reached by ferry, it seemed like the perfect getaway for our last month in Asia.



Macau is another Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong and was handed back to China by the Portuguese in 1999. There are still a lot of mediterranean influences there, both architecturally and food-wise, giving it a different feel to Hong Kong.

Our first dinner was eaten at our hotel, The Westin, and was very good if standard hotel fare. The resort was very luxurious and away from the hustle, bustle and gambling of the central district.



On the Saturday we ventured forth into the centre of Macau, visiting the fort and the ruins of Paul's cathedral. We then wandered down one of the busy side streets leading off the ruins, and found a foodie mecca selling all kinds of local delicacies.

One of the must have treats of Macau is their famous Portuguese egg tart.

At only HK$6 a pop, you can't really go wrong with these babies.



This is quite different from the egg tarts you get in Hong Kong with a flakier pastry and a deliciously artery-hardening glutinous egg custard filling.

We also tasted some squidgy and spicy ginger sweets, before heading to the casino to witness the Hong Kongers losing their money on the cards.

To round the trip off we had dinner at Fernandos, on the recommendation of my fellow hounds on the boards at Chowhound.

This is a relaxed place - no reservations and no credit cards - you just turn up, put your name on the waiting list and kick back with a couple of beers until your name is called.

The restaurant is laid back, with basic decor and fabulously rustic Portuguese food. We ate a generous serving of sticky garlic prawns, Macanese rice (somewhere between egg fried rice and paella) and a plate of piquant Portuguese chorizo, all washed down with a jug of sangria. The total bill came to around HK$400, less than 30 quid.

Overall, a brilliant weekend and if you are in Hong Kong for more than a couple of days I would recommend a visit to Macau.