Locale @ De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate

Add: De Bortoli Yarra Valley, Pinnacle Lane, Dixons Creek, Victoria, Australia

Opens: Thu-Mon from 12pm (lunch), Saturday from 630pm (dinner)

Links: Website & Menu/Wine List

I have always wanted to blog about this wonderful place from the trip Down Under that took place more than 5 months ago but... Procrastinator is my middle name, so tadah! Better late than never huh? :)

 

A little introduction:De Bortoli Yarra Valley is located an hour east of Melbourne on a 240 hectare plot of land.  The De Bortolis migrated from Northern Italy to Australia in the 1920s and settled down in the Bilbul Region (New South Wales). I guess it was almost by accident that Vittorio De Bortoli (first gen De Bortoli winemaker) discovered his flair in wine-making with some surplus grapes from the fruit farm he acquired in 1927. The tradition was then passed on and now, De Bortoli Wines is a third generation family wine company that is one of the larger privately-owned companies in Australia.

Their 'flagship' wine has got to be the award-winning Noble One (sweet wine - my favourite!) which I should get my hands on one day since their other desert wines that were available for tasting at the recent Savour 2012 event were splendid. Swear it was the best among all the other exhibitors and I am sure R would agree too! The Yarra Valley vineyard (they have 3 other sites all around the country) however, is well-known for producing cool-climate wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Anyways... I digress, I am here to talk about the food @ the vineyard's very own restaurant - Locale :)

Well firstly, I am an easy foodie to please. Any restaurant that serves F.O.C freshly baked bread with their home-made dip to start my meal has already won half the battle. And of course, Locale did just that.  My memory fails me but I think the bread was of the rustic Irish Soda genre, and it went down well with the dip/olive oil combi that came with it. There were some really yummy chips drizzled with herbed cheese too.

Side dish & Vegetables (contorni e verdure): we ordered the Italian roast potatoes with garden rosemary & garlic (AUD 9). Best side dish ever! The rosemary-infused potatoes and whole garlic cloves were roasted to perfection. Not charred or undercooked - just about right. It might sound odd but I vote this side dish as my favourite among all the other dishes served throughout lunch.

 

First Course (Primi): Fresh linguine with pancetta, guanciale, calabrese salami, tomato & spring onion (AUD 18 for 1/2 size). This, to be honest, was a tad bit disappointing. The linguine was done al-dente, the flavours from the olive oil, pancetta and other ingredients were great. However, I think it was too salty - no thanks to the pancetta (Italian bacon). I hope the chef did not throw in even more salt though! Was totally an overkill and not particularly enjoyable. Probably would have to ask the chef to go easy on the pancetta or salt if you do order it.

 

Second Course (Secondi): Seared milawa free range duck breast & confit leg with braised farro & white onion purée (AUD 36). Outstanding dish. The duck breast was cooked evenly through and the confit leg was crispy on the outside and really flavourful as a whole. Although a little pricey at AUD 36, it was well worth the $$$. (ok, I admit, I can't say that with full conviction since I didn't pay for it :p)

side notes: Confit by the way, in its most traditional concept, is a salt-curing process in which the meat is seasoned with salt, garlic and sometimes herbs. It is then cooked in its own fat (theoretically) before serving. Farro (just in case you are wondering), is a kind of grain from a certain wheat species. Widely-used in Italy.

The service staff were attentive and helpful with wine-pairing suggestions. The interior decor of the restaurant was simple and I loved how it was filled with the lovely afternoon sunshine pouring in from the huge windows. The walls are lined with photos of the De Bortoli family from when they first arrive in the 1920s - a great pictorial history. Strolling around peeking at their photos was a nice pre-meal activity. And of course, after-meal activities are aplenty in a VINEYARD. Head downstairs for more wine and cheese tasting frenzy or head out into the open air and marvel at the manicured valleys that extend way into the horizon around you.

Locale is definitely one of the places I hope to have the privilege to re-visit.

Dear Thuriya - by JLoo

Event: Dear Thuriya/Bright is the Night
Venue: Esplanade Tunnel
Date: 13 April - 6 May 2012
Genre: Photo Exhibition

What defines a life-changing trip?

To me, its when you feel an unfathomable connection with the land and/or its inhabitants + an absolute sense of camaraderie with your travel partner(s). Its when a door inside of you previously bolted, gets unlocked and you feel the unbridled freedom of exploring a different realm of thoughts/experiences that you never knew existed within you, keeping you addicted for years to come.

For me, the Grand Canyon wilderness backpacking trip in the Spring of 08 just about tops the list (life-changing in every sense of the word), S.Dakota-Seattle Road Trip (spectacular sights in the Land of the Free), Northern Vietnam in 09 (first encounter with tribal markets and people, hill explorations), Australia 11 (self-inflicted physical toil in the mountains, never knew we could cover such great distances;)...

Intrigued by Polaroids

Myanmar in Jul 11 however, holds a special place in my heart. Albeit a short 5 days whirlwind of a trip, it had undoubtedly drawn me into the lives and stories of the enigmatic characters we met along the way, going about their daily lives in a land that has only very recently flung its doors wide open to the outside world.

J and Thuriya

One of the characters I met was Ashin Thuriya, a little child monk living in a monastery at Mandalay whom J met and befriended on the streets in 2009. He has "a face you will never forget" I was told, and how true it was.

An outing at Mingun Paya

Anyways, let J's pictures do the talking. Dear Thuriya photo exhibition will be on at the Esplanade Tunnel from 13 Apr 2012 to 6 May 2012. A synopsis of her work for this particular project can be read here. Do visit it!

The 3 brothers

And to J: Thanks for inspiring, for living large, for loving freely and for reminding me how infinite life experiences really are.

Disclaimer: The photos shown here are part of my own collection shot using a very humble entry-level DSLR. See the real/pro shots itself (by J) at the Esplanade Tunnel!

Bac Ha Market

Bắc Hà （北河）is a district of the Lao Cai province in the Northeastern region of Vietnam - 80km from Sapa.There is a fabled Sunday market there that I have been yearning to see after reading about it on Lonely Planet and I finally did it last December! (yes, i know, i write with an approximate lag of 1 year. but hey, better late than never right?)

Vege sellers outside Bac Ha's temple

My first and only travel experience in Vietnam was an eye opener and the experience at Bac Ha market definitely took prime spot in my "things to do in Vietnam" recommendation. Of course, this day trip to Bac Ha would best be tied in with your visit to Sapa, another legendary 'must do' town to visit when in the northern part of the country. In fact, i wrote about it (well, partially) earlier this year, read about it here.

The trip to Bac Ha was an epic one. W and I took a midnight sleeper train (Pumpkin)from Hanoi to Lao Cai. 2010 fees are about USD 33/pax. Was squashed in a little bunk bed and kept half awake the entire night with the screeching of the train wheels on the track. Memorable part of the journey was poo-ing onto the tracks (could see the rail through the latrine hole) as the train sped through the night. Pretty cool.

The train pulled in rather early at Lao Cai. I remembered stumbling out of the carriage, dazed, onto the platform at 6am in the morning. Was led to the Et Pumpkin hotel (just beside the station) and provided with a breakfast (Pho, again) to start the day. After about 2 hours of waiting and wandering around Lao Cai, we were packed into a van with 8 other strangers from around the globe and started our nauseating 2.5 hours drive up the windy roads towards Bac Ha. Nauseating because I am not great at car rides on mountain roads. (Too bad all the interesting places are tucked in obscure corners of this Earth)

Pho... AGAIN?

Notwithstanding the nauseating car ride part, i had a pretty good time peering at the little towns that we passed by on our way to Bac Ha. It was my first encounter with tribal people in N. Vietnam and was simply intrigued by the colorful outfits (all personally handwoven) that they don. Trivia:There are more than 50 indigeneous tribes living in the region, and each can be distinguished by their traditional dresses (colour schemes, head scarves, etc.)

The touristy section of Bac Ha market. Walk through it, fast.

After what seem like eternity, we were dropped at the southern end of the Bac Ha market area where we were free to roam for a couple of hours. My initial response upon disembarking was "what? i sat a blistering 2.5 hours ride ..for this?" and this = a wider version of your Lady's Night Market （女人街） in HK. Where's the authenticity? I couldn't believe my eyes when we walked past stall after stall of handicrafts and clothes that were obviously targeted at the tourists. Was feeling a little dejected until i caught sight of a crowd congregating at the top of the knoll situated at the end of the street that we were walking on.

Finally. the REAL Bac Ha market.

erm...Pig's head anyone?

It was a surreal experience walking through the maze of stalls at Bac Ha. Besides your usual wet market grub, there were more bizzare items like horse legs, horse innards, pig's head and home made alcoholic brews like cassava wine, rice wine and corn liquor (smelt intoxicating). Tribal sellers (dressed in their finest) fervently promoting their goods (in a language i can't fathom), Vietnamese men sampling the alcohol (contained in jerry cans and served in bottle caps), cooks stirring their cauldron of innards from some unknown animal - with the furry skin left beside the pot basking in all its glory, a Vietnamese fishmongeress (is there such a word?) waving her chopper at an aggressive customer.... the walk through the market was simply bewildering!!

Horse stew. hmm..still not up for it yet.

Walking further north and out of the crazy maze-like market, we stumbled upon an opening where (dog-lovers, you might like to stop reading right now).... little puppies and dogs were for sale. The yelping furries which were caged up in ratten enclosures were a depressing sight. And i don't really want to know what become of them after they are purchased. But I do know for a fact that dog meat is one of their specialities.

We saw the tribal ladies gnawing on sugar canes wherever we go

Venturing deeper into the market, we climbed up a flight of steps onto an elevated ground where we took in the scenery of the surrounding countryside and hills....in the company of water buffalos and chuckling Flower Hmong tribal ladies. Turns out that the highest point in Bac Ha market serves as a Water Buffalo trading ground.The animals were roped (through their nostrils) to a huge rock on the ground and traders will move amongst them to survey the size and robustness of the creature before haggling with the owners. As one might know, water buffalos are probably the most important animal in Asia (in my opinion) as they contribute crucial manual labour, and thus, to the economy of the agriculture/rice-farming societies in this region. This is their physical SGX!

Water bufflos for sale

After exploring the final section of Bac Ha market, W and I walked down the hill and got ourselves lost for awhile before stumbling onto an open road which led us to a temple. Surprisingly, it was no different from our typical Chinese temples in Singapore with its stone carvings and tiled arched roofs. Althought it was pretty unimpressive, it provided us with a serene place to unwind and zone out of the hustle and bustle that we have unwillingly left behind at the bazzar before taking our ride back towards Sapa.

The view from the top

The great thing about this travel experience was the fact that the tribal villagers and locals were so immersed in their trading and socializing activities that we (the tourists) blended into the background. To the locals, the Northface-clad aliens with Canon-DSLRs dangling round the necks were on the other side of the screen. Sure they could see us, but we were inconsequential to their agenda for the day, and thus faded into oblivion. Love it.

Flower Hmong ladies on the hill top

Do pop by Bac Ha during your visit to Northern Vietnam. March to May (dry season) is apparently the best time to visit the region. Day tours (leaving from Sapa or Lao Cai) can be signed up at both towns or at Hanoio's old quarter. Hurry before the area gets invaded by mass tourism and the Hmong ladies start selling you Bacardis instead of their homemade moonshine.

Master brewers and their jerry-canned whiskeys

Bumbu Bali

Add: Jl. Pratama, Tanjung Benoa,PO Box 132, Nusa Dua 80363, Bali - Indonesia

$$$: $15-$30/pax

Cuisine: Balinese

Great for: Cooking School, Bumbu, Sates, Rijisttafel (Dutch for Rice Table) or Nasi Campur Set

Website: http://www.balifoods.com/

"Aerial View" of the Nasi Campur Set Lunch

It was the penultimate afternoon of our 6-day trip to Bali - an enjoyable 2.5 hours flight from Singapore (thumbs up for KLM btw). W and I were running out of ideas on what to do/feast on and we ended up spending a good part of the morning researching on affordable Balinese restaurants on the island that we could visit for lunch and Bumbu Bali seems to be one of the hot pick on travel review pages.

Since it was situated on the southern peninsula's (a.k.a Bukit Peninsula because of its hills) luxurious resort strip of Tanjung Benoa/Nusa Dua, we decided that it would be a good area to explore after lunch as we have not covered that part of the island before. Also, we definitely do not have a legitimate reason to be there since it is filled with 5-6 star resorts - think Conrad, St. Regis and Club Med. Bumbu Bali thus provided us with a perfect excuse to mingle with the erhem, up-town tourists.

After a pretty long ride down from Kerobokan, we entered the Balinese gates flanking the entrance of the restaurant and were ushered to our seats in the pavillion (wayyy too hott to be sitting out in the open). The cosy little compound felt like a microcosm of Bali itself, with little fountains, minute ponds with water lilis in it, wooden pavillions, hand-woven table clothes, distinctive Balinese tatch roofs, wooden carvings...and the fragrance from fresh herbs & spices wafting from the open kitchen.

Sweltering day in Bali. Diners hiding in the pavillion.

We were first served some shrimp crackers (more affectionately known among Singaporeans as "keropok") with some mind-blowing Balinese sambal as an appetizer while we flipped through the laminated menu. Since we wanted to try a little of everything, we decided the the Nasi Campur set lunch (190, 000 RP ~ SGD 30) would be just the right choice. We also ordered the Tum Bebek (Minced Duck in Banana Leaf) to supplement the meal. On hindsight, the side order was totally redundant since both of us were seen struggling to finish the Nasi Campur set towards the end. Should have saved the Bebek for another time!

Best sambal ever!

While waiting for our food to arrive, my order of Bumbu's Balinese home-made specialty alochol - Brem Bali (Fermented Rice Wine) arrived. Was expecting a strong alcoholic fume when i picked up the glass (like the crazy one i had at my Sapa homestay) but the wine turned out to be pretty mild and surprisingly sweet. There was also a red tinge to it and I never did figure out why that was so. It was served on the rocks, which proved to be really forgiving on a sweltering day.

Brem Bali

Being the restless soul I am, I picked up my camera and started prancing around the front of the restaurant where the kitchen was. There were also shelves of Chef Heinz von Holzen's (owner of Bumbu Bali) cook books on Balinese cuisine. Had a field time flipping through them before I caught sight of the man himself sitting in the corner right next to the kitchen door sipping on a cup of coffee.

Chef Heinz von Holzen

(yea. you can say I was pretty star-struck at that point in time)




He walked into the kitchen next and started putting on his apron before politely dishing out orders to his Balinese sous chefs who were all busily grilling fishes + sates and pounding herbs + spices. Felt like a total papparazzi when I turned into a trigger-happy photographer trying to take in as much as kitchen action as possible through my camera lens. This, was the absolute highlight of my visit there.

Food on the open kitchen counter waiting to be served.

After the major invasion of Chef Heinz's kitchen privacy, I decided to head back to my table as I was starving by then (i blame the sun). Was more than happy when the entire tray of minature dishes finally arrived. The waitress took pains to introduce every single one to us and left us to enjoy our meal after that.

So, it turns out that the Nasi Campur Set Lunch (called Rijisttafel by night - more quality dishes, and a little more pricey) was a dazzling array of 9 minature Balinese dishes served with rice topped with shallots. The misconception about Balinese food is that it is no different from those sold on the streets. Big no no. Street food in Bali came from the neighbouring island of Java. The Javanese were the ones who brought their Baksos, Padang and Nasi Campur when they migrated over to Bali (more on those in a latter post). Balinese food is completely unique to Bali itself! It is a melting pot of the cuisines from eons of migration and interaction with the regions around and the foreigners who sailed halfway around the world to trade or erm, conquer them. Portugese, Chinese, Dutch, Indian, Malaysian.. you can find traces of them in all the dishes.

Our Feast!

The nine dishes were served in cute little ceramic dishes placed on a wooden tray decorated with lemon grass and red chillies. The Nasi Campur set not only smells good.. it LOOKS good. Out of the 9, my favourites were the Sate Ayam/Babi/Lillit. Although both the Balinese Sates and Singaporean Satays share the same family tree, the Balinese ones were definitely a little more refined in both presentation and taste than those we have here. I guess the difference lies in the ingredients used for the marination: lemongrass, shallots, chilli, palm sugar, lime, coconut milk, galangal (ginger)..i don'ttttt think we have that in our regular satays at our Lagoon Hawker Centre. The fresh spiciness and fragrance of the mashed up herbs certainly brings some punch to each bite. Love the fact that it is served on lemongrass stalks too!

Sates

The Be Celang Base Manis (Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce) was surprisingly nice too. It is a sweeter version of our "Lor Bak" with a lighter + more fragrant sauce. Another favourite would be the Siap Base Kalas (Chicken in Spiced Coconut Milk) - a more intense version of our chicken curry. The other memorable dish was the Tum Bebek (Minced duck wrapped in Coconut leaf), that looked and tasted very much like a more chewy fish otah. However, as mentioned, please exercise some self control and not order it on top of your set lunch - its really too much to handle for 2!

Tum Bebek

The only gripe about my experience at Bumbu Bali was that the food was served luke warm and the charcoal fire for the Sates were out. I don't really know if that was the intention but that did dampen my expectations by quite a bit. Not to worry though,I am sure a friendly reminder before the food is being serve would solve that.

If its your first time in Bali and your itinerary doesn't allow you to stay for more than a few days, then a trip to Bumbu Bali is a must to experience authentic, fresh Balinese food.

Authentic? How can it be since the chef himself is a Swiss! Yes, he is Swiss but after settling down in Bali more than a decade ago, Chef von Holzen has gone around the entire island to collect traditional recipes from the Balinese themselves since Bumbu Bali's doors open in 1997 + he has an army of Balinese sous chefs in his kitchen!


Fresh? Are you sure? Well, I dare not vouch for that but I am pretty sure the hundreds of cooking enthusiasts who have attended Bumbu Bali's cooking classes at the crack of dawn each day (first stop: wet market visit to purchase ingredients/poulty/seafood) would attest to it.

Bebek Betutu shall be my motivation to visit Bali (and this restaurant)again for the upcoming year.

BBQ in the mountains

Location: Sapa, Northern Vietnam

Price: 5 000 vnd - 15 000 vnd/food item (in short, it will cost you less than 5 bucks to fill your belly)

Sapa BBQ

If you find yourself in a situation where you are cold and hungry in the Northwestern mountain town of Sapa in Vietnam, head to the intersection where Sapa church and the town square meets and be greeted by the fragrant wafts from sticks of roasted meat and barbecue bamboo rice. No matter how apprehensive you are about the dubious-looking slain animal parts and cooking utensils, coupled with a thousand voices ringing in the head telling you to keep your first-world-country-trained (aka. weak) stomach away from street food, you would still find yourself being drawn to it.

The town square at dusk

It is just a matter of time where you would find yourself sitting on a little plastic stool placed precariously close to the barbeque pit, pointing randomly at the menu and stopping short at a dish called "small bird" at which point both you and your travelling partner will go "eh???"

Sapa Church on a cold & foggy morning

The ensuing conversation would probably go like this:


1: "eh..small bird? wth is small bird"
2: "er..do they mean..chicken..."
1: "no what..they already have chicken on the menu!"
2: "eee...so is it like those small black birds we see in trees and shi** everywhere"
1: "yew....is that even edible?"
2: -shrugs- "if there is small bird...there should be big bird right"
1+2:- peers down the menu-
tada... BIG BIRD!


So, that was the general flow of conversation between W and I one cold foggy morning at Sapa town last December. The anti-climatic part of this story is that, we did not manage to find out what exactly "small bird" and "big bird" are. haha. (can sense this is a -__- moment)

Being close to the action

Out of all the food items we tried, i would say the pork, sticky bamboo rice, chicken wings and bbq eggs were absolutely delicious! The pork and poultry were very well marinated and interestingly reddish in color - very much like our Char Siews.


The sticky bamboo rice was unlike anything I have tasted before. We were deceived by the plain-looking rice and did not think much of it except for the fact that it reminded us of those brownie/scout days where we learnt to cook steam rice in bamboo (so fun!). However, after the tube of rice vanished within a minute of being served, I remembered going through another 2 (or was it 3?) more orders of it before we were completely satisfied (and not to mention, awfully bloated). Halfway through our first tube of rice, the owner of the stall took out a tin can (which looked like it has been through the Vietnam War) and started giving us each a tablespoon full of its contents on our little plates before hand-gesturing to us that it was to be eaten with the rice. The powder-like substance turned out to be a concoction of salt + grounded peanuts and some other spices (couldn't figure out what it was. not so powerful yet). Whatever it is, it tasted heavenly with the steaming hot stick of rice.


The bbq eggs tasted just like a smoke-flavored hard-boiled egg. It was kind of interesting to consume it straight from a bbq pit though.

Sticky rice + grounded peanuts = yumz

The simple fare was great, no doubt about that. However, to me, the essence of a Sapa Barbeque meal was the experience of crouching on those small little stools, gnawing off pieces of meat from a stick and observing the mountain dwellers get about their daily lives. You see people walking in and out of the stone church (did you know Vietnam has the 2nd highest percentage of Catholics in SEA?! because i didn't!), merchants carrying piles of fake North Face jackets to their stalls, tourists zipping gingerly around the town square on rented scooters, minority tribes with fresh vegetables in their ratten baskets and young children in toll and of course, the BBQ ladies (there were like 20 stalls in a row all selling the same food at the same price!) vying for customers "hello Mam.. hello sir...you want try barbeque? very nice. come come".

Same same but different.

And of course, with Sapa's cold and foggy winters, you would definitely gravitate towards the warmth radiating out from the row of colorful tents at D Ham Rong. Because i ASSURE you, that the spot right in front of the bbq pit, could well be the toastiest place in the whole of Sapa (because heated rooms are kind of a rarity there for budget travelers).

Our BBQ lady

More on Vietnam's Queen of the Mountains in a later post..

D Ham Rong's row of bbq stalls at night

Seattle Eats (II): Top Pot Doughnut

Photos By: Val

Add: 2124 5th Ave, Seattle, USA

Website: http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com
Great for: coffee, breakfast, doughnuts, hanging out, price


As promised, here is the 2nd installation of Seattle Eats.



Was just looking through my Picasa3 albums on photos from June - right after the epic road trip where a group of us took a 9 day drive across the U.S. from South Dakota to Seattle (yes, that is a hell lot of driving)...totally filled me with an immense sense of longing. I miss that place.


In any case, the first album taken on the 1st of June consisted of shots from an early breakfast jaunt at Top Pot Doughnuts - a popular breakfast place near JS's apartment where the lucky people living in Seattle get to saunter in at any time of the day (till 7pm) for some lovely doughnuts.


Upon stepping into the eatery, I was engulfed by the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee and doughnuts. The place was brightly lit by streams of morning sunlight pouring through the glass-pane front facade of the cafe. There was an elaborate bookshelf to the left of the entrance that spanned the entire height of the cafe and was well-stocked with books. In short, the bakery felt like a comfy loft more than anything else! It was a great place to start off a brand new day.



The friendly staff at the counter gave some hints on which doughnuts were popular and we made our choice, collected our doughnuts (not before getting our morning caffeine of course) and proceeded to the second level (this place is kinda huge for a bakery/cafe) to start on our breakfast.
I have NEVER tasted anything like the Apple Fritter doughnut that I ordered. Although covered with glazing, it was not too overly saccharin ed - unlike many of the mass-produced over-the-counter doughnuts out there. This was one doughnut that had a delicate and well-proportioned blend of cinnamon spice, little bits of apple, fried dough and icing ...all acting as complements to one another. The dough was light and fluffy too, a great change from those conventional dense ones.

My counterparts' choice were not too lacking either (though some disagreed with my raving reviews of the Apple Fritter). The Raspberry Doughnut was pretty to look at, but definitely not one of my favourites as it was a little too sweet for my liking. The old-fashioned/original doughnut tasted great with coffee! I am not a big coffee drinker (and i don't claim to be an expert at it), but reviews online have given Top Pot's coffee a 2 thumbs up so do remember to order a cup of their specialty brew when you are there!

There are many who swear by Top Pot's Bavarian Cream doughnuts, and others who faithfully stand by their choice of the old-fashioned glaze doughnuts. Whatever the case, I am pretty sure you would find one that suits your mood and tastebud at any time of the day.

Check out their entire doughnut selection here

That being said, I still pretty much enjoy the normal sugar-ed doughnuts we have here in neighborhood bakeries all around Singapore=)

Flagstaff & the Grand Canyon

Photos by: Val and other random GC-ers



“To stand upon the edge of this stupendous gorge, as it receives its earliest greeting from the god of day, is to enjoy in a moment compensation for long years of ordinary uneventful life.”
-John L. Stoddard


Its been almost a month since I left the mundane life in Ann Arbor for my Spring Break trip to the Grand Canyon National Park with the University of Michigan's Outdoor Adventures Club. I would say for sure that this has got to be the most significant experience during my short stint in America (which thankfully got prolonged by some good news!=). There was nothing more I could ask for: 9 days away in the majestic canyons, humbled by nature, the scenery, the people, the night sky blanketed with stars, isolation, the bittersweet pain of the sore-d muscles and burnt skin, 10 strangers evolving into 10 great friends..


I find that the most amazing thing about being close to nature was the way in which we learn the subtle lessons on humility and courage. Our tiny existence gets lost in the grander scheme of the world around us and we take these lessons away from that short moment in our lives in the depths of the canyons and forests.. The magic in all this was that it continues to inspire us long after we've conquered them...

Is has been a month, memories will fade no doubt but I guess it was really the moments that matter, up the Mesa, by the Colorado River, camping in knee deep snow at the Rim.. they were my little snippets of Paradise.


The charming town of Flagstaff was amazing. I wouldn't say that I'd love to live there forever, but it was a unique community with the distinctive "mountain culture" oozing from every shop and establishment. We had a great time stuffing ourselves silly at the eateries after climbing out of the canyon (You really can't blame us, it was so exhausting!)The pleasant streets were lined with hotels from the yesteryears, microbrewries, historic brick buildings and chic restaurants. I also had an awesome time walking into all the outdoor equipment shops with Wilson (and lamenting about how expensive the stuff were!).




I intended to put up NOLS's (North-American Outdoor Leadership School)recipes of the meals that were made in our backcountry kitchen (right under the stars and by the river.oooo.) but I decided it will be too long a post (and its already 315am over here!) so I shall spare you (and me) the misery. Would definitely feature those yummy deserts soon though!

Anyways, here are some restaurants that we tried at Flagstaff based on recommendations by our hostel staff..

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Beaver Street Brewery
http://www.beaverstreetbrewery.com/
11 S. Beaver St., Flagstaff, Arizona


This brewery prides itself with its beer of course, but sadly, we were unable to try it due to the no-alcohol policy set by the Outdoor Adventures Center (which I can understand why after witnessing my dear GC-ers turn insane back in Ann Arbor on St. Patrick's Day under the influence of alcohol=)
Besides beers, there was also a really sweet wood-fired oven near the entrance of the restaurant for their popular wood-fire pizzas..
I chose the Salmon B.L.T sandwich though and it was a decent choice. The guys went crazy over their Beaver St Burger which consisted of 1/2 pound of certified Angus ground chuck and erm..ALOT of fries. We were all really hungry and had no problems wolfing down those calorific and sinful burgers. Our powerful stench (from not bathing for 6 days)that came from the jackets, pants, shirts, bandanas managed to attract the attention of the brewery's customers while they walked past us after their meal. It was a wonder why they didn't barf.
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Mountain Oasis International Restaurant
http://www.themenuplease.com/mountainoasis/
11 E Aspen Ave



For lunch on our rest day, we hopped down to Mountain Oasis after having our lattes and capuccinos at Flagstaff Coffee Company. I loved the ambience at that cosy cafe, and the Pesto Chicken sandwich i had....was TO DIE FOR. I may be biased though because I am a huge fan on Pesto! Give me anything with Pesto and I am sure to give it a two thumbs up!They have daily specials too and their meals (lunch menu) are reasonably priced.

(sorry.no valeebelly photographers with me on the trip.haha)



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Nimarco's Pizza
101 S Beaver St. Flagstaff, AZ


The locals view it as the "best way to sit and enjoy the best pizza in town, drink beer and watch football" The 2 memorable pizzas we had there was the one with the pesto (duh.) and this one called "meat lovers"....and you REALLY have to be one to fully enjoy it.

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Macy's European Coffee House
http://www.macyscoffee.net/
14 South Beaver Street



I wished I had more time to hang out at this cafe! I loved the interior decor..the old-fashioned way of selling pastries over the wooden counter...some chess action going on near the corner..the country singer crooning away at the other end of the cafe ( i sat there mesmerized by the songs.i think some country songs are so heartwrenching! GAH). Thank goodness I had a chance to actually try some of their pastries when Wilson decided to go hunt it down right before we met up with the group for dinner. Though their prices are steep, you would definitely enjoy soaking up the laid-back and almost hippy-like atmosphere blanketing the cafe.


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If you are in the area, do remember to pop by one of these restaurants for a meal!
Till the next post...


almost at our campsite..almost...after about 9 hours of trekking

cooking out.