Hurray, since today, folks, I am on holidays. I do not know when I will write the next blog entry. I will be in Europe for a while, traveling to Germany, Italy and France. I will catch up with old friends, indulge in good food, fine wine and superb culture.
I do not know what internet access we will have but bear with me and do not abandon me. I will write again and let you share my European experience. Cheers folks and thanks for visiting:
The Man from Mosel River
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A wheat beer brewed in China
A couple of weeks ago when I visited Shanghai I ended up in a very nice watering whole, the Bund Brewery. The brewery is located in one of the side-streets of the famous stretch along the Bund where droves of people stroll along the river and enjoy the spectacular city scenery.
The bar with the brewery equipment
The Bund Brewery is a crowded and noisy place, full of Chinese customers interspersed with a couple of foreign tourists. I went straight to the bar and ordered what my neighbor was drinking, a wheat beer. I should not regret it. The beer was very nice, just like a good Bavarian wheat beer. Excellent, and not too expensive. Later I had some snacks as well.
German brewing equipment from Bamberg
When looking around I realized that some of the equipment came from Bamberg in Franconia. I had to take a photo of the plaque.
If you stroll along the Bund and you do not want to visit one of the many posh, elegant and exclusive cocktail bars, the Bund Brewery is the right place for you, a true “people’s place” for common folk and others alike.
Address:
Bund Brewery
上海外滩啤酒总汇有限公司
11 Hankou Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
汉口路11号,中山东一路
Shanghai, China
Tel.: 6321 8447
Opening: Fri+Sat 11am – 4am, Sun-Thu 11am – 2am
http://www.thebundbrewery.com.cn
1 Comment | culture | Tagged: Bamberg, beer, Bund Brewery, China, Shanghai, wheat beer | Permalink
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One of the many good things in Vietnam is, that there is plenty of wine available (another one is that the Vietnamese seem to have capitalism in their blood – I love capitalism). When strolling through the streets of Hanoi and Saigon I was always on the lookout for wine shops.
In Saigon I found Bacchus Corner, not far from the Rex Hotel, the hotel with the famous terrace. The internet says that there is also a Bacchus Corner in Hanoi, but I did not manage to get there.
Thanks god that he Vietnamese have no local wine industry to protect like the Thais, and therefore wine prices are not too high, though still far higher than in Australia or Germany.
Bacchus Corner
When I took the photo above I was overcome with joy. I had walked the city for about one hour and could not spot a single place where wine was on sale. Alas, Bacchus Corner came into sight. But first I had to cross a busy street with millions of motorcycles – after more than 20 years in Asia I am experienced at that.
The inside
The staff was extremely helpful and very friendly. I browsed through the wine on offer and settled for a bottle of Four Sisters 2006 Merlot. For 380,000 Dong (US$ 1 = 19,000 Dong) it did not come cheap. Most wines were beyond my reach financially. But there must be a market for such pricey wines.
Bacchus Corner also offered excellent whiskeys, cognacs, brandies and other spirits. If you are looking for a hard to get vintage wine, go to Bacchus and ask them to get it for you. Since the shop is still in the setting-up stage (one room was still being renovated), you will have great prospects to get a real treat, I guess.
Address:
Bacchus Corner
17/11 Le Thanh Ton St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: =84-8-829-3306
Website: www.tankhoa.com
3 Comments | culture, wine | Tagged: Bacchus Corner, Four Sisters Merlot, Ho Chi Minh City, Rex Hotel, Saigon, Vietnam | Permalink
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Even before I discovered Luke Nguyen fabulous Vietnamese cookery book “The Songs of Sapa”, I was a fan of the countries splendid cuisine.
When we walked out of our hotel, we passed by a very busy eatery, full of life, people and somehow a very inviting atmosphere. Well, let’s have dinner there! And in we walked. We were seated at a table with other guests, a Vietnamese family.
“Quan An Ngon” was written on the menu, which was brought to us by friendly waiters (who do not speak much English). So that must be the name of the place, I thought. We browsed through it and ordered some “recognizable” dishes: a fish (mackerel), some dofu/tofu and some green mango salad. I also had some buns, Chinese style, where they are called “mantou” with sweet milk. The drink of our choice was a cool Hanoi Beer.
Delicious mackerel
Green mango salad with peanuts
Dried dofu/tofu with dipp
Hanoi Beer
“Quan An Ngon” traditional Vietnamese restaurant has a large garden part where one can sit outside under tarpaulins but also the inner part of the restaurant, housed in a colonial style building is very appealing and attractive. The cooking is conducted in a kind of roofed “out houses” surrounding the courtyard. I could not resist to take some photos.
The outhouse kitchen
More outhouse kitchen
Lots of happy eaters
The place is usually packed with people, groups of young women, families but many below the age of 30 I would say. We were definitely having a negative impact on the median age of the customers. It’s a noisy place with a lot to look at. Especially for a foreigner who does not have much time to look around it is just a great place to get a feeling of Hanoi and it’s people. I highly recommend a visit.
The price level is modest. We ate for about 120.000 Dong per person. Needless to say, the very next day we went back for another fill of delicious Vietnamese food.
Address:
Quan An Ngon
18 Phan Boi Chau,
Hoàn Kiếm,
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel.: +84 4 39428162
E-mail: ngonhanoi@vnn.vn i
Directions: Between Ly Thuong Kiet and Hai Ba Trung, one block East of Le Duan.
PS: When writing this story, I found that Quan An Ngon is a kind of a chain restaurant with dependencies also in Ho Chi Minh City.
The restaurant reviews on the internet are not all good. Especially seasoned Vietnam travelers seem to be disgusted somehow and feel that on the street proper, the food is tastier even if less “safe”.
Well, the fact that Quan An Ngon is full with Vietnamese people (my guess 90% of the customers) suggest otherwise.
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Peaches of La La Mountain
We were heading to Fuxing district on La La mountain, near Daxi county just about a three hours drive from Taoyuan. We all met at the shrine to the memory of former president Jiang Jie-she (Chiang Kaicheck) in Daxi. There was also a fruit and vegetable market and this is were Mr. Chen Long-gui has a stall to sell his peaches. His daughter Ajoan was already waiting for us and off we went.
Fruit stalls near the shrine in Daxi
Prof. Jim Riddell, Prof. Yen Ai-ching and me
The winding road lead us up into the La La mountains, a region inhabited since “time immemorial” by the aboriginal tribe of the Atayal. After about two hours we reached the small hamlet where Mr. Chen Long-gui and his family resided. we met at a small local restaurant were we had a delicious lunch. We were a large group, as you can see from the photo below.
Mr Chen, the peach farmer (in red shirt), and our group
After we had our fill and the stomachs were satisfied, we headed for the home of the Chen family. Mr. Chen is Mr. Peach, because he was the first to introduce the cultivation of peach trees to this area. Today he has about 300 trees planted on the hillsides at about 2000 m above sea level.
Harvested peaches
Packing of the fruit for sale
Prof. Yen and farmer Chen and his wife and the appreciation for outstanding performance
We had tee in the Chen family home where we also discussed land, agricultural, economic and cultural issues in a very relaxed atmosphere. because of the heavy rain, we could not go out and see the fruit orchard and the trees. We tasted some of the fruit of the early harvest. As you can see, all work is done by hand. Apart from the peach trees Mr. Chen is growing vegetables for home consumption and sale. he is also a minister of the local church. In parting we wished him plentiful harvests and good prices for his crop. We have to come back. I was told that there are breathtaking views to enjoy from Mr. Chen’s home and his village. But the weather of the La La mountains had no mercy with us that day.
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Photo of the day: at Mr. Chen’s peach farm on Lala Mountain, Taiwan
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Matsu Tempel in Lugang 鹿港, Taiwan
The Matsu Tempel and it’s surroundings in Lugang 鹿港 are very crowed places. People from near and far visit the historic center of this harbour city in central Taiwan. Lugang has lot’s of interesting things to offer, among them some Taiwanese food specialties which you should not miss.
These you can enjoy in one of the many street eateries like the one below just opposite the entrance to the magnificent temple.
A typical street eatery
One such delicacy of Lugang is called “e-a zen” in Taiwanese, a kind of omelet made of eggs and oysters, with starch from sweet potatoes. Lettuce is also added. Finally a sauce is added whose composition is usually a trade secret. Every family has it’s own recipe but the liquid consists, among others, of soja and miso sauce, sweat chili and other ingredients.
The photo shows how “e-a zen” is prepared
“e-a zen” ready to be eaten
Oyster soup with ginger
My friend Jim after the oyster feast
We had also oyster soup with the “e-a zen”, the oyster omelet. If you do not like oysters this is not a meal for you. But if you do, the two dishes are “heaven on a stick”. What a wonderful explosive experience for your taste buds. Incredible. Delicious. A must if you travel in central Taiwan.
We enjoyed the open air atmosphere where we shared a table with a Taiwanese couple. The son of the owner, very business like at the tender age of 10, waited on us, brought us chairs and the necessary eating implements. He also managed brilliantly our messy ordering in improvised Mandarin.
We washed the food down with a cold Taiwan beer. The place and the food were a great choice. Go and do it yourself.
Taiwan Beer
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A Hamburger and a Kronenbourg beer
After all this very delicious Chinese food here in Taiwan, my taste buds needed a break, so my friend Jim and I, we decided to go out to an eatery called Bangles, a hamburger restaurant in Taoyuan with waiters in cowboy costumes, and have a “decadent” Hamburger or something like it. This was very nice indeed. The service in Bangle is very friendly, the atmoshere pleasant, the food tasty and the beer is very decent.
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I had the chance to visit the former port city of 鹿港 (Lugang) near Changsha and Taichung on Taiwan. We were lucky that it did not rain. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. The historic centre attracts a lot of visitors. The main attraction of the town is it’s temple dedicated to the Taoist goddess of the sea, “Matsu”. All kinds of good are for sale including delicious traditional snacks. The squid below was one of them.
Squid on the street barbecue
Small and large specimen for the hungry passers by
Needless to say, we had a great day. Tomorrow. I’ll show you more of this scenic spot in the middle of this splendid island.
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I find that Chinese airports are good places to buy fine single malt whisky. I was lucky to pick up a bottle of 12 year old Cragganmore from the Speyside, North-east Scotland. In Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion this whisky is given 90 points which is quite remarkable. And this at the costs of only 328 Yuan (Shanghai Airport).
The 12 year old Cragganmore
According to the Malt Whisky Companion the 12 year old Cragganmore is one of the finest Speyside malts. Is is of golden colour, has a very complex aroma, is fragrant and delicate. It is a very smooth drink indeed. When I tasted my newly acquired treasure, my heart made a huge leap. How lucky I was. Next time I will bring the book with me to make informed choices. This time was pure chance. Cheers
Address:
Cragganmore Distillery
Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9AB
Tel: +44 (0) 1479 874635
Cragganmore.Distillery@Diageo.com
1 Comment | culture | Tagged: Cragganmore, malt whisky, Michael Jackson, Scotland, Shanghai, Speyside, whisky | Permalink
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The Man from Mosel River
The Man from Mosel River 