Having met Janice Wong when she launched an ice cream brand in Chennai during which she made some fabulous dessert creations, I've been meaning to try out her restaurant since then. Her stint at Masterchef Australia more than boosted her image to the general public, who aren't tracking who Asia's best pasty chef twice, is!

Having made reservations and trying to get the cabbie to understand the address, he finally said that he will drop me off at Holland Village and I should find my way from there. No one seemed to know where this place is located and after a lady said that the thinks it is down the road, I consulted Dr. Google and he took me close. The place is on a dead end in Holland Village on the first floor with very little branding. I guess people just know the place and only first timers are going to find it difficult. The place was packed on a Wed evening, so do make those reservations!

Both of us voted for the Shades of Green and after debating between Cassis Plum and Purple Chestnut, we went for the Purple Chetnut.

The Shades of Green was a lovely dessert with a lovely pistachio sponge that was fluffy, a cocoa mousse and a fantastic pandan ice cream. The Pandan ice cream was probably the best thing I had in Singapore. The flavours of pandan screaming through the ice cream, which played perfect folly to the fluffy pistachio sponge along with the bits and pieces of crisps that added the crunch element making this a near perfect dessert!

The second one, the Purple Chestnut was a miss for us for the only reason that the red pepper raspberry gel was a little too citrusy for our liking. The warm fondant with the creme on the side, the lavender marshmallows and the lavender ice cream were all great, but the one thing that was supposed to tie the whole thing together, the gel, ended up overpowering the dish. On retrospect, we should have ordered the Cassis Plum!

Service was brilliant, super attentive and very helpful. Edrea, our host even got her colleague to help us take the stroller up a flight of stairs and then cross the road to get our taxi.

Both desserts were priced at SGD 24 and our final bill was about $51 including all taxes and service.

For me, it was one more off the bucket list. 

I've never had a jackfruit gravy! I don't think so! With a tanginess from tamarind and some kind of a mango-gravy-ish flavours, the dish, GATA POLOS, was the epitome of our lunch which introduced us to some wonderful Sri Lankan cuisines in Colombo, aptly named Upali, Simply Sri Lankan.

The king coconut opened our lunch. Perfect thirst quencher for a hot day and for the visitors like us, it added a visual element to the meal. With a tinge of lime and the slightly different flavour from our own tender coconut, we were set for the Sri Lankan lunch.

While very similar to our cuisine, specifically Kerala cuisine, there is so much difference too. The similarities and the differences are wonderful for an exploring palate. Like an Indian lunch, rice is the staple! Rice with three vegetables and a chicken or fish gravy was the norm. The differences were in the sides. Like that supremely wonderful jack fruit gravy, the POL SAMBAL, which was like a dry chutney made of chillies and coconut added variety to the meal.

Two fish preps were the stars for the group! A deep fried fish and a mackerel grilled, both of which were certainly not for my palate, but was loved by the locals and my friends!

As travel opens up the brains, I am seeing a lot of similarities in foods but with difference that make the variety, spicy! ;-) I have no idea, what the last part of that sentence means, but that's ok!

Wattalappam is a must try for dessert!

While our hosts in Sri Lanka paid for the meal, I think a meal for two will cost about Rs. 2500 (LKR) which is about Rs. 1200 INR! 

We've seen Marina! Not the beach, but the restaurant. Lovely place, isn't it?. And then there is Lagoon which is Marina on steroids! While Sri Lanka is known for sea food, didn't except a scene like this in a 5 star hotel. I mean there was a full big Sting Ray on display! Phew. 

Simply the size of the fishes and crabs on display were mind boggling. The restaurant being packed, we were happy to be seated outside by the mini stream filled with fishes and the air with fishy odour. I guess that set the tone for the dinner and the evening. One poor guy who was vegetarian for that night (or month) was stuck with us and while all of us felt sorry for him, no one wanted to give him company.  He did enjoy some Kala Kung with some green curry on his own.

Back to the plot. Our host in Sri Lanka went all out on his orders. Cuttle Fish batter fry, crabs, lobsters and prawns were on the table. I think our friend's heart was also on the table, though we couldn't see it, we all felt it. Our brains didn't, though.  He said that for the torture we were giving him and for his sacrifices, he is surely going to heaven. And he was equally sure that we were headed to hell! Like straight! 

The Cuttlefish batter fry was an instant super hit and was washed down by all! The fish had a slight squid-ish texture which was lovely for a batter fry, so while the batter had the crisp, the fish was chewy and together gave us a nice combination of textures. The prawns and the lobster thermidor were the usual with a nice garlic butter marinade for the prawn and the usual thermidor.

The next hit dish was the crab. The crab was not monstrous, but was large and the photo doesn't do any justice to the size. It was about 1.3 kg and at (LKR) Rs.700/100g, it wasn't cheap. The chilli gravy in which it was cooked had seeped into the crab and lended its flavour a little bit to the crab!

We finished off sharing three desserts, a simple chocolote brownie and two different custard puddings, one with their traditional 'Seeni Sambal' on top! The meal cost our host about Rs. 35000 (LKR) which is about Rs. 16,000 for 7 of us. Yes, expensive! 

Lagoon is at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo at one level below the lobby, by the swimming pool and fishy garden! 

  

Walking all over walking street can be exhausting. For the eyes! So as you cross the Walking street and head to the beach, the walk can be exhausting for your brains, now. Deciding where to eat is a huge huge burden. When you are on tour, you want to find the balance between not going wrong and experimenting! While Thai Express looked like a chain of restaurants, we didn't know if it was and  decided to walk in!

The menu was inviting and we ordered things that were on their best seller list. The Massaman Chicken Gravy, Thai Basil Chicken, a beautiful Thai soup and the grilled Chicken thigh! The Thai Basil chicken that came first was a stunner. It was spicy, but inviting every taste bud on the tongue and was a flavour bomb. The basil and spices were noticeable individually and all three of us loved every morsel of it!! Beautiful dish. But it was upstaged by the main course, the Massaman Chicken gravy. Oh wow, it was a stunner! Served with some roti and (we ordered separately) rice, this was a beautiful chicken gravy that was another flavour bomb.

The grilled chicken came last and the first bite I took was bland and tasteless. I left the spoon before my friend pointed to the sauce, dipped the chicken in the sauce, placed it in his mouth and let out an orgasm! I guess, the sauce was there for a reason. It was yummy, but certainly did not deserve the reaction it got from my friend!

I fell in love with the Thai Iced tea, so I ordered it everywhere. Looks like they all come from the same powder as they were all the same everywhere, but that is my go-to drink in Thailand! The meal cost us about 500 Thai Bhat, which is about Rs. 1000.

Thai Express is on Beach Road, about 200m from Walking Street, Pattaya! 

The mention of Thailand brings about different images to different people. For food lovers, Thailand is another food paradise! A beautiful one at that. But having experienced Thai food in multiple countries will be of almost no help when you actually arrive in Thailand. While the tourist places may be monotonous, it also gives you a chance to savour food from around Thailand in one place! You will be surprised that there is more than just the green and yellow curries! In this Pattaya series, let's look at some yummy foods from various spots! Nope, we couldn't get reservations at Gagan's in Bangkok, but this post is all about Pattaya! 

1.  PATTAYA FLOATING MARKET

The Pattaya floating market is the largest in Thailand and gives you glimpses from food from around Thailand. Everything from ice creams to bite sized foods to crepes, all in complete Thai avatars are found every few steps. Starting off with a 200 THB entry (900 if you want to take the boat ride, but I'd recommend the walk), this is a place to go with an open mind. 

The coconut ice cream would be great after your journey to the market! Served in a coconut shell, this ice cream is creamy and yummy and has a strong flavour of coconut, not just a hint. 

The stick foods! Yes, you may need bravery, but trust me, all of us were fine after the foods. The prawns are fresh, but what caught my attention was the way in which the crab claws were beautifully removed with the shape in tact! Since I am not a fan of fish, I skipped the fish sauce dip and enjoyed it quite as much as the others did!

My favourite dish of the entire walk was this peanut candy snack in two varieties. Priced at about 30 THB (<$1 or Rs 60), this is a steal as you get about 8 pieces of lip smacking goodness in two packages. The clear one and the momo-like ones were both super yummy!

Tiny crepes! Yes, these are crispy crepes and for about 25 THB, you get 10 pieces. There is the sweet kind with a custard laced with some matcha green tea, while the savoury one has dried prawns. Both were yum!

We saw lots of people buying the grilled rice cake on sticks. While I don't know what everybody liked in them, I could not take more than a few bites! It seemed a hit with the crowd though!

The curly instant ice cream! This was another super hit! Made from scratch, with (I guess liquid nitrogen), there is lots of flavour and a lot of theatre before the ice cream reaches you! We had the matcha green tea ice cream with some toppings and it was yum!

Of course there was a choice of insects and scorpions, fried, grilled and almost every cooking method used! Nope, I didn't try it!

2. THAI RESTAURANTS

I am talking about the one off Thai restaurants and not the ones in malls. Small roadside shops with a few chairs dole out some super yummy foods. One such place, called THE KITCHEN, a few meters away from Walking Street is one such place! We had dinner a few times and invariably asked for their Yellow Noodles, the Phad Thai noodles, the Tom Kha, which became my new favourite Thai soup beating the Tom Yum. It is a large bowl of white soup that you could eat with the Jasmine rice as a full meal! Or 3 could share as starters!

3. THAI ICED TEA!

This became a staple for me in Thailand. The super awesome Thai Iced Tea. This is a Matcha green tea with milk based iced tea, unlike the non milk iced tea that is the norm in most places! The flavour of the matcha is unmistakable and gives you the comfort that cold coffee usually does! Almost every restaurant has this and is usually priced between 90-110 THB (About $3 or Rs. 200). The glass is tall and the portion, hearty!

4. GREEN NOODLES, MK.

Yes, mall foods may not be the best, but if you find some great place, you will be really happy! We found one such place called MK Korean grill, CENTRAL Mall! While the restaurant deserves a separate blog post on its own for the Korean Boiler on every table, the green Noodles with duck was a stand out dish from the menu! Served with dips of all kinds, the noodles simply stood out!

5. GREEN TEA ICE CREAM FLOAT!

This is the ice cream version of the Matcha Green tea. Same flavours, different medium!! 

6. DURIAN

Yes, it maybe the stinkiest fruit on earth, but that doesn't stop people from making all kinds of stuff with it. And doesn't stop people from buying all these kinds of stuff that people make! The durian chips are my favourite, but I was brave enough to try the Durian Ice cream. Yummy to start off, but leaves a sort of disgusting after taste! But the initial yumminess will draw you (or the disgusting after taste will turn you off, depending on who you are)! I was the former and was able to finish the entire box of durian ice cream, with some difficulty of course!

7. THE BANANA PANCAKE

While most of the vendors serving these have a lot more options, the banana pancakes in Thailand are yummy without having to add Nutella! The banana is folded in the batter and a beautiful thin pancake is made and folded multiple times to give you a beautiful snack! While partying on Walking Street, don't miss this guy! He makes awesome stuff! 50 THB (<$1, Rs 100)

 8. BICYCLE NOODLE SOUP

If you have followed Obama, the US president and Antony Bourdin, you will know how a $6 meal left a lasting impression! This is no different. Sit on the street. Kitchen attached to the bicycle. Choice of noodles, meat and veggies. Choice of toppings. Free smiles and a hearty bowl of soup! It could be lunch or dinner!

9. THAI BASIL CHICKEN and MASSAMAN GRAVY

Every good Thai restaurant will probably have this on the menu. At Thai Express, this was among the two stand out dishes that we had. It was spicy, yet so flavourful that you might keep eating it while blowing smoke from your mouth and ears! The Massaman Chicken gravy is another a super yummy dish I guess it has Indian roots because of the flavours! Served with some flat bread, these two were stand out dishes. The restaurant was excellent and there is a full blog post about the restaurant.

http://www.chennaifoodie.com/2016/08/thai-express.html

10. EGG FOLDED NOODLES

I don't know what the egg does to the noodles, but this noodles from a restaurant called THAI CHICKEN AND NOODLES on the Beach Road, Pattaya was a unique dish. Nice flat noodles tossed with chicken and the usual stuff then gets stuffed inside a egg nest and then cooked slightly! The flavour profile doubles and gives you a nice complete meal with some fancy looking nest and great tasting noodles!

There is always a 11th, isn't it?

11. THE TURKISH ICE CREAM

The show is amazing. The ice cream is not! Thought not Thai, there are few Turkish Ice Cream guys on the streets of Thailand!

        

Is there something else that we should have tried in Thailand? Let us know! 

Being a foodie, I had to visit this restaurant when in Dubai. It is the world's highest restaurant in the worlds tallest building and all that hype surrounding it. After struggling to get through security because we did not have print out of our reservation, we finally got through to the Armani Hotel and my god, it was beautiful. Once inside you are treated like a king and the place does feel like a modern palace.

We were lead to the elevator that goes super fast from 1 to 123, with some ear popping and then you have to walk down one floor to the restaurant. After exchanging pleasantries, we are given a window seat and the view, needless to say, is yet to be matched anywhere else, and unless they build a taller tower with such a wonderful base and the city has other high rises, I am not sure there will ever be such a view from any restaurant.

We got ourselves a drink each, a vanilla iced tea and a raspberry mocktail, and a snack each, an atmosphere fried chicken and a portion of falafels. The vanilla iced tea knocked me, literally. It was a superb iced tea and I have not had this flavor anywhere so I thoroughly enjoyed it, while the raspberry stuff was decent. The atmosphere fried chicken was scrumptious, juicy, soft and fried to perfection, while the falafels were super tasty too. You can also go there for a afternoon tea package which will give you more food, but we wanted to just see the place and taste a few dishes.

Ambiance is superb, but the window seats can get a little hot during lunch hours, while the service is first class. Had a wonderful late afternoon snack and a wonderful day after that. Definitely a must visit for any foodie who wants to be a part of something as grandeous as this. Prices are on par with the Dubai oil rates, pun intended.

Food 9/10
Ambiance 9/10
Service 9/10
Price 8/10

You will find this, but try to get dropped off at the Burj VIP entry rather than going through the Dubai Mall and do have a print out of the reservation.


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