LA CINTRA

Our first meal at Megeve was at La Cintra, next to the town square, alfresco under a bright but not exactly warm winter sun. By the way if you like 'people watching' La Cintra offers front row seats. I had sauteed veal kidneys on pasta and for Dora, a beautifully poached perch caught locally. Both well cooked, and super delicious. We were so impressed we returned for dinner as their daily special, Slow Cooked Head of Veal or 'Tete de Veau' was just too tempting to pass. Served on a trevet of colorful and tasty veggies it was a well orchestrated mix of textures between the cheek, the tongue and a couple of morsels I could not recognize but was assured they belonged to the same calf. The dish was the best of regional French fare. The restaurant was full, and extremely family oriented as it was winter break for French schools. We loved the scene of French parents teaching their kids the very art of culinary appreciation at an early age, some cannot be any older than 10 .... way to go!

CHAIR IN HEAVEN

It will take many pictures to explain the setting of our chalet, Squaw Valley, as it is called. I must show you this particular one though, as it is worth 'a thousand words' .... not words I wrote, but words I read. This old, classic leather chair is tucked away in a small loft accessible from my side of the bed, via a steep and small wooden staircase made from drift wood. The sky light directly overhead makes it a perfect spot for reading, be it night or day. What you see is natural lighting, and I love sitting here alone to start my mornings. Equipped with my Kindle, this is my favorite spot when there is a free moment, not that we have too many of those. The book I chose is 'My LIfe in France' by Julia Child, which is very appropriate for this visit, and on this very chair.

MEGEVE!

We received an invitation 6-weeks ago from my college pal and fellow Beelzebubs, alias 'The Pasha', and his lovely consort to spend time with them in Megeve, a French ski resort an hour from Geneva Airport. I am the antithesis of an athelete, Dora and I do not ski, and we have never stayed in a chalet so the obvious answer was 'yes'. The game plan is : 1-week to take in the Alpine spirit using Megeve as our base, then to Geneva to exeprience what it is like to live in, arguably, the most expensive city in Europe if not the world, and to close, a quick round in London to see friends. Needless to say these 2 weeks will be interspaced by 'eating opportunities', so aptly coined by my J&J mentor of yester years, Russ Powderly in Sydney.

I cannot tell you how totally overwhelmed we were by the first glance of this rustic chalet, tugged away in this lovely resort town, with all the trappings of a luxury hotel. It is literally 5-minutes away from everything but one gets the immediate feel of home as one opens the door. The ambience is drastically different from our Asia biased definition of a sea & sun resort, marked by a warm and ever glowing fire as the epicenter. Say hello to a relaxed Dora, in our living room!

NEW YEAR'S EVE 2010

This was taken at Richardson's Bistro of the Lodge, the A$400 a night resort hotel at the fringe of Freycinet National Park. It was the end of a long day, when we started 12-hours ago from Hobart in the morning. The hotel was full and everyone was dressed up for New Year's Eve at the main dining room. We were at the other end of the dress code and tired but on recommendation from a local kayak instructor the girls met we ended up at this lovely oasis. It was 8pm, still light, and the sun was about to set. Needless to say, we did not have a booking. The Bistro was very busy with family business, kids, baby carriers were everywhere. Then, like magic, a table next to the picture window, with a superb view of yet another beautiful bay, and the #8 sign prominently displayed was available ... for us! If that was not a good way to end 2010 and to start 2011 we do not know what is. It was a very special, very warm but very different New Year's Eve for the 4 of us. Dora's 'V' was proof!

If you visit Freycinet make sure you drop by the Bistro, look for the Lodge. Their dark mushroom soup with homemade loaf, and local mussels poached in white wine were just out of this world.

HADLEYS HOTEL

We stayed at the Hadleys Hotel right in the middle of town on our first night in Hobart. Built by convict labor, a huge resource by the way that built most of the infrastructure on this huge island, the hotel was opened in 1834. At that time Hobart was a launch pad for everything that had anything to do with exploring the Antarctic since it was 'the closest point'. Here is a fun story. One prominent explorer, whose name escaped me, actually beat the famous Captain Scott to the South Pole. Returning to Hobart in triumph, he stayed at the Hadleys but was 'poorly treated because he was given a room that he could hardly move around'. The hero of his times was so pissed off (pardon the language I am sure that was precisely how he must felt) 'he shaved, put on a change of clothes, and walked across the street to the post office to send his legendary telegram to announce to the world his conquest of the South Pole'. I bet you did not know this piece of Tassie history.

I was so impressed I could almost feel his presence that night. I believe we were sleeping on that same bed he slept in, albeit a larger room. Heritage, memories, history ... yes ... but modern day hospitality comforts ... well, what can I say?

BAD EXPERIENCE

While we were totally mesmerized by the natural beauty of Tasmania we ran into a few incidents that dampened our enthusiasm. One area is service attitude. As a family we are 'low key' travelers, we are always conscious, and we always respect the local way of doing things. During our 4-day visit we were treated poorly in a few places. We cannot help but get the distinct feeling that while the locals welcome tourist revenues, they may not welcome tourists. I can only use the word 'rude' to describe these unfortunate encounters, one of them is at a small eatery in the town of Swansea.

The Lonely Planet named 'The Ugly Duck Out as one of the best spots for Fish & Chips' according to a survey by either a Sydney or Melbourne paper which I forgot. We found it, on the way to Freycinet. I do not want to bother you with details, the bottom line is; the fish must be 'fresh' out of the freezer right before it was cooked, and their service attitude was obviously in an even deeper freezer. I think Dora paid A$10 or $12 for a single serving, and that did not include ketchup or tartar sauce, at another A$1.5 extra. Hello? This was 2-days after Mures so I knew exactly what Fish & Chips standards should be. The Ugly Duck Out should try duck, instead of fish, in my view.

As a vegetarian Adrea was the lucky one, she passed. As for me, I will double if not triple check Lonely Planet eatery recommendations from now on.

SYDNEY - HOBART 2010

We had the fortune of good timing. On the day of our arrival, December 29th 2010, the first wave of yachts were coming in for the finish. The Sydney-Hobart Race is a serious challenge for serious sailors. I believe a handful were consumed by this unforgiving patch of water between the Continent and Tasmania. A card-carrying landlubber, I used to 'play sailor' and competed in lame harbor races in Hong Kong, the Sunset Series with the Royal HK Yacht Club on a Sonata 24. This open water game is wonderful to watch but it is not for everyone, and it is definitely not for me. Hobart came alive though, cheering on the sailors, offering them and loads of tourists like us the Tassie Food Festival, the Salamanca Open Market and so on. I love this picture, taken right after her 'victory jive' to cross the line as either the 4th or 5th to finish. To give you an idea, two days later slower boats were still arriving, in admirable sporting spirits.

HOBART EATS

If you like seafood of any variety Hobart and its vicinity has a lot to offer. Do not expect Michelin style dishes or fusion (that unappetizing word) presentations, but look for 'Tassie comfort food'. MURES, right on the waterfront is a classic, and I confirm their Fish & Chips is as legendary as people attest. Where else would you be presented with a batter menu, in addition to a list of 'what is left' in the freshly filleted fish department that are worthy of the drill. This is exactly what MURES offered when we sat down for a late lunch. 'Sorry, we only have 2 pieces of Flathead which should not be cooked in beer batter'. Yes, Chef! The lightness of the batter, the beautiful texture of recently caught fish, the bitterness of the arugula and perfectly sea-salted chips will send your taste buds to heaven, as you levitate. MURES is a must! It is not cheap, even for lunch, with the A$ sky high but this experience alone would make it worthwhile.

BARILLA BAY Oyster Farm & Restaurant is another choice of ours. It is located near the town of Cambridge along the Tasman Highway. Established in 1980, it is one of the prime sites to produce the finest quality Pacific Oysters when they were first introduced to Australia. 'Clean estuarine waters & total tidal water replacement' apparently did the trick. Oysters are brought straight from the farm to the kitchen on a daily basis, they do not get any fresher. We ordered this platter called 'Shucking Awesome' - what a fantastic name - which was 30 oysters presented in wild imagination eg crushed almond with salsa verde, cucumber & yuzu jelly, fresh pear & ver juice and, of course, the classic shallot & red wine vinaigrette, Kilpatrick & Rockefeller. I am a purist on downing oysters. Despite all the fanfare the best way is still a few drops of lemon juice and I stop right there ... 'au naturel'! At A$1 per oyster we reckoned it is not going to break the bank so we feasted like there is no tomorrow. Being high in Vitamin E and zero in fat these babies are perfect for my diet. It was already dark when we arrived, it would be much more fun to take a tour of the oyster farm first before you indulge. Do not miss this one.

'PALACIO NG'

Regina & Peter generously hosted us in Melbourne for a few days before our hop to Tassie. We stayed at their palacial home and this was taken at 6am in the morning of our departure. Always a sage counsel to me, Peter preached years ago, when we were partners at RRA, the concept that at retirement one must live in one's largest property because one will need space, lots of space ... 'face to face with one's spouse 24-7 could be a challenge', he advised. Daman lives his words and this is the end game, complete with swimming pool, tennis court and something I would die for, a large herb garden.

I do not know if it is my age but the hustle of a city like Hong Kong has lost its buzz on me. No, I am not quite ready to live in a farm in New England or become a bush dweller Down Under yet but 'tranquility' is still a luxury, even on retirement. I crave for it these days, still. People ask me what I enjoy the most since turning in the Executive Toilet Key and my answer has 2-parts (1) instead of regular hours I go to the gym whenever I like, day or night, sometimes even day and night (2) I can curl up with my Kindle in my reading sofa, the best spot at our home, then read ... read and read, until it is time for a nap. $ cannot buy, as the saying goes.

PERFECT 'TOM-YAM-KOONG'

It has been a while since we hosted a Thai dinner at home and I was horrified how 'out of touch' I was last night. That said, my Spicy Prawn Soup, one of the Top 10 in Thai cuisine, was very real. It might just be my best ever, for the record. I thought I would share this recipe, it is quite easy.

* home made chicken or vegetable stock 1.5 cup
* 2 stems of lemon grass, crushed & sliced
* 1" of galangal, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup of fresh straw mushrooms cut into halves
* 6 medium size prawns, shelled & deveined
* 2 kiffir lime leaves, stems removed & torn in small segments
* sawtooth coriander, sliced

The seasoning sauce is comprised of : fish sauce 3-4 teaspoons, lime juice 2-3 teaspoons, and the 'Piece de Resistance' .... 10-12 crushed small hot chilies, that means at least 10, ideally 12. Get it? If a thicker soup is preferred add 1 teaspoon of roasted chili paste aka Nam Prik Pow and 1/4 cup coconut cream. All this should be pre-mixed and set aside.

Professor Wandee made me promise that I will not change her recipe 'to suit local tastes' and I observe that like a Commandment. When a guest says 'I like Thai, but not too hot though, can you scale it down' my answer is 'how about a French or Chinese meal instead'.

The cooking method is straight forward : start with the stock, add lemon grass & galangal, bring to a boil. It is important the pot stays open, and never covered. Add the mushrooms & prawns but DO NOT STIR, let them come to a boil again. At full boil, pour in the seasoning sauce mixture, add kiffir lime leaves, sawtooth coriander .... take the pot off the heat and garnish with coriander.

Tom Yam Koong, directly translated as 'soup-spicy-prawns' is a great entree for any Asian theme dinner. Try it!