The Hungry Nomad - Food, Travel, Lifestyle

Magasin Cafe Re-visited (New Orleans, USA)

June 15, 2012 1 Comment

I already wrote a post on this restaurant but I think it deserves another one since their service has dramatically improved. I love Vietnamese food- particularly a good pho and am so happy to have this place so close to home. The Count and I are frequent visitors (don’t tell Tan Dinh since the Count has been their loyal customer for years).

I love the interior of the restaurant. It’s clean, modern and fresh. There are stools lining the windows for additional seating and a cement area in the middle which they have creatively used as a seating area.

Each table comes ready with an assortment of sauces, cutlery and napkins.

On our list of must haves are the crab rangoon, various spring rolls, the chicken pho and lemongrass chicken banh mi. The Count also tried the fillet Mignon steak dish once which he thoroughly enjoyed. The crab rangoon is a crispy fried dough filled with cream cheese served with a side of sweet and sour sauce. It was my first time trying it at Magasin Cafe but ever since I have been hooked.

Below is a photo of the chicken vermicelli which as you can see was served with mint, shredded carrots, spring onions and cabbages. The colorful range of flavors exploded into an amazing spoonful of textures and tastes in my mouth. So good and so fresh.

My main dish is always the chicken pho since I love a good soup and for me the pho is a mixture of your chicken noodle soup with a twist. The addition of fresh basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts and lime with a spoonful of the spicy sauce just makes it oh so good. Even when its boiling hot outside.

I also love how they have set up the outdoor space. It reminded me a lot of Thailand (since I have not yet been to Vietnam). It looked like many local restaurants in the area with one man grilling meats on the barbecue outside. Overall, it’s a wonderful creative space to stimulate your senses…the best part: it is very cheap compared to other restaurants in the area.

Caribbean, Gourmand, St. Martin, Travel

Our first Lolo in St. Martin (Grand Case, St. Martin)

June 13, 2012 No Comments

Due to the craziness leading up to our wedding, I really didn’t have the chance to research our honeymoon destination: St. Martin. Little did I know that it not only has some of the nicest beaches I’ve been to but that it is also a culinary heaven. Fact: It has been named the culinary capital of the West Indies due to the large variety of fancy French restaurants and European influences. Where are these restaurants mainly located? In Grand Case.

Beach in St. Marteen

And as is the case in almost all our trips we started the trip driving all across the island in zigzags and several times in circles (of course no trip is complete with the Count getting us lost). After driving around for an hour, we were hungry- really hungry! With no food in sight we kept driving. Miraculously we ended up in Grand Case, which was closer to our hotel than we expected. Grand Case was not what I had expected when I looked on the map- I read that very morning on the plane that it was a small fisherman town with a nice beach and many fancy french restaurants. In my mind (having never been to the Caribbean before) I expected a beach side resort with fancy restaurants and shops sort of similar to the Cote d’Azur. So when we arrived on the main strip of Grand Case we had no idea where we were and that this was where we would spend most of our nights for the next 7 days.

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Buying fresh produce for the kitchen

We smelled barbecued chicken and ribs and delicious Cajun spices. Mouths watering we immediately parked and said to each other that this shabby local out door diner would do. We parked ourselves at one of the many lolo’s packed in this tiny area: The Talk of the Town.

A lolo is what localers call an open air food stand which you may find alongside the roadside or beach all over the island and I imagine all over the Caribbean. Some are nicer than others but in general most that we visited had picnic style tables, smoke rising from the BBQ pits with the delicious smell of meats and seafood being grilled and a variety of stews and dishes lined up in large metal tins.

There is usually a variety of dishes that changes daily which you can order alongside your grilled meat. I wanted to try it all but contained myself to the red beans and Cajun spiced rice, friend plantains and barbecued chicken washing it down with a bottle of Ting.

The best park of this experience: it was cheap yet the freshest and best meal we had while in St. Martin.

Uncategorized

June 13, 2012 No Comments

Beach, Caribbean, St. Martin, Travel

Greetings from Sint Marteen/St. Martin (Caribbean)

June 8, 2012 1 Comment

You may (or may not) have noticed that I have been missing in action and that my blog has been post-less for several weeks. It is not because I have been lazy or not eating, quite the contrary- I have been eating tons and travelling lots. But most importantly it was my wedding or I guess its more accurate to say that it was the Count and I’s wedding followed by our honeymoon in Saint Martin. Hosting over a 100 out of town guests in New Orleans pre and post wedding didn’t leave much time to keep my blog up to date. But I am back with plenty of treats to write about.

Below is a photo of a slice of heaven on earth: Anse Marcel beach in St. Martin. My food adventures will follow shortly.

Bubble Tea, Gourmand, Ice Cream, New Orleans

Bubble Tea at Honeydeux (New Orleans, USA)

May 7, 2012 No Comments

Ever since I moved down to New Orleans I kept questioning why there were no bubble tea places around. After all, it is a frozen drink and seemed like it would be a great hit down here. Well, I am happy to say that finally one has opened on Magazine street. Honeydeux serves bubble tea in a range of real fruit flavors along with an assortment of asian shaved ice and wraps.

What to look for in a good bubble tea? Do they use real fruits? If so you know its good. This place even uses real taro roots (the purple drink on the bottom) which is ever so delicious. Most places use taro powder rather than the real thing. Next, you should look for a perfect proportion of tapioca balls which are average in size and not overly hard or soft but chewy. My personal favorites are the taro, coconut and honeydeux. I’ll have to go back and try their asian shaved ice which is served with fruits and a scoop of ice-cream on top finished off with condensed milk. Anything with condensed milk makes me happy (in fact I may or may not eat spoonfuls at times for dessert…mmmm condensed milk). Ok. Back to my review…. as you can tell by the pink lipstick below I tried the taro and loved it.

The prices are a bit on the steeper end but I’m thinking its the new trend down here. More competition would bring down prices; unfortunately for us, there aren’t that many bubble tea places around and so you have to pay the higher price. In return however you do get real fruits as opposed to powder.

Bakery, Coffee Shop

A tribute to the Chocolate Croissant at CC’s Coffee House (New Orleans, USA)

May 4, 2012 No Comments

I’ve had plenty of chocolate croissants in my days ranging from villages in France to Paris, Switzerland and all over Canada, but this one has carved a special place in my…stomach. It is so tasty that I just had to write a review about it.

The croissant is flaky, tender, and crispy yet chewy. The best part is the creamy praline/chocolate mixture on the inside. And to top it off are the dark crispy chocolate sprinkles.

CC’s Community Coffee House is a local New Orleans Coffee shop started in 1995 and quickly expanded to all over Louisiana. You’ll realize why its so great once you try their chocolate croissant and coffee.

CC’s Community Coffee House on Urbanspoon

Breakfast, Brunch, Gourmand, Miami

Front Porch Cafe (Miami, USA)

May 3, 2012 No Comments

Front Porch Cafe is a popular breakfast/brunch joint in South Beach. I didn’t know about it until my last trip when I was walking by to grab some Starbucks across the street and noticed the long line up. Any long line up is always a good sign to be since most restaurants on Ocean Drive have to pretty much beg and seduce you into their restaurants so when there is one that has a line up around the corner it can only mean one thing: good food.

I forgot about my coffee and got in line. The line up was long but not outrageously long. Soon we were seated and forgot we waited at all.

The reviews all raved about the bloody mary so naturally it was the first item I ordered. It was very strong and I only had a few sips. But for those who like their morning cocktails on the stronger side than you won’t complain. It turned out that the drink was more expensive than our meal (oh South Beach!!!)

We ordered the granola pancakes and the Miga’s. The granola pancakes and the green eggs seem to be favorites on the menu. I however am a big fan of migas (became addicted in Mexico) and ordered it as soon as I spotted it on the menu.

The Migas consisted of 3 eggs scrambled with their homemade salsa, topped with pepper jack cheese and whole wheat corn chips drizzled with their homemade salsa and served with a side of hash browns or fresh fruits. The granola pancakes consisted of a blend of granola and whole wheat served with a side of syrup and a choice of hash browns or fresh fruits.

The granola pancakes were light and healthy. I found the Migas was bland and lacked in flavor. Overall, the food was a bit over hyped. There are many lovely little spots in South Beach to eat. However, if you want a ‘trendy’ scene for brunch on the weekend then you will enjoy this place. If you’ve been clubbing all night and want to continue the party then this is the place for you. The food and service were good but not anything to write home about.

Cuban, Gourmand, Miami

Puerto Sagua (Miami, USA)

May 2, 2012 No Comments

The first thing I do on every trip to South Beach is make my way over to my favorite Cuban diner/restaurant located on Collins Avenue: the famous Puerto Sagua.

Peurto Sagua is nestled amongst all the glitz and glamour of South Beach. However, it is a very unassuming local restaurant with no fancy gimmicks. You will find people from all walks of life: the Cuban handyman popping over on his quick lunch break, old-world Cubans, politicos, club-goers, other locals and tourists who are fortunate enough to have discovered it in time.

If you go during lunch/dinner rush, the place is packed and there is usually a small line up. On our last trip we went pretty early in the evening and were pleased to find the place half full (for once).

First on the list is always an order of the avocado salad (if in season), the tomato/lettuce salad and fried totones (plantains) served with a side dip.

For my main dish, I always go with the Ropa Veija. Ropa Veija which is Spanish for ‘old clothes’ is a dish most popular in the Canary islands and the Caribbean. It is a shredded flank, brisket or skirt steak slow cooked in a tomato sauce base served with a side of rice, black beans and fried delicious plantains.

Ropa Veija

The Count ordered the flank steak served with grilled onions, rice and fries. The portions are very generous and filling. The Count had limited comments about the steak- only stating that it was not the best he’s ever had. For the price and portions however, we were both happy. My dish as always was delicioso.

Once done with our meals, we always make our way over to the coffee bar on the left side of the restaurant to have our think Cuban coffee with a one of the Cuban sweets seen below.

Hungry Nomad’s Suggestions:

1- Fried Plantains
2- Avocado Salad
3- Ropa Veija

Uncategorized

Greetings from Miami

May 1, 2012 No Comments

This week’s posts are all about Miami. More specifically, South Beach. As a frequent Miami/Fort Lauderdale go’er, I’ve been asked about my favorite spots to dine, shop, have drinks and sleep in South Beach. The next few posts are therefore dedicated to South Beach and all of its glory.

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Guide to Miami

May 1, 2012 No Comments

The first rule of being a true nomad is to constantly move around and travel. I take it very seriously and involuntarily find myself travelling around every few weeks (job allowing). Last week’s trip was to Miami.

Ay Miami! So much to love in this City…mainly the beach, beauty and of course the food. Here’s a few tips from my adventures in Miami.

If you make a trip to Miami, you definitely want to stay in South Beach. This is where everything happens. From the fancy hotels, amazing beach pool/beach parties to the nightclub scene, South Beach is where it is at.

If you want a less fancy option on places to sleep, try the boutique Art Deco hotels on Collins Avenue. They are very cute and a block away from the beach.

For fancier options check out:

The Setai (2001 Collins Avenue, Miami, Florida)

Gansevoort South,

Delano,

National

the Raleigh.

For a night out on the town the best clubs are (as of April 2012):

Liv,

Mynt