I went on a few organized tours in Vietnam, including a motorbike tour in Saigon which I thought was pretty different from anything I had done to that point, until this shiny red Citroen 2CV pulled up in front of our hotel.
You can have great coffee anywhere in the country, but for me, the most enjoyable was in Hanoi, largely because of its plethora of interesting and quirky cafes. If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam’s capital, then here are thirteen coffeehouses to perk up your palate and your Instagram feed.
Most of the time, we visit wet markets during the day but thanks to A Chef’s Tour, I got to experience one of Hanoi’s biggest markets at the crack of dawn, when it’s at its liveliest. The difference in market activity between 5AM and 11AM is literally like night and day.
Time Out Market is a food hall located inside the historic Mercado da Ribeira, a traditional market hall built in the 1890s in Lisbon’s now trendy Cais do Sodre waterfront district.
Delhi is one of the most important cities in India, having served as a vital political, commercial, and cultural hub throughout its long history. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world and is believed to have been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BCE.
Chicken tikka masala is a heavenly dish made with boneless chunks of roasted marinated chicken swimming in a delicious creamy curry. Though it’s clearly an Indian-influenced dish, its exact origins are unknown.
The word “breathtaking” is often used to describe picturesque places and scenery, but rarely is it meant in a literal sense. At the Taj Mahal, I literally felt my breath leave my body when I walked through the south gate and laid eyes on this majestically beautiful building for the very first time.
Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine. It can be found in different forms throughout the country, though it’s most closely associated with Hong Kong and Guangdong Province – ie Cantonese cuisine.
Kolkata is a city of revolutionaries and intellectuals. It’s regarded as the cultural capital of India, having spawned generations of artists, poets, writers, film producers, and Nobel Prize winners.
Char siu refers to barbecued pork and is the most popular type of siu mei in Cantonese cuisine. The term char siu literally means “fork roasted” and refers to the traditional method of skewering seasoned boneless pork with long forks and cooking it over an open fire.