Istanbul, Turkey

Cappadocia, Turkey

When a person hears the name "Cappadocia", one image- and one image only- immediately pops up in his or her head- hot air balloons in multicolored stripes floating atop a spectacular rocky expanse. I had always seen pictures of the aforementioned image in various websites, books and television shows, and was thrilled to learn that I would be heading to the very region these images were set in. After a few days in Istanbul, my family and I flew to Cappadocia, Turkey, where we would experience many "firsts" of our lives- our first time on a hot air balloon, our first time living in a cave, and our first time eating baklava.

The hotel
Cave hotels are ubiquitous in Cappadocia, and we figured it would be an opportunity wasted if we did not stay in one of these ourselves. We stayed at the Yunak Evleri hotel in Urgup. The hotel was just as I'd imagined it to be. The room that we stayed in was toasty and quaint. Although it was extremely frigid outside, the heaters worked wonders and the room remained insulated and warm. The bathroom was also very modern, which came as a shock to me as the room itself looked as though I truly was living in a cave. It was definitely one of the most, if not the most, unique hotels I've stayed at.

The people at the hotel were extremely accommodating, and went to every length they could to make us feel comfortable. If I recall correctly, the hotel that we stayed at was family-run, and the warm, friendly atmosphere was apparent throughout our stay.

Below: The sign of the hotel we stayed at

Below: An image of our room in the cave hotel (the living room which had two extra beds placed in it)

Below: The bedroom 

Below: The bathroom

The people
I cannot write this blog post without commenting on how friendly and kind everyone was in Cappadocia. Our tour guide and driver in particular were always so cordial and approachable. An exchange that still resonates with me to this day would be when we were all eating lunch and decided to try some traditional baclava. The driver, who was in his sixties and had a plump face that never stopped smiling, commented "my new baby granddaughter is sweet like this baclava". This simple, endearing exchange caused laughter to erupt in our table.

Hot Air Ballooning
We rose quite literally at the crack of dawn on our first full day there- it seemed as though we beat the sun in waking up. We stacked layers upon layers of clothes on, as we knew that it would be absolutely frigid in the hot air balloon (wow oxymoron much?). As we arrived at the hot air ballooning site, we were shuttled onto a van that brought us, along with other tourists, to the hot air balloons. The first few minutes were spectacular- just as I had imagined it would be. The snowcapped fairy chimneys were clearly visible from the hot air balloons, and the sun was beginning to rise. After a few minutes, the cold air that kept slapping across our faces rendered my whole body numb, and it got harder and harder to concentrate on the breathtaking view. Nonetheless, my experience was as magical as I had imagined it to be, although I would recommend bringing a blanket or some sort of heat pack if you're going in the winter time.
Below: The hot air balloon that my family and I rode in 

Below: Our view from the hot air balloon

Göreme
Göreme is a beautiful town in Cappadocia that is famed for its' fairy chimney-filled expanse. Since we visited Cappadocia in February, Goreme National Park was blanketed under powdery snow, which made the views even more spectacular. There is a lot of Byzantine artwork on the rock sites within the troglodyte dwellings that is said to date back to the 4th century.

Below: The Goreme sign

Below: The snow-capped mountains of Goreme

Below: A photo of me and my sister

Below: The landscape of Goreme

Below: My sister getting Turkish ice cream 

Below: The caves in Goreme National Park

Below: Examples of Byzantine art

Below: A picture of my family

  
Below: Me in front of some fairy chimneys

Cave dwellings
On our first day in Cappadocia, we went on a tour to explore the cave dwellings that scatter the region. I learned from the tour guide that thousands of years ago, the denizens of this region began carving tunnel complexes and houses from the soft rocks of the expanse. These man made caves eventually formed entire towns, and house beautiful Byzantine frescoed artwork that have been there since the 7th century.

Below: The view from one of the cave houses 

Below: Me and my family in the cave house kitchen 

Below: An example of the beautiful Byzantine style artwork in the caves

Basic phrases:
Hi: Selam/ Merhaba
Bye: Hoscakal
How are you?: Nasilsiniz?
Good morning: Gunaydin

**NOTE: This blog post is mainly filled with photos. The blog post on Istanbul, which will be posted in a few weeks, will delve further into Turkish culture and history.

New York City- Food Edition

Coming from a family of self-proclaimed food aficionados, it would be unheard of to visit New York City without venturing into the many eateries that scatter the city. My family is known to plan our restaurant visits months in advance, and one of our favorite topics to discuss is what to eat for our next meal. We don't all share the same features or personality traits, but one thing that is uncanny in our family of four is our bodily response when we see good food- eyes wide open, transfixed on the plate being set on our table; noses twitching, sniffing vigorously like a canine detecting its' favorite treat; mouths salivating; and of course, hands ready to whip out our phones to take a picture of the delectable dish set in front of us. During my visit to New York City last week, I went to various restaurants, bakeries and delis to sample the unique dishes that New York has to offer.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Nestled in Soho's Spring street, Dominique Ansel Bakery has been known to start various food trends, such as the "cronuts" and "cookie shots". I had heard stories of people lining up at the wee hours of dawn to sample some of Dominique Ansel's famed "cronuts" (a portmanteau of croissants and donuts), yet I never had the opportunity to try them myself. Unfortunately, the cronuts had all sold out by the time I arrived at the bakery, so I took the opportunity to try some of his other creations.

DKA
DKA stands for Dominique's Kouign Amann, a flaky croissant-type pastry covered with a caramelized crust. My mother's favorite pastry at the bakery, the DKA has just the right balance of flaky and soft, and the flavors were rich yet not overbearing.

Cookie shots
We had arrived at the bakery at around 2:30, and decided to stick around until 3 in order to line up for the Cookie Shots. There is a quota as to how many Cookie Shots each customer can buy (2), and for good reason. The line grew long, fast. The Cookie Shot is certainly a novel creation- it's a chocolate chip cookie moulded in the shape of a shot glass, with a layer of milk chocolate on the inside. To top it off, vanilla milk is poured into the shot glass. This was my favorite dessert at the bakery- although the cookie itself tasted like a lot of other chocolate chip cookies I had tried before, the vanilla milk was extraordinarily rich, and the chocolate layer within the "shot" really contributed to the richness of the flavor.

Frozen S'more
Once again, like all of Dominique's other creations, the Frozen S'more is undoubtedly a novel idea. It's a dessert with a custard ice cream center, covered with chocolate wafers and frozen marshmallow concoction. I'm telling you, I am known to have a sweet tooth. However, this dessert was far too decadent and sweet. I definitely would not be able to finish a whole Frozen S'more by myself, although I wouldn't mind sharing it with someone else just to have a small bite of it.

Mercer Kitchen

By far one of my favorite restaurants in New York, Mercer Kitchen is one of acclaimed chef Jean-Georges' many restaurants. The ambiance and decor of Mercer Kitchen is full of character- the exposed brick walls, rustic "skylight", and open kitchen set a nice mood. Jean Georges is actually married to a Korean woman, hence I found that a lot of menu items fused both Western and Asian influences and ingredients.

Sweet Pea Soup
The Sweet Pea Soup was nothing special- it didn't have any interesting flavors or a unique texture; it was simply a good, typical sweet pea soup. The texture was creamy, the croutons crispy, and the soup hot- exactly like a standard sweet pea soup should be. There definitely wasn't any wow factor with this dish.

Tuna Spring Roll
One of my favorite dishes of the day, the Tuna Spring Roll was crispy, flavorful and unique. It is a piece of tuna sashimi with a flaky wrap and soy bean puree on the side. The sauce on the side complemented the tender, juicy sashimi perfectly. The texture and taste of the dish easily rendered it the winning dish of the day for me.

Salmon with Crispy Rice
Another one of the dishes with an Asian twist, the Salmon with Crispy Rice came a close second for the title of the day's winning dish. The tenderness and juiciness of the salmon juxtaposed with the crispiness of the rice made for an extraordinarily distinctive dish.

Schaller and Weber Hot Dog 
Yet another dish with an Asian fusion twist, the Schaller and Weber Hot Dog has Kimchi relish scattered on top of the Schaller and Weber sausage. The fries were crispy and had just the right amount of salt and seasoning, while the hot dog itself tasted good. The Kimchi really helped neutralize the "heaviness" of the sausage dish, although it was a tad too sour (perhaps it wasn't fermented enough).

ABC Kitchen

Yet another one of Jean-Georges' restaurants, ABC Kitchen is located near Union Square. The restaurant has a rustic, minimalistic atmosphere and decor that made it seem like a very trendy, fun place to eat lunch with friends on a Sunday lunch.


Crab toast
The crab toast is simply pieces of toasted bread topped off with lemon aioli and shrimp. The shrimp was succulent, juicy and fresh. It was a great flavorful starter that got our tastebuds excited for the meal to come.

Calamari
The two sauces that came with the calamari were great- one was zesty (the marinara sauce) and one was creamy and rich (the mustard aioli). The calamari itself was fried perfectly on the outside and juicy on the inside, and it had just the right level of seasoning.

Squash pizza
According to the waiter, the squash pizza is one of the most popular dishes at ABC Kitchen. Although it was a new flavor pairing that my palate was not familiar with, I ended up enjoying it tremendously. One gripe that I have about the pizza was that the dough itself was rather soggy and didn't have the sort of crunchy texture that I like in a pizza.

Kasha and bowtie pasta
The Kasha and bowtie pizza came with small veal meatballs. Although the pasta was cooked well, the actual sauce was slightly too salty for my family's palates. Would likely not try again.

Lobster

My sister and my father are huge lobster lovers, hence it was no surprise that they wanted to order the lobster dish. The lobster was succulent, juicy and moist, while the seasoning on the lobster was flavorsome.

Salted caramel ice cream sundae

Once I saw this on the menu, I knew that I absolutely had to order it- it was a combination of a few of my favorite things- ice cream, caramel and popcorn. This really was the highlight of my meal (my sweet tooth is still apparent to this day), and tasted absolutely decadent. The popcorn was crunchy and sweet, and the contrast between the creaminess of the ice cream and the crunchiness of the popcorn really made the dessert all the more delicious.

Nobu Next Door

One of the many Nobu restaurants located around the world, Nobu Next Door is located in Tribeca, and offers many novel Peruvian-Japanese dishes. This is one of my family's favorite restaurants, as their flavor profiling really matched our family's preferences in food.

Breakfast Tacos
A blend of Mexican and Japanese cuisine, these tacos are composed of washu, quail egg, onion and aji amarillo. My mother has a relatively weak stomach- she finds certain foods very "heavy" and greasy easily and simply doesn't eat them. Normally, tacos are one of them. However, these tacos were light and fresh, and were a hit at our lunch table.

Nobu tacos

I actually preferred these Nobu tacos to the Breakfast tacos. Mine had lobster in it, while the other two had crab in them. These simple tacos tasted very fresh, and the sauce was brilliant- my father actually spooned some onto his plate and dipped a lot of the other dishes in it. 

Bagel and lox
The bagel and lox is simply salmon placed on top of a crispy rice "bagel". The contrast between the two textures- the crispy rice and the smooth salmon- worked harmoniously, and I would definitely try these again.

Crispy rice with spicy tuna

These crispy rice cubes can be dipped into soya sauce, and then topped off with spicy tuna. The waiter told us that this was one of their signature dishes, and although I liked it, it wasn't something that I would actively seek out to eat. 

Salmon
The salmon was drenched in miso sauce, and was topped off with various thinly sliced vegetables. Overall, I really liked this dish. It was moist and flavorful, and overall I think that miso goes well with various fishes.

Lobster and "Grits" Soba, Poached Egg, Maine Lobster, Truffle

This was my favorite dish of the day. I loved Nobu Next Door's innovative take on traditional soul food. The grits tasted absolutely delicious- I wasn't sure what exactly they were made of, but I liked the gritty texture of it, as it complemented the other components of the dish very well.

Gaonnuri

Located on the top of a commercial building in K-Town, Gaonnuri is a trendy, modern and eclectic Korean restaurant that boasts an impeccable view. The second I stepped out of the elevator, I was greeted with white traditional Korean pots that hovered over the bar. As we walked into the main dining area, I was in awe over how stunning the view of the city was. It was then that I decided that I loved the New York skyline much more than the Hong Kong skyline. 

The beef at gaonnuri was okay, but it wasn't (understandably) as tender as the KBBQ beef that you can get in Korea. My parents told me that if you order yangnyum galbi, the seasoning can mask the mediocrity of the beef quality. Hence, we decided to order more yangnyum galbi than just plain, unseasoned gogi (that you dip into sauce). Overall, the food was good, not great. However, I would go back just for the view and the decor.

Umami Burger

Umami Burger rose to popularity in 2013 for its' signature truffle burgers. Since we were only in New York for a week, we had to choose between Umami Burger and the cult-classic burger restaurant Shake Shack. However, seeing as we had tried Shake Shack in New York numerous times before, we decided to see what the hype around the Umami truffle burger was all about. The restaurant resembled a classic, all-American diner, while the waiters and staff were extremely attentive and friendly. What I found really unique about Umami Burger was that their drink choices were really interesting- instead of the standard Coke, Sprite and Fanta, they had Mexican Coke (which is said to be tastier as it is sweetened with cane sugar) and other drinks that I had neither seen nor tasted before. 

Umami Burger 
All of the burgers at Umami Burger are stamped with their insignia- the letter U. The Umami Burger was juicy, tender and and meaty- all the characteristics that I like in a burger.

Truffle Burger
Since we had come to Umami Burger specifically for the truffle burger, I had high hopes for this dish. Like the original Umami Burger, the meat was tender and juicy, and the truffle flavoring was aromatic and strong. I really liked the flavor pairing of truffle with cheese and meat. The burger really lived up to its' hype!

Macau

One of the two Special Administrative Regions of China (the other being my hometown Hong Kong), Macau is situated on the southeast coast of China. A city known for its casinos and lavish hotels, it is often regarded as the "Las Vegas of the East". Having lived in Hong Kong for over 17 years, I have visited Macau multiple times for day visits. Although it shares some similarities with Hong Kong, it has a unique nuance that masterfully blends both the Eastern and Western influences that have permeated its' history.

How to get there:
In order to get to Macau, my family and I took the Cotaijet Ferry, which runs between the Taipa ferry terminal in Macau and the Hong Kong-Macau ferry terminal in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Since the Cotaijet Ferry operates high speed catamarans, the journey to Macau typically takes only about an hour. Although for the most part, the ride remains bump-free, if you do have a tendency of getting seasick, try to buy acupressure bands in Watson's or Mannings. There is also an airport in Macau, but the standard journey to Macau is through ferry via Hong Kong.

Places to visit:
City of Dreams Macau- The House of Dancing Water
During my last visit to Macau, my family and I went to the City of Dreams, an entertainment complex that houses various hotels, restaurants, shops and casinos. We watched The House of Dancing Water, which is a show similar to Cirque du Soleil's "O" show. I came to find out that this show is directed by Franco Dragone, one of the original creators of Cirque du Soleil. The show was truly thrilling, with amazing dives, world-class acrobats, a beautiful set, great ambiance and even a motorbike show that drew multiple "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience. It was definitely the highlight of my trip, as I was kept on my toes at all times.

The Ruins of St. Paul
An icon of Macau, the Ruins of St. Paul is a beautiful piece of architecture that overlooks the Rua de Sao Paulo. Originally built in the 16th century, this Jesuit church was destroyed in a fire (for the 3rd time!) after a typhoon swept across Macau in 1835. All that remains of this Church is the beautifully carved four story facade which depicts both Western and Eastern design elements.    

A Ma Temple
A Ma Temple is the oldest in Macau, and has a fascinating story to go with it. Legend goes that the name "Macau" was actually derived from this temple. When Portuguese explorers arrived on the island many centuries ago, they asked the locals for the name of this island. However, the locals misunderstood their question, and assumed that they were asking for the name of the temple, "Ma Ge". The Portugese then translated this to "Macau", thus giving an origin to this name.

This temple is dedicated to Matzu, a sacred goddess of seafarers. There are varying tales of Matzu, such as the tale of how she saved her father while he was at sea after she fell into a trance.

Side note-
The city is much more vibrant during Chinese New Year. However, it can be crowded so brace yourself. 

Things to eat:
Lord Stow's Bakery- Egg tarts
This famed bakery is known for creating the "egg tart", a dessert whose Portuguese influences have proved very popular in Hong Kong and Macau. Its creamy custard-like inside and crispy golden brown pastry is something that I personally look forward to every visit. Although they have a few stores in Hong Kong, the original bakery can be found on Coloane Island in Macau. My family and I always make sure to stop by the bakery before leaving Macau to bring fresh egg tarts back home.

Pork Chop Bun- Street vendors
These decadent buns are both crisp and soft, and contain a fried pork chop and lettuce sandwiched between two bread slices. The bread is a type of bread popular in Hong Kong and Macau and resembles a baguette. Don't let the simplicity of the dish fool you- it's a snack that truly isn't famous for no reason.

If you're in both Macau and Hong Kong, I would recommend saving the Dim Sum for your meals in Hong Kong, and trying out some authentic Portuguese food whilst in Macau. My family and I ate at a small Portugese restaurant that served food bursting with flavor and color. However, other restaurants that are famous in Macau include Antonio's and Fernando's.

Key phrases:
The official languages of Macau are Portugese and Chinese. I found that most people, like in Hong Kong, speak Cantonese. Here are a few key phrases to use:
Hello: Lay ho
Goodbye: Joy geen
Thank you: M goy
Yes: Hai
No: M hai
Where is the bathroom?: Chee soh hai bin do ah?