Most people define a city’s rich culture and heritage by its history, architecture and language. However, to us, the true way of getting to know a place is through food. As the saying goes, food is the way to the heart, and there is no better way to fall in love with a city than by indulging in their rich culinary scene.

We had the opportunity to attend the Stellar Dining Series by The Ritz Carlton 2019 in Guangzhou, the final pitstop of the entire event. This is its second year running and the whole series spanned across 2 months and 3 countries — Tokyo, Kyoto & Guangzhou — three of Asia-Pacific’s most renowned gourmet destinations.

This multi-sensory adventure saw exciting collaborations between Michelin star chefs, star mixologists, sommeliers and pâtissiers from 7 Ritz Carlton hotels in Europe and Asia from places such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou. Together, while holding nine Michelin Stars between them, they whipped up a series of lavish, gastronomic feasts that left us gobsmacked and hankering for more.

Aside from the luxurious spread, we also got a chance to learn more about gorgeous Guangzhou through its cuisine. Despite the trip only being 3 days long, we managed to get a substantial taste of the history of this beautiful province by tryng their unique local dishes.

Our home for 3 days was, of course, the palatial The Ritz Carlton, Guangzhou. Exuding elegance and opulence, the hotel is a harmonious combination of Eastern and Western traditions. No detail was left out in its lux appearance, which was complemented by a lineup of impeccable staff who greet their guests with a homely sincerity.

The higher levels of the hotel provide guests with a breathtaking view of the city, including iconic landmarks like the Pearl River and the famous Canton Tower. The convenient location in the bustling city centre also makes it easy to check out attractions such as the Tianhe District, Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou Museum and Guangzhou Library.

THE CHURCHILL BAR
Decked in wood-panelled walls and fixings, plush leather seats and an impressive selection of drinks on display, this stately bar ups your drinking experience by tenfold.

Home to the largest collection of single malt whiskeys in Guangzhou as well as wines, premium beers and fine cognacs, this is an alcohol aficionado’s idea of paradise.

This was also where we got to take part in the Handcrafted Japanese-style Cocktail Masterclass by the bubbly Kentaro Wada, Chief Mixologist of The Ritz Carlton, Tokyo and the 2018 Japan Chivas Masters Global Champion.

We got the chance to watch him work his magic up close as he presented to us his signature Japanese-style cocktails. He also patiently guided us in making our own cocktails while providing us with little tidbits of tricks to help us make a cocktail like a pro.

LAI HEEN

For our first dinner at The Ritz Carlton, Guangzhou, we were honoured to enjoy a six-course dinner prepared by 3 Michelin-starred chefs from 3 different parts of the world— Chef Paul Lau from Hong Kong, Chef Jackie Ho from Macau and Chef Gordon Guo from Guangzhou. This was the first time that these 3 legends were cooking in the very same kitchen and they whipped up an ambrosial, unforgettable Cantonese-style feast.

While it is hard to choose a favourite, the dish that left a lasting impression on all the guests was the Glutinous Rice, Crab Tempura and Tomato, prepared by Chef Paul Lau. Paired with a glass of 2011 Kuai Ji Shan, this Chinese-style risotto featured sticky glutinous rice cooked to perfection in a tangy tomato concoction that was topped with an outrageously crispy crab tempura.

We ended the gastronomical meal on a sweet note with a masterpiece of a dessert by Chef Gordon Guo. Here, a wolfberry infused guava pudding was paired with cheese sauce and a glass of Cháteau Rieussec. A simple yet ingenious combination that pulled all the varying components of the meal together in a harmonious ending.

NANSHA ISLAND FISH MARKET & PEARL RIVER 

On our second day, we went on a little excursion to the Lingan area accompanied by well-known local gastronome, Mr Philip Ho as well as Chef Gordon Guo.

Here, we got to visit Nansha Island Fish Market, a local seafood market at Nansha Shijiuchong in the southern tip of Guangzhou.

We also got the opportunity to take a boat out to sea to explore the Pearl River estuary as well as try our hand at catching some fish. To end off the refreshing experience, Chef Guo and Mr Phillip Ho used the fresh seafood that we had bought at Nansha Island Fish Market to cook us a gargantuan, steaming pot of traditional Cantonese seafood congee.

This wholesome, soothing dish had a creamy texture that was further enhanced by an unconventional ingredient — peanut butter. This paired surprisingly well with the sweetness of the various seafood in the mix such as prawns, crab and fish. If we could have this dish for breakfast every day, we undoubtedly would.

SHUNDE 

For lunch, we dined at the renowned ShunDe, a restaurant that specialises in Cantonese-style food that may come off as slightly bizarre to a foreigner. Here, we sampled interesting, unconventional dishes such as Snake Soup, Stir-fried Soft Shell Turtle and Fried Catfish.

Despite initially being rather intimidating, the Snake Soup, ShunDe’s star dish, was surprisingly palatable. Sweet, fragrant and milky, the soup tasted a little like chicken soup and had a lovely, refreshing finish.

The inclusion of snakeskin and meat in the soup may come off as slightly unnerving for some people but after getting past the chewy texture, we feel that it definitely added a nice touch to the dish.

LIMONI 

To end off the trip on a high, we had our final meal at the ritzy Michelin Plate Restaurant, LIMONI, which name translates from Italian to lemons in English. We were served a stellar six-course dinner that was done up by Executive Sous-Chef Mr Hubert Ly and Italian Chef Davide Allievi.

If we had to pick a favourite, it would be the Sous-Vide Pigeon Breast, Leg Confit, Celeriac, which paired beautifully with a glass of Vintage 2016 Ruffino Aziano.

Pigeon meat, in general, has an intense, gamey taste that can be quite overwhelming. However, the chefs at LIMONI managed to cook the bird in such a way that the gaminess of the pigeon did not overpower the other components of the dish.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the Line Caught French Sea Bass, Forked Potato, Oscietra Caviar, Prosecco Emulsion. Buttery and light, the French sea bass melts away in your mouth upon the first bite. This is further enhanced by the creamy forked potato and rich caviar.

The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou
3 Xing’an Road, Tianhe
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Tel: +86 20 3813 6688

This media trip was made possible by The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou.

A classic favourite for many in Thailand is pad thai. Sweet, nutty and full of varying texture, this stir-fried noodle dish is a must-try when you visit the land of smiles.

Of course, some places do up the dish better than others and one place that is dubbed to have the best pad thai in Bangkok is the legendary Thipsamai. The pad thai here is so famous that they have even earned themselves a Bib Gourmand award by the Michelin Guide.

Located on the outskirts of Chinatown, Thipsamai has been around since 1966 and the store is constantly flooded with both tourists and locals. However, like every other hyped up establishment, the real question is, are the insanely long queues really worth it?

Thipsamai has recently been renovated and the spanking new space now looks fresh and more spacious. It is now even air-conditioned!

We recommend coming about 15 minutes before the store’s actual opening hours before the massive queue builds up.

Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll be greeted by the kitchen which is located right in front of the restaurant, just like how it was before the renovation. Here, you can watch the chefs at work while they cook up plates after plates of scrumptious pad thai.

We tried the Pad Thai with Dried Shrimp and Egg (75 Baht), which is essentially their most basic rendition of the dish. Each plate of this comes full of springy noodles that are tossed together with chives, dried shrimp, beansprouts, tofu and egg.

The noodles had soaked up all that deliciously fragrant sauce while maintaining its chewy, springy texture. We also love how the different components added varying textures to the dish — the crunch from the beansprouts and chives, the chewiness of the tofu and the softness of the egg — which all came together to create an interesting mouthfeel.

Our only gripe was that the portion size was a tad too small. Our bottomless pits would have appreciated a much larger serving!

Next, we had the Pad Thai with Shrimp Oil and Fresh Deep-sea Prawns Wrapped with Egg (120 Baht).

What we love about this dish is how the pad thai comes enveloped in a thin, fragrant layer of egg. Break apart the egg to reveal its enticing contents and give the lot a good mix for maximum enjoyment.

The pad thai here is essentially the same as the Padthai with Dried Shrimp and Egg that we had previously, but we have to admit that the simple addition of the egg wrap was genius and it completely elevated the entire dish. We love how the egg provided the pad thai with a decent amount of sweetness without it being too overwhelming as well as a satisfying added texture and bite.

All in all, we can see why Thipsamai is so popular amongst both locals and tourists. However, we feel that it isn’t as great as what many people have hyped it up to be. We do recommend you popping by to give it a try but we doubt that it will be on the top of our must-do lists for any future trips to Bangkok.

Thipsamai 
313 315 Maha Chai Road
Khwaeng Samran Rat, Khet Phra Nakhon
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 226 6666
Daily: 5pm – 2am

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