The final stop on my Calgary food adventure with Jessie Cayabo was at Anju, a popular modern Korean restaurant helmed by award-winning chef, Roy Oh. "Anju" means "food you eat with alcohol" in Korean, usually casual food shared with friends,…
On our way back in from Banff, my friend Jessie took me to a super hidden hotspot called Alloy. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd totally miss it; the restaurant is a converted office building in…
If you find yourself in Calgary, be sure to take a side trip to Banff. It's one of the most beautiful places in Alberta, year round, and it's just a 90 minute drive from the city. When we got there,…
You often want to end a trip on the highest note, but for me, the aria came early (and so did I). Jessie took me to a newish restaurant called Bread & Circus so she could scope out the chef…
Did you know that Canadian beef — specifically, from Alberta — is significantly different from any other beef in the world? I didn't know it until I got to Calgary. And I was completely blown away. My primary focus for this…
I had no idea Vancouver was so hipster. I knew that there would be a lot of Chinese people, since it's known as the Hong Kong Annex, but I didn't realize that the city would be an extension of San…
I hate my birthday, so every year I try to escape to another country to avoid it. This year, traveling solo, I figured I should go somewhere easy, so my friend Jessie Cayabo — who does PR for various restaurants…
Although 2 million tourists are expected to visit Iceland this year — heck, you probably have people in your Instagram feed there right now — there's still a big mystery on what to expect and how to prepare for travel…
Most people will tell you that Iceland is not really a dining destination, and to some extent, that’s true. It’s hard for me to say for sure unless I try some truly local spots, but tourism seems to have shaped…
One of the biggest misperceptions that people have about Iceland is that it’s a small place because it’s an island. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know it sounds a little scary and humbug to not have a…
When people think of lodging in the far north, they often envision the famous ice hotels and glamping igloos. Well, guess what? There are no ice hotels in Iceland! You can only find them in Canada, Sweden, Japan, Finland, Norway,…
As many of you know, Iceland is a (figuratively) hot destination for travel right now. Blogger Deb Aoki and I became two of the 2 million visitors to the Nordic island recently, and that was quite the adventure! I’m going to…
The spectacular view from Mt Eden or Maungawhau, a dormant volcanic cone just five minutes south of the Auckland CBD. (Click to enlarge) I’m going to be honest, despite its sneaky rolling hills and spotty weather, exploring Auckland is best…
Farm to table, sustainable, seasonal, free-range — the trendy buzzwords slathered like jam on menus the world over these days have been New Zealand’s standard practice from the beginning. The cuisine is similar to that of Australia, largely influenced by…
New Zealand, or Aotearoa as it’s known in Maori, is nothing short of magical. From green pastoral landscapes to soaring seaside cliffs, there wasn’t a vista that didn’t enthrall me. Although my six days in Auckland couldn’t do kiwiland enough…
When we first booked our trip to Dubai, people’s eyes would light up as they asked, “Are you flying on Emirates Airlines?” Everyone knows about the famous airline with the beautiful flight attendants that wear a red hat with a veil.…
Aloha from Dubai! Here’s a look at my quick vacation in the fabulous man-made oasis in middle of the vast desert of the United Arab Emirates. My friend Val texted me a few months ago, saying she and her boyfriend Kyle…
One of the reasons I flew to France via Tokyo was because I had a layover in Qatar, via Qatar Airways. You can tell a lot about a city from the airport, and the thought of getting a glimpse of…
Many people — me included — don’t have enough resources for staying connected in Europe. No problem with Japan, but Europe has been a big mystery, and even Mellissa Cedillo of Elena’s Filipino Foods has gone through various (expensive) trials…
I was so happy to have found a lot of places that served great food in Beaune. In fact, by the time we left, we had run out of time and didn’t get a chance to try a couple of…
When I first got to Beaune, I thought I was going to be disappointed. At a glance, it seemed like there were rows and rows of touristy restaurants, all with similar price points and all with the same thing on…
I have been drinking and learning about wines for a couple of decades now, and my niece Ahnya has now started to learn more about the art of tasting wines in France. So in retrospect, Beaune — with its vast…
Place de la Liberation, Dijon. This is a slightly different blog post as I am pretty much just telling you what we did in one day in Dijon. I actually can’t step up and say, “You MUST stop here!” —…
I love going to places that aren’t well known by most tourists, and Beaune seems to be one of them. When I was trying to get tickets in Paris to get to this city, just outside of Dijon, no one knew…
The home base for the 2022 Hale ‘Aina Restaurateurs of the Year is a hidden paradise that serves up the best Lao and Thai food in Honolulu.
