Photo of The Day: KANDY, SRI LANKA 2014

My Daily Morning Commute: Dubai Metro

We've tried a lot of metros from different parts of the world and I must say, the Dubai Metro is one of the best. Check out our little timelapse homage for Dubai Metro's 5th Anniversary see Dubai from our eyes....The commuters!

Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie: A Night With Chef Sebastian Torres

We are back in Madeleine Café and Boulangerie, this time not for breakfast but to try a 3 course menu prepared by their guest chef, Chef Sebastian Torres.

Check out my blog about their All Day Lazy Breakfast.

When I got the invitation, I was very excited to try what Chef Sebastian will offer for that day. Every day from the 26^th of August until the 6^th of September 2014, a special menu will be available for all patrons of the restaurant. And yes, everyday, it is a different set of menu.

[caption id="attachment_927" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chef Sebastian Torres in Madeleine Cafe and Boulangerie, Dubai, UAE (photo credits to Madeliene Cafe and Boulangerie FB Page[/caption]

From the information that I got, Chef Sebastian Torres comes to Dubai from time to time to create a special menu for Madeleine Café and Boulangerie. This helps the restaurant offer fresh authentic French cuisines to its loyal patrons and first time visitors. So when he comes back, I suggest that you head  to Dubai Mall and visit Madeleine Café and Boulangerie. To get these updates follow them in their facebook page (they have a lot of promotions and competitions there also).

Ok, back to our experience. I came along with my friend Kay in the restaurant around 8pm and we were joined by two of our lovely 'couple' friends Angelo and Joana. On the board placed outside the restaurant, the special dishes  prepared by Chef Sebastian were displayed. These are:

[caption id="attachment_930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] CHEF SEBASTIAN TORRES' SPECIAL MENU FOR THE NIGHT[/caption]

Entrée

Boudin Blanc Truffé ausc Pommes

(chicken mousse, truffle, apple)

Main Course

Poulet Basquais

(chicken breast cooked with onion, pepper, tomatoes, served with rice)

Dessert

Tarte Tatin

(warm caramelized apple with vanilla ice cream)

[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="800"] BOUDIN BLANC TRUFFE AUSC POMMES = AED 75[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_938" align="aligncenter" width="800"] POULET BASQUAIS = AED 95[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_939" align="aligncenter" width="800"] TARTE TATIN = AED 35[/caption]

From the looks of it, we will be enjoying this meal ^^… I WAS INDEED READY FOR THE CHALLENGE ^^

Because the weather was good (tolerable now), we decided to dine al fresco to enjoy the view of the Dubai Fountain. All of us agreed that this is the best location to watch the musical fountain (show +  good food = perfection). For a food blogger, it was a bit challenging to get some good photos though, because the lighting was very intimate. Good thing mobile phones can be used as torch lights haha (snap!!)

Aside from the Chef’s menu, we also ordered some house specialties. Most of the menu items are in French but everything has an English description, plus you can always ask the waiters for some suggestions and thorough descriptions of each menu item (they were very helpful).

For entrées we ordered a Salade Nicoise, Fois Gras de Conard Torchon and Escargots. I love the fois gras. I have been looking for a good fois gras in Dubai for a long time since my first visit in France and I think I found it!

[caption id="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="800"] SALADE NICOISE = AED 65[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_934" align="aligncenter" width="800"] ESCAGOTS = AED 65[/caption]

The best thing about dining with a small group of people (aside from sharing stories) is that you can all vote for your favorite dish. For the entrée it was a landslide for the escargots (although I voted for the fois gras because I was biased with this). If you will order the escargots, I suggest that you ask for more garlic as the dish becomes more flavorful. We had ours and it was awesome…oooh I want it again now!

 

[caption id="attachment_935" align="aligncenter" width="800"] FOIS GRAS DE CANARD TORCHON = AED 95[/caption]

For the main courses, aside from the Poulet Basquais, we also ordered the Pavé de Saumon, Plateau de Fruits de Mer and the Filet Mignon (Steak).

The Poulet Basquais that Chef Sebastian prepared was interesting. It was served with rice and it tasted like a cuisine that we normally serve in the Philippines. At first bite I felt at home with this dish. As a seafood lover, I think our selections were perfect. The Plateau de Fruits de Mer , which is a mix seafood platter with romanesco dressing and the Pavé de Saumon (Salmon Steak) were both heavenly.

For this round, the winner was the Pave de Saumon!

[caption id="attachment_940" align="aligncenter" width="800"] MAIN COURSES POULET BASQUAIS AND PAVE DE SAUMON[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_943" align="aligncenter" width="800"] PLATEAU DE FRUITS DE MER = AED 155[/caption]

For our last course, we ordered the very French Crème Brulee, Profiteroles, Dame Blanche and the Chef’s specialty, the Tarte Tatin. We are all flan aficionados and for sure we will all be biased with the crème brulee so we removed that from the nomination of the best dessert (it was done perfectly though). Amongst the remaining desserts, I really liked the Tarte Tatin. The warm caramelized apple, topped with vanilla ice creams works perfectly to create a wonderful fusion of warm and cold sweet fantasy (haha). This dish was the winner in the dessert category.

[caption id="attachment_941" align="aligncenter" width="800"] CREME BRULEE = AED 30[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_942" align="aligncenter" width="800"] DESSERTS TARTE TATIN AND PROFITEROLES[/caption]

With the Dubai Fountain entertaining us in the background and tasting all the delectable French cuisines, it was an awesome night indeed. We left our table with our bellies full and of course with smiles on our faces. I can't wait to go back and the other dishes (and some of my favorites). Have you visited Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie? Tell us your favorite.

 

Check out other photos in the gallery below:

[gallery link="file" ids="944,945,946,947,948,950"]

Madeliene Cafe & Boulangerie

Located at: Ground Level, Fashion

Avenue, The Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE

Website: www.madeleinecafe.com

 

 

Being A Traveler vs Being A Tourist : Which One Are You?

“We are not tourists, we are travelers… I hate seeing tourists moving as a pact with their umbrellas on a sunny day… hostels are dirty and scary… I hate standing beside a smelly backpacker.” These are just some comments I heard from my past trips. Obviously, some are coming from those people who are labeling themselves as ‘travelers’ while other are from the people labeled by the travelers as ‘tourists’.

I don’t know what’s the deal with these labels but where I am seating at, its seems that a lot of people want to be tagged as a traveler as this sounds more serious…while being a tourist seems to be like a joke...Well, I definitely want to be called as a traveler.

Reading blogs a lot are saying that the best way to travel is staying away from tourist spots and getting lost. From this statement alone, it is clear already that the term ‘tourist’ is something not to take seriously. As someone who loves traveling, I was never conscious of such branding until during one of my backpacking trip in Copenhagen. I was in a walking tour with 2 new friends I met from our hostel and when I was taking some photos of the ‘Little Mermaid’ I heard them talking to one another saying---“oh he is a tourist”, when apparently this person (while we were not looking---but obviously I was), took a selfie of himself with the little mermaid. Hearing that, I kinda felt offended and told myself that I am not a tourist, I AM A TRAVELER---then I realized that I became part of this Traveler vs Tourist debate.

I kept thinking about this and thought of creating a comparison based on the basic things that we all do when we travel.

[caption id="attachment_882" align="aligncenter" width="800"] MY TRUSTEE NORTH FACE BACKPACK[/caption]

PACKING

A traveler packs very light (just a backpack) while a tourist packs heavy (sometimes a full luggage with hand carry).

This is one of my problems. I always tell myself, I will pack light and just bring the basic 3 shirts, 2 pants kind of wardrobe but whenever I finished packing, I always feel that I overpacked—but if I take out one shirt, I felt that after a few days I don’t have anything to wear. By the end of every trip, I used only 30% of what I brought and still ended up buying new clothes which I wore for the rest of the trip --- so am I a traveler or a tourist?

[caption id="attachment_883" align="aligncenter" width="800"] SAN MARCO SQUARE, VENICE ITALY[/caption]

TOURS AND ITINERARIES

A traveler doesn’t go to famous landmarks but explores the hidden gems of the city while a tourist goes to every landmarks, museums and tick a list of sites visited (most of the time on a travel agency tours).

One of my best experiences during traveling is discovering hidden gems faraway from the crowd. I remember walking around Venice and trying to get out of the crowded path (which is not hard to do—they have terrible maps) and found myself in the beautiful and peaceful side of the city with open canals, doves along the pavement without anyone bothering them and at times, a gondola passing by.

On a recent trip in Norway as well, climbing the Lyderhorn Mountain in Bergen was one of the highlights of my trip. Amongst the 7 mountains of Bergen, 90% of the hikers are locals, while most tourists go to the usual Mount Ulriken and Mount Floyen.

[caption id="attachment_884" align="aligncenter" width="800"] TOP OF MOUNT LYDERHORN, BERGEN, NORWAY[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_885" align="aligncenter" width="800"] VIEW FROM THE RIALTO BRIDGE, VENICE, ITALY[/caption]

Having said this, As a first time traveler in Venice, as much as I want to explore the unexplored parts of the city, I still made sure to walk around San Marco Square, ride a gondola and cross the Rialto Bridge. I think I will never forgive myself If I didn’t climb the Eiffel Tower even though I spent hours in line, same with riding a big bus tour around Barcelona….so am I a traveler or a tourist?

[caption id="attachment_886" align="aligncenter" width="800"] THE LITTLE MERMAID, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK[/caption]

PHOTOS

A traveler hates cellphone selfies but using a go pro (to take a selfie) is epic..and also taking shot of one’s feet on the sand is apparently acceptable while a tourist aims for cliche shots like pushing the tower of pisa or pinching the top of a pyramid shot (aside for the very obvious selfie in every corner).

I love photographs! I am not a professional photographer but a lot of people (I have really good friends) are telling me that my photographs are good and I have an eye for good snaps. Whenever I move, I always have my camera with me (well not a DSLR but a compact one—maybe the reason for this is because I don’t want to be obvious and be labeled as a tourist haha). If I find something interesting , 80% of the time I will take a photograph. This is mostly because, aside from keeping the memories, I run a travel blog and it can be a candidate for a feature story in the future...just to clarify this!

[caption id="attachment_888" align="aligncenter" width="800"] THE COLORFUL EAST GALLERY, BERLIN WALL, BERLIN, GERMANY[/caption]

On a trip in Germany, my German friend commented, “oh Kenneth, you are a typical Asian tourist”…he was pertaining (to the fact) that I took a lot of photos. I hated that comment (the ‘traveler’ in me wanted to walkout). At one point, I realized that he might be right. From my perspective, I am an artistic photographer compared to the typical tourists who take selfies all the time (which I also judge). However for some people, holding my camera and taking snaps of a mountain, a sunset, an open field and a landmark is a bit too much…Then again, do I still take time to lower down my lens and enjoy the view with my naked eye and enjoy the moment-----YES YES and YES!!! …so am I a traveler or a tourist?

 

[caption id="attachment_887" align="aligncenter" width="800"] SRI LANKAN LUNCH IN KANDY, SRI LANKA[/caption]

FOOD

A Traveler loves to try local food while a tourist demands for a more familiar set of menu.

As you can see from my previous blogs, almost 50% of my posts are about food. I love food. One of my favorite travel itineraries is to try local and native food aside from bugs (which I tried in Bangkok). I remember getting a simple Italian breakfast in Florence when a fellow on the other table was asking the waiter for an American Breakfast (I immediately judged him as a traveler). Having said this, in Barcelona and in Stockholm, my very first meal was a McDonald’s cheese burger and in Sri Lanka (although I love Sri Lankan food) I was excited to see a steak and pasta as part of the buffet….so am I a traveler or a tourist?

[caption id="attachment_889" align="aligncenter" width="800"] CPH DOWNTOWN HOSTEL, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK..I THINK ONE OF THE BEST HOSTELS OUT THERE[/caption]

ACCOMMODATION

A traveler is better off living in a shared hostel dorm to extend his budget for a longer stay while a tourist prefers spending on a luxury hotel for a shorter stay.

While a lot of my friends in Dubai will never stay in a hostel, I am in love with everything about hostels. The vibe, the people, the experience. I think the best way to meet people and to learn things while you travel is by staying in hostel lounge. The cheap price comes with a bit of a sacrifice though. I remember sharing a 10 bed dorm in Copenhagen with all our stuff on the floor. There’s no argument that our room was indeed not clean, but we don’t care (haha!). At around 2 am while you are sound asleep you will hear people coming in and out of your room (surely if you are looking for comfort, this is not a place for you).

[caption id="attachment_890" align="aligncenter" width="800"] THE BEAUTIFUL BANYAN TREE PHUKET THAILAND[/caption]

On the other hand, In Phuket, I stayed in a villa suite. Alone! It was one of the most luxurious rooms that I have ever stayed while traveling. It even includes my very own outdoor Jacuzzi and a room service with personal massage therapist—talk about luxury. With all the luxuries and comfort, I missed out  meeting other travelers and trying street food as part of my trip, so I told myself, the next time I will go back to Thailand, I will book a hostel ….so am I a traveler or a tourist?

Saying all of these, It is clear that labeling yourself is a total bollocks. For sure deep inside us we are a little bit of both. We travel to experience and collect memories. Taking both paths we are still doing all of these. With an offended heart after that trip in Copenhagen, I mentioned this to my Norwegian friends who both backpacked around the globe for 5 months. They laughed at this analogy and said, “these labels are senseless. As long as you enjoyed your trip you should not care of what other people are saying”. OH YEAH! My point exactly. So whether you feel like you are a traveler or a tourist, the most important thing is you should make the most out of every trip. How to achieve that? Only you can answer that! Travel on! ^^

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

As most of us are aware of the on going worldwide viral campaign called the ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE (unless you are living under the rock of course), my cousin Kyley from Canada (hence the term 'worldwide') nominated me to participate in this cause......I thought I will just donate, but to keep the ball rolling and to continue spreading the word, after I made the donation, I decided to get a bucket, fill it with water, break some ice cubes and dump it on my head.

To know more about this cause please check out: alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html

Now to further spread it worldwide I nominate the following people: My Norwegian friends (my best b Andre and Ingvild), my Parisian friend Lyes and to all members of Bloggers In The City. You all have 24hrs to respond after watching this clip (donate and fill up those buckets ^^) and keep the ball rolling!

Aside from ASLA.ORG please take time to check the following causes as well:
REAL LIFE FOUNDATION: igivetolife.com/
RHINOS W/O BORGERS: trevolta.com/rhinos
GAWAD KALINGA: gk1world.com/home
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: habitat.org/ame