A new Challenge in my Life

Hello all

I know it has been a bit quiet in the last week, but that all has a very good reason. I have just changed jobs and on top of that live now in a different country. I moved from the ships to a land based job and from Philippines to Ghana. Yes you are right, that is quite a change, but changes are good.

So the last week I spent in Philippines I enjoyed my time tremendously with my Fiancee and we have had a great time trying some more food and cooking together. Especially the street food we tried and I will soon have some blogs about it.

Then the long journey started, flying from Manila to Dubai and then from Dubai to Accra, to flights of over 8 hours each, with a nice break in Dubai. Still, my bum was not happy towards the end of my travel.

Dubai airport is great, as usual. I went to Paul's Pastry shop had a cup of Latte and a delicious rhubarb tart. I love popping in this pastry shop as the pastry is fantastic, fresh and so European. I just had a good time, sipping my coffee and reading my new book, Cooking Dirty by Jason Weehan. OK, it is not my type of book as he is a very different type of chef than me, but it is entertaining reading.

So, here I am now, working in the Moevenpick Accra as Executive Chef, and believe me, there will be plenty of great recipes coming your way, I can't wait to show you what we do here.....I am busy with putting a Lobster specialty week together, so stay tuned

Flying KLM again

Amsterdam Airport is one of the great airports; good shopping and plenty of restaurants. I have raved about this airport before and still think it is a great one. I walked just briefly through it as I had not too much time till my next flight and yes, the flight on KLM was exactly as I hexpected it. I had a great flight last time and again this time I was pampered. Plenty of leg room in the tourist class, movies were the latest and the food.....was great again

The presentation of the food was already great, modern, simple and then of course the taste, I have to say, was superb. The dessert tasted like home made, everything was fresh, the bread rolls were warm and crispy, but soft inside, what a treat! Yes I like flying KLM they are way up on my favourite and I can only recommend them. (No I am not getting paid to say that, I really like them)

I think on the food side it very much depends from where one flies and not just with which airline. On some airports they are not so good in cooking (like Washington) and some are great ( Amsterdam, Cape Town, Singapore) so even when the airline has specific guidlines, I think it istill very much depends from where one starts the journey.

So finally the flying is over again, at least for the next ten days before going to Philippines, I know I will enjoy my time here in South Africa, always have and I can't wait to see my boys again.

Flying Air France, the holiday begins

OK, it is a while ago, but I still need to tell you how my vacation started.

I was supposed to fly in the evening with Delta from Washington to Amsterdam and then with KLM to Cape Town.Unfortunately the first flight was already delayed by the time I checked in, so the lady at the counter looked for a new connection and luckily found one immediately, flying with Air France to Paris, then change planes and then I would still be able to catch the original flight to Cape Town.

I needed someone to accompany me to the plane in Washington as time for a normal check in was too tight. Did you know that this way within 10 minutes I was from the check in counter to actually sitting in the plane? I do like to shop a bit at airports, or at least look around a bit and usually have plenty of time to do so, so this time I missed out on it, please don't ask me how the airport in Washington is, I have no idea!

The flight was OK, the on board entertainment system didn't work for the first 2 hours and then the movies weren't new, what a bummer. The highlight of the first flight was a glass of Canard Duchene Champagne....yes the rest was not that exciting, service was friendly but food was bad.I have to say bad even so I don't like to be negative. I had a lovely sounding "Beef Parmentier" which is usually a tender beef stew with potatoes. What we got served is a tiny layer of mince meat topped with mash potatoes made out of powder, I could not eat it so the only thing what I did on the flight was sleeping.

The Airport in Paris (Charles de Gaulle) is very good, easy to find everything a bit weak in shops where I was but by good chance I met Cem, an Assistant Maitre'd from Mercury, he was actually on the same flight like me, but we didn't see each other. He was now on the way to Montpellier in the same part of the airport, so we had a cup of coffee together for about half an hour before we parted again to catch our flights. Was really nice to see him again and catch up a little bit.

The next Air France Flight was really good, just a short jump to Amsterdam, had a quick snack and we were ready for landing again. Overall I have to say that I was not overly impressed with Air France, very little leg space, disappointing movies, service friendly but not wowing me away, I am glad the next flight is KLM, I hope it is as good as last time.

British Airways, back to work in Alaska

I am on the way back to work, yes it was a long and fantastic holiday, done a lot, been in beautiful places, but now it is time to work again, earn some money......and see some more of the World. I just had a long flight from Cape Town to London with British Airways, 8 hours in Heathrow and then another long haul flight to Vancouver. That is quite a change in scenery. I am joining Celebrity again for another 4 month contract, starting here in Canada and then going over Alaska and then down the West Coast to San Francisco and San Diego. Then we will go through the Panama Canal back into the Caribbean with some exciting new ports, so there is a lot happening in the next four month with many new recipes.

As so often my journey starts in Cape Town Airport. Since the renovation it became a really beautiful and practical airport. There is plenty of parking and everything is easy to find. Check in is central and quick, there are plenty of shops, and restaurants so there is enough to do while waiting. The shops in the duty free are fine, but nothing special, after all it is not a huge airport, but has everything one need. The design is beautiful, so well done on this airport.

As a little farewell treat I went to “Mugg and Bean” for a Bagel Breakfast with smoked Salmon Trout and Scrambled Eggs, it was as usual in this restaurant a big portion and delicious. Everything here is nearly over sized, the Muffins, Scones and if you attempt a slice of cake, you will need someone to help you.

I am no fan of British Airways, maybe because I had two bad experiences quite a few years ago and am still grumbling about them; it was that they run out of drinks and bad service. Especially bad service I can’t stand. As usual the seats are tight together and one has hardly enough space to move, the flight was pretty full, so one is stuck in the seat. The food looked........not very appetizing but in its defence I have to admit that the chicken was really tasty. The pudding was straight out of the desert, just dry and crumbly and the next morning breakfast, let’s say I will not gain weight on this journey, I didn’t eat the breakfast, just not as nice as on many other airlines.

But this is only the first leg of the journey; I am now in London waiting for my connection to Vancouver. I am in terminal 5 and must say that it is very nice. Loads of overpriced shops, many restaurants and some of them are actually pretty interesting like the one of Gordon Ramsey. I am no fan of him, but like some of his cook books very much. The restaurant is called Plane Food and I just made a photo of the Menu, I think it is a really good idea, unfortunately the menu is only served from 12 lunch and that is the time I need to check in otherwise I would love to spend the 19 Pound for the three course meal, it looks very appetizing. For a Foodie, this is a place to go.

Then there is of course Prunier, Caviar House. This is another good place to eat some Seafood and have a glass of Champagne. It is very upmarket, but nice! So everything is available here, fom the quick take away to the upmarket deli dining, a good place to be stranded for a couple of hours between flights.

Flying Qatar Airways

Yes on the road again, this time with Qatar Airways from Cape Town to Manila, where I will be spending the next three weeks. I did a bit internet research and as I am paying for this flight I have no option as to take the cheapest flight available, but cheap doesn’t mean bad. Qatar advertises to be the World’s 5 star Airline, so expectations are high.......and met.

Even so the planes have a very plain look from the outside with this white and grey, inside they are good, very clean and modern. I love the lights on the side, different colours gives the interior a great look. I had plenty of space in my seat and the seat was really comfortable, so everything went off to a good start. We were totally in time and took off smoothly. Every seat has its own TV screen and I have to admit that the entertainment system is one of the best I have seen so far, very easy to use, loads of new movies and plenty of choice in general, I could even watch my movie while we had a stopover in Johannesburg.

Now being a chef, the food is of course very important. First minor disappointment, no choice of food on the first leg to Johannesburg, but we were served a spicy hot Chicken Byriani with some lovely Dhal, really good. So we are all happy, the plane is quite empty, but filled up completely in Johannesburg. Service was impeccable all the way through, we were served the food on paper underlay’s, nice touch, the wine was excellent, Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, just the food between Johannesburg and Doha was very bland, I had Chicken in mushroom Sauce with potato and vegetables, very, very bland, especially after the super Byriani. Breakfast was a simple roll filled with scrambled egg, nothing special, but the coffee was really good and again, service was top notch.

But overall I have to say flying Qatar Airways was a top experience on the first leg. I am now for 12 hours in Doha Airport, after flying such a great Airline the home airport was just simply no good. I did expect more from a Middle Eastern Airways, not that everybody has to be the same like Dubai, but even the toilets were old and grotty, water everywhere, just not nice. The Food Court is not satisfying to say the least, sorry but I am a foodie and there is just no choice. I think this airport needs work, a lot of work, the best of the whole airport is the kids section, if families have a long lay over, that is the place to go, there is food available close by and the kids can go wild. Don’t buy anything in the Duty Free zone, it is very expensive, a lot more expensive than going shopping at home.

Watch out for more news from Qatar Airways, my next leg and some photos of the food served!!!! This blog is basically life, just landed here in Doha and the blog is online!!!!

Flying South African Airways

You guess it right, I am in the air again, but it looks like it is the last time for a little while, at least the next four month as I will be based on the same ship for that time. As the title for this blog already says, I took South African Airways, one of my favourite airlines. OK, maybe it is because I live in South Africa and support anything South African or it is that I have never had a bad experience with this airline when it comes to flying.

What I like already is that there is more leg space than in many other airlines which makes long hauls a lot easier. I was flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then via Dakar to New York which is a 17 hour long trip, so it is very much appreciated to have these couple of extra centimetres.
Since they renovated all the airports in South Africa for the Football World cup the check in is so much easier. Cape Town International Airport is an absolute dream, no comparison with the old one. Check in is easy, everything is good to find, nice restaurants and good shopping, even on the domestic side. I love this airport.

The same with Johannesburg; one finds everything easy, check in is quick and the facilities are great. The shopping is outstanding and of course everything is brand spanking new. Like this flying already starts well.

As I already mentioned, South African Airways did again a great job. The service was outstanding, the food was good, ok the sandwich was a little weak, some sloppy wrap with beef inside, nothing to write about, but then the hot meal was very good and nicely presented. The choice of course the usual beef or chicken and I opted for the chicken, very tasty and good, no complaints.

The movie choice could have been a bit better, but I guess if one doesn’t fly too often it is perfectly fine. I slept quite a bit on the way so it didn’t matter too much. The service passes often with refreshments, so one is very well looked after.

Now I spend the day in New York but I don’t even want to go into the hotel here, check in time is late so there is no way to catch a train to the city as we are out at the airport, but at least one can relax a little and get ready for the next day when I am back onboard the beautiful Celebrity Summit.

Flying again

Newark Airport, The Food Hall
OK, some longhaul flights are on again, first from Newark to Amsterdam with Delta and then from Amsterdam to Cape Town with KLM. I am looking forward to the KLM flight as I have not flown with KLM in such a long time. Delta.......on the other side I have no high expectations as I have flown plenty times in the States and it is just another bus trip from A to B......which it was. The food was nothing to write about, I made a photo of my space age looking lasagna, ok I have to admit it still tasted nice, but look and texture was really nothing that finds any followers.
The one interesting part was the wine, served in 1 liter Tetra packs. Nothing wrong with it as wine is never anything special in the tourist class section, so why not serve in Tetra packs, save storage and waste and still be able to serve a good product, I enjoyed my glass or two of the white and the red wine.

KLM on the other side was a dream, good service, own TV (Delta was a communal thing) and good food which was beautifully presented. I think KLM wins hands down. Everything from check in to the arrival in Cape Town was perfect. They came ever so often with refreshments, something that was non existent with Delta, So yes, I do like KLM a lot.


The of course the comparison of the airports, yes well.... I really don't want to elaborate on Newark, I had to spend far too long on an airport that has absolutely nothing to offer....again with the one exception of a take away serving Oxtail, beautifully braised Oxtail. I could not believe to see this lovely dish which smelled great and tasted great. I have to say as well that they are busy renovating the airport, let's hope it will improve!

Amstardam Schipol is tops, good facilities, great shopping, a central kids station where parents can go with their little ones while waiting for the next connection. There are plenty of nice restaurants, just everything is great and the flight connections are easy to find.

Popping over to Miami for an interview and a Stone Crab recipe

I know it is a while ago, but I went quick from Newcastle, north of Sydney over to Miami for an interview with a rather big cruise line. It was a lot of flying for 5 days, actually most of the time. Everything was good, but there is nothing worse than having to sit at airports and wait for a connection. I had the great pleasure sitting in Los Angeles for 7 hours, as the departing plane to Miami was delayed.......Sounds familiar?

I was impressed with the size of Newcastle Airport, I was there at 530 in the morning and it was pumping, it looked like everybody wanted to leave Newcastle. It is a modern airport with all the facilities, not huge, but nice and cosy.
After a quick flight I was for a couple of hours at Brisbane International Airport. Had some lovely coffee there, everything is well organized, just keep in mind when arriving in Brisbane International and you need to take a Domestic flight, the transfer between the airports can take a long time as there is only one train connection every about 20 minutes.

Immigration Los Angeles........anything can happen........I am prepared for a long wait as I usually do.........5 minutes later I was through it, I just can't believe that Immigration took actually less than 5 minutes, including the wait in the queue, which as you can see was non existent. So there is plenty of time to explore the airport. Last time I was here was about 2 years ago and I thought they should be finish with renovating......they are not! I had a breakfast coffee at the International terminal, at 7 AM and was amazed how busy Mac Donald's was......long queues.....let's not go into it! So, no there is not much I can say about Los Angeles Airport except, make sure you are there for as short time as possible.
Now to Miami. I LOVE Miami, it must be the Hispanic influence, the Cuban feel, it is just nice. Staying at Hilton Down Town (the company pays), I had this most amazing view over the City Bowl, all the photos are taken from my room, OK I got upgraded to a Junior Suite, not because I am a nice guy, but the other rooms were fully booked and I only arrived after 10PM. So I had to reside in this Suite with a lounge big enough to accommodate a soccer team. The rest of the hotel was then very much average, breakfast and service even below. I like my breakfast, but what they offered was not even worth taking a photo.

I was lucky enough to be flown in a day early, so I could meet up with some friends and spent a lovely day, driving out to the Everglades National Park. Just amazing to see the sheer size of it. The dinner with some beautiful BBQ Lamb Chops and good wine, life is good.
Then after being so short in Miami I was on my way back, another 20 hours of flying.....yes it started to get sore in some special place of my body! But this time there were no overlays in the airport, no delays, just straight flying. Quantas was lovely, good service, good food, and even good movies. As this flight was on a Monday night, the planes were not that full, on my way here all the seats were taken. So this time I had space and on both long haul flights had a really good sleep.

I thought I give here a little recipe for Stone Crabs, a speciality in Miami when in season.

Ingredients:

3 pounds stone crab claws
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-dry vermouth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Preparation:

First crack the stone crab claws and remove the shell and pincer. Leave the meat attached to the remaining pincer. Next it is time to heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add Stone crab claws and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the claws are heated through, and turn the crab claws frequently. Turn heat to high; add vermouth, lemon juice, salt and pepper to pan. Cook 1 minute more, spooning vermouth sauce over claws

Oh, by the way, I did get the job and will start mid January, my new Job title is Traveling Executive Chef, fits perfectly to the Gourmet Traveler, doesn't it? So I think there will be plenty more posts to come over the next year. And I better get used to the hotel (not the room of course) as it seems that this is the hotel I will be staying at while in Miami.

Happy Flying

I do fly fairly regularly when joining ships and of course when coming home, so I spend plenty of times on airports and in planes......not always fun! So I thought let's write about it!

Athens International Airport is actually very nice, everything is there and they are pretty organized. It is easy to check in and find everything one needs. Just be aware, even in the international departure only Euros are accepted. I run out of Euros and wanted to get a Coffee....no way, please go and change money on the exchange counter....but who would change USD just to buy a coffee for Euro 3.60....not me!!!!

The "Food Court"

Next stop was Dubai. I had the great pleasure to spend 4 hours in the airport....yes right as if it is a pleasure to sit and wait for a connection. But I must say that Dubai airport is lovely, yes of course there is all the shopping but how much can one buy.....surely lots of people could buy loads, but I am not such a shopaholic. I was on Terminal 3 checked out the shops a bit and yes they are all nice, very nice. But the best is what they call the Food Court. This is definitely not your usual food courts. On both sides of the terminal is a huge space, more like a park, with restaurants, take aways and bars. One can sit and relax, buy a news paper and actually easily spend the couple of hours between flights. There is everything, from McDonald's and Burger King to the Italian Trattoria, a Sushi and Champagne bar, lovely coffee shops and pastry shops. Yes, that is what I call a food court.

I got this huge Cappuccino for $6.00 and it was even served to the table. Dubai airport is getting top marks from me. The only small downfall is maybe that the electronic stores on Terminal 3 are not the greatest, everything else is really good. I arrived at 4 AM local time and everything is open, yes they go non stop, and then by 8 AM the airport was really full of travelers, but not that it was over full.