by Editor | Jul 5, 2011 | Accomodations, Luxury Travel, Restaurants
Article and photos by Laura Scheiber
Lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt
During a springtime trip to Ireland, my travel partners and I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt. Located on the grounds of the 1,000-acre Powerscourt Estate in County Wicklow, the resort was situated in a lush green countryside setting roughly 40 minutes outside of Dublin.
The lobby had a majestic feel with high ceilings and was tastefully decorated in deep wooden browns and gold, with vibrant fresh flowers. Following the check-in, the front desk receptionist escorted me to my Mountain View Suite (number 352). On the way she chatted with me in a friendly manner, suggesting a number of activities that I might enjoy.
The bedroom in suite 352
Upon opening the door I was pleased by the elegant décor of the 700 square-foot suite. The entry hallway, which had a powder room on the right hand side, led to a Georgian style sitting room with an ornamental fireplace. Around the corner was a spacious area with a dining table and a large wooden desk. Farthest from the entrance was the bedroom opening out onto a terrace that provided a view of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Next to the bedroom and walk-in closet was a generous-sized bathroom with a separate bathtub, shower and toilet room.
Fresh scones upon arrival
Five minutes after I arrived, one of the staff members delivered freshly baked scones (still warm) with butter and jam. The suite had numerous modern details, including a touch screen system that controlled the lights, curtains and air conditioning, and televisions in the sitting area, bedroom and bathroom. Toiletries included: Gilchrist & Soames Bath Caviar (bath beads), facial spray and lip balm; Ritz-Carlton mouth wash and dental kit; and 1.3 ounce-sized Acqua Di Parma shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, and lotion. Two plush terry robes hung on the bathroom wall next to the shower.
The color scheme of the suite was white, gold and light blue, while the bathroom had predominantly white-marble walls. The suite was immaculately clean. Throughout the evening I enjoyed a number of additional amenities including complimentary 24-hour hi speed wi-fi access, a complimentary box of eight gourmet chocolate truffles, and turn down service that included a bottle of mountain spring still water and relaxing pillow spray.
The John Dory fish in blood orange puree at Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt
In the evening, I dined at the Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt restaurant on the third floor of the hotel. Ceiling-to-floor glass windows offered stunning views of Sugar Loaf Mountain and added a spacious feel to the dining area. I enjoyed a six-course meal that began with a green pea puree, compliments of the chef, followed by a goat cheese and red beet salad. My main course was preceded by a delicious spring garlic puree. While I enjoyed a yummy spinach and mushroom gnocchi, my travel mates had rave reviews about their John Dory fish in a blood orange puree, fennel salad and chorizo emulsion, and the Donald Russell beef fillet with wild mushrooms, triple cooked chips, and pepper sauce. The meal was complete with a mouthwatering lemon curd on Brittany shortbread and crystallized raspberries.
We enjoyed complimentary gourmet mini chocolates and pastries at the chef’s table in the kitchen where we met Ludovic Lantier, the executive pastry chef. He explained what was in each of the mini-pastries and answered our questions in a friendly manner.
Ludovic Lantier, executive pastry chef
Throughout the meal, my wine glass was never empty thanks to the attentive wait staff. Both the Cerro Del Masso, a Chianti red wine, and the Las Colinas del Ebro, a Garnacha white wine from Spain, went well with the meal, but I preferred the white wine. The wait staff and manager were friendly and seemed genuinely committed to ensuring that we had an enjoyable dining experience.
Overall, my stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt, (Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, Ireland, + 353 1 274 8888, http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Powerscourt/Default.htm, powerscourtreservations@ritzcarlton.com) was a pleasure. My spacious and luxurious suite with mountain views combined with the hotel’s elegant ambiance, friendly service, and gourmet dining lived up to my expectations of an evening at The Ritz-Carlton.
by Editor | May 31, 2011 | Accomodations, Attractions, Luxury Travel, Restaurants, Video
Article and photos by Elena del Valle
A temple in Tokyo
Earlier this year, before the earthquake hit, I spent a few days in Japan. Although my calendar was overfull it had been years since my last visit to Japan and I couldn’t resist a last minute invitation to the Land of the Rising Sun. Finding a desirable seat on the flights nearly caused the trip to fall apart before it even started. In the end I persevered and with the help of a friendly airline agent everything worked out.
A beautiful garden and bridge in Tokyo
On my arrival at Narita International Airport, I cleared the airport formalities with ease and was thrilled the transfer service driver was waiting for me. He spoke English very well, allowing us to chat during the drive to the Hotel Okura Tokyo (2-10-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, + 81 03 3582-0111, http://www.hotelokura.co.jp/tokyo/en/), where I spent the first three nights in the city. The eleven story contemporary hotel located across the street from the United States Embassy, had 801 rooms, modern facilities, nine restaurants, a fitness center with a swimming pool ($70 per day for hotel guests), spa, ATMs friendly to foreign credit cards, WiFi router for rent (a router compatible with my iPad cost 4,725 yen or about $18 a day at the time) and service oriented English speaking staff. My room was contemporary in style and new looking with a glass enclosed shower, a separate bathtub and a Japanese toilet.
An old versus new contrast with a temple column in the foreground and the Sky Tree in the background
The first day I had breakfast at the Terrace Restaurant, a ground level restaurant facing a snow covered inner courtyard at the hotel. I liked the buffet’s Eastern and Western selection and a delicious tea made from fresh herbs. Later during my stay I sampled some of the items sold at the restaurant’s shop and was quite pleased with the quality.
Breakfast at Yamazato restaurant at the Hotel Okura
By far my favorite breakfast in Tokyo was at Yamazato, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant. As I descended the stairs to the restaurant a young man at the entrance welcomed me in English and led me to a table. Even though the two times I was there I was the only Westerner I felt welcome. The wait staff spoke a few words of English making it possible for us to communicate basics. The servers brought me a glass of water when they spotted my vitamin pack. One of them offered to serve me beef or pork in case I didn’t want fish but what is a Japanese breakfast without fish?
A waitress at Yamazato restaurant at the Hotel Okura
The Japanese breakfast came in a bento box with rice, fish dish (sauteed yellowtail, octopus), hearty and especially flavorful miso soup, pickled vegetables, steamed vegetables, bamboo shoots, mushroom, eggs, and a couple of unidentified dishes. Everything was delicious.
The Tokyo skyline from the Mori Building
In the same way that New York is associated with the Big Apple, Sumiyo, our tour guide, explained, visiting the city of Tokyo can be thought of as exploring an egg. Architecture Guide in Tokyo, a color brochure in English, explained the ways in which Tokyo is like an egg; a handy map on the back pointed to the salient architectural areas of the city. The 284-acre imperial palace appeared in the lower right side of the egg. The inside of the brochure contained a series of descriptions of architectural areas of note within the city based on the egg simile: Omelet-rice for semi-European before 1945, Bacon egg for Western styles before 1945, Atsuyaki tamago Japanese style before 1945, Egg sand for modern style between 1945 and 1975, Boiled egg for plain style between 1976 and 1985, Scrambled egg for post modern style between 1986 and 1995, and Pudding after 1996.
The National Art Center in Tokyo
During the next two days, we would be seeing several neighborhoods within the “egg” of Tokyo, a metropolis of 13 million souls established in 1868 following the collapse of the shogun government. We began across town from our hotel with a visit to Edo Kiriko in Hanashyo (http://www.hanashyo.com), a 60 year old family owned fine cut glass store and workshop. The traditional Japanese home where it was located had such narrow spaces only four or five people could enter at one time. During our visit we watched the owner and his young apprentices engrave and hand polish each colorful piece without using hydrochloric acid at a ground floor workroom, and we saw the finished cut glass pieces on display in a small upper floor showroom. Hanashyo sold Kome-tsunagi, Itokiku-tsunagi and Tama-ichimatsu, three registered proprietary designs. We also visited a second showroom where glass cutting classed were offered. We were invited to experience cutting glass for ourselves for a couple of minutes each. It was fun.
One of my favorite experiences in Japan was a special abbreviated daytime performance of four geishas at Hisago-an restaurant (in Japanese only, http://kaiseki-hisagoan.com/course_hisagoan.html/). The geishas we saw that day normally only perform at the restaurant at night. Three of them danced, one sang briefly and the most senior one played a banjo like instrument. Following the dance they demonstrated one of the games they play while entertaining guests and, with the help of an interpreter, answered questions. In their company we took a rickshaw ride from the restaurant to Senso-ji (http://www.senso-ji.jp/about/index_e.html ), a nearby Buddhist temple, and strolled around the Asakusa area and its well known outdoor shopping arcade next to the temple. It seemed everyone was staring at us until someone explained it was the geishas rare daytime stroll that drew public attention.
One of the geishas who walked with us
From there we drove to Omotesando Ukai-tei (http://www.ukai.co.jp/english/omotesando/index.html), a French influenced restaurant in a shopping mall where we had a Tenderloin Lunch Course, a refined and delicious four-course lunch. During the meal we noticed fine Ercuis French silverware and wood chopsticks, Reidel glassware, and embroidered napkins. We were served Dermotte non vintage Champagne followed by Assorted Appetizers, Roasted Bamboo Shoots, Shellfish Cream Soup, Ukai Beef Tenderloin Pan Fried and Dessert. Although we didn’t have a view from our seats the bar area had pretty city views. The restaurant, part of a chain of restaurants and museums, housed an exhibition space with a perfume bottle collection and a dessert lounge with Art Nouveau ceilings and lacquered pillars.
The main location of Mitsukoshi Nihonbahi, one of Tokyo’s most exclusive department stores
Following lunch we walked around the Omotesando and Aoyama areas. We visited the Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo (Louis Vuitton Omotesando Building 7F 5-7-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, +81 03 5766 1088, www.espacelouisvuittontokyo.com) which was hosting French artist Xavier Veilhan; and the Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial Museum of Art (http://ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp/index-E.html), housing a collection of Ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock art.
Strawberries for sale in the food hall of the Mitsukoshi Nihonbahi store
The next day after my delightful Japanese breakfast I was ready to face the cold again. This time we visited the main location of Mitsukoshi Nihonbahi store (Nihombashi Muro-machi 1-4-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8001, +81 03 3241 3311, http://www.mitsukoshi.co.jp/store/fcs/english/1010/index.html), one of the most exclusive department stores in Tokyo. We arrived just in time to watch the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. during which the store staff welcomed arriving guests with deep bows. My favorite area of the beautiful and well stock multi-story store was the lower level where the food shops were located. It was filled with all types of hard to find eatable items including pastries, seafood, meat, chocolate, vegetable and fruit delicacies. I could have spent at least another hour exploring the food halls and tasting samples.
Another view of the city from the Mori Tower
From there we went to the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills for an outstanding skyscraper view of Tokyo (http://www.roppongihills.com/tcv/en/ ). That morning we visited Tokyo Midtown, walked by the Mori Art Museum (http://mori.art.museum/eng/index.html) dedicated to promoting “art and life in the 21st century,” and the Suntory Museum of Art (http://www.suntory.com/culture-sports/sma/) dedicated to challenging conventional attitudes to the classification of art to reveal its beauty.
A display at the food hall of the Mitsukoshi Nihonbahi store
Lunch was at Rakutei (+81 3585 3743), a tiny family owned restaurant in Akasaka. Although there was no sign on the building to indicate the existence of a restaurant once inside we were welcomed in Japanese and invited to enter. We sat at a small counter facing an open cooking area. At first it looked like a sushi bar but we soon discovered it was not. An elderly man and his assistant were busy preparing the meal while the man’s wife placed dinnerware in front of us and offered us beverages. We had warm sake and a delicious tempura lunch served two bites at a time until we surrendered.
The interior of the National Art Center in Tokyo
After a lightning fast visit to the National Art Center (http://www.nact.jp/english/index.html ), a 14,000 square meter large venue for temporary art exhibitions, we ended the day with a stroll in a Ginza district shopping street. Ginza, meaning place where money is made in Japanese, is one of the most popular and most expensive tourist shopping areas of Tokyo, our tour guide explained.
A dragon water fountain in Shuzenji Village
After breakfast the next morning we drove to Shuzenji, a two and a half hour drive from Tokyo, for an overnight stay at Yagyu-no-sho, a traditional Japanese ryokan. By the time we had a tour of the traditional style ryokan, found our rooms and explored the area by the ryokan it was time for dinner and we retreated indoors.
A stone head at the entrance to the Shuzenji Temple
The next day our visit to a local pottery artist’s shop was canceled providing an unexpected opportunity to stroll through Shuzenji Village, exploring the shops and visiting the interior of the Shuzenji Temple, a rare treat before our return home.
by Editor | May 16, 2011 | Accomodations, New Articles, Restaurants
By Elena del Valle
Photos by Gary Cox
The common areas in Hotel de Crillon
Location, location, location. There is much truth to the saying in a city like Paris, France. Being in a good neighborhood means easy access to many of the attractions that make Paris one of the most alluring cities in the world.
From a tourist perspective the Place de la Concorde is a great location. While the Place itself is attractive it offers the added advantage that within walking distance or a short taxi ride from the Place there are many tourist points of interest like Tuilleries Gardens, Rue de Rivoli, Louvre Museum, Place Vendome, Place de la Madeleine and Champs Elysees Avenue as well as shopping venues and gourmet restaurants.
The Baccarat crystal elephant in the salon outside Les Ambassadeurs
On the Place, the Hotel de Crillon, part of a project commissioned in 1758 by Louis XV, became a private residence and was converted to a hotel in 1909. Over time the hotel has been the temporary home of United States Presidents Herbert Hoover, Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran, King George V of England, King Juan Carlos and the queen of Spain, Madonna, and Elizabeth Taylor among others. The historic building is to this day a luxury hotel. We stayed there during a holiday trip to the City of Lights.
For those who need to combine business with pleasure the hotel, located across the street from the United States Embassy, is in central Paris. Although the facade was under renovation and there was scaffolding covering the front of the building, inside there were many features that made the hotel worth a stay for business and leisure travelers. Our suite had a living area with a desk that was convenient for personal and business meetings and there was excellent internet connectivity for both of our computers.
The dining room at Les Ambassadeurs
Over the years the marble filled historic building has been well maintained. Our spacious and handsome Presidential Suite looked onto Rue de l’Arcade and a building that may have been part of the embassy complex. We liked the well known entrance from the Place de la Concorde and another more discreet entrance on Rue de l’Arcade leading to Rue Saint Honore, a popular shopping street. As guests we had access to a fitness center, two restaurants and a bar within the hotel; we could also walk for exercise and dine at one of the myriad restaurants within a short distance of the hotel.
A place setting at Les Ambassadeurs
For years Les Ambassadeurs, the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, has stood out among the thousands of dining venues of the city. Its beautiful dining room and prized location on the Place de la Concorde have been among its attractions along with talented chefs and capable restaurant staff. During our stay at the hotel we dined at Les Ambassadeurs, which had undergone a change in management and chef, to rediscover the restaurant.
Pierre Jung, the restaurant manager at Les Ambassadeurs
We were pleasantly surprised to see Pierre Jung, the new manager and a familiar face. We knew him from his time at the well known Senderens restaurant in the nearby Place de la Madeleine. Christopher Hache, the promising new young chef, who we met briefly that day, also had experience at Senderens (and as it was formerly known Lucas Carton). Our delicious and well served tasting menu was a success. We plan to return to the restaurant when next we are in Paris.
Dessert at Les Ambassadeurs
We thoroughly enjoyed our most recent stay at the Hotel de Crillon, especially our Presidential Suite and indulgent meal at Les Ambassadeurs. Visit the Simon & Baker Travel Review for information about the restaurant Les Ambassadeurs and Hotel de Crillon in Paris, France.
by Editor | May 9, 2011 | Restaurants
By Elena del Valle
Photos by Gary Cox
The entrance to Hélène Darroze
For years we had been fans of Chef Hélène Darroze, an up and coming chef with an adventurous touch. It had been nearly four years since our last visit and we wondered what was new at her Latin Quarter restaurant in Paris, France. When we visited Paris most recently we made time to sample the restaurant’s Lunch and Tasting menus.
A pre-appetizer sliced at our table was a favorite
We discovered a very different restaurant from the one we used to visit. Where there used to be an a la carte and special menus now there were only two basic dining options. There was a Lunch Menu for 52 euros or 65 euros with two glasses of wine, and a Degustation Menu priced at 125 euros or 175 euros with four glasses of wine.
French caviar with cauliflower mousse from Britanny
The first day we dined there we had the Lunch Menu: Le caviar de France mousseline de chou-fleur de Bretagne en gelée iodée, tartare de noix de coquilles Saint-Jacques de Port en Bessin au corail d’oursin; Le homard bleu cuit à la nacre,royale de potimarron, miettes de châtaigne, cappuccino de Parmesan Reggiano; Le chipiron de ligne de Saint-Jean de Luz fine raviole aux verts de blette et olives Taggiasche, chorizo, réduction à l’encre perlée d’huile d’olive, émulsion d’ail rose; Le foie gras de canard des Landes de chez Dupérier grillé au feu de bois, betteraves glacées, jus de riquette à l’estragon; La sole de petit bateau filet tartiné de limequat confit, sudachi, salsifis et coquillages, émulsion à la citronnelle; Le cochon d’Ibérico Bellota Carré et pluma, chou de Bruxelles, pomme Rubinette et chasselas de Moissac caramélisés, jus de déglaçage; L’ananas, la vanille et la noix de coco dans une version sucrée de la pina collada; and Le chocolat Manjari de Madagascar ganache, crème brûlée au calamansi confit, crumble au cacao.
A favorite Bellota pork dish
On the last day of the year we had the Tasting Menu: Le caviar de France mousseline de chou-fleur de Bretagne en gelée iodée, tartare de noix de coquilles Saint Jacques de Port en Bessin aux coraux d’oursin (Caviar from France iodized Brittany cauliflower mousseline, tartar of Saint-Jacques scallops from Port en Bessin with sea urchin); Le homard bleu cuit à la nacre, royale de potiron, miettes de chataîgne, capuccino de parmesan Reggiano (Blue lobster slightly seared, winter squash royale, chestnut crusts, Parmigiano Reggiano cappuccino); Le chipiron de Saint-Jean-de-Luz fines ravioles aux verts de blette et olives Taggiasche, chorizo, réduction à l’encre perlé d’huile d’olive, crème d’ail rose (Line caught calamari from Saint-Jean de Luz ravioli with chard and Taggiasche olives, chorizo, ink reduction with olive oil, pink garlic emulsion); Le foie gras de canard des Landes de chez Dupérier grillé au feu de bois, betteraves glacées, jus de roquette à l’estragon (Dupérier’s duck foie gras grilled on wood fire, glazed beets, riquette jus with tarragon); La sole de petit bâteau filet tartiné de limequat confit, sudashi, salsifis et coquillages, émulsion à la citronnelle (Sole fillet, spread with confit limquat, sudachi, salsify and shellfish, lemon grass foam); Le chevreuil filet rôti au poivre long, côtelette juste saisie, chou de Bruxelles, pomme Rubinette et chasselas de Moissac caramélisés; La poire Comice pochée, panacotta parfumée au gingembre confit, biscuit clafoutis, granité à la poire (Pina colada coconut crisps, lemon jelly, Bombay curry, Tahitian vanilla ice-cream); and Le chocolat Manjari de Madagascar ganache, crème brûlée au kalamansi confit, crumble au cacao (Manjari chocolate from Madagascar ganache, confit Calamansi crème brûlée, cocoa crumble).
The sommelier pouring our champagne
Céline Strenta, the sommelier, selected three young wines to accompany our meal Pacherenc du Vic Bihl 2009, Vouvray sec 2007 “Le Mont” Domaine Huet and Bergerac 2008 “Clos des Verdot” David Fourtour. We liked the red best.
The armagnac cart
Both times the upstairs gourmet dining room (the restaurant offered two additional dining venues on the ground floor) at the restaurant Helene Darroze where we had lunch was near full. The meals were satisfying, well prepared and well served. The English speaking staff that looked after us were helpful and pleasant and and the overall dining experience was worth repeating. Restaurant Hélène Darroze, 4 rue d’Assas, 75006, Paris, France, Telephone + 33 42 22 00 11, www.helenedarroze.com, Email reservation@helenedarroze.com.
by Editor | Dec 13, 2010 | New Articles, Restaurants
Doorman at the hotel wearing traditional Khmer costume
One of our team members was recently in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Among the places she visited was Le Grand restaurant, the gourmet restaurant of the Raffles Hotel in that city. The quiet restaurant in the lobby of the historic hotel was known locally for its wine collection, Royal Khmer cuisine, and romantic setting. Visit Simonandbaker.com for more about Siem Reap and Restaurant Le Grand.
by Editor | Nov 15, 2010 | New Articles, Restaurants
Article and photos by Elena del Valle
On a recent visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia I had the pleasure of dining at Meric, the gourmet restaurant of my stylish and centrally located hotel. Named after the highly sought-after Cambodian pepper grown in the Kampot region Meric served a seasonally-inspired Khmer menu using the produce of local farmers. Established in 2005, the 217 square meter restaurant was in the capable hands of American Chef Bryan Gardner, who had just become executive chef, and Restaurant Manager Sokthea Mao. They and their enthusiastic team of 18 produced some memorable meals.
Chef Bryan Gardner and his staff
Chef Gardner grew up in Eastport, Maine known for its seafood. After attending the University of Southern Maine, he pursued a Culinary Arts degree at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. In 2005, he went to the Martini House in Saint Helena, Napa Valley before working with Joseph Humphrey, chef at the Meadowood Resort (a Relais and Chateaux property). He later worked under Japanese Chef Hiro Sone at Terra, where he observed the fusion of Asian and Western cuisines. In 2007, his passion for Asian cooking drew him to South East Asia where he fell in love with Cambodia. In July 2010, after working for two years at Hotel de la Paix as sous chef he became executive chef of the hotel’s restaurant. One of his goals is to raise the profile of Khmer cuisine within Asian and international circles alongside a la carte dishes with French, American and Asian influences.
Outside swing seating facing the courtyard
I particularly liked the restaurant’s dining swings set along a tranquil internal courtyard with a water feature. This was my favorite area of the hotel. The restaurant, said to have one of the largest collections of international wines in Siem Reap, could accommodate up to 108 guests, 64 indoors and 44 outdoors. I liked the outdoors best, especially at a table with a view of the courtyard.
A Cambodian breakfast dish with fresh herbs and vegetables
Although the menu changed daily depending on the produce available from the local farmers and growers, while I was at the Hotel de la Paix where the restaurant is housed, I sampled the seven-course Khmer Tasting Menu. It was outstanding and, at $31 per person, an excellent value for money.
One of the courses from the Meric Khmer Tasting Menu
Twice I had the tasting menu. The first time on a Monday I had Pomelo Salad with Prawn served at the same time as Chicken and Banana Bud Salad. Next there was Grilled Beef with Cucumber and Prahok Sauce served with Khmer organic white rice next to Pork Rib Sour Soup “Jungle Style.” Next there was Stir Fried Frog with Fresh Ginger served at the same time as Cat Fish and Green Curry. The final dish was a small tray of Assorted Khmer Sweets for each of us.
Dishes were served in pairs for contrast
On Wednesday, I had Pomelo Salad with Crispy Pork Fritter served at the same time as Green Mango Salad with Dried Snake (both favorites). Then there was Grilled Prahok with Khmer Crudites served with Khmer organic white rice at the same time as Prawn with Water Lily Sour Soup. The final savory courses served at the same time were Stir Fried Frog with Ginger (had a definite bite) and Beef Shank Curry with Morning Glory (a favorite). For dessert there were assorted Khmer Sweets. Of the two tasting menus the first was my favorite although both were outstanding and worth a detour.
Dessert was a stylized interpretation of Khmer classics
Congratulations to the team at the Meric restaurant for its noteworthy gourmet dining. Visit the Simon & Baker Travel Review for additional information about Siem Reap and the Hotel de la Paix.
