Tian Tian Hawker Stall

Everytime I go to visit my dad in Singapore, we go to Stall #10 at the Maxwell Food Center because that is where the temple of Hainanese Chicken Rice, Tian Tian (天天海南雞飯), is located. My dad hates going there because the lines are always long (see photo below), but the chicken and garlic rice and clear chicken broth are to die for. If I were to go to Singapore and eat only one dish, this would be it - Tian Tian's Hainanese Chicken Rice. Sweet, tender, juicy chicken meat that just melts off the bone, dipped in your choice of ginger sauce, sweet chili sauce, or Singaporean black sauce (sweet, thick soy sauce). I went to Hainan Island in PR China in 2008 to find and eat the original Hainanese chicken rice - but alas, the Hainan locals had no idea what the dish was at all.

Prawn Noodles, Prawn Noodle Hawker Stall

 

Mak's Wonton Noodles

This is my favorite wonton noodle shop in the world, located on Wellington Road in Hong Kong. Mak's (麥奀雲吞麵世家) has been serving up a little bowls of wonton slurpy heaven since 1968. This particular afternoon, I excused myself from holiday shopping duties with my family ("I'm a little tired, I think I'll go home to rest...") so that I can sneak in a bowl of wonton noodles prior to a dinner engagement that evening. At dinner, Andrew asked me why I wasn't eating as much as I usually do and if I was feeling okay. Okay? I was feeling more than okay with that hot bowl of happiness in my tummy. But I didn't tell him. At least, not until the next day.

Chez Bahia

This was another favorite little hole-in-the-wall during our time in Marrakech, Chez Bahia on Riad Zitoune El Kdim, serving up bubbling hot tagines like no other. We ate here almost every other day and came back for one last hurrah on our last day in Marrakech. My personal favorite was the chicken and olive tagine, although Andrew really loved the rabbit, tomato and almond tagine. That's the owner standing in the doorway at the bottom photo. Something about the upside-down funnel of the tagine top keeps the moisture and flavor of the meat locked in, so everything is incredibly savory and tender when served.

Fresh OJ Stand, Jemaa el Fna

After gallivanting around Marrakech under the hot Moroccan sun, we gulped down glasses of fresh OJ from this vendor in the Jemaa el Fna, the central square of Marrakech.

Restaurant Andalus

Our first dinner in Tangier, Morocco after taking the train from Madrid to the southern port town of Algeciras and then taking the ferry to cross the Straits of Gibraltar into Tangier. This little hole in the wall Restaurant Andalus in Tangier served up a piping hot and perfectly cooked dish of fish and fries, with a little twist of lime to taste. I love deceptively simple foods that are cooked to perfection!

El Calafate

Argentine asado/parilla with many different cuts of lamb meat all grilled to perfection. What an awesome way to end the day after glacier hiking (with crampons and all) in Perito Moreno.