Sombai infused rice spirit makes an essential liquid souvenir for travellers to Cambodia. Based on the traditional rice spirit infused with local ingredients, Sombai was created by expats Joëlle Jean Louis and Lionel Maitrepierre. Sombai - which means “some rice, please” in Khmer - is a taste of Siem Reap in a bottle. Liquor makes [...]
The best bars in Siem Reap range from chic speakeasy-style bars secreted down alleyways and elegant cocktail bars in luxury hotels to garden bars with beanbags on the lawn and murals on the walls to French bistro-style cafes that are transformed into moody bars after dark. After a sweaty day scrambling the Angkor Archaeological Park [...]
We love learning things when we travel and inspiring you to as well and a Khmer cocktail making class at Asana Bar in Siem Reap is probably one of the most fun things you can do when you’re here. Where else are you going to learn how to make Khmer cocktails? So what are Khmer cocktails? Their [...]
Our guide to eating and drinking in Battambang from street food and cafes to restaurants and bars. Some of the best Cambodian cuisine in the country is found in Battambang, the capital of Cambodia's most fertile province and the country's rice bowl. Here's where you should snack, dine and sip in Battambang. A few tourist [...]
Our local guide to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s sexy seaside city, covers the things that locals love to do, from sipping sucos to samba dancing. As the 2016 Olympic Games is kicking off on 6 August, we thought we’d share some of our favourite things to do in Rio. Our Local Guide to Rio de Janeiro Start with a suco [...]
When we lived in Sydney, Melbourne was one of our favourite frequent getaways for a weekend of eating, drinking and shopping. Here are our quick tips for a Weekend in Melbourne. Get a taste of its mouthwatering food scene here. Weekend in Melbourne Itinerary - How to Spend 2 Days in Victoria's Capital Check in Stay [...]
Bia hoi has never been so popular in Hanoi. Wine bars and gastro pubs have been popping up in cities right across Asia in recent years. But while microbrewery craft beers and obscure French organic biodynamic wines have taken the region by storm, in Hanoi, Vietnam, the bia hoi joint reigns supreme. Our Hanoi bia hoi [...]
It’s Saturday evening here in Siem Reap and Lara and I are starting to think about cocktails. It's too early for a martini so we'll probably start with a negroni. Here's our Martini 101, a guide to how to order a martini. This time last Saturday night we were heading out to a fancy hotel [...]
When we spent Christmas in Australia last year we shared some Christmas cooking and gift tips from Australia's finest chefs. As we recently left Sydney, where we'd been researching Sydney's small bar scene, among other things, we thought we’d share some Christmas cocktail recipes and tips from Sydney’s best bars. We hoped it might make your holiday entertaining a [...]
One of the things we love about Sydney is the abundance of small bars that have flourished since new liquor licensing laws in 2008 revitalized the city's drinking scene. With their owners often found behind the bar, each has its own distinct character, atmosphere and style, and an intimacy the old pub bars didn't have. The [...]
I was asked to craft a Grantourismo-style romantic city escape or luxury honeymoon holiday, a break focused firmly on love and romance but one involving a slow, local and experiential travel, and a lot of food and wine. Grantourismo's romantic city escapes and luxury honeymoon holidays Barcelona, Spain Stay The intimate ABaC Hotel, designed by architect Antoni de [...]
Melbourne wine guy Matt Skinner may be a comparatively young bloke as far as Australian wine icons go, but with a handful of wine books, an annual wine guide and a television series under his belt, he’s fast become something of an Aussie wine legend and an inspiration to young Australians developing an interest in wine and [...]