Tạp chí du lịch TRAVEL tháng 01 năm 2013

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SOUTHEAST ASIA JANUARY 2013
13
2013
FOR
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PALAWAN, NEPAL,
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January 2013
Volume 07 / Issue 01
An art installation at Charlotte
Jackson Fine Art in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, page 100.
Features
66 A Ra of Adventure If
you think Taiwan is all city
and no rural playground,
think again.
cain nunns
heads out into the wilds of
Taroko Gorge for
mountains, monkeys and
trial by water.
photographed by alberto
buzzolo. guide page 71
72 Soul-Searching in
Singapore It’s a common
refrain: this modern
island’s shine outweighs its
substance. But
Singaporeans are
increasingly strolling
down memory lane in
search of their cultural

roots.
melanie lee follows
the trail. photographed by
darren soh. guide page 77
78 T+L 500 Our annual
compendium of the top
hotels and resorts—as
voted by readers in the
Travel + Leisure World’s
Best Awards survey.
92 To India, with Love
Exploring Bhubaneswar's
streets and the elaborate
temples of Odisha,
guy
trebay finds a place to call
Contents
110 Saving Europe’s Icons
Across the euro-strapped
continent, centuries-old
treasures are falling
apart—and there’s no easy
way to repair the damage.
What will it take to
preserve these cultural
landmarks? michael z.
wise reports.
his own. photographed
by jake stangel and
geordie wood. guide and

map page 99
100 Pure Santa Fe Beyond
the turquoise clichés and
New Age philosophizing,
beyond the thriving art
galleries and endless taco
joints and huge
Southwestern skies,
gary
shteyngart finds the key
to Santa Fe in the
characters he meets along
the way. photographed by
alex farnum. guide and
map page 108
ALEX FARNUM
TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM JANUARY 2013 5
Contents
Radar
19 13 for 2013 A baker’s
dozen of hot and cool
places to go this year.
by
heidi s. mitchell
28 The Ultimate Tokyo
Food Tour scott haas
introduces the best in the
biz when it comes to
uncovering the Japanese
capital’s culinary secrets.

32 Bizarre Beauty New year,
new—weird—ways to look
younger.
by nell mcshane
wulfhart
38 Raising the Steaks A
crop of meat-centric
restaurants in Kuala
Lumpur sears some flavor
into the city’s dining scene.
by mark lean
Taiwan's Taroko
Gorge,
page 66.
On the Cover
Departments
destinations 8 … editor’s note 10
contributors 12 … inbox 14
In Palawan, the Philippines, one of
our 13 places you must visit in 2013.
Photographed by John Seaton
Callahan.
ALB ERTO BUZZOL O
40 Riveting Studded bags add
attitude—and some serious
street cred—to any travel
wardrobe. photographed
by levi brown
Plus Singapore’s new
SuperTrees; chef Will

Meyrick’s new book;
history and hipsters meet
in Chiang Mai; and more.
Trip Doctor
53 Travel Forecast 2013
What’s in the cards for the
next year? T+L taps our
network of experts to
identify the trends that
will impact your travels—
on the ground, in the air, at
your hotel and more.
60 Deals Cycle, speedboat and
river-cruise throughout
Vietnam; massage-a-day in
Guangzhou; a family
retreat in Samui; and more.
Decoder
114 Washington, D.C. With the
Obamas back in the White
House, the nation’s capital is
in full swing. The cutting-
edge has replaced the sleepy
and staid, from galleries and
boutiques to restaurants,
hotels and more. Mr. Smith,
it’s time to go back to
Washington. by andrew
sessa. photographed by
jason varney

Last Look
120 Bohol, Philippines
Surrounded by natural
beauty, here’s a spot for the
adventurous.
photographed
by massimo casal
6 JANUARY 2013 TRAV ELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
DESTINATION
Tokyo

Taroko Gorge
Singapore


Odisha

Santa Fe

Washington, D.C.

106
123
8 JANUARY 2013 TRAV ELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
Destinations
Janua 2013
Long Weekend Beach Active Food+Drink Shopping Arts+Culture
WHEN TO GO
September through November is pleasant and

slightly cool. Cher-blossom season is late
March to early April.
June through August for the warmest, water-
going weather, and mid-week to avoid the
traffic and crowds of local day-trippers.
Avoid the Lunar New Year period—this year
from Februa 10 to 12—when crowds
converge and prices soar. June through
September are the hottest but also the driest.
November through April, when cooler weather
coincides with all of the region’s festivals.
September and October bring mild climes and
four annual festivals, including the 300-year-
old Santa Fe Fiesta.
Cher blossoms bloom here, too—visit in
March and April for the festival; temperatures
stay nice through June. Boiling, muggy
August is the cruelest month by far.
PAGE
28

66

72


92

100

114
WHAT US$5 BUYS
An eight-piece sushi set lunch at
Heiroku Zushi conveyor belt sushi
in Shibuya.
A set of indigenous hand-woven,
glass-bead bracelets.
Three “My Heart” Singaporean
flag pins designed by pop-artist
Casey Chen.
Two tickets to the Bhubaneswar’s
Nandankanan Zoo, a white-tiger
safari and passes to take photos.
A calla lily pen at the Georgia
O’Keeffe Museum store.
Two extra-large, freshly
steamed blue crabs with Old Bay
seasoning at the Maine Avenue
wharf.
WHO TO FOLLOW
@TimeOutTokyo

@taiwanews

@stompsingapore


@odishadia

@santafetraveler

@washingtondc

92
ODISHA

100
SANTA FE
TOKYO

28
TAROKO GORGE

66
SINGAPORE

72
WASHINGTON, D.C.

114
W
hen it comes to questions about
travel, No. 1 with a bullet is: where to
go next? The start of each year is the
best time to make new vacation
plans, though when the well-traveled
general manager of one of Bangkok’s
premier hotels asked me which
under-the-radar spots she had to see

this year, before the package tours
arrived, I had to do a quick verbal two-step to avoid simply revisiting
my favorite stops on the map. That’s why each January we publish a
short list of the world’s hot spots (“13 for 2013,” page 19). This year’s
entries cover the globe but in this region include Palawan in the
Philippines, which I highly recommend for its secluded islands and
pristine environment; trekking in Nepal; and Australia’s Gold Coast. If
there’s a theme among this diverse trio, it’s exploration of the great
outdoors. Fitting neatly into that category elsewhere in this issue is the
often-overlooked Taroko Gorge in Taiwan (“A Raft of Adventure,” page
66), which writer Cain Nunns takes on in a white-water expedition.
Not everyone needs a dose of adrenaline with their morning coee,
so this month we also visit big cities, stopping in nocturnal Tokyo (pa
ge
28) for an evening food tour; Singapore, taking a look at its current
penchant for nostalgia (page 72); and even a revitalized Washington,
D.C. (page 114).
Heading into a new year, we also review travel trends you should
expect (“Travel Forecast 2013,” page 53) in the not-too-distant future.
What’s in the cards? We anticipate a spike in more aordable luxury
tours; airports that come with an element of fun; and more one-of-a-
kind vacations. Read the rest of the predictions and tell us what you
think—and if you’re something of a travel Nostradamus you can share
your own prognostications on Tw itter using #TLAsia.
Otherwise, just let us know where it is you want to go next and why.
If we’re not covering the destination already, there’s a good chance you
can convince us to do so in the coming months. Like you, we’ll travel
anywhere at least once.
—
christopher kucway

Editor’s Note
   

@CKucway on Twitter
Making Plans for
Your 2013 Travels
  
Inle Lake
Chiang Mai
Hong Kong
Samoa
The T+L Code Travel + Leisure editors, writers and
photographers are the industry’s most reliable sources.
While on assignment, they travel incognito whenever possible
and do not take press trips or accept free travel of any kind.
At Singapore’s Ku Dé Ta for
a Travel+Leisure cocktail.
10 J ANUARY 2013 TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
A
t Singapore’s Ku Dé
T
a for
Ta for T
FRO M LEFT: COURTESY OF CAIN NUNNS; YUHAN CHONG; NICOLAS ZURCHER; ADAM SPAGNOLO; C O URT ESY OF NELL MCSHANE WULFHART
Contributors
Nell McShane
Wulfhart
Writer
“Bizarre Beauty”

(page 32).
 :  
  
 
   Truth
be told, I’m anti-anti-
aging, but if I had to pick
one I’d go for the pig’s
feet. I’m a sucker for an
easy fix.  ’
  
 It sometimes
seems like the world
values youth over pretty
much everything else, so
it’s easy to understand.
    
  I try to
offset a diet of rich food
and booze by working out
five days a week. 
Body & Seoul Martial
Arts in Seoul has fitness
classes that are really
effective. You can get a
full workout in 45
minutes. It’s the only
workout I ever became
addicted to.
Melanie

Lee
Writer
“Soul-Searching in
Singapore” (page 72).
  
 Because of
the dizzying array of
recent changes, many
Singaporeans are looking
for things that can
ground them and help
them make sense of what
is happening.  
  ’
 Before her
eyesight became poor, my
second aunt used to make
hakka soon kueh (a sticky
pork bun of yam and
tapioca flour) at Chinese
New Year. 
 My gong gong
(maternal grandfather)
was amazing—a Chinese
physician and an
entrepreneur. He built a
manor in the 1950’s for his
huge brood of 13 children,
and my mother and her
siblings refuse to tear it

down.   
  
Pulau Ubin, a short ferry
ride from Changi Point.
It feels like Singapore in
the early eighties.
Alex
Farnum
Photographer
“Pure Santa Fe”
(page 100).

  For
some reason, Santa Fe
feels like a city that
belongs to everyone. It’s
small and quaint, so you
can see how nurturing a
place it is, with its
down-to-earth people
and a laid-back
mentality.  
  The best
meal of my trip was at
Tia’s Cocina. Their chiles
rellenos were fantastic.
 
 Patience. Some of the
most incredible things
happen when sitting still

or chitchatting with a
group of people. 
’  
The surrounding
landscape, from the red
rock to the mountains,
open plains and high
desert, is gorgeous and
ever-changing. 
+  Bali,
top to bottom.
Sarah
Spagnolo
Digital Projects Editor
“T+L 500 2013”
(page 78).
+   ’
   
Ca’ Sagredo Hotel, a
15th-century palazzo on
Venice’s Grand Canal. In
fact, I’m taking this
magazine’s advice and
heading to Venice for
the holidays. 
   Some
retreat to the beach;
others to the country. My
perfect hotel would be in
an austere desert

landscape with a spacious
patio and sliding doors
that I’d keep open all
night long.  
  
  
Guests at Amansara can
take early morning yoga
classes at Angkor Wat, in
Cambodia. I’ve done yoga
by the beach in Puerto
Rico and in the Costa
Rican rainforest, but this
is something I need to try.
Cain
Nunns
Writer
“A Raft of Adventure”
(page 66).
  
   
 This is my
second stint in Taipei.
It’s a vastly underrated
destination and still
occupies a soft spot with
me. Compared to the
big-ticket cities of Hong
Kong, Singapore,
Shanghai and Beijing,

Taipei is something of a
Chinese cultural
timepiece. 
   To
not be in a Chinese or
Vietnamese city. I’ll
most likely head to
Burma. 
  
There seems to be more
ways all the time.
Cycling is excellent
here. Surfing is a
growing sport. Hiking
and river tracing are
also topnotch. 
  
Micronesia for a month.
I’m not a big fan of
Taipei’s damp, gray
winters.
‘My perfect hotel would be in an
austere desert landscape with a
spacious patio and sliding doors
that I’d keep open all night long.’
—Sarah Spagnolo
12 J ANUARY 2013 TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
All Downhill From Here
Adrenaline Rush

Skiing, cycling, martial arts, yoga,
hiking, fitness apps and who knows what
else? Was your November issue meant to
make me feel like a slacker? If so, mission
accomplished. Now, can you devote one
month to lazing and grazing, something
that doesn’t involve any calorie loss?
f
Mason Ganser
kuala lumpur
Past, Present and Future
I recently visited George Town and was
amazed to see how lively the historic city
is, so was glad you featured it in your
November issue [“An Island for the
Arts”]. It’s a story that many other places
around Southeast Asia should look to in
order to preserve some of their own
heritage and do so with a modern take. I
do think there are many underutilized
residents out there with great ideas
about how to improve their own cities
and neighborhoods, and we need to do a
better job of incorporating their skills. A
place like George Town proves that.
Catherine Teo
singapore
Asian Exercises
Interesting look at Southeast Asia’s
martial arts [“Fight Club,” November

2012]. Everyone knows about muay Thai
but I didn’t realize there are variations
on the better-known combat styles in
almost every country in this region. I’m
planning a trip to Burma for the bando.

Tony Saron
phnom penh
Not the obvious choice when it comes to vacations in Asia, but I think
you’ve convinced me to strap on some skis and head for the hills
[“Ticket to Glide,” November 2012]. I always think of beaches when I
need a break but your intro to skiing in Japan has likely changed my
plans in the coming months. Bonus: I won’t have to endure a long-
haul flight to Europe or North America.
f
Nancy Smythe, bangkok
Ticket to Glide
Want to go skiing this winter but don’t know
where to start? Here’s the lowdown on how you,
whether novice or expert, can make the most
out of Asia’s ski runs. By Catharine Nicol
The H ilton Nis eko
and t he ski vil lage.
courte sy of A lpensiA KoreA . op posite: courtesy of Hi lton niseK o Vil lAge
11FEAT_Skiing.indd 1 11/10/2012 19:27
Sounding Off
14 JANUARY 2013 TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA. COM
CONTACT
INFO
Got something to say? Tell us at , travelandleisureasia.com,

f

facebook.com/TravelLeisureAsia or

@TravLeisureAsia. Comments may be edited for clarity and space.
Inbox
Correction
In our November article, “Phuket by
the Dozen,” a photograph of the Dusit
Thani Laguna Phuket was incorrectly
identified. We regret the error.
T+L Southeast Asia asked
Facebook fans to vote for
their favorite magazine cover
of 2012. The topic got
people talking. Check out the
comments about the July
2012 cover:
A very alluring cover. It makes me wanna drop
everything and be that person lying on the
deck chair.
f
Gabrielle Gabz
Just looking at the picture makes me feel like
I’m on a vacation already! A hideaway dream
ocean heaven!
f
Jitchaya Sarasombath
The empty beds suggest endless possibilities.
You don’t need models on every cover,

Southeast Asia is beautiful without any
adornment.
f
Guy Ridgeon
It’s your best cover of 2012 because it’s
unusual.
f
Suzanne Miao
TRAVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA
VOL. 7, ISSUE 1
Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, Room 1205-06, 12/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong
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Christopher Kucway
John Boyer
Merritt Gurley
Jeninne Lee-St. John
Wannapha Nawayon
Chotika Sopitarchasak
Wasinee Chantakorn
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Radar
News. Finds. Opinions. Obsessions.
On Our
1
A still undiscovered (yes!) corner of Italy. A French island
hideaway in the Indian Ocean. An unexpected wellness
resort on the coast down under. We reveal a baker’s dozen
of places to go this year.   . 
13 for 2013

Nepal
A mountain region returns
Its civil war in the past, this
Himalayan state, with its
elephants, one-horned rhinos
and incredible landscapes, is
back in play. Yeti Mountain
Home Lodges (yeti mountain
home.com; from US$190), on
the hike to Everest, and the
eco-sensitive, renovated
Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge
(tigertops.com; from US$500)
are targeting sophisticated
adventurers.
TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM JANUARY 2013 19
C O URTESY OF YE T I M O UNTAIN H O ME LODGES

Khumbila as seen
from Kongde, Nepal.

Radar
Puerto Rico
Homegrown
Caribbean
His tenure at 1919
(1919restaurant.com;
tasting menu for two
US$140)—the new
restaurant inside
San Juan’s historic
Condado Vanderbilt
Hotel, whose rooms
will reopen in
mid-2013—has been
brief. But native son
Juan José Cuevas
has already created
something other
Puerto Rican chefs
only talk about:
a menu dedicated
almost entirely to
island ingredients.
Cuevas is one of the
reasons food lovers
are homing in on P.R.
Another? Dorado

Beach, a Ritz-
Carlton Reserve
(ritzcarlton.com; from
US$1,499)—which
opened last month
40 kilometers west
of the capital—
where culinary
wizard José Andrés
showcases his own
versions of such
classic dishes as
lechón asado (roast
suckling pig).
Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica
Surfers’ haunt goes luxe
Surrounded by mountains and jungle-fringed beaches on
the Pacific, this pristine bay bordering a national marine
park was long the secret of surfers and backpackers—and
migrating whales. Now there’s
Kura Design Villas
(kuracostarica.com; from US$440) an upscale eco-resort
whose six villas are open to the tropical air.
Réunion
The next Maldives?
This far-flung French département in
the Indian Ocean has begun marketing
to English speakers, even oering ESL
lessons for tourism workers. U.S
and U.K based operator Black Tomato

(blacktomato.com) is introducing
multiple itineraries there this year.
The appeal? Secluded beaches,
volcanoes—and damn good croissants.
Philippines
Your own private archipelago
Boracay hogs the spotlight, but there are
thousands of other islands to lure beach lovers.
At Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa (slh.com;
from US$448), on Panglao, thatched-roof villas
face the sea. Palawan, a  Biosphere
Reserve, now has El Nido Resorts
Pangulasian Island (elnidoresorts.com; from
P18,500). Groups can reserve Ariara (ariara
island.com; US$23,940 per week for six guests),
a 50.5-hectare private isle.
3
4
2
6
13 for 2013
11
7
13
12
4
3
5
6
2

1
8
10
9
CLOCKW ISE FROM LEFT: C O URT ESY OF ESKAYA B EACH RESO RT AND SPA; ILLUST RATION BY KYUNGD UK KIM; CO URT ESY OF THE BACHELO R
FARMER. OPPOSITE, FRO M TOP : COURT ESY OF G W INGANNA LIFESTYLE RETREAT; COURTESY OF THE BUSHCAMP COMPANY
20 JANUARY 2013 TRAV ELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
Minneapolis
New Nordic on the Mississippi
Chefs in America’s most
Scandinavian city have
embraced the farming ethos of
Copenhagen’s famed Noma.
The pioneering Bachelor
Farmer
(thebachelorfarmer.
com; dinner for two US$60) has
the city’s first rooftop garden.
The American Swedish Institute
recently opened Fika (asimn.
org; lunch for two US$22),
serving smörgås (open-faced
sandwiches). Next to watch:
Union (unionmpls.com; dinner
for two US$80), run by Noma
alum Jim Christiansen.
5
The Bachelor Farmer,
in Minneapolis.
Eskaya Beach

Resort & Spa.
Amsterdam
Art enough for you?
The Rijksmuseum (rijksmuseum.nl)
emerges from a 10-year renovation in
April, with a wing devoted to Vermeer
and Rembrandt, steps from the recently
redone Stedelijk Museum (stedelijk. nl).
A few eye-popping design hotels have
also debuted, including ones from
Andaz (andaz.hyatt.com; from €255) and
experimental collective Droog
(hoteldroog.com; from €300).
Gold Coast, Australia
Urbane beach resort
More foreigners are joining A-list Aussies in
this beachside Queensland city, thanks in part
to new daily nonstops from around the region
to nearby Brisbane. Tap into the scene at star
chef Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill at the buzzy
Hilton Surfers Paradise (hilton.com; A$279)
and the new Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
(gwinganna.com; rooms from A$490 per night,
two-night minimum), a wellness resort co-
owned by actor Hugh Jackman.
Basilicata, Italy
Ancient region, newfound
charms
It’s a mystery—no, a miracle—
why this coastal region in the

instep of Italy’s boot has
remained so overlooked for so
long. Known by Italians for its
7,000-year-old cave dwellings,
peasant-style cuisine and
thermal springs, it grabbed global
attention last year when Francis
Ford Coppola opened a hotel,
Palazzo Margherita
(palazzomargherita.com; suites
from €360 per night, two-night
minimum), in his grandfather’s
hometown of Bernalda. Now
beachfront tavernas are getting
paint jobs and sleepy
agriturismos such as the
150-hectare Tenuta Visconti-
San Teodoro Nuovo
(santeodoronuovo.com; from
€130) are waking up.
Uco Valley,
Argentina
Oenophile discovery
Will this sunny
expanse outside
Mendoza City
become Napa South?
New hotels are
making it easier to
sample the region’s

Malbecs and
Semillons: Francis
Mallman—the
Argentine Thomas
Keller—runs the
kitchen at Vines
Resort & Spa (vines
resortandspa.com),
while Casa de Uco,
Wine Hotel & Spa
(casa deuco.com;
from US$500) has
freestanding tubs
and outdoor fire pits.
Marseilles,
France
Provence gets its groove on
The scruy charm of
France’s edgiest city—one
of the European Union’s
Capitals of Culture for
2013—will be on full display
this year. But clothing
designers such as Caroline
Hanny and Didier Parakian
are also turning heads. Style
seekers browse the racks
in the Cours Julien district;
artists are colonizing the
Le Panier area; and trendy

types hole up at the ever-
cool Philippe Starck’s
Mama
Shelter
(mamashelter.com;
from €79).
✚
11
13
9
12
Zambia
Africa’s wild frontier
Instability in Zimbabwe continues to divert
safari-goers and guides across the border.
In South Luangwa, walking-safari pioneer
Norman Carr’s daughter-in-law is opening
Chinzombo (normancarrsafaris.com; from
US$575), and the Bushcamp Company
(bushcamp company.com) has redone several
camps. In the Lower Zambezi, the Ana Tree
Lodge
(exploreafrica.net) will have eight luxe
tents with private plunge pools when it opens
in April.
TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM JANUARY 2013 21
7
Charlevoix, Quebec
A Canadian winter wonderland
Cirque du Soleil cofounder Daniel

Gauthier has spent 10 years and C$344
million developing this once-sleepy ski
area into
Le Massif de Charlevoix
(lemassif.com). A new diesel train
makes the 66-kilometer run from
Quebec City to the base of eastern
Canada’s largest vertical drop (770
meters). You’ll find the coolest digs and
a fireside lounge at
Hotel La Ferme
(from C$174).
8
10
Bilimungwe Bushcamp,
in Zambia.
At Gwinganna
Lifestyle Retreat.
22 JANUARY 2013 TRAV ELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
Radar
CLOCKW ISE FROM BOTTOM : COURT ESY OF L OMOGRAPHY; C O URTESY OF THE INDOCHINE GROUP
It’s pretty hard not to see the forest
for the “supertrees” in Singapore
these days. Just turn toward Marina
Bay, where the prismatic SuperTree
Grove—18 artificial structures of up
to 50-meters tall that house diverse
flora, decorative light displays and, in
some cases, photovoltaic cells to
harvest solar energy—stands out even

on this futuristic skyline. Explorers
of the urban jungle can now dine atop
one of the towering trunks at the new
restaurant SuperTree by IndoChine.
The menu is as ambitious as the
altitude (think: flash-fried lychees
stued with kurobata pork), and it
comes with an environmentally
conscious slant. If fusion nibbles
aren’t your thing, sip something from
their extensive martini list and take
in the 360-view of the city from the
world’s first alfresco rotating rooftop
bar. 18 Marina Bay Gardens Dr.,
Gardens by the Bay; 65/6694-8490;
indochine.com.sg; dinner for two from
S$170.—
diana hubbell
Long before Hipstamatic
and Instagram, the cool
kids used Lomography
cameras to take nostalgia-
inducing photos on film.
Now the Austrian company
has a Maps Edition series
with cartographic motifs:
the Diana F+ (pictured) and
Diana Mini for dreamy,
70’s-style pics; the Fisheye
for distorted images; and

the wide-angle La Sardina,
which produces saturated
colors. Bonus: they won’t
drain your iPhone battery.
lomography.com; from
US$99. —


FILM STAR

Supper in a
SuperTree
Singapore’s skyline
from the trees.
The foliage-filled
interior at SuperTree.
CL
O
CK
W
ISE
FR
O
M
BOTTO
M
:
C
O
UR

T
ES
Y O
F
L
O
M
O
GRAPH
Y;
C
O
UR
T
ES
Y O
F
T
HE
IN
DO
CHINE
GR
O
UP
24 JANUARY 2013 TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
Radar
Sarong
It’s Right


CLOCKW ISE FROM BOTTOM : COURT ESY OF SARO NG BALI; ©D AVID B URDEN; C OURTESY OF SARONG BALI
Chef Will Meyrick.
Tuna and herbs piled
on a betel leaf.
Chef Will Meyrick of Bali’s Sarong and Mama San
fame has released a new recipe book. Sarong
Inspirations features his signature dishes and tells
tales of his travels around Asia. The Scottish chef is
set to open a new Thai restaurant in Jakarta (how’s
that for multicultural?) this month and is also busy
researching on the ground for a second cookbook on
regional Indonesian cuisine, due out later this year.
Q: With your wanderings taking up so much
time, have you been missing cooking?
A: I’m still in the kitchen! Not just on service for both
restaurants a few nights a week, but also recipe
testing in the Mama San kitchen upstairs. Palm
[Amatawet, Meyrick’s second in command] and I go
in together and we get all the recipes I’ve got
scribbled down on bits of paper or on my iPhone (I
love the app Evernote), we get the videos of when we
were on the street or cooking with the ibu ibus
[family matriarchs] and that’s where the magic
happens. And that’s fun!
Q: Has your approach to work been changing?
A: My mindset has definitely changed. I’m all about
discovering new things and championing ideas and
philosophies, rather than just being a restaurateur