Food Pairings – Crispy Pork Belly w/ Age Ripe Puerh

  

 Magic happens when fatty porky goodness meets age ripe puerh tea.

Food Pairings – Lotus Seed Mooncake w/ Shui Hsien Tea

The packaging of Chinese mooncake gets more surreal with each passing year as the business becomes more and more competitive and each brand competes to standout. The above is from the Shangri La Restaurant, a remaining pack from last month’s Mooncake Festival.

Chinese Dim Sum w/ 2011 Jingmai Maocha

In my opinion Chefman is one of the top dim sum restaurants in Bangkok. They use quality ingredients, provide great service (although this can sometimes be inconsistent) and are most accommodating towards customers who wish to bring their own stash of dry leaves for enjoyment.

Chinese dim sum (or yum cha in Cantonese) consists of small dishes of mainly bite size steamed dumplings and buns, bake pastries and deep fried snacks made with an assortment of savory meats, seafood and sweet fillings. It is a delightful and creative presentation of food that focuses the enjoyment on both the taste and texture of food. A traditional dim sum meal cannot be complete without a steaming pot of Chinese tea. It is a classic match.

Food Pairings – Stewed Duck w/ 2000 Xiaguan Toucha

 

Don Wai riverside market offers great food and a wonderful ambiance. One of the oldest and most popular raft restaurant situated by the river is Ped Palo Nai Nub which translates to "Mr Nub's Stewed Duck with Chinese Blended Spices".

I love the uniqueness and energy to be found at a local Thai market. Each market has its own personality that becomes all the more lively during peak hours when the buzz of activity from the interactions of excited shoppers, sellers and other market forces drum up to a crescendo. For diversity, excitement, unforeseen happenings and sheer entertainment the local market beats the standard uniformity of walking the straight and tidy aisles of a supermarket hands down.

Food Pairings - Banana Honey Toast w/ Yiwu Tea

 

i) Simply eye catching! The ebene vegetable activated carbon sourdough by Maison Jean Philippe. ii) Baked and ready to be served.

Maison Jean Philippe is arguably the best bread maker in Bangkok. The breads are of excellent quality and are known for having a hard crust whilst being soft and elastic on the inside. A chunky slice provides an excellent base for which to spread a thick layer of butter to be topped by bananas and followed by a generous drizzle of honey. Bake until the banana absorbs the butter and honey and takes on a custard consistency. The flavor of the cooked banana infused with butter and honey pairs very well with the signature toffee and caramel (ish) character of age Yiwu tea.

Food Pairings – Shellfish Omelet w/ Ripe Puerh Tea

The name of the Thai food stall Nai Mong Hoi Thod translates to "Mr Mong's Fried Shellfish". The signature dishes are the oyster omelet (middle) and the mussel omelet (right). For those with an eye for detail you may notice my blue thermo in the background. A hot steaming cup of ripe puerh tea together with Mr Mong's fried shellfish omelets is a match made in heaven!

Food Pairing – Fruits and Puerh Tea (Be Aware, Be Warned)

Thailand produces exceptional fruits. The above picture shows but a fraction of the bounty of local fruits that are available in a given year. These wonderful summer fruits are a pleasure to enjoy but I would advise not together with puerh tea.

Food Pairings – Tinned Sardines in EVOO with White Puerh Tea

A simple man’s adaptation of the gastronomical delights of pairing fish and white wine. Here I humbly present tinned sardines and white puerh tea.