Sathi Lassi, The Best in the World???

Sathi's lassis' can be found in his aplty named shop, Sathi Lassi, on Chorbhuja Rd in Bundi. Bundi is a 4 hour bus ride south from Pushkar, in Rajasthan. His lassi is flavoured saffron, sugar, honey, cardamon, cashew nut, pistachio and raisins.The flavour is highly addictive and the texture is fantastic. It is so full of goodies, that instead of the usual straw, it must be eaten with a spoon.

Sathi makes only 50, fresh every morning, and sells for a bargain Rps20. They are approx 350mls, and one is generally not enough, they are that good!

"Dr" Sathi is a bit of a one-stop-shop, and he is always sporting a big grin and is up for a chat. He also sells a sticky sweet fruit and nut "confection", that will give you an altered view of Bundi town! Beware!

The South Indian Thali

There is always a central theme of rice, a couple varieties of dhal, rasam(a tamarind vegetable broth), pickle, puri(fried flat bread) or chappati and curd.It can be either basic or extremely glamourous. Prices can vary from Rps20(Aus0.60) to Rps 200(Aus$6.00).The accompaniments are spooned over the rice, which you then mix with your fingers to form small balls, then scoop in to your mouth. More rice and accompaniments will be provided until, with a wave of your hand, you indicate you have had enough.

Some of the delicous thalis from the coastal states of Goa and Kerala include a stunning wet fish curry and a separate piece of marinated, crispy fried fish. Washed down with a cold Kingfisher and the palm lined beaches a mere flip-flop away, life doesn't get much better.

The adjoining photo is from the Mango Tree restaurant in Hampi, a gorgeous garden setting overlooking the river, and will set you back Rps50(Aus$1.40)

Land of Extremes

An old friend once said to me, "When you go to India, the most important thing you can pack, is your sense of humour!" After some time on the road, you begin to understand how very important this is. India is a place of contrasts. You must also come here with an open mind and an open heart. Don't try to understand it and don't try and change it, and whatever you do, never judge it.

India's contrasts are as varied as it's population of 1.3 billion! You can be walking knee deep in monsoon rain in the south, while there are millions of people in the north wondering if they will ever see another drop of rain in their lifetime. You can stand at the railway stationand watch an orderly, quiet, well dressed few hop into an air conditioned 1st class compartment, while at the other end of the train, a manic crowd symbollic of an all out riot, fight their way to a seat in the 3rd class carriage. But rest assured, the poor farming family, rich in generosity and smiles, will be the first to offer you some of their delicious home prepared meal, a refusal will not be accepted. You will be walking down the street wafting in open air sewerage, and just before you start dry wretching, the air will be thick with the sweet smell of sandalwood or some freshly cooked samosas.

India is a land of extremes, it is, hot, wet, green, dry, colourful, noisy, smelly, clean, manic, calm, disorganized, methodical, spiritual, friendly, confronting, hilarious, harsh, povert stricken, happy, graceful, historical, powerful, optimistic, India is absolutely everything!

And everwhere there are cows.

Ran Thammachat (natural restaurant)

Many restaurants in Phuket entised return visits. Of these 'Ran Thammachat' on Soi Phuton and the 'Hokien Noodle Shop' on the circle fountain roundabout were stand outs.

The relaxed atmosphere of dining in a tree house, with quirky alcoves and tv set fish tanks, makes Ran Thammachat worth a mention; not taking from the food in any way. Served up is traditional Thai fare from all regions; the Tom Yam served in a coconut shell with fresh young flesh was out standing.

A good range of dishes for meat lovers to try:

Duck Larp: Duck mince fried with chilli, lime and roasted rice (served with greens on the side).

Marinated bbq pork neck: A rich, juicy, tender, sticky cut. Lingering smokey flavour left you hankering for more.

Crispy catfish salad: The drying of the fish is a slow drawn out process. Taking days to produce a fluffy, flossy, airy flesh, mellow in flavour for such a strong tasting fish. We were all suprised by this dish, not really knowing what to expect. The texture was crisp, crunchy and slightly chewy. A typical garnish for this dish is mango salad (see LAM bits).

Hor Mok: Steamed fish mousse wrapped in banana leaf (cup like). A light mixture of fish, egg, red curry paste, lime leaf and coconut milk is steamed to a spongy consistancy.

'Hokien Noodle Shop', as the name states, serves up fresh hokien noodles wet or dry. Dry seemed to tickle our fancy and we returned for a daily dose of the hearty goodness.

A noodle dish consisted of; fresh home made noodles, bbq pork, crispy crackling (always the best part and always found at the bottom of the bowl), shrimp, chives and bean sprouts. A good drizzel of soy based malasis gave the noodles the edge. Garnish was always a spoon of black pepper and crushed peanuts. Served on the side was a bowl of lightly prawn flavoured broth, peppery and aromatic.

The shop is the front room of their house complete with family photos and antiques.

Night market, Hua Hin

Hua Hin is a small town situated on the north east gulf of Thailand. Being a coastal town, seafood features strongly on all menus. The night market has all the usual bling, but the seafood on offer is the highlight.

The night market is held is held on Dechanuchit Rd, and the stall on the corner of Srasong Rd, out the front of the Siam commercial Bank, is my favourite.

I first visited this place 2 years ago, and it was great to see that nothing has changed. It is still run by the same family. The whole street is filled with stalls selling super fresh seafood, and they are all vying for your dollar. I was first attracted to this particular stall as they were the only ones without a tout out the front. It was like they had a quiet confidence in what they were doing, and left it up to you to make up your own mind. I have never regretted it.

On my recent visit, the hot n' sour prawn salad brought tears to my eyes, and big smiles to all the staff, especially the chef. The salad, Aus$3, is made up of lightly poached prawns, lemongrass, mint, shallots, scud chillies, lime juice and fish sauce. The prawns are poached in stock for a matter of seconds, before being tossed with the remainder of ingredients. Super fresh simplicity. Another night I devoured a green curry of prawns, Aus$4, filled with thai eggplant, shallots, scuds and kaffir lime leaves, which also left me reaching for my beer. Although it was sensationally hot, I had to finish all of it as the flavour was addictive.

Hopefully I can return again in the not too distant future.

Siam Winery, Floating Vineyards in Thailand

I was fortunate enough to be shown around the winery and the nearby floating vineyards. The winery is itself a state of the art complex with an ultra modern tasting room.

The "floating" vineyards are quite unique. The vines are planted on raised soil beds that are surrounded by channels of water. The water level varies according to the season. One interesting concept is the way the vines are trained into a pergola to form a canopy of leaves, thus protecting the grapes being scorched by the sun. Another noticeable difference is that there are 2 vintages per year.

Of the wines I sampled, the two stand-outs for me were the Monsoon Valley Malaga Blanc and the Monsoon Valley Pokdum.

The Malaga Blanc, a grape originally from the south of France, is a light bodied wine with a crisp and fresh finish. It would go well with a variety of seafood dishes, especially salads, and also a green curry. The Pokdum, a grape originating in Thailand, had some lovely spicey characters and is medium bodied. It would also go well with a variety of spicy dishes , especially a Thai beef salad or a Red duck curry.

All the wines produced by Siam Winery are made with the Thai cuisine in mind. You can organize a visit to the winery and have a matching food and wine luncheon. It was a wonderful experience visiting the winery and I would especially like to thank Ms. Waraphorn and Ms Kae for their immense hospitality.

Night market in Hua Hin

The night market is held is held on Dechanuchit Rd, and the stall on the corner of Srasong Rd, out the front of the SiamCommercial Bank, is my favourite.

I first visited this place 2 years ago, and it was great to see that nothing has changed. It is still run by the same family. The whole street is filled with stalls selling super fresh seafood, and they are all vying for your dollar. I was first attracted to this particular stall as they were the only ones without a tout out the front. It was like they had a quiet confidence in what they were doing, and left it up to you to make up your own mind. I have never regretted it.

On my recent visit, the hot n' sour prawn salad brought tears to my eyes, and big smiles to all the staff, especially the chef. The salad, Aus$3, is made up of lightly poached prawns, lemongrass, mint, shallots, scud chillies, lime juice and fish sauce. The prawns are poached in stock for a matter of seconds, before being tossed with the remainder of ingredients. Super fresh simplicity.

Another night I devoured a green curry of prawns, Aus$4, filled with thai eggplant, shallots, scuds and kaffir lime leaves, which also left me reaching for my beer. Although it was sensationally hot, I had to finish all of it as the flavour was addictive.

Hopefully I can return again in the not too distant future.