Our Tasty Travels: The Best Eats of 2013

2013 was quite a tasty year for the team of Our Tasty Travels. We both ventured off on a lot of solo trips last year, while still managing to chow our way through nearly 30 countries together.

In talking about our exciting year of upcoming culinary travels, we wanted to share some of our favorite eats of 2013. Grab your fork and get ready to dig in!

Biggest Surprise — Bacon in Slovakia

While both of us bow down to all things bacon, we believe we achieved bacon Nirvana in Slovakia this year. It was thick, sweet, and oozing with flavors. We couldn’t finish one of the dishes we ordered, but we actually sat there and picked out the last remaining bacon pieces!

Biggest Meal — A Serbian Feast

Driving through Serbia, we were on the hunt for this popular out of city spot in Niš that was well-regarded for authentic Serbian cuisine. What we found was this tiny spot tucked behind a giant gate with a big Serbian birthday party going on. The owner spoke very little English but we managed to convey that we wanted to try traditional cuisine. What we ended up with was a feast to feed 20 people – Serbians are big on their meat platters and we sampled a wide variety of perfectly seasoned and cooked meats. I am still trying to figure out how we finished everything!

Freakiest Dish – Fruit Bat in Palau

Yes, we ate bat. Its organs, its wings, its brain, and well, even a bite of its fur. One of the local specialties in Palau is fruit bat soup. And you know, when in Rome, err Palau. We said we wanted to experience it the way a local would and Brett dug right in. He was not a fan of the wing, which I thought tasted like seaweed.  And the fur, well, it took some shōchū to get that down.

Best New Find – Typhoon Shelter Crab in Hong Kong

Typhoon shelter cuisine is popular in Hong Kong, and I have no clue how we never tried it until now, but the typhoon shelter crab is my newest addiction! It’s extremely messy and with all the crisped garlic, no vampire – or any other human – is likely to want to be near you for the next few days.

My “I Could Eat Every Day” Food — Xiao Long Bao from Din Tai Fung in Taiwan

When we used to live in Taiwan, I would get xiao long bao or “XLB” from Din Tai Fung probably once a week. I grew addicted to these dumplings, sometimes called “Shanghai Soup Dumplings”. I’ve had them from countless places and even Din Tai Fung locations in other countries and you just can’t beat them in Taipei!

Best New Drink – Kvass in Latvia

This rye-based, very low alcohol drink is something that really surprised me. For the few days we were in Riga, I ordered Kvass every time I could get my hands on it. It tastes very much like the signature rye bread found in Latvia and, if I could’ve brought an entire suitcase back of it, I would’ve!

Biggest Craving – Peking Duck in Taipei

While I obviously miss my xiao long bao and other dumplings from 3.5 years of living in Taiwan, we figured out what we likely missed most collectively is the Peking duck! While you can get good dumplings elsewhere, Peking duck in Taiwan is in a class by itself. The region of Yilan is renowned for its duck and my favorite spot in Taipei where we go, perfects the whole Peking duck experience, carving it tableside and offering the best side courses to make use of the leftovers. Our favorite add-ons include salt and pepper deep fried bones and crispy duck lettuce wraps!

Themed Cuisine – Tokyo Disney

Anyone who knows me well knows Disney is quite a passion of mine. Repeated trips to the Tokyo and Hong Kong Disney Parks continue to amaze me – the food at the international Disney resorts far exceeds the typical fast food offerings I was used to from growing up near Disneyland. For every event they hold throughout the year, Tokyo Disney Hotels prepare special menus and exquisite desserts like this one for “Christmas Fantasy”.

Michelin Star Dining – Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan

Not sure how we lucked out getting a reservation at one of the top-rated restaurants in the world, but we dined at Michelin-starred Narisawa back in April. Narisawa is the #1 restaurant on Pellegrino’s 50 Best Restaurants in Asia and #20 on their World’s Best 50 Restaurants. We sampled surprisingly good Japanese wines and a variety of interesting forest themed dishes, including soil soup – made from one of the wine terroirs. Yes, I said we ate soup made with, well, dirt. But, it was good – really good.

Culinary Education – Gelato University in Bologna, Italy

In conjunction with my trip to Bologna this year for the latest installment of #BlogVille, hosted by the Emilia Romagna Tourism Board, I got to sit in on a class at Gelato University. And what an experience that was – the day I was there they were making savory and alcohol spiked gelatos. Everything from beer to salmon and my favorite – Parmigiano-Reggiano!

Birthday Dinner – DN Innovacion

I had the honor to have my “unmentionable” birthday dinner with one of my best friends and most talented chefs, Daniel Negreira from DN Innovacion in Taipei. I used to frequent Daniel’s restaurant nearly weekly and he’s become a very good friend over the past few years. It was a no brainer I wanted to spend my birthday with him since I was headed back to Taipei. As usual, he spoiled me rotten with around a ten course dinner.

Comfort Food – Sopa de Lima from Caramba in Belize

Move over chicken noodle. My new comfort food is sopa de lima from Caramba restaurant in Ambergris Caye, Belize. I’ve had it a number of times before, but never like this. Revamped for the upcoming new menu, I became nearly addicted to Caramba’s sopa de lima. I was eating it every day and found myself more focused and productive, especially after a day of staying up all night working. I am counting down the days until I am back in Belize and can have my daily fix again.

New Wine – Kvarner, Croatia

The team of Our Tasty Travels was invited by Katarina Cruises to attend a culinary education cruise to learn about the cuisine of the Kvarner region. We were blown away – everything we tasted was impressive, but it was the region’s wines that most surprised us. We are not normally white wine people, but we fell in love with the wines, especially the Zlahtina, a very mild white wine primarily produced on the island of Krk.

Ice Wines – Ontario, Canada

Continuing with wine, we both developed a deeper fondness and respect for ice wines, especially those produced in the Niagara region of Canada. We were treated to an impressive tour of Ontario’s wine country while in Toronto for the TBEX travel blogging conference. Sadly, we did not have nearly enough luggage space to bring back everything we wanted!

New Beers — Brett’s Favorites

New Beers – 2013 was a big year for Brett to try new beers from around the world.  In total, he tried more than 650 new beers in 2013. It started with a number of beer festivals and breweries in Belgium and the Netherlands, and spending the last few months of the year in San Diego, he also had the opportunity to try a number of the great craft breweries in Southern California.

Best Sweet — Sorrel Stout Truffles from Kakaw Chocolate in San Pedro, Belize

Integrating beer with food is always a win in my book. Mix beer and chocolate? Heavenly. Top that with a little candied bacon and I’m sold! Kakaw Chocolate Company in Belize managed a home run with one of the last releases for 2013. Kakaw integrated the newly released Belikin Sorrel Stout into their signature chocolate truffles. It was decadent and I could only eat just one, but the splurge was oh so worth it.

Best Breakfast – Baleadas in Roatan, Honduras

Props to my best Belize buddy Dorian for this find when he and I were on a business trip in Roatan recently. Served up at a local gas station, I was surprised to walk in and see the line already forming at 7am for these. Our guide suggested we try the original and then a mixed one for a comprehensive taste overview. A simple creation with tortilla and beans, eggs, avocado, and chorizo, it was one of the best breakfast finds of 2013 — and a dish I can likely replicate at home without too much work.

New Cheesecake — Flan Cheesecake in Roatan, Honduras

Cheesecake deserves its own category for me. Brett is not a huge fan which is fine — more for me! It was a hard decision on my favorite cheesecake of 2013, but the most memorable is the unique Flan one Dorian and I devoured in Roatan, Honduras! I love traveling with him when we find cheesecake on the menu as it’s a given that we will be having dessert no matter how much dinner we eat!

I also have to give a mention to my second runner up — a New York style cheesecake made by one of my favorite chefs — Amy from Wild Mango’s — in Belize.

Looking back on 2013, it was definitely a year filled with many exciting adventures. I am still blown away that I managed to travel to 32 countries. I can’t wait to share more of our culinary finds as we play catch up and start posting more — along with starting our site redesign and rebranding for 2014. Look for some tasty changes coming soon!