This week we say well done to Australia's best luxury accommodation right here in Brisbane, laugh and taste our way around Japan, speed dine Italian style, discover Intrepid's grass roots food tours and finish with a hot chocolate - you know you want one.
Congratulations
Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel in Fortitude Valley took the title of Best Luxury Accommodation in Australia at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in Hobart last night.
Finalists in thecategory included luxury accommodation providers Pinctada Cable Beach Resort and Spa in Broome, The Australasian Circa 1858 on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, Saffire Freycinet luxury lodge in Coles Bay Tasmania, Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, Hyatt Canberra and Crown Metropol in Melbourne.
The hotel is independently owned and operated Anthony and Fran John who also developed the project.
“They created the concept of the Emporium Hotel, the design and they built the hotel from the ground up, in so creating an experience that has no equal. We are incredibly proud to hold this title; every staff member has won this accolade and we hold it proudly for Brisbane,” said Emporium General Manager Peter Savoff.
Emporium Hotel
Laugh and taste your way around Japan
If you knew Sally you wouldn't hesitate to jump on her Taste Trekkers Tour of Japan from April 8 - 19.
Sally Lynch is the sort of gal that always can find a laugh and she'll have you laughing along as you travel through look at Japan and it's food.
From cooking lessons to shopping at the markets, this tour has it all plus a look at typical dishes, ingredients,
methods of preparation, origins, etiquette, the aesthetics of presentation, eating implements and cooking utensils.
Expect to uncover traditional dishes and regional specialities, along with everyday favourites of 21st century Japanese housewives.
Email Sally for a full tour itinerary
bucci express
When you need it fast you can now pop into Bucci for an 'Express Lunch' option. Two courses for $29.50 or three courses for $34.50 from the weekly evolving menu, paired with a glass of wine. You'll be back for more quicker than you can say...precipitevolissimevolmente! (meaning 'as fast as possible' and the longest word in the Italian language.)
Grassroots food trips
Looking for authentic, local, grassroots food experiences when
you travel rather than high-end gourmet?
Intrepid have launched a new range that celebrate street fare, local
specialties, secret home recipes, markets and urban food culture, all designed
to get a foodie’s mouth watering.
Think late-night taco trawl through the streets of Mexico
City, visiting one of the world’s wildest food markets, Beijing’s Donghuamen
Night Market, where nothing is off the menu, foraging for wild greens in a
Turkish coastal town, trying a traditional workers’ breakfast in Barcelona or learning
trade secret recipes from a genuine Vietnamese masterchef in Ho Chi Minh City.
The trips all have a local leader who is passionate and
knowledgeable about the local food scene. The first tour departs 29 March.
If this sounds like you visit www.intrepidtravel.com/food
for details
hot choc
Today's cooler weather is definitately making me think about hot chocolate and i'm heading to pantry for another cup of Hot Choccy.
This is a chocolate drinking powder with a difference combining 100 percent organic cacao, organic Stevia extract and Fairtrade Belgian chocolate to give a delicious creamy taste. There are seven different flavours - milk, dark, caramel, orange, strawberry, lemon and cappuccino. I've tried two - milk and caramel. Milk is my favourite as the caramel hit is gentle and I like my caramel strong.
Founder Chris Appleford says “We don’t claim to be a healthy chocolate powder, but we use as many healthy ingredients as possible, while also ensuring it tastes delicious.
“Our cacao is sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, and low GI, while the Stevia is 100% natural with no carbs and no calories.
“The pure Belgian chocolate makes it taste incredible, and the chocolate and cacao are Fairtrade certified which is in line with the philosophy of our company.”
Hot Choccy comes in seven different flavours (milk, dark, orange, strawberry, caramel, lemon and cappuccino) in three different packages - 70g and 250g bags, and a 100g jar.
Hot Choccy can be purchased online at www.hotchoccy.com.au.
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. Just spreading food news