Gazing and Grazing - Page 37 of 41 - Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey

Barcelona’s Disfrutar – Most Enjoyable Meal

May 21st, 2015

Disfrutar means “enjoy” in Spanish; and this new addition to Barcelona’s dining scene lives up to its name. It was one of my favorite experiences in a recent trip to Spain and the one restaurant I would say you must try if in Barcelona. The food is modern but yet comfortable although some dishes definitely held surprises. The pedigree of the food reflects Disfrutar’s chef-owners, who were ex-El Bulli head chefs and I suspect that there is probably a fair degree of similarity in some...

Pic of the Day – Still Gazing in Bridport, Tasmania

May 21st, 2015

This is my sister-in-law’s hometown – well, the beach part. There was a pier that burnt down. I took this photo in Nov. 2010 when we did a short road trip through Tasmania. This was taken with my first digital SLR, a Nikon D200, which I used from 2005-2013. I used an 80-200mm set at 120mm and f8, 1/250, ISO100. The lens weighed a ton. Incidentally, I think Tasmania is a good place to visit, especially if you want a place you can drive at your own pace and have your kids with you.

Bridport Pier, Tasmania — I’m still gazing!

Kyoto’s Kitcho Arashiyama – Go for the Experience Not Just the Food

May 21st, 2015

Michelin 3-starred Kitcho Arashiyama is known as a temple of Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine that comes with a high price. Reviews thus, are often mixed. Having now been there in winter and summer, I say that it’s worth trying at least once because of the complete experience it offers. However, if you’re just going for the food, you can get as fulfilling a Kaiseki experience elsewhere for a lot less financial pain.

I’m a sucker for Japanese ceramics, so to see the antiques that Kitcho...

India – Manali to Leh Roadtrip Photos 2003

May 21st, 2015

Back in July 2003, I took a road trip in northern India from Manali to Leh (Ladakh). I undertook this trip through Country Holidays in Singapore who still offers this tour. It’s worth doing – scenery is amazing and the food was surprisingly good (I love Indian food anyway). These are probably the better photos from the trip. I hadn’t gone digital yet so these were either taken with negative film (Fujifilm Reala), positives (Velvia or Provia) or black & white film (Neopan) using Carl Zeiss lens on either a Yashica or Contax body. One of my cameras malfunctioned so I lost more than a third of the shots I took. Nowadays with digital, at least you’ll know immediately if there’s something wrong!

Manali to Leh roadtrip — Irrigation from rivers green the valleys

Kyoto’s Kokedera – A Moss Visit

May 20th, 2015

No rolling stones here. One of the most enchanting gardens in Kyoto is that belonging to Kokedera (also known as Saiho-ji) or the Moss Temple. As its name suggests, it’s known for its moss. In my view, it’s well worth the trip to Kyoto’s western district to visit this garden.

I came here in June 2014 on a very hot day. We had a 10 am visit slot and since we didn't want to be late, we took a taxi from our hotel to Kokedera. It was only a 20 minute ride, although our hotel told us...