culinary journeys GLOBE

If you fancy having a love affair eating your way around one of the hottest culinary destinations in Indochina, then culinary journeys has designed a special Vietnam tour particularly for food lovers and the serious gourmet traveller. Working with an extensive network of colleagues in Vietnam to develop the ultimate culinary experience, food writer and Asian food specialist, Jenny Yee has researched an exciting series of eating adventures that will take you the length of this breathtakingly beautiful country.

The extensive culinary programme is interwoven with local sightseeing, visits with local artists and to quality galleries, as well as to ceramic and lacquerware studios. We have carefully chosen 3 and 4 star hotel accommodation which takes your comfort on the tour into consideration, these range from boutique style to the romantic colonial Continental hotel in Saigon where Graham Greene penned his novel "The Quiet American". Your culinary journey will let you discover the true essence of Vietnamese regional food and will expose you to the wonderful edible tapestry of flavours, smells and textures of the local cuisine. You will get to meet local chefs, cooks and their families, who are all willing to share their recipes, their warmth and hospitality with you.

We have chosen a mix of Vietnamese eateries that will expose you to the excitement of eating "local". From the delectable street food to simple cafés selling everything from a comforting Vietnamese Pho or grilled meats and fish cooked on clay braziers to family run establishments made famous by ancient recipes passed down from generation to generation.

So that you can glean all the secrets and be able to create your own Vietnamese inspired meals once you return home, we have made sure you learn from top local chefs and cooks. We have included several cooking lessons, taking you behind the scenes of top hotel kitchens (Sofitel Metropole, Hanoi), to several local restaurants all with excellent reputations for serving the best regional dishes. Local english speaking guides will be on hand to translate for us as we take in and explore a number of vibrant markets, each uniquely different, selling fresh fish, tropical fruits, noodles, rice, herbs, vegetables and all manner of preserved goods. You will have many opportunities to learn about and taste regional specialties, including local wines, beer, fruit smoothies and the excellent (and addictive!) local coffee. As we travel into the Central highlands we get an insight into the Vietnamese tea and coffee industry, and tasting on location!

For your sensual pleasure, we dine at some of the best restaurants which showcase fine Vietnamese banquet style dining - the famous Club Opera in Hanoi and the elegant Mandarine in Ho Chi Min City. In Hue, we are treated to the Imperial cuisine that the chefs here are famous for as we drift along the Perfume river while being entertained by traditional musicians. To provide a welcome contrast to these we also eat where the locals enjoy superb home style cooking. Some of the best food in Vietnam is the food enjoyed around and with her people. We have designed this tour so that you will be able to capture the atmosphere in which food is cooked, and taste for yourself the clear flavours and very identifiable ingredients so characteristic of Vietnamese food.

It is not hard to be seduced by the pleasures of the Vietnamese table. We want you to also hold the memories and images of the glow from hot braziers, the smoky aroma of sizzling meats wrapped in vine leaves being cooked in the streets, the comfort of strangers next to you eating noodle soup at an early morning market place. This culinary adventure will open the doors to a whole new dimension of Vietnamese food and culture to you.

In Saigon, look for a souvenir T-shirt that says it all: "I got to Vietnam before McDonald's".

Jennifer Yee, Food Concepts & Design