Ponytail Journal

Like a lot of Thai food, Khao Yam dish is all about the prep work, with flash-fast cooking time, its a soulful cuisine that shows love through labor. Don’t let this scare you away from trying it out, all I mean is that the more effort you put into slicing, peeling, and presenting, the more delicious this dish becomes. That’s where the poetry lies.

Tong Chong Street Markets in Hong Kong does not seek to replace wet markets, but rather provides a complementary alternative while giving a little helping hand to the growing number of innovative vendors in this overgrown city. It’s a breath of fresh air in a city that thrives on chain stores and big brands – wander around the market and you’ll find locally brewed beer, gooey homemade brownies, and freshly churned almond milk ice cream, all crafted by young entrepreneurs. Anne Berry dives into the delicious degustation

This Sunday I’m pulling out my favourite recipe, my tastiest Burmese chicken curry that I discovered on a trip to Myanmar a couple years back. I watched a curry stall lady prepare this dish out back behind her side of the road curry stall where we communicated with smiles and many animated hand movements. I will always think of her when I have this super tasty stew that is wonderfully mellow from the addition of lemongrass to the turmeric and red onion based curry paste.

This week Anne travels by rail around the island of Shikoku to explore the land of udon, intricate feudal castles, and her favourite fruit – the prized yuzu.

Larb: a simple herby, spicy salad that is a fresh mix of blanched minced meat with mint, spring onions, chilli, toasted sticky rice powder for crunch, and a tangy dressing. I break it down for you newbies out there on a throw back episode of ’Ponytail Journal’s Tastiest Life Possible’ to celebrate the show’s second birthday (64 episodes strong!) and hopefully inspire you to entertain tonight.

There are people who love tea, and then there’s Shinya Sakurai. Although Japanese tea ceremony practices date back to the 9th century, Sakurai’s expertise is a rarity in contemporary Japan. After training for 12 years to become a tea master, Sakurai opened a small tea room in Nishi-Azabu called Souen. Anne Berry explores a perfect blend of modernity and tradition, resulting in one of the most innovative tea rooms in the world.

Today we’re taking you into Karabashi cafe in the delightful seaside town of Hayama, a joint that takes hold of summer and serves up a simple daily menu that shows pride in local produce. The sea breeze, sun, clay mountains, waves, and eclectic mix of locals and Tokyo escapees sport a bohemian culture that celebrate a more colourful look onto life. Picture homely, clean food, and a party of local ingredients.

Anne Berry took the chance to meet up with James Ling of ’The Ale Project’ and ’Second Draft’ in Hong Kong to find how he manages to keep his business sleeves rolled up, while getting elbow-deep into the malts and hops of beer-geekery with curious customers.

The beauty of a fervently creative city like Tokyo is what you can find in the nook and crannies if you look closely. This week we explore a little-known treasure in the city’s center: Miyagawa. Anne Berry tells us about when she had the most delicious tempura ever.

Supermarkets can be awfully uninspiring places for those in search of good food. The whole concept of goodness is watered down under blinking fluorescent lights, and inside flimsy plastic boxes. It’s not just the image of our industrial foodscape, but the reality of it. Anne Berry explores

This week we’d like to give you a challenge to impress yourself with scrambled, poached, and boiled eggs. When done well, eggs are the most heavenly food on the planet. So how do your skills scratch up?

Tokyo: Along the Toei Oedo metro line sits a discreet little place called Bar Gen Yamamoto. Picture a small space carved out of a 500-year-old Mizunara tree, seating only eight at a time. There is no music or gaudy bar décor, merely an ikebana flower arrangement near the door. The menu itself is limited to either a tasting of 4 or 6 cocktails and their philosophy, seems quite simple: to make really really good cocktails.