Unique Food Trails: Loh Lik Peng recommends rustic adventures in Italy
Think "ski holiday" and the food images usually conjured up are those of carb-laden plates and hearty stews.
But for hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng, the gastronomic highlight of a recent ski holiday with his family in the Dolomites of northern Italian republic was, rather surprisingly, seafood.
The dishes served at the humble family-run Rifugio Emilio Comici ("rifugio" ways "refuge" or "shelter" in Italian) in Val Gardena were so succulent that Loh and his family – married woman Min Lee and kids Conor, seven, and Cassidy, three – returned for another two meals during their stay.
"Alive lobsters, scallops, oysters, everything was actually skilful!," gushed Loh. "They had some of the best monkfish I've ever had. I was amazed to observe it in the mountains. They told me that produce was all local and from the nearby Venice coastline."
FEASTING (AND COOKING) IN VAL GARDENA
The Lohs tried seafood salads with generous portions of octopus, prawns and lobsters, and tasty pastas cooked with lobster and roasted porcini mushrooms. The fresh and lightly-seasoned monkfish fillets were, in Loh's opinion, cooked to perfection, while the lemon sole, pan-fried in butter and served bone-in, was as well excellent.
"It was unproblematic preparation but conspicuously washed by a very skilled kitchen team," Loh told CNA Luxury.
Reservations are recommended or be prepared to wait very patiently for a table.
Val Gardena is a valley located in the Dolomites, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage mountain range in the northern Italian Alps. It has three villages – Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva Val Gardena – and also Italian and German, the inhabitants also speak Ladin, a linguistic communication older than Italian.
Culinary gems similar Emilio Comici were gleaned from locals, namely the ski instructors. "It is apparently quite a fable among them," said Loh. "Other food recommendations were from Irish gaelic friends who regularly ski hither. The residuum is a mixture of research and taking a chance on a place that looks decent."
Another recommendation: Rifugio Fodom, where, after a morning of skiing, Loh ejoyed a mammoth slab of medium sirloin – "It must have been about 400 grams!" – and a regional speciality of sausage patty, mixed mushroom, polenta, and a slice of grilled local hard cheese.
As the Lohs commonly travel with their immature children, they prefer apartments with kitchen facilities and nearby supermarkets. On this trip, the produce at their local supermarket became the inspiration for domicile-cooked meals as dad discovered very reasonably priced rabbit meat, cheeses and Parma ham.
"It was just €xv to €20 (S$23 to Due south$thirty) per meal to feed a family of iv heartily!" said Loh, who whipped up a slow-cooked rabbit casserole with white sauce made from €10 wine. Leftovers were turned into a succulent fettucine dish the side by side day.
He also fabricated a slow-cooked beef ragu, sneaking in enough of vegetables such as carrots, celery and courgette for the kids, besides every bit a huge pot of ossobuco cooked in a red wine and tomato stew with heaps of garlic, onion, celery and carrots.
'SERIOUSLY TASTY' VERONA
Verona was another delightful identify for Loh, where there were then many good restaurants to endeavour that he did not attempt to cook at all. I was Osteria Casa Wine, teeming with locals, and dwelling to the best pasta Loh ate on the trip: Fresh tagliolini tossed with cuttlefish, prawn and aromatic herbed crispy breadcrumbs.
At Michelin Plate Trattoria I Masenini, a cosy traditional trattoria near the Castelvecchio castle, he had a local speciality, a "very delicious" bigoli pasta with sardines and crispy breadcrumbs followed by crispy suckling pig. Lee had her favourite tartare and a lamb shank, which Loh described as "seriously tasty".
When information technology comes to meal choices, Loh says that his wife usually leaves the decision to him. "For her, eating is more of a role, but for me it is a different matter," said Loh. "She is quite happy to indulge me although in some ways, she'southward the more adventurous ane as she eats near everything. She fifty-fifty ate bounding main worms in Korea, which I don't even want to attempt!"
The couple had a date nighttime in Verona at i-Michelin star Ristorante Il Desco, a 30-year-old legend on the Verona dining scene, said Loh, who loved the 14th-century dining room and the fantabulous meal service. "The tasting carte was creative with great produce and clever touches. Scampi tempura and flossy sweet bread were amid my favourite dishes."
As papa and mama had their food thrills, travel troopers Conor and Cassidy were happy to tuck into their favourite pizzas and carbonara pasta at every repast.
For Loh, exploring the unknown is part of the fun when unearthing bully eats.
"It does non have to be fine dining because I often travel with the kiddos, merely it needs to be tasty and nutritious," he said. "I recall it's only making the effort to find skilful eating places wherever you go."
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/loh-lik-peng-and-his-epicurean-discoveries-in-italy-239001
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