Blending French culinary techniques with premium Japanese ingredients, the star of the show is fresh salmon from Hokkaido. Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is a nutritious source of protein, vitamin B, and essential minerals such as potassium and selenium.

Research reveals that fishing for salmon in the pristine rivers and seas off north Hokkaido dates back almost 4,000 years, and even today the island accounts for around 80 per cent of Japan’s annual salmon catch.

Diners can enjoy salmon rillettes on toasted brioche with fennel, ikura and hajikami ginger; salmon cold-smoked in-house and served with a mustard sauce, avocado, smoked tofu, and soba croutons; poached salmon in olive oil garnished with zesty fresh yuzu, panisses and sorrel butter; and finally, steamed salmon with green tea veloute accompanied by white asparagus, soya beans, and kinako. The Hokkaido salmon menu starts at Bt690-plus and is available until October 31.

Find out more or book a table at (02) 687 9000 or email elements@okurabangkok.com.

The Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival, popular among Chinese people, marks the end of the harvest season and is an occasion to worship deities. It is also a time when families and friends gather to socialise, drink tea and eat mooncakes and this year’s festival falls on September 24.

For the first time ever, Japanese-style dessert brand Kyo Roll En offers Satsuma Imo mooncake filled with sweet potatoes imported from Kyushu. Fragrant and soft, these mooncakes are packed in genuine wooden boxes with luxurious gold patterns inspired by the Zen symbol illustrated on the box.

Mango with sweet fish sauce mooncake from Narai Hotel offers a twist on the Thai dessert by blending okrong, khiew savoey and falun mangoes wrapped in dough for a fragrant, mildly sour flavour free of preservatives.

Maple Pecan mooncake from Skinni Bears was inspired by maple pecan pie for an East Meets West concept. Made from maple syrup and pecan, the filling is then wrapped with dough made from sweet potato.

Pistachio mooncake from W Hotel Bangkok combines the taste and texture of pistachio with olive oil, making this filling another unique mooncake that cannot be missed.

Another classic mooncake is the egg yolk custard piece from the Peninsula Bangkok. Every mooncake is handmade by a team of chefs at Mei Jiang Chinese restaurant using an original recipe passed on from Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong.

Custard lava mooncake from Hong Kong MX remains a best seller while almond black sesame is the latest mooncake flavour from Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok designed to delight health-conscious customers with less sugar than other fillings.

For the first time, Novotel Phuket Phokeethra presents a mixed nut filling, one of the most popular mooncake fillings. The mixed nut filling is both sweet and savoury as there are flavours from grains and pork fat.

More flavours are offered such as custard from The Athenee Hotel Bangkok and Shangri La restaurant, mangosteen from Grand China Hotel, milk tea and rose from Harrod’s, black truffle, yolk and lotus seed from Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park Hotel and durian mooncake from Gokjai.

For every Bt1,000 spent on a single a receipt, customers can scan QR code in the SCB Easy App to receive a mooncake worth up to Bt260 from participating brands. SCB M Visa cardholders receive 8 times the points and M Card members receive 5 times the points with a purchase of Bt1,500 per receipt (limited to 1,000 throughout the campaign).

Thailife cardholders who show their membership card with their national ID card (names must match) or customers who spend Bt199 on products under ThaiNamthip brand at Gourmet Market and show their receipts can receive a mooncake from participating brands.

Enjoy an assortment of mooncakes from today (September 5) to September 25 at Paragon Department Store and from September 13 to 24 at every branch of The Mall and EmQuartier. There is even a delivery service from Lineman with a Bt75 fee (limited offer).

In the heart of the village of Alsemberg, in the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant region, south of Brussels, the PastaCafe is one of those that has best kept its 1920s and 1930s decor.

The bar and dark woodwork are vintage, as are the leather headrests that remain on the wooden benches.

And cracks in the multicoloured floor tiles, which date from the dawn of the last century, show how many drinkers have trod there.

“They even had a horse in here once,” says manager Ilse Rillaert, showing a picture from the 1970s or 80s as proof.

The “charming, authentic” bar is the opposite of the modern “bling” drinking haunt, says the manager, who is in her thirties.

“There is a lot of warmth, people who come to eat here feel at home with an interior like this.”

‘Only a handful’

Rillaert, who took over from her brother in 2013, says that the cafe, known to older locals by its old name De Hoorn, has served as the backdrop for an English-language costume drama by French director Francois Ozon, the 2007 film “Angel”.

It was also used by a Belgian Dutch-language pop group called Clouseau in the 1990s after they became locals because they lived nearby.

With a red-brick facade, typical of this part of Belgium and northern France, it is one of three cafes that the Flemish regional government said in August it planned to add to a selection of listed sites because of its “exceptional” interiors.

Belgium, whose thousands of beers have since 2017 boasted UNESCO World Heritage status, has hundreds of such old cafes or so-called estaminets.

“But if you want a completely intact interior, typical of the bourgeois cafes from the first half of the 20th century, there are only a handful,” says Joeri Mertens, a real estate heritage researcher for the Flemish region.

Seven of them have already been listed in the region and the three others nominated in August, including the PastaCafe, are set to be added next year after a routine public inquiry by local authorities.

The goal is to show future generations this furniture, stucco ceilings and vintage mirrors, even if it imposes some constraints on the bar owners themselves.

“They will have to seek our approval for any developments,” said Mertens, “but on the other hand, we have a budget that they can access for renovations.”

‘Hard to find’

Ilse Rillaert from the PastaCafe welcomed the scheme.

“When I quit, my successor won’t be able to ruin this place. It’s great to know it will stay like this,” she said.

Belgium’s French-speaking regions are also preserving their vintage bars.

In Brussels and Wallonia, they have been doing so since the 1980s, particularly for those in the Art Nouveau style of the famed Belgian architect Victor Horta, but there are still not many.

The Brussels cafe, A La Mort Subite (Sudden Death), which opened in 1910, benefits from protection of the interior, exterior, main floor and cellar, says its boss Bernard Moucharte.

“It’s hard to find cafes which have kept their style permanently,” says Julien Maquet, of Wallonia’s heritage agency.

The research found that East Asia and South East Asia are home to eight of the world’s 10 cheapest Michelin-grade meals and the cheapest meal is served by Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, a street food stall in Singapore, at the price of $2.20 (Bt72).

In Europe, the most budget-friendly Michelin-grade meal is available in Spain, with the set lunch menu at L’Antic Moli, which is located between Barcelona and Valencia, costing just $16.90 (Bt553). Meanwhile, the USA’s cheapest Michelin-star meal at Al’s Place in San Francisco starts from $18 (Bt589).

“The Michelin Guide catalogues the best restaurants in the world, but with some tasting menus costing upwards of $500, these restaurants are largely inaccessible and off limits to many travellers. Food is without a doubt one of the most exciting parts of travelling. A meal can make or break a trip, but it can be hard to distinguish the good eateries from the bad when visiting a foreign country,” says Christian Suwarna, senior vice president of business development at Traveloka.

Although the vast majority of restaurants featured have achieved one Michelin star, Tuju, a two-star Sao Paulo restaurant, also made the list, where a set lunch menu costs just $21.80.

To put these costs into perspective, a truly dedicated foodie could afford to dine at all 50 of the cheapest Michelin-grade restaurants ($1,759) for the same price as a single sitting at the world’s most expensive restaurant, Ibiza’s Sublimotion, where a set menu costs $1,761.

“Amongst these eye-wateringly expensive menus are some surprisingly affordable options, offering top-quality meals at prices even the most budget-conscious traveller could swallow,” Suwarna adds.

“Our guide to the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred meals gives people the opportunity to experience beautiful, boast-worthy food without the hefty price tag this type of fare typically comes with. This means diners can fill their Instagram feeds whilst filling their stomachs — safe in the knowledge that they won’t have to empty their bank accounts to pay for it.”

Lin Heung’s traditional homemade dishes, including cha siu bao (barbecue pork buns), har gow (shrimp dumplings) and ma lai go (Cantonese sponge cake), have earned a loyal following from locals with a taste for nostalgia, as well as inquisitive tourists.

The two-story restaurant in the bustling Central district has multiple top listings in global travel guides and serves customers from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm, seven days a week.

Diners sit elbow-to-elbow at shared round tables, metal spittoons still tucked beside them, the walls hung with decorative bird cages and traditional Chinese numerals used for menu prices.

But the restaurant says the building’s new owner has not yet contacted them about renewing their lease, despite it expiring early next year, and they feel in the dark about the landlord’s intentions.

That has sparked fears that Lin Heung will be the latest Hong Kong culinary treasure to fall foul of the city’s thirst for redevelopment.

The building’s landlord, CSI Properties, told AFP it could not comment on the case.

Lin Heung’s possible demise has been widely reported by local media and worried regulars say they are visiting as much as they can in case it closes.

Retiree Mr Yip, 80, says he is coming more often to enjoy his favorite dish of pork liver siu mai — a kind of dumpling — and freshly made tea.

Dim sum is often paired with a cup of Chinese tea in a tradition known as “yum cha”, literally “drink tea”.

“It’s my habit to sip a cup of Chinese tea and greet everyone here every week. The tea is special and the people too,” Yip told AFP.

“I feel comforted when I see the staff. It feels like home.”

‘Sense of belonging’ 

The city’s housing market was crowned the most expensive in the world in 2017 — the most recent figures available — according to US-based Demographia and developers clamor for prime real estate.

The selling off of older buildings, as well as spiraling rents, has spelled the end for a number of family-run neighborhood favorites across Hong Kong.

Lin Heung is one of the city’s oldest Cantonese restaurant businesses and is run by the Ngan family, who arrived from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and set it up in 1926.

It now has three outlets in Hong Kong and has moved its restaurants around over the decades.

The Central venue on Wellington Street is its main restaurant and has been in the same spot for 22 years.

Restaurant spokesman Terence Lam said the current lease would end in March 2019 and he hoped the restaurant would not have to close.

“It’s not only a business. It embodies the legacy of the past,” Lam told AFP. “It represents the hardship of our ancestors.”

Local food writer Wilson Fok said the evolution of “yum cha” culture was intertwined with Hong Kong’s history as numerous mainland dim sum chefs fled to the former British colony in the 1950s after civil war ravaged China.

He describes the atmosphere inside restaurants like Lin Heung as a “piece of history”.

“Going to ‘yum cha’ is not just a cultural habit where people consume food, but also a way of life that shapes our identity,” said Fok.

“Some of these old traditions are often lost in our fast-paced society,” he added.

Tourists visiting the tea house said they appreciated the restaurant’s traditional approach — a rarity now in Hong Kong.

“We usually sit with family or friends in China. But here, we share tables with people we don’t know,” said 20-year-old mainland Chinese visitor Wu Yutung.

Brazilian tourist Marcelo Garcia, 47, who said he had never before eaten dim sum, described Lin Heung as “an environment with a huge amount of energy”.

“People probably come here again because they feel a sense of belonging,” he said.

All packages are made with highest quality Siamese crocodile skin from certified farms adhering to the international CITES regulations and laws to protect wildlife species. Only eight elite Crocodile Mooncake Boxes will be produced for ultimate exclusivity – number 8 symbolising prosperity, success, and fortune in Chinese culture.

The sophisticated ruby red skin is accented with the finest cow leather in a 24-carat gold tone and each box is adorned with a meticulous lotus motif hand painted by a skilled Thai artist. The exclusive Crocodile Mooncake Box is priced at Bt288,888.

The octagon shaped box opens from the front revealing four drawers inside, with each drawer containing a freshly baked mooncake. The box’s timeless style is designed for use after the festival as an elegant display or jewellery box.

The Mocha & Muffins bakery offers two additional specially designed mooncake boxes holding four of the delicacies. The elegant octagon Red Velvet Leather Box with four drawers is yours for Bt1,600-plus (170 g per piece), the Premium Red Velvet Box, which a standout half-moon design opens up to a full-moon shape revealing a golden lotus symbol, costs Bt950-plus (60 g per piece).

Handcrafted mooncakes are available in four classic fillings, namely custard, Green Tea, Durian Single Yolk and Jujube Single Yolk.

Find out more at (02) 126 8866 extension 1226 or email mochamuffins.asia@anantara.com.

Proceeds from sales fund art scholarships for underprivileged students.

The hotel’s famous egg-custard mooncakes are presented in an embroidered gift box that draws inspiration from a Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival folk tale about the Goddess of the Moon and a rabbit, as well as the classic Thai poem “Jun Euey Jun Jao” (“Dear Moon”).

This famous poem about an elder sibling making a wish to the moon has long enchanted Thai children and been adapted into a popular lullaby.

Inside Phannapast’s box is a music box that plays the well-known Chinese song “The Moon Represents My Heart” by Teresa Teng. On the back cover is a pink rabbit surrounded by the moon and Thai flowers and birds, which is the artist’s signature motif in all of her artworks.

It costs Bt4,980, which will help a student secure a four-year scholarship to study for a bachelor’s degree in fine and applied arts at Chulalongkorn University.

Phannapast has become a much sought-after artist, whose work is instantly recognisable amd merge her Thai-Chinese background, fashion experience, love of animals and aesthetic obsession with tribal art.

The 30-year-old caught the world’s attention when Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele came across her vibrant beasts wearing Gucci’s cruise collection on her Instagram page.

He invited her to contribute to the “#GucciGram Tian” digital talent project in 2016 and last year she was commissioned again to create a stunning fairytale book and installation with her writer friend Aracha Cholitgul to promote Gucci’s Le Marche des Merveilles jewellery line.

Instagram last year invited her to design a fun backdrop for its headquarters in New York. Luxury Thai silk brand Jim Thompson has her printed wallpaper collection. She also designed the logo and illustrations for the “20 Amazing Thai Experiences” programme created to celebrate the Peninsula Bangkok’s 20th anniversary.

Order your box of mooncakes at (02) 020 2888, diningpbk@peninsula.com or http://www.Peninsula.com/bangkok.

LOCATED NEXT to the kids’ playground and dog park in K Village community mall, Roots Bangkok evokes a sense of the traditional BBQ party, a place where family and friends can get together in the garden and enjoy charcoal grilled dishes, tailored cocktails and good music, while children and pets romp around.

Opened last year, this 100-seat bistro belongs to Thanattha “Tanya” Diket and her family, owners of an import and export business that has now expanded to include hospitality services.

The indoor dining area gets a touch of the outside too with artificial leaves decorating the ceiling and wood covering the walls in a rustic ambience that’s surprisingly relaxing.

But it’s the garden that holds the biggest appeal for families and the smokers. Sheltered from the sun by a towering tree, it’s furnished with a classic wood-fired stove, a mini counter bar, a Thai-style pavilion and a fountain.

True to its slogan “let the good times roll to spirit of Roots”, the eatery also offers classic movies every Tuesday, sports games on the large-screen TVs and spins by some of Bangkok’s best DJs.

“I graduated in hospitality from the Pacific International Hotel Management School in New Zealand and did my training in food and beverage management at the five-star Stamford Plaza Hotel in Auckland before moving to the Langham Hotel. Two years ago, I returned home to Bangkok and my family asked me to help set up Roots,” Tanya says.

Roots offers a variety of signature dishes from different countries and innovative cocktails so it has become a good place to hang out.

The kitchen is in hands of chef Nares Kotchompoo, who specialises in Italian and Mexican cuisine. For Roots, he cooks up an interesting fusion of Turkish, Italian, Jamaican and Thai delicacies. All dishes come in big portions, perfect for sharing and there are also plenty of salads, tapas, pastas and soups plus BBQ, pizza and Thai favourites.

“We focus on fresh and quality ingredients and have developed some recipes to meet Thai tastes. All sauces, salad dressings and yoghurt are home-made. We adhere to classic techniques, using eucalyptus firewood and charcoal for cooking the pizzas and steaks because they produce less smoke but make food fragrant,” he says.

 Classic Canadian Pizza

Nares recommends us to try the Classic Canadian Pizza (Bt320). Designed for eight hungry souls, it boasts a generous topping of sliced ham, bacon, black olives, bell peppers, shallots and mushrooms in a home-made tomato sauce mixed with extra virgin oil, onion and garlic.

“Canadian Pizza has a thick but soft texture. We make the pizza dough fresh every day using yeast, pepper and sugar as well as olive oil to create a smooth and chewy texture,” he explains.

Jerk Chicken

Crispy Jerk Chicken (Bt320) comes with Jamaican-style rice and peas. The chicken is marinated in a Turkish-style sauce made from cinnamon, clove, mint, oregano and imported chilli before being roasted in a wood-fire stove then grilled until the skin is crisp.

Turkish Chicken Kebab

One of the best-selling main dishes is the Turkish Chicken Kebab (Bt280) that’s served with freshly baked Turkish bread, hummus and home-made yoghurt. The chicken thighs are marinated with rosemary, thyme, chilli powder and paprika before grilling.

 Lamb Chops

Also on offer are tender Australian Lamb Chops (Bt580) served with smooth mashed potato and home-made yoghurt and Greek Salad (Bt200) dressed with olive oil and

white wine vinegar. The latter is a mixture of cucumber, tomato, black olives, green olives, basil, green capsicum, shallots, black pepper and creamy feta cheese. Young guests under the age of seven get to pick their favourite dish for free from a special menu.

The counter bar is manned by bartender Arnon Dangked, who placed second in the 2014 Barcadi Legacy Cocktail contest and he offers a wide range of special and classic cocktails and mocktails.

Roots Slipper

His specials include the Roots Slipper (Bt240), a blend of Midori, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and egg white foam. For something a little less strong, check out the Strawberry-Lychee Punch (Bt260) with vodka, strawberry liqueur, lychee and lime juice and syrup.

BACK TO BASICS

Roots Bangkok is on the ground floor of K Village, Sukhumvit Soi 26. It’s open Monday to Friday from 3pm to 1am, Saturday from 11.30am to 1am and Sunday from 11.30am to midnight.

Call (02) 661 5227 or visit http://www.RootsBangkok.com.

A rare pizza vending machine from Italy, called Pizza Self, has appeared in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima. It represents eight years of effort by a former truck driver to import the machine, out of his strong desire to “eat piping hot pizza at any time.”

People are lining up almost daily in front of the machine, which stands outside the Tsutaya Kusunoki shop. Pizza Self offers Margherita pizza for ¥980 ($9) and pizza with four kinds of cheese for ¥1,280 ($11).

Frozen pizza is baked at up to 300 C in the machine, which serves “just-baked” pizza all day and night. It sometimes sells 150 pizzas a day, with young people and parents with children eagerly coming to buy.

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• Pizza from the machine

The machine was set up in late July by Yoshiharu Taniguchi, a former truck driver who is now president of a logistics company in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. Eight years ago, he worked late at night as a driver and was unhappy when he wanted to eat piping hot pizza but the delivery shops were closed.

Taniguchi searched online hoping to find a vending machine for pizza and learned that an Italian company sold such a machine overseas.

“I came to get some after I heard about this machine. Buying pizza from a vending machine is an interesting concept,” said an 18-year-old male university student from Kitakyushu.Speech

It’s being served with a special set menu inspired by Ogeu at six restaurants today and tomorrow.

Recommended by Gerard Basset, the most awarded sommelier in the world, the origins of Ogeu date back 200 years when a natural spring in the Pyrenees was discovered. Since its inception in 1820, Ogeu has grown in popularity as one of France’s four market leaders in premium bottled natural mineral water that is available in 20 countries worldwide.

The clean, pure, well-preserved spring is tucked away in the wildest massif of the Pyrenees beyond the reach of urban encroachment and has existed in complete isolation from the trappings of civilisation. The water filters through layers of rock formations to underground cavities 500 metres deep.

Ogeu mineral water makes a lavish accompaniment to every luxurious meal. With a smooth flavour and low mineral content, the natural mineral water complements food flavours as well as wine.

Presented in a luxury bottle, Ogeu is quite distinct: its cap displays the French flag’s colours denoting the glamour and quality of made-in-France products as well as French cuisine that has been declared by Unesco as a world intangible heritage.

Ogeu is making its first foray into Thailand through IHC Hospitality Solutions, its sole importer and distributor in Thailand. Diners can taste it at Artur Restaurant, Le Cabanon, Loulou Forks & Glasses, Oskar Bistro, The Reflexions and Savelberg.