New York - Are all sandwiches made equal

White bread or wholemeal. Chicken salad or prawn mayonnaise. Marks & Spencers or Tesco. Sandwiches in London are pretty standard fare. But in New York there is the deli....where sandwiches are for men. Where a sandwich is on rye. Where a sandwich includes a pound of cured corned beef. Where a sandwich comes with sour pickles. Where a sandwich costs a whopping $15..!!

Katz Deli. Congratulations.

Puerto Iguazu - Sweetbread Hunting II

Puerto Iguazu is very quiet as is the falls itself. less than half full compared to the peak which makes it pleasant walking the trails and not jostling for that perfect photo of the falls. The weather is in the mid 20´s and not too humid, the falls are still ferious but not so bad that all you see is mist, so where are all the tourists? It´s the same in town where the restaurants are half empty and the owners approach you as you walk past. This makes it a buyers market.

When the owner of Color parilla approached it was a simply case of looking at his menu and hesitating. next moment the offer to come into the kitchen was made and there I was in the fridge as he showed me the cuts of beef on offer. This naturally led to my next question of ´Do you do sweetbreads? I´ve never tried it before´, so after a bit of banter a free sample of sweetbreads was on offer and dinner location was set.

The sweetbreads looked like 4 small kebabs and came with a piece of lemon. They were pretty tasty with the lemon. Some gristley like bits and not meaty all the way through but not as bad as I thought. My mind was on the lines of tripe.

Color is ranked #3 on Tripadvisor so again was expecting a good piece of beefsteak. All 400g of it. It came with their version of chimichurri sauce and rosemary potatoes....eventually. Unfotunately the waiter was a bit deaf so the initial order was wrong and had to be returned. When it did arrive the beef had again gone from ´medium´to ´medium/well done´. The beef was also very tough and nowhere near melt in your mouth. A disappointment.

Puerto Iguazu - Sweetbread Hunting

Puerto Iguazu feels a bit like Victoria Falls. A developed Vistoria Falls with paved roads, open bars, and a well developed infrastructure to the Falls. It even has a little propane driven stream train taking you along the falls route and steel catwalks to ensure you stay on the safe path.

Off to another Parilla with a determination to finally try Sweetbread. Best not to Wiki what it really is and just go for it. El Quincho is rates #1 in Puerto Iguazu on tripadvisor so expectation was high. So after a couple of beers it was off to the Parilla at about 11pm. unfortunately no sweetbreads on offer. Just a regular tenderloin steak with chimichurri sauce. It arrives on its own little grill complete with charcoal bricks keeping it warm. This led to the problem that the meat continued to cook and my planned ´medium´turned into a ´medium/well done´. The chimichurri sauce was fair but was resembled more of a curry house poppadum accompaniement rather than a fine steak sauce. If this is #1 in Puerto Iguazu it could be a tough couple of days.

Buenos Aires - Meat Feast Extra Large

Buenos Aires must be the noisiest city I´ve been to. The traffic is going 24/7 and every other vehicle on the road is a noisy, smelly bus. If not a bus, it´ll be a black and yellow taxi cruising up to the kerb looking for a fare. But the biggest polluters in the City are the plethora of dogs roaning the City. The worst area is probably Recoleta where the rich have professional dog walkers with a arm full of leads. The notion of poop-a-scoop is so alien here that walkikng the streets means constantly looking down else a little gift will be left on your Teva sandals as you wander the streets.

In the back streets of San Telmo was a great little parilla called Desnival. Now this was a real locals place with a plastic sheet for a table cloth and very little formalities. Again, the choice of beef cuts was bewildering and would have looked completely out of place in the local Harvester. My choice today was Vacio which was flank. Two huge pieces. It turned out to have a thick coat of fat abd was actually not the nicest piece of flank I´ve had. As a bonus in the picture we also have a piece of black pudding (very runny), chirozo (lovely) and kidneys (bit tough). For under 50 pesos per person it was cheap, but not the best beef in town. (Chips were fab though!!)

Beunos Aires - Beef

Arriving in Buenos Aires and getting through all the formalities was not the easiest transition ever. A new record of forms to fill in (three) and practically a medical examination coming off the plane. As for money, Argentinian ATMs are a nightmare. After many attempts it seems like AR$300 is about the most you can get out without getting a ´¨Ýou have exceeded your dialy (sic) allowance¨´ message. That works out to be about 60GBP

The dining scene sems to start late here in Beunos Aires so it was about 10.30 before dinner. What a place. This rib eye was only a half portion and cost AR$39. Juicy, succulent and full of flavour. This combines with a Noton Malbec for about AR$31 made a great meal. Leaving at about 12.30 the place was only starting to fill up. El Establo on San Martin - I salute you.

Cusco - Technical Difficulties

A quick note to say that the technology here in Cusco has machines from the late 1990s with no USB port in sight. It actually brings back fond memories of my first computer...the Welsh made, 32k, Dragon 32. Yes that was 32k!!

Photos will be uploaded when I get back into the 21st century with a teaser of a before...during..and after Cuy slideshow...!!

Cusco - Swine´s Fine

Now here is the hypothesis. Due to the altitude in Cusco and after 3 days of intensive experimentation under lab conditions I hypothesise that every pint of beer consumed at altitude is worth two at sea level. Four beers have really knocked me sideways at the rarified heights of 3,300 metres here in Cusco. It really feels like I´ve been on a eight pinter pub crawl (a double COLIN for those in the know) the next morning. The good thing, just like elite atheletes, all this altitude training should see a marked improvement next time I´m back in London and the beers are flowing. I would expect to cruise through the four pint mark with relative ease and feel no after effects the morning after.

Tonights speciality was a peruvian claypot. Lovely tender pieces of pork in a spicy sauce which wasn´t too different from a Rogan Josh on the Spice Index. (I´m sure I don´t have to go into great depths on the ´hierarchy of curry´). Port was served with chica de jora, onions and spices according to the menu. I´m sure when I check a jar a Pateks Rojan josh sauce in Tescos next time I will see exactly the same ingredients mentioned.

Cusco - Inca Kola

Cusco here must be twinned with downtown Seoul as 9 out of 10 cars is a Korean Daewoo. Of those 9 out of 10 probably 8 are taxis so the traffic here is on a par with India for craziness. Taxi meters are also non-existent so haggling for each fare is required.

As for the local soft drinks you normally expect a local variation on the standard cola, lemonade, or orange. Here in Peru they are the proud owners of Inca Kola, established 1935, and now owned by the Coca-Cola Company. What is Inca Kola? Well unique that is for sure. A flurescent yellow drink which smells and tastes of bubblegum from my youth. (All that was missing was a pack of football cards stuck to the gum.) Most probably laden with sugar and additives and quite sickly.

PS: I have yet to find the apostrophe here on this Spanish keyboard so this may be a more formal sounding post than usual!!

Cusco - The Real McCuy

Those childhood memories of pet guinea pigs which would be taken home for the weekend by one of the kids. Strange how ´teacher´always took the pet home for the long summer holiday and even stranger how poor ´Pigsy´would have a mystery illness over the summer and sadly pass away.

I can now reveal that there was no mysterious guinea pig swine flu going around London in the 1970s but can reveal from further investigations that the Peruvian population soured during this period necessitating the need for them to seek a ´taste of home´.

So guinea pig, or Cuy as it is known locally is available on many menus. It is a bit of a delicay and costs abour twice the price of steak. The example about was 44 Peruvian Sols whilst a steak would be about 25 sols. Presentation as you can see was excellent. It gave off a duck like aroma and the taste and texture was a mix between both duck and pork. The skin had been roasted similar to pork crackling and it seemed to come complete with the sweetbreads. It was also damn hard work to get any meat out of it. Would I try it again? Yes...but probably not as a roast. Something where the meat had been already extracted then maybe.

Cusco - Altitude Sickness

Waking up with a stonking headache....feeling a bit queasy and sick....trouble keeping down breakfast. It´s either another hangover after a City pub crawl or its altitude sickness in Cusco. Let´s go for altitude sickness. A perfect cure to altitude sickness or a hangover? How about a 5am start and a three hour train journey to Manchu Pichu? Manchu Pichu itself was an amazing site but the 6 hours there and back in a day was something I culd have done without.

As for the food here in the Highlands of Cusco? One of the local meats is alpaca. Looks a bit like a llama but has a fleece more similar to a sheep. A nice loin of alpaca smothered with mushrooms maybe?

The taste and texture was very much like pork. It was a bit hard going and tough. Probably not something to try again but most definitely something to try once.

London - J Sheekys

J Sheeky? Never heard of it; but apparently one of those celebrity haunts where the paparazzi linger awaiting the next shot of David Beckham. The menu even says 'no cameras' (so no photos to share) but from inside there were no celebritys I recognised. Probably all starring in Eastenders

A starter of deep fried whitebait was a good size and pretty filling although could have been crispier. This was followed by a main of pan fried Brill and Scallop with wild garlic. The fish was well cooked and the scallop (yes - just the one) including the roe was juicy and fulfilling. A desert of creme brulee completed the meal as well as a nice drop of Sancerre.

I certainly came out 'gut-busting' as well as wallet busted. Final point to the note was the superbly maintained loo's; complete with flat, clean marble surfaces for those celebrity 'desserts'.

London - Fine Swine

South America in a weeks time. Roast Guinea PIG. Good idea?

A nice Argentinian Malbec should help.

Research at Gaucho Grill completed and all systems go.

Johannesburg - Airport Layover

Stuck in Johannesburg airport for 5 hours there aren't too many diversions to kill the time unless casinos are your thing. Well needs must. The Emperors Palace casino is a quick 10 minute free shuttle bus away and is in the mould of the best examples of this genre found in Las Vegas. A Casino joined to three hotels with mock roman statues alongside a fast food court and more formal dining options.

Tribes restaurant is an example of one of the restaurants at Emperors Palace. The menu? Meat and game. Does South Africa have any vegetarians? Surely that would be illegal in this country.

The game skewer wasn't really game but all beef and as you can see was presented in such good taste. As a final meal before taking for for the northern hemisphere it had to be chakalaka sauce. This was very much different to the previous examples and I'm not talking about subtle differences such as Heinz v Branston. This was a whole different sauce completely. Probably less beany and definitely more spicy. Ideal before a 10 hour flight in economy!!

Zimbabwe - Chakalaka

The first encounter of the tourist police here in Victoria Falls is a strange experience. Initially you think it's just another hawker trying to sell some local handicraft as their only uniform is a grubby bib with 'Vic Falls Police' stencilled on the back. Well - that's if all the letters are their but usually it's a bit of a crossword puzzle. Their job? It seems to be to walk with tourists to and from the falls and ensure that the hawkers stay away.

So what is chakalaka sauce? Apparently it's a spicy African sauce used to accompany many dishes ranging from cheese to game meats. This dish of warthog with chakalaka sauce certainly was an eye opener; not because of the spiciness of the sauce but its remarkable similarity to a can of curried baked beans. Well, from memory, Heinz was a popular brand in the local supermarket!

Western Cape - Wine Tasting

When it rains in Cape Town the options available to the tourist seem pretty limited. Table Mountain, Robben Island, Shark Cage Diving are all weather dependent activities and a wind, or cloud, can easily put paid to these.

Wine tasting around Stellenbosch and the Western Cape is a fine poor weather day activity. Of course, getting a driver is essential and if he has knowledge of wine all the better. All in, 4 wine cellars were visited and probably 25 wines/sparkling wines/brandies sampled...and maybe a few additional glasses at lunch. These varied in price at places such as Saxonburg of R15 for 6 wines to R50 for 8 sommellier choice wines at Fairview. The Fairview also included oil/bread and cheese tasting into the bargain including a chakalaka wine and chakalaka cheese...both which are fantastic.

One thing which became apparent is that the South Africans are keeping the best wines to themselves rather than export them overseas. No chance of finding a Fairview in Tesco in the near future!

Zimbabwe - What Food Shortages?

The people here in Zimbabwe must be the friendliest people in the world. I swear, it seems like there is a Kris Akabusi laughing around every corner. Everyone also seems to be smiling. OK -so this is within the hotel and not so common on the streets where things are a bit different. I never realised I was such a fashion icon as I've had many offers to swap the clothes I'm wearing - shoes and shorts included - for local crafts they are trying to sell. If they get no joy selling handicrafts the conversation then moves onto the sale of ZIM$ notes which is, of course, an illegal activity here in Zimbabwe.
A couple of examples of a lunch on offer in the hotel. One example being a local take on a classic English Ploughman's lunch (sans Branston pickle) and the other being the warthog special. Both rather good in their own way but the most interesting thing was the inventive use of bread in the warthog special.

Zimbabwe - Meat Feast

The phrase 'cash is king' is really true here in Victoria Falls. There is no back-up of an ATM or a credit card should you run out of cash. It has to be cash and it has to be a hard currency such as USD/GBP/EUR/ZAR. The ZIM$ is no good at all and it's illegal for tourists to use. Fat lot of good this was when trying to buy a bottle of water at the local supermarket for ZIM$14,000 when they only take the local currency. This is similar in price to a loaf of bread. The problem is that ATMs are limited to ZIM$5,000 per day so it can take three days to get enough cash to buy a loaf....by which time it's probably gone up in price. I'm sure this explains the long queues at the Barclays ATM in town rather than any dispersions on the quality of service. The supermarket itself did seem to have a fair amount of stock even though it was completely devoid of any customers. It also seemed to have enough Heinz canned tomato puree to feed the whole continent.Luckily, a few souvenir notes can be obtained on the black market and a whole USD$1 managed to procure 4 ZIM$100bn notes one dark night.

At the Eating House of Boma, finally, a place full of people. OK -they're all tourists and it's a 'themed' place with African dancers and drummers. But what a meat feast on offer. Quite a few game meats could be ticked off at the buffet dinner. Ostrich, Crocodile, Buffalo, Warthog, Boar, Impala, Kudu, and Mopani worms. The worms weren't really worth the hype (or the certificate proving I had even them). Just seemed to be like overcooked and crunchy pieces of biltong.

http://www.edible.com/shop/browse.php?cmd=showproduct&productId=4

Cape Town - Two All Beef Patties

I've mentioned the full employment opportunities available in Cape Town. This isn't limited to just Safety Officers and Parking Marshalls but includes Toll Booth operators for toll roads which are closed. It's just not public services though. In a restaurant there is obviously a waiter / waitress and a sommelier (who are all exceedingly patronising and smug here) but also a third in the restaurant waiting staff triumvirate as discovered at Riboville on Adderley Street. after the meal was served a third member of staff was king enough to show both the salt and pepper shakers and inform me which one was the salt and which one was the pepper!! That's service for you. That's all he did!!
On offer at Riboville was Fillet Mignon and this was by far the biggest fillet I've ever seen. Yes - there are two steaks in the picture and they must have each been 150 - 200g. It was covered in a herb crust which seemed to consist of salt, pepper and mint. Mint? Well the lamb theme continued with a sprig of rosemary wedged between these all hunks of beef perched on a bed of potatoes and spinach. The meat itself was fantastically cooked (not least because the chef came out to make sure all was well and he looked more like back row forward for the Springboks) and has made me think again about the traditional condiments in the UK. Beef with mint....why not?

http://www.ribovillerestaurant.co.za/

Cape Town - Posh Peanuts

Now the Waterfront in Cape Town really is tourist central with a large number of shops, restaurants, and bars. It even has an Scottish (rather than an Irish) ale house. The selection of good restaurants available was pretty good. They even seem to have there own police force ensuring the tourist rand keeps on flowing into the local economy by scaring off any 'undesirables'.
On the Waterfront there was one fantastic grill /wine bar called Belthezar which allegedly has 600 wines on offer, nearly all South African, and a few rogue french ones on offer. Some were even on a posh 'tap' system which didn't happen to be working that night due to 'no gas'. Many of the 600 wines on offer are served by the glass at the bar with free bar snacks. In the case of this establishment...peanuts just wouldn't do.

Cape Town - Spain win again!!

Well the Spanish have had a great summer of sport with Euro 2008, Nadal at Wimbledon, and the classy Olympic photo's their basketball team posed for pre Olympics. Could a seafood paella at the Two Oceans restaurant at Cape Point also be a winner?

With all the seafood on offer it was packed with all sorts of seafood for only 165 rand. Two large line fish fillets, a succulent piece of lobster, mussels, and a couple of large tiger prawns. A real winner for the Spanish...again. Let's hope Murrays mussels can overcome Nadal tonight in the US Open!!