Food & Wine USA - (05)May 2020

24 MAY 2020

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THE ROYAL TREATMENT

“The Taj Jai Mahal Palace in

Jaipur, India, has a full, crazy

buffet-style breakfast with

multiple stations. There are lots

of regional Indian dishes, but

they do fresh idli (steamed rice-

and-lentil cakes), dosa (savory

crêpes), and sambar (lentil

stew) daily as well, plus some of

the best omelets I’ve ever had

in my life, incredible amounts

of gorgeous fresh fruit—and

you get to eat all of this while

staying in a former palace!”

—F&W RESTAURANT EDITOR

KHUSHBU SHAH

THE FLOATING FEAST

“I’m wary of food experiences

engineered explicitly for

Instagram, but the floating

breakfast (a real trend, look up

the hashtag) in my infinity pool

at Banyan Tree in Koh Samui,

Thailand, is certainly one of the

most important things that’s

ever happened to me. You

stand in the pool, ideally wear-

ing a bathing suit, and someone

brings you this tray of lovely

breakfast items you ordered

the night before—fresh fruit,

fried eggs, muesli, fresh baked

pastry—and it floats, comfort-

ably, acting as a sort of table. I

didn’t even accidentally splash

chlorine water on it until like

10 minutes into eating, when I

was already pretty much done

anyway, enjoying the ridiculous

view of the Koh Samui coast.”

—F&W DIGITAL RESTAURANT

EDITOR MARIA YAGODA

THE BANNER BUFFET

“In Abu Dhabi, United Arab

Emirates, Friday brunch is the

sacrosanct weekly ritual of the

corporate expat crowd. Every

hotel has its entry into the

brunch game, continuously

trying to outdo one another. But

in my mind, none compares

to the spread at Nahaam, the

restaurant at Jumeirah at

Etihad Towers at the end of

the Corniche. A flat fee will get

you all-you-can-eat access to a

buffet the size of a soccer field.

There is a sushi bar, an omelet

station, and someone who will

grill you a filet mignon to order.

There are edible arrangements

and jars full of gummy bears

and whole goats roasted on a

spit. The country’s tensions

and contradictions are on full

display (Friday is the main holy

day, after all): For the observant,

there’s a sizable halal section,

and for the tipplers, there’s an

optional Champagne add-on.

It’s almost exclusively attended

by people who originally hail

from somewhere else, but in a

city where 80% of the popula-

tion aren’t citizens, it’s one of

the most authentic Abu Dhabi

experiences you can get.”

—HANNAH WALHOUT,

ASSOCIATE EDITOR AT

TRAVEL + LEISURE

THE EGG-CELLENT CHOICE

“Anyone who’s had it done right

will agree that green chili over

soft scrambled eggs is the

best breakfast on the planet.

I’d argue the second best is

pancakes. You’ll get perfect ver-

sions of both at Ca–on del Rio

in Jemez Springs, New Mexico,

a little spa hotel nestled in the

mountains that serves break-

fast family-style at a long com-

munal table. Afterward, you can

continue your day by walking

with your coffee along a winding

path and sitting by the river.”

—F&W DIGITAL EXECUTIVE

EDITOR RYAN GRIM

THE TOTAL DREAM

“We wake to the patter of rain

on the roof of Miyamasou, a

ryokan (traditional Japanese

inn) outside of Kyoto, Japan.

Beneath us a waterfall rushes

down the mountain, the

sound like laughter. We sink

into the cedar-scented bath,

looking out to trees and the

brook running across rocks

just outside the window. We

wrap ourselves in soft robes,

slip our feet into sandals, and

wend our way up the garden

path to breakfast. Homemade

tofu arrives in a lacquer bowl.

Fish from the surrounding

streams are brushed with soy

and gently grilled. Rice glistens

like pearls. Pickled vegetables

arrive in a muted rainbow

of colors. A waitress pours

tea, and it sounds like music.

It is soothing, refreshing, a

moment out of time. But soon

the meal is over, and it is a

shock to make our way down

the mountain road, back into

the loudness of the rushing

world.” —RUTH REICHL,

AUTHOR OF S AV E ME

THE PLUMS: MY GOURMET

MEMOIR

F&W Associate Restaurant Editor Oset

Babür wishes she could start every

morning with a comforting tradition-

al egg hopper (left), made with rice

flour and coconut milk, at Amangalla

resort in Galle, Sri Lanka.

F&W Executive Editor Karen Shimizu

can’t think of a better way to start off

a day of exploring Shanghai than

with a fragrant pot of jasmine tea

and a crispy waffle (below) enjoyed

in bed at the Capella resort.

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