This week I made the decision to spend a further 2 months in North East Thailand, before going off on a trip to China followed by revisiting Japan to sample some more yummy ramen noodles!

As I’ve previously mentioned on this blog, Mukdahan is a small sleepy town and as a result there’s really not much to do here. Especially during the evenings.

In an attempt to not go out drinking beer ever night, I’ve been downloading lot’s of cookery programs and documentaries to keep myself entertained. Most of them have been worth watching, however I really enjoyed the following 3 and thought I’d share them with you guys.

Rick Stein’s French Odyssey

Rick Stein travels around France on a barge cooking and sampling some of, what looks like, the finest food on the planet. You get to really appreciate France’s love for cooking and food, and it brings home that not all French food is complicated. I would love to do a trip like this with my family one summer!

Oh’, if you like this series, you’ll probably also like Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escape.

Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets

Raymond Blanc, the head chef at two Michelin stared restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, seriously has some flair.  This is the series to watch if you want to try some complex French cooking at home. From a cup and saucer made out of chocolate to the breads and bakery items that make you physically dribble, this is the show to watch for the serious home cook.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage

If you have ever considered breeding your own livestock or growing your own produce, you’ll find this series a real treat. I learned more from watching River Cottage than any other cookery program I’ve ever seen. Fresh produce, simple and complex recipes (like how to make your own salami) along with Hugh coming across as an all around nice guy, make this worth watching. I’m now eagerly awaiting the next series!

What cookery programs do you recommend? Please do leave them in the comments :)

Hong Kong Noodles at Changi Airport, Singapore.

I’m now back in Thailand, in Mukdahan to be precise, and just had my first lunch since I’ve been back. I opted for my recent found love; DIY Hong Kong Noodles, which I make myself using 2 dishes available at the popular MK restaurant.

I have covered the nationwide MK Restaurant chain before, way back in 2008, and it still remains one of my favorite best-value restaurants in Thailand. I’m still not keen on the Suki part (I leave that to the missus and friends), however I am a sucker for their roasted red pork, duck and bamboo spring rolls.

Even though I dine at MK on a weekly basis while in Thailand, it’s only recently I figured out how to make some Hong Kong Noodles that very nearly match the real deal.

So what makes a great bowl of Hong Kong Noodles? Well for me, it starts with light fresh thin egg noodles that are not starchy and not clogged together. Some chunky Asian greens help, and some succulent roasted red pork is a must. This should all be mixed together by a sauce that should mix sweet, meaty, salty and sour in harmony with each other. There shouldn’t be any firecrackers when you taste the sauce, it should just taste.. well… comforting and balanced. Oh, and we can’t forget the crispy garlic.

The best place to get Hong Kong Noodles in my opinion is in Singapore, as well as in Hong Kong of course. However if your in Thailand, I urge you to give this a go… it’s so easy and is by far the best way I’ve found, to get my Kong Kong Noodle fix.

First up, I like to order the Roasted Red Pork and Crispy Pork dish. At only 110฿, this has got to be one of the best-value dishes I have ever come across.

Next, the Egg Noodles. I always opted for the Green Noodles before I tried the yellow variety and since I’ve tasted these, there is no turning back.

Simply mix the meat, sauce (the sauce is the key here which brings this dish alive), noodles and garlic and wholla, you have a tasty bowl of Hong Kong Noodles!

A few questions…

1. If you are currently in Thailand, will you give this ago?
2. Where is the best place you’ve had Hong Kong Noodles?

Nicky, Andrew, Myself and Trevor – The 4 of us hanged out together everyday, for 10 years.

For us lot that travel and live abroad, I got the call all off us fear of receiving. My buddy, who has been battling cancer for the last 5 years (since he was 24), was taken into hospital and was in a bad shape.

Hours later I had arrived in London and made my way over to see him at the hospital. He promised me he’d be my angel and that I had to stay strong for everyone else. We joked about the good old times we would get into trouble together while growing up, the state of the food the hospital were serving up and even began talking about our wild trip to Bangkok 5 or 6 years ago.

Sadly, Nicky Avery, my best buddy, passed away the next day on 19th July 2010, due to brain cancer.

Nick was a hero to many, as he was always upbeat about battling cancer and still made it he’s priority to make people laugh and feel good about them selves. He was the least selfish person I knew and also the strongest by far. He’s big smile and deep laughter will be remembered by hundreds that were lucky to know him. It was a privilege to know Nicky. I will miss him deeply.

RIP Nicky Avery.

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There’s a lesson to be learned here for those that live and work away from home; and that’s to make sure you have enough money to get home in case of an emergency. Although not important in the grand scheme of things, the cost for me to get home was just shy of $1,500 (one way) – a figure a few friends who work online in South East Asia do not have saved up.

I’ve been dreaming about not only eating Japanese food, but any food other than Thai for the last few weeks. This is what happens when you grow up eating food from all over the world, then suddenly have to stick to the same cuisine for weeks on end due to living out in the boonies. Like a pregnant women with her weird and wacky cravings, I have been craving Sushi. Even dreaming about Sushi. Sushi yeah. Sushi.

On route to London I made sure I had enough time to visit the newly opened Japanese restaurant, Fuji, in Ubon Ratchathani. There are Fuji stores nationwide in Thailand and offer very reasonable priced dishes and set menus with excellent service. Highly recommend.

Here we have Tuna and Salmon Sushi – my faves, along with fried cheese in a light pastry, which were non greasy and really tasty.

I had planned to go all out on a Sushi binge, until I noticed this Mulloway fish set menu. I’ve never tried Mulloway before, so thought I’d give it a shot. And boy am I glad I did. The fish was cooked perfectly with crispy skin, tasted very light and had a beautiful flaky texture – perfect!

Have you tried Fuji Japanese restaurant in Thailand before? If so, what do you think of it? Any other good Japanese restaurants in Thailand you can recommend?