From Queensland with a New York accent: a dinner truffle experience

Truffles are the stars of a new winter menu at W Brisbane’s signature restaurant The Lex.

The eatery is known for fusing Queensland produce with New York City influences, but the fungi are being sourced from the other side of the country in Western Australia.

Lex is showcasing a dedicated truffle inclusion, putting the spotlight on one of the season’s superstars: French Perigord truffles, with freshly shaved truffle added to their à la carte choices for $15 a gram.

Sourced from Oak Valley Farm in Western Australia, the truffles also star on a four-course Truffle Tasting menu, with menu highlights including a Moreton Bay Bug roll paired with smoky truffle aioli, and Tater Tots with crème fraîche and black truffle.

A winter hero dish, the slow-cooked and smoked Warilba lamb rump is served with parsnip, green carrot oil and shaved truffle. Guests can also opt to upgrade to the MB6+ Wagyu NY strip steak, topped with freshly shaved truffle and finished with a garlic jus.



Rounding out the truffle-laced experience are sides like roasted potatoes with rosemary garlic oil and truffle, Truffle Mac & Cheese with lobster, and creamed spinach with Gruyere cheese and Warrigal greens.

The winter dining experience at The Lex also features interactive elements that add a theatrical element to the menu - this is Brisbane, after all.

Guests can indulge in a caviar bump to start, preview a dry-aged tomahawk steak tableside, or end the evening with the cheese trolley.

The hotel says 85%+ ingredients are sourced locally from Queensland suppliers.

The Lex four-course Truffle Tasting menu is available until July 31 for for $145 per person with wine pairing options also available.

The Lex is open for dinner Monday-Saturday nights. Sounds right up my alley next time I am in Brisbane. 

You can book here.

20 years of Room4Dessert: superstar chef living the sweet life in Bali

Twenty years is a lifetime in the world of restaurants. 

For one to last 20 years - over two very different locations - is a major feat. 

Room4Dessert, the culinary love child of word-renowned pastry chef Will Goldfarb, has just marked 20 years of quirkiness, chaos and excellence in its second location in Ubud, Bali. 

Born in New York, the second iteration of Room4Dessert is not only a survivor, it is challenging, fun and home of some really interesting drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Having started life as a late-night dessert bar in New York City, Room4Dessert has metamorphised into a dessert-focused eatery, boutique accommodation, regenerative farm, and culinary academy. 

It might not be to everyone's taste, but it is a "must visit" on the list of every foodie visiting Bali. 

Goldfarb, described as a "pastry provocateur and flavour philosopher", has guided his Bali eatery for 11 years after nine in the Big Apple. 

The 15-course main event is lauded as "edible storytelling, botanical mischief, and joyful rebellion".

The signature menu has been named Fight Club and is described by Goldfarb as "Three decades worth of stories told through the plates we create". 

Start with five inventive savoury dishes in one space; move to a room overlooking the kitchen for five desserts, and then finish in the garden next to a fire fit for a quintet of petit fours. 

From savoury curveballs to sweet sensations, every mouthful is unexpected, with a nod to Goldfarb's career, which includes a stint at El Bulli, being named World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2021 and starring on Netflix series Chef’s Table.  

The dishes are served to an eclectic soundtrack that veers from Sinatra to the Beastie Boys.

We opted for no alcohol pairings: mocktails with attitude like curry spritzes, a coco colada minus the rum and an Open Sesame without the bourbon. Invigorating selections.    

Here’s a taste of what the menu might feature: 

Lak Lak is a riff on the Balinese street snack, topped with whipped coconut yoghurt and trout roe. 

Or Raspberry HK, which features local raspberries with black sesame ice cream, sesame nougatine, and black tea milk sauce. 

Or the eccentric Fries // Shake: Klungkung-style sweet potato fries from chef Dewi’s garden, served with cashew aioli and kluwak mole. 

"No waste. No pretence. No rules. Just flavour - at its most fearless," says Goldfarb 

The Room4Dessert collection includes:

● Room4Dessert, the flagship tasting experience.

● Shelter Island, a boutique guesthouse wrapped in coconut trees and quiet magic.

● Powder Room, a local candy store for grown-ups, with natural wine and sweet treats.

● The Forest, a regenerative playground for ingredients, ideas, and education.

● Academy: pastry boot camps for the next generation of sweet thinkers.

“We don’t just serve food - we share stories," says Goldfarb. 

"We grow more than ingredients here. We grow ideas. We grow people. And if we’ve done it right, you leave a little more connected to the land, to yourself, and to each other. Sometimes, we even grow dessert.

"This isn’t a retrospective - it’s a continuation. A quiet celebration of showing up, staying curious, and sharing what’s been learned along the way." 

The 15-course extravaganza is thrilling, confronting and tiring. It's not something you'd want to do every week - but it is certainly something you'll want to do if you find yourself in Ubud. 

A tasting with natural wines is IDR 1,890,000 ($177) per person
A tasting with spirits is IDR 1,540,000 per person
A spiritless tasting is IDR 1,290,000 per person
An unpaired tasting is IDR 1,090,000 per person
*Prices do not include 21% government tax and service charge and it pays to book well in advance.

See www.room4dessert.com. Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561. 

# The writer was hosted by Room4Dessert 

Dynamic pricing is about to impact the cost of your holiday travel

If you have ever been unlucky enough to catch an Uber at a peak time then you will know all about dynamic pricing.

It is an algorithm whereby prices rise at busy times, but reduce when demand for services is lower.

Get ready for dynamic pricing at tourist attractions. And be ready to pay more at busy times.

Tourists wanting to visit the Empire State Building’s observation decks in New York City could soon be experiencing the joys of dynamic pricing.

It could cost more than $US100 per person to ascend to the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors.

The Empire State Realty Trust will implement dynamic pricing with prices to be determined by overall demand. Which they will determine, news portal Travel Mole reports. l

Tickets are currently priced from $79 for an adult, up to $96 for high-demand sunset viewing.

CEO Tony Malkin unveiled the surge pricing policy, saying: “We expect continued growth in 2025. We are still below overall 2019 levels of volume and have room for upside as visitation levels improve.”

Upside means you will pay more.   

The building already has fluid pricing based on the time of day although using a pricing algorithm could see prices surge during high demand periods.

The new policy would algorithmically “monetize high-demand times through the day", Malkin said.

What are the best cities for foodies? One viewpoint

Melbourne and Sydney both like to consider themselves international centres of gastronomy, but one recent global survey finds they do not rate.

London? Yes. New York? Yes. Paris? Yes.

A recent data study finds London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Dubai, and Barcelona lead the index, offering both high quality and diversity of food experiences, according to a new ratings system from Holidu, a holiday rental portal.

Holidu commissioned a study to explore the richness of culinary landscapes in 75 cities worldwide that were selected based on their strong presence in multiple rating directories, acknowledging both renowned food hubs and emerging gastronomic destinations.

For travellers seeking cuisine diversity, London (100-100), New York (92.5-100) and Paris (91.5-100) are the best destinations. Dubious, I know, but worth discussing. 

Bollocks, but fun. 

Your foodie experiences (based on activity and visual experience indexes) will be the best in Tokyo (100-100), Barcelona, Spain (99.8-100), and Dubai (99.1-100). OK. Even more dubious.

The city with the most Michelin starred restaurants is Tokyo, with 282, followed by Paris with 163, and Kyoto with 133, the report says.

The index essentially attempts to compare a ceviche in Lima to a salt beef bagel in New York. Which is, of course, impossible. 

“Whether you’ve always dreamed of trying monjayaki on a hidden street of Tokyo or dining on machboos at a Bedouin feast in the Dubai desert, this study is the ultimate foodie bucket list,” says Sarah Siddle, senior PR manager at Holidu.

“Every delicious destination in this index can offer inspiration to food industry professionals such as ourselves, as well as burgeoning chefs, gastronomes and globetrotters.”

View the complete food city destination index here: https://www.holidu.co.uk/magazine/food-city-destination-index

Image: Borough Market in London. Winsor Dobbin 

A bite of the Big Apple: Qantas resumes flights to New York

Qantas has today resumed flights to New York, with services from Sydney taking off to the Big Apple for the first time in more than three years.

The launch of QF3 also marks a new route for Australia's national carrier with flights to New York operating via Auckland instead of Los Angeles.

Flights will initially operate three days per week using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, increasing to four from October.

Travelling on the inaugural flight, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the airline was thrilled to be carrying Australians to New York once again.

“While the world has changed dramatically since the start of Covid, one thing that hasn’t changed is the lure of New York City,” he said.

“Since international borders re-opened, New York has been one of the most popular destinations for our customers who have been connecting on our partners from Qantas flights arriving into Los Angeles and Dallas, so it’s not surprising that we’ve seen very strong demand since our New York flights went on sale.

“The launch of the route has been made possible by the delivery of new 787 aircraft in recent weeks and brings us closer to returning our international capacity to what it was before Covid.”

The Qantas Group is expected to return to around 100 per cent of its international network pre-Covid capacity by March 2024, up from around 85% of pre-Covid levels today.

“The flights are great news for Australian tourism, helping to bring more visitors from the United States to explore the best of New South Wales and beyond with connections from Sydney across our extensive domestic network,” Joyce added.

“Flying via Auckland makes it easier for travellers from all parts of Australia to access New York, with the choice of 11 daily flights across the Tasman from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

“Offering more room and fewer seats than most of our competitors, the cabins onboard these aircraft have been designed with long-haul travel in mind.”

Qantas now operates three of the top five longest flights in the world, including Perth-London and Dallas-Melbourne.

You know you are an icon when a museum devotes an exhibition to you

Taylor Swift is officially a pop culture icon.

The Museum of Arts and Design in New York is to present Taylor Swift: Storyteller, a career-spanning look at the artistic reinventions of the 12-time Grammy Award–winning songwriter and singer.

Opening on May 20, the exhibition will be on view exclusively at MAD through September 4, 2023.

Taylor Swift: Storyteller highlights include the cheerleader and ballerina ensembles from the award-winning music video for Shake It Off (2014); the red wedding dress and bellhop uniform from I Bet You Think About Me (2021) and the sparkling ensemble from Bejeweled (2022),

Concert attire by couture fashion houses will be featured along with props, jewelry and projections of music videos rounding out the exhibition.

“At MAD, fashion and the decorative have long been valued as a critical visual language and no one speaks that language quite like Taylor Swift,” says Alexandra Schwartz, the museum's curator of modern and vontemporary art, craft, and design.

“Whether dressed down in a flannel shirt and untamed hair or literally dazzling her audiences in head-to-toe Swarovski crystals, Taylor gives greater meaning to the palettes, textures, and depths of feeling expressed in her songwriting.”

OK. Alexandra is obviously a huge fangirl.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of public programs and events inspired by Swift's fan base: from video and film screenings to karaoke singalongs.

Additionally, The Store at MAD will stock a curated selection of Taylor Swift merchandise, from apparel to accessories. That was a given. This is the US after all. The dollar is king.

Tickets for the exhibition cost $US25 per person. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

Air New Zealand hits the Big Apple - but some baggage doesn't make it home

Oops. And it was a big oops.

Air New Zealand's first flight between Auckland and New York landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport at the weekend - the first non-stop service between Auckland and The Big Apple.

The 17-hour+ flight made its debut almost three years after it was first announced.

“By adding greater access to the east coast of the US, we’re connecting our North American customers to the possibilities of 20 destinations within New Zealand as well as the Pacific and Australia, all within easy reach,” Air NZ CEO Greg Foran said.

Air New Zealand now serves seven US and Canadian destinations, including Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and now New York City.

The bad news was that dozens of passengers on the return flight to Auckland - which landed on Monday morning - discovered that their luggage had not made flight NZ1, Newshub reported. 

Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren apologised for the inconvenience caused, news website stuff.co.nz reported. 

"Unfortunately given additional fuel requirements due to adverse weather, some customer bags were unable to be loaded in New York and we are getting them to New Zealand as soon as possible," she said. “We are in touch with customers to update them and reunite them with their bags.”

With a distance of 14,215km, the flight is the fourth-longest currently operating flight in the world.

A new way to travel from Sydney to New York unveiled

 

Qantas has unveiled a new way to fly from Sydney to New York - via Auckland. 

The new Sydney-Auckland-New York route is set for take-off in June 2023.

And good news for frequent flyers: there will be two Sydney-Auckland-New York Points Planes in the first week of flying.

Qantas announced today that it will recommence flights to New York's JFK Airport via Auckland from June 14 next year. 

The launch of QF3 and QF4 will see the flying kangaroo return to New York three days a week initially, after a three-year Covid-induced hiatus. 

Flights will be operated using Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with three new aircraft scheduled for delivery next year.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said flying via Auckland would provide better connectivity from more destinations in Australia, before an uninterrupted 16-hour flight to New York.

“We’re back flying to most of our pre-Covid destinations, which is a fantastic achievement by our teams and so important for Australians reconnecting with the rest of the world." he said.

“We can’t wait to return to New York and it’s made possible by the delivery of new aircraft, which have been caught up in delays that have impacted lots of airlines.

“Customer feedback on our direct London and Rome services show how well suited our Dreamliner cabins are to longer international flights like these, which is helped by the fact we designed them with more room and fewer seats than most of our competitors.

“We think this route will be very popular with Australians given the opportunity to connect via Auckland and it also gives New Zealanders more choice.”

Sydney-Auckland-New York flights are on sale from today. 

Qantas currently operates six daily services to Auckland from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, which will increase to 11 daily services when the new flight to New York launches.

Qantas said seats across every cabin will be available as a Classic Reward flight on QF3 and QF4 in the first week. 

"Take your gun - and find somewhere else to stay"

You would think it was common sense not to allow hotel guests to carry guns.

But common sense and the people of the good old US of A do not always go hand in hand.

This week, hotels across New York City announced they are joining forces to ban guns from hotel rooms - a move they say will help protect guests and tourists.

After the US Supreme Court (not so supreme when it comes to sensible ideas) struck down New York’s "concealed carry" law - which was over a century old - the New York state state legislature passed a bill that allows guns to be prohibited in "sensitive areas," including private businesses.

"This is really important because it's a destination marketplace for the world," Vijay Dandapani President & CEO, Hotel Association of NYC said. "The focus of this is entirely on the safety of the people coming in here."

The Hotel Association of New York City, which represents hundreds of hotels in the city, struck a deal with the Hotel Trades Council so that most hotel rooms will prohibit guns of any kind.

On-duty officers and agents will still be allowed to carry a gun, as well as anyone else exempted under the state’s laws.

Employers will notify all customers and guests about this ban on firearms.

"The agreement will be there at some point, either in the reservation confirmation or on the [hotel] website," Dandapani said. "That’s up to each hotel."

After the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Hotel Trades Council wrote a letter to state lawmakers, urging them to pass the bill allowing guns to be banned from private businesses.

"Public accommodations and tourism hubs may always be targets for people with guns to commit terrible acts of violence, but by achieving this agreement to keep guns away from these vulnerable areas, we can better ensure the security of workers and customers while also promoting the economic recovery of the hospitality sector," said Rich Maroko, president of the NY Hotel & Gaming Trades Council (HTC).

"Obviously, it is not safe to allow guests and members of the public to wander into hotels, restaurants, and casinos fully armed.

“Now an angry customer at the front desk, across the bar, or on the casino floor isn’t just an angry customer - they are potentially an angry customer with a gun.”

High-profile hotels like The Plaza, New York Hilton, and the Marriott Marquis are covered by the deal in addition to hundreds of other hotels that cumulatively operate about three-quarters of rooms citywide.

Hotels will begin enforcing the policy in the coming weeks - but it is not clear how.

The message will, however be driven home: If you need a gun in your hotel room, then find somewhere else to stay. 

Forget stale sandwiches: meet the $38 airport beer

Regulars will recall my weekend outrage over paying $23 for a semi-stale sandwich, crisps and a soft drink at Melbourne Airport. 

The response from readers underlined that being ripped off at airports is endemic in Australia, and in many places around the world. 

But the three airports serving New York City might take the cake when it comes to bare-faced theft. 

Foodie and regular correspondent Robert Carmack pointed out a recent story in the Washington Post about the absurd prices of drinks at three New York City-area airports. 

It reported that an investigation by transportation authorities that oversee New York airports confirmed that customers had paid as much as $27 (that's over $38 Aus!) for a beer at LaGuardia Airport over the past year. 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it was tightening the “street pricing” policy that keeps concessions prices comparable to prices outside airports. 

The revised policy also caps surcharges at 10%. The authority regulates LaGuardia (above), John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

After investigating a complaint posted on social media last July, the Office of Inspector General for the airport authority reported that concessions operator OTG violated its policy. 

The OIG found 25 patrons were charged ​​” totally indefensible amounts” of $23 or $27, depending on the size of the beer, in Terminal C at LaGuardia.

One has to question their sanity for paying that much - but there you go. 

The beer that prompted the audit was a 23-ounce Sam Adams Summer Ale that cost $27.85. 

The review found some beer prices included “an erroneously added surcharge on top of an inflated base price”. 

OTG also operates airport concessions in cities including Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston. It might be a business worth avoiding. 

A non-stop air trip that lasts almost 18 hours

Imagine flying non-stop for almost 18 hours in the same seat. It could get a little tiresome.

Cathay Pacific’s new non-stop New York-Hong Kong route has become the world’s longest - because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It is the longest flight by distance at 16,668km due to the route it has to take to avoid Russian airspace, Travel Mole reports.

The flight will travel over over the Atlantic Ocean, the UK, southern Europe and central Asia en route to Hong Kong from New York, whereas it would normally overfly Russia and the Arctic.

Cathay has just listed on its website a New York-to-Hong Kong flight for April 3 - a flight it said would stay in the air for 17 hours and 50 minutes.

It will surpass a Singapore Airlines flight travelling from the south-east Asian city-state to New York, which flies a shorter distance in a longer time: about 15,343km in 18 hours.

Many airlines have cancelled routes to Russian cities or are avoiding its airspace over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last month.

“We are always running contingency routings for potential events or scenarios within the world of aviation,” Hong Kong’s flagship carrier said in a statement.

Pre-pandemic, Cathay operated three round trips between the Hong Kong and New York every day.

Flights to Hong Kong now face frequent cancellations due to the financial hub’s strict anti-Covid measures, as well as a lack of passengers.

New York sends a positive message on the 9/11 anniversary

 

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, New York wants to remind the world that it remains a vibrant tourism destination. 

NNYC & Company - the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City - said the Big Apple continues to show its resilience and perseverance to the world.

"On this historic anniversary, we honour the lives of the victims, their families and the survivors of the 9/11 attacks," the company said in a statement. 

"We honour the efforts of the first responders who heeded the call and the many who sacrificed their lives in the process. We also honour the recovery workers who stood our city back up in the weeks and months that followed. We will never forget the collective and extraordinary heroism and selflessness.  

In collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, NYC & Company has partnered with the City's arts and cultural community to promote five-borough programming commemorating the anniversary. 

Visit 911memorial.org/citywide to see the calendar of events. 

Additionally, NYC & Company collaborated with the Museum on a 'Tribute of Lights' from dusk on September 11 to dawn on September 12. 

As we look ahead, we do so with a '9/12' spirit of hope and compassion for our shared future. And a "reminder of lessons learned and reinforced, chief among them—New York City always endures and rebounds stronger.”

A new way to travel between New York and London

Australians may still be in an international Covid lockdown - thanks largely to the incompetence of of their politicians - but increasing numbers of Americans are flying across the Atlantic to London. 

American airline JetBlue’s inaugural transatlantic flight landed at Heathrow Airport this week. 

It was the airline's first nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Heathrow Airport (LHR).

It was the first time JetBlue had served a destination outside cities in the Americas.

Fully vaccinated US travellers are now able to travel to the UK quarantine-free but the market i still far from back to normal. 

The US still bars non-essential travel from the UK except for American citizens returning home.

JetBlue, the sixth largest airline in the US, has announced it will be offsetting all CO2 emissions on its London flights.

The UK ambassador to the US, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, congratulated the airline and wished the crew and customers a safe journey.

“As vaccinated Americans can now come to the UK without the need to quarantine,” she said, “this route will offer more Americans a path to doing business, holidays and family reunions in the UK. Today’s flight quite literally takes our ‘special relationship’ to new heights!”

John Holland-Kaye, chief executive officer of Heathrow Airport, said JetBlue’s service will be “game-changing for the transatlantic market.”

New York splashes out on bringing tourists back

New York is one of the greatest cities in the world - certainly a personal favourite - and its officials do not mess around when it comes to enticing back tourists post Covid. 

NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City, has launched the first phase of “It's Time for New York City,” the largest-ever, multi-phased global tourism marketing and advertising campaign to promote New York City. 

The unprecedented $30 million tourism recovery campaign is being rolled out as restrictions are lifted, more people are vaccinated and as travel resumes in the United States and beyond.

“It's Time for New York City” will run in three phases and will include television, digital, outdoor media and partnerships. 

The initiative aims to remind visitors of the city's energy, excitement, and the abundance of experiences visitors can enjoy. 

New York City expects to welcome 36.1 million visitors this year - recapturing more than half of its record 66.6 million visitors in 2019.

“The Summer of NYC is here—and now it's time to tell the whole world about how this city is building a recovery for all of us,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Tourism impacts hundreds of thousands of jobs across the five boroughs, and its return will fuel our recovery even more. 

"The greatest travel destination in the world is ready to welcome back visitors from around the region, country, and globe, and we can't wait to greet them.”

“It's Time for New York City” will first target travellers in 23 markets across the United States, followed by Mexico, Canada and Latin America, with plans to expand farther internationally as other key markets reopen for leisure and business travel. 

For details on what to do and see in New York City, visit nycgo.com.

Humming the right tune? Star chef goes vegan

Would you pay US$335 per person for a vegan meal?

I wouldn't. 

But leading US chef Daniel Humm has unveiled plans to turn his three-Michelin-star New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park (above) into a vegan venue.

As reported by Food and Wine, Swiss-born Humm has said that EMP is going entirely vegan, making it one of only two three-star restaurants in the world to refrain from serving meat, seafood or dairy. The other is King’s Joy in Beijing.

Eleven Madison Park will reopen on June 10 with a 100% vegan tasting menu.

Which, given the cost of most fruits and vegetables means Humm will be making massive profit margins. 

“Guests have never come to us to just eat a piece of steak or a lobster, they’ve always come to us to be on a journey," Humm told US media. 

Perhaps a journey to millionaire status for him and poverty for his customers. 

“Of course it’s about deliciousness in the end," Humm said. "We want to create a restaurant that meat eaters will be blown away by eating vegetables.” 

The only exceptions to the eatery's plant-based rule will be milk and honey for coffee and tea, though meat will be served via the venue’s private dining service.

So it is not about principles. Perhaps it is about headlines. 

Last year Humm helped feed frontline workers in New York during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have to change the model of what our restaurant is; our whole business model has to change," Humm says. "Our practices of animal production, what we’re doing to the oceans, the amount we consume: It is not sustainable.

“If Eleven Madison Park is truly at the forefront of dining and culinary innovation, to me it’s crystal clear that this is the only place to go next. This could change the world.” 

So maybe it is about ego.