I can taste it from here. But I'd rather taste it there.

I just finished watching my first episode of Chef’s Table, and if it doesn’t make you want to get on a plane, I don’t know what will.

The tasty and travel'y new series on Netflix.

The tasty and travel'y new series on Netflix.

 

The first story is told in Modena, Italy, site of Chef Massimo Bottura’s (and his wife Laura's) Osteria Francescana. You watch the beauty of his cooking along with visits to the suppliers and artisans he reveres.

 

My god the way the food is filmed! And the visits to the vineyards! And the cheesemakers! I've never wanted tortellini so badly in my life.

 

Mark my words, one day I will post a picture of me eating these tortellini.

Mark my words, one day I will post a picture of me eating these tortellini.

 

If I could have snapped my fingers at the end of the episode to teleport myself to Modena, I would have. Short of that, I did have a quick sniff at kayak.com, you know, just to see how one would get to Modena. The happy answer is that it’s only 2.5hrs from Milan’s Malpensa airport. Or an easy side trip from Venice, for those of you headed to the Biennale this year.

 

This is how trip-dreaming begins, friends. 

 

By the way, the same filmmaker, David Gelb, created another travel-inspiring documentary a few years ago, called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. That one will have you checking flights to Tokyo, believe me. 

 

A grazie goes to my friend Andrea for alerting me to this great new series.

Check out Chef's Table on Netflix. 

 

 

 




It didn't look promising. Which is exactly why it looked promising.

I love a good food adventure.

It's about taking a risk and seeing if it pays off.

Well, at this homely place, it certainly did.

I remember my dad, in New York's Chinatown when we were kids, telling us that he was specifically looking for two things in a restaurant: ugly and packed. 

I kept that in mind as I looked at the modest sign at the bottom of the escalators, shrugged my shoulders, and wandered up. 

It wasn't packed (it was past lunchtime), but it was sufficiently ugly. 

Phuc Deli Viet, 120 Robinson Road, Singapore

Phuc Deli Viet, 120 Robinson Road, Singapore

I ordered the smoked chicken vermicelli. Five minutes later, it was set down in front of me.

Smoked chicken vermicelli

Smoked chicken vermicelli

Oh. my. god.

Thank you, escalator sirens, for calling me up to this AMAZING plate of food. Words cannot describe. Pure joy with every bite.

I savored the moment of a risk well rewarded.

Phuc Deli Viet

120 Robinson Road, 2nd floor

Singapore