Basque Road Trip – A Taste of Design, Culture & Heritage

Guggenheim Museum by night Visit the highlights in Spain’s Basque Country to enjoy the best in architecture and cultural heritage. (@IshayGovender), for The National, Aug 2018 Three weeks in the Basque Country, an autonomous region in northern Spain, where the icy waves of the Bay of Biscay meet the misty green valleys, may be [...]

By |2020-06-10T11:12:44+02:00September 17th, 2018|Cities, Culture & People, Europe, Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Kobus van der Merwe Forages at Wolfgat

Wolfgat, a 20-seat restaurant outside Cape Town, is leading the way in a time of drought (@IshayGovender), For Saveur Magazine, Oceans Issue, 2018 In a dry place. The salty tang of fresh kelp lifts on a crisp breeze, across the cream-colored sands of Die Krans in Paternoster, once the lookout for fishermen monitoring [...]

Curry for Breakfast

Lamb chops in chutney, curried tinned pilchards, leftover chicken curry shredded and served on toast. We look at the South African Indian breakfasts that shaped Ishay Govender’s childhood as she makes a case for curry for breakfast. (@IshayGovender), For Extra Crispy My Recipes, August 2018 As they say, curry is always better the next day. [...]

Mérida Food Guide – a Taste of the Yucatan

  Live band at La Negrita The cultural capital of the Yucatán peninsular, Mérida is a compact city rich in colonial history with cosmopolitan flair and has the region’s broadest span of dining options, from market stalls and mobile kiosks to glamourous dining in lavish haciendas.  Mérida Food Guide, written for Fine Dining Lovers. [...]

By |2018-08-24T14:27:11+02:00February 28th, 2018|Cities, Culture & People, Food, Reported Work, Travel, Yucatán|1 Comment

Bob Marley and the Wail of Kingston

Featured in Marie Claire Magazine Before you head to Jamaica’s Caribbean beaches, immerse yourself in Kingston – the home of Bob Marley’s reggae, rhythm and blues. Written by Ishay Govender for Marie Claire SA magazine, August 2017. Thirty-six. Both Robert Nesta Marley’s age at death and the number of years that have passed [...]

PROFILE: Chef Kylie Kwong

  Kylie Kwong, seasoned chef and TV celebrity is loved for her Australian-Chinese food and her Australia-on-a-plate approach. We caught up with her recently. Written by Ishay Govender for Fine Dining Lovers, 15 June 2017. image: Penny Lane Sydney-based chef and restaurateur, Kylie Kwong, opened her famed Billy Kwong restaurant in 2000. Since [...]

Jamaican Jerk – a Food Guide Around the Island

Taste Magazine Jamaican Jerk – succulent barbequed meat - rubbed in a savoury, spicy paste and turned over fragrant hardwood coals is central to the food culture in Jamaica. Ishay Govender takes a big bite….Written for taste magazine, October 2017. “I DON’T EAT IT, but I’ll jerk it for the people,” Nikuma Carl [...]

A Cheese Excursion Through Cape Town & Surrounds

 South Africa’s food capital offers wheels, wedges, and wine aplenty. Written by Ishay Govender for Culture Cheese Magazine , July 2017. A Cheese Excursion Through Cape Town. [Note this article is written in American English]   Feature in Culture Cheese Magazine For visitors and armchair travellers alike, Cape Town conjures visions of majestic Table [...]

By |2020-06-10T12:11:59+02:00July 25th, 2017|Cheese, Cities, Food, Reported Work, Travel|1 Comment

Helsinki Food Guide

Elegant and trendy – Helsinki wears both well, as this harbourside capital of Finland caters to a smorgasbord of interests. Helsinki Food Guide written for Fine Dining Lovers. The culturally-curious, design and architecture nerds, snow-bunnies who seek cross-country skiing and ice–swimming, and gourmands, are amply provided for.  REINDEER, SALMON & BERRIES Liisa Eskelinen, who founded Day With [...]

Everybody Loves Icelandic Skyr

 This cultured dairy just might be Iceland’s most adored export.Written for Culture Cheese Magazine, for the Wheys Less Traveled column, July 2017. (This article is written in American English) skyr breakfast bowl With its coal-black volcanic rock beaches, bright blue glaciers, steaming hot springs, and thundering waterfalls, Iceland is stunning. Most of its 325,000 [...]

By |2017-07-04T13:14:14+02:00July 4th, 2017|Cities, Featured Article, Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Perth Food Guide

Waterfront. Perth Food Guide. Perth, in Australia’s southwest, is said to be the most isolated city in the country.  It’s calm and laid back with a young but growing food scene. This Perth Food Guide was written for Fine Dining Lovers, 7 June 2017. American English used. Central Bites  Moana Coffee - [...]

Havana – Dining on Memories of La Patria

Nostalgia, for a homeland long departed, lies at the core of the Cuban diaspora’s quest for cultural identity. Dishing out memories at the kitchen table is one way that the legacy is passed on. Written for  Financial Mail Travel Magazine, May 2017 Dining on Memories of La Patria by Ishay Govender-Ypma written for Financial [...]

The Best of Korean Food in New York City

If there’s a single nation whose food has received worldwide attention (and deserved adoration) of late, it must be that of Korea – South Korea, to be clear. And New York City serves up exemplary Korean food. Written for Fine Dining Lovers. Mokbar Korean Ramen - provided by Mokbar Last year, in the [...]

Travel in the Time of Trump – Why We Must Speak Up

Photo by Ishay Govender-Ypma I arrived in New York on a day that the world changed. I had to lend my voice. For Marie Claire SA, 2 February 2017 I arrived in New York City, via John F Kennedy airport on 28 January 2017 around 11AM. Unbeknown to me, at almost the same [...]

Rio de Janeiro – A View from the Favelas

As the Rio de Janeiro Olympic games come to a close, Ishay Govender-Ypma reflects on the issues and dissent during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a common thread between the two. For Mail & Guardian, August 2016. From here, at the highest tier in the Santa Marta favela in Rio, I can see the settlement [...]

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