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

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Sicily: A Culinary Road Trip

Drive the country from coast-to-coast searching for the best in street food, cheese, convent pastries and cannoli. Ishay Govender-Ypma explores Sicily on a culinary road trip. This article was written for SAA Sawubona inflight magazine, June 2017. A ghostly mist settles over Erice on Sicily’s hilly western face, once a medieval fortress town and the [...]

By |2017-06-09T01:58:54+02:00June 1st, 2017|Culture & People, Europe, Food, Reported Work, Travel|1 Comment

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 [...]

Mexico City Food Guide

Mexico City – colourful, chaotic, and a crash-course in street-food, as Ishay Govender-Ypma learns, tasting her way through markets and curb-side stalls. Fine dining your north star? Check! But you’ll soon be drawn back to the abuela-style dishes found in the simple diners and homes around town. My Mexico City Food Guide For Taste Magazine, [...]

By |2017-06-09T14:54:34+02:00August 1st, 2016|Culture & People, Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Poland – More Than Pierogi & Vodka

The Baltic regions are on the rise. We explore the splendour of nearby Poland, still shedding the cloak of communism and forging a new identity. Poland - More Than Pierogi & Vodka for Food and Home Entertaining Magazine, March 2016. Fall of the Iron Curtain Classic Pierogi If it’s pierogi – the eponymous Polish [...]

By |2017-07-03T20:54:17+02:00March 9th, 2016|Culture & People, Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Best of the Garden Route

GET THE GARDEN ROUTE RIGHT Based on an article for Sunday Times Travel UK Dec/Jan 2015, my guide to Best of the Garden Route The Garden Route is a crowd-pleaser. Want beaches? The road works its way along some of the creamiest swathes in the country. Prefer mountains? You’ll cruise hairpin bends atop dramatic peaks. [...]

By |2017-07-03T21:04:50+02:00March 3rd, 2016|Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Sugar, Spice and a Question of Identity – Réunion Island Food

Réunion Island Food, where culinary and cultural exploration meet Culinary and cultural exploration are deeply fused, Ishay Govender-Ypma (@IshayGovender) discovers on a visit to the volcanic French island, Réunion. For The National UAE, 4 Feb 2016. Author (2nd left) with a family of local farmers - they titled this: "The Malabar returns home" - [...]

By |2017-05-19T14:21:07+02:00February 14th, 2016|Culture & People, Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Cape Town Food Guide – Top Ten Bites

  Summer in South Africa means platters of crayfish and local oysters, and glasses of local Chenin Blanc enjoyed by the water’s edge. *Olive Magazine asked me for my top ten defining Cape Town bites....not an easy ask. Out in Dec 2015 issue* Prime Position Luke Dale-Robert’s The Pot Luck Club, headed up by rising star Wesley [...]

By |2017-07-03T21:10:19+02:00December 30th, 2015|Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

A Vegetarian’s Guide to Chennai, India

Chennai market  A return to the Motherland - Chennai, India. For TASTE Magazine.  It dawns on me at the Georgetown market in Chennai, that the locals find me perplexing. Amid ox-drawn carts piled with fresh vegetables, the vendors sit cross-legged in front of their tidily arranged wares, offering me a smile and a [...]

By |2017-07-03T21:16:15+02:00November 25th, 2015|Culture & People, Food, Reported Work, Travel|2 Comments

Food Journey Through Cyprus

Food Journey Through Cyprus - The Endless Feast In search of the defining dish across Cyprus, Ishay Govender-Ypma discovers sun-kissed produce, generous locals and more variety than one can imagine. *For Food & Home Entertaining SA October 2015*   An old woman is sitting hunched outside a small shop in the morning sunshine, knitting. “Kalimera,” I [...]

By |2017-05-19T14:25:00+02:00October 20th, 2015|Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Queens – Feasting Along the 7 Line

Queens – Feasting Along the 7 Line. A Mini Guide Known as the International Express, Ishay Govender-Ypma leaves the familiarity of Manhattan and the hip eateries in Brooklyn for dollar-dining and diversity along the 7-subway line in Queens. *This article was written for Business Day Wanted Magazine, October 2015*    Finally, it’s our turn at [...]

By |2017-05-19T14:25:09+02:00October 20th, 2015|Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

What to Eat in Barcelona

What to Eat in Barcelona - 5 Classic Catalan Dishes to Try  Want to know what to eat in Barcelona? Don't miss this guide to five iconic Catalan dishes to try while in the city and where to taste them. For Fine Dining Lovers, 11 September 2015. Barcelona Cathedral Catalonians, and those who have come [...]

By |2017-05-19T14:25:58+02:00September 23rd, 2015|Food, Reported Work, Travel|0 Comments

Alentejo Portugal

Featured in the SAA Sawubona inflight magazine Across an enchanting landscape of mountains, plains, rivers and ancient ruins, Ishay Govender-Ypma feasted on the flavours of the Alentejo, the breadbasket and wine barrel of Portugal. Written for SAA Sawubona inflight magazine, 21 July 2015 Acorns and Pastries “At one time we only fed acorns [...]

Food Trends Report 2015

Food Trends Report 2015 - #WFTS2015 famous Crabbie Shack burger The World Food Tourism Summit (8-11 April 2015) was held in Estoril, just outside Lisbon, Portugal and saw a variety of prominent voices on food trends, culture, marketing and tourism convene. The aim was to enable conversations and idea-exchange between experts in the [...]

By |2017-05-19T14:29:22+02:00April 16th, 2015|Food, Reported Work|0 Comments

The Story of the Knysna Oyster

The Story of the Knysna Oyster - a complicated journey to the plate oysters in Kynsna The Knysna oyster farms have been shut for years, yet the town still retains its title of oyster capital of South Africa. Where do the oysters we consume come from? From rocky surface to the chilled restaurant [...]

By |2017-05-19T14:30:03+02:00April 4th, 2015|Environment, Food, Reported Work|0 Comments
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