Luminous Journeys

Travel, for me, has never really been about sightseeing and selfies with the attractions. That is for tourists and I see myself more as an explorer; a seeker of truth. An ‘experience junkie’ of sorts; always looking for the next hit of something new and extraordinary. I crave knowing the true essence of a new country, in all it’s grime and glory.

“It’s about the journey not the destination”.

Eating is always the destination, but the excitement begins long before I head off on my quest. It is like a primordial instinct to hunt and gather awakens, switched on months before the adventure begins as I intently research what to eat, where to eat and sometimes, how to eat in the target country. For the decade of my twenties, I based myself in London, using the capital as a launching pad for food adventures all over the world. In my current, post pandemic, family life in Perth, Australia, I realise now what an extreme privilege that was.

The pursuit of a unique and incredible food experience has sometimes been the catalyst for an entire trip. Friends secured a table at Noma when it was ranked as the world's best restaurant and so a weekend getaway to Copenhagen was planned by the five of us. We whiled away an afternoon, journeying through all thirteen courses of Rene Redzepi's famous Nordic, Terroir inspired degustation, in the luxury setting of Nomas minimalist, waterside restaurant. But equally as memorable, was the visit to the alternative, self governed community and ‘free town’, Christiania on the way home from Noma. One of the actual rules/laws here is that running is not permitted! Here, still in our smart dress, we smoked hash with the locals and danced amongst the colourful buildings and street art, giggling sometimes uncontrollably at the absurdity of it all, before stumbling into a Danish bakery to kill our munchies with the most divine apricot danish. I remember sitting in the ladies room at a bar in Christiania and looking up to the ceiling, which was an aquarium. A tiny turtle was swimming past over my head and I thought “this could be one of the best and most contrasting days of my life”.* To this day, although many incredible moments and days have come, this day is still one of my favourites .

*This recollection is based on an actual event and not just a product of the hash

Flying solo, flying free.

Eating alone becomes a common practice when travelling alone and ‘Masturdating’ - the art of taking yourself on a solo date, has become quite hip in recent years. Having always travelled with friends, the first few times that I ate alone, I found my eyes fixated downward on the plate, feeling overwhelmingly self conscious about the fact that I was by myself with no one to talk to during my meal. As a more seasoned traveller, I learnt to enjoy a book or do some journaling at my solo meals, more comfortable with the convivial hum of tables full of people eating together.

It was not until a trip to Japan, that I discovered that there is indeed a country that revels in the solo diner! Eating out is so commonplace in Japan that Ramen cafes, Yakitori bars, Tempura restaurants, Sushi bars are all designed so that the diner can peacefully sit alone facing either the chef or a wall. Japanese cuisine is so good that it really does warrant eating alone in blissful solitude.

Even the decadent restaurant serving Kaiseki, the Japanese Haute Cuisine that is said to have inspired fine dining degustations across the world, was set out with a whole single sided bar table just for solo diners! What great pleasure it was to watch the chefs create the Kaiseki courses, with the dining table/bar acting almost as a stage. Notably, the Kaiseki restaurant was quiet, even with tables seating groups of people. You could hear the occasional clang of a sake glass, the murmur of hushed conversation or some gentle orchestrated action in the kitchen, but the noise level was soft and low, the silence showing great reverence for the chefs and respect for the food.

Sharing the food adventure

When I returned home to Australia, although there were many restaurants and great food options, I was missing the food adventures. Brimming with inspiration from my travels, I teamed up with a Chef created Secret Suppers, curating one off dining events set up in secret and wild locations. Drawing on the memorable travel experiences we created themed events to reflect these, like driving an hour up a gravelly hill road in Calabria, Italy to dine at the rustic wooden tables of an Agriturismo (farm restaurant in which all food is grown and raised at the location) or sitting amongst lemon trees upon the clifftops in Amalfi, sipping strong coffee watching the boats on the ocean.

Soon, the crowds of people came and we were selling out all of our events. Not just lovers of food, but lovers of adventure, the unique and unknown. People much like myself. Some guests came with friends and others came by themselves. But nobody went home without a great story to tell and nobody ate alone.