Flying to Europe is quite a journey; so the decision on the airline as well as the day that you choose to fly is important.

I live in Melbourne and I prefer to fly with one of the three Middle Eastern airlines operating out of Melbourne Airport.  Their flight times and routings suit my personal travel patterns. They all depart late, somewhere between 7.30pm and 3.00am and the longest leg (almost 14 hours) is the first one.  I get on board after a full day; then enjoy a late dinner, a drink, a movie and with luck I then sleep for up to eight hours.  I arrive in the Middle East in time for breakfast, after which it’s only a short eight hour daylight flight to my destination.  As I arrive in the middle of the day, I find the transition to local time is easier because of the shorter time span before I revert to a “normal” sleep pattern.

Friday is my favourite day for business travel, as I end one working week at home and start another overseas, and that works best for me.  On holiday it is less important but I prefer flying midweek (Tuesday – Thursday) as it often less crowded on board and because I arrive in the middle of a working day, which can mean less crowds and traffic on arrival.

Whoever you choose to fly with make sure that you pick the airline and the departure day that works best for you.

Using your iPhone or other smart phone overseas can cost a fortune due to the way they use data, and the cost of data roaming. Every time your iPhone checks for emails it can cost you over ten dollars, and your phone will do this every minute unless you make changes to your settings!  Bills of over $3,000 are not uncommon for unsuspecting travellers accessing data overseas.

For example an average 1GB movie downloaded from iTunes, charged at a standard data roaming rate of $20 per MB will end up costing you over $20,000!

The key tips to reduce your data roaming charges are: Stick to the basics – only do the minimum required on your smartphone and make sure that you keep data roaming switched off, and only turn it on when you actually want to connect to the Internet.  Use free Wi-Fi hotspots wherever possible. Popular cafes, restaurants and hotels often have free wifi available, especially in the USA and throughout Europe, McDonalds is a great spot for a coffee and a Wi-Fi session.

Buy a prepaid roaming simcard before you leave home, you will get one number and one sim and will save up to 80% on your global roaming bill in over 190 countries. Simply swap sim cards and save. Business options where you are contactable on your number are usually available as well.

How do you save money when you use your mobile phone overseas?  That’s easy you can save a fortune on your next overseas trip by using a pre-paid Global SIM Card in your phone?

Do you know that if you make and receive 20 minutes of calls to/from  Australia with normal roaming it will cost on average $700. With a prepaid Global SIM, the bill will be around $170, saving you over $500!

The top tips for saving on your mobile phone bill when travelling overseas are:

First use more SMS, this is an excellent way to communicate cheaply when international roaming. However, avoid texting conversations as these can quickly become more expensive than one quick call.

Have people call you, it is cheaper to receive a call when overseas than to make one back to Australia. Even with normal roaming where you pay to receive calls, this is a cheaper way to stay in touch. Send a text to your family and friends to call you back. With most Global SIM cards it is free to receive calls in a large number of countries.

When I travel overseas I always carry a Global SIM, there are plenty of options available so do your research to out find what suits you best. For the last three years I have used a company called BackChat Mobile; I find them to be most efficient and supportive and they have most certainly saved me money.

There is something about air travel that gets me in, I am not sure exactly what it is but it starts at the airport where I like to check in early, and take my time through the process. I don’t like being rushed or racing through the departure area as the final call announcements are being made. I am happy to sit in the airline lounge or the departure area for a couple of hours, and soak it all in, whilst my wife browses the duty free shopping precinct.
I also believe that the best way to get that elusive and unexpected upgrade is to get there early and to “be ready”! Airlines are more likely to upgrade passengers who have checked in on time, than those who are late. They also tend to favour passengers who are well presented and smartly but comfortably dressed. Airlines will, of course, upgrade loyal clients first, so the higher your status with the airline you fly with the better.
The age old question is do you ask? The correct answer is that depends! On your history with that airline and whether you already have been told that an upgrade “may be possible”. If you think it might be there then ask, the worst they can say is no and they may well say yes. A word though, if it is no, then accept it, do not make a fuss about being promised it would be there, that is a no-no. Do that and believe me, your card could well be marked for life depending on how much fuss you create. It is not worth it.
If you get one, say thank-you and enjoy it, quietly and without making a great fuss, that way you may well get another one on a future flight.

A little slice of Venice came to Melbourne last week, bringing with it the riservato (secret) to perfect risotto al dente.

Renowned as the risotto king at home, Renato Piccolotto, executive chef at the legendary Orient-Express Hotel Cirpriani, cooked for us at the Victoria Market cooking school.

With the hotel closed for its annual winter refurbishment, General Manager, Giampaolo Ottazzi brought Renato and staff from -15˚ in Europe to a 35˚day in Melbourne.

Asking assembled food writers what rice to use for risotto, he quickly dispells the myth that arborio is best, “we used to use Arborio, then Roma…no more; the secret is Carnaroli from northern Italy,” he said.  Renato is regularly flown to Hollywood by Hotel Cipriani neighbour, Sir Elton John, to cook his famous risotto al dente for 700 of the singer’s closest friends at his annual Oscar’s party.

His secret ingredient is the carnaroli itself, a plump high starch rice which retains shape and bite (al dente) during the cooking process, its amylose ensuring creaminess.  Chef shares the recipe he serves to us – Risotto Primavera con verdure dell’Estuario (Risotto with locally grown spring vegetables).

200 g      carnaroli rice
2 lt          beef & chicken broth
100 g      asparagus (green & white)
1              artichoke
50 g        fresh peas
30 g        peeled tomatoes
5 g          bell pepper
50 g        grated parmesan
1/2         young onion
150 g      zucchini
1 stalk   white celery
2              zucchini blossom
100 g      French beans
100 g      butter

Renato carefully selected all his fresh ingredients from Queen Victoria Market – at home these would come straight from his extensive chef’s garden behind the hotel.  Finely diced vegetables are added to a pan where he has heated butter with half an onion; this is to bring out the vegetables’ colour.

In another pan he browns the remaining finely chopped onion in the butter until tender, stirs in the rice (tip: he did not rinse the rice), which he cooks until translucent.  Chef remains vigilant by the pan, stirring, folding, stirring (obviously another secret).  Then adding a ladle of the mixed stock (“it must be boiling”), he cooks rapidly until the rice gets hot and the stock is absorbed. Adding a little more stock, he repeats the process – more gentle stirring.  After 10 minutes in goes the sauteed vegetables, another 10 minutes of heat sees the rice cooked and the stock absorbed.

Renato pauses to show us that the mixture is not dry, but creamy. Tearing the zucchini flowers by hand he drops them into the mix, allowing it to cool before stirring in parmesan and seasoning to taste. Beside him a large bowl of butter cubes brings a groan from one writer, aghast at the amount of butter we’ll soon be eating….Renato’s eyes flash and in a defiant retort another few cubes fly into the Risotto in a gesture reminiscent of a gauntlet being flung…Chef has spoken loudly without uttering a word. His risotto definitely had the last word: magnifico!

– Graeme Kemlo

It was hard to miss at the media luncheon hosted by Swissôtel last week in Melbourne – the traditional condiments had been usurped, replaced by a triple play of seasonings in dark green, pale pink and let’s call it, taupe.

We were at ezard restaurant, with its “Australian freestyle” culinary bent, so perhaps it should have come as no surprise.  Here Teage Ezard, melds Asian influences into his fare, especially Thai and Chinese.

So when the waiter brought a crusty loaf and olive oil that he declared was a product of the ezard kitchen – parmesan, garlic and rosemary infused, which they sell at $30 a bottle  – a quick dip into the colourful condiments was required.

I asked for the ingredients (not the recipe unfortunately) and L-R they were:

• roasted wakame seaweed (50%), nori, bonito, sesame seed, dried dashi and sea salt
• dried chilli and yellow rock sugar
• Szechuan pepper, wok-roasted sea salt

More than meeting expectations as flavour enhancers, they were in turn:

• a complex mouthful of marine life with mineral texture for the tongue
• slightly sweet with the inevitable sting in the tail
• self-confessed pepper fanboy loves this powdered heat with none of the usual grinder debris

Posing a supplementary question, as we scribes are prone to do, regarding the birthplace of the wok-roasted sea salt, it was “the Murray River”.

– Graeme Kemlo