Entertaining Asian Style

The backdrop for this book is actually an area called Emerald Hill in Singapore. It is an old street of pre-war "shophouses" which are common place in Asia. Chinese merchants use to live upstairs and anve their shops downstairs.Singapore has done a terrific job in preserving a number of these houses and Emerald Hill is one of the prime districts in central Singapore (off Orchard Road), where a stroll here has a different feel from the bustle of Orchard Road. A must see for tourists interested in this sort of architencture.Many proud home owners have done up these homes in a variety of way, preserving the old and upgrading it to be livable today. In the old days, these buildings commonly had only one bathroom way at the end of the house. These homes are also characterised by an "airwell" where natural light and air is allowed to flow into the houses. The houses were built with a small front door (I heard that taxes used to be based off how big your front entrance is - a leagacy from the Dutch?) and stretched out long towards the back. One of the homes has a long swimming pool built in!In Lisa's book, she has taken this unique neighbourhood and the tastes of and lifestyles of the residents on Emerald Hill, combined with her flair for entertaining "made easy", has made this a wonderful book to get ideas.

This book is one of my all-time favorites; both as a source of reference and "can't go wrong" gift to friends visiting Malaysia & Singapore. What do I like about the book? Firstly, I find the bright, rich colors of the tropics very stimulating and enticing. Secondly, the book covers the multi-cultural/ethnic communities at an adequate level of detail. Thirdly, the recipes are easy to follow and I can validate that these recipes truly reflect the special qualities of each of the cultures presented.An excellent coffee table book, great gift and a great source of inspiration for those who are curious about Southest Asia.

The words are descriptively written to bring alive the beautiful photographs that abound within the pages of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about entertaining and creating an Asian flair to parties bringing so many great ideas into my home. All my friends have commented about all the ideas I re-created from the book. I found everything very doable and easily re-created. One of the best entertaining books I have read.

This book is absolutely gorgeous -- it is already displayed on my coffee table. I can't wait to try the recipes and entertaining tips! I will buy it for everyone on my Christmas list this year!!