The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
MICHEL ROUX JR MY LIFE IN TRAVEL
The chef loves the buzz of Hong Kong and wants to do an ultra-marathon but says he can only truly relax in Avignon
MY LIFE IS A WHIRLWIND of planes, trains and automobiles. I love travelling but now that I’m getting older the actual journey is more tiresome. Sometimes I’m lucky and I can tack on an extra day to explore whichever corner of the world I’m in.
I PREFER UNSTRUCTURED ADVENTURE either in a big city, remote jungle or coastal areas. I avoid organised holidays and resorts – I don’t like following a timetable away from work.
I REMEMBER ONE HECK OF A ROAD TRIP with my parents when I was 11. We drove 1,400 miles from London to Malaga. It was particularly memorable because the car blew up – yes, literally – on the journey down in rural Spain. We made the best of a bad situation and upon finding a beautiful nearby lake, Dad bought us some fishing gear and we ate like kings during our layover.
THERE ISN’T ANYTHING I WOULDN’T EAT and the most unusual things I’ve eaten on my travels are fish ovaries in a Japanese broth and, while in China, snake in a spicy sauce, which interestingly tastes like chicken.
I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TRY INTERNAL ORGANS like the spleen, kidneys or brains and rediscover other offal, while closer to home in Europe, I’ve had frogs’ legs and snails in France.
NOTHING BEATS THE BUZZ and electric feel of Hong Kong. The locals are passionate about their food and everywhere you go, you smell or see something different.
DOWN A BACK ALLEY IN LAS VEGAS at a lowbrow shopping mall is not where you’d expect to find one of the best but most underrated restaurants in the world. Raku, a Japanese restaurant, is a chef ’s secret four miles off the strip. Taxi drivers will give you a look as it’s so off the beaten track. The food, especially their unique teriyaki dish made with pork intestine, Wagyu beef and heart, is out of this world.
I CAN ONLY UNWIND IN FRANCE in Avignon, which is a perennial summer retreat for me. I have a house in the countryside and it’s so peaceful and rural there.
I’M AN ABSOLUTE FANATIC when it comes to running and I always take a pair of trainers wherever I go. I love running in cities because it’s a great way to explore a new place. One of my favourite urban runs is Central Park in New York – it’s so iconic and has been featured in countless films. I WANT TO RUN THROUGH THE SAHARA on the Marathon des Sables in Morocco, a six-day “ultra marathon” through the desert. I’ve done some incredible marathons around the globe, including the one in New York, so the desert run has been on my to-do list for a while.
I LOVED EATING AND DRINKING WHILE RUNNING the Marathon du Médoc in France, where you run through 48 different vineyards laying on an incredible spread of food and wine – my favourite marathon so far. You certainly don’t run that one for a fast time.
SCOTLAND IS FULL OF HIDDEN CULINARY GEMS and artisan distilleries. I’d love to do a road trip around the north of the country, uncovering all the islands by ferry. Cornwall and the Rhondda Valley in Wales are both exceptionally beautiful places.
THE BEST WAY TO DINE LIKE A KING and experience our rich history is by staying in a castle in the UK. One of my favourites is, of course, the beautifully restored 16th-century Crossbasket Castle near Glasgow, where my dad [Albert Roux] and I have a restaurant. It offers locally sourced ingredients cooked with a unique flair. My favourite dishes are the venison Wellington and the roasted scallops with Jerusalem artichoke velouté.
ADELAIDE IS COMPLETELY UNDERRATED... most travellers overlook it, and they’d rather go to Melbourne or Sydney. But it’s a beautiful city on the doorstep of one of the best wine regions in Australia with a vibrant nightlife, stunning architecture and friendly people.
‘The 48 vineyards of the Marathon du Médoc lay on incredible spreads of food and wine’
THE WORLD IS TOO BIG FOR ME but Cambodia and Vietnam are top of my travel bucket list. I want to visit the spice farms there and see where the local Kampot pepper is grown. I’d also love to explore the culinary history of the former French colonies, including the West Indies.