Family food & travel
Mangoes & Palm Trees
While staying with friends in Hong Kong, we had lunch at Cococabana on Shek O Beach, Hong Kong Island: tuna tartare topped with three kinds of caviar. It is one moment from the road. The recipes, travel notes and ingredient guides here come from the life we share as a family.
Start here
What is Mangoes & Palm Trees?
Mangoes & Palm Trees is a family food and travel publication. We share recipes we cook at home, guides to chillies and other ingredients, and notes from our trips across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Two ways in
One collection brings together the dishes and stories closest to our family. The other gathers practical guides for the kitchen and the road.
Our Family Favorites
The recipes and stories we return to at our own family table.
MPT Essentials
The guides we return to for answers in the kitchen and on the road—ingredients, cooking methods and practical travel details.
By category
Six starting points from our kitchen and the road: the meals we make, the drinks we pour, the coffee we brew and the street food we seek out.
-
Recipes
Fish & Seafood
Explore fish curries, seafood suppers and family-friendly recipes with clear methods, thoughtful seasoning and ideas for cooking fish at home.
-
Recipes
Meat & Poultry
Find steak, roast chicken and slow-cooked favourites alongside clear, practical meat recipes for everyday meals and family gatherings at home.
-
Recipes
Dessert Recipes
Browse sweets, overnight jars, buttery bakes and chilled desserts with clear measurements, reliable methods and ideas for sharing at home.
-
Recipes
Drinks & Cocktails
Mix cocktails, regional drinks and cooling alcohol-free options with measured ingredients, straightforward methods and flavour combinations to make at home.
-
Recipes
Vietnamese Coffee
Learn Vietnamese coffee, from phin brewing to iced condensed-milk glasses, with clear ratios, technique and cultural context for everyday brewing.
-
Recipes
Street Food Recipes
Explore Vietnamese phở and other street-food recipes with clear methods, aromatic herbs, lively textures and techniques rooted in everyday cooking.
Meat recipes · comparison
Chicken Shawarma vs Shish Tawook: Which Is Better?
Two Levantine grill staples — one shaved from a vertical spit, one cubed and skewered. We break down the marinade, the char, and how to spot a great plate.
Read the comparison →
Recipes · the kitchen
Recipes from our table
We cook the recipes at home first—from Thai family dishes and Vietnamese phở to chilli recipes and Natalia’s pelmeni, a taste of her Siberian roots.
Metric measurements, practical swaps and recipes that have earned a place at our family table. Start with the recipe index and choose something to cook.
Explore recipes →Chilli · ingredient library
Chilli and pantry pages
I started writing chilli guides because the ones I found were wrong—Scoville numbers copied off Wikipedia, swaps from people who had never cooked with the pepper they were recommending.
The ultimate chili guide is the anchor. From there, each variety gets its own page—guajillo, jalapeño, Thai bird’s eye—with flavour, heat and swaps we tested in our kitchen. Victor’s verdict on most of them: “too spicy.”
Open the chili library →
Travel · Southeast Asia
On the road in Southeast Asia
In 2026, we are travelling around Southeast Asia, revisiting our Thailand notes and checking the practical details that matter on a family trip. Our Vietnam stories include Da Nang, where we travelled in 2024.
Victor was born at Nathon Hospital in November 2016, during our time on Koh Samui. It is one of the reasons the island holds a special place in our family story.
Read our notes on Bangkok street food, Koh Samui, Da Nang and Hua Hin’s night markets.
Thailand Food & Travel 2026 →
Travel · Asia
Asia travel guides
A good way to get to know a place is often through its food. These guides pair the meals we remember with the neighbourhoods and practical details that helped us find our way around.
Asia travel guides →
Who writes Mangoes & Palm Trees?
Oliver leads the writing. Natalia brings her cultural knowledge and family memories to our food and travel stories. Victor is our most honest critic at the family table and on the road. Read our family story on About, or visit Oliver and Natalia’s author pages.
How we work, and where to check travel details
Editorial standards
Our editorial policy sets out how we research and publish. Our affiliate disclosure explains how commercial relationships are handled.
Travel information
Browse the destination guides for family travel notes, local food and practical context from places we have visited.
Common questions about Mangoes & Palm Trees
How do you test your recipes?
See recipes, Thailand 2026, and our editorial policy.
Which destinations do you write about?
Browse all destinations, Asia guides, and Europe guides.
Are your travel guides based on first-hand experience?
Read our family story to learn more about how we travel together, and see our editorial policy.
Where can I check entry requirements and other travel rules?
For destination context, start with our travel guides and Asia guides.
Some pages may include affiliate links. They never change our editorial judgment. Read our affiliate disclosure.