Holiday bonding with dad

Embark on a food trail through America.
Eat your way through the meaty regional specialities of the south? Sounds like the perfect foodie adventure with Dad. A good starting point for your road trip is in Texas where fried chicken is synonymous to soul food. Choose between fried chicken or chicken-fried steak at Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Roanoke; both are served with cream corn, biscuits and gravy. Then drive east towards Louisiana, the capital of Cajun country, where you can seek out the ultimate boudin (a spicy poached pork sausage). Johnson's Boucanière in Lafayette, serves a version that follows a recipe from 1973. Tennessee and the Carolinas, also known as pork barbecue haven, is where you can find the best que. At Scott’s-Parker’s Barbecue in Lexington, the pit master Ricky Parker slow cooks whole hogs raised on a nearby farm; Jackie Hite baste the porcine in mustard sauce as they are smoked; and Pit in Raleigh serves pork butt dabbed with sweet and sour tomato dressing.

2) Go fishing in New Zealand.
Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned angler, Tairua, New Zealand's official home of fishing, is the place to head to for a fishing vacation. Its waters are filled with yellowtail kingfish, year-round supply of snappers, trevally that grow to approximately eight kilograms and prized yellowfin tunas. For a fuss free holidat, Epic Adventures organises everything from multi day trips to ‘Catch and Cook' seafood experiences where you can pick up new ways to cook and smoke your catch. Their packages include top of the line fishing rods, reels, terminal tackle, as well as hearty meals and accommodations. For more information, visit www.epicadventures.co.nz.

3) Saddle up in Abu Dhabi.
Apart from offering luxurious quarters situated along the resplendent coastline of Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara opened the Sir Bani Yas Stables in March this year to offer more ways to experience the island’s wildlife. Novices can opt for instructional group or private tuition riding lessons while experienced riders can go on a two-hour long Royal Bay ride along the sandy beaches where they may spot mountain and sand gazelles as well as cattle egrets en route. The five-star facility is furnished with eight sand and grass paddocks, a lunge ring and a covered riding arena; it also houses up to 30 international breeds of horses that are trained in dressage and western riding. For more information, visit www.anantara.com.

Excerpt from the June issue of epicure.