Family food & travel

Mangoes & Palm Trees

Staying at friends’ in Hong Kong, we experienced the very best beach dining at Shek O Beach, Hong Kong Island — tuna tartare with three types of caviar at Cococabana. Behind it sit the recipes, travel notes, and ingredient guides Oliver, Natalia, and Victor publish as a family.

Explore recipes Travel guides
Tuna tartare topped with three types of caviar at Cococabana on Shek O Beach, Hong Kong Island.
Kitchen Global recipes Dishes we cook at home—metric weights, swaps, and the stories from our kitchen and our road. Road Travel guides Where we stayed, what we ate, and what actually worked with a child in tow. Ingredients Chili & pantry Heat, flavour, and swaps for peppers we actually cook with—not numbers copied from a chart.

Editorial standards: Editorial policy · Affiliate disclosure · Updated 27 October 2026.

Start here

What is Mangoes & Palm Trees?

Mangoes & Palm Trees is a family food and travel publication written by Oliver, Natalia, and Victor Mayerhoffer. Recipes are cooked at home before they are published, and travel pages record trips the family took across Southeast Asia and Greater Asia. Chili and ingredient guides document peppers used in that kitchen.

Two ways in

One collection is who we are. The other is what we have learned well enough to stand behind. Both update themselves as we assign new pages.

Our Family Favorites

The recipes and stories we return to at our own family table.

MPT Essentials

Our practical guides, dependable recipes and useful references, selected for readers who want the details right.

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.

Grilled shish kebabs and skewered meats on a sharing platter at Ogen Lebanese Restaurant in Hua Hin, Thailand.

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 →
Pelmeni folded by hand — Natalia's Siberian kitchen tradition

Recipes · the kitchen

Recipes from our table

Every recipe on this site is cooked at home first—Thai family plates, Vietnamese pho, chili dishes, and Natalia’s pelmeni from her Krasnoyarsk line.

Metric weights, honest swaps, and what Victor will actually eat. Start in the recipes hub, then pick a dish.

Explore recipes →

Chili · ingredient library

Chili and pantry pages

I started writing chili guides because the ones I found were wrong—Scoville numbers copied off Wikipedia, swaps from people who 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 flavor, heat, and swaps we tested in our kitchen. Victor’s verdict on most of them: “too spicy.”

Open the chili library →
Dried guajillo chiles from our kitchen tests — ingredient photography for the Mangoes and Palm Trees chili pepper library

Travel · Southeast Asia

Currently traveling Southeast Asia

In 2026 we are on the road in Southeast Asia—updating Thailand notes, island logistics, and the street-food pages we actually use. Vietnam was a 2024 chapter; Da Nang sits in the travel guides.

Victor was born at Nathon Hospital in November 2016 during our time on Koh Samui. Bangkok, Hua Hin, and Koh Samui remain on the travel pages because we were there.

We cover Bangkok street food, Koh Samui, Da Nang, and Hua Hin’s night markets.

Thailand Food & Travel 2026 →
Natalia and Victor Mayerhoffer in Bangkok — Southeast Asia family travel

Travel · Asia

Asia travel guides

Explore our Asia travel guides, including Da Nang, Thailand, Koh Samui, Bangkok and Hua Hin. Each guide brings together destination context, food and practical planning details specific to that place.

We cover Da Nang, Thailand, Koh Samui, and Bangkok.

Asia travel guides →
My Khe Beach at sunrise in Da Nang, Vietnam
Oliver, Natalia, and Victor Mayerhoffer at Hinkali House in Hua Hin
Oliver, Natalia, and Victor at Hinkali House, Hua Hin — the family behind Mangoes & Palm Trees.
About us

Who writes Mangoes & Palm Trees?

Oliver, Natalia, and Victor Mayerhoffer write this publication—recipes, travel, and meals with people they hardly planned to meet. In 2026 they are traveling Southeast Asia. Read the family story on About, or Oliver and Natalia’s author pages.

Trust & planning

Who we are, and where to check travel rules

Oliver, Natalia, and Victor Mayerhoffer write this publication. For visas and entry rules, consult the relevant government source; use destination and heritage resources below for additional planning context.

Updated 27 October 2026. Schedules and entry rules change—confirm on official portals before you travel.

Who we are

Mangoes & Palm Trees is run by Oliver, Natalia, and Victor Mayerhoffer. The full story sits on our family and author pages—we do not repeat it in every guide.

Travel planning references

Use government sources for visa and entry requirements, and destination or heritage resources for additional context. Check current information before booking because requirements and schedules can change.

Common questions about Mangoes & Palm Trees

Short factual answers first—then where to read more on the site.

What does Mangoes & Palm Trees cover?

Mangoes and Palm Trees is a family food and travel publication written by Oliver, Natalia, and Victor Mayerhoffer. Recipes are cooked at home before they are published, and travel pages record trips the family took across Southeast Asia and Greater Asia. Chili and ingredient guides document peppers used in that kitchen.

Browse all destinations, recipes, and travel guides.

Are recipes and travel guides family-tested?

Recipes are cooked in the Mayerhoffer kitchen with metric weights and swaps Victor will actually eat. Travel pages name the trip and the month where those dates exist. Official visa and entry rules are linked to government sources, not invented on the page.

See recipes, Thailand 2026, and our editorial policy.

What destinations does Mangoes & Palm Trees cover?

Travel pages cover trips the family took, including Southeast Asia and Greater Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Bangkok, Da Nang, and Italy by train. Browse the travel destinations hub by continent rather than treating this page as a complete map.

Browse all destinations, Asia guides, and Europe guides.

Are your travel guides written from first-hand experience?

Travel pages on Mangoes and Palm Trees are written from trips the family took. Dates and places named in the text are the ones they can stand behind. Official tourism and government sites remain the source for visas, health notices, and schedules.

We name the trip and the month when those dates exist. Read how we work and our editorial policy.

Where should I verify official travel rules?

National tourism boards and local government portals publish current visa rules, health notices, and transport schedules for each country. Family travel guides add logistics and meal context for parents but do not replace those official government sources.

Before you book, confirm current entry and safety information with the relevant government authority, and use destination resources for local context. These links are starting points, not a substitute for checking current requirements.

Some pages may include affiliate links. They never change our editorial judgment. Read our affiliate disclosure.