Bangkok 2017 day 6: party crashing with delicious meats

We thought we've had our last meal in Bangkok as we headed for Suvarnabhumi Airport, but thanks to a bout of stupidity with yours truly, we managed to miss our flight out of the city.  Due to previously scheduled commitments the next morning, we ended up booking ourselves on a redeye flight at an ungodly hour.  So... with more than 8 hours until we fly out, we decided the only thing for us to do was to head back into the city and get ourselves some dinner.

Having failed to pay for both of our meals at Gaggan this past week, Hello Kitty felt that we could show our appreciation by going to Meatlicious and finally paying for a meal there.  We decided to try out the Airport Rail Link, and took the train to Ramkhamhaeng Station, then grabbed a taxi to Ekkamai Soi 6.

I pinged Gaggan on our way to the restaurant, asking him whether we'd have a problem getting seats at the last minute.  I knew he was already in the middle of service for the first seating, so I didn't really expect to hear back from him.

We showed up at Meatlicious without a reservation, and were seated at the "chef's table" - counter seats facing the open kitchen.  Of course, I was wearing my Hug Me I Smell Like Curry shirt that I got from Gaggan last night, which the staff immediately recognized.  Chef Jorge Grande asked me how I liked the food there...

Bangkok 2017 day 6: one last meal

We're leaving Bangkok tonight after having eaten our way around town, but before we do, there was one last meal to be had.  My friend L flew in today for a short business trip, and we managed to catch up with each other in Bangkok of all places.p

Having gone through a few Thai restaurants ranging from fine dining to historical hole-in-the-walls, I decided to go somewhere sort of mid-range.  Taling Pling (ตะลิงปลิง) is a local chain with a few convenient locations, and the branch in CentralWorld seemed to be a convenient location for all of us.

The three of us each picked out some dishes that we wanted to try, so we ended up with a lot of food...

Thai styled minced pork and crab dumpling (ขนมจีบไทย) - these were surprising good, kinda like siu mai (燒賣).

Bangkok 2017 day 5: decoding Gaggan Anand

Having sung happy birthday to the birthday boy in front of a crowd at the unofficial after party in the wee hours of this morning, the Great One, Hello Kitty, and I are back at Gaggan.  At our Gaggan x Den dinner a few nights ago, after giving him a special birthday present, Gaggan Anand very kindly invited the three of us back for dinner tonight.

When we arrived for our 6 p.m. seating, sommelier Vladimir was in the house but looking a little worn out from party last night (or should I say this morning?).  Gaggan was nowhere to be found, but we all know he had a rough night after the unofficial after-party he threw after winning the top spot of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants for an unprecedented third year in a row.  Thankfully he showed up soon after, and actually looked pretty together - unlike the picture he posted on social media.  We were once again seated in the Lab area of the restaurant, which was deliberately kept at about half capacity in light of the staff suffering from some serious lack of sleep...

We were treated to the latest menu, which was now represented by 25 emojis - one for each course.  The number of courses has increased since I was last here, and the portion sizes have gotten smaller; meanwhile according to Gaggan, the flavors have become more focused and pure.  It is interesting to note that about 40% of the menu was developed for Gohgan, his frequent collaborations with La Maison de la Nature Goh.

Bangkok 2017 day 5: I'll have what Califa had

Paste was always going to be on my agenda for this trip, having heard good feedback from both the Great One Lick My Toes and Haokoufu last year.  Then I found out that my friend the Hungry Tourist also loves this place, so that made things even more interesting.

I preferred to be "under the radar" on my first visit to a restaurant, so I turned down the Hungry Tourist's offer to join him for lunch the day I arrived.  Instead, I had Hello Kitty reserve a table in her name, and tried not to be too public about when I would be dining here.  Alas, I slipped up and failed to keep things under wraps.

Our original booking for 4 eventually turned to 7, and as I called the restaurant to ask for a bigger table, the person answering the phone immediately asked me whether the Great One was coming (she was not), and proceeded to ask whether I was still coming.  So we had been outed... probably by my friend the Hungry Tourist, who was obviously trying to help one of his favorite restaurants make a good impression on us.

With 7 of us - and most of us visiting for the first time - we decided to forgo the challenge of ordering from the menu, and asked for the chef to arrange everything for us - omakase (お任せ).  Effectively, we did a "I'll have what he's having"... and in this case we were having what my friend was having on his visits just days before.  We found out afterwards that the kitchen had been told to dial down the heat, knowing that I don't like my food really spicy.

Our welcome drink was made with bael flower, elderflower and pandan.  Smelled of honey, too.

Bangkok 2017 day 4: three after parties

So... the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2017 awards are done and dusted, and it was now time to paaaaartaaaay!  First stop was back in the courtyard of the House on Sathorn, where we have a ton of food and drink.

There was a ton of local food, organised by the region in Thailand where they originate - so we've got   sai ua sausages from Chiang Mai, barbecued whole pork, and they even brought in the famed Thip Samai to serve their signature pad Thai and Soi Polo Fried Chicken.  Of course where was also an oyster bar and a ton of meat - including a really impressive hip of Tajima wagyu that was slow-roasted.

But as good as the food looked, I really wasn't interested in most of it.  So I nibbled on some of the roast pork, grabbed a few people, and headed for a "second round" at an old favorite.

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2017

I'm back in Bangkok to attend the awards ceremonies for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, which is once again held at W Bangkok and the House on Sathorn. I'm pretty excited to be back, as it gives me a chance to catch up with friends - both from within Asia as well as from other parts of the world.

As usual things started with cocktails and food in the courtyard of the House on Sathorn, and I met up with friends and congratulated chefs I knew personally on being included on the list.  Knowing that there was a long night ahead, I refrained from imbibing any alcohol, and just took Acqua Panna and the flavoured San Pellegrino sodas instead.  It's pretty hot in Bangkok and being in a suit and tie really didn't help... so it didn't take me long to get soaked.

Having learned the lesson from last year, a few of us went and lined up in front of the Great Room about half an hour before the ceremonies were due to start.  There's no assigned seating, so we wanted to make sure we got to choose the best seats in the media section.

Bangkok 2017 day 4: 130-year-old mee krob

I'm still on the hunt for some old school Thai food in Bangkok, and today I chose to venture to the other side of the Chao Praya River to a place with a long history.  My friend the Peranakan Baba had done an extensive tour of old school establishments in the city 2 months ago, and Tek Heng (เต็กเฮง, 符德興) was one of the places he found.  Apparently the Teochew family has been running this place for more than 130 years, and is famous for having served their mee krob to King Chulalongkorn back in the day.

We were lucky that the Great One and her Thai friend were coming along with us, and we were able to ask for directions in Thai.  The restaurant suggested that we take the BTS and get off at Talat Phlu, then grab a taxi and ask to be taken to the "King Rama V restaurant".  I guess everyone in that neighbourhood knows about this place!  Anyway, the four of us ended up getting on 4 separate mototaxis, and were promptly dropped off at the location by the river.

Bangkok 2017 day 3: Le D'oh!

A few of my friends have previously enjoyed their meals at Le Du, and when people talk about fine dining or chefs doing creative things to modernize Thai cuisine, this place often gets mentioned.  So when I was choosing a venue for a gathering with friends from New York, Singapore, and Melbourne, this was the chosen one.  Of course, it didn't hurt that the restaurant was within walking distance from the serviced apartments where 4 of us were staying.

I was rather surprised at the no-frills decor of the place.  Low ceilings and bare cement walls.  In fact, the place was so minimalist that there was nothing to absorb any noise, so the restaurant was very, very boisterous.  We had to up our own volumes in order to carry on a conversation with friends across the table.  Not a great ambiance for me - especially when I was expecting (perhaps mistakenly) fine dining on the table.

There was never any question that I would take the full 6-course tasting menu, although a few of us did take the shorter, 4-course menu.

Amuse bouche -

Tomato soup with oregano salt - very creamy, with thick texture like crème fraîche.

Pineapple jelly, caramelized nuts

Lotus flower with Thai salad - with shredded carrots, chopped ginger, dried shrimp, and lime paste.  Kinda like miang kham (เมี่ยงคำ).

Bangkok 2017 day 3: the Tanao trio

One of the things I really wanted to do on this trip was to check out some old school Thai restaurants that have been running for a few generations, and I thought I'd start by going back to Chote Chitr.  It was where I had my last meal before my self-imposed exile, and I was curious to see how the place had changed (or not) after 9 years.

We arrived pretty late, and the place was practically empty.  Hello Kitty got herself a bottle of Chang, and I picked out three dishes for our meal - knowing that there were still two stops I wanted to hit after lunch...

Banana flowers spicy salad (ยำหัวปลี) - this is one of the signature dishes here, and I never got to eat it the first time, so it was an itch I needed to scratch. Unfortunately, this wasn't anything to write home about.  The chicken was bland and boring, and even the diced banana flower was unremarkable.

Bangkok 2017 day 2: a painfully long dinner

I'm on a mission to check out more fine dining Thai restaurants in Bangkok, and among the usual suspects - at least for us tourists - is Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin.  This sister location of the Danish restaurant holding a Michelin star for its modern Thai cuisine sits on the ground floor of the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, and the very high ceilings here provides a nice and relaxing feel while dining.  This feeling of tranquility was enhanced by seating us in one of the booths with very high backs - helping to shut off some of the noise from our surroundings.  Unfortunately, neither the service nor the cuisine were relaxing.

I had gotten some unenthusiastic feedback from a couple of friends who had tried the cuisine here before, but I was undaunted.  I'm a big fan of chefs who try to deliver modern versions of traditional cuisines with long histories - especially when molecular/modernist techniques are involved - so I was always curious about this place.  Tonight was the opportunity to check this box.

Our welcome drink of chilled lemongrass and pandan tea seemed to be a popular choice among restaurants in this city, but thankfully it's also one that I love.

There was never any question that I would be taking the "Journey" tasting menu, which includes 10 courses preceded by a number of bites.  Halfway through the menu, I would come to the realization that this was simply too much food to stomach.

Droning Boy: above the lungs of Bangkok

I'm spending quite a few days in Bangkok on this trip, and wanted to do something a little different... more than just eating at restaurants.  I wanted to do something a little off the beaten path.  And I knew just where I wanted to go.

A few years ago I was privileged to have been invited as a speaker at TEDxVictoriaHarbour, and I was mesmerised by the story of one of my fellow speakers.  Alisa lives on Bang Krachao - a riverine island sometimes referred to as "the lungs of Bangkok".  She talked about her life living on the island, away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, in a house built in part with recycled materials.  It sounded so far away from my daily life that I found it intriguing.

So I contacted Alisa and asked for tips on visiting the island, and eventually I made plans to meet up with her for lunch today.  It's Sunday, and the Ban Nam Pheung Floating Market (ตลาดน้ำบางน้ำผึ้ง) - which is just a market by a canal and there aren't any vendors hawking their wares on boats - would be open for us to walk around in.

We took a taxi from Sathorn and crossed the Chao Phraya River on the Bhumibol 1 Bridge, then doubled back to get on the island.  We got dropped off at the market, and after wandering around a little, we did eventually meet up with Alisa and her husband Landry, as well as their adorable daughter.

Bangkok 2017 day 1: the most anticipated dinner of the year?

I'm blessed to be able to call Gaggan Anand a friend.  I've been a big fan of his cuisine since first getting a taste of it about 2½ years ago, and my fondness has only increased with my visit to his restaurant last year.  He's been extremely nice to me both in person and over social media, and I'm very grateful for his kindness.

I always knew that I would take Hello Kitty to Gaggan on this trip, but when I found out via Instagram posts from the two chefs that Hasegawa Zaiyu (長谷川在佑) from Den (傳) was going a 4-hands dinner with Gaggan in Bangkok, it didn't take me long to ask my friend to save seats for Hello Kitty and I at this special collaboration.  And since the Great One was gonna be in town at the same time, we decided to go to the special event together.

I had never had the pleasure of dining at Den, but given all the glowing reviews from the Great One and plenty of other friends, it's been on my list of places to hit in Tokyo for some time.  This would be somewhat of a preview...

Bangkok 2017 day 1: sweet tom yum

After ending my self-imposed exile from Thailand last year, I'm back in Bangkok for a few more days to explore the dining scene.  This time Hello Kitty and I are meeting up with friends from all over the world, and we started by meeting a friend for lunch right after we landed.

My friend has spent a significant amount of time over the last few months eating around Asia, and actually has just finished organizing a tour of Thai restaurants in Bangkok.  When he suggested that we meet at Pe Aor (ร้านพี่อ้อ), I didn't hesitate to say "Yes" - despite not being a great fan of the classic Thai dish of tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง).

A lifetime of achievements

I had the honor of being invited to dinner tonight at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, to celebrate the occasion of Chef Umberto Bombana being the recipient of the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award for Asia in 2017.  Chef Bombana has been a well-known personality in Hong Kong for the last two decades that I've been in town, and he's helped put Hong Kong on the global dining map - in part due to the white truffle feasts at his restaurants - so this is an award that I feel is well-deserved.

Chef Bombana made a very short speech thanking his supporters, and asked us to enjoy our dinner. I had no doubt that we would!  But first, a little aperitif...

Mattia Vezzola Costaripa Brut - very easy to drink.  A little floral, a hint of minerals, and a little toasty.

Bali hop 2017 day 3: Balinese pig

We dragged ourselves out of bed at an ungodly hour for a second day in a row, as we were getting room service breakfast delivered before we head out for a droning session.  Only thing was... the rain from last night never stopped, and the skies were still dripping at 6 a.m.  Damn.

Of course, room service arrived on time, and we asked our butler to lay out the spread on the daybed under the gazebo.  While the weather was crap, we could at least enjoy the morning breeze and listen to the rain while we ate.  Out of the available breakfast sets, we chose the continental breakfast with its basket of viennoiserie, as well as the Indonesian breakfast for soto ayam and mie goreng - which was changed from the original nasi goreng.

Droning Boy: island of the gods

One of my impetus for coming to Bali on such a short trip was the prospect of flying my drone over this beautiful island.  In particular, I wanted to take some aerial footage over the iconic temples of Pura Tanah Lot and Pura Uluwatu.

I spent a lot of time researching the drone laws in Indonesia - which were published in 2015 and updated in 2016.  Not satisfied with the English summaries put out by a few law firms, I found the original text and asked my friend L to translate the key parts.  As Ayana Resorts and Spa, Pura Uluwatu, and Pura Tanah Lot were all somewhat close to Ngurah Rai International Airport, I was desperate to find out the exact definition of Kawasan Keselamatan OperasI Penerbangan - the restricted airspace around an airport.  I eventually gave up and decided to fly my drone regardless.

On the first morning, we were picked up by our driver and headed north to Tanah Lot.  Upon arrival at the toll gate, I told our driver that I had no intention of going to the actual temple.  What I wanted was to find a secluded spot near the temple - somewhere I can use to launch and land my DJI Mavic Pro.  Thankfully we managed to find just such a place.

I launched the Mavic Pro into the air, and sent it over the open water towards the temple.  The waves were coming in pretty hard, and it was pretty cool getting a bird's eye view.  I made a few passes over the temple, sometimes flying backwards for a different point of view.

Bali hop 2017 day 2: dinner on the rocks, part 2

We had a 6 p.m. reservation for dinner at Rock Bar at the Ayana Resorts and Spa, so I had to rush back from checking out droning sites around Pura Uluwatu.  Thankfully Hello Kitty already went back to the resort after our disappointing lunch, and she managed to show up for our reservation on time.

By the time I dropped off my gear at our villa and rushed over by buggy, there was a big group of people without reservations lining up to try to get in.  Thankfully we were villa guests and had priority privileges, and had the foresight to book a few days before we arrived.  As I rushed down the cliff, I ended up at what turned out to be the wrong part of Rock Bar - thanks to directions from a staff.  Hello Kitty was nowhere to be found, and as it turned out Ayana had expanded this bar significantly to accommodate more guests due to the popularity of the place... so I was a little frustrated at having to run around looking for her.

Thankfully, though, she had complained to the staff for having seated her next to an annoyingly boisterous family from Mainland China.  Today being the 15th of the Lunar New Year and all, Bali (as well as this resort) was overrun by Chinese guests.  After requesting for a change, she was moved to a table right next to the DJ booth on the elevated platform in the middle of the bar.  This area has one of the best views for sunset, and apparently was available only to guests staying in villas.  So we counted ourselves pretty lucky.

I think the platform only accommodates five partitioned booths around the DJ, plus two tables to the side.  Very exclusive and private.  As we were seated at our table, a young couple from Mainland China left their booth and the guy got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend.  A sunset proposal by the sea.  How romantic!

Bali hop 2017 day 2: the best in Jimbaran?!

We woke ourselves up at an ungodly hour this morning when we should have been enjoying our huge, comfy bed in our villa.  Hello Kitty wanted to catch the sunrise, and she forgot that we're here in the rainy season... and the clouds take a while to dissipate after thunderstorms overnight.  I also forgot to mention to her that the Ayana Resorts and Spa faces northwest...  Anyway, we dragged ourselves out of bed, walked around the grounds of the resort, and quickly gave up on trying to catch a glimpse of the sun.  Nap time in the poolside gazebo.

We did drag ourselves up again for breakfast, and it was just a few steps to DAVA Steak and Seafood - where we were seated outdoors with a view of the koi pond next to us.

I was pretty surprised when I saw kouign amann in the pastry tray that was brought to us, and I felt obliged to try one.  This isn't an easy pastry to make, and the one I had wasn't bad at all.  It may not be as good as what the Great One makes at home or Dominique Ansel's famous DKA, but given that we're at a resort in Indonesia, I was pretty happy with it.

Bali hop 2017 day 1: dinner on the rocks

Hello Kitty is in Bali on a business trip, and her 500 sq.m. Ocean View Cliff Pool Villa has been comped by Ayana Resorts and Spa for the weekend.  Not wanting to leave her to her own devices in Bali, I dutifully bought myself a ticket and flew down to join her for the weekend.

My airport pickup was relatively smooth, and I was soon enjoying the tranquility within the privacy of our villa.  We weren't in one of the Ocean Front Cliff Pool Villas as I had hoped, but we did still have a view of ocean, and it turns out we were just steps away from the Villa Lobby and DAVA Steak and Seafood - a restaurant where we could have breakfast.

I had just enough time to get settled in and unwind before dinner.  One of the perks we had was getting our restaurant bookings done ahead of time.  Since sunset was supposed to be around 6:40 p.m., we asked for a table at Kisik Bar and Grill at 6 p.m.

Game and cheese

I was catching up with a friend tonight, and we decided to check out Upper Modern Bistro.  As it turns out, my friend had never been there, so it turned out to be a perfect opportunity for me to revisit after being away for about a year.

Mini truffled Croque-Monsieur - I've always liked Croque-Monsieur, and these were cute bite-sized versions... although these were neither baked nor fried.  The Emmental and the jambon de Paris were nice enough, and the thin slices of black truffle on top made things a little more luxe and interesting.

A Japanese feast in Hong Kong

I'm slow at trying out new restaurants.  I generally don't go to a new restaurant within the first 3 or even 6 months of opening, as I'm not a news reporter and don't need to brag about being first.  I also have zero desire to 'step on landmines' - spending my hard-earned money on a meal that may turn out disastrous.  After all, many new restaurant openings are so hyped up by the PR machine - helped by so-called "KOLs" (what the fuck are those, anyway?) who readily spread the word (more likely images these days) after being invited by the restaurant.  So I wait for the hype to die down, and if people are still talking about the place, and if my friends have given me enough positive feedback, I may be curious enough to try it out for myself.

The Great One had raved about La Bombance after dining there a few months ago.  In fact, it was chosen as one of the five best (new) restaurants the South China Morning Post tried in 2016.  The fact that the original restaurant in Tokyo has itself a macaron, and the local partner has already backed Tenku RyuGin (天空龍吟) and Ta Vie旅 - both restaurants I love - also gave me confidence that this place could deliver.  So I rounded up a couple of friends to check it out together.

I had already told the restaurant at the time I made the reservation that two of us won't eat tuna.  This morning I was shocked to find out that one of the friends we invited was in pain from gout.  This meant that there were a whole host of ingredients he couldn't touch.  I called the restaurant about 3 hours before dinner, and read out the list of ingredients that were off limits.  It was a pretty last-minute notice, so we weren't expecting them to be able to do much about changing the menu.

The assistant manager recognized me from my visits to Tenku RyuGin, which was a nice surprise.  I always knew that I could be a real pain-in-the-ass customer who would be remembered by restaurant staff... After all, I don't go to Tenku RyuGin that frequently...  Anyway, we were also told that the kitchen had managed to change out every single ingredient I had listed as being off-limits for my friend - and even taken care to remove another ingredient that they believed would be bad for gout.  How's that for service?!

First came the hassun (八寸), which was beautifully presented.  These looked like they still had the Japanese new year theme of red and white, and consisted of:

Fatty roast meats for lunch

Mrs. Tigger is back in town for a couple of days, and I badly wanted to catch up after not having seen her for a couple of months.  I asked what food she missed most, and the surprising answer I got was "goose".  I'm guessing quality Cantonese roast meats must be in short supply over there... Anyway, I was thinking we should go somewhere a little more comfortable than Yat Lok (一樂燒鵝), so I thought about either Duddell's (都爹利會館) or Mott 32 (三二公館).  Unfortunately the former doesn't seem to serve roast goose, so Mott 32 it is...

It's been a while since my first and only visit, and this time I wanted to check out a few things from Chef Lee Man Sing (李文星), who used to head the kitchen at Man Wah (文華廳) - a restaurant Mrs. Tigger is all too familiar with.  Too bad there were only two of us...

Barbecue pluma Iberico pork, Yellow Mountain honey (蜜汁頂級西班牙黑毛豬叉燒) - this right here... this is the signature dish of the restaurant.  It was in the press release sent out to all the media outlets, and when the place first opened, it was in every freaking blogger and social media influencer's (nowadays known as "KOL") post.  I got so tired of the hype that it turned me off from wanting to go to the restaurant.

Droning Boy: Chung Hom Kok

This is the last weekend before my upcoming weekend in Bali, and I need all the practice I can get with my drone before the trip.  So I packed my DJI Mavic Pro in my small LowePro camera bag and headed out to the southside of Hong Kong Island.

I met up with Kung Fu Panda who suggested Cheshire Home as a good vantage point.  We parked at the end of Chung Hom Kok Road, and launched the drone from a platform at the barbecue pits in Chung Hom Kok Park.  With unobstructed views of the ocean, it was indeed a good place for this purpose.

I had taken plenty of pictures of Chung Hom Wan - during the day and also at sunset - and always had Round Island in those pictures.  So I started by sending the drone out by having it face Round Island, then using the TapFly mode and sending it heading straight for the island.  One problem with this mode is that when the target has a height which is lower than the cruising altitude of the drone, at some point the drone will automatically start descending.  For a newbie like myself, this was somewhat disconcerting... so I turned back to flying manually.

Yo' mama

The Peanut Crew missed our scheduled gathering at the start of the year, so we ended up getting together tonight to try out the food at Lee Lo Mei (李好味) at the restaurant's invitation.  We had been watching this place come together for the last couple of months, and waiting for the chance to dine at a restaurant with such a cheeky name.  In Cantonese, "lee lo mei" sounds like the way someone would greet your mother - only not exactly in a polite way...  The owner, though, chickened out and decided on a more civilized Chinese name for the place.

The place is meant to evoke the street-side daipaidong (大排檔) eateries of bygone days.  The government has been trying to kill off the daipaidong culture for the last couple of decades, by offering to buy back existing licenses and prohibiting their transfer until a few years ago.  The end result is that there are only a small number of daipaidong stalls still in operation.  But the food that used to be served by these hawkers remain popular with the people, so it made sense that these dishes would show up on the menus of proper restaurants.

Chef Joe Lee was Harlan Goldstein's right hand for many years, so we know the guy can cook.  This would be the first time for us tasting anything Chinese from him, and I was definitely curious.

The menu was pre-arranged for us, and I ordered a couple of cocktails to go along with the food.  The names of the dishes here often involve some sort of pun, which makes things a little interesting.

Droning Boy: first flights in Taipei

I'm back in Taiwan for the Lunar New Year holidays so I could spend some quality time with the Parental Units, after having been banished for the last 6 months or so.  Since I took delivery of my new drone just 10 days before my trip, this would be a great opportunity for me to get some good flying experience with the new toy.

Traveling with a drone requires some homework to be done in advance of the trip.  First, I had to check with the airline about their rules regarding bringing drones onboard.  In this case, Cathay Pacific informed me that as long as I took the propellers off the drone and made sure the rechargeable batteries were in my carry-on bags, I was more than welcome to bring my drone with me.  That was easy.