Ze essence of ze men

En route

Getting a tad bit too old for 530 am trains. Whilst everyone is gearing up for a grand soiree in London ( it is royal wedding day after all!), I'm pottering off to the Loire. It is mr mo's 30th birthday after all.

Mad Freddy decided to camp it out at the mall last night to catch a glimpse of the newly weds. The weather in the English countryside is a tad bleak today (even though there was a bird on speed tweeting away outside my window at 430 am). For the sake of all londoners (and visitors) trawling the streets in light of the monumental event, I hope the weather picks up so everyone can enjoy a spot of British sunshine.

And for me, it is cou cou la croissant for thé weekend.

Han

Sent from my IPhone

Du Bonheur 117/365

L-R Clockwise

White Dress: My-wardrobe

candles and candy jar: The Stylist

Just a few pretty things today that make me smile amidst the awful hay fever. It is a sunny spring day after all :) i've got a backlog of posts to put up. I am not great with the daily blogging discipline, but all in good time. For now, just going to bask in the sun for abit.

Little things in Iceland 116/365

The Reykjavik Art Museum

24 April 2011

Iceland

Royal wedding preparations 115/365

Oxford Street

To the rain and back 114/365

Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik

incommunuendo 103-109 /365

the internet has been dead for a week. a. full. week, and gmail had some difficulty feeding word posts in. well, that's alright, Iceland updates to come shortly.

Trevi fountain 102/365

You know what they say? Toss a coin, make a wish, and it will come true. My little sister dragged me all the way to the Trevi fountain, adament on throwing in some copper for me. To her disappointment, she found out that it was merely a myth -- spurred on by...quelle horreur - A MOVIE!

Nonetheless, I did make a little wish. Just for a laugh.

It was nice to watch people pass by, young lovers on dates, teenagers on a school trip, families munching on gelato from the countless ice cream vendors all round, and of course, us. the tourists with a million cameras.

St Peters basilica 101/365

Next Sunday, hundreds and thousands of people will gather at St Peter's square to receive the Pope's blessing. This weekend, there were hoards of tourists baking in the sun, admiring the Apostolic Palace, snaking queues all round, making their pilgrimage to this holy city.  I for one, was happy to sit amidst this magnificence, and marvel at its wonder.

Colossio 100/365

9 April 2011

Rome

So it was whirlwind trip with my little sis to the eternal city, also known as Rome. Charmed by the beautiful ancient architecture, the stunning art, the historical anecdotes (both legends and truths), I will dedicate the next few days to photos from the weekend. Till then, here's my favourite snapshot of the most magnificent structure of its time.

Ground Art 99/365

Vatican City: Roman Mosaic Floors

Stereotyping 98/365

It is with heavy thoughts that I write this post, but it has been something (amongst other things) that has bothered me for some time now. It is also for this reason, I am sometimes reluctant to immerse myself in group discussions. Especially when it is about me.

There are sometimes comments and critiques, snide and pointed, and it makes me think, gosh, did we ever grow out of that playground phase? or will we ever get ourselves out of it? I often question what it is within us that automates that sterotype?

From a side of the fence :

'Sorry, Singaporean guys, we thought the non-Singaporeans guys were way more generous and fun'
'oh Singaporean guys are so boring'

From another side of the fence:

'Oh you have a French boyfriend. They are so romantic aren't they? you're so lucky, wah but you must be worried, he's after all, french.'
'Ah you, you and your friends are all SPGs''you mean you've been faithful all this time after  5 years of LDR? sure or not, don't bluff lah. even if you are, i'll bet he isn't. he's an ang mor after all.'



I have heard this for more than half a decade. I am tired of it. I no longer try to defend why I don't think I am an SPG, or explain how an inter-cultural relationship is no different from any other relationship - only that it is 10 times harder because we're wired completely differently, or leap in and whinge about how some of my male counterparts were such macho creeps, it really irked me.

Sure, the world does not exist without generalisation, the world lives in factions and whilst every human judges, what frustrates me the most, is that all questions, all queries, all conversations point towards the establishment of the starting point of judgment - 'I am better than you are', and if I am not, I am here to tell you why you suck anyway.

Has it ever occured to anyone, that underneath that exterior that came from the cookie cutter mould, lies a person, no matter how similar in make up, is still different from the other next to him. Ever thought of listening first to one, before saying that he is 'useless' because he has not been financially successful in his career? Ever thought of looking behind the high life of an expat where the phrase 'saving for a rainy day' is alien to him? Ever thought of looking behind that veil of colour in a relationship?

I urge you today, to take a really long and hard look at a person for who he or she is, beyond...the colour of the skin that he/she has, the clothes that he/she wears, the make up that she didn't put on, the mismatch work clothes that he/she's got on his body, the size of his/her wallet, the title that he/she carries, or the the accent that he/she has.

At the end of the day, that is what you cherish of a person, nothing more, and nothing less.

If you're now thinking, 'oh god what a hippie you are', thank you for stereotyping from your ivory tower, and you're very welcome to move on.

Ronnie Scotts 97/365

(credits: http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk)

Last night, Ruth kindly arranged for us to see the legendery (so we were told) McCoy Tyner Quartert at Ronnie Scotts. An slight elderly man in a white suit shuffled through the stage doors and settled at the piano. As he introduced himself, you could almost hear the awestruck silence in the room (slightly odd!).

Watching him and listening to his music was mesmerizing. Slightly whismical with very diverse and international musical  influence, it was an interesting night to say the least. He had a very unusual percussive left hand, and had an improvisation style that was, to me, somwhere between a jazzy Bela Bartok and a funky Debussy, with a latin twist. Very dramatic, very progressive.  At some point in the evening, I asked Ruth whether slipping between the keys was intentional on his part as it sounded really odd; she told me that it could be age. He is after all, 73!



His finale which was named Blues around the corner was unforgettable --  if only you heard it :)

McCoy Tyner – piano, Gary Bartz – sax, Francisco Mela - drums, Gerald Cannon – bass


Ronnie Scotts
47 Firth Street
London W1D 4HT

Spring time 96/365

I almost feel like we've missed it and rolled straight into summer. It's still slightly chilly at night, I wouldn't exactly say we've got balmy evenings, but it drives me nuts when people keep saying 'i can't wait for summer to come'.  Or that the weather should be like this 'all year round'. Before I get started on waxing lyrical about why seasons are brilliant, and mother nature's way of saying life is every changing, honestly stop, and just smell the roses (pun intended).

The first colours, the first birds, the new sunrise, the first day of warm sunshine, the first blooms, the first daffodils, the budding fruit, the hay fever. Ahh, sweet spring, I've missed you so!

Cicak updates 95/365

So the doctor's confirmed that it's some sort of bite rather than an allergy. Puffiness and itch's getting worse. I hope I'll look slightly better tomorrow!!

Further to my attempt to burn some 'serious' calories, I set out with best intentions to give my uncoordinated body another go at body step class. Alas, work beckoned and tapas called even louder. So home it was, and ola to garlic prawns, chorizo and scallops in a red wine sauce, and American Idol recordings from last week. Tuesday ended a tad better than Monday, only because, it's just 3 days left to a little sunshine in Italy.

Monday Blues 94/354

Week 2 and my cicak eye has gone from bad to worse. It's 4/4 today -- double death? Right, patangness begone!!

In other news, the housemates are back and they've brought lots of goodies from home to share. Life just got better!

All in a day's work 93/365

I'm not sure body step classes at the gym are my thing. :S

Words from Alex 92/365

Exactly a month ago I posted about the passing of a dear friend. His best friend Jordan shared his message.

Alex's message to all.
I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU

When I am gone, release me, let me go.
I have so many things to see and do.
...You musn't tie yourself to me with too many tears.
But be thankful we had so many good years.
I gave you my love, and you can only guess how much you've given me in happiness.
I thank you for the love that you have shown,
But now it's time I travelled alone.
So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must.
Then let your grief be comforted by trust
that it is only for a while that we must part.
So treasure the memories within your heart.
I won't be far away, for life goes on.
And if you need me, call me and I will come.
Though you can't see or touch me, I'll be near
and if you listen with your heart, you will hear
all my love around you, soft and clear.
And then, when you come this way alone,
I'll greet you with a smile and a 'Welcome Home'

 

Reproduced here. Simply because he's thought of, fondly. And missed, dearly. 

Young Turks @ The Loft 91/365

Where do I begin?

Perhaps I should start with saying thank you to my foodie friend Goz for a seating at The Loft .

 Some time ago, I had the pleasure of savouring the posh bacon and eggs by Ben Greeno during dinner. So when Goz mailed me about some seats he had for the Young Turks, a collaboration between Isaac McHale, James Lowe and Ben Grenno, at the Nuno Mendes' Loft Project. I could hardly say no!

Freda and I rolled up to Kingsland Road after a long Thursday at work not knowing what to expect being novices in 'guerilla' dining (as I'd call it). We were welcomed by Chris and Dan of the Clove Club with a rhubarb prosecco fizz, and nibbles -- Gem Lettuce, Curd & Anchovy, Smoked Cod's Roe with an oat tuille (this was sublime and my favourite!!), and cured middle white fat (cured for 14 months?) and ham (18 months, I think).

The Loft which is situate off the rather industrial looking side of Kingsland Road is a charm. High ceilings, exposed brick walls (I have an incredible weekness for this!), long tables, spring blooms perched in white pots, an open kitchen where the chefs and their team laboured through the evening to plate up beautiful morsels of food. Front of house made sure everyone was taken care of and topped up intermittently. The wine pairing was interesting and it added an additional dimension to the entire experience.

There was loads of natter between the diners (it was really great meeting uber supperclub enthusiast Miguel from Portugal, Wenlin and her husband Amir), and the chefs were happy to mingle and chat (both before, during and after diner) and didn't really oppose to anyone peeking and peering at the preparations. It was clear that it was going to be an evening of communal dining amongst people with one similar passion - food. OK, so this was definitely an obvious point but hey, i'm new at this, and I have to say, I was slightly in awe !

Moving on:

L-R from the Top

Duck Egg, Ramson and Snails (Chateau de Roquefort ' Petit Sale' (2010))

I am easily excitable. Snails, eggs, and garlic are easily on my list of top favourite food types / ingrediants. Except, I've never had it altogether on a plate. Duck Egg sousvided? or poached? It was a huge yolk perched on a slice of sourdough toast, snails and a green garlicky sauce which absolutely blew me away. Tonight, it was also a botanical lesson unlike any other for me.

Ramsons, as I soon found out later that evening, is also known as buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic or bear garlic. It is a wild relative of chives and is a favourite of the wild boar. Thank you wikipedia.

Raw Beef Rib, Oyster and Chickweed (Vignobles Guillaume Pino Noir (2008))

This second dish, as my Portuguese dining partner pointed out, was an interesting twist on the french steak tartare. I already said i'm easily excitable -- raw beef, oysters, breadcrumbs fried in fat...ick. Fat. Oysters. Beef. ipercholestoral maybe, but again, a winning combination for me. What was interesting here was the the oysters were in fact infused into a mouse of sorts that was delicately piped onto the plate. The beef had much more of a bite (which I thoroughly enjoyed) than its slightly more mushy cousin across the channel (possibly from the raw egg). the neighbour on my right (as I soon found out was the 'mother of the chef'),  Isaac's quivered a little at the redness of the beef but thoroughly enjoyed the other courses. Clearly, a mother so proud of her son :)

Chickweed, I now know, is an annual herb, widespread in temperate zones. Most are succulent and have white flowers, is edible (obviously) and has medicinal value. altnature.com tells me that they exhibit a very interesting trait, they sleep every night, hence termed the 'Sleep of Plants', and the leaves fold over its tender buds and new shoots.

Beetroot, Iced Goat's Milk and Pickled Elderberries (Domaine Gerard Metz 'Eldelrwicker' (2009))

This was an interesting and very original dish. It was kind of a cross between a savoury dish and a dessert. I am loving beetroot at the moment and the iced goat's milk reminded me fondly of ice kachang (a shaved ice dessert) back home.If i didn't know better i'd have thought that the dainty white mound was icing sugar. Right. I am personally not a big fan of a goat's by-produce - milk / cheese but I gave it a go and found this to be a very clever dish with intense flavours.

Jersey Royals, Monk's Beard and Crab (Pierre Cros Minervois Blanc (2010))

I didn't quite expect potatoes this evening (based on the previous dishes). It was comfort food with the most amazingly flavoured crab(or seafood?) cream. Was the potato cooked in broth? This chowder reminded me of the seaside and Noirmoitier. I almost can't wait for summer to arrive now. ;)

Monk's Beard, also known as Barba di frate, I was told had flavours that were sort of a cross between seaweed and spinach. Looking at it on the plate and picking it out with my fork, it looked almost abit like some of the saltwater plants we used to study in water (fish) tanks during science classes."How DARE YOU!?" some might say. But it was a really clever complement to the dish  - it reminded me of the sea.

Ok, so http://recipetips.com/ tells me that this is a type of chicory common in Tuscany, Italy where the Cappuccino monks began growing this vegetable green which ultimately became named for their efforts in raising it. With a short season lasting for only five weeks or so, Monk's Beard develops into a thin leafy green with a long white stem.

Chicken, Rye, Hop shoots and Green Onions (Domaine Boudau 'Le Clos' (2009))

I could not believe the chicken in this dish. So moist, so tender, it was unreal. I was heaving from the 4 earlier dishes by this point but still, I cleared my plate. This dish, though many would think is simple and rustic in flavour, chicken, grains, shoots and green onion (did we taste some mushroom in it?) -- kinda like a rustic english risotto but boy was this spectacular. In terms of flavour, this dish has no words. Suffice it to say, the earthiness (and chickeniness [I already said, there are no words]) was phenomenal. It blew me away.

This, together with the first dish were the stars of the day for me.

At one point, someone passed round a packet of what looked like a bunch of dried out skinny asparagus. The knowledgeable diners told me nope, it was hop shoots. It had an amazing grassy fragrance. I swear, one could almost get high on it.

Hop. Sounds familiar? Wikipedia tells me that it is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is a perennial herbaceous plant which sends up new shoots in early spring (until the end of May) and dies back to the cold-hardy rhizone in autumnT. he female flowers (often called "cones") of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer. The hop is part of the family Cannabaceae, which also includes the genera Cannabis (hemp), and Celtis (hackberries).

Ok, do we understand now why one might get slightly loopey on it?

Hop shoots grow very rapidly and at the peak of growth can grow 20 to 50 cm per week. Hop bines climb by wrapping clockwise around anything within reach, and individual bines typically grow between 2 to 15m depending on what is available to grow on.  When the hop bines run out of material to climb, horizontal shoots sprout between the leaves of the main stem to form a network of stems wound round each other.

Chocolate Malt Ice Cream and Cascara Jelly (The Kernal, Imperial Brown Stout)

I have to confess that by dessert, even though I was bursting at the seams, I was expecting something really punchy and explosive. Normally, it decides whether a spot is sealed in ultimate food heaven at the end of the evening. That said, the verdict: delightful, and a lovely light finish to the evening.

There was a murmur that the cascara had something to do with coffee. The jelly had such delicate flavour, my very undiscerning palate could barely taste it. Was it there for texture? hmm...but using the very cliche phrase, it made the dessert 'come together'. The ice cream was velvety and smooth and I'd be happy to chow down a pot of it anyday. Even though the flavour of the jelly was subtle,  it really did add something of  a je ne sais quoi in the dessert.

Cascara. When I first googled what it was, the top hit said it was a herb with laxative propreties. hmm...upon further research this morning, http://hasbean.co.uk/ told me that Cascara is the dried fruit from the coffee 'cherry', the seed from which is the coffee 'bean' as we know it. Normally this is a waste product or at best is used to fertilise the ground by breaking it down. But it can be used to brew a delicious and refreshing caffeinated drink.

If you are still here reading, you can probably tell from the length of this post that this experience, to say the very least, was really really exceptional.

Details
http://youngturks.co/event/youngturks-theloft/

Quebec Wharf 315 Kingsland Road London E8 4DJ