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Monday 27 June 2011

A Fair Day Out

Hi all, here is a link to my first published blog! Thank you for all your continued support readers! xoxo

Friday 24 June 2011

Paris - Je ne sais pas pourquoi

I cannot really explain why I have such an affinity to Paris and why I am a Francophile - in the words of Kylie Minogue “I still love you – Je ne sais pas pourquoi”.  Perhaps it stems from my earliest childhood memories of Saigon. Vague sensibilities of Frenchness - grand boulevards, architecture and churches, pastry and bread. Without wishing to gush, I love Paris and I pretty much love all things French. Of course, some of you will be wondering whether this extends to the rude French, their beloved idiosyncracies and the seemingly constant industrial action - even surgeons are known to throw the odd smoke grenade on the Champs Elysee. Well yes, it does. Just like any relationship you take the good and bad. You love them anyway when they least deserve it because that's when they most need it (so someone once said).

I've been lucky enough to visit Paris on a number of occasions on different budgets and at different times of my life (single, married with children and with girlfriends). I have always enjoyed it and with my hand on my heart I can honestly say that I haven't met a rude French person yet. Perhaps I am lucky. All my dealings with the French have been nothing but warm and lovely - c'est vrai. So I wanted to share my experiences with you in the hope that you too get that warm fuzzy French feeling next time you are in Paris.

Where to stay

As a starting point, you need to first work out which area (arrondisement) you would like to stay in.  Do some research and see what area suits you and your budget. You may have to compromise on location to get a nicer place but it's entirely up to you. Brace yourself - Paris hotel rooms are small and expensive. Even when I have stayed in posh hotels, I could barely swing a cat around my room without hitting the bed or bathroom. It pays to check out the size of the room first and if you are booking over the internet take time to understand the dimensions rather than rely on photos as they can be deceptive with the use of clever wide angle lenses. Otherwise, do what I do and opt for an apartment. It gives you more space, freedom and flexibility - particularly in regard to meals (even I prefer not to eat every meal out). There are plenty scattered throughout Paris and quite affordable. Only downside is that some apartments require minimum night stays. The most reliable sites I've used are:

www.parisaddress.com
www.parisianflat.com

Where to eat

If you are on a budget, Rosa Jackson (Australian Gourmet Traveller) has put together a wonderful showcase of eateries for under 10 Euros: www.gourmettraveller.com.au/eating-in-paris-for-under-10.htm. It is a useful guide despite being slightly dated (July 2009) because it is impossible to eat posh nosh for every meal in Paris (believe me, I've given it my best shot and found myself almost passed out after my third sitting at another bistro). Check out TripAdvisor for the best bistros as you are spoilt for choice in Paris. Personally, I would recommend one bistro and one posh restaurant:

-  Josephine Chez Dumonet (117 Rue de Cherche-Midi, Paris). It has received mixed reviews on TripAdvisor but I had a divine meal there and we felt pretty special when the chef came out to have a drink with us!

- Le Cinq (at George V Four Seasons 31 Avenue, George V, 75008 Paris­): Two Michelin star fine dining in exquisite surroundings with exceptional service. Definite wow factor on the opulence.

What to see and do

There is so much to see and do in Paris (refer to any Paris city guide for a comprehensive list) and you can spend hours just getting lost but here are my highlights for something slightly off beat:

- Take a cycling tour with Paris Charms & Secrets: meet at Place Vendome and ride along the cobbled streets of Paris on an electric bicycle, visiting famous icons from a different perspective (particularly, if you opt for the 8pm sunset tour - magic). I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-hearted as even though you have a guide, you still need to have your wits about you to manoeuvre through the traffic following her. It was by far and away, the highlight of my most recent trip to Paris www.parischarmssecrets.com. Ask for this amazing girl called Milana, who was my guide. She knows everything worth knowing about Paris and became my best friend overnight (e: milanavolodtchenko@free.fr)

There are a number of vantage points to enjoy views of Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the bell towers of the Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur.  However, my personal favourites are:

- Le Déli-Cieux at Le Printemps: http://departmentstoreparis.printemps.com/restaurants/en/pages/index.aspx


- Montparnasse: Take a lift straight to the top, with no queues to an open-air deck with views of the Eiffel Tower and stunning Paris, which is pretty special for 11 Euros: http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/index_EN.php#/home


In my humble opinion, it is a magical city and continues to be my favourite in the world. I hope you get to fall in love with it too.








Monday 13 June 2011

Spending my nights with men I fancy

Who is this person I see in the mirror? Do I even recognise her and who have I become? You see I have a confession to make. Lately I've been out in the evenings spending time with men I fancy (different men I fancy to varying degrees). The ritual begins with a bath, dolling myself up with meticulous care, blow drying my hair, slipping into my LBD, killer high heels, clutch in hand and hopping into a black cab heading into the night. I feel a million dollars. I sit staring out the window as I cross Battersea Bridge listening to the Black Eyed Peas on my iPhone, getting me in the mood for what lies ahead.  The anticipation of seeing him makes me smile wryly to myself.  Finally I arrive at our meeting place and look for the first of the men I fancy (the one I fancy most).  I look around the dated but quaint theatre and then our eyes meet.  He recognises me instantly and crosses the room to offer me a glass of champagne. Champagne, my favourite. How did he know it was my drink of choice? Easy, he's my husband (M).

We are sipping champagne at the Duchess Theatre in the West End about to see Dominic West (yes the brooding Baltimore cop Jimmy McNulty from US hit series The Wire) in Butley, a play by Simon Gray.

Ben Butley (played by West) is a university English literature lecturer whose life spectacularly collapses around him.  Over the course of a monumentally bad day Butley discovers that his estranged wife is divorcing him and, even worse, that his beloved protégé and best friend is leaving him too.  Butley is a man uncomfortable in his own skin (possibly even gay) and is determined to get under other people’s instead. He's going down and he is taking everyone else with him. West is excellent as he plays an unlikeable deeply flawed character and yet remains endearing in a strange way, even as he hurts those for whom he cares, and inflicts even deeper wounds on himself.  West conveys both tragic and comic with ease.

To be honest I didn't know what to expect of West as theatre can be quite hard going but he was captivating (particularly up close as I do fancy him a bit).  West clearly dominated but the supporting cast gave a strong performanc. I enjoyed it very much. Funnily enough though, M kept expecting Bunk (McNulty's partner from The Wire) to appear on stage at some point or West to come out after intermission in police uniform and start swearing at everyone.

I repeated the ritual on another night and this time started my evening off at J Sheekey (a fish and seafood restaurant) in the West End.  We opted for the J Sheekey Oyster Bar right next door as it's a little more casual and I am a huge fan of oysters.  As fate would have it, as I went to sit at the bar I noticed another man I fancied (and have fancied for quite some time) having a lone quiet drink.  Tall, dark and handsome with a somewhat bad boy past (isn't every girl attracted to a bad boy to some degree?), I'd always loved his voice, that perfect english accent and that hair.  We exchanged glances and then he smiled back at me. Rupert Everett smiled at me. I was giddy like a school girl and beamed. What a night it was going to be (even though strictly speaking he wasn't really drinking with me but hey, we were in the same bar at the same time).

Back to the oysters. I did have slight reservations that UK oysters might not live up to Australian standards but happily I was proven wrong. There were about 6 different types of oysters on offer and on the recommendation of a waiter who clearly knew what he was talking about my choice was sublime. The champagne selection was excellent and coupled with half a dozen oysters great value for money.

Note to readers: I think it's always better to have a pre-theatre meal than a post-theatre meal if you're anything like me and hopeless drinking on an empty stomach.  The other night M and I were eating our dinner at Foxtrot Oscar on our way home at 10.15pm, which on the face of it isn't a problem but after pre-theatre drinks and intermission drinks, I was pretty much sloshed.

Okay so after being fed and watered, my attention returns to Rupert Everett and seeing that I hadn't had quite enough of him (and not being one to crash his solitary drink),  we decided to meet up with him at the Garrick Theatre (by that I mean, I was going to see him in a play at the Garrick Theatre).  Everett was starring as Henry Higgins alongside Kara Tointon (former EastEnders star and Strictly Come Dancing 2010 winner) as Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. 

I think you all know the story: egocentric Professor Higgins makes a bet with his friend, the amiable Colonel Pickering, that he can transform the manners and speech of Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and pass her off as a lady in society.  Everett and Tointon are dazzling together.  Everett plays Higgins with supreme flair and in his own effervescent style (that very style we loved in My Best Friend's Wedding and An Ideal Husband). Tointon is stunning and exquisite (and frankly reminded me very much of Hepburn in My Fair Lady) and together with Diana Riggs (as Higgin's mother) and Peter Eyre (as Colonel Pickering), the play is brought together beautifully and was truly enjoyable.  The entire cast gave a very solid performance.  I watched, I listened, I laughed and I marvelled. Wow. What a production and what a great night out.

Theatre tickets: £££, champagne and food: ££. Nights out with men I fancy: priceless.

Butley (Michelle's rating 4 out of 5)
Duchess Theatre
Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5LA


Pygmalion (Michelle's rating 4.5/5)
Garrick Theatre
Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH

Friday 10 June 2011

To Pho or not to Pho..

I am not really the sort of person who enjoys small talk and in particular, small talk about the weather. However, having moved from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere, I find myself becoming conversant in English weather speak (kelsher: heavy rain, northern nanny: cold storm of hail and wind from the North of England, cat's nose: a cool northwest wind) and have adopted talking about the weather along with my English peers, as daily conversation. Weather here matters. Profoundly. Despite my best efforts to the contrary it affects me, my day, my plans and my mood. We're supposed to be enjoying a British summer at the moment and it has been pouring with rain with not a blue sky in sight. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised as it's the lead up to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and it has been grey, wet and somewhat unpredictable around this time every year. Ba hum bug.

As I've always been an 'every cloud has a silver lining' kind of girl (well at least try to be), onwards and upwards I say and try to look for the positives. Luckily I don't really have to look far when I think of my favorite comfort food on a cold rainy day. Everyone has their own special comfort food, a particular dish that not only nourishes but has warm associations, transporting you wherever you are and whatever mood you're in to a happier place filled with happy memories. Everyone has 'that' dish. For me, nothing really beats a bowl of Pho (pronounced 'fur' for you whities) to warm my soul. And yes, of course my mum makes the best Pho (every Viet will swear their mum does).

So what is it? Well, it's essentially a beef noodle soup. Some say its name derives from the French 'pot au feu' (pot of fire), others surmise that it's from the Chinese 'fen' meaning rice noodles. Perhaps there may be a little truth in both given Vietnam has had a long history of foreign influences, particularly from the Chinese (the use of chopsticks, stir frying and soy sauce) and the French (butter, baguettes and coffee).

I'd really like to give you a recipe for Pho (so some of you can stop badgering me) but it's not quite that simple for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Pho is impossible to make in small quantities. Secondly, it really is a labour of love that is time consuming (the soup itself requires at least 3 hours cooking) and thirdly, it requires a range of ingredients and skilful tasting to achieve the delicate balance of flavours to bring the soup/broth together.  My mum cooks her Pho without a recipe (in fact, every Viet I know cooks without a recipe). Basically we are taught to think about our food, the ingredients that fit together, taste, taste, taste and wing the rest.

If you really need a Pho recipe I would suggest Mai Pham's (no relation to me) recipe from her US book 'New Flavours of the Vietnamese Table' or otherwise Rick Stein's from his book and BBC series 'Far Eastern Odyssey' (I know, I know he is not Viet but the recipe is very good with the exception that I would definitely cut out the celery from the broth). If online is more your thing then try www.leluu.com (Uyen is based in Hackney London and runs masterclasses for Pho, if you are really keen).  Otherwise the simplest and best way to get a bowl of Pho is to go out to a Pho restaurant.

So how and where to find a decent bowl of Pho? Rule of thumb is to find a busy restaurant as a busy restaurant usually means fresher ingredients and preferably one that serves it with the proper garnishes (bean sprouts, asian basil, saw-leaf herb (not always easy), wedge of lime/lemon and fresh chilli).

In London, there is a mini-chain called 'Pho' scattered around (http://www.phocafe.co.uk) which seems to be popular (though to be honest I've never been) otherwise one has to venture out to Kingsland Rd in Shoreditch where there are a few good places to choose from. Song Que is always busy and the food arrives fast and furious but the decor isn't great.  Mien Tay has better decor but when the place is heaving the kitchen struggles to keep up and patience really isn't my forte.  I don't get out to Shoreditch much (as I am time poor and unable to cope in traffic to get there from where I live without some form of road rage) but I do frequent Mien Tay in Battersea and haven't yet been disappointed. It's never going to live up to my mum's Pho but then again I didn't expect it to.

I've been out of Sydney now for 4 years so I've lost touch with the best Pho restaurants there. Perhaps my Sydney friends or other readers in their home countries can nominate their best Pho restaurants and we can compile a shortlist of where to eat Pho across the globe so I'll never have to go without no matter where I am in the world.

So my friends, I didn't really give you the recipe for Pho but I do have the recipe for shaking beef - Bo Luc Lac (pronounced 'look luck'). It's the Vietnamese answer to steak and is said to be inspired by the French. It's called shaking beef because you shake the beef (surprise surprise) in a pan over high heat. It's dead easy and a hit for husband and kids alike in my house.  This is my recipe:

Bo Luc Lac
Serves 4
  • 2-3 garlic cloves chopped finely (use 3 if you like garlic)
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
  • 400g of beef sirloin (beef fillet is better if you can afford it here in London!)
  1. Combine garlic, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and vegetable oil in a large bowl to make the marinade.
  2. Cut the beef into 1cm (1/2inch or thereabouts) cubes and add to the marinade. Toss evenly to ensure the meat is well coated. Set aside to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better).
  3. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef and quickly stir-fry for about 3 minutes until just charred on the edges and just cooked (if you usually like your steak medium rare) or leave a little longer (if you usually like your steak medium to well done). Just before you take it off the heat, add a dollop of good old fashion butter (I'm a francophile and believe everything tastes better with butter! But seriously in this case it does).
Crack some pepper over the beef (optional) and serve with steamed rice.

Side salad (optional): A simple salad of tomatoes cut into wedges, iceberg lettuce (or another leaf not too strong in flavour as it will overpower the dish) and sliced boiled egg or two. Dress with a splash of balsamic vinegar and splash of olive oil. Nothing too fancy.

Wine accompaniment: Although beef, it is a delicate dish that deserves a delicate wine to match such as a pinot noir.

Good luck and enjoy! And let me know how you fare.

ps. If you are really keen on getting a Vietnamese cookbook, I highly recommend Luke Nguyen's 'The Songs of Sapa'. Luke is the chef of Red Lantern restaurant in Sydney and his book is the sort of book I wish I wrote. It's more a coffee table book than a true cookbook as such. It is large, heavy and filled with stunning photos, charming stories and authentic recipes from his travels throughout Vietnam.  I love it.

Song Que
http://songque.co.uk/

Mien Tay
http://www.mientay.co.uk/

Monday 6 June 2011

Eat, Pray, Love.. no thanks. How about Eat, Drink and Drink some more?

I don't know about you but I rushed out to buy Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love once I heard all the hype about it (Hillary Clinton said she loved it). I read the book and felt nothing other than disappointment. There were no life affirming moments or life changing insights. Aside from mildly interesting anecdotes from exotic locations (Italy, India and Bali) there really wasn't anything more meaningful (certainly not in my humble opinion anyway) to inspire me.  Besides Elizabeth didn't really take a year out to find herself following divorce and depression. She took a year out to write a book (which someone else funded) about finding herself, and to me there is an enormous emotional difference between those two experiences.

I even gave it another chance by watching the movie, hoping that with a little Hollywood magic and a decent cast (I'm a big fan of Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts) I would be moved. But alas, even Javier couldn't save this movie. I felt nothing. So instead of Eat, Pray, Love, I decided I'm just going to go off on my own folly (without having to quit a job and take a year off from my life) to Eat, Drink and Drink some more.

Where to begin this folly on a rainy Sunday in London? Well, why not in the West End and in the good old comfort of yum cha (or dim sum as its more widely known). For those of you who don't know "dim sum" is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Going for dim sum is usually known in Cantonese as going to drink tea (yum cha). My friends and family back in Australia have always called it yum cha, so it's always yum cha to me. Basically it's the chinese version of tapas (small tasting dishes) with bottomless cups of tea (or in my case today, lychee martinis but we'll get to that part later).

A little lesson in dim sum etiquette: it is customary and polite during dim sum to pour tea for others before filling one's own cup. To thank the person pouring your tea you tap your bent index finger (if you are single) or both the index and middle finger (if you are married), which symbolises 'bowing' to them. It doesn't seem to matter which hand you use to tap so use the one convenient. I am not entirely sure as to the origin of this gesture but according to legend it dates back to the Qing dynasty (circa 1644-1911 AD). This story has also been told to me by a dear friend during yum cha in Oxford many many moons ago so I am going to repeat it here: once upon a time there was an Emperor who liked  to venture out to see his people. He would often leave the palace in disguise so he could travel unnoticed. While travelling with his companions on one trip, they stopped for tea. The Emperor poured his companion some tea, which was a great honor. The companion, not wanting to give away the Emperor's identity in public by bowing (as is custom to bow before the Emperor), instead tapped his index and middle finger on the table as a sign of appreciation. And so the tea pouring/finger tapping tradition started.

I do miss yum cha back home. It's not quite the same here ordering your food from a little menu card you tick with a pen and hand to your waiter. There's something quite special and fun about having trolleys packed with different offerings being wheeled to you at your table at various times to tempt you, tease you and generally make you eat far more than you should. Anyway enough said, I live in London now so I've built a bridge and gotten over it.

I've tried a few places across London and a few in Chinatown so am always up for trying somewhere new. On the recommendation of a girlfriend, I went to Imperial China (25a Lisle Street, London, London WC2H 7BA). On arrival the entrance doesn't look like anything special but don't let that fool you, as once you step inside it's like a tardis. Down a small pathway, cross a bridge over a pond with carp (an instant hit with kids I suspect) and you're into a simply decorated modern spacious restaurant. It offers all the typical dim sum dishes and it all arrives promptly. It's a great place for a family dim sum as it's more spacious than most chinese restaurants I've been to which makes it easier for prams, it isn't as noisy and bustly which allows you to talk to each other and be heard and also allows children some space to run around (and go a see the fish).  It also has very clean toilets (all important for little ones). The food was good but not outstanding and the service was perfectly adequate.

For some reason, it was one of those days when we decided it was a good idea to drink at lunch. I don't do it that often (children in tow, responsibilities and all that jazz) but being child-less today, my arm was easily twisted. Some would recommend a riesling, a sauvignon blanc or even a gewurztraminer with asian cuisine, but for us, bring on lychee martinis. The waitress didn't even flinch when we ordered one which impressed me (it was 12.05pm), though by the time they delivered our third martini there were a few wry smiles from the waiting staff. Anyway, nice place and nice food so I'll be back with the kids next time.

So far, Eat (tick), Drink (tick) and whereto for next drink...? the new chic and cool W Hotel just around the corner of course (10 Wardour Street, Leicester Square, London, W1D 6QF). 

As one walks through the shiny new entrance, one can't help but notice the vast number of disco balls suspended from the ceiling which perhaps appeal when one has had a couple of drinks under one's belt but  in the foyer? That said, the W Lounge has a bright slick contemporary feel, is well designed with large comfy lounges and spectacular glass column fireplaces scattered throughout the space. Visually very appealing. We ordered lychee martinis and waited for our drinks. We waited. And waited some more (mind you when we arrived we were the only customers in the Lounge). 10 minutes and one tiny empty nut bowl later, our drinks arrived. Hooray! Well kind of. When the waiter put our drinks down, I noticed a blackberry floating in my drink. I questioned the waiter as to why this was the case given  that I ordered a lychee martini to which he replied (god bless him) "we make it with blackberry here". I was gobsmacked but hey you only live once so why not take a sip. Oh. So. No. So Wrong.

Here's cocktail lesson no.1 on How to make a Lychee Martini:

- 150ml vodka (the posher the vodka the better it tastes)
- 4 lychees in syrup
- lots of crushed ice

- splash of vermouth

Assuming you're not drinking alone, place 1 lychee  (either au naturale or poked through with a toothpick depending on your whim) into each cocktail glass (which can be cooled in the fridge beforehand). Put the remaining lychees into a cocktail shaker, along with a good handful of crushed ice, a splash of the lychee syrup from the can, add vodka and a splash of vermouth. Shake the shaker vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into the cocktail glasses and serve with a broad cheeky smile. Job done.

Nowhere in the recipe is there a blackberry! Hello, if the resident mixologist (apparently that's what bartenders/cocktail makers are called these days) cannot make a lychee martini then please tell me and allow me the courtesy to order something else. Please don't make something else, throw in a blackberry and tell me it's your twist on a lychee martini. It's not. It's just you making me a really bad drink I didn't want. The waiter recoiled with our blackberry drinks and we ordered another cocktail off their cocktail list. Much better result. However a mixologist who can only stick to the script is frankly a tad bit dull. I can't quite believe I got a better lychee martini in a chinese restaurant than a cocktail bar? Life is strange. Still, it's a lovely place to have an expensive drink (15% surcharge on top of the drink price). I won't be going back in a hurry unless I'm going to the theatre and pop by for a pre/post-theatre drink. W Lounge's saving grace is its location, it's smack bang in the West End and it's a swanky place to bring a girl (if you want to impress her) for a drink. Just don't order a drink that is not on their drinks list.

Imperial China
Food (3.5/5) Service (4/5) Ambience (4/5). Overall Michelle star rating 3.5 out of 5.

W Lounge, W Hotel
Drink (2/5) Service (2/5) Ambience (4/5). Overall Michelle star rating 3 out of 5.