Oh Mozzarella, how you have climbed the ranks in my cheesey estimations. When I first became aware of Mozzarella (probably thanks to Jamie Oliver, but I forget) the stuff available in most supermarkets was pretty poor. Nowadays there's a lot more choice and a lot more quality on offer. I realised how amazing Mozzarella can be during my days as a cheeser at Borough Market where you can buy some of the best Buffalo Mozzarella in town.
When it comes to Mozzarella, it's as important how you use it as much as the type or quality that you're buying. For me, it serves as a foil to other flavours but you shouldn't expect too much from it alone. Just a light milky, ever so slightly salty yumminess... Ok, enough of that, you get the idea.
What with all this Mozzarella love going around it's been a timely opening for 'Obika' a Mozzarella bar based in the West Wintergarden at Canary Wharf. I first became aware of the chain when I was in Toronto last year and spotted it there, though we didn't eat we were keen to find out if there existed a London branch and lo, one opened two months later.
Alongside some delightful Italian offerings or pizza, pasta and the like, there are a range of dishes that you choose to accompany your choice of Mozzarella. This is the Mozzarella bar portion of the menu, and if it's your first visit, how can you resist? There are three Mozzarella types to choose from, the Classic, Smoked and Creamy. I went for creamy and was quite unprepared for what arrived. I opted for the simple accompaniment of basil pesto, cherry tomatoes and baby spinach. My creamy Mozzarella was amazing. So creamy, it's hard to describe. It's as though the mozzarella ball had unravelled and melted into a creamy pile of awesome.
T had the smoked option with an amazingly delicious Sicilian aubergine casserole. The casserole was lovely, but the smoked mozzarella is just not my thing. I'm just not a fan of smoked cheese in general. So I'll leave it at that. It you like it, go for it! I know that T enjoyed it and he said it went well with the aubergine. I didn't think that I would be full after the mozzarella bar dish but I was, it was more filling than I thought it would be.
We did manage a dessert though and it was the best Tiramisu I've ever had. Serious. What's also handy is you can get the desserts in different sizes so if you're not sharing or pigging out, a mini option is just the ticket. How can you resist?!
The only quibble was that the service was a little over zealous and there's a small amount of upselling here but it's only a minor thing and forewarned is forearmed or whatevs. There's no doubting that the indredients here are at an extremely high standard and the success of the chain speaks for itself, with offerings in three continents.
It's something quite different without being too crazy and the quality of the produce shines through with classic cooking. Definitely worth a look. Check out the the moody video below for some cheese-porn basically.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Not all Orchestras Are the Same.
The Night Shift, a night of classical music "without the rules" has been happening in London since 2006 and I've been to quite a few. Back in my student days I went along as it was inexpensive, accessible and ahem, you got a free beer. I went for the music, honest. Now my student days are all but a distant memory however, The Night Shift is still going strong and, by all accounts, gaining momentum.
In terms of the classical music concert genre, The Night Shift has to be one of the most innovative events on the scene. I'm not saying that I know a lot about the scene but I do know that you don't get a lot of classical music performed in pubs or if you do, it's unlikely to be played by totes profesh musician types who are used to playing such prestigious venues as The Royal Festival Hall and Glyndebourne.
The Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment or, the OAE for short, has the motto "not all orchestras are the same" and I would venture that this orchestra stands above most others. The OAE has many things to make it stand out from other orchestras and it's worth finding out why. The Night Shift is a great example of what makes the OAE unique and the most recent Night Shift last night was no exception.
The idea of the Night Shift is late night performances that that don't have the often formal etiquette of the classical concert hall. They are presented by erudite characters who act as the voice of the audience in asking questions and providing insight. Before and after the main event (which tends to be comparatively shorter than other concerts) there are often support acts and DJs to promote the casual atmosphere. Previous events brought a new vibe to the Southbank Centre and other venues have included The Roundhouse and Village Underground and my personal favourite, Wilton's Music Hall.
So it was that last September, the Night Shift took this informal approach to classical music one step further with a scaled down orchestra (scaled right down to a trio!) playing to an audience of just 200 in a pub. The success of the event sparked an idea, to take the event on a pub tour. However, as with many arts organisations funding was a struggle and so they took to the effective initiative of crowd funding through an organisation called We Did This. Watch the video to see how it works.
WeDidThis: art for everyone, funded by everyone from WeDidThis on Vimeo.
In a nutshell it's a nifty form of arts fundraising where you donate to projects and your donation sees you get a reward. That is as long as the project reaches its funding target. It's quite an interesting scheme and it was thanks to this funding scheme and donations from OAE Friends and supporters that The Night Shift were able to tour the pubs of London Town.
The first of five pub tour gigs took place last night at The George Tavern on Commercial Road, conveniently just around the corner from my flat. It is a great pub and a fantastic venue with a great reputation for performances in the East End. It was a great night. A cosy, candlelit pub the perfect setting for some Purcell and what lovely Purcell it was. I used to hate Purcell but this evening had me converted thanks to three players in a pub with some really interesting snippets about the composer and the music from the players. It was a great evening that certainly exceeded my expectations. A particular highlight was singing some excellent drinking songs, you don't get THAT at any classical concert I've been to. There certainly was a real intimacy to the gig and the audience seemed to enjoy the humour and the informality of the event to really connect with the players and of course with the music.
Tonight they go to the Amersham Arms in New Cross, I love that a pub that has a weekly student night called "Whip It" is playing host to The Night Shift. There are stil three more gigs to go, so get your tickets! You won't regret it, even though I'm not a student anymore, it's still a bargain.
Classical music in Pubs, it's a thing. Oh, and if you like The Night Shift, you should check out The Works. If you still need convincing watch the trailer below. If after that you're not convinced, you should go and get yourself checked.
In terms of the classical music concert genre, The Night Shift has to be one of the most innovative events on the scene. I'm not saying that I know a lot about the scene but I do know that you don't get a lot of classical music performed in pubs or if you do, it's unlikely to be played by totes profesh musician types who are used to playing such prestigious venues as The Royal Festival Hall and Glyndebourne.
The Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment or, the OAE for short, has the motto "not all orchestras are the same" and I would venture that this orchestra stands above most others. The OAE has many things to make it stand out from other orchestras and it's worth finding out why. The Night Shift is a great example of what makes the OAE unique and the most recent Night Shift last night was no exception.
The idea of the Night Shift is late night performances that that don't have the often formal etiquette of the classical concert hall. They are presented by erudite characters who act as the voice of the audience in asking questions and providing insight. Before and after the main event (which tends to be comparatively shorter than other concerts) there are often support acts and DJs to promote the casual atmosphere. Previous events brought a new vibe to the Southbank Centre and other venues have included The Roundhouse and Village Underground and my personal favourite, Wilton's Music Hall.
So it was that last September, the Night Shift took this informal approach to classical music one step further with a scaled down orchestra (scaled right down to a trio!) playing to an audience of just 200 in a pub. The success of the event sparked an idea, to take the event on a pub tour. However, as with many arts organisations funding was a struggle and so they took to the effective initiative of crowd funding through an organisation called We Did This. Watch the video to see how it works.
WeDidThis: art for everyone, funded by everyone from WeDidThis on Vimeo.
In a nutshell it's a nifty form of arts fundraising where you donate to projects and your donation sees you get a reward. That is as long as the project reaches its funding target. It's quite an interesting scheme and it was thanks to this funding scheme and donations from OAE Friends and supporters that The Night Shift were able to tour the pubs of London Town.
The first of five pub tour gigs took place last night at The George Tavern on Commercial Road, conveniently just around the corner from my flat. It is a great pub and a fantastic venue with a great reputation for performances in the East End. It was a great night. A cosy, candlelit pub the perfect setting for some Purcell and what lovely Purcell it was. I used to hate Purcell but this evening had me converted thanks to three players in a pub with some really interesting snippets about the composer and the music from the players. It was a great evening that certainly exceeded my expectations. A particular highlight was singing some excellent drinking songs, you don't get THAT at any classical concert I've been to. There certainly was a real intimacy to the gig and the audience seemed to enjoy the humour and the informality of the event to really connect with the players and of course with the music.
Tonight they go to the Amersham Arms in New Cross, I love that a pub that has a weekly student night called "Whip It" is playing host to The Night Shift. There are stil three more gigs to go, so get your tickets! You won't regret it, even though I'm not a student anymore, it's still a bargain.
Classical music in Pubs, it's a thing. Oh, and if you like The Night Shift, you should check out The Works. If you still need convincing watch the trailer below. If after that you're not convinced, you should go and get yourself checked.
The Night Shift Pub Tour Trailer from OAE on Vimeo.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Walk on by?
What would you do if you saw someone in need on the streets of London? On the underground? Or anywhere else for that matter? It's such a tricky situation if you happen across people in need when on your commute or thinking about what to have for lunch/dinner/snack. Admittedly our society isn't really conducive to intervening in such situations. Horror stories abound of The Good Samaritan gone wrong.
A few months ago, I took First Aid training for the work place with St John Ambulance. It's a one day course and enough to (hopefully) save someone from the worst case scenario as the ambulance is on its way as well as dealing with the obvious minor injuries in the office. You know, paper cuts and that sort of thing.
Shortly after the course I got chatting with a friend about whether or not we would stop and save someone having a heart attack in the street, they mentioned that they wouldn't give them the "kiss of life" and would merely walk past with the kind of anonymity that London seems to bring. Personally, I like to think and certainly hope that I would have the guts to stop and do what I could to help. Recent advice from the British Heart Foundation has been published to say that "just hard CPR" is an effective way to help someone in danger for those who are concerned about giving the kiss of life or who have not had training. Check out the video if you've not seen it, of Vinnie Jones in the campaign I think it's really effective and hopefully instils in people the mentality that you don't have to snog someone to make a difference.
Whatever your feelings are, kiss of life or otherwise, you can never truly predict how you will react until you are confronted with the situation. There are some incredible stories out there of human efforts to rescue their fellow man and these are stories to be inspired by. I recently read about the yachtsman Pete Goss who during a round the world yacht race in 1996, turned his boat back into hurricane conditions to save the life of fellow sailor Raphael Dinelli. While his story may be extreme and there aren't many of us that would face that kind of test, it shows the lengths that some people are prepared to go to when a fellow human is in trouble.
I think increasingly in London, people do walk past someone in need partly through a fear of getting in too deep (or worse). All you can do is trust your instincts. I'm not trying to preach here, just musing on the topic. After all, we Londoners walk by someone in need on a daily basis, you just don't realise it unless it's immediately obvious.
Recently I experienced two admittedly small incidents of people in need but they've definitely got me thinking. The first, a girl in her early twenties had a seizure on the tube. It was 8.40am the Jubilee line was absolutely packed after filling up at London Bridge. I jumped up and shoved the girl in my seat where she seized for the second time, her body going stiff and her eyes rolling back in her head. I looked for a medical bracelet or necklace to see if she were epileptic perhaps or even diabetic but couldn't find one and she came to just in time to look at me as though I was going to rob her. I yelled for someone to give her water and at the next stop, Southwark, took her off the train. A lot of people were in the carriage but I was the only person who disembarked the train with her. Perhaps people assumed I knew her as I was first to react but perhaps people were just worried about being late for work. After a few minutes on the platform spent trying to advise her to go to hospital to no avail there was little more I could do other than continue with my own journey to the office. My main concern was that the platform guard seemed to think she had simply fainted when this was just not the case. Anyway, she was extremely grateful that I had helped her off the train but it got me thinking about my previous conversation with my colleague and how if they'd been there they would have let someone else deal with the situation, but we can't all have that attitude. Admittedly, I was nearest but that's just how it was. People were yelling to get her off the train but was this out of concern or because they were after the seat?
More recently, I was reminded of this incident by another happening that made me feel annoyed, frankly. I rarely listen to my ipod when I'm out and about, I like to have my wits about me and I tend to save it for the train or the bus. On this occasion I had my earphones in, though not particularly loud music. I was mainly focussing on what to have for dinner when through the music I heard a lady ask no one in particular if she was at the crossing. The lady had a white blind stick (is there a technical name for these?) and I assume she was partially blind. I turned to her to see what she was saying and removed my headphones, when I realised she was confused I helped her to the crossing she wanted to get to. As soon as it was safe I asked her to take my arm and she refused. At the other side, I asked if she needed further help as when we were crossing the road she couldn't keep a straight line in spite of refusing my offer for guidance. She refused my offer of help and was genuinely so rude and ungrateful I felt annoyed and irritated that I'd even helped her in the first place. A simple thank you just wouldn't go amiss.
I think the riots back in August had many of us questioning our sense of community as a nation. Increasingly our lives are carried out online, our education system is failing people, the economy is doom and gloom, have we just stopped caring for our fellow man or is it just that I live in a big, bad anonymous city? I'm just constantly let down by strangers.
On a more positive note, there are good people and one of my favourite things of a morning is to read the Metro paper's Good Deed Feed which tells stories of the kindness of strangers and loved ones that makes you feel a bit more at ease with the ways of the world, as Rob Green puts it in his blog, the feeling of good will is quite contagious. Let's hope we start to see a bit more of it in 2012.
A few months ago, I took First Aid training for the work place with St John Ambulance. It's a one day course and enough to (hopefully) save someone from the worst case scenario as the ambulance is on its way as well as dealing with the obvious minor injuries in the office. You know, paper cuts and that sort of thing.
Shortly after the course I got chatting with a friend about whether or not we would stop and save someone having a heart attack in the street, they mentioned that they wouldn't give them the "kiss of life" and would merely walk past with the kind of anonymity that London seems to bring. Personally, I like to think and certainly hope that I would have the guts to stop and do what I could to help. Recent advice from the British Heart Foundation has been published to say that "just hard CPR" is an effective way to help someone in danger for those who are concerned about giving the kiss of life or who have not had training. Check out the video if you've not seen it, of Vinnie Jones in the campaign I think it's really effective and hopefully instils in people the mentality that you don't have to snog someone to make a difference.
Whatever your feelings are, kiss of life or otherwise, you can never truly predict how you will react until you are confronted with the situation. There are some incredible stories out there of human efforts to rescue their fellow man and these are stories to be inspired by. I recently read about the yachtsman Pete Goss who during a round the world yacht race in 1996, turned his boat back into hurricane conditions to save the life of fellow sailor Raphael Dinelli. While his story may be extreme and there aren't many of us that would face that kind of test, it shows the lengths that some people are prepared to go to when a fellow human is in trouble.
I think increasingly in London, people do walk past someone in need partly through a fear of getting in too deep (or worse). All you can do is trust your instincts. I'm not trying to preach here, just musing on the topic. After all, we Londoners walk by someone in need on a daily basis, you just don't realise it unless it's immediately obvious.
Recently I experienced two admittedly small incidents of people in need but they've definitely got me thinking. The first, a girl in her early twenties had a seizure on the tube. It was 8.40am the Jubilee line was absolutely packed after filling up at London Bridge. I jumped up and shoved the girl in my seat where she seized for the second time, her body going stiff and her eyes rolling back in her head. I looked for a medical bracelet or necklace to see if she were epileptic perhaps or even diabetic but couldn't find one and she came to just in time to look at me as though I was going to rob her. I yelled for someone to give her water and at the next stop, Southwark, took her off the train. A lot of people were in the carriage but I was the only person who disembarked the train with her. Perhaps people assumed I knew her as I was first to react but perhaps people were just worried about being late for work. After a few minutes on the platform spent trying to advise her to go to hospital to no avail there was little more I could do other than continue with my own journey to the office. My main concern was that the platform guard seemed to think she had simply fainted when this was just not the case. Anyway, she was extremely grateful that I had helped her off the train but it got me thinking about my previous conversation with my colleague and how if they'd been there they would have let someone else deal with the situation, but we can't all have that attitude. Admittedly, I was nearest but that's just how it was. People were yelling to get her off the train but was this out of concern or because they were after the seat?
More recently, I was reminded of this incident by another happening that made me feel annoyed, frankly. I rarely listen to my ipod when I'm out and about, I like to have my wits about me and I tend to save it for the train or the bus. On this occasion I had my earphones in, though not particularly loud music. I was mainly focussing on what to have for dinner when through the music I heard a lady ask no one in particular if she was at the crossing. The lady had a white blind stick (is there a technical name for these?) and I assume she was partially blind. I turned to her to see what she was saying and removed my headphones, when I realised she was confused I helped her to the crossing she wanted to get to. As soon as it was safe I asked her to take my arm and she refused. At the other side, I asked if she needed further help as when we were crossing the road she couldn't keep a straight line in spite of refusing my offer for guidance. She refused my offer of help and was genuinely so rude and ungrateful I felt annoyed and irritated that I'd even helped her in the first place. A simple thank you just wouldn't go amiss.
I think the riots back in August had many of us questioning our sense of community as a nation. Increasingly our lives are carried out online, our education system is failing people, the economy is doom and gloom, have we just stopped caring for our fellow man or is it just that I live in a big, bad anonymous city? I'm just constantly let down by strangers.
On a more positive note, there are good people and one of my favourite things of a morning is to read the Metro paper's Good Deed Feed which tells stories of the kindness of strangers and loved ones that makes you feel a bit more at ease with the ways of the world, as Rob Green puts it in his blog, the feeling of good will is quite contagious. Let's hope we start to see a bit more of it in 2012.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
A healthy and frugal supper for January
So, it’s January and generally it’s a quieter, more sober, frugal and possibly even (dare I say it) healthier month than any other. Personally, I’m trying to be at least a little frugal (I like the word frugal, it pleases me) without compromising too much on enjoyable goodies, but food prices are rising where sadly the salary is not and who knows, hopefully a little frugality might also equate to being healthier anyway…hopefully.
At the moment, I’m all about the chickpea. They are healthy, cheap, tasty, filling and oh so versatile. You can use them in all sorts of contexts. The other night I had a lovely chickpea dish so I thought I’d share my version of a recipe for chickpea fritters!
You will need:
1 can of chickpeas, drained
2 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
A bunch of fresh basil leaves
1 tsp hot chili powder (more if you’re feeling spicy – you could also use a fresh chili)
50g of grated cheese (use something that melts well, cheddar or parmesan both work, I also plan to try this using halloumi)
Salt and Pepper
1 egg (beaten)
1 tbsp plain flour
Olive Oil
Makes about 6 small fritters or 4 large ones.
For the fritters:
Tip the drained chickpeas into a large mixing bowl and coarsely crush them using a potato masher or a fork. You want them to be squished but not pureed. Finely chop the spring onions, the garlic and basil leaves and stir them into the chickpeas until well mixed. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and chili powder or fresh chili. Then stir in the grated cheese. Finally, pour over the beaten egg and combine well. Then stir in the flour so the mixture is not too wet. Put some flour over your hands and then take a bit of the mixture and make it into a patty or burger shape. Heat the olive oil until almost smoking on a high heat and fry the patties for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. The flour on the outside should make them nice and crispy but don’t put too much flour on or your will taste it. Place the cooked patties on a plate covered in kitchen roll to remove excess oil and serve while hot with a spicy tomato salsa or lovely salad. I had mine with garlic mayo and a cous cous salad with broccoli, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. I reckon it’s a healthier alternative to burgers, and cheaper too. Also a great dinner if you’ve got a vegetarian guest or a nice starter with a spicy dip.
Enjoy!
At the moment, I’m all about the chickpea. They are healthy, cheap, tasty, filling and oh so versatile. You can use them in all sorts of contexts. The other night I had a lovely chickpea dish so I thought I’d share my version of a recipe for chickpea fritters!
You will need:
1 can of chickpeas, drained
2 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
A bunch of fresh basil leaves
1 tsp hot chili powder (more if you’re feeling spicy – you could also use a fresh chili)
50g of grated cheese (use something that melts well, cheddar or parmesan both work, I also plan to try this using halloumi)
Salt and Pepper
1 egg (beaten)
1 tbsp plain flour
Olive Oil
Makes about 6 small fritters or 4 large ones.
For the fritters:
Tip the drained chickpeas into a large mixing bowl and coarsely crush them using a potato masher or a fork. You want them to be squished but not pureed. Finely chop the spring onions, the garlic and basil leaves and stir them into the chickpeas until well mixed. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and chili powder or fresh chili. Then stir in the grated cheese. Finally, pour over the beaten egg and combine well. Then stir in the flour so the mixture is not too wet. Put some flour over your hands and then take a bit of the mixture and make it into a patty or burger shape. Heat the olive oil until almost smoking on a high heat and fry the patties for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. The flour on the outside should make them nice and crispy but don’t put too much flour on or your will taste it. Place the cooked patties on a plate covered in kitchen roll to remove excess oil and serve while hot with a spicy tomato salsa or lovely salad. I had mine with garlic mayo and a cous cous salad with broccoli, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. I reckon it’s a healthier alternative to burgers, and cheaper too. Also a great dinner if you’ve got a vegetarian guest or a nice starter with a spicy dip.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Hairdo or don't
Having my hair done is quite close to torture. I've never been able to stick to a hair dresser and envy those that have a nice, chatty, gossipy relationship with their hair dressers. One lady I know drives for over an hour to her hair dresser every 6 weeks whom she discovered while at university.
Frankly the whole thing makes me feel awkward. There's the awkward over friendly receptionists who joke that the bag you're carrying is a present for them even when you've never met them before. Then they mock you for not knowing how to react because you've never met them before. There's the awkward person washing your hair for you who may or may not be the same person cutting your hair. There's the slight fear that they might find something weird in my hair (irrational, I assure you). Then I always get annoyed that they never ask me what kind of shampoo I like/prefer/need. Then you have to pretend that you're comfortable when craning backwards over a sink is rarely so, not to mention pretending that you're ok with the temperature and the shampoo's not going in your eye.
Then they always towel dry your hair in a weird way that makes it a million times more tangled than it was to begin with. This leads to an annoying comment from the hairdresser about how tangled my hair is and I'm too awkward to disagree after having my head rubbed to oblivion and the consequent knots yanked with enthusiasm for what feels like ages.
Finally combed through, you have to face the fact that a complete stranger is going to be staring at your scalp for the best part of an hour. What makes this more awkward is the obligatory small talk that comes with having your hair done. Yes, you can read a magazine or a book but then they do that annoying readjusting-the-tilt-of-your-head thing. Can just about manage to drink coffee, my only solace during this time. The only choice you're left with is to stare into the mirror. For an hour with only the mind-numbing small talk for a distraction. My mirror time is usually limited to a quick glance here and there, brushing teeth, putting in ear rings, applying make up. Maximum 5 minutes. So to be effectively forced to stare at myself for an hour is not much fun. Moon face. Moon face, moon face, moon face.
After a bit of strained small talk to the tune of "Did you have a nice Christmas?" and "What did you get up to for New Year" the blow drying begins. I like this, just enough talk to make me feel less awkward (somewhat). After a while my head is generally feeling rather tingled as the skin has been pulled off my skull for some time but I like having my hair blow dryed as it actually makes me feel really sleepy. Really very sleepy. So as well as being generally awkward, I then look like a weirdo or one of those small animals you see on youtube as I actually can't keep my eyes open.
Finally, the tousling, preening and application of product leads to a shiny bouncey new hairdo and suddenly I remember why I booked the appointment in the first place. Cue strutting akin to mid 90's shampoo ads. This time, I might have found a hair dresser I can stick with, even if this is because it took less than an hour.
Frankly the whole thing makes me feel awkward. There's the awkward over friendly receptionists who joke that the bag you're carrying is a present for them even when you've never met them before. Then they mock you for not knowing how to react because you've never met them before. There's the awkward person washing your hair for you who may or may not be the same person cutting your hair. There's the slight fear that they might find something weird in my hair (irrational, I assure you). Then I always get annoyed that they never ask me what kind of shampoo I like/prefer/need. Then you have to pretend that you're comfortable when craning backwards over a sink is rarely so, not to mention pretending that you're ok with the temperature and the shampoo's not going in your eye.
Then they always towel dry your hair in a weird way that makes it a million times more tangled than it was to begin with. This leads to an annoying comment from the hairdresser about how tangled my hair is and I'm too awkward to disagree after having my head rubbed to oblivion and the consequent knots yanked with enthusiasm for what feels like ages.
Finally combed through, you have to face the fact that a complete stranger is going to be staring at your scalp for the best part of an hour. What makes this more awkward is the obligatory small talk that comes with having your hair done. Yes, you can read a magazine or a book but then they do that annoying readjusting-the-tilt-of-your-head thing. Can just about manage to drink coffee, my only solace during this time. The only choice you're left with is to stare into the mirror. For an hour with only the mind-numbing small talk for a distraction. My mirror time is usually limited to a quick glance here and there, brushing teeth, putting in ear rings, applying make up. Maximum 5 minutes. So to be effectively forced to stare at myself for an hour is not much fun. Moon face. Moon face, moon face, moon face.
After a bit of strained small talk to the tune of "Did you have a nice Christmas?" and "What did you get up to for New Year" the blow drying begins. I like this, just enough talk to make me feel less awkward (somewhat). After a while my head is generally feeling rather tingled as the skin has been pulled off my skull for some time but I like having my hair blow dryed as it actually makes me feel really sleepy. Really very sleepy. So as well as being generally awkward, I then look like a weirdo or one of those small animals you see on youtube as I actually can't keep my eyes open.
Finally, the tousling, preening and application of product leads to a shiny bouncey new hairdo and suddenly I remember why I booked the appointment in the first place. Cue strutting akin to mid 90's shampoo ads. This time, I might have found a hair dresser I can stick with, even if this is because it took less than an hour.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
The Riverfront at the BFI
Trying to find somewhere to eat dinner on the Southbank a few days before Christmas is a nightmare, especially when short of time. The whole area bursts with families rewarding themselves for a successful day's shopping or about to see a show at any one of the venues nearby.
My T was taking me on mystery date a few nights before Christmas and we met up near Waterloo at about 6pm. Eventually after a futile attempt to queue at old faithful Giraffe, we gave up and ended up a few doors down at the Riverfront at the BFI. Behold! There was no queue (well, two people waiting in front of us equates to no queue when compared to the hordes at Giraffe). The difference was also in the welcome we received, we were unequivocally dimissed from Giraffe, even when asking if it was possible to eat at the bar, where we could clearly see seats were available. At the Riverfront on the other hand, we had a big smile from the chap on the door (concierge?) and were reassured that we would be seated within five minutes or so as some people were finishing up. True to his word, we were seated and able to order immediately having perused the menu while we waited.
I'm ashamed to say that I've never been to a movie at the BFI which is certainly something I plan to correct in 2012 but I've come one step closer now I know how good the catering is there. We had a wonderful meal that was reasonably priced and delivered with the friendliest and most efficient service I've come across for a long time. My main, slow cooked leg of Duck with Butternut Squash and plum chutney was delicious, though could have done with more chutney. Priced at £10 it was very good value and for an extra £3 I added a glass of house red. T opted for a veggie burger which I'm reliably told was very good and I can faithfully tell that the chips were excellent. For dessert we shared an absolutely fantastic sticky toffee pudding that came with cream. It was epic.
The atmosphere is great as well, the place is buzzing which is helped by the open plan kitchen and the busy bar adjacent to the restaurant. There are also nice nods to the cinematic venue which I liked, such as pictures of classic movie stars on the menus which double as your place mats and the restaurant name that looks like an old cinema sign.
The fact that we were in a hurry wasn't an issue here as the service was excellent and above all it was friendly, they must be accustomed to serving people scoffing down a quick bite before scuttling to cinema, theatre or concert hall for a 7.30 start. Although service charge is added to every bill, there were no qualms about it as we were so chuffed to have had a two course meal in the space of an hour with such top service.
The catering is run by Benugo and the quality the company is known for is evident here. I will be going back, for a movie and to check out the other restaurant of the bfi also run by Benugo. I'm also just hoping that this wasn't a fluke visit of awesome but here's hoping they maintain this level of awesome. Watch this space.
My T was taking me on mystery date a few nights before Christmas and we met up near Waterloo at about 6pm. Eventually after a futile attempt to queue at old faithful Giraffe, we gave up and ended up a few doors down at the Riverfront at the BFI. Behold! There was no queue (well, two people waiting in front of us equates to no queue when compared to the hordes at Giraffe). The difference was also in the welcome we received, we were unequivocally dimissed from Giraffe, even when asking if it was possible to eat at the bar, where we could clearly see seats were available. At the Riverfront on the other hand, we had a big smile from the chap on the door (concierge?) and were reassured that we would be seated within five minutes or so as some people were finishing up. True to his word, we were seated and able to order immediately having perused the menu while we waited.
The atmosphere is great as well, the place is buzzing which is helped by the open plan kitchen and the busy bar adjacent to the restaurant. There are also nice nods to the cinematic venue which I liked, such as pictures of classic movie stars on the menus which double as your place mats and the restaurant name that looks like an old cinema sign.
The fact that we were in a hurry wasn't an issue here as the service was excellent and above all it was friendly, they must be accustomed to serving people scoffing down a quick bite before scuttling to cinema, theatre or concert hall for a 7.30 start. Although service charge is added to every bill, there were no qualms about it as we were so chuffed to have had a two course meal in the space of an hour with such top service.
The catering is run by Benugo and the quality the company is known for is evident here. I will be going back, for a movie and to check out the other restaurant of the bfi also run by Benugo. I'm also just hoping that this wasn't a fluke visit of awesome but here's hoping they maintain this level of awesome. Watch this space.
An Evening of Cheese
This post is rather overdue but a combination of two of my favourite things in the world, cheese and markets, has to be written about. Every year Borough Market plays host to an Evening of Cheese about two weeks before Christmas and it is the perfect combination of two of my favourite things.
Organised by the team at KaseSwiss, the event brings together all the cheese-sellers from Borough Market for one night only. A cheese extravaganza! A couple of weeks ago, lovely Ginger came down from Oxford for a whirlwind trip to stock up on some cheesey goodies, as well as a chance to catch up of course.
Not only is there plenty of cheese available, you can also get your crackers, quince paste (dahling). This year, there was also a selection of craft beer available and some nice Borough Market branded aprons and the like. It's a festive evening that's well worth keeping in mind to get all your Christmas cheeses.
I bought:
Organised by the team at KaseSwiss, the event brings together all the cheese-sellers from Borough Market for one night only. A cheese extravaganza! A couple of weeks ago, lovely Ginger came down from Oxford for a whirlwind trip to stock up on some cheesey goodies, as well as a chance to catch up of course.
Not only is there plenty of cheese available, you can also get your crackers, quince paste (dahling). This year, there was also a selection of craft beer available and some nice Borough Market branded aprons and the like. It's a festive evening that's well worth keeping in mind to get all your Christmas cheeses.
I bought:
- Tomme Fleurette from KaseSwiss - one of my all time fave soft cheeses. Very young, unpasteurised and runny with a beautifully soft and thin rind. Also a great candidate to fry in breadcrumbs but this can only be done when it's really fresh. T and I tried it once when it was a bit too far gone and we ended up with a pan of hot cheesey oil that stank to high heaven. It was not good!
- Jura from KaseSwiss - a beautiful mountain cheese that's made really high up and has a great fruity and smokey character and a nice smoothness to it. It's great perhaps if you're a fan of Gruyere but want to try out something new. This article has a great description of it.
- Beaufort from Mons Cheesemongers. A lovely strong hard cheese that has a fabulous texture and a really long flavour.
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| Beautiful cheeses as KaseSwiss |
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