Adventures in London: Issue 140

It has been a lovely week with Kristin and I am absolutely gutted that it is over. The week started by adding dish #12 to the list, khichdi and kadhi. It is classic dish in the family that is reminiscent of fond childhood (and adult) memories. It is the dish that you got when you were under the weather or need a bit of comfort, which generally meant you made any excuse for mom to cook this. On Monday I had the delight of cooking it for the first time to comfort a dear friend of mine. It was not exactly how I remembered, but it did make her smile so that was enough!

This week was about spending as much quality time as possible with Kristin and showing her around London. It is a strange feeling..London has become my town. I remember when I heard the penny drop in NYC and now it has happened in London. We started the evening at Freud's an underground cocktail bar with drinks with names like Cheeky Monkey, Homeboy, etc. From there we went to Porcupine for a traditional English pub meal (aka Kristin had herself a pie. No she did not eat an apple pie for dinner. It was a steak n ale pie kind of pie) and a couple of half pints.

There are no words that can quite summarise nor capture what it has mean to have Kristin in town. There are people that you have in your life that you can share a smile with, a laugh with. People who know your silence, your looks. These are rare gems of the world for they are your true friends. The people you have gone through thick and thin with. The people you would do anything for, you would even watch a 120 minutes worth of "Now?", "What about now?", "How about now?", "Now?", "Come on now?" Imagine 120 minutes of that and you pretty much have the plot of A Man for all Seasons.

All jokes aside, I did rather enjoy the movie. It was simple and straight forward movie which made it easy for me to follow. Also helped put in context that whole Henry VIII stuff and all the players (yes players and not actual people cause that is how I learn) involved at the time.

On Wednesday we started the evening off with some wine and port at Gordon's. Kristin and her friend Sam from school got there early so they were able to secure us a table. There is something about Gordon's that makes it such that you can never get sick of its charm and atmosphere. Don't know what it is about that place, but I could go there all the time. Bugger is that is how everyone other person in London feels and as such it is packed regardless of time of day. Good thing is that we were lucky enough get a table. I think it is a testament of the Kristin --have only been able to do Gordon's with truly dear and cherish people in my life.

Speaking of cherish things...how cute is she?!?! On Friday Kristin and I went to what has quickly become one of my new watering hole - The Noble. I have become a fan of The Noble almost immediately for two factors - the food and the atmosphere. The Noble is like dining with friends in your own flat. The fact that we are familiar with the staff only means that it ranks higher in my book.

Kristin and friends spent the Friday chilling and relaxing over good food, drink and laughter. It has really been a pleasure and sincere delight introducing Kristin to my life on this side of the pond and vice versa. I am glad that the two worlds had the opportunity to meet and meshed --phew ;-)

15 March is 'TOWER OF LONDON DAY', but

Saturday marked 'HAMPTON COURT DAY'! Finally after all these years of living in London, I made it to Hampton Crt. It is only fitting that it was Kristin who took me. As you can imagine, no stone or room was left unturned ;-)

Hampton Court was originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, but later inhabited by King Henry VIII and his many wives first bring Anne Boleyn. It was last inhabited by William & Mary in the 18th century (Kristin if I have just messed that up, please correct me). While walking the grounds, you can see the influence from both these houses. The tudor style is definitely the thing to see, as the Georgian style is a bit 'seen one, seen them all' sort of architecture.

The grounds though are certainly beautiful. I could not help but think of Mom when I saw the garden in the back. How chuffed would Mom be if she had this as her front, back and side yards ;-) When she comes back (and now that I know how easy it is to get there), I am definitely making a trip back. Would be wicked to take the Thames boat for one leg of the journey.

Back to Kristin's visit. It was absolute heaven having Kristin here in London and getting the opportunity to spend the week with just her (sorry Joseph). Am looking forward to when a week turns into a month - - three cheers for that

Hope you all are well and enjoying the history around you! No matter when you live, history surrounds us.

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 139

How can I summarise a week that started with Glee and ended with a visit from my best friend Kr?!?! If only there was a way...

Oh wait, there is...will try to be brief, but cannot promise anything. It is Kr after all - - staying with me - - with me...oh I better get started.

When I was the dear age of 17, Kr and I met outside the class of 17 at Cornell U. On 17 Mar, she came to London for a 12 day visit. It would have been better if it was a 17 day visit, but we cannot have it all! So what brought her to London? Two words... manuscripts and a magnify glass. That was three words..oops ;-)

Thursday night we had a mini St Patty's celebration with friends. I have come to realise that St Patty's is not as fun when you cannot drink given the purpose of St Patty's day for Yanks is an excuse to drink. After a couple of lime and sodas and a cider for Kr, we went to Hiba, a Lebanese restaurant in Borough.
On Friday, to celebrate Kr's first day at the library and day transcribing manuscripts, we went for a quick drink at Freud's and then met up with Hubbs at Dishoom for dinner. It was a top night of food, laughter and conversation. The embarrassing stories were an evil consequence of introducing friends. That said, it could be worse...thus the joy of having good friends meet up...they know where the line is :-)

On Saturday, we started what can only be described as a complete tasting tour of London. Starting at Borough market for lunch we tried duck confit sandwiches. It was my first time having duck confit sandwiches (normally by the time I get to Borough they are out, but not this time). After Borough market, we travelled up to Baker street to see the Sherlock Holmes museum. The thing to know about me is I LOVE to walk and explore cities that way. Today is a prime example of the grounds we covered. After the museum, we walk to Regent's park and walked around for a bit. We had the brilliant plan to then walk our way to Camden market. I have gone to Camden a few times and each I discover a new stall or corner that is absolutely amazing.

On this trip, Kr and I discovered the GREATEST PLACE EVER - - Chin Chin Laboratorists. Chin Chin is a nitrogen ice cream parlour or rather a mad scientist laboratory. The wife-husband duo own the place which recently opened (makes sense to why my radar never picked up on it before). Unlike most ice cream parlours, there are no tubs of ice cream behind glass. Instead you have flasks of liquids which is then hand-mixed with liquid nitrogen. Kr and I had the black velvet ice cream (Guinness, espresso, chocolate and whiskey) with honey combs and cherry sauce. It was pure heaven in a cup. There is no other way to describe it.
From Chin Chin, we walked over around exploring the stables and the restaurants and antique markets in there. We stopped for mint tea at this little 'souk' style restaurant and followed that up with donuts. You know you have had a good day when it includes duck confit, ice cream and donuts....and we hadn't even gotten to dinner yet. You wouldn't think we would be hungry, but after walking around SoHo and Leicester Square and shopping at HMV we worked up the appetite for Leong's Legend!


On Sunday, I happily introduced Kr to Sunday Roast. Crisis Alert!!! I have become a convert to Sunday roast! Sorry that you have to deal with this every Sunday. Am having a difficult time coming to grips with this. Kr, Hubbs and I went to the Garrison on Bermondsey St. I went to the Garrison when I first moved to London and ever since have been trying to go back ever since. From all the roast that I have had, I would not say that the Garrison was the best, BUT the atmosphere and company made this Sunday Roast truly remarkable. One day I am going to give a whirl at making Sunday roast. Let's see how its done and if I can re-create. I am keen to learn how to make Yorkshire pudding.

From there we went to the NPG to see the Tudor exhibit. I wish I could have taken a picture of Kr when she saw the Anne Boleyn painting. It was during that exhibit that I finally pieced together the wives of Henry VIII and that glimpse of English history. It takes me a while to understand things, especially when its history related.
To celebrate our Tudor's exhibit experience and things in general we went to the NPG cafe on the top floor for afternoon tea with rose champagne. That evening for dinner I made pani puri and fish fry...there is nothing like PP to close a wonderful week!


Hope you all have had a great week exploring whatever town you are living in. Never stop exploring where you live. No matter how long you've been there, there is always something new to be seen.


xx
T

Adventures in London: Issue 138

After the week in Portugal, I was keen to eat some spicy and flavourful food - - enter dish #11 to the list. What was it exactly? Ginger and soy tuna steak with sweet chili cous cous salad (inspired by tossed). It was the first time I ever cooked tuna so was semi-pleased with the outcome. I think I could have cooked it less. The cous cous salad was okay. Personally I am going to avoid trying to recreate my favourite lunch meals. I just don't know how Tossed does it. There is an art to sweet chili chicken salad and I don't have it....yet! I know I said that I would avoid recreating meals that I like eating when eating out...but can you imagine if I could make it at home. Then I could have it any day for dinner..not just Thursdays at 1pm!

On Friday, we went to see the Children's Hour at the Comedy Theatre. Kiera Knightley (Bend it Like Beckham) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) star in this melodrama of unwarranted, out of thin air accusations. The play also starred Ellen Burstyn (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood), Carol Kane (Princess Bride) and Tobias Menzies (Rome, HBO TV series). The cast delivered a magnificent performance. As for the play itself...it was a bit lacking in substance. The main teenage - Mary - was simply annoying. I can differentiate if it was the character or the actor that annoyed me so. The premise of the play as well was a bit far fetched and out there. Reminded me of The Crucible style accusations. The second half however was where the story and the dynamics of the characters really came out. I would not race back to see the Children's Hour, but I am glad that we got to see the play...especially from the 6th row. Felt like you were right there.

On Saturday we celebrated the KV's 30th birthday and we celebrate in grand KV style - at a Bavarian beer house. This would have been a good excuse to wear the dirndl again, but I could not bear the realisation that the slim fitting outfit did not fit anymore. Hence I avoided it and wore a rather loose fitting top allowing for the ability to eat kaesespaetzle (German cheese noodles) and drink a litre of dunkelweizen. My wisdom tooth has been bothering me all day so I was not the most festive moods, that said it was a wicked night with friends. KV certainly know how to throw a party...one way or another you are going to have a solid time. Whether it is schnapps night at her flat, mint juleps at CSB, wine and cheese at Gordon's or beer anywhere you know if KV is there it is going to be a celebration to be remembered.

Despite the tooth pain, I was not gong to let it get in the way of Sunday Roast. It was painful, but as the saying goes...no pain - no gain! The gain in this scenario was a whole chicken stuffed with stuffing served with 2 Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and seasonal veggies. You probably don't understand Sunday Roast. It does not sound like the thing one should eat on a Sunday. After all, Sundays are meant for Brunch. It is Sunday Brunch not Roast right?!? Well I take my words back. I can probably go back and find the issue in which I declared my bewilderment of the concept of roast on a Sunday, but I take my words back. I look forward to Sunday Roast....there is nothing like a good Sunday Roast! Please don't get me wrong, I still LOVE brunch, but have just come to love Sunday roast too.

Well on that note, I think I am going to go. Feeling a bit hungry? Does that dish look an owl to anyone else or is it just me?

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 137

This week a hundred or so planners of business gathers to design the future in Lisbon, Portugal. Three years ago (roughly this time of the year) we all gather for a similar reason in Monte Carlo. It is a bit of a flip attending this year. Being from the markets you are invited as a guest, this time around worldwide had to actually prepare stuff. Puts a different lens on the conference and what you aim to get out of it. More on that later.

The first day of the conference was a series of presentation from the markets on the best in class work that we have done globally. It was a bit surreal seeing the NY presentation. Actually it was surreal seeing the NY team as a whole as I did not work with anyone from that team. Where did the NY family go?! Have we all officially gone our own separate ways?

For the first evening of activities, a photo scavenger hunt was arranged with various destinations, challenges and opportunities for bonus points. Our team started out strong, but lost steam once the hunger kicked in. We opted instead to make up various photo challenges. Did not earn any points in the competition, but we certainly had loads of fun doing them. In case you were wondering, the photo to the left was part of the photo hunt. 1 point if you take a photo enjoying local drink, 2 points if you get behind a bar, there were 3 points if you danced on the bar...and believe you me I did it. Doesn't take much to convince me to jump on a bar.

After the last day of workshops and meetings, we had our gala dinner. It was a low key evening of awards, spectacular food and good conversation. After dinner, a bunch of us went to the hotel bar to carry on the conversation (and drinking of course). It had been a pretty long day so the notion of going out for a crazy evening was not in my cards....chilling out in the lobby drinking scotch..yup! That was more like it. When I became an old man I have no idea, but I certainly have become one. I am not going to fight it or deny it. I am quite content being an old man who prefer a comfy chair, easy to carry a conversation and a nice scotch and/or port. Add some cheese in there and that is a TOP NIGHT! It was good to see old friends from around the globe and to make new ones. Looking forward to the next conference and rejoining forces!

Since I was in Lisbon for most of the week, the idea of making it a long weekend there seemed like a no-brainer. A friend and I decided to do just that.

On Friday we had a quiet day of site-seeing. I know people don't think it, but conferences are draining. By the time Friday came I was exhausted. We roamed around Lisbon a bit, seeing the sites that we missed on the photo hunt. Lisbon is a rather interesting city. I don't know how to quite explain it really. It is extremely beautiful and full of history. The food is probably not my favourite, but it is a quaint place to visit. I am pleased that I tacked the long weekend onto the conference as I don't know if I would have come otherwise.

On Saturday, after some shopping in the Baixa and coffee we made way to Castelo S.Jorge. This area of town was beautiful! I almost wish we had stayed up in the this area as the restaurants surrounding the area were cute and looked delicious. If you like wine, cheese and cured meats...Lisbon is your city. Any and every restaurant that you go to will treat you to this 'starter'.

Figuring out the food here has been interesting. We've had some good dishes and some not so good dishes. In my attempt to try something exotic and local I tend to mess up. Sometimes, it is best to just pick was looks ordinary.

The castle was nothing like I had seen before. From the English castles that I have seen, once you've seen one, you've seen them all (I realise I am blanketing in this statement). Castelo S.Jorge was something else. It is a beautiful, peaceful and serene grounds. There is not much to see around the castle itself, but walking around the grounds is well worth it. Had we known, we would have brought a packed lunch and had a picnic like some of the other families seemed to be doing. What a way to spend a Saturday huh? We discovered a little courtyard with this guy playing classical guitar. Because of the acoustics in the yard the sound filled the air. We chilled out for a bit watching him and soaking up the serenity of the moment. I wish there was a way to bottle up the moment in time, but sadly that is not possible (yet).

They say when in Rome, do as the Romans would. Well when in PORTugal...once must clearly drink port! After a wicked peacock siting and lunch at Pastel de Belem (highly recommend) we went to a off the beaten path Port and Wine place. I was not really in the mood to drink, but the 'port flight' sign outdoors made it a no-brainer.

During my last visit to NYC, Joseph and I talked about port. It was the one thing that neither of us knew much about. After this tasting and thanks to a brilliant port sommelier I now know about the differences between port wines. What makes a ruby? Why is different from a tawny? What does vintage port actually mean? All these answers... I can tell you....but will I?

Ruby and tawny are both types of port wine. What makes them different is the time spent in casks aging prior to its blending or bottling. Ruby port is young, spending only a few years aging in the cast. The colour itself is quite dark - you could even say ruby in colour and it sweet and fruity to taste. Tawny port on the other hand has been aged longer (10 - 30 years). As port matures, the colour fades and as such the colour of tawny is brownish. Compared to ruby, tawny ports are less sweet, but are deeper and more complex in characteristics. Vintage port is port wine made from grapes from a declared vintage year. The port is aged in cast for 2-3 years and then bottled. It can stay bottled for a number of years until it has reach 'appropriate drinking age.' Don't you feel better for knowing all this.

Sunday was another relaxed day as we were flying out that day. What helped was the fact that most places are closed on Sundays....that thwarted our site seeing plans. Instead we walked around a bit and then found refuge in a quaint restaurant called Cafe Nicola. Since we were not in a hurry we decided to enjoy a very Portuguese lunch which meant that is lasted for 2+ hours. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon if you ask me.

It was just the way to wrap up an amasing week and weekend away from London. I did not know what to think of Lisbon at first, but the city has grown on me. I have had some great memories here that I will cherish. Not racing to come back, but will make sure I come back in 10 years ;-)

Hope you all are well and enjoying the sunshine wherever you are.

Miss you all dearly and love you more.

xx

T