As a founding member of the SlowFood movement, surely not accidentally located right next door to the SlowFood offices in a central pedestrian area of Bra, the Osteria Boccondivino celebrates the principles that have made SlowFood so successful - authentic regional food made from local produce, supporting traditional ingredients. The restaurant is linked to the Osteria dell'Arco in Alba and if you have been there before you will notice right away - the ambient is rather similar and the hundreds of wine bottles in the glass front wine cooler are reminiscent of similar views in Alba. The latest when you get to the Panna Cotta, you will recognise that the same recipe has been used here (it's rather unique with its unusually creamy texture, copied by myself by adding a big helping of Mascarpone after the cooking process... - not sure whether that's what they do here, but it leads to similar results). This was our last culinary stop before going back home today and you could tell that appetites had been somewhat quenched by now. Only two bottles of wine (between four of us - I was driving) felt almost anticlimactic... We also were less experimental in our choices and perhaps everyone just went for their favourites instead - and here they are:
- Lardo, Salsiccia di Bra e Carne Cruda, lard, raw sausage from Bra and the hand-cut raw veal, all at top quality and pretty much as good as they get.
- Uovo in cocotte con Tartufo Bianco d'Alba - a raw egg cooked in cream and topped off with a crust of parmiggiano and freshly shaved truffles; stay away if you can't deal with runny eggs, otherwise this is probably the best way to enjoy white truffles.
- Agnolotti "al plin", the traditional Piemontese mini-ravioli, stuffed with veal, rice and cabbage, and served with butter and fresh rosemary; again top-notch, difficult to make this much better.
- Coniglio "Grigio di Carmagnola" all'arneis - a good example for the work SlowFood does, this grey rabbit is a local variant that was about to disappear and was reinvigorated by SlowFood. Cooked in Arneis (a local white wine), simple and good.
- Faraona al rosmarino con Tartufo Bianco d'Alba - oven roasted Perlhuhn topped with black truffles, great autumn-earthy aromas, very tender meat, great dish.
- Tre sorbetti di frutta - sherbet made from lemons, grapefruit and tangerines, very refreshing with clean fresh fruity tastes.
- Torta di nocciole con zabaglione, hazelnut cake (famously made without any flour) with (cold) Marsala cream, very traditional, very rich!
Prices are reasonable but our bill was slightly misleading; with a total of 8 truffle dishes being ordered (plus all the other stuff, some of which listed above) but only two bottles of rather basic wines and a round of Passito (sweet dessert wine) we ran up a total of 365 Euros. Very friendly and competent service and a nice atmosphere in combination with the flawless food make this a safe bet and a place to come back to, just as it's sister-place in Alba.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Piemonte, Osteria dei Sognatori, Alba
This family restaurant is situated only minutes from the Alba market and is an ideal place to go for a simple lunch after you have done your shopping. The Osteria dei Sognatori (Tavern of Dreamers) offers limited choice but great value for money if you don't mind the Italian equivalent of pub grub. Between the four of us we shared two litres of the house red (Barbera d'Alba), plenty of Antipasti, four Primi, three desserts, coffees and water and paid 120 Euro. The food included:
- Vitello Tonnato, veal with tuna sauce (more mayonnaise than tuna, but very nice meat)
- Bagna Cauda, cauliflower and kohlrabi with the typical anchovi / garlic / olive oil sauce
- Toma al tartufo, local chesese with truffles and a sprinkle of olive oil
- Insalata di pollo, chicken salad
- Warm sausage with stir-fried cabbage, greasy but tasty
- Tajarin al Ragu, pasta with meat sauce
- Risotto con tartufo, risotto with truffles
as well as three rather mediocre puddings.
The service was run efficiently and very friendly by two young ladies and while this certainly wasn't our best culinary visit during our stay, it makes for a nice change - and a bit of a break for your wallet!
- Vitello Tonnato, veal with tuna sauce (more mayonnaise than tuna, but very nice meat)
- Bagna Cauda, cauliflower and kohlrabi with the typical anchovi / garlic / olive oil sauce
- Toma al tartufo, local chesese with truffles and a sprinkle of olive oil
- Insalata di pollo, chicken salad
- Warm sausage with stir-fried cabbage, greasy but tasty
- Tajarin al Ragu, pasta with meat sauce
- Risotto con tartufo, risotto with truffles
as well as three rather mediocre puddings.
The service was run efficiently and very friendly by two young ladies and while this certainly wasn't our best culinary visit during our stay, it makes for a nice change - and a bit of a break for your wallet!
Friday, 25 November 2011
Piemonte - Bottega di Rosanna, Neive
Since I started visiting Piemonte in 2002 and came back year after year, with only one exception, every time I went I would visit the Bottega di Rosanna in Neive. Previously called the Bottega dei Quattro Vini and located just opposite the town hall in Neive in the basement of another municipal building, Rosanna and her husband Marco are running a small Enoteca that sells exclusively wines from Neive and offer a small range of simple dishes, limited to a handful of Antipasti, a couple of Primi and about four Dolci. I haven't been coming back for the culinary highlights so much, but predominantly because of the very warm and friendly service and the extremely reasonably priced wines, providing a great opportunity to sample a good range of local produce - the bottles are sitting on shelves spread throughout the room and you can casually browse for your next bottle. Who needs a wine list, right? I can't help the impression though that Rosanna has become a bit light at the upper end of the spectrum - while in the past you would find the best producers from Neive on the shelves, represented with several of their fine wines (such as the Master of Neive wines, Sottimano), these great wines have disappeared from the shelves and she is rather catering for the lower price ranges up to 20 Euros per bottle. I believe the Bottega di Rosanna still merits our annual visit; try the following when you're there:
- Acciughe al verde, salted anchovies in a pesto-like herb sauce, wash 'em down with a bottle of Roero Arneis from Bruno Giacosa
- Lardo con miele e nocciole, lard with honey and hazelnuts
- Insalata di Toma d'Alba, green salads with local cheese, hazelnuts, and pomegrenade
- Vitello Tonnato, thinly sliced veal roast with tuna sauce
- Salumi e Formaggi, local cold cuts and cheeses, simple and nice
Dependent on your appetite, choose from Tajarin with Ragu or butter and sage, or the rich vegetable soup. We usually skip dessert and have a café instead which is being served with a biscuit topped off with some whipped cream...
- Acciughe al verde, salted anchovies in a pesto-like herb sauce, wash 'em down with a bottle of Roero Arneis from Bruno Giacosa
- Lardo con miele e nocciole, lard with honey and hazelnuts
- Insalata di Toma d'Alba, green salads with local cheese, hazelnuts, and pomegrenade
- Vitello Tonnato, thinly sliced veal roast with tuna sauce
- Salumi e Formaggi, local cold cuts and cheeses, simple and nice
Dependent on your appetite, choose from Tajarin with Ragu or butter and sage, or the rich vegetable soup. We usually skip dessert and have a café instead which is being served with a biscuit topped off with some whipped cream...
Piemonte - Osteria Del Vignaiolo, La Morra
This little gem can be found in a tiny village called Santa Maria, which is just 4km outside of La Morra on the way to Alba. It's a burgundy red building on the right and provides seats for about 30-35 guests. Its brick vaulted ceiling and a fire place provide a comfortable atmosphere, and the service is very attentive and friendly. The Osteria Del Vignaiolo is located in one of the best wine regions in Italy and is surrounded by Nebbiolo vines, producing some of the finest Barolo. The young chef is a master of oven roasted meats, but also features a few fish dishes on the menu, such as smoked eel, Loup de Mer and Marlin. Here are some of the highlights we sampled today:
- Insalata tiepida di coniglio, salad of rabbit, perhaps the best starter on the menu, perfectly flavoured, with tender bits of rabbit meat.
- Scallops with artichoke - flash-pan-fried, with great roast aromas, a light and extremely enjoyable dish.
- Tajarin al tartufo bianco, pasta simply served with butter and white truffles thinly sliced for you at the table - a Piemonte classic.
- Stincho di agnello, oven roasted lamb shank, absolutely gorgeous tender meat full of good flavours, top notch!
- Ossobucco de cervo, venison shank, again very tender but a little dry (typical for the very lean venison really).
- Coscia d'anatra con Arneis, duck leg cooked in Arneis, a typical local white wine.
- Tortino caldo di cioccolata, warm chocolate soufflé, of course still liquid inside.
- Tarte Tartin di mele, an apple tarte, served with gelato di fior de latte, lovely milky ice cream.
- Ravioli di cioccolata, chocolate ravioli in a slightly overpowering cherry sauce.
The wine list offers great choices in all price ranges, the puddings are served with a complimentary glass of Moscato d'Asti and with five of us sharing three starters, five Primi, four Secondi, five Dolci, two bottles of white, one bottle of Barolo and some coffees and limoncello, the bill at 370 Euro (including 160 Euro for truffles, fairly priced at 4 Euro per gram) was great value for money. This is surely one of our new favourites and top ranking restaurants in Piemonte.
- Insalata tiepida di coniglio, salad of rabbit, perhaps the best starter on the menu, perfectly flavoured, with tender bits of rabbit meat.
- Scallops with artichoke - flash-pan-fried, with great roast aromas, a light and extremely enjoyable dish.
- Tajarin al tartufo bianco, pasta simply served with butter and white truffles thinly sliced for you at the table - a Piemonte classic.
- Stincho di agnello, oven roasted lamb shank, absolutely gorgeous tender meat full of good flavours, top notch!
- Ossobucco de cervo, venison shank, again very tender but a little dry (typical for the very lean venison really).
- Coscia d'anatra con Arneis, duck leg cooked in Arneis, a typical local white wine.
- Tortino caldo di cioccolata, warm chocolate soufflé, of course still liquid inside.
- Tarte Tartin di mele, an apple tarte, served with gelato di fior de latte, lovely milky ice cream.
- Ravioli di cioccolata, chocolate ravioli in a slightly overpowering cherry sauce.
The wine list offers great choices in all price ranges, the puddings are served with a complimentary glass of Moscato d'Asti and with five of us sharing three starters, five Primi, four Secondi, five Dolci, two bottles of white, one bottle of Barolo and some coffees and limoncello, the bill at 370 Euro (including 160 Euro for truffles, fairly priced at 4 Euro per gram) was great value for money. This is surely one of our new favourites and top ranking restaurants in Piemonte.
Piemonte - Pane & Vino, Cherasco
Pane & Vino is a small Trattoria in Moglia - if you arrive in Cherasco from the A6/A33, you might drive by it without noticing because it is not in the historic town centre of Cherasco but right next to a petrol station before you climb up the serpentines to Cherasco. What it lacks in location it makes up in quality and authenticity of food! Emiliana and Rosanna rule in the kitchen and are true to the traditional Langhe cuisine, particularly to the Cherasco speciality, Lumache (escargots). There is even a Lumache set menu available! Between the five of us we sampled a good selection of dishes and let me mention just a few of the highlights:
- Lumache con panna e Fontina - escargots cooked in cream with lots of fresh herbs and a little garlic, topped off with a crust of Fontina cheese, a great antipasto, with lovely flavours and surprisingly mild escargots (probably owed to the cream).
- Fagottini - a crèpe pouch filled with salsiccia, veggies and cheese, perhaps the best starter we sampled, boasting rich hearty flavours and solid cooking crafts(wo)manship.
- Tajarin con sugo de salsiccia - the famous local pasta (made with 30 egg yolks) with a salsiccia sauce with a massive twist, being spiced with cinnamon and clover - not everyone's cup of tea but an inspired dish!
- Lamb chops in a herb crust - not grilled but fried "Milanese-style" in a heavily herb-enriched herb crust, very different and very yummy.
- A selection of 8 regional cheeses, with a very crumbly Castelmagno, a well matured Peccorino and a wonderfully creamy and nutty Blu d'Aosta being the stars of the ensemble.
- Pere cotto - pears cooked in a rich red wine reduction with cinnamon ice cream, my personal all time favourite (the red wine pear) with yet another lovely twist provided by the full flavour of the home-made ice cream.
- Panna Cotta con frutti de bosco - a fantastic Panna Cotta, with a rather runny texture and an amazing milky flavour (rather than the usual firm vanilla cream), perhaps the best I ever tried (only rivalled by my own recipe)!
The menu isn't extensive with about 5 different choices for each course but offers great local cuisine - Rosanna and Emiliana in the kitchen are not afraid to use spices and a good pinch of salt and Flavio, who provides a friendly and competent service, knows his way around the wine list and isn't afraid to disagree with one of my choices, based on our previous preferences, and recommend a different wine instead (which was a good thing, too). He also has a tendency to leave a few bottles of Grappa on his guests' table (if they wish) so you can sample a few. The five of us had about four courses each, shared three bottles of wine and the usual extras (water, coffee, grappa, etc) and came away with a bill of 225 Euro - that's Italy as we love it, great local food and wine at very affordable prices.
- Lumache con panna e Fontina - escargots cooked in cream with lots of fresh herbs and a little garlic, topped off with a crust of Fontina cheese, a great antipasto, with lovely flavours and surprisingly mild escargots (probably owed to the cream).
- Fagottini - a crèpe pouch filled with salsiccia, veggies and cheese, perhaps the best starter we sampled, boasting rich hearty flavours and solid cooking crafts(wo)manship.
- Tajarin con sugo de salsiccia - the famous local pasta (made with 30 egg yolks) with a salsiccia sauce with a massive twist, being spiced with cinnamon and clover - not everyone's cup of tea but an inspired dish!
- Lamb chops in a herb crust - not grilled but fried "Milanese-style" in a heavily herb-enriched herb crust, very different and very yummy.
- A selection of 8 regional cheeses, with a very crumbly Castelmagno, a well matured Peccorino and a wonderfully creamy and nutty Blu d'Aosta being the stars of the ensemble.
- Pere cotto - pears cooked in a rich red wine reduction with cinnamon ice cream, my personal all time favourite (the red wine pear) with yet another lovely twist provided by the full flavour of the home-made ice cream.
- Panna Cotta con frutti de bosco - a fantastic Panna Cotta, with a rather runny texture and an amazing milky flavour (rather than the usual firm vanilla cream), perhaps the best I ever tried (only rivalled by my own recipe)!
The menu isn't extensive with about 5 different choices for each course but offers great local cuisine - Rosanna and Emiliana in the kitchen are not afraid to use spices and a good pinch of salt and Flavio, who provides a friendly and competent service, knows his way around the wine list and isn't afraid to disagree with one of my choices, based on our previous preferences, and recommend a different wine instead (which was a good thing, too). He also has a tendency to leave a few bottles of Grappa on his guests' table (if they wish) so you can sample a few. The five of us had about four courses each, shared three bottles of wine and the usual extras (water, coffee, grappa, etc) and came away with a bill of 225 Euro - that's Italy as we love it, great local food and wine at very affordable prices.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Film Review: 007 on Blu-Ray
Did you ever watch the first four Bond films on the big screen or were you too young when they hit the cinemas around the world, just as I was? Either way, if you have a decent home theatre setup (I am watching on a FullHD BenQ W6500 DLP projector with a Pioneer SC-LX82 / BDP-LX52 combo) and if you like your early Bond films (I am talking about Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball), then I strongly recommend buying these Blu-Rays. The restoration used the almost legendary Lowry process, now owned by Reliance MediaWorks, who have just finished the Blu-Ray transfer of the Star Wars franchise with excellent picture and sound quality and hence become accomplices in Lucas' misguided efforts to ruin the original trilogy through intrusive editing - just imagine Felix Leiter in Goldfinger being digitally replaced with the Jeffrey Wright Leiter from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace to make it more "relevant" to younger audiences... Anyway, the restoration resulted in a pristine re-master with an image that is as clear, sharp and colourful as most films that have been released over the last few months - well, actually better than some of those! The sound has been updated as well and sounds better than ever, but the picture quality is the real winner. At least Goldfinger and From Russia With Love (the best Bond movies IMHO) should belong to any good Blu-Ray collection.
And while we are on the subject of quality restorations: check out Zulu on Blu-Ray, it's been restored to an eye-popping quality, with breathtaking colour, excellent contrast and great detail.
And while we are on the subject of quality restorations: check out Zulu on Blu-Ray, it's been restored to an eye-popping quality, with breathtaking colour, excellent contrast and great detail.
Warning: Plaxo
Ever heard of Plaxo? If not, all you need to know is: Stay away from it!!
Plaxo is an online address book that's been around for a while. Sometime in the summer this year I decided to pay just under $120 p.a. to have Plaxo synchronize all of my electronic devices that need address data and calendar info, e.g. Laptop, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad and BlackBerry. My address books were always a bit of a mess and with cool functions that came with the PlatinumSync and Personal Assistant packages in Plaxo, such as the DeDuper, a function that would remove all of the duplicate entries in my address books and merge them intelligently, and 2-way-sync between all devices I was going to be the king of address books. Well, that's what I thought anyway...
After I had installed all Sync Points and kicked off synchronization on each of them I watched with horror how my address book grew from about 1,200 entries to 9,991 entries. That's where Plaxo stopped because it has a limit of 10,000 entries. Relax, I said to myself, kick off the DeDuper and you're back in the game. The DeDuper does not run on your machine but on the Plaxo Servers and my 10,000 entries gave those servers a bit of work to do - it took several days and several attempts before my address book was down to 1,600 entries. That was far from perfect, but hey-ho, better than 10,000 entries, right? Right. Unfortunately though created the intelligent merging algorithm a few surprises for me. Names, that were kept correctly in most address books, had been overwritten by eMail addresses from those devices where I just stored the email address in the address book without updating the name. The German "Umlauts" and other special characters got all "translated" into funny stuff, completely meaningless and wonderfully disruptive to any search function. Address data (postal addresses) got deleted in most cases. To make things a little more entertaining, Plaxo would also present me with error messages such as this one.
Plaxo is an online address book that's been around for a while. Sometime in the summer this year I decided to pay just under $120 p.a. to have Plaxo synchronize all of my electronic devices that need address data and calendar info, e.g. Laptop, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad and BlackBerry. My address books were always a bit of a mess and with cool functions that came with the PlatinumSync and Personal Assistant packages in Plaxo, such as the DeDuper, a function that would remove all of the duplicate entries in my address books and merge them intelligently, and 2-way-sync between all devices I was going to be the king of address books. Well, that's what I thought anyway...
After I had installed all Sync Points and kicked off synchronization on each of them I watched with horror how my address book grew from about 1,200 entries to 9,991 entries. That's where Plaxo stopped because it has a limit of 10,000 entries. Relax, I said to myself, kick off the DeDuper and you're back in the game. The DeDuper does not run on your machine but on the Plaxo Servers and my 10,000 entries gave those servers a bit of work to do - it took several days and several attempts before my address book was down to 1,600 entries. That was far from perfect, but hey-ho, better than 10,000 entries, right? Right. Unfortunately though created the intelligent merging algorithm a few surprises for me. Names, that were kept correctly in most address books, had been overwritten by eMail addresses from those devices where I just stored the email address in the address book without updating the name. The German "Umlauts" and other special characters got all "translated" into funny stuff, completely meaningless and wonderfully disruptive to any search function. Address data (postal addresses) got deleted in most cases. To make things a little more entertaining, Plaxo would also present me with error messages such as this one.
My address book is now back to about 6,600 entries and growing. It's one big mess and I can only begin to imagine the many hours of work required to restore it to a half-decent state (since I only realized over time the extent of damage Plaxo had done, I am not quite sure what backup to go back to - and how to keep track of all the changes I have made since).
So, as I said: stay away from Plaxo, you will regret it bitterly if you don't...
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Food Review: schwarz (Heidelberg)
The Gault Millau Guide is suggesting that "schwarz. Das Restaurant" (that's the exact - if you ignore the typeface - presentation of the restaurant's name) is the best restaurant in Heidelberg, awarded with 16 out of the 20 possible points (although the guide always insisted that 20 points are reserved for God - if he ran a restaurant anyway...). One might expect Heidelberg's best restaurant to be located near the old castle (Schloss) or the old town centre (Altstadt), but instead it is within spitting distance of the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) inside a modern tall office building that's wrapped into an energy efficient glass hull. After checking in with the restaurants separate reception desk in the lobby, we are sent to the 12th floor in a glass elevator that already raises (no pun intended) expectations; the ride is not for people with high anxiety though.
schwarz presents itself with a modern interior and great views over Heidelberg and the surrounding areas (including a very tall industrial chimney standing right between the restaurant and the castle. The maÎtre'd greeted us in a friendly way and was slightly surprised when we chased our order for an aperitif with the question what Gins might be available to chose from. With a mildly puzzled look he suggested there would be a Frederiques (the spelling is owed to the distinct French accentuation of the word) and, of course (this was suggested with an almost undetectable disapproving scoff) Gordons. We felt adventurous and went for the unknown French gin, only to find out a minute later that it was indeed Hendricks, as the head waiter confirmed with an apology. We were very happy with that turn of events, but since the gin was served just with ice and tonic, I asked whether it would be too much trouble to be served with a couple of slices of cucumber. When I saw the surprised look I hastened to add, rather undiplomatically, that Hendricks was usually served with cucumber. The maÎtre'd complied without hesitation, but seemed a little wary of what other strange demands we might come up with during the next couple of hours; indeed, I couldn't help the feeling that he was a little hurt in his professional pride to be found to offer a service short of perfection.
The lunch menu offers limited choices but changes on a weekly basis. With a couple of choices each for starters, main dishes and desserts, a 2 or 3 course menu option offering different dishes and a daily special, there are still sufficient choices to be made. We decided for the à la carte option and ordered Vitello Tonnato, perfectly cooked to medium-rare (more rare than medium) and served thinly sliced with a light tuna sauce and some rocket and fragrant cocktail tomatoes, and Scallops on a pineapple curry, in my view the by far best dish we experienced on the day, due to it's imaginative nature, perfect balance of fresh, tangy flavors and impeccable preparation and presentation: the roasted scallops sat on a handful of pineapple pieces flavored with a Vietnamese-style curry boasting the fresh aromas of lemongrass and ginger, with the sauce presented in a "spuma" that is probably about to go out of fashion again but nevertheless worked perfectly for this dish. The touch of genius were the baby shisso leaves (the purple variant) that gave the dish yet another exotic, fresh flavor that accentuated the other aromas in perfect harmony. A 19 points dish in my book, to use the Gault Millau scale on this occasion. The main dishes consisted of saddle of lamb served on a pleasantly crunchy mix of beans with potatoes (a good dish with a slightly overcooked lamb that was closer to well-done than medium, but still juicy, tender and full of flavor) and a suckling pork shank in a rich dark-brown sauce, nicely glazed and with very delicate, tender meet that practically fell of the bone, served with cabbage and a dumpling. The main course offered classic dishes updated to the modern ways of cooking and prepared with professional attention and unquestionable craftsmanship. The brilliant inspiration that was evident in the scallop starter was not to be found here, but then again one cannot expect a miracle when enjoying what would typically be served as a business lunch at a very reasonable price of 20 Euro for the main course (the starters ranged between 9 and 12 Euro and the desserts were in the same price category). We ordered a 2003 Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) Auslese from the Pfalz region from the extensive wine list, which offered good value for money at 59 Euro for the bottle and managed to convince my rather skeptical friend David that the Germans can actually produce a decent bottle of red wine! By this point the maÎtre'd had lost his initial caution after the "Hendricks incident" and allowed us to order the dessert from the Set Menu (apple tarte with raspberry sorbet - yummy) - but just because we were nice!! I decided to have the Tartlet of Nougat with Baileys Ice Cream, the latter not very imaginative and even available from Häägen Dasz if I'm not mistaken, the Nougat Tartlet though being surprisingly delicate with a wafer thin biscuit crust filled with light, nutty nougat mousse - here was that creative energy at work again! We finished with a couple of espressos (my choice of a single espresso was greeted with a playful scoff of the maître'd, suggesting that only a lightweight would give the double espresso a miss) and we were presented with a bill of 173 Euro that we felt provided good value for money.
My final comments are dedicated to the service staff: although the restaurant was almost empty, the staff found the exact right balance between being attentive and keeping in the background. It would have been tempting to "over-serve" us, which did not happen once and we appreciated the efforts of the excellent maître'd to make up for his Hendricks "mistake", again without going over the top or getting disconcertingly nervous. I will look for an opportunity to return for the 7 course tasting menu (120 Euro) and will wait with applying a score until then (if pushed, I would probably go for a 7.5/10 for now, as a result of the average between the two "9" dishes and the other "7" dishes).
schwarz presents itself with a modern interior and great views over Heidelberg and the surrounding areas (including a very tall industrial chimney standing right between the restaurant and the castle. The maÎtre'd greeted us in a friendly way and was slightly surprised when we chased our order for an aperitif with the question what Gins might be available to chose from. With a mildly puzzled look he suggested there would be a Frederiques (the spelling is owed to the distinct French accentuation of the word) and, of course (this was suggested with an almost undetectable disapproving scoff) Gordons. We felt adventurous and went for the unknown French gin, only to find out a minute later that it was indeed Hendricks, as the head waiter confirmed with an apology. We were very happy with that turn of events, but since the gin was served just with ice and tonic, I asked whether it would be too much trouble to be served with a couple of slices of cucumber. When I saw the surprised look I hastened to add, rather undiplomatically, that Hendricks was usually served with cucumber. The maÎtre'd complied without hesitation, but seemed a little wary of what other strange demands we might come up with during the next couple of hours; indeed, I couldn't help the feeling that he was a little hurt in his professional pride to be found to offer a service short of perfection.
The lunch menu offers limited choices but changes on a weekly basis. With a couple of choices each for starters, main dishes and desserts, a 2 or 3 course menu option offering different dishes and a daily special, there are still sufficient choices to be made. We decided for the à la carte option and ordered Vitello Tonnato, perfectly cooked to medium-rare (more rare than medium) and served thinly sliced with a light tuna sauce and some rocket and fragrant cocktail tomatoes, and Scallops on a pineapple curry, in my view the by far best dish we experienced on the day, due to it's imaginative nature, perfect balance of fresh, tangy flavors and impeccable preparation and presentation: the roasted scallops sat on a handful of pineapple pieces flavored with a Vietnamese-style curry boasting the fresh aromas of lemongrass and ginger, with the sauce presented in a "spuma" that is probably about to go out of fashion again but nevertheless worked perfectly for this dish. The touch of genius were the baby shisso leaves (the purple variant) that gave the dish yet another exotic, fresh flavor that accentuated the other aromas in perfect harmony. A 19 points dish in my book, to use the Gault Millau scale on this occasion. The main dishes consisted of saddle of lamb served on a pleasantly crunchy mix of beans with potatoes (a good dish with a slightly overcooked lamb that was closer to well-done than medium, but still juicy, tender and full of flavor) and a suckling pork shank in a rich dark-brown sauce, nicely glazed and with very delicate, tender meet that practically fell of the bone, served with cabbage and a dumpling. The main course offered classic dishes updated to the modern ways of cooking and prepared with professional attention and unquestionable craftsmanship. The brilliant inspiration that was evident in the scallop starter was not to be found here, but then again one cannot expect a miracle when enjoying what would typically be served as a business lunch at a very reasonable price of 20 Euro for the main course (the starters ranged between 9 and 12 Euro and the desserts were in the same price category). We ordered a 2003 Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) Auslese from the Pfalz region from the extensive wine list, which offered good value for money at 59 Euro for the bottle and managed to convince my rather skeptical friend David that the Germans can actually produce a decent bottle of red wine! By this point the maÎtre'd had lost his initial caution after the "Hendricks incident" and allowed us to order the dessert from the Set Menu (apple tarte with raspberry sorbet - yummy) - but just because we were nice!! I decided to have the Tartlet of Nougat with Baileys Ice Cream, the latter not very imaginative and even available from Häägen Dasz if I'm not mistaken, the Nougat Tartlet though being surprisingly delicate with a wafer thin biscuit crust filled with light, nutty nougat mousse - here was that creative energy at work again! We finished with a couple of espressos (my choice of a single espresso was greeted with a playful scoff of the maître'd, suggesting that only a lightweight would give the double espresso a miss) and we were presented with a bill of 173 Euro that we felt provided good value for money.
My final comments are dedicated to the service staff: although the restaurant was almost empty, the staff found the exact right balance between being attentive and keeping in the background. It would have been tempting to "over-serve" us, which did not happen once and we appreciated the efforts of the excellent maître'd to make up for his Hendricks "mistake", again without going over the top or getting disconcertingly nervous. I will look for an opportunity to return for the 7 course tasting menu (120 Euro) and will wait with applying a score until then (if pushed, I would probably go for a 7.5/10 for now, as a result of the average between the two "9" dishes and the other "7" dishes).
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Film Review: An American Crime (Blu-Ray)
Ellen Page and Catherine Keener headline the cast in this film which is based on true events that took place in Indiana, USA, in the mid-60s. The film is horrifying, sad, upsetting and almost unbearably intense, but it asks a range of painful and important questions about why people look the other way or even willingly participate in obviously wrong acts of cruel violence. Keener is one of the top Drama actors of her generation and her performance in this film is again flawless. The real discovery though is Ellen Page, who starred in this film in 2007, the same year that she had her breakthrough with Juno. She walks a very thin line in her portrayal of Sylvia Likens and manages to get the balance right through an almost underplayed approach to the role that is unsettling and almost heartbreaking. The casting of the support roles is very solidly done, too, with James Franco (127 Hours, Spiderman 1-3), Bradley Whitford (Josh from The West Wing) and Ari Graynor (who also starred with Ellen Page in Whip It!) being the most prominent names perhaps. 8/10, but be prepared for your mood to sink significantly.
Ellen Page and Catherine Keener headline the cast in this film which is based on true events that took place in Indiana, USA, in the mid-60s. The film is horrifying, sad, upsetting and almost unbearably intense, but it asks a range of painful and important questions about why people look the other way or even willingly participate in obviously wrong acts of cruel violence. Keener is one of the top Drama actors of her generation and her performance in this film is again flawless. The real discovery though is Ellen Page, who starred in this film in 2007, the same year that she had her breakthrough with Juno. She walks a very thin line in her portrayal of Sylvia Likens and manages to get the balance right through an almost underplayed approach to the role that is unsettling and almost heartbreaking. The casting of the support roles is very solidly done, too, with James Franco (127 Hours, Spiderman 1-3), Bradley Whitford (Josh from The West Wing) and Ari Graynor (who also starred with Ellen Page in Whip It!) being the most prominent names perhaps. 8/10, but be prepared for your mood to sink significantly.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Future Female Film Stars: Top 10
If you're a film buff, you will probably not find any surprises here and you will probably counter with some other names which are still much more unknown. If you enjoy movies and look for some suggestions, which actors that are currently launching their career are worth looking into, here are my current Top 10 future female stars:
5) Olivia Wilde - Born 1984 in New York, Ms. Wilde developed her career both on television (The O.C., House) and the silver screen, the latter with appearances in a wide range of films from independent productions such as Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog in 2006, to silly teen horror flicks (Turistas, in the same year) and more recently big budget productions such as TRON: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens. Her name is already attached to 10 future projects, including Andrew Niccol's In Time (with Justin Timberlake - Mr. Niccol is best known for his brilliant first film, Gattaca) and a rumored remake of Tomb Raider.
4) Elle Fanning - the youngest in this list, at 13 years old four years younger than her sister Dakota (War of the Worlds, the unbearable Twilight Saga), this is probably the biggest gamble. Although Elle Fanning has already appeared in 18 feature films, that includes films as early as 2001 (I Am Sam) when she was three years old. Her breakthrough came with Sophia Coppola's wonderfully slow paced and melancholic film Somewhere, in which she played Stephen Dorrf's character's daughter Cleo. She since appeared in Super 8, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg's summer movie that pretty much tanked at the Box Office, and will appear soon in Ms. Coppola's Dad's latest film Twixt, followed by Cameron Crowe's (Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) newest film, We Bought A Zoo alongside Matt Damon. I think Ms. Fanning will be the much better actress in the family if she picks her films carefully - with directors such as Sofia Coppola and Cameron Crowe, she should be doing very well!
3) Chloe Grace Moretz - Born in 1997 in Atlanta, Ms. Moretz wowed the world when she dropped the C*Bomb in a very unexcited way in the 2010 Kick-Ass. Since then she has been in four more films, including Let Me In, which would be a great film if it wasn't for the much better original Let The Right One In. She is already linked to seven new projects, including Martin Scorsese's Hugo, co-starring Jude Law, and the currently filming Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton and co-starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green. One to watch very closely.
2) Saoirse Ronan - Born 1994 in New York, but raised in Ireland, Ms. Ronan starred in 10 feature films so far, including Atonement, Death Defying Acts, the rather disappointing The Lovely Bones (not her fault though), The Way Back and Hanna. She delivered great performances in each of these films, and the roles she played were all rather demanding and versatile. She also doesn't fit the usual bill of the Hollywood beauty, which makes her interesting and immensely promising.
1) Ellen Page - the 24 year old Canadian had her breakthrough with Juno, in which she starred in the title role. Before that, she delivered a brilliant performance in the horrifying An American Crime alongside Catherine Keener, a shocking and thoughtful film based on a true story but unfortunately unknown to wider audiences. After Juno, her most prominent role was as Ariadne in Inception, but she also starred in smaller films such as the funny Smart People, the surprisingly entertaining Whip It (a film about the Roller Derby League directed by Drew Barrymore - really??) and, perhaps her most whacky and surprising role to date, as Libby (aka Boltie) in the hilariously strange Super. We will see her next in Woody Allen's new film, The Bop Decameron, alongside Jesse Eisenberg (he will appear in my Future Male Stars Top 10). Way to go, Ellen!
10) January Jones (Mad Men, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Unknown, X-Men: First Class)
9) Mila Kunis (Family Guy, The Book of Eli, Black Swan, Friends with Benefits. Next: The Muppets)
8) Rose Byrne (Damages, 28 Weeks Later, Knowing, X-Men: First Class)
7) Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
6) Rebecca Hall (The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Frost/Nixon, The Town. Next: The Awakening)
5) Olivia Wilde - Born 1984 in New York, Ms. Wilde developed her career both on television (The O.C., House) and the silver screen, the latter with appearances in a wide range of films from independent productions such as Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog in 2006, to silly teen horror flicks (Turistas, in the same year) and more recently big budget productions such as TRON: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens. Her name is already attached to 10 future projects, including Andrew Niccol's In Time (with Justin Timberlake - Mr. Niccol is best known for his brilliant first film, Gattaca) and a rumored remake of Tomb Raider.
4) Elle Fanning - the youngest in this list, at 13 years old four years younger than her sister Dakota (War of the Worlds, the unbearable Twilight Saga), this is probably the biggest gamble. Although Elle Fanning has already appeared in 18 feature films, that includes films as early as 2001 (I Am Sam) when she was three years old. Her breakthrough came with Sophia Coppola's wonderfully slow paced and melancholic film Somewhere, in which she played Stephen Dorrf's character's daughter Cleo. She since appeared in Super 8, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg's summer movie that pretty much tanked at the Box Office, and will appear soon in Ms. Coppola's Dad's latest film Twixt, followed by Cameron Crowe's (Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) newest film, We Bought A Zoo alongside Matt Damon. I think Ms. Fanning will be the much better actress in the family if she picks her films carefully - with directors such as Sofia Coppola and Cameron Crowe, she should be doing very well!
3) Chloe Grace Moretz - Born in 1997 in Atlanta, Ms. Moretz wowed the world when she dropped the C*Bomb in a very unexcited way in the 2010 Kick-Ass. Since then she has been in four more films, including Let Me In, which would be a great film if it wasn't for the much better original Let The Right One In. She is already linked to seven new projects, including Martin Scorsese's Hugo, co-starring Jude Law, and the currently filming Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton and co-starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green. One to watch very closely.
2) Saoirse Ronan - Born 1994 in New York, but raised in Ireland, Ms. Ronan starred in 10 feature films so far, including Atonement, Death Defying Acts, the rather disappointing The Lovely Bones (not her fault though), The Way Back and Hanna. She delivered great performances in each of these films, and the roles she played were all rather demanding and versatile. She also doesn't fit the usual bill of the Hollywood beauty, which makes her interesting and immensely promising.
1) Ellen Page - the 24 year old Canadian had her breakthrough with Juno, in which she starred in the title role. Before that, she delivered a brilliant performance in the horrifying An American Crime alongside Catherine Keener, a shocking and thoughtful film based on a true story but unfortunately unknown to wider audiences. After Juno, her most prominent role was as Ariadne in Inception, but she also starred in smaller films such as the funny Smart People, the surprisingly entertaining Whip It (a film about the Roller Derby League directed by Drew Barrymore - really??) and, perhaps her most whacky and surprising role to date, as Libby (aka Boltie) in the hilariously strange Super. We will see her next in Woody Allen's new film, The Bop Decameron, alongside Jesse Eisenberg (he will appear in my Future Male Stars Top 10). Way to go, Ellen!
Film Review: Hanna (Blu-Ray)
So in my last post I sang the praise of British film makers. Next thing I watch is Hanna, directed by Joe Wright, born 1972 in London. Mr. Wright previously directed Pride & Prejudice and Atonement (both with Keira Knightley), followed by the American film The Soloist with Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey jr. A talented actor, no doubt. but somehow a little trapped in the "emotional drama" category? Well, if he ever was, he's not any more. Hanna is a brilliant action film starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett and Tom Hollander. I won't give any of the plot away on this one, and I hope you haven't read anything else about the film or even seen a preview. Despite the action scenes, Hanna is still a character movie, with a deliberately obvious fairy tale backdrop (which is explained quite well in some of the documentaries that accompany the Blu-Ray release). The music is written by the Chemical Brothers, which works exceptionally well for this film. The Blu-Ray delivers a crisp picture combined with a powerful soundtrack and is absolutely worth the extra money in comparison to a DVD. More about Saoirse Ronan in my next post. Absolutely recommended, 8/10.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
British film makers seem to offer the best, most intelligent "popcorn movies / summer blockbusters" these days: Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Night) and Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) have shown how to do it, and Rupert Wyatt is following in their footsteps, without being a copy cat. His first feature film "The Escapist", a small independent UK production, seemed to be just another prison break film; it was much more than that though, and despite the underlying action a very emotional and engaging story (8/10 - the best prison film since Shawshank Redemption). Equally, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not just another big Sci-Fi action flick, but indeed a moving story about sickness, death, friendship, betrayal and corporate greed. The best thing is: it works! For fans of the franchise the film offers a "how it all started" account that fits perfectly into the lore, for everyone else it provides two hours of clever entertainment. There is really only one fly in the ointment, which I think can be easily forgiven: why the apes keep flying through window panes completely effortlessly without taking even the tiniest cut is completely incomprehensible. Other than that: Enjoy!! 7/10
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Ratings
I have reviewed and changed some of my previous restaurant ratings - the more reviews I wrote the more did I struggle to apply fair ratings. What I have tried now is to apply ratings that reflect the positioning of a restaurant in it's appropriate segment - for example, Mikuni, a Sushi & Izakaya type restaurant, deserves a 9/10 because it offers great quality and value for money in this category; The Bengal Lounge is the best Indian Restaurant I have been to and probably deserves an even higher score in that category (I will know for sure when I have sampled a few more comparable restaurants), and so on.
Food Review: La Grenouillère
La Grenouillière is a modern French restaurant just outside Montreuil-sur-Mer, a coastal town about 70km south of Calais. Which makes it the perfect destination for a casual lunch if you live in the London area. You might disagree given the myriads of good restaurants one can enjoy in London, but London is London, and France is France! Yesterday was the second time I made the trip with a friend and fellow gourmand and it was just as enjoyable as the first time around, although quite different in some regards.
La Grenouillière dares to be different. Sometimes a little too much so, as I will point out in this review, but mostly in a pleasant and entertaining way. We were curious about what we might expect this time around because last year we had been presented with some truly inspired food experiences such as a little heap of smouldering fresh juniper branches with a lobster tail hidden within (great fresh smoky flavour), a scoop of grass-green ice cream inside a crystal-clear sugar glass ball thrown on to your plate where it would shatter into pieces or, with coffee, a hammer and chisel taken to what looked like a piece of lava rock left as decoration on the dining table and what was really a Turkish Delight-like substance dyed grey through the use of squid ink. In addition, the restaurant had closed earlier this year for a major refurbishment so we were curious what it would look like.
As we arrived we went to sit in the lounge for a drink (G&T at and a glass of Champagne at a rather steep price of €15 each to find the cozy little area mostly unchanged. While we had our drinks we were presented with the menu in form of a crumpled up piece of flimsy A4 paper (one of the less inspired attempts at being different), an idea which was continued in the presentation of the wine list which was printed on the same flimsy paper and folded in half as a collection of loose sheets. While nibbling on some complimentary bread with herb-infused crème fraîche and very young raddish plants (the whole thing, including the still tender leaves - rather pleasant), we decided to go for the 8 course tasting menu for €85 (supplement of €12 for an extra cheese course) and proceeded to the dining area. Last year the restaurant consisted of a number of smaller interconnected dining rooms. This is now replaced by a large open room with a big glass front looking out into the garden, furnished with modern but comfortable light brown leather chairs and ovally shaped tables which also seemed to have a leather top in the same colour. In the middle of the room was a strange contraption which we suspected to be a hoax, or some would perhaps say a piece of modern art. There is also a spaghetti salad of wires hanging under the high ceiling feeding electricity to the small LED point lamps scattered around the room. One corner of the dining hall opened up into the showroom-type kitchen so we could watch the kitchen staff as they prepared our food in a calm and controlled manner, always a good sign I like to believe. The atmosphere of the restaurant has changed significantly since we came last year - a rather traditional French country restaurant (and I mean the premises not the food) has turned into a modern food temple. I have to admit that I preferred the previous setup, so call me old-fashioned!
We ordered a bottle of Pouilly-Fumée Prédilection 2009 from Jonathan Didier Pabiot at €86 and a bottle of Château Soutard Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2000 at €124 (both very good wines and normally priced for a Michelin-starred outfit: both wines retail for around 40-50 Euro), the former decanted and placed in an ice-bucket inside a leather-bag that was hung on the wall and the letter just opened and left to breathe in the bottle - an informed choice by the sommelier as we agreed on later. So, without further ado, here comes the food!
Bar, Nectarine - thin slices of raw fish, very thin slices of fresh nectarine, a drizzle of olive oil and a little bit of pepper. Nice, a good start.
Eau de Mer, Avocat - a cube of ripe avocado flesh with a thin slice of raw fish hidden inside and some sea water (I would say it was water flavoured with Wakame algeas, salt and olive oil - then again, maybe it was really sea water). Good, not great.
Courgettes, huîtres - a massive half oyster shell (haven't seen them that big since Hawaii) with a raw fresh oyster inside, a thin slice of courgettes and some other green bits I can't quite remember now... Very good flavours, great presentation, but don't make the mistake we made: we were only given forks or spoons up to this point (and for the rest of the lunch as we realised later on), no knives, so in the effort to be good sportsmen we tried eating with the fork only. While you got away with that until now, you really needed a knife to cut the oyster and courgette at least in half so you can enjoy them together (unless you want to risk choking on them). We reckon that what was until then used as a butter knife (which was unusually sharp and big for that purpose anyway) was meant to be used as our all-purpose knife for the day. That is an attempt at being different that I find rather daft to be honest.
Petit pois - four types of peas: pea gnocchi, pea shoots, pea jus and pea powder (!!). The most inspired dish so far, quite clever!
Saint Pierre, épinard fraise - the latter is a spinach-like plant carrying tiny little berries which look more like raspberries than the strawberries lending their French name. This was cooked very briefly and served with a small filet of John Dory: a very nice, well rounded dish. Unfortunately did the little red fruits provide much more colour than flavour - the eyes were pleased but the palate somewhat disappointed. Therefore a little anti-climatic and not one of my favourites of the day.
Vachette ferrée, salicorne - the only meat dish in the menu was reminiscent of a dish that was served last year, too: then, a plate with many little leaves of different herbs was served (to achieve the "what the f..." effect I suppose), shortly after followed by some flash-grilled thin slice of marbled beef served from a carving board. This year, the herbs were replaced with some samphire, the meat and the presentation were the same. The beef was tasty and cooked rather rare, a good simple dish.
Les fromages - a selection of good cheeses, not the best I have seen, but absolutely fine. No frills (fruit, honey, chutneys, nuts, etc) attached, a little disappointing given the restaurant's ambitions.
Marjolaine, citron - lemon curd, arranged in a cigar-shape on the plate, with lots of marjoram-sprinkled mini-merengue sticking out of it. Original, very yummy, great dish! The best in my opinion since the more you tasted it, the more you wanted to have more of it!
Pêche, lait de vache - wonderfully sweet and aromatic peach wedges with a milk based cream, milk powder and some whipped cream on the side. A seemingly simple but rather clever combination of best quality fruit and varied textures of rich milky flavours. Right up there in my top three dishes of the day.
"Deux Espresso et deux Cognac" (each coffee charged at €5.50 and each Cognac at €18) were accompanied by some slightly different petit-four: one being absolutely brilliant, little fresh rhubarb sticks covered in and served sticking out of a bowl full of crushed almond dragées, and a quite overpowering generous portion of what looked like tiramisu but was really rather rubbery chocolate-streaked marshmallow...
All in all a great day out, a nice lunch but in comparison to last year less ingenious and occasionally even a little pretentious at what seemed to be noticeably increased prices (I believe then menu last year offered ten courses at just under €80 and drinks seemed quite a bit less pricey, too). Maybe La Grenouillière was listed a little too early in the Top 100 Restaurants of the World (ranking at 78)...
I find it difficult to apply my rating - last year it was certainly a 9/10, with mostly lovely food, brilliant ideas, a great atmosphere and providing very good value for money. This year I must take it down a notch. 8/10, mostly still that high because of the very friendly and charming service.
La Grenouillière dares to be different. Sometimes a little too much so, as I will point out in this review, but mostly in a pleasant and entertaining way. We were curious about what we might expect this time around because last year we had been presented with some truly inspired food experiences such as a little heap of smouldering fresh juniper branches with a lobster tail hidden within (great fresh smoky flavour), a scoop of grass-green ice cream inside a crystal-clear sugar glass ball thrown on to your plate where it would shatter into pieces or, with coffee, a hammer and chisel taken to what looked like a piece of lava rock left as decoration on the dining table and what was really a Turkish Delight-like substance dyed grey through the use of squid ink. In addition, the restaurant had closed earlier this year for a major refurbishment so we were curious what it would look like.
As we arrived we went to sit in the lounge for a drink (G&T at and a glass of Champagne at a rather steep price of €15 each to find the cozy little area mostly unchanged. While we had our drinks we were presented with the menu in form of a crumpled up piece of flimsy A4 paper (one of the less inspired attempts at being different), an idea which was continued in the presentation of the wine list which was printed on the same flimsy paper and folded in half as a collection of loose sheets. While nibbling on some complimentary bread with herb-infused crème fraîche and very young raddish plants (the whole thing, including the still tender leaves - rather pleasant), we decided to go for the 8 course tasting menu for €85 (supplement of €12 for an extra cheese course) and proceeded to the dining area. Last year the restaurant consisted of a number of smaller interconnected dining rooms. This is now replaced by a large open room with a big glass front looking out into the garden, furnished with modern but comfortable light brown leather chairs and ovally shaped tables which also seemed to have a leather top in the same colour. In the middle of the room was a strange contraption which we suspected to be a hoax, or some would perhaps say a piece of modern art. There is also a spaghetti salad of wires hanging under the high ceiling feeding electricity to the small LED point lamps scattered around the room. One corner of the dining hall opened up into the showroom-type kitchen so we could watch the kitchen staff as they prepared our food in a calm and controlled manner, always a good sign I like to believe. The atmosphere of the restaurant has changed significantly since we came last year - a rather traditional French country restaurant (and I mean the premises not the food) has turned into a modern food temple. I have to admit that I preferred the previous setup, so call me old-fashioned!
We ordered a bottle of Pouilly-Fumée Prédilection 2009 from Jonathan Didier Pabiot at €86 and a bottle of Château Soutard Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2000 at €124 (both very good wines and normally priced for a Michelin-starred outfit: both wines retail for around 40-50 Euro), the former decanted and placed in an ice-bucket inside a leather-bag that was hung on the wall and the letter just opened and left to breathe in the bottle - an informed choice by the sommelier as we agreed on later. So, without further ado, here comes the food!
Bar, Nectarine - thin slices of raw fish, very thin slices of fresh nectarine, a drizzle of olive oil and a little bit of pepper. Nice, a good start.
Eau de Mer, Avocat - a cube of ripe avocado flesh with a thin slice of raw fish hidden inside and some sea water (I would say it was water flavoured with Wakame algeas, salt and olive oil - then again, maybe it was really sea water). Good, not great.
Courgettes, huîtres - a massive half oyster shell (haven't seen them that big since Hawaii) with a raw fresh oyster inside, a thin slice of courgettes and some other green bits I can't quite remember now... Very good flavours, great presentation, but don't make the mistake we made: we were only given forks or spoons up to this point (and for the rest of the lunch as we realised later on), no knives, so in the effort to be good sportsmen we tried eating with the fork only. While you got away with that until now, you really needed a knife to cut the oyster and courgette at least in half so you can enjoy them together (unless you want to risk choking on them). We reckon that what was until then used as a butter knife (which was unusually sharp and big for that purpose anyway) was meant to be used as our all-purpose knife for the day. That is an attempt at being different that I find rather daft to be honest.
Petit pois - four types of peas: pea gnocchi, pea shoots, pea jus and pea powder (!!). The most inspired dish so far, quite clever!
Saint Pierre, épinard fraise - the latter is a spinach-like plant carrying tiny little berries which look more like raspberries than the strawberries lending their French name. This was cooked very briefly and served with a small filet of John Dory: a very nice, well rounded dish. Unfortunately did the little red fruits provide much more colour than flavour - the eyes were pleased but the palate somewhat disappointed. Therefore a little anti-climatic and not one of my favourites of the day.
Vachette ferrée, salicorne - the only meat dish in the menu was reminiscent of a dish that was served last year, too: then, a plate with many little leaves of different herbs was served (to achieve the "what the f..." effect I suppose), shortly after followed by some flash-grilled thin slice of marbled beef served from a carving board. This year, the herbs were replaced with some samphire, the meat and the presentation were the same. The beef was tasty and cooked rather rare, a good simple dish.
Les fromages - a selection of good cheeses, not the best I have seen, but absolutely fine. No frills (fruit, honey, chutneys, nuts, etc) attached, a little disappointing given the restaurant's ambitions.
Marjolaine, citron - lemon curd, arranged in a cigar-shape on the plate, with lots of marjoram-sprinkled mini-merengue sticking out of it. Original, very yummy, great dish! The best in my opinion since the more you tasted it, the more you wanted to have more of it!
Pêche, lait de vache - wonderfully sweet and aromatic peach wedges with a milk based cream, milk powder and some whipped cream on the side. A seemingly simple but rather clever combination of best quality fruit and varied textures of rich milky flavours. Right up there in my top three dishes of the day.
"Deux Espresso et deux Cognac" (each coffee charged at €5.50 and each Cognac at €18) were accompanied by some slightly different petit-four: one being absolutely brilliant, little fresh rhubarb sticks covered in and served sticking out of a bowl full of crushed almond dragées, and a quite overpowering generous portion of what looked like tiramisu but was really rather rubbery chocolate-streaked marshmallow...
All in all a great day out, a nice lunch but in comparison to last year less ingenious and occasionally even a little pretentious at what seemed to be noticeably increased prices (I believe then menu last year offered ten courses at just under €80 and drinks seemed quite a bit less pricey, too). Maybe La Grenouillière was listed a little too early in the Top 100 Restaurants of the World (ranking at 78)...
I find it difficult to apply my rating - last year it was certainly a 9/10, with mostly lovely food, brilliant ideas, a great atmosphere and providing very good value for money. This year I must take it down a notch. 8/10, mostly still that high because of the very friendly and charming service.
Location:Montreuil-sur-Mer, France
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Film Review: Mad Men (Seasons 1-4) Blu-Ray
OK, I admit it - at first I didn't get the whole hype about Mad Men. I watched a few episodes of Season 1 last year and, fair enough, the reviews were right in that the show was very stylish. But every single character on the programme was somehow... well, kind of horrible. And the whole idea of a programme about a marketing agency just seems alien, unless it would be done by Ricky Gervais. So after three episodes or so I gave up.
And then a few days ago I started over. And gave it a bit more time. And as the first season progressed it was getting better. The show looks great, the production value is fantastic and the USA of the early 60s come to life on your television like never before in a contemporary programme. But that's not it - the weird thing is that the apparently horrible characters over time just prove to be damaged people, flawed, weak, sad and sometimes just misled. And that is what makes these characters real - behind the façade of the smart creative director, his beautiful wife and so many other characters you discover people who you can't help but care for, not despite of but because of all their faults. The show has a few funny moments which are not very obvious and not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's mostly serious drama you're in for. An investment worth making though, stay with it into the second season and you will be hooked, too. 9/10
And then a few days ago I started over. And gave it a bit more time. And as the first season progressed it was getting better. The show looks great, the production value is fantastic and the USA of the early 60s come to life on your television like never before in a contemporary programme. But that's not it - the weird thing is that the apparently horrible characters over time just prove to be damaged people, flawed, weak, sad and sometimes just misled. And that is what makes these characters real - behind the façade of the smart creative director, his beautiful wife and so many other characters you discover people who you can't help but care for, not despite of but because of all their faults. The show has a few funny moments which are not very obvious and not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's mostly serious drama you're in for. An investment worth making though, stay with it into the second season and you will be hooked, too. 9/10
Monday, 18 July 2011
Film Review: Unknown (Blu-Ray) - and The Tourist, in one half sentence
Unknown is everything what The Tourist probably tried to be: It's elegant, suspenseful and filmed 50 years earlier could have fit in seamlessly with the best of Hitchcock's thrillers. Liam Neeson leads the cast as Dr. Martin Harris, a Biologist visiting a conference in Berlin with his wife (rising star January Jones from Mad Men and X-Men: First Class). After an accident he loses his short-term memory and nothing is the same anymore. The whole film takes place in Berlin and was shot on location and in the Babelsberg studios. It manages to keep you interested at all times and moves at a good pace while keeping you guessing what is actually going on. Other than Neeson and Jones, the cast includes the German actors Diane Kruger (playing a woman from Bosnia - you may remember her from Inglorious Basterds, the two National Treasure flicks, Troy and The Piano Player), Bruno Ganz (actually Swiss, but led the cast in many German films from Wim Wenders' classic The American Friend to Downfall - Der Untergang) and Sebastian Koch (The Loves of Others) as well as Aidan Quinn and Frank Langhella. The film is reminiscent of some of Hitchcock's work such as North by Northwest or Torn Curtain, but in a modern packaging. 7/10
Film Review: Eat Pray Love (Blu-Ray)
I'll be brief - very much unlike this film: Eat Pray Love was the first film in quite a while that I didn't finish watching. After about an hour I gave up. And even then did I make it through the last 30 minutes or so merely hoping that Javier Bardem may finally appear in a desperate attempt to save the film - he never showed (well, not within the first hour anyway). I wonder whether part of the problem was the casting - Julia Roberts does not fit into the role of the somewhat annoying high maintenance lead character. Julianne Moore or Julia Dreyfuss could have given this film a different perspective, the former with a much more edgy presence, the latter with her trademark sardonic sense of humour. Don't get me wrong - I love Julia Roberts in films such as Erin Brokovich, but this one doesn't work. Give it a miss. 3/10
Monday, 13 June 2011
Food Review: Porters, London
Porters is supposedly one of the London institutions; situated smack in the middle of the West End, only a few paces from Coven Garden and Leicester Square, it promises "traditional English food at it's finest". Well, it only partly delivers.
One of the reasons I think you are better off with many pubs in the area is the selection of Real Ales. Although there are some interesting bottled ales, if you want draught you have the choice between Fuller's London Pride (which I actually like, although not my favourite) and... Fuller's London Pride! The menu looks reasonably appealing with a good choice of pies and some classics such as Lamb Shank, Fish & Chips, Steak & Kidney Pudding and traditional puddings (=desserts if you're from abroad) such as Spotted Dick (playfully dubbed as "not what you might think" on the menu) and Eton Mess.
When my Steak, Guinness and Mushroom Pie arrived I was impressed with the towering puff pastry covering the somewhat small bowl containing the dark brown stew. Appearances can of course be misleading and the pastry was big but not really all that special (the pastry covering my Steak & Ale pie I enjoyed at the pub right next to the Tilford Cricket Green the other day - the name escapes me right now - was much more delicate and "fluffy"). The stew was alright but not plentiful and with an overpowering almost mouldy undertone of old rosemary. My friend ordered the lamb shank which was massive and the meat pleasantly tender and nicely flavoured, but unfortunately the gravy was not unlike the thick Chocolate Custard that covered the Chocolate Pudding that my friend ordered to fill him up proper - in other words very rich and strangely sweet. The chips were average (even my local Chip Shop - The Big Fry in North Camp, Farnborough - can do better than that) and the veggies were plain and boring.
When we got there (8pm) the place was full and noisy (I would guess mostly pre-theatre guests if I had to wager a bet), then got rather empty and quiet only to get busy and noisy again around 9.30pm with what seemed to be predominantly Southern European tourist who made the best of the "kids eat for free" offer - I think there were more kids than adults in the group! Four of them actually shared a table between themselves and I was strangely haunted by images of "Lord of the Flies"... All kids only drank tap water, so you get the picture why I am saying that they made the most of the offer...
3/10 - You can do better than that in the West End, just pick almost any random restaurant in Chinatown...
One of the reasons I think you are better off with many pubs in the area is the selection of Real Ales. Although there are some interesting bottled ales, if you want draught you have the choice between Fuller's London Pride (which I actually like, although not my favourite) and... Fuller's London Pride! The menu looks reasonably appealing with a good choice of pies and some classics such as Lamb Shank, Fish & Chips, Steak & Kidney Pudding and traditional puddings (=desserts if you're from abroad) such as Spotted Dick (playfully dubbed as "not what you might think" on the menu) and Eton Mess.
When my Steak, Guinness and Mushroom Pie arrived I was impressed with the towering puff pastry covering the somewhat small bowl containing the dark brown stew. Appearances can of course be misleading and the pastry was big but not really all that special (the pastry covering my Steak & Ale pie I enjoyed at the pub right next to the Tilford Cricket Green the other day - the name escapes me right now - was much more delicate and "fluffy"). The stew was alright but not plentiful and with an overpowering almost mouldy undertone of old rosemary. My friend ordered the lamb shank which was massive and the meat pleasantly tender and nicely flavoured, but unfortunately the gravy was not unlike the thick Chocolate Custard that covered the Chocolate Pudding that my friend ordered to fill him up proper - in other words very rich and strangely sweet. The chips were average (even my local Chip Shop - The Big Fry in North Camp, Farnborough - can do better than that) and the veggies were plain and boring.
When we got there (8pm) the place was full and noisy (I would guess mostly pre-theatre guests if I had to wager a bet), then got rather empty and quiet only to get busy and noisy again around 9.30pm with what seemed to be predominantly Southern European tourist who made the best of the "kids eat for free" offer - I think there were more kids than adults in the group! Four of them actually shared a table between themselves and I was strangely haunted by images of "Lord of the Flies"... All kids only drank tap water, so you get the picture why I am saying that they made the most of the offer...
3/10 - You can do better than that in the West End, just pick almost any random restaurant in Chinatown...
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Film Review: X-Men - First Class
After the somewhat disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this film is really showing the origin of the X-Men: after an introduction, that is practically identical to the first scenes of the first X-Men movie, we learn about how the friendship between the young men Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) begun. This film pretty much does what it says on the box: it "reboots" the X-Men franchise by introducing younger actors, new characters and therefore provides the opportunity for another few X-Men sequels. Most of the special effects are of the usual high quality, the story is engaging but not without some lengths, and the cast assembles a lot of talent from different generations: The youngest include the wonderful Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), the lovely Zoë Kravitz (Californication - and yes, she is Lenny Kravitz's and Lisa Bonet's daughter - and I predict she is someone who we will see rather frequently on the big screen), "veteran" actor Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy, A Single Man) and the All-American butch Lucas Till. The 30-40 generation is represented by the leading men, Scotsman James McAvoy (Atonement, Wanted, The Last King of Scotland) and Londoner of German/Irish descent, Michael Fassbender (Band of Brothers, 300, Inglorious Basterds) as well as the voluptuous January Jones (Mad Men, Love Actually, The Boat that Rocked) and the great Rose Byrne (Damages, Knowing, 28 Weeks Later, Sunshine). The 40+ generation finally is led by the brilliant Kevin Bacon and a great support cast including Oliver Platt, Rade Serbedzija, Ray Wise (Twin Peaks) and Michael Ironside. Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass) directed a typical American popcorn movie and, despite the partly British cast, unfortunately failed to re-create the brilliant mix of American production value and pop culture with a quirky English sense of humour that made Kick-Ass such an enjoyable film.
6/10 - Good summer popcorn movie, watch this if you enjoyed X-Men 1-3 or Heroes
6/10 - Good summer popcorn movie, watch this if you enjoyed X-Men 1-3 or Heroes
Food Review: Shanghai Blues, London
Shanghai Blues comes highly recommended as a top-notch place for authentic Dim-Sum and fine Chinese dining in London. It's just a short walk from Holborn tube station and when it comes to the food certainly delivers the goods! I went on Sunday lunchtime for a Dim-Sum lunch and wasn't disappointed. If you are a constant reader of this blog (and judging by the feedback there are only three of those, the famous Trinity of Me, Myself and I) you can imagine that the next question has to be how Shanghai Blues compares to my benchmark Dim-Sum restaurant, Hakkasan.
The long and short of it that Hakkasan's position on the throne was never threatened! While the food at Shanghai Blues is very good, Hakkasan's is yet a little better. The biggest differences are found elsewhere though: Hakkasan is about perfection which they pretty much achieve. Hakkasan's ambience is classy, like a great film set; Shanghai Blues is a strange combination of different styles and while not unpleasant somehow "off". I normally start my lunch at Hakkasan's with a fine cocktail (great Martini variations); at Shanghai Blues, the cocktail menu was rather unappealing. One offers perfect service, the other just good service (one good example is that Hakkasan serves your Dim Sum in manageable rounds while Shanghai Blues just plunked all seven dishes on my table as they came out of the kitchen). Soy sauce was only served after I asked. No spoon. Paper napkins. I rest my case.
Back to the food: in addition to some of the classics (Cheung Fun, Ha Gau, Char Siu Bao) there are some less common dishes to be found, such as Salmon Dumplings with Gold flakes (the latter look good on the dumplings but are of course completely pointless offering no taste or nutritional value), Shanghai Shui Jiao in Exotic Chilli Sauce (nice spicy dish served with green leave veggies), Chicken Dumplings in Superior Spicy Soup (very good, very spicy and not recommended if you don't like hot chillies or garlic) and Tai Chi Dumplings, Ying/Yang patterned large steamed dumplings with a pleasant duck-based stuffing. There is a decent selection of teas, which is served in rather small tea pots and tiny tea cups, but constantly refilled with fresh hot water.
Usually I would tell you to go to Hakkasan and forget about this place. Here's why I would still recommend Shanghai Blues for two reasons:
1) If you're on a budget, use the special offer on Saturday lunch times and all day Sundays: 50% off the food bill!
2) If you are getting a bit bored with Hakkasan's fairly static Dim Sum menu, this makes a good change once in a while - and you will appreciate Hakkasan's aim for perfection even more!
6.5/10 - Before you risk a random Dim Sum experience in Chinatown, come here on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday and get very good food for about the same money.
The long and short of it that Hakkasan's position on the throne was never threatened! While the food at Shanghai Blues is very good, Hakkasan's is yet a little better. The biggest differences are found elsewhere though: Hakkasan is about perfection which they pretty much achieve. Hakkasan's ambience is classy, like a great film set; Shanghai Blues is a strange combination of different styles and while not unpleasant somehow "off". I normally start my lunch at Hakkasan's with a fine cocktail (great Martini variations); at Shanghai Blues, the cocktail menu was rather unappealing. One offers perfect service, the other just good service (one good example is that Hakkasan serves your Dim Sum in manageable rounds while Shanghai Blues just plunked all seven dishes on my table as they came out of the kitchen). Soy sauce was only served after I asked. No spoon. Paper napkins. I rest my case.
Back to the food: in addition to some of the classics (Cheung Fun, Ha Gau, Char Siu Bao) there are some less common dishes to be found, such as Salmon Dumplings with Gold flakes (the latter look good on the dumplings but are of course completely pointless offering no taste or nutritional value), Shanghai Shui Jiao in Exotic Chilli Sauce (nice spicy dish served with green leave veggies), Chicken Dumplings in Superior Spicy Soup (very good, very spicy and not recommended if you don't like hot chillies or garlic) and Tai Chi Dumplings, Ying/Yang patterned large steamed dumplings with a pleasant duck-based stuffing. There is a decent selection of teas, which is served in rather small tea pots and tiny tea cups, but constantly refilled with fresh hot water.
Usually I would tell you to go to Hakkasan and forget about this place. Here's why I would still recommend Shanghai Blues for two reasons:
1) If you're on a budget, use the special offer on Saturday lunch times and all day Sundays: 50% off the food bill!
2) If you are getting a bit bored with Hakkasan's fairly static Dim Sum menu, this makes a good change once in a while - and you will appreciate Hakkasan's aim for perfection even more!
6.5/10 - Before you risk a random Dim Sum experience in Chinatown, come here on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday and get very good food for about the same money.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Film Review: The Way Back (Blu-Ray)
After a seven year break, Peter Weir returns to the big screen with a film that is reminiscent of some of his best work - unlike his previous film of 2003, "Master and Commander", which was unusually loud and fast paced. Weir's greatest films include, in my opinion and in this order, Fearless, Witness, The Truman Show and Dead Poet's Society and The Way Back fits right in as yet another captivating, beautifully shot character drama. Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and raising stars Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones, Hanna) and Mark Strong (RocknRolla, Body of Lies, Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass) lead the cast in a story about a group of men who escape Gulag 105 during WW2 and their 4000 mile walk to India. There is some dispute whether the story is actually based on real events or not which is actually irrelevant for the enjoyment of the film. The first half of the film is dark, bitter and strangely claustrophobic, spaninng the arc from introducing the characters to escaping the Gulag and making their way to Mongolia. At this point, the film visually opens up, colours brighten and the second half is truely breathtaking, with some of the most beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Russell Boyd who also filmed "Master and Commander") I have seen in the last few years. Many directors would have pushed helicopter shots and a bombastic soundtrack à la "Lawrence of Arabia" down your throat, but Peter Weir maintains his almost underplayed style and sticks to quiet, intense scenes, carried by the exquisite cast which holds its own against the magnificent backdrop of the Mongolian wastelands, the Gobi Desert, the Chinese Wall and the Himalayas.
The Blu-Ray does the beautiful images justice and is worth every penny. Extras include a Making of, Interviews and some Deleted Scenes.
7.5/10 - Peter Weir is back to top form and this Blu-Ray should be in every good collection.
The Blu-Ray does the beautiful images justice and is worth every penny. Extras include a Making of, Interviews and some Deleted Scenes.
7.5/10 - Peter Weir is back to top form and this Blu-Ray should be in every good collection.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Food Review: The Royal Oak, Paley Street, Maidenhead, UK
The Royal Oak is one of ten pubs in The UK which hold a Michelin star. The pub is located on a quiet country road near Maidenhead, providing ample parking. As you step in you get that nice feel of an old traditional English pub that has been refurbished to today's standards. The first difference you notice is that there aren't that many beer pumps at the bar (I spotted only two to be precise, one offering London Pride and the other an Ale I did not recognise). As you move through to your table (booking recommended!) you may then notice the wine fridge and the wine bottles lined up on one wall (if you know your wine you will notice a couple of Chateau Petrus and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild among them). The tables are pub style without table cloths and overall you begin to get the feeling that you are in for a fine meal in a relaxed atmosphere.
We started with a Hendricks & Tonic and ordered a Scotch Egg (£3.50) and Rabbit on Toast (£3.25). The latter was simple and yet very delicious, with a nice crunchy base, some sea salt and topped with rabbit meat that reminded me a little of French Rillette (although not as greasy). The Scotch Egg was clearly prepared with home-made sausage meet and a quails egg, yolk slightly runny - a perfect interpretation of a classic snack. While we enjoyed the "Ouverture", we were studying the menu which was a bit different from the one we had seen online. We learned later in the evening that the menu changes very frequently (the menu was indeed showing the day's date) dependent on availability of seasonal products, etc. Most starters range from £9.95 to £12.95, with one exception, English Aspargus with a soft boiled gull egg, pea shoots and Hollandaise (£19.95). I decided to give that one a try and wasn't disappointed with the fresh, crunchy green asparagus, moistened by the gull egg (which had a bright orange-red yolk and a pleasant mild taste) and cleverly spiced up by the pea shoots. My friend David ordered Wood Pigeon, Ham and Middle White Pithivier with green peppercorn sauce (£10.50), which was described to us as a "Pigeon Wellington" - a UFO shaped pastry sitting in a nicely balanced peppercorn sauce was filled with perfectly cooked pigeon breast, wrapped into an aromatic dry-cured ham: a great dish and the better of the two starters. Since we had ordered a very nice bottle of red (Chateau Crozet-Bages 1998 for £150 - we had the last bottle!) we gave the very appealing fish dishes (£21 to £32) a miss and had a meat feast: David ordered the Peppered Haunch of Denham Estate Venison with Creamed Spinach and Sauce Poivrade (£25) while I went for the Cornish Spring Lamb Cutlet, Braised Shoulder and Kidney, Chump Potatoes and Roasting Juices (£28). The venison was cooked medium-rare, as ordered, and came with a lovely thick sauce, full of flavour. We both agreed though that the lamb was the better dish since there was just more to it: the pink lamb shank was tender, juicy and of such quality that even the thick strip of fat enclosing it was very enjoyable; the shoulder was as delicate and yet full of flavour as you can wish for and the kidney just melted in your mouth. The juices were indeed just that, so rather than a thick gravy the chef bathed the meats in a wonderful concentrated lamb jus that was so good that I had to fetch the spoon from the potatoes to wipe the last bits of sauce from the plate... By that time I had already eaten much more of the warm home baked bread than I was planning to, hence the spoon! Impressed with the quality of the food, we were now looking forward to our dessert (£8.50 to £10.50): we ordered Cox Apple Tarte with home-made Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Vanilla Rice Pudding with Bramley Apple Doughnuts - both were very much in the "Comfort Food" category, with a no-frills approach but flawless execution. The Cheese board was looking very appealing but we were both pretty full by that time and gave it a miss. Strangely, the list of Digestives was as unimpressive as the Wine list was exclusive: in comparison to the wonderful wine list that includes some rare vintages of the greatest names (at prices of up to several thousand pounds, but yet significantly cheaper than in most other Michelin-starred restaurant) just as well as more affordable yet appealing bottles from as little as £20, the Digestives list is rather uninspired and somewhat short.
9/10 - The Royal Oak offers beautiful food (predominantly prepared from locally produced ingredients), a great choice of wines, friendly and efficient service and a nice relaxed ambience, all at a very reasonable price. I will certainly come back!
We started with a Hendricks & Tonic and ordered a Scotch Egg (£3.50) and Rabbit on Toast (£3.25). The latter was simple and yet very delicious, with a nice crunchy base, some sea salt and topped with rabbit meat that reminded me a little of French Rillette (although not as greasy). The Scotch Egg was clearly prepared with home-made sausage meet and a quails egg, yolk slightly runny - a perfect interpretation of a classic snack. While we enjoyed the "Ouverture", we were studying the menu which was a bit different from the one we had seen online. We learned later in the evening that the menu changes very frequently (the menu was indeed showing the day's date) dependent on availability of seasonal products, etc. Most starters range from £9.95 to £12.95, with one exception, English Aspargus with a soft boiled gull egg, pea shoots and Hollandaise (£19.95). I decided to give that one a try and wasn't disappointed with the fresh, crunchy green asparagus, moistened by the gull egg (which had a bright orange-red yolk and a pleasant mild taste) and cleverly spiced up by the pea shoots. My friend David ordered Wood Pigeon, Ham and Middle White Pithivier with green peppercorn sauce (£10.50), which was described to us as a "Pigeon Wellington" - a UFO shaped pastry sitting in a nicely balanced peppercorn sauce was filled with perfectly cooked pigeon breast, wrapped into an aromatic dry-cured ham: a great dish and the better of the two starters. Since we had ordered a very nice bottle of red (Chateau Crozet-Bages 1998 for £150 - we had the last bottle!) we gave the very appealing fish dishes (£21 to £32) a miss and had a meat feast: David ordered the Peppered Haunch of Denham Estate Venison with Creamed Spinach and Sauce Poivrade (£25) while I went for the Cornish Spring Lamb Cutlet, Braised Shoulder and Kidney, Chump Potatoes and Roasting Juices (£28). The venison was cooked medium-rare, as ordered, and came with a lovely thick sauce, full of flavour. We both agreed though that the lamb was the better dish since there was just more to it: the pink lamb shank was tender, juicy and of such quality that even the thick strip of fat enclosing it was very enjoyable; the shoulder was as delicate and yet full of flavour as you can wish for and the kidney just melted in your mouth. The juices were indeed just that, so rather than a thick gravy the chef bathed the meats in a wonderful concentrated lamb jus that was so good that I had to fetch the spoon from the potatoes to wipe the last bits of sauce from the plate... By that time I had already eaten much more of the warm home baked bread than I was planning to, hence the spoon! Impressed with the quality of the food, we were now looking forward to our dessert (£8.50 to £10.50): we ordered Cox Apple Tarte with home-made Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Vanilla Rice Pudding with Bramley Apple Doughnuts - both were very much in the "Comfort Food" category, with a no-frills approach but flawless execution. The Cheese board was looking very appealing but we were both pretty full by that time and gave it a miss. Strangely, the list of Digestives was as unimpressive as the Wine list was exclusive: in comparison to the wonderful wine list that includes some rare vintages of the greatest names (at prices of up to several thousand pounds, but yet significantly cheaper than in most other Michelin-starred restaurant) just as well as more affordable yet appealing bottles from as little as £20, the Digestives list is rather uninspired and somewhat short.
9/10 - The Royal Oak offers beautiful food (predominantly prepared from locally produced ingredients), a great choice of wines, friendly and efficient service and a nice relaxed ambience, all at a very reasonable price. I will certainly come back!
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Food Review: Toan, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
As promised in my Mikuni review, here is the second of my two favourite restaurants in Frankfurt: Toan is the Vietnamese owner and head chef of the restaurant of the same name - in his kitchen he produces some of the most gorgeous food you will find in Frankfurt, certainly not the most complicated and sophisticated dishes, but nevertheless offering wonderfully combined flavours and aromas in a great variety. If you haven't tried Vietnamese food before, imagine Thai food taken up by about 20 notches... You will find spicy dishes, owing their heat to red chillies of various "seriousness", but also a large range of mild or medium spiced dishes, fragrant from lemongrass, coriander, mint and many other aromatic ingredients. Soups are even better than in Thailand (Tom Yam fades to insignificance next to some of the Vietnamese soups) and the salads are not unlike the ones you can find in Northern Thailand, but yet different and often more delicate.
The restaurant's website is in German only, unfortunately, but the standard menu and the suggestions menu are available in Vietnamese, German and English. Here are my top favourites: Canh chua tôm, an absolutely unique and irresistible soup; Pho, the traditional rice noodle soup with beef - best enjoyed as a main course if you're not too hungry (or binged on too many starters already); all of the dishes listed under "Cold Appetizers" - the salads (and the summer roll is basically a rice noodle salad rolled into rice paper) are all in their own league and all worth trying; the baked sole which is served with a ginger sauce - even most of the best Italian restaurants in Frankfurt will struggle to prepare a better sole; Bo La Lot, grilled beef in lot leaves, a mild but again very aromatic dish; and from the suggestions menu: Muc nuong toi, spicy grilled squid, served with a crushed black pepper, salt and lemon dip; Vit quay sot me, duck with tamarin sauce - simple, but very well prepared; and Ga nuong la chan, grilled boneless chicken legs with lime leaves, served with mixed veggies and garlic rice. The online menu is missing page 2 from the suggestions menu (probably because it includes frog legs, which may upset some people) but includes another gorgeous dish, stuffed chicken legs with tamarin sauce, an absolutlely brilliant dish. These are just my personal highlights though because they are either very difficult to find elsewhere or just especially well prepared - you will also find classic curry dishes, stir fries, chicken saté, spring rolls, etc. which are also very good. Ah yes, and my oldest daughter and I disagree on the best pudding (there isn't much choice but these two are very nice): grilled banana in coconut milk (my favourite) or Banh bi, a sesame / coconut ball with vanilla ice cream.
Toan is located near the Frankfurt Zoo and easily reached by Underground (U6, U7 to Zoo) or car (if you really can't find a parking space in the road, go to Parkhaus Zoopassage. Prices are very moderate given the quality of the food and there is a good choice of Cocktails. I have never looked into the Wine list but if you're interested just post a comment and I will check it out next time I go.
9/10 - I have tried a good number of Vietnamese restaurants, including "extensive research" in Vietnam, and this is as good as it gets - I dread the day when Mr. Toan will retire!
The restaurant's website is in German only, unfortunately, but the standard menu and the suggestions menu are available in Vietnamese, German and English. Here are my top favourites: Canh chua tôm, an absolutely unique and irresistible soup; Pho, the traditional rice noodle soup with beef - best enjoyed as a main course if you're not too hungry (or binged on too many starters already); all of the dishes listed under "Cold Appetizers" - the salads (and the summer roll is basically a rice noodle salad rolled into rice paper) are all in their own league and all worth trying; the baked sole which is served with a ginger sauce - even most of the best Italian restaurants in Frankfurt will struggle to prepare a better sole; Bo La Lot, grilled beef in lot leaves, a mild but again very aromatic dish; and from the suggestions menu: Muc nuong toi, spicy grilled squid, served with a crushed black pepper, salt and lemon dip; Vit quay sot me, duck with tamarin sauce - simple, but very well prepared; and Ga nuong la chan, grilled boneless chicken legs with lime leaves, served with mixed veggies and garlic rice. The online menu is missing page 2 from the suggestions menu (probably because it includes frog legs, which may upset some people) but includes another gorgeous dish, stuffed chicken legs with tamarin sauce, an absolutlely brilliant dish. These are just my personal highlights though because they are either very difficult to find elsewhere or just especially well prepared - you will also find classic curry dishes, stir fries, chicken saté, spring rolls, etc. which are also very good. Ah yes, and my oldest daughter and I disagree on the best pudding (there isn't much choice but these two are very nice): grilled banana in coconut milk (my favourite) or Banh bi, a sesame / coconut ball with vanilla ice cream.
Toan is located near the Frankfurt Zoo and easily reached by Underground (U6, U7 to Zoo) or car (if you really can't find a parking space in the road, go to Parkhaus Zoopassage. Prices are very moderate given the quality of the food and there is a good choice of Cocktails. I have never looked into the Wine list but if you're interested just post a comment and I will check it out next time I go.
9/10 - I have tried a good number of Vietnamese restaurants, including "extensive research" in Vietnam, and this is as good as it gets - I dread the day when Mr. Toan will retire!
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Food Review: Mikuni, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Mikuni is one of my two favourite restaurants in Frankfurt (the other is Toan, a brilliant Vietnamese restaurant - a separate review will follow). Mikuni, located at Fahrgasse 91, is conveniently located between Konstablerwache and the Museum for Modern Art. Its interior is typical for a Japanese Izakaya, in other words rather bleak. There is a Sushi bar with about 10 seats, I guess about 25-30 seats at bare wooden tables and a little Tatami area (I have been told that you pay a little extra to sit there, which may well be true given that I have never seen the area being used). The food however is fantastic - the two Sushi masters operate behind the bar and prepare the best Sushi within a 180km radius (Düsseldorf is just outside that circle and there are some serious competitors there). The seafood is always fresh, of the best quality and served in very generous portions - unlike in the typical "escalator" type Sushi restaurants, where you get a big box shaped machine-produced rice parcel with a thin slice of pre-cut fish on top, at Mikuni you have to look for the comparably small hand-formed and hand-warm rice ball (ever eaten Sushi straight from a fridge? The thought alone makes me shudder) under the massive slice of fish. The Toro (fatty tuna belly) is probably the best you find in town, the Unagi (grilled eel) a must (it will be warmed briefly before being served, so go for it first), the Hirame (Fluke) best enjoyed with lemon and a pinch of salt... ah, I could go on but you probably get the picture.
Mikuni has much more to offer than just Sushi though - beyond the obvious (Sashimi, Donburi, etc.) there are a large number of typical Izakaya snacks (as a starter or to go with your Beer, Sake or Shochu), ranging from standards such as Edamame (green soya beans) and Wakame Kyuri-Su (seaweed and cucumber in mild vinegar) to more exotic dishes for the daring, involving ingredients such as Nato (fermented soy beans - a very acquired taste), grated yam root (very mucilaginous which can be challenging for some) or squid intestines. Of course you will also find classics such as various types of Kushiyaki (aka Yakitori), grilled fish, Tempura, Soba, Udon and so on. If you have tasted your way through the menu, ask for the daily specials, which are written in Japanese on individual pieces of paper behind the bar; you will be rewarded, dependent on seasonality, with wonderful specialities - amongst my favourites were White Aspargus with Miso Sauce, Japanese Cucumber with Miso Paste, Fresh Oysters with a special Japanese sauce, half a grilled Head of Hamachi (Yellow Fin Tuna), Lotus Root and Pumpkin Tempura (with salt and lemon) and - very special - Monkfish liver, pressed into a sausage form, sauteed, cut into slices when cooled down and served in a light vinegar with cucumber.
Drinks range from green tea (free refills), Japanese and German beer and wine to Sake and Shochu. Prices aren't cheap, but then again they never are with good Japanese restaurant. If money is a problem stick with your Yo Sushi and Sushi Circles of this world because you won't be enjoying going back to these after you tried this original Japanese food. Alternatively, go at lunch time and enjoy a cheap "Mittags-Sushi", which comes at 12 or 14 Euro I think, including a Miso soup.
9/10 - Great value for money - I do go there once per week, and I miss something if I don't!
Mikuni has much more to offer than just Sushi though - beyond the obvious (Sashimi, Donburi, etc.) there are a large number of typical Izakaya snacks (as a starter or to go with your Beer, Sake or Shochu), ranging from standards such as Edamame (green soya beans) and Wakame Kyuri-Su (seaweed and cucumber in mild vinegar) to more exotic dishes for the daring, involving ingredients such as Nato (fermented soy beans - a very acquired taste), grated yam root (very mucilaginous which can be challenging for some) or squid intestines. Of course you will also find classics such as various types of Kushiyaki (aka Yakitori), grilled fish, Tempura, Soba, Udon and so on. If you have tasted your way through the menu, ask for the daily specials, which are written in Japanese on individual pieces of paper behind the bar; you will be rewarded, dependent on seasonality, with wonderful specialities - amongst my favourites were White Aspargus with Miso Sauce, Japanese Cucumber with Miso Paste, Fresh Oysters with a special Japanese sauce, half a grilled Head of Hamachi (Yellow Fin Tuna), Lotus Root and Pumpkin Tempura (with salt and lemon) and - very special - Monkfish liver, pressed into a sausage form, sauteed, cut into slices when cooled down and served in a light vinegar with cucumber.
Drinks range from green tea (free refills), Japanese and German beer and wine to Sake and Shochu. Prices aren't cheap, but then again they never are with good Japanese restaurant. If money is a problem stick with your Yo Sushi and Sushi Circles of this world because you won't be enjoying going back to these after you tried this original Japanese food. Alternatively, go at lunch time and enjoy a cheap "Mittags-Sushi", which comes at 12 or 14 Euro I think, including a Miso soup.
9/10 - Great value for money - I do go there once per week, and I miss something if I don't!
Monday, 25 April 2011
Film Review: Get Carter (1971)
I think few people would disagree with me that Mike Hodges' first feature film, both written and directed by him, is also his best film so far - he is certainly less remembered for the 1980s Flash Gordon (sing: Flash, ahaaaa) or the sadly overlooked A Prayer for the Dying (1987). His latest fictional feature film was I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, released in 2004 and starring Clive Owen, which 33 years after his debut seemed like a faint memory of what once was, plotting a similar story line as the 1971 classic did, but without having the same impact or, frankly, even playing in the same class.
Get Carter is a classic in its own right. The brilliant Michael Caine starrs as Jack Carter, a killer working for the East London mob, who travels to his home town to revenge his brother's dead. The film is mostly filmed on location in Newcastle, which in the early 70s provided an extremely bleak and rather depressing backdrop for Carter's search for revenge (some would say that Newcastle hasn't improved much since - I will stay well away from that one!!). There is nothing charming about any of the gangsters in this film - Carter lives in a world of filth, corruption, hate and violence, which was quite a tall order for the early 70s: until then, few gangster films, if any, have been so rough-edged and gritty. The film includes some very memorable lines and images (I don't want to give them away so see for yourself) and has aged very well. The DVD looks reasonably well (only a few shots, including the opening shot, look a bit dodgy) but the sound could do with a bit of a clean-up job. Perhaps MGM or someone will sponsor a 40th Anniversary Edition...?
8/10 - Highly recommended if you like the Gangster film genre and don't mind the violence (which is not very graphic)
Get Carter is a classic in its own right. The brilliant Michael Caine starrs as Jack Carter, a killer working for the East London mob, who travels to his home town to revenge his brother's dead. The film is mostly filmed on location in Newcastle, which in the early 70s provided an extremely bleak and rather depressing backdrop for Carter's search for revenge (some would say that Newcastle hasn't improved much since - I will stay well away from that one!!). There is nothing charming about any of the gangsters in this film - Carter lives in a world of filth, corruption, hate and violence, which was quite a tall order for the early 70s: until then, few gangster films, if any, have been so rough-edged and gritty. The film includes some very memorable lines and images (I don't want to give them away so see for yourself) and has aged very well. The DVD looks reasonably well (only a few shots, including the opening shot, look a bit dodgy) but the sound could do with a bit of a clean-up job. Perhaps MGM or someone will sponsor a 40th Anniversary Edition...?
8/10 - Highly recommended if you like the Gangster film genre and don't mind the violence (which is not very graphic)
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Food Review: Bengal Lounge, Farnham, UK
So here it finally is, my first restaurant review. The Bengal Lounge, located in Wrecclesham just outside Farnham, Surrey (approx. 35 miles Southwest of London) is my favorite 'Indian' restaurant in the area (if you wonder why I put Indian in inverted commas, just focus very hard on the name of the restaurant and try to figure it out. Hint: the clue is in the first word). Together with a good friend who shares a common interest in good food I have sampled quite a number of curry houses in the wider Farnham / Guildford / Farnborough area (I was indeed introduced to almost all of these by said friend), but this one does offer the best food, especially when it comes to vegetable dishes. Check out the menu on their website (follow the link above) to get a feel for what's on offer at what price - this isn't the cheapest in town, but it is worth every penny! I would strongly recommend the Bengal Chattpoti (spicy chick peas, potatoes and half a hard-boiled egg - the best starter on the menu IMHO) or the Maas Biran (Bangladeshi fish with caramelized onions) as a starter and my favorite main dish is the Chicken Tikka Rezella, tender pieces of chicken in a thick lamb mince sauce with fresh green chillies - I'm salivating as I am writing this... The best part though are the veggie dishes: Bada Gobi, stir-fried cabbage with fresh green chillies, is divine, the Sag Bhaji (spinach) is beautifully dry (as opposed to swimming in oil as so often in other curry houses) and yet full of flavor and the Shatkora Dall, lentils with the shatkora fruit, a bangladeshi bitter lemon, is an acquired taste but I absolutely love it!
The service is friendly, the ambience pleasant and we have never been served a bad dish, despite our rather experimental ordering (I wouldn't dare ordering Honey King Prawn or a Bengal Fish Curry in most other curry houses I have been to! The prawns by the way were surprisingly tasty, but with the tangy taste of Tanzanian honey, which is not everybody's cup of tea...)
Ah yes, and here's another exception: this is the only curry house where I have a pudding almost every single time I go: Zorda Shemai - a home-made dessert made from vermicelli, milk, dried fruit and spices. I know, it sounds lame, but it's great - not too sweet, not too filling, very nice!!!
9/10 - I would drive 50 miles return, once per week to dine there!
The service is friendly, the ambience pleasant and we have never been served a bad dish, despite our rather experimental ordering (I wouldn't dare ordering Honey King Prawn or a Bengal Fish Curry in most other curry houses I have been to! The prawns by the way were surprisingly tasty, but with the tangy taste of Tanzanian honey, which is not everybody's cup of tea...)
Ah yes, and here's another exception: this is the only curry house where I have a pudding almost every single time I go: Zorda Shemai - a home-made dessert made from vermicelli, milk, dried fruit and spices. I know, it sounds lame, but it's great - not too sweet, not too filling, very nice!!!
9/10 - I would drive 50 miles return, once per week to dine there!
Monday, 18 April 2011
Film Review: Source Code
First of all, apologies if some of the things I am saying in this review are a bit cryptic, but I want to stay true to my ambition to give away as little of the plot of a film as possible - and especially with this film I wish I could have watched it without having seen the preview before.
7.5/10 - watch this if you liked Moon, Inception and I, Robot.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Film Review: North by Northwest (Blu-Ray)
I never had the pleasure of watching North by Northwest in a theatre, but with the 50th anniversary release of the film on Blu-Ray, I am getting close - watching the remastered film on my home theatre setup made me appreciate the film even more than before. This has always been one of my favorite works of Alfred Hitchcock - it's very funny (this is probably one of Cary Grant's best performances), very suspenseful, fast paced, beautifully shot, featuring a great score written by the wonderful Bernard Herrmann and sporting two of the most memorable action scenes in film history (I don't want to spoil it for you in case you haven't seen the film, so let me just say crop duster and Mt. Rushmore). The Blu-Ray release looks fantastic - the colours are vibrant, the picture is as sharp and crisp as can be expected from a film shot in 1959 and the remastering is very successful in avoiding that artificial, overly smooth look you often find with remastered films; in the contrary, the picture shows a good level of fine granularity that you would see in a non-digital projection as well. I wish much more recent films (such as Heat) would have received that kind of treatment before transferred to Blu-Ray!! The soundtrack (presented in TrueHD 5.1) blows you away as Herrmann's score is opening up the film with a horn section only bettered by the soundtrack to Cape Fear (by the same composer). The extras are plentiful and very interesting, including a brilliant Audio Commentary by the screenwriter Ernest Lehman (84 years old when he recorded the commentary), a 90 minute documentary on Cary Grant (many Non-English people may be surprised to learn that the "American Icon" Cary Grant was really born in Bristol, England), a 40 minute Making of, a 60 minute documentary about Hitchcock's style and finally a 25 minute feature with contemporary directors including William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) and Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy 1&2). One of the best Blu-Rays I own!
10/10 It doesn't get much better than that, highly recommended!
10/10 It doesn't get much better than that, highly recommended!
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Film Review: A Single Man (Blu-Ray)
Colin Firth is George, an English Professor living in Los Angeles. It's 1962, the Cuba missile crisis is looming and George has just lost the love of his life, Jim, in a fatal car accident while being away from L.A.
A Single Man was co-written (an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel) and directed by Tom Ford, an American fashion designer who previously worked for Gucci and is now running his own fashion label (Colin Firth is of course wearing Tom Ford gear in the film). This is Ford's first film, as a writer, producer and director. That bio made me expect the worst and I was very pleasently surprised. A Single Man is a beautiful, sensual, sad and romantic film: slowly paced and yet fully capturing your attention, you feel compelled to step into George's emotionally upset world while he is trying so hard to convey the image of control on the surface. The fact that George is homosexual is mostly irrelevant; this is the portrait of a lonely man who lost his love of 16 years and stands at a breaking point in his life.
The film is beautifully shot and scored and Colin Firth delivers a stunning performance - his subtlety, the nuances in his play, conveying deep feelings with so little effort, earned him an Acadamy Award nomination in 2010 (he lost to Jeff Bridges, who got the award for his performance in Crazy Heart - not undeservedly, I may add), of course followed by winning the award one year later for "The King's Speech". Firth carries the film, but he is supported by the brilliant Julianne Moore and two young talented Englishmen, Matthew Goode (Match Point, Watchmen, Cemetery Junction) and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy, The Weather Man, the Channel 4 programme Skins, and soon to be seen in the prequel X-Men: First Class). Tom Ford has given us a beautiful work of art - I am looking forward to his future work!
The Blu-Ray provides very good picture and sound quality - this is obviously not a disc to show off your home cinema system, but I think it's still worth the upgrade from the DVD. Only extras are a 16 minute "Making of" and an Audio Commentary by Tom Ford.
7.5/10 - watch this if you liked American Beauty. If you felt uncomfortable watching Brokeback Mountain or My Own Private Idaho, get some therapy to sort out your homophobia and then watch this film.
A Single Man was co-written (an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel) and directed by Tom Ford, an American fashion designer who previously worked for Gucci and is now running his own fashion label (Colin Firth is of course wearing Tom Ford gear in the film). This is Ford's first film, as a writer, producer and director. That bio made me expect the worst and I was very pleasently surprised. A Single Man is a beautiful, sensual, sad and romantic film: slowly paced and yet fully capturing your attention, you feel compelled to step into George's emotionally upset world while he is trying so hard to convey the image of control on the surface. The fact that George is homosexual is mostly irrelevant; this is the portrait of a lonely man who lost his love of 16 years and stands at a breaking point in his life.
The film is beautifully shot and scored and Colin Firth delivers a stunning performance - his subtlety, the nuances in his play, conveying deep feelings with so little effort, earned him an Acadamy Award nomination in 2010 (he lost to Jeff Bridges, who got the award for his performance in Crazy Heart - not undeservedly, I may add), of course followed by winning the award one year later for "The King's Speech". Firth carries the film, but he is supported by the brilliant Julianne Moore and two young talented Englishmen, Matthew Goode (Match Point, Watchmen, Cemetery Junction) and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy, The Weather Man, the Channel 4 programme Skins, and soon to be seen in the prequel X-Men: First Class). Tom Ford has given us a beautiful work of art - I am looking forward to his future work!
The Blu-Ray provides very good picture and sound quality - this is obviously not a disc to show off your home cinema system, but I think it's still worth the upgrade from the DVD. Only extras are a 16 minute "Making of" and an Audio Commentary by Tom Ford.
7.5/10 - watch this if you liked American Beauty. If you felt uncomfortable watching Brokeback Mountain or My Own Private Idaho, get some therapy to sort out your homophobia and then watch this film.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Thoughts on Biofuel
There is a lot of press coverage about Biofuel in Germany at the moment because the German government has decreed the introduction of E10 Super Petrol, petrol that contains up to 10% of "Bio-Ethanol". Diesel already contains up to 7% of Bio-Diesel, again as the legislative powers in Germany require. So you would expect the press to comment on the somewhat problematic strategy to fuel your 4 litre engines with "Biofuel" while there are still Millions of people dying of starvation, with the most basic food prices steadily increasing, right? Well, a few journalists are actually picking up on this aspect - the majority of newspapers though are reporting about the danger of the high percentage of Ethanol in the fuel causing damage to those beautiful high-powered engines and the additional expenditure that drivers have to endure since they rather buy the normal fossile fuel based petrol.
The BBC reported in 2008 already that fresh water is going to become scarce at some poitn in an article about salt water based agriculture; estimates on current water consumption to produce one litre of biofuel range between 750 litres and 14,000 litres (future technolgies promise much better ratios, but this is based on current production from sugar cane, rape and soya seeds, etc.); food prizes keep rising, and particular for maize it's been established by various sources that costs have increased at least partly due to the increase in biofuel production from maize; although engines have become more fuel efficient over the last twenty years, these efficiencies have been pretty much balanced off by people driving bigger cars with bigger engines (couldn't find the data for Europe but this chart is probably rather representative - you do actually have to wonder whether the trend for Europe would look worse, albeit perhaps on an overall lower level, since the recent popularity of SUVs). And yet German politicians insist on increasing the share of biofuel, supposedly to "save the planet". Any laws to help increasing actual fuel efficiency (e.g. by providing much stronger incentives to drive fuel efficient cars)? No. Any real intent to introduce a nationwide speed limit on the German Autobahn? God no, this is the land of Porsche, Audi, BMW and Mercedes!!
In light of the recent events in Fukushima, Japan, the German public have sent a signal to the government through regional elections that they want to get out of Nuclear Power. Mind you, these are the same people that elected that same government only a couple of years before, knowing that they were most likely going to extend the lifetime of nuclear power plants in Germany. You also have to wonder whether these people had already tried to influence the nuclear agenda by buying electrical power produced solely from renewable resources (no, NOT biofuel, this would be sun, wind or water) - given the spread between 24% of people voting "Green" and only 6.6% of people actually buying "green" electricity in the state of Baden-Württemberg, this seems to be another area where people are not really putting their money where their mouth is. So it looks that unless some catastrophic event is somehow going to turn people against biofuel (and I don't mean the possibilty that their car engine may not perform as well, which many people actually do seem to rate as a catastrophic event) this complete nonsense will probably continue, with the German government proudly reporting on it's success to increase the share of biofuels.
It should be noted that Germany is following an EU directive in this matter which requires a 10% share of biofuel by the year 2020.
The BBC reported in 2008 already that fresh water is going to become scarce at some poitn in an article about salt water based agriculture; estimates on current water consumption to produce one litre of biofuel range between 750 litres and 14,000 litres (future technolgies promise much better ratios, but this is based on current production from sugar cane, rape and soya seeds, etc.); food prizes keep rising, and particular for maize it's been established by various sources that costs have increased at least partly due to the increase in biofuel production from maize; although engines have become more fuel efficient over the last twenty years, these efficiencies have been pretty much balanced off by people driving bigger cars with bigger engines (couldn't find the data for Europe but this chart is probably rather representative - you do actually have to wonder whether the trend for Europe would look worse, albeit perhaps on an overall lower level, since the recent popularity of SUVs). And yet German politicians insist on increasing the share of biofuel, supposedly to "save the planet". Any laws to help increasing actual fuel efficiency (e.g. by providing much stronger incentives to drive fuel efficient cars)? No. Any real intent to introduce a nationwide speed limit on the German Autobahn? God no, this is the land of Porsche, Audi, BMW and Mercedes!!
In light of the recent events in Fukushima, Japan, the German public have sent a signal to the government through regional elections that they want to get out of Nuclear Power. Mind you, these are the same people that elected that same government only a couple of years before, knowing that they were most likely going to extend the lifetime of nuclear power plants in Germany. You also have to wonder whether these people had already tried to influence the nuclear agenda by buying electrical power produced solely from renewable resources (no, NOT biofuel, this would be sun, wind or water) - given the spread between 24% of people voting "Green" and only 6.6% of people actually buying "green" electricity in the state of Baden-Württemberg, this seems to be another area where people are not really putting their money where their mouth is. So it looks that unless some catastrophic event is somehow going to turn people against biofuel (and I don't mean the possibilty that their car engine may not perform as well, which many people actually do seem to rate as a catastrophic event) this complete nonsense will probably continue, with the German government proudly reporting on it's success to increase the share of biofuels.
It should be noted that Germany is following an EU directive in this matter which requires a 10% share of biofuel by the year 2020.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Film Review - Sucker Punch
Don't trust the write-ups on this one!! Not a clever way to start my own write-up you say? You may be right, but I rather have you ignoring my write-up as well and go and see for yourself what you make of this film.
Zack Snyder wrote (with Steve Shibuya) and directed "Sucker Punch" - Mr. Snyder's pervious body of work includes "Dawn of the Dead" (the 2004 remake, kind of an instant classic despite it being a remake), "300", the brilliant "Watchmen" and "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" (can't comment on that one, I tend to avoid films starring speaking animals like the plague). You may have read that Sucker Punch did badly at the box office so far and that about 60% of the reviews are pretty bad. So what. If you rather want to wait for the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, or the prequel of X-Men or some other safe Hollywood bet, milking previously successful franchises, then you better unsubscribe from this blog.
Sucker Punch features a great soundtrack: cover versions of 80s and 90s classics from Pixies (Where is my mind?) and Björk (Army of Me) to name only a couple of highlights provide a great musical atmosphere, which was also one of the strong points of Watchmen ("All along the Watchtower". Enough said!). The opening scene sets the tone for the film - the curtain lifts (literally - Snyder is telling a story after all) after the Production logos and the events leading to the main plot unfold in video clip style to a cover version of Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (sung by female lead Emily Browning). The film tells an original story on three different levels of reality (or fiction, whatever you prefer), so you need to pay some attention - this is not Transformers 3 although the action scenes dominating the trailers may attract that kind of audience. Speaking of which - the action scenes are in a class of their own and obviously not meant to be realistic, they are a visual feast and clearly influenced by the pop culture (films and video games) of the last 15 to 20 years. Some of the board postings you can read on IMDB are shocking - a lot of people had no idea what was going on in the film although it really wasn's so difficult to figure out.
Snyder said in an interview that he wanted to make a film with cool action sequences as in "Ultraviolet" but with a meaningful, capturing story. I would say he succeeded in trumping Ultraviolet in the Audio-Visual department and managed to come up with an interesting story that kept me engaged throughout the whole film.
8/10 - watch this if you liked One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Brazil, Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Watchmen and... Piranha 3D (that last one is an inside joke! The other ones, other than Watchmen, aren't really all that serious either, but I'd like to think that all of them had a bit of influence on this film)
Zack Snyder wrote (with Steve Shibuya) and directed "Sucker Punch" - Mr. Snyder's pervious body of work includes "Dawn of the Dead" (the 2004 remake, kind of an instant classic despite it being a remake), "300", the brilliant "Watchmen" and "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" (can't comment on that one, I tend to avoid films starring speaking animals like the plague). You may have read that Sucker Punch did badly at the box office so far and that about 60% of the reviews are pretty bad. So what. If you rather want to wait for the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, or the prequel of X-Men or some other safe Hollywood bet, milking previously successful franchises, then you better unsubscribe from this blog.
Sucker Punch features a great soundtrack: cover versions of 80s and 90s classics from Pixies (Where is my mind?) and Björk (Army of Me) to name only a couple of highlights provide a great musical atmosphere, which was also one of the strong points of Watchmen ("All along the Watchtower". Enough said!). The opening scene sets the tone for the film - the curtain lifts (literally - Snyder is telling a story after all) after the Production logos and the events leading to the main plot unfold in video clip style to a cover version of Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (sung by female lead Emily Browning). The film tells an original story on three different levels of reality (or fiction, whatever you prefer), so you need to pay some attention - this is not Transformers 3 although the action scenes dominating the trailers may attract that kind of audience. Speaking of which - the action scenes are in a class of their own and obviously not meant to be realistic, they are a visual feast and clearly influenced by the pop culture (films and video games) of the last 15 to 20 years. Some of the board postings you can read on IMDB are shocking - a lot of people had no idea what was going on in the film although it really wasn's so difficult to figure out.
Snyder said in an interview that he wanted to make a film with cool action sequences as in "Ultraviolet" but with a meaningful, capturing story. I would say he succeeded in trumping Ultraviolet in the Audio-Visual department and managed to come up with an interesting story that kept me engaged throughout the whole film.
8/10 - watch this if you liked One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Brazil, Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Watchmen and... Piranha 3D (that last one is an inside joke! The other ones, other than Watchmen, aren't really all that serious either, but I'd like to think that all of them had a bit of influence on this film)
Film Review - Whip It (Blu-Ray)
I admit it - I was never a big fan of Drew Barrymore nor did I dislike her much. She was cute in E.T., but how about Charlie's Angels? She was good in Donnie Darko (and co-produced the film!) but that was a rather small role. So, why would I buy a Blu-Ray called Whip It, a film about Roller Derby (a bunch of women racing round a small track on rollerskates), starring and directed by Drew Barrymore? Mostly because the film has Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) in it! I have to give Ms. Barrymore credit though: she did extremely well with her first feature film a a director: she picked an exotic, but entertaining backdrop (Roller Derbies in Austin, Texas), a great cast led by Ms. Page (who is again great as a rebelling teenager, picking up from her performance in Juno) and including Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern (looking much older since I have last seen him... which was probably in City Slickers) and Zoe Bell (who I think has a great future if she learns to pick her roles a bit more carefully - she has come a long way already from a stunt woman who worked on Tarantino's Kill Bill, Grindhouse and Inglorious Basterds), a good indie-soundtrack and a very good script, written by Shauna Cross, who wrote the novel of the same name.
The Blu-Ray itself comes at a good picture and sound quality but I guess the DVD would have done just as well. There very few extras (Deleted Scenes, which I did not watch - I trust they have been deleted for a reason) and some cast interviews during which I fell asleep (probably due to jet lag, they weren't completely boring...)
7/10 - recommended if you liked films such as Juno or Little Miss Sunshine.
PS If you are looking for plot summaries, go check out IMDB or Wikipedia. I won't provide any plot summaries since I think they tend to provide too many spoilers - that's why I love Sneak Previews so much!!
The Blu-Ray itself comes at a good picture and sound quality but I guess the DVD would have done just as well. There very few extras (Deleted Scenes, which I did not watch - I trust they have been deleted for a reason) and some cast interviews during which I fell asleep (probably due to jet lag, they weren't completely boring...)
7/10 - recommended if you liked films such as Juno or Little Miss Sunshine.
PS If you are looking for plot summaries, go check out IMDB or Wikipedia. I won't provide any plot summaries since I think they tend to provide too many spoilers - that's why I love Sneak Previews so much!!
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
"Get me started!" or "I hate technology..."
So, because my ISP (Internet Service Provider - it's 1&1, and the thing they are best at is taking my money!!) is too stupid to help with my technical issues surrounding my blog jseidl.de, I have decided to abandon the site and start new. Blogger.com came highly recommended, so I am giving this a chance now. I am not going to move the stuff from http://blog.jseidl.de (mostly because I don't know how to do it easily), so if you still want to read up on my Thailand trip, follow the link in this post. Otherwise, for future reference, bookmark this page!
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