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		<title>Remembering Dad</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/27/remembering-dad/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:58:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A love for potatoes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epicurienne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indoor Games Near Newbury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspector Morse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Betjeman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Papa Epicurienne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Remembering Dad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taggart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Things my father loved]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Whisky Galore]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epicurienne.wordpress.com/?p=2352</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On the last Friday in January of last year, the sun rose but my heart could not. My father had passed away overnight. This weekend marks the first anniversary of our loss and I&#8217;d like to honour it by remembering a few of the things that my father so loved in life. His family. Potatoes in every way, [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2352&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On the last Friday in January of last year, the sun rose but my heart could not. My father had passed away overnight.</p>
<p>This weekend marks the first anniversary of our loss and I&#8217;d like to honour it by remembering a few of the things that my father so loved in life.</p>
<p>His family.</p>
<p>Potatoes in every way, shape or form.</p>
<p>Walking.</p>
<p>Ships.</p>
<p>Travel.</p>
<p>Books by the Mitford girls.</p>
<p>Obituaries (ironically).</p>
<p>Laughter.</p>
<p>Whisky Galore (Ealing comedy).</p>
<p>Inspector Morse.</p>
<p>Taggart (when Mark McManus was still the star).</p>
<p>Single Malt Whisky.</p>
<p>London.</p>
<p>Lists.</p>
<p>Flight Magazine.</p>
<p>Airports.</p>
<p>Classical music and jazz.</p>
<p>The piano.</p>
<p>Eating out (sadly, something he couldn&#8217;t do in recent years).</p>
<p>English Breakfast tea.</p>
<p>Old Times Lime Marmalade.</p>
<p>**do you see how I might have inherited some of my passions from this man?**</p>
<p>Another passion of Dad&#8217;s was John Betjeman&#8217;s poetry. Dad introduced me to it and we both loved the following poem. I was tempted to read it at his funeral, but it didn&#8217;t seem right at the time so here it is to help us smile a year on.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Indoor Games Near Newbury</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">In among the silver birches,<br />
Winding ways of tarmac wander<br />
And the signs to Bussock Bottom,<br />
Tussock Wood and Windy Break.<br />
Gabled lodges, tile-hung churches<br />
Catch the lights of our Lagonda<br />
As we drive to Wendy’s party,<br />
Lemon curd and Christmas cake</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Rich the makes of motor whirring<br />
Past the pine plantation purring<br />
Come up Hupmobile Delage.<br />
Short the way our chauffeurs travel<br />
Crunching over private gravel,<br />
Each from out his warm garage.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">O but Wendy, when the carpet<br />
Yielded to my indoor pumps.<br />
There you stood, your gold hair streaming,<br />
Handsome in the hall light gleaming<br />
There you looked and there you led me<br />
Off into the game of Clumps.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Then the new Victrola playing;<br />
And your funny uncle saying<br />
&#8220;Choose your partners for a foxtrot.<br />
Dance until it&#8217;s tea o&#8217;clock<br />
Come on young &#8216;uns, foot it feetly.&#8221;<br />
Was it chance that paired us neatly?<br />
I who loved you so completely.<br />
You who pressed me closely to you,<br />
Hard against your party frock.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">&#8220;Meet me when you&#8217;ve finished eating.&#8221;<br />
So we met and no one found us.<br />
O that dark and furry cupboard,<br />
While the rest played hide-and-seek.<br />
Holding hands our two hearts beating.<br />
In the bedroom silence round us<br />
Holding hands and hardly hearing<br />
Sudden footstep, thud and shriek</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Love that lay too deep for kissing.<br />
&#8220;Where is Wendy? Wendy&#8217;s missing.&#8221;<br />
Love so pure it had to end.<br />
Love so strong that I was frightened<br />
When you gripped my fingers tight.<br />
And hugging, whispered &#8220;I&#8217;m your friend.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Goodbye Wendy. Send the fairies,<br />
Pinewood elf and larch tree gnome.<br />
Spingle-spangled stars are peeping<br />
At the lush Lagonda creeping<br />
Down the winding ways of tarmac<br />
To the leaded lights of home.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">There among the silver birches,<br />
All the bells of all the churches<br />
Sounded in the bath-waste running<br />
Out into the frosty air.<br />
Wendy speeded my undressing.<br />
Wendy is the sheet&#8217;s caressing<br />
Wendy bending gives a blessing.<br />
Holds me as I drift to dreamland<br />
Safe inside my slumber wear.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/dad/'>Dad</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/poetry/'>Poetry</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/a-love-for-potatoes/'>A love for potatoes</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/epicurienne/'>Epicurienne</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/indoor-games-near-newbury/'>Indoor Games Near Newbury</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/inspector-morse/'>Inspector Morse</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/john-betjeman/'>John Betjeman</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/papa-epicurienne/'>Papa Epicurienne</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/remembering-dad/'>Remembering Dad</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/taggart/'>Taggart</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/things-my-father-loved/'>Things my father loved</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/whisky-galore/'>Whisky Galore</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2352/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2352&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>L&#8217;Hostellerie aux Vieux Remparts</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/26/lhostellerie-aux-vieux-remparts/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/26/lhostellerie-aux-vieux-remparts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:09:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Eurostar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paris, je t'adore!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants - let's eat chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trains]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vive la France!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chiffonade de saumon fume]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daurade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Day trips from Paris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dining out en famille]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flower garnish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flowers with food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[france]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[French restaurants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[L'Hostellerie aux Vieux Remparts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medieval villages in France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moelleux au chocolat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Perfect gratinated potatoes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Provins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurant with terrace in Provins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants in France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants in Provins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roast pork loin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sea bass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sea bream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Set menus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shanghai Cabbage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smoked Salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epicurienne.co.uk/?p=2319</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last summer, Monsieur and I enjoyed a lovely weekend with my Belle-Mère. Somewhat of a culture vulture, she took us to visit a medieval village called Provins. We parked up, bought our entry tickets for the village (yes, unless you lived there, you had to pay to visit) and hopped on one of those funny little white [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2319&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-026.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2321" title="2011 026" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-026.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Last summer, Monsieur and I enjoyed a lovely weekend with my Belle-Mère. Somewhat of a culture vulture, she took us to visit a medieval village called Provins. We parked up, bought our entry tickets for the village (yes, unless you lived there, you had to pay to visit) and hopped on one of those funny little white tourist trains which took us on the scenic route around the remparts, through a gate and into the village itself.</p>
<p>Somehow we managed to miss all the decent performances that are staged about the village in summertime, but we did enjoy a lazy exploratory walk about the place, working up our appetite and working off calories pre-consumption. If you&#8217;ve read Epicurienne before then you&#8217;ll be familiar with how food-obsessed I am, not to mention my husband and extended family, so it shouldn&#8217;t surprise you to hear that the highlight of our afternoon in Provins was most definitely lunch.</p>
<p>After humming and hahing about crêpes versus set menus in the various establishments around Provins&#8217; main square, we settled on L&#8217;Hostellerie aux Vieux Remparts, one of the more established-looking options, with a lovely enclosed terrace where we could dine in pleasant shade &#8211; the sun was high and scalding hot that day, so the respite was welcome.</p>
<p><img title="2011 028" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-028.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></p>
<p>We immediately set about ordering a good Petit Chablis and plenty of water. Playing tourist is thirsty work. With our drinks arrived a little amuse bouche of bread sticks (don&#8217;t be fooled &#8211; they look pretty but are total tooth-crackers), dried sausage and prosciutto. Bread rolls of different types were offered, but none of us managed to finish one. Too tough. Perhaps Monsieur le Boulanger had absconded to la plage  for le weekend?  </p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-029.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2322" title="2011 029" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-029.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Monsieur and I decided to follow the set menu, which gave two options for each of three courses. Belle-Mère ordered à la carte.</p>
<p><img title="2011 025" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-025.jpg?w=480&#038;h=640" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></p>
<p>From hereon in, and notwithstanding the bread issue, the food was superb. Our starters of quality smoked salmon, served in generous folds atop a selection of crunchy leaves and par-cooked vegetables, were excellent. A deft drizzle of balsamic completed the plate.  </p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-033.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2324" title="2011 033" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-033.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>As a main course I chose the pan-fried gilthead sea bream (somehow it just seems so wordy in English. Let&#8217;s do it the French way and call it &#8216;daurade&#8217;) which was light and succulent, served on a bed of pak choi (which the people of Provins call &#8216;Shanghai cabbage&#8217;) with a lovely warm tomato salsa spooned across the top. This was a healthy, delicious lunch so far. I also appreciated the way flowers garnished each of our mains &#8211; so pretty and perfectly appropriate as we were sitting in a terrace garden. Someone in the Vieux Remparts kitchen certainly believes in the importance of presentation and the detail was not lost on me.  </p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-034.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2325" title="2011 034" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-034.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Monsieur thoroughly enjoyed his roast pork loin served with a confit of capsicum and a perfect round of gratinated potatoes. I wanted to pinch some of those beautiful-looking French spuds but Monsieur wouldn&#8217;t hear of it. Sometimes sharing is just out of the question.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-035.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2326" title="2011 035" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-035.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>My mother-in-law had taken her main course from the main menu &#8211; sea bass on a bed of smashed greens, with a concasse of tomato and citrus sauce.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-036.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2327" title="2011 036" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-036.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>We finished up by ordering the chocolate &#8216;moelleux&#8217; (a small, soft &#8216;melt-in-mouth&#8217; cake) with coffee ice cream. The squirt of something wasabi-like on the side was (we think) a sort of pistachio paste &#8211; really very good and quite dangerously more-ish.</p>
<p><img title="2011 037" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-037.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></p>
<p>A quick coffee and we were on our way &#8211; well, almost. First we had to wait for the bill. When it didn&#8217;t appear after three requests, we went inside to pay at the till. So, in summary, at the Hostellerie des Vieux Remparts in Provins I&#8217;d give them <em>dix points</em> for setting, <em>neuf points</em> for the food, but <em>nul points</em> for the bread and only <em>quatre points</em> for the inconsistent service. Still, bread and service aside, if you&#8217;re not in a rush this is a fabulous place to dine on a fine day (get there early and head for the terrace).</p>
<p>Highly recommended.</p>
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<td valign="top">3 Rue Couverte  77160 Provins, France<br />
01 64 08 94 00<a href="http://www.auxvieuxremparts.com/uk/index.php">http://www.auxvieuxremparts.com/uk/index.php</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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		<title>The Shangri La of healthy breakfasts</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/24/the-shangri-la-of-healthy-breakfasts/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/24/the-shangri-la-of-healthy-breakfasts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:25:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cooking with Epic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants - let's eat chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Singapore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Healthy breakfasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[losing weight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Low fat baked beans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poached eggs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shangri La]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shangri La Hotel Singapore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smoked bacon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stuffed mushrooms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tasty dieting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Watching the waistline]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epicurienne.co.uk/?p=2312</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a breakfast that works with a diet: inspired by the healthy breakfast menu at the Shangri La hotel in Singapore. The field mushrooms are filled with low-fat cream cheese (I use Philadelphia light with chives), then sprinkled with low-fat olive oil and a little parmesan cheese and popped into the oven at 180C [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2312&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img title="2011-2012 050" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-050.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></p>
<p>This is a breakfast that works with a diet: inspired by the healthy breakfast menu at the Shangri La hotel in Singapore.</p>
<p>The field mushrooms are filled with low-fat cream cheese (I use Philadelphia light with chives), then sprinkled with low-fat olive oil and a little parmesan cheese and popped into the oven at 180C for about 10-15 minutes. Garnish with half a cherry tomato on serving. Looking at my attempt above, the mushroom could only benefit from a sprinkling of chopped herbs.</p>
<p>The egg is poached. The baked beans are Weight Watchers. The bacon is smoked back rasher, selected for having less fat, more protein present. 2 rashers should be plenty if you&#8217;re watching your weight. Make sure you pat them dry of excess fat with kitchen paper after frying.</p>
<p>When everything hot has landed on the plate, garnish with a handful of fresh leaves. You don&#8217;t really need dressing because the salad mops up the flavours of everything else on the plate.</p>
<p>I hope that, like me you&#8217;ll find this so simple and tasty that you won&#8217;t remember you&#8217;re on a diet.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/singapore/shangrila">Shangri La Hotel, Singapore</a></p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/asia/'>Asia</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/cooking-with-epic/'>Cooking with Epic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/food/'>food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/hotels/'>Hotels</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/restaurants-lets-eat-chic/'>Restaurants - let's eat chic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/singapore/'>Singapore</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/healthy-breakfasts/'>Healthy breakfasts</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/losing-weight/'>losing weight</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/low-fat-baked-beans/'>Low fat baked beans</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/poached-eggs/'>Poached eggs</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/shangri-la/'>Shangri La</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/shangri-la-hotel-singapore/'>Shangri La Hotel Singapore</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/smoked-bacon/'>Smoked bacon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/stuffed-mushrooms/'>Stuffed mushrooms</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/tasty-dieting/'>Tasty dieting</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/watching-the-waistline/'>Watching the waistline</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2312/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2312&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Smoked Salmon at the Hotel Metropole, Hanoi</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/22/smoked-salmon-at-the-hotel-metropole-hanoi/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/22/smoked-salmon-at-the-hotel-metropole-hanoi/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:41:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Meals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants - let's eat chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vietnam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beetroot smoked salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best smoked salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EPIC smoked salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fantastic brunch in Hanoi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hanoi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hanoi hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Metropole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norwegian smoked salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Picalilli smoked salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smoked Salmon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smoked salmon with condiments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smoked salmon with vodka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sofitel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sofitel Metropole Hanoi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epicurienne.co.uk/?p=2285</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Smoked salmon is so easy to get wrong. Buy the over-farmed or rapid-cure variety and you may find yourself pulling bits of bland stringy stuff out of your teeth, wondering whatever happened to the true taste of the smoked salmon of yesteryear. Get it right, from a fine farmer of happy salmon and the situation flips on its head; silken folds [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2285&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img title="Asia 2011 250" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/asia-2011-250.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></p>
<p>Smoked salmon is so easy to get wrong. Buy the over-farmed or rapid-cure variety and you may find yourself pulling bits of bland stringy stuff out of your teeth, wondering whatever happened to the true taste of the smoked salmon of yesteryear. Get it right, from a fine farmer of happy salmon and the situation flips on its head; silken folds of fish dissolve on the tongue, leaving both a smoky taste - at once tart and salty and succulent with oil - and, of course, the desire for another mouthful.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m a massive fan of how they do it at the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi, where the salmon is traditionally served with all condiments, muslin-wrapped lemon and a shot of the smoothest sort of vodka that ex-pat oligarchs might use to toast the Mother Country. The star of the platter is home-smoked, from Norway and boy, is it ever good. So good, in fact, that it almost seems a shame to mess with its pure taste by putting anything with it. To spar with the salmon, two small rounds of toasted baguette crowned with different varieties of smoked salmon share the plate. One is marinated in beetroot, Russian-style, giving it sweet earthiness; the other is stained like piccalilli, hot and tart to the tastebuds.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a taste of salmon roe, another of caviar, a shot of cool sour cream and one of softened cubes of onion, but my favourite condiment is that of minced onion with herbs &#8211; scattered onto a forkful of smoked salmon with a dash of sour cream, it gives the tastebuds a reason to put on their dancing shoes.</p>
<p>At $19.00 US this isn&#8217;t the cheapest of smoked salmon offerings to be found in an international restaurant, but if you like value for money, I&#8217;d say that with the generous serving of finest Norwegian salmon and attention to detail in both presentation and quality of ingredients, this is a platter that I won&#8217;t forget in a hurry. In homage to a great plate I hereby add it to the Epicurienne Smoked Salmon Hall of Fame.</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/asia/'>Asia</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/best-meals/'>Best Meals</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/fish/'>Fish</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/food/'>food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/hotels/'>Hotels</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/restaurants-lets-eat-chic/'>Restaurants - let's eat chic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/vietnam/'>Vietnam</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/beetroot-smoked-salmon/'>Beetroot smoked salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/best-smoked-salmon/'>Best smoked salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/epic-smoked-salmon/'>EPIC smoked salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/fantastic-brunch-in-hanoi/'>Fantastic brunch in Hanoi</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/hanoi/'>Hanoi</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/hanoi-hotels/'>Hanoi hotels</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/metropole/'>Metropole</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/norwegian-smoked-salmon/'>Norwegian smoked salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/picalilli-smoked-salmon/'>Picalilli smoked salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/smoked-salmon/'>Smoked Salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/smoked-salmon-with-condiments/'>Smoked salmon with condiments</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/smoked-salmon-with-vodka/'>Smoked salmon with vodka</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/sofitel/'>Sofitel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/sofitel-metropole-hanoi/'>Sofitel Metropole Hanoi</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/vietnam/'>Vietnam</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2285/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2285&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Dine With Dos Hermanos at Pizarro</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/20/dine-with-dos-hermanos-at-pizarro/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2012/01/20/dine-with-dos-hermanos-at-pizarro/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:40:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bloggers]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Dine with Dos Hermanos is a bit of a cult night out for foodies from London and beyond, making competition for each event’s fifty tickets fierce. As it is, no amount of whining or cajoling will assure you of a place; you simply have to put your faith in Simon and Robin Majumdar’s magic hat, from [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2297&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter">Dine with Dos Hermanos is a bit of a cult night out for foodies from London and beyond, making competition for each event’s fifty tickets fierce. As it is, no amount of whining or cajoling will assure you of a place; you simply have to put your faith in Simon and Robin Majumdar’s magic hat, from which the lucky names are drawn. Having felt doomed never to dine with the brothers, following a few unsuccessful applications, last year I finally scored, gaining admission to the DWDH inner sanctum for a few hours on a late November evening. The venue? Extremaduran chef José Pizarro’s restaurant, Pizarro, on Bermondsey Street, so new that it hadn’t even opened yet, proven by the occasional cable still dangling from the ceiling.</div>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-030.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2304" title="2011-2012 030" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-030.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Once inside I found a lively L-shaped room filled with the happy buzz of people whose appetites were soon to be sated. The decor is Manhattan loft-style, with exposed terracotta brick walls, cosy booths, an open kitchen with bright stainless steel surfaces and when I walked in the kitchen counter was already covered with plates of Iberico ham in different guises. I’d starved myself all day so that I’d have capacity for everything on the menu, so you won’t be surprised to hear that one glance at the ham caused some (discreet) dribbling into the flute of delightfully dry cava that had been offered at the door.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-018.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2298" title="2011-2012 018" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-018.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">In his welcome address Simon Majumdar, one of the Dos Hermanos behind the event, explained that there had been one thousand applications for tickets for tonight and we were the fortunate fifty to receive them. That was certainly interesting to hear – only five per cent of applicants would share the Dine With Dos Hermanos experience at Pizarro tonight and I was one of them (HOORAY!). I took my seat at a table with three lovely strangers, ready to begin the serious task of eating Mr Pizzaro’s fare.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">First to arrive at our table was a plate of croquetas –perfect orbs of gold and so very creamy that they disappeared in a flash, causing me to dub them ‘flash croquetas’. I adore croquetas and these were at the top of their league – no gristle or tough old chunks to distract from the smooth, cheesy potato, just the right consistency with a smoky ham flavour wafting through the middle.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Next to appear was a spread of Jamon Iberico in three different forms, my favourite of which was the chorizo. Sliced paper-thin each mouthful brought more strange noises of contentment. My husband, a die-hard sausage-lover, would have hogged (pardon the pun) the plate for himself, had he been there, so I’m quite selfishly relieved he wasn’t. The accompanying bread was also good – bouncy, yeasty sour-dough, but the quality of the ham before us was such that it fully warranted being eaten on its own.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"> I went slightly bonkers with delight over the carpaccio of cod with fennel and orange. As the self-dubbed Queen of Carpaccio this combination was right up my street. The fish was fresh with the versatility to add the smack of ocean to the aniseedy fennel and zing of citrus. The only problem with Neptunian carpaccios such as this is that I’m always left wishing for more, still, there’s a way to get around that: I’ll just have to order double quantities next time.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">We were next presented with the head of hake – this was understandably ugly yet delicious, with forks about the room excitedly excavating cheeks and precious fleshy bits from all parts of the fish head. Softened red pimentons were scattered liberally about the dish and these were a revelation in themselves – packed full of flavour but with an unexpected velvety texture on the tongue.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-025.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2301" title="2011-2012 025" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-025.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">By now the guests were all heads-down, merrily eating and critiquing each plate. Meanwhile, the staff didn’t stop. Plates were cleared and new ones presented in a very efficient operation, especially considering that this was soft-opening week so everyone was working hard to get it right before inviting the public to come in and chow down. Such seamless professionalism was impressive, a testament to organisation skill. Not one of the wait-staff looked harassed, just focussed. What’s really amazing is how friendly they all were – no mean feat given the pressure they must have been under.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-027.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2300" title="2011-2012 027" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-027.jpg?w=480&#038;h=640" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">A side of tiny florets of cauliflower was a pleasant surprise. Cold, crudité-like, with the unexpected tang of vinegar, the cauliflower was simple, refreshing and palate-cleansing before the shift towards the heavier tastes of the evening: duck livers and Iberico pork cheeks.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">The duck livers were served with red onion – or were they shallots? Small, red skinned, onion family&#8230; the liver was heady, stronger than chicken liver, yet smooth and gamey. The Iberico pork cheeks then arrived – morsels of porcine paradise. They practically dissolved in the mouth requiring next to no mastication – therein lies the beauty of slow-braising.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-028.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2302" title="2011-2012 028" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-028.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Then we were onto the cheese course – I regret I didn’t get the names of the cheeses, but being a fromage fan I was easily pleased here as there was a good representation of types – a couple hard and manchego-like with rind, one I&#8217;m sure was made from sheep&#8217;s milk&#8230; some black grapes and fruit chutney were the accompaniment.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-032.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2299" title="2011-2012 032" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-032.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">And lastly, some cake – my single mouthful of this was enough as desserts are not really my thing, besides which I was thoroughly enjoying the PX Fernando de Castilla sherry, which eclipsed anything else I might have tasted at the time. </p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-034.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2303" title="2011-2012 034" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2011-2012-034.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"> Throughout the evening, José Pizarro’s partners in wine from Cillar de Silos had kept us informed about and topped up with various glasses of Spanish goodness. We’d started the evening with a beautifully dry cava, which I wouldn’t hesitate to serve to friends as an aperitif, and then moved onto a rare and special fino from Gonzalo Bayass. The Duero wine-growing region was well represented by the Rosado de Silos and Illar de Silos Crianza from the Silos cellars, and lastly we had the delicious sherry to round off the evening. By the time I left for home I was one very happy bunny.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">And so to the verdict on Dine with Dos Hermanos: well worth the effort. The evening was superb, the food and drink quality, the conversation excellent – especially as it mostly revolved around the common interest of the Fortunate Fifty: food. The icing on the tarta is that Simon Majumdar is, in my opinion, a really good egg with the right sort of priorities – family and food. As for José Pizarro, well, he kindly gave me some advice on how to make my tortillitas de camarones better, and that was a bonus to the evening that was most gratefully received.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Pizarro is definitely worth visiting if you’re heading down Bermondsey way. Don’t try to book – there’s a no-reservations policy, but as a back-up, if things are busy, you could always pop along the street to José, the slightly more senior tapas bar in the Pizarro stable, which opened to great acclaim last year. Definitely go to Pizarro if you’re fond of all things Iberico ham, be sure to try the croquetas, and if you’re in the mood for bubbles, why not give the cava a whirl? From what I hear Pizarro has had the odd teething problem since the DWDH evening, but that’s to be expected of any new establishment. Put simply, I’ll be returning soon with my chorizo-chomping husband in tow; he’s even fussier about food than I am, so if that’s not an EPIC seal of approval, I don’t know what is.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Useful links: </strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a title="Pizarro website " href="http://www.josepizarro.com/restaurants/pizarro/">Pizarro,</a> 194 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a title="Jose Pizarro" href="http://www.josepizarro.com/">José Pizarro </a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a title="Cillar de Silos site" href="http://www.cillardesilos.es/?page=en_cillar/family">Cillar de Silos</a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a title="Dos Hermanos blog" href="http://www.doshermanos.co.uk/">Dos Hermanos </a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a title="Simon Majumdar" href="http://www.simonmajumdar.co.uk/">Simon Majumdar</a></p>
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		<title>A First Class First Taste of Smoked Salmon</title>
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		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/12/02/a-first-class-first-taste-of-smoked-salmon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Smoked salmon seems to pop up everywhere these days, in all sorts of guises, but it wasn&#8217;t always the case. I had to reach the grand old age of twelve before relishing my first taste of this fine fish-lover&#8217;s fare. My mother and I had been upgraded to First Class (!!) on a transatlantic Pan Am flight, in [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2290&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/pan-am-first-class-ad.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2291" title="Pan Am First Class ad" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/pan-am-first-class-ad.jpg?w=480&#038;h=645" alt="" width="480" height="645" /></a></p>
<p>Smoked salmon seems to pop up everywhere these days, in all sorts of guises, but it wasn&#8217;t always the case. I had to reach the grand old age of twelve before relishing my first taste of this fine fish-lover&#8217;s fare. My mother and I had been upgraded to First Class (!!) on a transatlantic Pan Am flight, in the good ole days of winged Clippers. The front of the plane was a new experience for my young self and I knew it wasn&#8217;t to be taken for granted, so I sat up straight and was on my absolutely best behaviour when the purser approached our row, what little there was of it. Before us she placed plates of cold fish in concertinas of tangerine, stark against the white crockery. I looked at my mother for guidance and she gave me a quick explanation of what we were about to eat. &#8220;It&#8217;s smoked salmon,&#8221; she explained, &#8220;and these are the condiments that go with it,&#8221; I looked down at the array set on the tray between us.  Never had I seen fish served like this before.</p>
<p>Little triangles of perfect Melba toast accompanied the spread, golden and warm from the galley. Just as I popped the first bite into my mouth, having had a quick lesson in what to do with the caviar and dollop of sour cream, the capers and tiny diced onions and morsels of hard-boiled egg, the purser returned. &#8220;Would the young lady care for vodka with that?&#8221; she asked my mother with a cheeky wink, &#8220;Vodka? ME?&#8221; I was confused by the offer, &#8220;but I&#8217;m only twelve years old!&#8221; I already knew that the American airlines were super-strict about the serving of alcohol to only those over twenty-one, not that I&#8217;d started hitting the hard stuff yet, so I thought we must have a real renegade in charge of our cabin. The purser continued to jest. &#8220;Twelve years old, huh? Funny. You look so grown up. I could swear you were at least twenty-one!&#8221; She knew just how to charm a shy adolescent.</p>
<p>We returned home to New Zealand a couple of weeks later, my palate craving a food that would remain, for some time at least, reserved for special occasions.  Following that landmark flight I had a new answer for people who asked what my favourite foods were:  &#8220;Smoked salmon and caviar,&#8221; I&#8217;d reply, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/airlines-2/'>Airlines</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/best-meals/'>Best Meals</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/fish/'>Fish</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/food/'>food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/transport-planes-trains-and-automobiles/'>Transport - planes, trains and automobiles</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/caviar/'>Caviar</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/epicurienne/'>Epicurienne</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/favourite-foods/'>favourite foods</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/first-class/'>First Class</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/first-class-pan-am/'>First Class Pan Am</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/flights/'>Flights</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/in-flight-meals/'>In-flight meals</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-am/'>Pan Am</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-am-clippers/'>Pan Am clippers</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-am-fan/'>Pan Am fan</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-am-first-class-food/'>Pan Am First Class food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-am-first-class-purser/'>Pan Am First Class purser</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-am-food/'>Pan Am food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/pan-american-world-airways/'>Pan American World Airways</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/plane-food/'>Plane food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/planes/'>Planes</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/smoked-salmon/'>Smoked Salmon</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/smoked-salmon-condiments/'>Smoked salmon condiments</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/transatlantic-flights/'>Transatlantic flights</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/travel/'>travel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/vodka-with-smoked-salmon/'>Vodka with smoked salmon</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2290/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2290&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>A Walk in Central Park, New York City</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/11/28/a-walk-in-central-park-new-york-city/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/11/28/a-walk-in-central-park-new-york-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:40:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Museums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epicurienne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horse drawn carriages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horse drawn carriages in Central Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Literary Walk Central Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manhattan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[March in Central Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robert Burns statue Central Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Frick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Plaza Hotel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Whitney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walk in Central Park]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epicurienne.co.uk/?p=2269</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve been to the Red Flame Diner, the Frick Collection and the Whitney. Now it&#8217;s time to clear our heads of comfort food and culture so Monsieur and I head across to Central Park. Every time we&#8217;ve visited together, we&#8217;ve spent a little time in this glorious lung for the island of Manhattan, and every [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2269&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;ve been to the Red Flame Diner, the Frick Collection and the Whitney. Now it&#8217;s time to clear our heads of comfort food and culture so Monsieur and I head across to Central Park. Every time we&#8217;ve visited together, we&#8217;ve spent a little time in this glorious lung for the island of Manhattan, and every time, we&#8217;ve discovered new sights to enthrall. The last visit saw us wading through drifts of newly-fallen snow; this time, the sun was shining and New Yorkers were out in droves, soaking up the vitamin D.</p>
<p>Do you think this runner stopped for some Gatorade or a big, fat pretzel after his run?</p>
<p><img title="DSCF2130" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2130.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></p>
<p>This pair looked slightly uncomfortable on their carriage ride:</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2131.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2271" title="DSCF2131" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2131.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Their wives, hidden by the hood, looked far more enthused. Monsieur and I didn&#8217;t feel the need for wheels, no matter how romantic the notion of a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park, so on we walked.</p>
<p>The paths were busy with happy wanderers, like ourselves:</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2134.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2272" title="DSCF2134" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2134.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>And then, in the midst of everything, we found our old pal, Rabbie Burns:</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2135.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2273" title="DSCF2135" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2135.jpg?w=480&#038;h=640" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></a></p>
<p>We passed the place where people&#8217;s endowments of trees for the park are honoured by plaques in a place called Literary Walk:</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2137.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2274" title="DSCF2137" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2137.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Further along, we found people sunning themselves like seals on a giant rock. We climbed up to see what they were watching and found the Wollman skating rink beneath the Midtown skyline. There was no mistaking who operates it these days &#8211; Donald Trump, his name emblazoned all around the rink:</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2138.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2275" title="DSCF2138" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2138.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>We then headed for the Plaza Hotel and Fifth Avenue, spotting this colourful line up of carriages en route:</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2141.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2276" title="DSCF2141" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2141.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Now the carriages and tree-lined walks would be replaced by skyscrapers and New York yellow cabs, but not before we glimpse a horse proudly sprouting a bright purple feather from its bridle. It seems that even the horses in Manhattan know that in this part of world, anything goes.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2142.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2278" title="DSCF2142" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2142.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/hotels/'>Hotels</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/museums/'>Museums</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/new-york/'>New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/parks/'>Parks</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/usa/'>USA</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/walks/'>Walks</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/central-park/'>Central Park</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/epicurienne/'>Epicurienne</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/horse-drawn-carriages/'>Horse drawn carriages</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/horse-drawn-carriages-in-central-park/'>Horse drawn carriages in Central Park</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/literary-walk-central-park/'>Literary Walk Central Park</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/manhattan/'>Manhattan</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/march-in-central-park/'>March in Central Park</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/new-york-city/'>New York City</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/robert-burns-statue-central-park/'>Robert Burns statue Central Park</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/the-frick/'>The Frick</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/the-plaza-hotel/'>The Plaza Hotel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/the-whitney/'>The Whitney</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/travel/'>travel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/usa/'>USA</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/walk-in-central-park/'>Walk in Central Park</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2269/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2269&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Sofitel, New York City</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/11/24/sofitel-new-york-city/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/11/24/sofitel-new-york-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:49:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bars - let's drink chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants - let's eat chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[44th Street New York City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bar flirts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DSK and Sofitel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epicurienne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaby Bar at the Sofitel New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotels in New York City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manhattan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mating rituals in Manhattan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Midtown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scandals of 2011]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sofitel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sofitel beds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sofitel New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Algonquin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Red Flame Diner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://epicurienne.co.uk/?p=2265</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[DSK: a trio of letters synonymous with scandal, sex and the Sofitel Hotel in New York City. When Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then-head of the IMF found himself embroiled in a hotel housemaid&#8217;s accusation of sexual assault earlier this year, Monsieur and I were transfixed before the television, not because of yet another (yawn) politician making the [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2265&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2154.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2266" title="DSCF2154" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2154.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>DSK: a trio of letters synonymous with scandal, sex and the Sofitel Hotel in New York City. When Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then-head of the IMF found himself embroiled in a hotel housemaid&#8217;s accusation of sexual assault earlier this year, Monsieur and I were transfixed before the television, not because of yet another (yawn) politician making the headlines due to a certain lack of behavioural restraint, but because of the hotel at the centre of the scandal. The story broke while we were in France for a family celebration. The French news stations were saturated with back-to-back tales of Strauss-Kahn and his fateful stay at the New York Sofitel, where Monsieur and I have stayed quite happily twice &#8211; no straying politicos or maids-with-benefits involved. It felt odd to know the place where such sordid events unfolded; contrary to how it may have come across in this year&#8217;s press coverage of the DSK affair, the Sofitel is a serene and beautiful place to call home during a sojourn in Manhattan.</p>
<p>Monsieur and I are fans of the Sofitel chain, especially as the presence of plenty of French staff make Monsieur feel so at home. On our last visit to The Big Apple, we dragged our cases up to the Sofitel from Penn Station and were greeted with warmth and a couple of welcome drinks vouchers to be used at Gaby, the hotel bar. Once we&#8217;d settled into our room set in a quiet recess away from 44th Street we took our vouchers down to the lobby to join the Friday afternoon crowd for a drink.</p>
<p>It was still too early for the pre-theatre crowd so prevalent in Midtown, and too early for most office workers to kick up their heels at the start of the weekend, but there was already the beginning of a lively gathering at one end of the room. Our waiter was Buddhist in his calm approach to serving his patrons; so much so he was almost invisible. Menus and cocktail mix appeared before us, yet so quietly that it was as if they&#8217;d been conjured from thin air.</p>
<p>Perusing the drinks list, Monsieur decided to forego his usual mojito in favour of the Lemon Drop cocktail, his first sip causing an audible sigh of appreciation. I stole a taste: it was like intense alcoholic lemonade with the essence of lemon meringue pie mixed through it. Iced, this would be a grown-up&#8217;s dessert of choice, not far from that naughty Venetian after-dinner drink, the sgroppino.</p>
<p>Chocolate was on my mind, so I ordered a mochatini, but our waiter quietly returned to our table to say &#8220;I&#8217;m afraid we&#8217;re all out of the Starbuck&#8217;s liquor required to make the mochatini. Could I interest you a chocatini instead?&#8221;. I was more than a little surprised to learn that a French hotel served drinks made with an American coffee giant&#8217;s syrup, but I have to admit that Starbuck&#8217;s mocha flavouring is quite excellent (stone me, curse me, but I give credit where it&#8217;s due). Fortunately, the chocatini soon took my mind off the omnipresence of globalisation. The cocktail was absolute decadence in a glass, like syrupy, alcoholic chocolate milk.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, three suits had taken stools at the bar, self-importantly jabbing the air from time to time as they mentioned markets and calls and shorts and losses. Shortly afterward, three women dressed for the kill arrived and took seats a little further down the bar. Air-kissing commenced amidst drawling &#8220;how AAAAARE you&#8221;s, making me giggle at their own brand of theatre. By the time we left, the girls were exchanging meaningful nods with the neighbouring suits whilst pointedly preening long tresses and adjusting cleavages. DSK it wasn&#8217;t, but mating rituals in Manhattan still make excellent entertainment.</p>
<p>There are many good reasons to stay at New York&#8217;s Sofitel: it&#8217;s ideally situated for the theatre district and Times Square, is central for the main attractions of all the big Avenues, close to the major stores of Barney&#8217;s, Bendel&#8217;s and Bloomingdale&#8217;s and shares its address of 44th Street with the eponymous Red Flame Diner and the Algonquin Hotel of Round Table fame. Ready and waiting for you when you&#8217;ve walked your feet into a numbed fatigue, the Sofitel beds are there to envelop the tired wanderer in their rejuvenating cocoons of softness.  The doormen and concierges go the extra mile, there are PC and printing facilities in a quiet corner of the lobby, and if you want to just sit and watch the comings of goings of visitors and guests, the sumptuous lobby armchairs provide the comfort from which to do so.</p>
<p>Highly recommended, especially if someone else is paying, and I think we can safely assume that DSK won&#8217;t be going back any time soon.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/bars-lets-drink-chic/'>Bars - let's drink chic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/cocktails/'>Cocktails</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/food/'>food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/hotels/'>Hotels</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/new-york/'>New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/restaurants-lets-eat-chic/'>Restaurants - let's eat chic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/usa/'>USA</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/44th-street-new-york-city/'>44th Street New York City</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/bar-flirts/'>bar flirts</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/dsk-and-sofitel/'>DSK and Sofitel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/epicurienne/'>Epicurienne</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/gaby-bar-at-the-sofitel-new-york/'>Gaby Bar at the Sofitel New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/hotels-in-new-york-city/'>Hotels in New York City</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/manhattan/'>Manhattan</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/mating-rituals-in-manhattan/'>mating rituals in Manhattan</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/midtown/'>Midtown</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/new-york/'>New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/scandals-of-2011/'>Scandals of 2011</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/sofitel/'>Sofitel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/sofitel-beds/'>Sofitel beds</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/sofitel-new-york/'>Sofitel New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/the-algonquin/'>The Algonquin</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/the-red-flame-diner/'>The Red Flame Diner</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/travel/'>travel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/usa/'>USA</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2265/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2265&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Sunday Brunch at Petite Abeille, New York</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/11/22/sunday-brunch-at-petite-abeille-new-york/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/11/22/sunday-brunch-at-petite-abeille-new-york/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:34:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bars - let's drink chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Meals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cafes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Restaurants - let's eat chic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Almond croissant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belgian food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belgian restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belgian restaurant in New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best bloody mary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bloody Mary in New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brunch in New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eggs Benedict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Long weekend in New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lower Manhattan brunch places]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mac n cheese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manhattan in March]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[No reservations restaurants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nutella]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Petite Abeille]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real tomatoes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stoemp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunday Brunch in Manhattan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tartine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tintin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[There are four branches of Petite Abeille, or &#8216;Little Bee&#8217; in New York City, each with Belgian charm and all proud of their reputation as being the providers of an excellent weekend brunch. Alas, house rules say no reservations are possible; you have to present yourself in person and be prepared to wait. Monsieur and [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2258&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2172.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2261" title="DSCF2172" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2172.jpg?w=480&#038;h=640" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></a></p>
<p>There are four branches of Petite Abeille, or &#8216;Little Bee&#8217; in New York City, each with Belgian charm and all proud of their reputation as being the providers of an excellent weekend brunch. Alas, house rules say no reservations are possible; you have to present yourself in person and be prepared to wait.</p>
<p>Monsieur and I were in New York for a long weekend, late in March. We were lucky with the weather: the sky was nothing but high and blue, the air crisp and we couldn&#8217;t wait for a proper Noo Yoik Sunday brunch, so, armed with a pair of rumbling stomachs we headed down to lower Manhattan to the Petite Abeille at 134 West Broadway.</p>
<p>On arrival there was already a line out the door, but within a few minutes we were inside and soon after that were offered seats at the bar while we waited for a table to become free. The restaurant byline is &#8216;a taste of Belgium&#8217; and the walls were suitably covered with Tintin posters and a variety of Belgian memorabilia. We ordered drinks to quell our hunger. Monsieur had an OJ and I went all out, ordering one of the famous Petite Abeille Bloody Marys.</p>
<p><img title="DSCF2166" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2166.jpg?w=480&#038;h=640" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></p>
<p>This was one fantastic cocktail, with plenty of va-va-voom courtesy of oodles of fresh horseradish and a liberal dose of Worcestershire sauce. The usual celery stick garnish was enhanced by a sprinkling of colourful batons of capsicum, a bit like fat pick-up sticks. The success of this drink surely augured well for our brunch &#8211; if we ever got a table.</p>
<p>Just as Monsieur&#8217;s stirrings of impatience became dangerous to the waitresses, we were ushered to a table by the window &#8211; one of the prime positions in this otherwise tiny shack of an eatery. The wait was worth it for our view of both our fellow patrons and the street of eclectic boutiques outside. There must have been a fun run that day because runners and their cheerleading friends and family started to descend on the Petite Abeille, wrapped in aluminium blankets. These sporty folk knew exactly where to get their post-exercise carb fix.</p>
<p>Monsieur and I ventured into the menu with caution, nibbling at first on a shared almond croissant and a tartine of perfectly toasted baguette slathered with Nutella. My husband being French, his critique of breads is utterly unforgiving, so when he declared the baguette perfect and asked for a toaster like the one in the Petite Abeille kitchen, I was blown away. Such praise is rare.</p>
<p>Around us, the meal of choice seemed to be the waffle special, loaded with blueberries, strawberries and rounds of fresh kiwifruit, all scattered atop an evil layer of whipped cream. This was obviously not the place for slimmers, as proven by a quick glance at the menu which features a lot of eggs, potatoes, burgers and cheese. With such a tempting selection I was torn; would I honour my penchant for croquettes (North Sea shrimp or Belgian Cheese), cave in to an Omelette Maison (smoked salmon, scallions and sour cream) or tuck into the vol au vent filled with chicken stew, bacon, mushrooms and accompanied by fries? In the end I decided to go all out on the calorie front, ordering the Macaroni Jambon-Fromage - traditional mac &#8216;n&#8217;cheese with ham and Gruyère, delightfully gooey and rich with melted dairy products. Then to assuage the guilt attached to the glutton I am fully capable of being, I ordered a side salad of leaves with sliced red onion, seedless cucumber chunks and divinely marinated tomato that&#8217;s reminiscent of how tomatoey a tomato should taste. All of the time.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2169.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2260" title="DSCF2169" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/dscf2169.jpg?w=480&#038;h=360" alt="" width="480" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>Monsieur was now elbow deep in his brunch fare: eggs benedict with smoked salmon, mesclun salad and stoemp, golden yolky lava coursing across his plate. &#8220;Your eggs are better,&#8221; he pronounced, &#8220;but the muffins and smoked salmon are excellent.&#8221; Having started the day unconvinced by my choice of brunch restaurant, fussy French husband was now praising my eatery-selection techniques. &#8220;And this stoemp is very, very good.&#8221; he mumbled through a mouthful of leek and potato mash. The only thing he didn&#8217;t comment on was the mesclun, but he wouldn&#8217;t; to Monsieur salad is simply salad, only worthy of comment when the leaves are brown.</p>
<p>Bottomless ice water and decent regular coffee with warm milk completed this sunny picture. We didn&#8217;t have room for any of the eight waffle options on offer but as a consolation, we would now not need lunch, having been fully topped up with calorific goodness. Monsieur and I paid our waitress with a smile, heading out into a bright Manhattan Sunday afternoon with gleeful step. I&#8217;ll certainly be back when the siren call of the North Sea shrimp croquettes becomes insistently inescapable and between you and me, I hope that might be soon.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.petiteabeille.com">www.petiteabeille.com</a></p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/bars-lets-drink-chic/'>Bars - let's drink chic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/best-meals/'>Best Meals</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/cafes/'>Cafes</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/cocktails/'>Cocktails</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/food/'>food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/new-york/'>New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/restaurants-lets-eat-chic/'>Restaurants - let's eat chic</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/usa/'>USA</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/almond-croissant/'>Almond croissant</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/belgian-food/'>Belgian food</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/belgian-restaurant/'>Belgian restaurant</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/belgian-restaurant-in-new-york/'>Belgian restaurant in New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/best-bloody-mary/'>Best bloody mary</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/bloody-mary-in-new-york/'>Bloody Mary in New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/brunch/'>Brunch</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/brunch-in-new-york/'>Brunch in New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/eggs-benedict/'>Eggs Benedict</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/long-weekend-in-new-york/'>Long weekend in New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/lower-manhattan-brunch-places/'>Lower Manhattan brunch places</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/mac-n-cheese/'>Mac n cheese</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/manhattan-in-march/'>Manhattan in March</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/new-york/'>New York</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/no-reservations-restaurants/'>No reservations restaurants</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/nutella/'>nutella</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/petite-abeille/'>Petite Abeille</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/real-tomatoes/'>Real tomatoes</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/stoemp/'>Stoemp</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/sunday-brunch-in-manhattan/'>Sunday Brunch in Manhattan</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/tartine/'>tartine</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/tintin/'>Tintin</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/travel/'>travel</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/usa/'>USA</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2258/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2258&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>L&#8217;Epicurien &#8211; the cocktail</title>
		<link>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/10/06/lepicurien-the-cocktail/</link>
		<comments>http://epicurienne.co.uk/2011/10/06/lepicurien-the-cocktail/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:08:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>epicurienne</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel - bon voyage!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vive la France!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cocktail blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cocktail recipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epicurienne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[france]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[French cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[l'epicurien]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe for l'epicurien]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[A very epicurean tipple... with recipe. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2249&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Spotted in France: the Epicurien, a cocktail bubbling with citrus and grenadine.</p>
<p><a href="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/2011-503.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2250" title="2011 503" src="http://epicurienne.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/2011-503.jpg?w=480&#038;h=640" alt="" width="480" height="640" /></a></p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/cocktails/'>Cocktails</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/recipes/'>Recipes</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/travel-bon-voyage/'>Travel - bon voyage!</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/category/vive-la-france/'>Vive la France!</a> Tagged: <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/cocktail-blogging/'>cocktail blogging</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/cocktail-recipe/'>cocktail recipe</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/cocktails/'>Cocktails</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/epicurienne/'>Epicurienne</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/france/'>france</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/french-cocktails/'>French cocktails</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/lepicurien/'>l'epicurien</a>, <a href='http://epicurienne.co.uk/tag/recipe-for-lepicurien/'>recipe for l'epicurien</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/epicurienne.wordpress.com/2249/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=epicurienne.co.uk&amp;blog=2823335&amp;post=2249&amp;subd=epicurienne&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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