#they ate a milk bread and the bread had some sort of milk custard in it it’s a kitakyushu delicacy lol

[akkivee]

i was watching the bonus video that comes with buying all the fan meetings and got to fp’s part and like!!!!! shiraimu’s nails were painted with his teammates’ colours the day of the live omg 🥺🥺🥺

[roberthunter62]

1979 by Smashing Pumpkins

From food to pumpkins. When I was growing up, a pumpkin was a mystery. It appeared in the Cinderella tale and as a TV lantern at Halloween. But I had never seen one. I can’t remember the first time I saw a pumpkin. I made a stuffed marrow once at university, it was horrendously dull. Pumpkin pie was a thing on TV too... we were eating apple sponge and blackberry and apple pies out of the freezer, for many years with custard, though later on with ice cream drilled from tubs (it was so hard, it drove the handle of the spoon painfully into your palm or actually bent the spoon). Now there are pumpkins and courgettes everywhere, all the time. My father-in-law grows them and then doles them out through the winter, chopping large ones into pieces so that we get to have pumpkin soup pretty much every week. 

You could write a book about food, a memoir recalling all of those food-related moments. It’s symbolic presence in your life on a regular basis, or at specific key moments; but also the simple pleasures and dislikes, the weird frontiers of likes and dislikes (like omelettes, don’t like scrambled egg; like salt, but not flakes of sea salt; like milk in my tea, but don’t like milky tea). Here’s a list of things that leap to mind (and then there will have to be a sequel of all the other things I remember later).

Penguin biscuits on a Friday

Jaffa cakes after home-cooked fish and chips on a Saturday

Banana sandwiches (or apple sandwiches)

Tuna baguette on pa amb tomata in a bar (this is just turning into a list of sandwiches)

Roasted parsnips (and the pleasure of introducing Catalans to them - they are on all supermarket shelves, but no-one ever eats them, they are only used in stock)

Goulash made with wiener sausages

Cherry jam and sour cream sandwiches

Barbecued turbot in Getaria

Fresh mango in the Philippines

Squid sashimi in Tokyo as the most surprising enjoyment.

Eating a fresh ripe peach straight from the tree

Eating fresh figs straight from the tree

Buying a live octopus, having it killed and then eating the still moving tentacles.

The same day: buying some sort of chrysalis / insect type thing in a paper cone to eat like peanuts. Both of these in Korea.

The hottest food I ever ate, a Szechuan soup in Peking. More than painful.

Cod and green pepper paella, also an artichoke and wild mushroom paella, both cooked at home when we had no other ingredients but both turned out great.

Bread: a world in itself, from thin-sliced white Mother’s pride (and butter softening by the fire) to homemade cobs to the Sunday morning loaf to the 5 o’clock baguette.

Eating at El Bulli with journalists and laughing at the ideas on the plate.

Laughing around the dinner table in general. It’s a great place to be. 

Smashing Pumpkins is one of Olga’s bands, a few tracks on Spotify playlists. One of those bands that managed to always sound like themselves even if you’d never heard the song. This track in particular has a great intro. 

[surveysonfleek]

228.

FOOD SURVEY

1. What’s the last thing you ate? a chocolate covered oreo. so bad. 2. What’s your favourite cheese? mozzarella, feta or boccini. yum. 3. What’s your favourite fish? salmon. 4. What’s your favourite fruit? bananas. 5. When, if ever, did you start liking olives? never liked olives, never will. it’s the one food i keep trying again and again and i still hate it.

6. When, if ever, did you start liking beer? i still don’t like beer. i’ll choose any alcohol over beer. 7. When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? i’ve always liked shellfish tbh. 8. What was the best thing your mum/dad/guardian used to make? my dad makes good spaghetti and kaldereta. my mum makes amazing kare kare. they’re filipino dishes lol. 9. What’s the native specialty of your hometown? omg nothing. although my town did open the first frozen custard joint in sydney, it’s still not native though. 10. What’s your comfort food? burgers lol. 11. What’s your favourite type of chocolate? milk. 12. How do you like your steak? medium rare. 13. How do you like your burger? medium rare with the lot. 14. How do you like your eggs? scrambled. 15. How do you like your potatoes? haha i love potatoes however they’re cooked tbh. 16. How do you take your coffee? two sugars with a dash of milk. 17. How do you take your tea? one sugar with a dash of milk. 18. What’s your favourite mug? this collectible starbucks one from vegas. 19. What’s your biscuit or cookie of choice? subway cookies. 20. What’s your ideal breakfast? a big breakfast. bacon, eggs, sausage, french toast, pancakes, fruit etc. just one of everything. 21. What’s your ideal sandwich? either something packed or simple. 22. What’s your ideal pizza: hawaiian or meat lovers. 23. What’s your ideal pie (sweet or savoury)? hmmm. savoury tbh. 24. What’s your ideal salad? a classic greek salad without olives. or a garden salad with a sweet vinaigrette. 25. What food do you always like to have in the fridge? sauces. 26. What food do you always like to have in the freezer? oven meals lol. you never know! 27. What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? snacks. nuts. idk. 28. What spices can you not live without? tbh i have no idea. i do like spices but i have no idea which particular ones i like. 29. What sauces can you not live without? bbq sauce, aioli and kewpie omggggg. 30. Where do you buy most of your food? any of the three grocery stores near me. 31. How often do you go food shopping? maybe once a week? 33. What’s the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? fridge. 34. What’s the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? a brownie tin. 35. What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? cutlery. 36. How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? i’ve been super busy so my mum’s been the one cooking everything but i usually aim to cook on my days off. 37. What’s the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? risotto. 38. What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry? a lot. lamb, moose, turtle (yes, i know gross. ate it to be polite), deer, crocodile, emu, kangaroo. there’s probably more. i always promised myself to try everything once. 39. What’s the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? hmm i forgot. 40. What’s the last time you ate something you’d picked in the wild? an avocado from our avocado tree if that counts.

41. Arrange the following in order of preference: Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Sushi – sushi, chinese, italian, mexican, indian, thai. i hate thai food, ate it every monday for years. i’m so sick of it. 42. Arrange the following in order of preference: Vodka, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum – whiskey, rum, vodka, brandy. 43. Arrange the following in order of preference: Garlic, Basil, Caramel, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Aniseed – garlic, caramel, lime, mint, ginger, basil, aniseed. 44. Arrange the following in order of preference: Pineapple, Orange, Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, Watermelon, Banana. – banana, orange, apple, pineapple, watermelon, strawberry, cherry.  45. Bread and spread: uhh depends. i like any bread but wholegrain. my favourite spread is cream cheese. 46. What’s your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? hungry jacks - whopper. 47. Pick a city. What are the best dining experiences you’ve had in that city? toronto. we went to this huuuuuge chinese buffet. it was amazing. had some traditional jamaican food, hooters (lol), tim hortons forever, even their bubble tea was amazing. 48. What’s your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? i never drink after a long day. 49. What’s the next thing you’ll eat? some sort of breakfast. 50. Are you hungry now? no. 51. Do you eat your breakfast everyday? no. 52. At what time do you have breakfast? i wake up fairly late because i work night shifts so i don’t really get to enjoy breakfast. 53. At what time do you have lunch? midday. 54. What do you have for lunch? leftovers lol. 55. At what time do you have dinner? about 8. 56. What do you have for dinner? whatever’s at work. 57. Do you light candles during dinner? no lol. 58. How many chairs are there in your dining room and who sits in the main chair? six. 59. Do you eat and drink using your right hand or the left one? both. 61. Mention the veggies that you like most: potatoes. broccoli. pumpkin. tbh i like all veggies. 62. What fruit and vegetable do you like the least? i hate any sour fruits. haven’t really come across a vegetable that i hate except maybe olives. 63. You like your fruit salad to have more: melons. cantaloupes and honeydew. 64. You prefer your vegetable salad to contain more: dressing hahaha. 65. What’s your favourite sandwich spread? cream cheese. 66. What’s your favourite chocolate bar? kit kat. 67. What’s your favourite dessert? churros, waffles orrrr donuts. 68. What’s your favourite drink? water. 69. What’s your favourite snack? depends if i want sweet or savoury. but usually chips and dip. 70. What’s your favourite bubble gum flavour? spearmint. 71. What’s your favourite ice cream flavour? rum and raisin. 72. What’s your favourite potato chip flavour? hmm i don’t really like chips. if i had to choose, either original or salt and vinegar. 73. What’s your favourite soup? pumpkin soup. the really thick kind. 74. What’s your favourite pizza? i’ve answered this. 75. What’s your favourite type of dish? a hearty meal. usually meat and veggies/salad. 76. What food do you hate? thai food. 77. What’s your favourite restaurant? hmm korean bbq probably. 78. Do you eat homemade food, food delivered from outside? both. more homemade though. 80. Who cooks at home? everyone but my mum cooks the most. 81. What kind of diet (e.g. low-fat, high-fiber, high-carbohydrate, balanced diet etc.) do you have? i’d say balanced. but i do binge on snacks every once in awhile. 82. How do you keep yourself fit? i stand all day at work. otherwise i just walk.

[imkeepingtrack]

Recap: 21.5.19

I didn't leave this morning. My alarm went off at 6 and I was tired and decided not to. I also didn't want to mess anything up for M as we planned to meet today before our biology exam.

I've been on T 20 weeks today.

I got woken up at 9:45 and had a shower. Went down to the office to see what was going on and went to a small version of my favourite shop with one of the staff to get lunch. I was just going to get a meal deal but B gave me £5 and the staff I was with said I should spend it so I got egg custard tarts and some chocolate too. She made me pain au chocolat when we got back, and some for me to take for M.

Mc texted to say L wasn't in (what a surprise) and to text her when I arrive, so I replied asking who was invigilating my exam. She said it was the staff member me and M argued with before the holidays, and I told her we had argued and I didn't like her. She got it changed to the maths teacher which was a lot better. He's funny.

I put a load of biscuits in a tub and took them as well as the lunch food down to college. Then M asked if I wanted to go to McDonald's with them and their dad so I did. I just got cheesey wedge things and a drink. It was good to see M.

We went and messed about in the quiet common room when we got back to college. M "corrected" a map of the building that's stuck on a notice board. A lot of it was actual corrections like crossing off staff who don't work here any more, but there was also some funny renaming of places. We then threw a load of top trumps cards out the window. I only did a few but M did a load and it was so funny seeing where they landed. On the table next to us there was a piece of paper with a list of likes and dislikes, and one of the dislikes was LGBT. So M wrote a load of silly things in the likes column and we had a laugh.

Then the staff woman we argued with before the holidays turned up and was just hanging around outside the door watching us but not coming in? I got anxious because I didn't know if she thought she was still invigilating my exam or what. Then the maths teacher came in and she just put the cards we'd thrown out the window on a table and left. Whatever. I think she was going to have a go at us but then decided not to. Mc came in a minute later and said she thought it was great that we did it and something like we "expressed our dissatisfaction" idk probably not those exact words. It was funny.

I went to do my exam with the maths teacher. I had the food in a carrier bag and when we went into the room the exams officer was there and said something about it not being allowed but I said I was taking everything out the bag and packaging and she seemed ok with that, but then apparently she emailed the house saying if there was an exam board person there I would have been disqualified. I don't think she knew what she was on about because that's never been the rule when I've done exams before. I've just put my stuff on the other side of the room and not gone near it. Who knows.

I panicked a couple of pages in to the paper. There were questions that I knew the answer to but didn't know how to put it into words and it annoyed me. I went for a walk in the garden with the maths teacher, but I was scratching behind my ear as a distraction and an auditory stim, and I've now got a minor friction burn there. It hurts to have my headphones on it.

Went back in and did the rest of the paper. I definitely failed but whatever, I was expecting that. I tried to answer most of the questions, although some were complete guesses and 1 was me naming a molecule JimBob. Of the whole tub of biscuits, I had 1 jaffa cake and the maths teacher had 1 oreo.

Came back to the house and hung around for a bit, and I've now got the first 90 elements of the periodic table memorised. Got 10 more in.

Started another game of chess with LSG while he cooked dinner.

I decided I wanted domino's so S took me to get it. I accidentally ordered to the one near my mum's but S phoned up and they transferred the order. I got a meatball feast wrap and garlic pizza bread. We also went to a supermarket to get Ben and Jerry's because it was on offer. The birthday cake stuff is just so good.

I ate the domino's and chatted to S for a bit, about the college interview I have tomorrow and my targets and stuff. She said I seemed like I was doing better today. It's because I have a solution to the problems- leaving tomorrow morning. Not that I told her that. I did tell her I was going to go for a walk relatively early in the morning, so it won't be a complete surprise. I said it's to try to sort my sleep cycle, chill out a bit before my interview tomorrow, and get some work done. Lollllll. She asked if I feel safe here. I said yes.

LSG came a bit after that and we finished our game of chess. I ate my ice cream while we played. I didn't eat that much of it. I won because he gave up. On Friday it wasn't a particularly short game, but not a lot of pieces got taken, whereas today I was left with my king and him with his king and a bishop. He was just chasing me round the board and got bored He said we're playing best of 19.

He was saying some irritating (and just wrong) things about autism. He just believes everything he says so strongly I can't even consider arguing with him. Talking about how ASD is too big a diagnosis because it goes from "rocking in a corner unable to communicate" to "people able to function" and just seriously. Shut up. He was going on about people using a diagnosis as an excuse and saying that there's nothing people can't do, they just won't. Fuck right off. Saying about how as a kid now he's probably be diagnosed with ADHD but he wasn't because it was years ago and he "just had to get on with it". He said he's worked with hundreds of autistic people and somehow that means he knows autism better than someone who is autistic? I wasn't very happy. He was talking about how someone with 1 severe autistic trait would get a diagnosis and someone with 29 that barely affect them wouldn't, and I absolutely wasn't having that. If you have only 1 autistic trait, it doesn't matter how severe it is, you're not autistic. If you have 29 autistic traits (he was using it as a maximum number kind of thing), it doesn't matter if they don't affect you lots, you're still autistic. Maybe you've found ways to work around it or whatever, but that doesn't remove the autism. He made me really cross, because I try so hard. Maybe it looks like if doing ok a lot of the time, but that doesn't mean I am. Without my diagnosis, chances are very high I'd have killed myself by now.

I'm sat downstairs with a mug of warm milk. It took me ages to get to sleep last night so I'm trying to make tonight easier.

I'm going in the morning. I have a full plan. I've written an explanation. I'm scared but this genuinely feels like my best option. I've known basically since I got up this morning that I'll go tomorrow. I'm anxious but trying to stay calm. I've told S I'm going for a walk, I have everything ready, and yeah. It just feels like the right thing to do. I guess we'll find out.

I'm going to sit upstairs with some more warm milk, listen to some music, and play hue until I can go to sleep.

Food:

Pain au chocolat - 11:15

Cheesy wedges, oasis - 12:15

Sandwich, quavers, egg custard tarts, jaffa cake - 2:00-3:00

Meatball wrap, cheesy garlic bread - 7:00

Birthday cake ice cream - 8:00

[happysandwichparty-blog]

Tokyo Disney Sea Food (Spring 2017)

This is a breakdown of all the food we tasted while In Tokyo DisneySea during the Spring of 2017, including Easter event dishes!

Apple Pastry, Egg & Bacon Focaccia, Chocolate Croissant - Mamma Biscotti's Bakery

The egg pastry was was slightly warm, the egg was also runny in the middle, which made it pretty tasty, the sauce on top seemed to be a hollandaise of some sort.

The other two were pretty standard, they would have been better warmed up or with a warm drink, but the apple danish and chocolate croissant tasted fine and did their job

Sea Salt Ice Cream - Ice Cream Cart (All Over Park)

The outside is a wafer shell of sorts, inside is sea salt ice cream with has a lovely flavor, the sea salt really compliments the vanilla ice cream. And surprise, there is some raspberry paste in the middle as well. Good treat for a warm day or afternoon snack. One of the more unique sweet treats available at the ice cream carts.

Tiramisu Ice Cream Sandwich - Ice Cream Cart (All Over Park)

Cute Mickey stamped on the outside, standard ice cream sandwich with a tiramisu flavor. The flavoring is pretty on part with tiramisu, it that is something you enjoy and want a sweet treat, this is for you!

Maple Cream Ball & Soft Cream - Sultan's Oasis

They taste like pancakes, in ball form! Pretty yummy sweet treat, sweeter than some of the other options in the park and paired with a very creamy soft serve. While a lot of the deserts in the park are more fruity, tart, or savory, this treat is a bit more sweet. Pairs well with the Chandu tail.

Peach Mousse - Mamma Biscotti's Bakery

Many of the mousse options in the parks are fruit flavored, good luck finding chocolate if that’s what you like. This was very cute in it’s souvenir cup, but there are many varieties like it throughout the park.

Little Green Men - Mamma Biscotti's Bakery

The little green men seem to be one of the most popular snack purchases. They are filled with custard, chocolate, and strawberry. The filling all seem to have a pudding like texture and the men themselves are a mochi like texture.

They are cuter than they taste. The custard was good, the chocolate and strawberry left more to be desired.

Ubiwa Bun - Seaside Snacks

One of the best Disney Sea snacks. A shrimp bun! Makes a great breakfast item, or afternoon snack. The bun itself is in adorable packaging and looks like a life preserver, it is incredibly like and airy. The inside has a shrimp mixture which is no too overpowering but very savory and tasty!

Chandu Spring Tail - Sultan's Oasis

Too good, we ate before pictures! This is the Spring version of Chandu’s Tail. The inside consists of a chicken and cheese curry mixture, with just a bit of a kick to it, but tastes really good and is a filling snack. The outside has a similar consistency to the Ubiwa Bun, a light airy bread.

Pork Rice Roll - Liberty Landing

Basically a roll of rice rapped in bacon and then fried. It is a bit greasy, but is also a unique and tasty snack. The bacon wasn’t as cooked on some areas as It could have been. A good snack if you are looking for something a bit different in the American Waterfront area, but you aren't missing much if you pass on this.

Caramel Popcorn

Much more sweet than the milk chocolate popcorn. Still tasty, and had a little bit more of a salty kick as it’s caramel. If you are looking for a snack to share and want something salty and sweet, grab some caramel popcorn! However, you may be more interested in the other flavors.

Miguel's El Dorado Cantina

Two meals and drinks - breakdown below.

Combination Plate - Miguel's El Dorado Cantina

Donald shaped rice with a tortilla sombrero, veggies are in a bell pepper cup and the meat and shrimp covered in salsa. Surpsingly good for mexican inspired food in Japan. A large well rounded meal.

Tres Fruit Cocktail - Miguel's El Dorado Cantina

Three fruit cocktails. Lime, mango, and berry (strawberry, cherry, blueberry). The lime one was the best tasting of the three, it was similar to a margarita. Great little sampler to pair with any of the plates available.

Spicy Meat Tacos - Miguel's El Dorado Cantina

Don’t fool yourself, they are not spicy, but they are tasty! The tortilla’s were soft and not stale as you will sometimes find in more humid locations. Pretty standard soft tacos, with some hard shells tossed into the mix, which actually added to the flavor/consistency nicely. If you are missing Mexican food while on your trip to Japan, the options in Miguel’s are a great lunch choice!

Sebastian's Calypso Kitchen

Breakdown below.

Easter Special Sparkling Lemon Drink - Sebastian's Calypso Kitchen

Another drink with a sprite like taste, including raspberry jelly in the bottom and pop-rock (without the fizz) like candies added. The jelly in these drinks was very popular around the park, it was a unique consistency. Good taste, but it little over powering if you drank up too much jelly at once. Give it a shot just for the jelly added at the bottom, it’s different.

Scallop Chowder - Sebastian's Calypso Kitchen

Very standard chowder, a nice warm snack with a cute Micky bread cracker. Nothing outstanding, but a good snack if you are hungry and not looking for Pizza while in the Mermaid lagoon. It is a small cup, so don’t expect to be full for long.

Sausage Pizza - Sebastian's Calypso Kitchen

The bread on the pizza was very good! Light, tasty, and not over cooked. The sausage was a bit greasy, but overall this pizza is a good snack if you aren’t looking for something as large as a full set meal that many of the restaurants offer.

Strawberry Cream Roll Cake - Sebastian's Calypso Kitchen

Wafer like sea shell decoration, similar to the sea salt ice cream. The cake was very moist and tasty, the pairing of the strawberry cream was a good touch in lieu of a vanilla cream. I would definitely recommend this dessert if eating at this restaurant.

Blood Orange & Passion Fruit Mousse -Sebastian's Calypso Kitchen

We ordered the mango version and ended up with blood orange. It was very tart. If you don’t like tart do not order this. There were mini boba and a jelly like mixture on the top. I would personally not order this again (though I would try the mango version), but it was nice to give it a try.

Potato Soup - Magellan's

Magellan’s has course meals which come with a soup, main dish, and dessert.

The soup of the day was a creamy potato. Warm and tasty! There were however no large potatoes in the soup itself, it was completely puréed, but still very good! I would recommend this soup.

White Fish - Magellan's

I’m not actually sure what type of fish this was, I’m leaning toward a Halibut? No one was able to tell us, just that the fish of the day was a white fish.

The main dish portion was small, but the fish it self was well cooked and tasty, I would definitely order again. There was bread on the side so don’t fret about not getting full from a small main dish.

Creme Brulee - Magellan's

A very standard creme brulee, nothing speculator or ground breaking in terms of the recipe, but it was well executed, and a very large portion for one person. If you like creme brulee I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Link to Tokyo Disneyland Spring 2017 Food

https://happysandwichparty.tumblr.com/post/160218011602/tokyo-disneyland-food-spring-2017

[heatpeen03-blog]

Métier (Washington, DC)

Metier Restaurant 1015 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 202.737.7500 www.metierdc.com Wed 08/08/2018, 07:30p-10:35p

Given how much I enjoyed Kinship, I think it was pretty much a given that I'd eventually try Métier. Named after the French word for trade or occupation, the restaurant opened in April 2016 and is again the work of Chef Eric Ziebold and partner Célia Lauren. However, compared to Kinship, it's a tasting menu-only sort of place, one serving Ziebold's vision for elevated, contemporary American cuisine. Métier was awarded a Michelin star in October 2017 (which it has retained), and perhaps more importantly, was deemed the best restaurant in the DC area by Washingtonian at the start of this year.

Métier is located underground, underneath Kinship, and is accessed via a private elevator. Upon stepping out of said elevator, you're invited to relax in the salon, where you can partake in an hors d'oeuvre and apéritif.

Tonight's welcome cocktail was an anise hyssop-melon spritz, a lively, invigorating concoction showcasing a deft balance between fruitiness and herbaceousness.

To munch on, we received a dish of egg white bavarois with marinated caviar and Yukon Gold chips, which was pretty amazing. The custard melded the perfect creaminess of egg with a touch of sweetness, while the onion and caviar adding wonderfully contrasting hits of zestiness and salt. Think of this as the best sour cream and onion potato chips you've ever had.

La Ultima [$17.00] | Mezcal, Amaro Montenegro, Green Chartreuse, Lemon Given that we were in here for about 20 minutes, I went ahead and ordered a cocktail from the upstairs bar. The drink smelled strongly smoky from the mezcal, with a distinct vegetal character and traces of citrus. Taste-wise, I got more smoke up front, leading to a marked savoriness and an interesting herbal-astringent element that I couldn't quite put my finger on--it was almost like a "hot" radish, if that makes sense.

After some time, we were called into the main dining room. Penned by Darryl Carter (who also did Kinship), the space is a blend of the modern and the antique, and seats about three dozen. Note the 14-seater private dining room in the back.

Above we see the evening's menu, comprising seven courses at $200 a head, inclusive of service but not tax or beverages. And speaking of libations, I opted for the wine pairing ($145), though of course there's a pretty extensive bottle list if you'd prefer, with prices ranging from "reasonable" to "used car." The menu notes were a nice touch I have to say. Click for larger versions.

1: Iced L'Abeille Garden Ratatouille Leo Steen, Jurassic Park, Chenin Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley, CA, 2012 Given the hot weather we were having, it felt appropriate to begin with such a bright, refreshing course. An unconventional ratatouille of sorts, the vibrancy of the veggies was on display--unmitigated, yet bound together by the potency of olive oil. The paired Chenin Blanc fit the bill nicely too, smelling fruity and earthy while the palate went in a sweet 'n' savory direction, with a steely minerality and agreeable acidity.

The dish was accompanied by lángos, a type of Hungarian fried bread. Airy and light, it had a sweet-salty thing going and actually reminded me of Chinese you tiao.

2: L'Abeille Garden La Ratte Potato Fondant | Sautéed Chive Blossom, Lobster Coral Emulsion and Australian Black Truffle Château Latour-Martillac Blanc, Pessac Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2005 Next was as decadent of a preparation of potato as I'd ever seen. The Rattes themselves were pleasantly firm to the bite, and showed off a restrained richness that matched up beautifully with the luxuriousness and brine of that lobster sauce, all while the truffles imparted a further muskiness to it all. The dish stood up well to the paired wine. A Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend, it displayed a sweet, oxidative nose and a palate rich and rife with nutty, buttery, oaky, vegetal nuances. Interestingly, it actually became much more fruit-forward when taken with the food.

For course #2, bread duties were handled by airy, chewy, subtly tart slices of pane francese, which I eagerly used to sop up the remaining liquid on the plate above.

3: Madras Curry Poached Atlantic Halibut | Coconut Creamed Corn with Compressed Mango and Cilantro Alzinger, Loibenberg, Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria, 2016 Halibut arrived flawlessly cooked--it was about as perfect as it gets. The fish possessed just the right amount of curry spice, which was smoothed out by the sweetness of corn and coconut while the cilantro offered up a citrusy accent. Along with the halibut came an Austrian Riesling, one brimming with rich fruit and stone on the nose. Its taste was super fresh, vibrant, with more fruit and minerals alongside a pleasing tartness and acidity--it did a great job linking up with the sweetness in the dish.

4: Sautéed Moulard Duck Foie Gras | Duck Confit-Stuffed Savoy Cabbage and Peach BBQ Sauce Domaine Raspail-Ay, Gigondas, Rhône Valley, France, 2015 I was a bit scared of this next course. First off, I'm very wary of sweet foie gras preparations, and this had peach. Secondly, there's duck confit, and that just sounds like heavy on heavy. Fortunately, the dish actually worked, very well in fact. The foie itself was spot on in its sear, and had all the classic flavors you'd expect, while the cabbage worked beautifully for contrast. The surprise here was the confit, which ate as you'd expect, but somehow managed to not be overwhelming; I could say the same about the peach. Obviously, we had to have a wine that could stand up to the heft of the course, and the GSM blend made sense with its generous helping of (tannic) red fruit, pepper, and spice.

5: Martin Farms Minute Steak | Grilled Onions, Morel Mushrooms, Okra Croutons with Garden Herb Vinaigrette and Roquefort Dressing Château Latour-Martillac, Pessac Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2009 I rarely see minute steak on menus these days, which I suppose makes sense given that it's typically not the sexiest cut out there. Ziebold's version, however, was a winner no doubt. It was tender, sure, but also one of the most flavorful steaks I've had in a while, and I absolutely loved the zippiness and acidity from that herb vinaigrette, while the onions and 'shrooms imparted further complexity to the dish. The meat called for a powerful red wine, and the matched Bordeaux met the mark. Comprised mostly of Cabernet Sauvignon, it was pretty prototypical of the region with its soft, velvety palate of robust berry fruit commingled with some almost meaty notes and a touch of heat.

The steak came with a serving of the Chef's famous Parker House rolls, which were oh-so buttery and airy and salty and just as good as I remember from the CityZen days. And yes, I made sure to mop up the remaining liquid above with 'em.

6: Key Lime Meringue | Crème Fraîche Cake, Granny Smith Apple, Cucumber and Shiso-Lime Granité Château Rieussec, Sauternes, France, 1988 With the savories done with, it was time for Pastry Chef Anne Specker (a CityZen alum) to shine. Our first dessert really did recall the essence of a classic key lime, playing the tartness of citrus against the sweetness of meringue while the granita added a bracing, herbaceous component. Going along with the course was a Sauternes with some nice age on it. It was just what I wanted, displaying loads of honeyed, stone fruit-esque sweetness balanced out by a fresh acidity and a touch of nuttiness.

7: Nut 'n' Honey | Ochoa Farms Tomato Confit, Peanut Butter Cream, Honeycomb and Yellow Tomato Sorbet Kelt, Tour du Monde, VSOP, Grande Champagne, Cognac, France The humble tomato was the hero in our final (proper) course, its slightly savory disposition making itself known for sure against a backdrop of peanut--very neat. To drink, we moved away from wine and into cognac, specifically an ocean-matured example filled with warmth, sweetness, and spice, along with notes of wood and mature grapes.

At this point, I was provided a shot glass of milk granita and instructed to construct my own milk shake, choosing from flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry-verbena. I think it's obvious from the color which option I picked. In hindsight, I should've gone with Neapolitan.

Next came some wonderfully crisp, buttery, freshly baked malted vanilla shortbread cookies.

Rum Old Fashioned [$17.00] | Santa Teresa 1796, Bitters, Simple Syrup, Lemon Zest I requested a digestif and was brought this rum-based cocktail. It had a nose of warming spice and caramel mixed with citrus. The taste was sweet and fruity and chocolatey from the rum, with a smidge of bitterness and a long-lasting finish filled with brown sugar.

Guests were provided a vial of Old Bay olive oil to take home. And fortunately, I had no issues taking this in my carry-on luggage.

Tonight's meal effectively confirmed Ziebold's position as one of the top toques in DC. His food isn't necessarily flashy, but it is pretty much flawless (as was the service). There's a familiarity to the dishes, yet I still find myself pleasantly surprised at every turn. I get a restrained playfulness in the cooking, as well as a sort of quiet confidence that must, I imagine, stem from years and years in the biz. I think it's safe to say that Métier's got to be one of the premier dining experiences in DC.

Source: http://www.kevineats.com/2018/08/metier-washington-dc.html

[theelectricfilmdiary]

On the 13th of Jan we jetted our way into Lisbon, Portugal. Even on the plane flying in at dusk we could tell this place was going to be the tits. Our uber driver from the airport was really sweet and though he spoke little English, tried to point out local sites and main roads for us. We were basically speaking to each other through our phones, got pretty funny at some points, especially when he was trying to explain something to us and his phone kept translating what he was saying to “Mazda 3” haha. The people here are really warm and it has to be one of our favourite places so far; good people, great food and the city is fantastic. Perched right on the coast and surrounded by beaches which are just a short, cheap train ride away.

We arrived at our Hostel – Livin’ Lisbon. It seemed really cool, clean, in a big old building that looked recently done up, and was buzzing with all sorts. After being checked in our host escorted us to our room, a private double room with a massive bed and desk, drawers etc – right in the city for only 34aud a night including breakfast. Shared bathroom, but there were two on our small floor so no real issue there. The hostel even provide dinner each night for only 4 euro each. Pretty stoked at the value and quality of the place. We got settled into our room and headed out to grab a bite –  Found a new burger joint just around the corner called Gutsy. Was ok, lets just say its no Burgerfuel… the “home-made” lemonade was pretty decent though.

Upon returning, showering and clambering into bed, we soon discovered the downside to our amazing accommodation; Right next door (somewhere) is a night club playing DOOF-DOOF til the small hours, AND the hallways of our level have polished wood floors with high ceilings and echo any footsteps or voices ten fold. At about 12:30am I’d had enough of the loud Americans in the hallway (who I might add had left their bedroom door open while they drank and shout-talked). …”ALEXAAA, ALEXAAA! OH MY GAAD ALEXAA WHAT REWM ARE YEW IN??? IM IN HERE TEWW!”… I was at the end of my patience with inconsiderate assholes and while I couldn’t do anything about the top 100 hits from 2005 going on next door, I sure as shit wasn’t going to tolerate loud conversation from the fools down the hall. I got up and told them politely to shut their door – I was actually pretty polite too, I don’t know if my face registered calm but they apologised and shut the door, appearing completely unaware of their noise level. An hour later I donned ear plugs and finally fell into a deep sleep…

14th Jan – Day one in Lisbon started with breakfast at the hostel, pancakes with Nutella, raspberry compote, and yoghurt plus muslie or toast – coffees wasnt bad either. Then out to explore. We had rounded the corner of the hostel down one of the many tight and tall little back streets when we came across an antique store and were told that there was a vintage market on the main street, Av. de Liberdade, a couple blocks away. Onward we marched until reaching said market, it was full of treasures – most we either couldn’t afford or  couldn’t afford to carry home but purchases were made in the form of a great periperi from a foodie stall and a few other bits and pieces. Also had the experience of being told off by an old stall owner for picking up a perfume dispenser that looked like a vintage flip lighter… “if you don’t know what et es, do not touch et” before explaining what it was and clicking the button I was about to click myself – Cheers mate.

We continued further down the main street towards the harbourside, sucking in as much sunlight as possible on the way. Lisbon is stunning, full of century old buildings with brightly painted or tiled facades. The streets smell of the most mouth-watering food and there are a tonne of people trying to sell you weed, even cocaine! – but they were offering it all to Jim, I guess he’s got “that” look haha. We stopped at a bakery and bought a couple of treats, lemon curd doughnuts, custard tarts and this savoury scone roll type thing with pepperoni and cheese in the middle – oh my. Further down was the sunny waterfront at Cais das Colunas which was humming with tourists and a couple of street performers including a percussion band that were on point – complete with a hoolahoop-gypsy-hippy lady dancing in front.

Off through the back streets again, photographing dozens of pieces of street art and graffiti  – its everywhere here but adds to the colour and beauty of the city. Soon STARVING we stopped in at a hole in the wall local restaurant for a late arvo lunch and ordered grilled sardines with potatoes and salad – pretty standard local style food where the fish is chargrilled. A small bowl of fresh olives, local beer and sangria topped the experience off. It had to be one of the tastiest meals we have eaten on this Europe trip, and so simple. All the food had so much flavour and the fish was so good! Definitely wanna try cooking like that back home. Dessert was interesting – mine was like a custard creme brûlée, and Jims could only be described as scrambled egg cake with coffee syrup haha. Kinda weird but we ate it all. After a couple of hours chatting and drinking, we left and walked up the hill (not a nice feeling when you’re full of fish, custard and sangria) and got to a look out point Miradouro da Graca at the Igreja e Convento da Graca Cathedral which was in the middle of a service so we couldn’t look around – but what we saw of the building was gorgeous. Then back up and over many hills and we were at the hostel a couple of hours later. Having booked in for the 4 euro dinner we enjoyed a plate of pasta later that evening before retiring to our room. Another dance music induced sleep, and we woke to the morning of the 15th January. This was another Stop The World day. Jim and I were exhausted. Our feet were bruised and sore and staying in bed for the day was luxury. There aren’t many times in your life when you will spend the entire day in bed – blissss.  Jim went out to the supermarket round the corner that evening and we made burgers in the hostel kitchen, using some of that periperi we bought the day before… Perfect end to a perfect day of nothingness. The morning of the 16th, well rested we leapt (not really) out of bed and prepared for another day of exploration. Its bright and sunny here every day and way warmer than anywhere we have been so far – getting up to about 16 degrees during the day. Got to say the sunshine is sooo good after a couple of months of cold/rainy/overcast days. We joined our fellow hostel goers for breakfast and then left for the train station and Cascais beach. Three trains and 45 minutes later we were walking the stunning shore line and small cobbled streets of Cascais and wishing despite the cooler climate, that we had bought our beach gear with us for the day. The water is crystal clear and so many different shades of blue and turquoise it blows your mind.

Down at the small beach cove a sand artist – is that what they are called? Sand sculptor? I don’t know, anyway a guy was building these epic sand sculptures and castles.  Jim chucked a coin into the well and the sculpture (of a guy holding his ding-a-ling) turned into a fountain and simulated him taking a pee into the well haha. Pretty cool. Our explorations took us further around the point, and being a monday in the middle of winter almost all restaurants/stores were closed. A couple of kilometers down there was a marina where we found a Portuguese tapas place and indulged in a multitude of delights; fresh clams with butter, garlic and parsley, prawns cooked much the same way but super crispy, mozzarella and tomato on toast with basil, olive oil and balsamic, Iberian ham (local cured ham which is only produced in spain and Portugal) on toast with red pepper pesto, great bread and olives again with a local beer and white wine – not sure what the drinks were called but they were delish too. We ate everything. It was too good to leave, including the buttery garlic gravy from the clams and prawns which we soaked up with the bread. Another bakery stop (or two) for custard tarts and we were feeling sorry for ourselves haha, too much of a good thing or in this case, many good things. The day was drawing to a close so on the train and home for the night. We were still so full that we didn’t eat dinner until 10pm and it was another home-made burger for Jim and a cheese toasty for me. The 17th of January, post hostel breakfast and chores were calling. We spent a couple of hours at Vem e Lava laundrette up the road where we soaked up the free wifi and I wrote most of this entry. The plan, to get the laundry done and then head off on the train to the ferry terminal to catch a ferry across the river/harbour to Cacilhas and then another bus and over to a beach called Costa da Caparica. The weather was perfect and the water extremely calm so the ferry trip of about 12-15mins was effortless. When we hopped off the boat we were in the port area of Cacilhas and there were a few outdoor seafood restaurants serving charcoal grilled fish, as well as Portuguese fish stews, paella and clams. We sat down and ordered up a bunch of food before Jim realised that he hadn’t grabbed any more cash after our laundry expenses that morning and we were left with 30 euros for the day! – This had to cover our bus and train tickets too. So Jim ran up to the waiter and apologetically cancelled our lunch. We had already received our drinks, bread, cheese (Portuguese sheeps milk cheese which is so yum and served at most restaurants as soon as you sit down) and a tasty plate of olives. So we sat and ate bread, cheese and olives and downed our wine and beer before apologising again. We paid 10 euros for the drinks and nibbles – I might add it was only 7 euros but we felt so bad and cheap that we tipped 3 euro haha.

On the way to the bus we saw in the distance a giant sailing ship and headed toward that to check it out. It was called Fragata D. Fernando II e Glória and is a rebuild of a ship that sunk in the Lisbon harbour.  We had a walk through it and had some side-splitting moments from acting out the voices of the many freaky looking mannequins they had set up below deck… Good times.

Another bus ride (after wasting three euro’s buying the wrong tickets first time – good stuff eh) and we found ourselves at Costa da Caparica township. This place is a bit of a surf haven and after walking through the extremely tourist oriented township we made it to the beach where, despite the cold water and next to no surf, there were still a few guys out. Jim and I had packed our bathers knowing that the water was around 10 degrees but we both refused to come to Portugal and leave without swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. We stripped off and changed on the beach under our coats and towels before running into the freezing salty water. It was fecking cold BUT it was also really refreshing and afterward (once warm and dry) we felt completely revitalised. We wandered up the shore and watched a few fishing boats on their way in before strolling back through town and catching a bus to the ferry terminal – just in time too, we arrived a couple of seconds before they pulled the platform and left for Lisbon.

Night had fallen by the time we got home, so we quickly changed and left for dinner at a local joint round the corner down a back street. More bread, cheese and this time sardine pate – which we both loved, before mains of grilled fish (cant remember what type) and potatoes. The food was good, and we left pretty happy. That night we were kept awake again by noisy Italians in the room next to ours and the club next door. Fun fun.

The 18th was our last full day in gorgeous Portugal, and we spent in the town of Sintra, located about 45 minutes out of the city centre by train – towards the west coast. It was quite a bit colder there being a more mountainous region, but had warmed up by mid afternoon. The main attraction in Sintra is the medieval castle ruins Castelo Dos Mouros, which was built in the 9th century by the Moors (Muslims of Europe). We walked up about 100 floors of stairs and steep walkways to get to the top, and the 360 degree view of the area, including the ocean, inland towards the north, and Lisbon city. Beautiful. Also the walk was lined with lush green trees and plants, every single part of it was scenic. After reaching the summit of the castle, we walked right around the walls to each tower taking photos before starting our descent down the opposite side of the hill. We passed an old Tuscan style villa Vila Sassetti which has been restored and is maintained for tourists. The grounds and villa are stunning – romantic Tuscan style architecture with bright terracotta tiles all over the place. From there it was a short trek down through the old town area (full to the brim with over priced tourist targeted knick knacks and restaurants) – Jim and I decided to play it smart (so we thought) and walked further out of the tourist part and into the local areas. There was a restaurant called A Tasca do Manel which had decent ratings online and offered a 2 course lunch and a drink for 7.50 euros each. Sounds good right? We sat down and were told that the chicken curry option was all sold out so we would have to have squid stew. Trying to challenge our taste buds with local cuisine we boldly accepted.

BAD. MOVE.

The first course of lunch was squash and vege soup, which while a bit under seasoned and sweet was still edible. The next course, squid stew…. Joisus…. it was bad, sooooo salty and with a weird texture that made each mouthful a struggle. Plus the potatoes served on the side were way too salty as well – not as salty as the stew but not much of a reprieve either. I had to wash each mouthful down with beer and when I ran out of beer I gave up. We were one of the only tables in the restaurant (we had originally put this down to the 2:30pm time we sat down to eat but soon realised why it was empty). We followed the stew down with a semi burnt tasting espresso and then escaped as quickly as possible after paying. The whole train ride home we were burping up old salty squid…. delightful.

Once back in Lisbon city we went straight to the hostel and lay down for a while, still both feeling the effects of our scrumptious lunch. Dinner that night was plain bread… neither of us really felt up to proper food… :S

Later that evening, while scrolling the internet, Jim found there had been a few quakes about 20 miles from Rome, where we were heading the next day! We called our parents to “seek wise counsel” (say that out loud in a Texan accent) and had a decision to make, cancel our flight and stay in Lisbon another week til we fly home, or just say FUCK IT and go… we chose the latter.

The 19th sadly arrived. Time to leave Lisbon, we got up early, packed, and were out the door by 7am. An Uber arrived to collect us, and the driver got out to help us with our bags. While putting our bags in the boot, the car started rolling forward – he had forgotten the hand brake – Once in the car and on our way to the airport he consistently ran reds, turned on a dime, and flew over speed bumps. Radical.

Another round of airport security, of course Jim got stopped and checked, and we were on the runway leaving Lisbon bound for Rome, exhausted but excited…

Street art, Lisbon

Sintra street details

Squid stew…..

Cascais beaches

Costa da Caparica Beach

Path to Castelo Dos Mouros

Lisbon street details

Vila Sassetti

Cascais waterfront

Cacilhas port

Cascais streets

Rossio Square fountain, Lisbon

Chargrilled fish

Lisbon street details

Door details, Sintra

Ferry crossing to Cacilhas

Castelo Dos Mouros

Touristy knick knacks, Sintra

Cascais waterfront

Fragata D. Fernando II e Glória, Cacilhas

Fragata D. Fernando II e Glória, Cacilhas

Cascais beach

Freaky mannequins in the Fragata D. Fernando II e Glória, Cacilhas

Gardens outside Vila Sassetti

Castelo Dos Mouros

Cascais beaches

Post lunch – Lisbon

Costa da Caparica Beach

Lunch in Cascais

Gardens on the way to Castelo Dos Mouros

Lemon curd delights

Costa da Caparica Beach

Gutsy burgers for dinner

Castelo Dos Mouros details

Cascais lunch

Arco da Rua Augusta, Lisbon

Arco da Rua Augusta, Lisbon

Gardens on the way to Castelo Dos Mouros

Cascais sand artist

Chargrilled Sardines, Lisbon

Cascais sand artist

Lisbon, Portugal On the 13th of Jan we jetted our way into Lisbon, Portugal. Even on the plane flying in at dusk we could tell this place was going to be the tits.