Tag Archives: cats humour

Hanoi 1991

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No, this post isn’t going to be about a historic event… or even a memorable holiday trip. This is one of those moments when you realise you’ve been occasionally walking past a culinary gem in a Cardiff city centre arcade for five years. Then, a random look at Google maps reviews brings the shocking truth about what you’ve been missing. It’s 11.30am on a Thursday morning as you realise there is only one place lunch is going to happen… it’s time to visit Hanoi 1991 in Cardiff’s enchanting Royal Arcade.

As with so many gems the menu is pleasingly short… as displayed near the entrance and above the counter. This is Hanoi street food authentically presented and deliciously flavoured.

Grilled Pork ‘Banh My’ with a Vietnamese Egg Coffee… was the choice for a fist visit. But in no more than 48 hours I was drawn back to try the equally appetising Lemongrass Beef ‘Banh My‘.

Until we speak again, I’ll just have to stay mesmerised by that Vietnamese Egg Coffee! If you think a cappuccino style presentation coffee with deep foam made of egg yolk, milk and sugar sounds like a strange combination you would be technically correct. But, one taste and you suddenly know your coffee has just doubled up as your dessert. This was the real reason for returning a second time within 48 hours. The third visit will not be too far away.

Whisper it…

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Cardiff is forever evolving, but awakenings are the order of the day down at the Cardiff City Stadium. Nobody would argue that the first couple of months of the season look pretty much like the old tax offices in Llanishen…

An early sacking of the manager may not be what is ordinarily wished for, but it offers opportunities to dream of new beginnings… something like the changing face of the old Brewery site near the city centre…

But who would have thought the green shoots of renewal would blossom so rapidly…

Until we speak again, whisper it… can we play  Plymouth every week… please?

Double take

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It’s not often I go to a fabulous restaurant on holiday and risk it a second night running. You know all about those wonderful memories that you could be putting in jeopardy!

Well, Alegoria was that good, I just had to roll the dice. The atmosphere is somewhat like a Greek taverna… but this definitely isn’t Greece.

The welcome was warm from the moment I arrived and throughout the meal from a small group of staff who really seemed to be enjoying their work. So this is clearly not one of those chain restaurants churning out mediocrity with a fake smile.

The menu is relatively short, so the quality of what is presented on the plate is a top priority. So this isn’t one of those places that aims to offer something for everyone.

For the record, the accompanying photos include padron green peppers and melt in the mouth iberic pork cheek on the first visit. The second visit matched the whole experience with melon & iberic ham followed by a gorgeous ribeye steak seasoned with just the right level of salty tears!

Unlike a few other places I visited nearby, a selection of wine by the glass was offered, and I found something I had never heard of but was one of those wines where one glass could never be enough… just like one visit to this restaurant is never enough.

Until we speak again, you don’t think I’m going to tell you where it is, do you? You’d all be going there and I’d have to book my table!

The previous ‘iberic‘ references might also help. It’s not France, Italy or Portugal… but it might be close to them on a big map. The city has a successful football team in the mould of Pep Guardiola, and also miles of beachfront and marina with Olympic references. It’s also located within 100 metres of a very busy tourist street where people Rambla along… but unless you’re searching for it, you’ll never see it.

Barcelona Maciatto Tour

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What, you thought I’d do all the tourist stuff about Antoni Gaudi, La Rambla, and all that Barca FC shtick? Think again, it’s in the archives back in March 2019! This was a completely unscheduled visit planned in the airport arrivals, having missed a connection onto Florence!

After a tiring day of travelling and improvising, a marina side evening stroll culminated in a visit to the upmarket Barceloneta restaurant.

The food and wine were of the expected high quality. What was unexpected was the presentation and quality of the maciatto. This was a ‘performance coffee‘ with the waiter providing the milk/foam finish with a flourish at the table!

This got me thinking, as my following morning experience confirmed my previous recollections… Barcelona is not a place that will trouble competitors in the world cappuccino stakes!

Needless to say, I had now found my pointless mission for this very relaxing visit to a stunning city. Ocana in the Gothic Quarter may not have provided the best post Flamenco gig meal, but they unexpectedly raised their game with the maciatto!

Alegoria, located neatly down a narrow side street and then an even narrower alley, so that the tourist hordes along La Rambla don’t even know it’s there… is undoubtedly an absolute gem of a restaurant. More about this one in a separate post!

They didn’t need a sugar gimmick to remind me where I was languishing, but the maciatto not surprisingly maintained the high standard I had come to expect. That wine was delicious to.

Until we speak again, if you want pictures of the photogenic place that Barcelona is… go there!

L’ile De Beaute

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Corsica is widely referred to as the island of beauty… so, let’s check out this bold claim. Bearing in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so they say. I guess it depends on what you expect when you decide to visit a place. Stunning landscapes, maybe historical legacy, culinary delights, and a place to simply relax and unwind.

Corsica certainly has an abundance of stunning beaches for the dedicated sun worshiper…

There are very few areas of flatland, with mountains rising almost immediately behind the beaches, making for dramatic visual backdrops in all directions…

And don’t expect any speedy train journeys across the island. The few trains spend most of their journeys slowly navigating the inclines and meandering through the mountainous interior. If train journeys bore you, I challenge you to try and stay scrolling your social media without becoming more entranced by the views outside…

Its history is a complicated succession of Italian (Genoese) and French control, though their widely represented proud flag is one of the head of a Moorish man representing a strong sense of freedom…

Look closely, and you’ll even witness a rare graffiti message for their more recent French overlords…

The historical architecture is dominated by seven citadels located in key places around the coast (six in coastal fortresses and one being inland at Corte)…

As for culinary delights, there is no shortage of places to sample genuine Corsican cuisine… Veal & Olives, Risotto a la Creme, Sanglier (Wild Boar) pate, a local stew, and Poulpe (Octopus) on a base of citrus confit and humus to name a few! They have a wealth of their own wine to sample as well. And, yes, that French bread comes with everything and really does taste fabulously fresh…

As for those moments of pure relaxation, just sit and listen to the boats bobbing in Marina’s in Ajaccio or Calvi with the sound of ropes knocking against masts. Alternatively, there’s the sound of waves lapping the shores of those stunning beaches. Simply empty your mind…

Until we speak again, Corsica definitely seems to have cornered beauty. Even that blue sky instilled a feeling of awe…

Wye aye, man!

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It’s time to get that British Tour of Summer 2024 rolling further north. The notoriously hospitable Geordies are always good value… with or without the Fog on the Tyne!

They also know a thing or two about dramatic architecture! When you have a plethora of great Victorian buildings and you want to sweep across your famous river with an equally dramatic bridge… just go for it!

Other city authorities take note (Cardiff in particular). Preserve what you have and be bold in enhancing it. Sorry, demolition crews, you’re simply not needed!

Great food is easily found in close walking distance at any time of day or night (Quay Ingredient, Babucho, Turkos, and Kafeneon follow)…

Trying out some music gigs is relatively easy, whether you want local jazz at The Globe or a visit to The Cluny for Hawaiian ukulele players presenting Jimi Hendrix in a totally new and illuminating light…

A good Victorian boozer will also help quench any thirst. So, why not try the Crown Posada amongst many others?

And when you tire of the hustle and bustle of the city, get the metro to Tynemouth for a combination of quaint village and seaside atmosphere…

Until we speak again, the locals will definitely be pleased to meet you in their own inimitable way… Wye aye, man.

Yorkshire Gold

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It’s time for a British Summer Tour 2024. Why go travelling the world in search of summer sunshine and exotic experiences? Yes, I know, that question has probably already answered itself.

In times of undoubted climate change, we can thank the mindless emitters and evidence deniers for the cooler and even wetter British June & July of 2024. Ducks need not engage with this previous sentiment!

However, we Celts do occasionally need to acknowledge that our English neighbours might just have some interesting places to visit. No, not London. For historical value, there are few better places to spend a couple of days in than York.

After years of conquest and occupation, the Romans finally decided the Mediterranean climate was more to their liking. It seems their departure was accompanied with a distinct middle finger to the Yorkshire locals…

However, their latter-day Italian ancestors have a lot to be thanked for when it comes to certain culinary twists on good British ingredients (particularly lamb)…

Conquests and posh nosh aside, when it comes to extending a welcome to neighbours across the street, where is better suited than the Shambles in York?

The most infamous Shambles also contains a few sources of mystery. Though I’m sure some questions don’t really need an answer…

Until we speak again, no visit to York is complete without breakfast at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms for a dish of kedgeree and some properly presented English Breakfast Tea…

Why go to Faro?

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You have the whole of the Algarve to be soaking up rays in… so why bother taking the other direction out of the airport into the city?

For a start…the rays are here as well! No, not just on the other side of the track…

It’s got a genuine Old Town… not just something that’s about 30 years old, which the sun worshippers already consider to be uncool and out of date…

There’s a restaurant with a well in the middle of it that’s over a 1000 years old…

Your safety isn’t just guaranteed from falling down unexpected holes in your eating joint… it’s also a matter of 24-hour vigilant surveillance. With a nest like this, do you really think the occupant has any other intentions…

The food elsewhere may claim to come from the sea, but here, the smell of the sea leaps off your plate (believe it or not, there’s a salmon filet residing beneath this roof of shells and veg!)…

The local residents are so chilled they can’t even raise the effort to flutter a few feathers…

And did I mention the much sort after rays can be found here as well. Why not take a boat out across the nature reserve to find beaches in the shadow of a 170 year old lighthouse…

Then, there’s the matter of the Smoke Tiki. After a couple of these, your trusty correspondent struggled to remember what an Algarve was supposed to be used for… an implement for sun worshipping… possibly? Who needs the sun when your drink comes with a blow torch accompaniment, anyway?

Until we speak again, you’re welcome to go to everywhere else on the Algarve in search of your rays. Me, I’m not venturing far from Faro! Just maybe, those Smoke Tiki misdemeanours are rendering movement a bit more restrictive!

Dying is no longer required!

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If you’ve heard the saying… I died and went to heaven… well, dying is no longer obligatory! The good news is that you just need to go to Portugal!

If proof of heaven were needed, then Mensagem Rooftop Restaurant in Lisbon puts forward an application based on a starter of Veal Carpaccio with a Syrah red wine from the nearby Beira region…

Not yet convinced? Faro quickly steps up with a main of Arroz Negro (black rice with cuttlefish ink, and crispy squid) accompanied by a robust Tomato & Roast Pepper Salad. The local Algarve wines provide an extremely dry white, aptly named ‘So Blanc‘…

What do you mean, where’s the dessert? This is Portugal, where the best dessert is widely available throughout the day. Pasteis da Nata are what Portugal was invented for, didn’t you know? Best taken with a proper cappuccino side…

Until we speak again, whatever your version of heaven is… I’m sticking with this one!

Essential Lisbon

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Just going is essential… nuff said! But if you need tempting, there’s always the al a carte cuisine…

Not to say the futuristic transport…

Modern music to make Beyonce sound retro…

The oldest bookshop in the world…

A fabulous range of wine way beyond that headbanging fortified stuff…

Shocking pink theatres…

Lady’s of etiquette…

Even provide a monument to lemmings and cliffs…

A never-ending supply of work for anyone interested in tiles (and more transport weirdness!)…

Aching sadness and melancholy through a word that is pure Portuguese with no translation…

Until we speak again, Lisbon will surprise, enchant, and provide some stunning vistas while you’re resting weary legs…