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I was intending to just have a look but ended up with an 8 gig unit thanks to husband. Much better than last year's shopping trolley no? Testing the mobile blogging application.
Image: jockmomola mug souvenir from Barcelona.

Barcelona Days 1 & 2

         

 

The first thing we did after obtaining the keys of our totally fantastic service apartment, which is conveniently located, clean, smartly renovated & empowered with working airconditioner as promised in their website, was to go straight to Mercato Boqueria. Since it was a Monday many stalls were closed. Pinotxo bar was open but at 2.30 p.m. it had run out of many items, and being a Monday meant many seafood items were not available. Still,  the wait for a counter place was long, 30 minutes to be precise, time in which to deduce how to order the dishes that looked good and to munch on fresh peaches, pears and cherries bought from neighbouring stalls.

         

Everything we ate were delicious: sauteed chickpeas, grilled peppers, croquettes of creamy cheese and ham, roasted cod with mushroom & shallot marmalade, tiny lamb chops and gazpacho. Fellow diners mostly tourists but there were some locals too.

         

Chickpeas close up: a humble bean sauteed with bits of garlic, shallots and I'm not sure what else, delicious and meaty tasting.

         

Passageways between buildings are shadowed and cool, to catch scenes of everyday life and tourist wanderings.

Then off to the shops along Passeig de Gracia for visiting some Gaudi landmarks and the wonderful shops along and alongside this beautiful avenue. In between a glass of pure orange juice, as in oranges go in one end of the machine and juice comes out the other end, and a small apple cupcake for tea and out again to do more shopping. Diesel, Loewe, Adolfo Dominguez etc etc. The shops closes at 8.30 pm which was when we headed to a tapas bar for some fresh potato tortilla and iberico jambon. Costa Gallega at 71 Passeig de Gracia was not really that good but it was convenient and I was tired. Walked all the way back to Placa Antonio Lopez, showered and watched telly. Spain is doing well in sports this year, first the Euro Cup, then Wimbledon.

         

Woke up early. Made tea with the water from the tap as husband says the water is potable but was not sure, the tea was very salty. Stopped by Bar Salvador at Canvis Nous 8 for some excellent coffee. Here I understand what wine on tap means.

         

Shopping along El Born is fantastic. All things chic and stylish but not as expensive as Passeig de Gracia. Many eateries in this neighbourhood. Bubo for fancy chocolates. Sagardi has a tapas bar featuring beautifully made sandwiches. They operate on an honour system: the waiter will ask for the toothpick at the end of the meal to count the tab. At 11.30 am the food looked pristine and tempting so we made a breakfast of a good selection. Surprise hits included an open faced one topped with a snowy pile of fake crab dressed in garlicky mayonaisse, as well as one topped with seafoody cream stuffed peppers. Ham sandwiches were not so good, Bellota Bellota in Paris has so spoiled us. 

         

My favourite item was this simple tuna dressed in olive oil and scatterings of chopped onions. The Spanish just have such a way with canned fish don't they?

         

More shopping before we give in to more eating. Taller de Tapas is considered an upmarket tapas restaurant but it wasn't so bad, prices were relatively kind considering what we put up with in Paris and the food was faultless. I steered clear of expensive dishes (foie gras, lobsters etc) and stuck with the basics. We polished off everything.

         

The asparagus was sitting on the counter, we saw them trimming and cooking our dish from beginning to end. Spanish food really is WYSIWYG, no sauces, no trimmings, no fanfare.But they use too much salt. Later we bought bottled water to drink because the tap water is so salty it made my fingers swollen.

         

Creme caramel. There was a time when I visited Madrid, it was 1992. I ate churros in the morning, paella and creme caramel in the afternoon, tortillas and sangria for tea and garlic chicken alternating with green salad for dinners. Those were the days before internet and the redundancy of guide books.

Completely satiated, but with enough energy to explore all of the area. There is a lovely internet cafe in one of its winding passages to catch up on emails and twitterings, then more shopping and a dulce de leche gelato from Tomo II before ducking into a hairdresser's to escape the unrelenting heat and to have the hair washed and curled. As soon as I emerged into the heat, the curls deflated. Oh well.

         

On the way home we stopped at Vila Viniteca to get some fresh fruits but the selection looked sad. Inside though, they have an amazing selection of charcuterie and even more amazing one of cheeses. We bought some ham, and foraged among the neighbourhood grocers for some flat peaches, scoring also some freshly made potato samosas which were cheap and delicious. After a much needed shower we settled ourselves on the sofa and watched telly in airconditioned comfort while the sun beat in through the windows warming our DIY tapas.

At 7.30 p.m. it was safe to venture out again, to Port Vell with its many boats bobbing in the water and the smell of seafood cooking and salty breezes gently blowing. Doesn't the light look Turner-ish?

         

At Barceloneta beach a nude cyclist whizzed past me and we saw a tilting sculpture by Rebecca Horn.

         

We were not really hungry but still wanted to eat some seafood. Settled randomly for Barceloneta because it looked like a place where the locals entertain their visitors. It was huge but still, we had no reservations and the gatekeeper tried to fob us off with a table at a secluded end next to the toilet. We decided to wait and after 20 minutes we were shown to a balcony table, much better. Husband ordered a sparkling rosé to drink, the colour was like sparkling jewels and it was very easy to drink. Starter of fried calamari was excellent, but not so were main dishes of arroz negro (salty, and I don't mean the saltiness you'd expect from seafood) and shrimps sauteed with peppers (overcooked).

         

For dessert we tried Creme Catalane which is similar to but not exactly like creme brulée. For one, it is more runny. Two it is more eggy and three is is so much richer. Four, it was served cold. Not an altogether bad way to end our second day in Barcelona.

In next post, we are joined by a very famous food blogger. The pace intensifies and we experience more highs and some lows of the local gastronomic scene.

Back from Catalonia

            

Just a quick note to say we're back in Paris. My dinky compact camera vomited 330 + pictures for me to process, so please pardon the wait for the first post. It'll be worth it I promise. Video segments are up though, please head over to Vox if you have the private password.

Food in Catalonia was sensational, it blew our socks off and made this the most memorable eating holiday ever. Husband in particular can not stop yabbering about his landmark visit to Alvaro Palacios Vineyard and an even more unforgettable lunch at this totally amazing restaurant next door, too bad I was not with him that day merde. Oh and of course there's the dinner at the #1 restaurant in the world which was the main reason we made a trip over in the first place....

July, the month before August

            

Yesterday was the hottest day we've had the whole year. 31C in the shade. I  decided to have sushi for lunch and when I tried to pay the bill I realised I had left my wallet in my other bag at home. Husband drove out to bail me, a 15 minute trip in normal circumstances but yesterday it took him 45 minutes because of the terrible traffic jams all over the city. In the evening, he was stuck again because they closed off most of the roads around Champs Elysee and his 10 minute car journey turned into a 2 hour nightmare. Moral of the story: leave the car at home.

June came and went in a flash. We had looked forward to welcoming friends and family and before we knew it, they had arrived, conquered and waved us au revoir. Weylin and her boy-boy made us sumptuous breakfasts while we slept, and one night there was even a laksa gravy bathed fish! Mummy and Aunt L enjoyed the shopping- this year discounts run deeper and earlier, many stores slash at least 50% off and 70% is not unusual- as well as the pastries, chocolates and Iberico pata negra.
      
            

The eating, well, it has been really too hot to eat much. We get by on granitas and frozen grapes and other fruits including canned longans by Aroy-D (their longans and stuffed rambutans leave the competition in the dust). The cherries have not been fantastic, the weather had been too rainy this year. Flat peaches and strawberries are slightly better. Asparagus was good, one day I even found wild asparagus selling at 3 bunches for 1 euro! Zucchini flowers appeared, and we grabbed a trayful, they started curling within a few hours but were still very tasty fried up with or without stuffings of goat cheeses. We are easing into tomatoes and more salad leaves: cold tomato soup with mint cream and a hint of sweet peppers served at kitschy Findi's (24, Ave George V in the 8th, T: +33 1 47 20 14 78) was one of the best thing I ate recently.

Next week Barcelona. I need to starve a bit before going, our champion gourmand travelling companion has earmarked 4 major meals a day at all the greatest hits places in the city and beyond. Will I be able to wear any of my new dresses by the evening of THE dinner remains a big question.

Also, in August we are going to Singapore from 4-8, and then KL from 9-21. I am planning our itinerary in Singapore but KL is still a big blank. Fellow food bloggers in KL, please email me if you organise any makan sessions I would love to meet up with y'all.

Intermission

no time to blog STOP mother & aunt L in town STOP mummy to demo making of child's skirt STOP blazing hot weather STOP only salads and cold meats hence nothing interesting to say foodwise STOP

soldes start tomorrow STOP shops are lovely STOP buyers can reserve in advance of the sales STOP mummy & aunt shopping up a storm STOP

ASEAN Family Day, France 2008

            

(have a feeling the spring rolls were from the Thai contingent..)

Every year the diplomatic agencies of the ASEAN countries get together for a Family Day. This year the event was held at a leisure centre 40 km outside Paris. We were thrilled to be invited and my goodness what a yummy day out. The sun was shining, the kids received loads of goodies and I ate an embarassing amount of deliciousness.

Please scroll through the pictobrowser for more pictures, and click on the "notes" link for the commentaries. It is me in the pink batik tunic tearing into a banana rice cake, marking the first time that a picture of myself appears on this blog. I must have been rendered gaga by the THREE pieces of banana samosas, see top image, 12 o'clock- sliced bananas cooked in syrup, wrapped and fried up as samosas and glazed with sticky caramel, doesn't that sound crazy delicious?

Tortas de Aceite

            

Our food stash is full of exotica these days, as friends and families who visit bring me food presents which they know I will appreciate. C in particular was very excited to share this new treat which she is madly in love with. Torta de Aceite originates from Seville, Spain and is a biscuit made with wheat flour, almonds, olive oil, sesame and anise. Knowing my antipathy towards licorice and anise flavours in general, she warned that I might not like it but to also give it a chance anyway. We therefore approached with much caution, the oily wrapping paper not making it less intimidating but after our first hesitant nibbles we realised that the anise flavous is subtle and gives it a unique finish. 

            

In the beginning it is hardly discernible; the heady scents of sesame, olive oil and almonds are noticed first, followed by gratifyingly crunchy-crisp (somewhere between pizza bianco and palmier) sweetness with the anise providing a not unwelcome jolt at the finish. The anise gives this cookie highly addictive qualities, cleansing the palate just enough to make one reach for yet another morsel, and another, until to one's surprise, the packet is empty.

On Vox: Chopsticks

Last Sunday V learnt how to use chopsticks. Bravo!

» Read more on Vox

Daulat Tuanku, from Paris

             

Do you know that, every year, the Malaysian King's birthday is celebrated on the first Saturday of June? Always. The sultans of all the 13 states take turn to be king, and during their kingship the country celebrates their birthday. On their real birthday of course, they can do whatever they like, but come first Saturday in June, they will be lots of cake-cutting and greetings of "Daulat Tuanku" to wish them long life. Even as far away as France.

We went to the celebrations held in a sports complex on the outskirts of Paris. After the speeches everyone went to take a good look at the cake. Strawberries, chocolate swirls, sugar cookies and a lone macaron.

             

Makan time. These are pancakes rolled and stuffed with curried chicken. Sedap.

             

Still, all everyone wanted was to eat satays. The tantalising smell was the first thing we noticed on the way to the venue, and it was worth the 40 minute drive out. Spicy sweet but not hot so that the kids can enjoy them as well. Before they got busy with the games. Our V didn't do too badly either, she won second prize in the colouring competition and also a bonus prize for jumping like a crazed monkey when the band played. All in, a very good day out.             

Tea time in Paris

            

It's been five days since the sisters went home. I am missing them but my credit cards are not, they are taking a well deserved rest until 25 June when the sales start. I am thinking of a studded belt à la SATC, Carrie wore it no less than 4 times in the movie A few more dresses wouldn't hurt too.

May and June seem to be the peak visitor season chez umami. So far, two sets of friends and of course the sisters have dropped by, and we're expecting 4th sister C and her friend this weekend, then more friends the following week followed by Mummy and Aunt Lily. July is quieter, only one person expected. And these are just the people who are staying with us, as some have just enough time to meet us for meals in between traipsing around the continent. We love it because people bring for us lovely stuff like giant bottles of pei pa ko, premium dried goods, Sarawak red rice and murukku, the latter so outstanding I finished a big bag within a day!

Last week, on the one day we didn't deliberately go shopping (but anything fashionable along the way was considered fair game) the sisters wanted to eat fallafel. Exiting the bus we walked past Boulangerie Malineau on rue Vielle du Temple. As usual the fantasy marshmallows and cute animal shaped cookies stopped everyone in their tracks but there was an even more lovely surprise inside. Just next to the cash machine was a basket of freshly fried apple fritters. Light puffy batter coddling sweet sliced apples tasting more of ripe bananas (a very good thing in my book) and gratifyingly free of the usual spices like cloves and cinammon. We made short work of this before we even reached L'as du Fallafel. The fallafels here seem denser and moister compared to the lighter, and my preferred, version from Chez Marianne's but the sisters love them as they were; they were better incorporated into a sandwich, their heft ameliorated somewhat by the crunchy vegetables and some choice pieces of tender and smoky grilled aubergines. Unfortunately L'as du Fallafel didn't have any liver that day, I would have loved to see how their chopped liver compares to Chez Hanna's which I adore.

            

I made another discovery. Hana Food (15 rue Lettelier in the 15th arr) has, besides their weekly consignments of home-made kimchis and banchans, also started selling deok. Delicious with a cup of the excellent tieguanyie given to us by my grandmother. Best to go early on weekends, like the kimchis they sell out fast.