a bear's life

Wednesday, 26th November

2008-11-26T01:36:00.000-08:00

Late afternoon, Tuesday, 25 November

2008-11-25T01:30:00.000-08:00

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

2008-11-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

Aren't these photographs amazing? In summer, when the water flow is comparatively low, people are allowed to swim in a natural swimming hole called the 'Devil's Pool' that forms at the very edge of these magnificent falls. One of the largest in the world, the African name for the falls, 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' means the Smoke that Thunders...

I've just added this to my list of things to do in a lifetime..

Via A Cup of Jo.

Mid-morning, Sunday 23rd November

2008-11-22T16:55:00.001-08:00

The weather is strange this morning, it seems it can't make up its mind. One minute brights shafts of light are falling from the sky, intensely warm and piercing, the next minute I'm convinced the afternoon will bring thunder, lightning and rain. Only time will tell.

Ski chalet at Whistler, BC

2008-11-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Currently for sale for around CAD $830,000...

The New York times has a piece on the chalet here

I am planning an adventure

2008-11-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

Photo via dankse

It's been two years since I returned from Japan - almost a lifetime for me - am I am restless to see more of the world.

This adventure will begin one brisk March afternoon, in the wintery islands of Japan from where I will drift downwards and across the ocean to Korea, Vietnam and India, then further westwards across the great deserts to Turkey, Greece, Italy and France, finally coming to a rest in the gentle Parisian summer of 2009. While autumn turns slowly to winter, I will sharpen my fading French skills at a language school in the 5th, read books under the old oaks in the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, and take walks along the Promenade Plantee.

How I will support myself is a small detail I have yet to work out - I'm hoping the vibrant Parisian market scene will support me in the establishment of a little vintage store, failing that I may have to fall back on some rather rusty English-teaching skills and a credit card.

I'm excited to go - my eyes crave fresh colours, my tongue, new flavours and my skin the cool tingle of a fresh Northern wind.

Twin bear mugs by Taylor & Ng

2008-11-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

Shall I buy these?

$22.00 for two from sweetshorn vintage.

Winter woolies

2008-11-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

It's the wrong time of year here, but I'm still seduced by the gorgeous wooliness of hats, scarves and gloves.

Top image: Echo, boiled wool wavy stripes scarf - $48.00

Bottom image: Mina Perhonen, wool/angora grass field mitten - $195.00

both available from Bird, NYC

Wagashi birthday cake

2008-11-16T01:49:00.000-08:00

For my birthday, Matt made me a cake based on his favourite wagashi from the book I recently bought. Considering he has never baked or iced a cake before I'm super impressed with the end result, which I think is really very cute, and without a doubt, quite delicious.

Today I turned 28

2008-11-15T23:51:00.001-08:00

and this is my birthday cake - a chewy apricot and almond concoction from Blakes.

Balthazar

2008-11-14T03:28:00.001-08:00

In a stoic, stone building along the Esplanade, lies one of Perth's most inconspicuous fine dining establishments. With its closed wooden shutters, dim lighting and lack of exterior signage, Balthazar has a somewhat subterranean ambiance - hauling open the monumental wooden door one could almost be striding into the den of some ancient nobility - and the name of the restaurant itself brings to mind kings, queens and empires long past. Balthazar is one of the three wise men.

In fact, the interiors are more contemporary Euro bistro than medieval wizard's parlour, with white, minimal table settings, a tiled black and white floor, and polished wood furnishings highlighted by rows of glinting wine glasses and wine racks. In the more informal front space, high, wooden tables are serviced by bent-wood bar stools, and the drinks list, bar menu and cheese specials are scrawled in white chalk on wooden blackboards that line the old stone walls.

We were settled briskly into our 'booth' by our waiter for the evening. Despite its tiny interior and fine dining reputation, Balthazar maintains a charming ,bustling atmosphere, that is much more akin to a busy train station cafe or fish market than a Perth restaurant in - approaching 8.30pm on a Friday night - a rather deserted end of town. This is reinforced by the establishment's young, trendy and somewhat aloof team of waitstaff who constantly, and rather theatrically, call instructions to each other across the room (" That is negative, I repeat, negative on the soft shell crab" was one such line that boomed conspicuously across the room - luckily we had already placed our order for the night). Over the eclectic soundtrack of 30's jazz, and Feist, I could almost discern the bellow of departing trains.

We slipped gently into the evening with fresh oysters drizzled with a rose and cucumber dressing, and a tasting plate comprising miniature versions of the remaining entree selections - a swirl of polenta, a roulade of rabbit (far too salty for my liking), a spoonful of seasoned beef, and a plump white disc of herbed fish cake.

The highlight of the mains was an aged beef fillet with smoked potato, candied aubergine and celeriac - a creation I had previously read was their signature dish. Thick and perfectly seared to a medium rare, the beef was unbelieveably tender and smoky with flavour, like velvet melting on the tongue.

The remaining mains comprised a lamb scotch fillet paired with crumbed globe artichokes and broad bean tortellini, a rich duck and pistachio sausage with cream sauce and green beans and a more simple pasta puttanesca with crispy soft shell crab. Of note were the rather hefty portions, which following the initial offering of fresh bread and butter, trailed closely by the oysters and miniatures, proved a struggle to clear.

Nevertheless, after the last mouthfuls were savored, and plates ferried away, dessert menus were passed around. After brief discussions, we settled on the dessert tasting plate for two, presented ala tasting plate style as a miniature diorama of the chef's sweetest specials. A chai tea pannacotta wobbled atop a gingerbread base, fanned by slices of fresh pear and mint; a tangy lime roulade and coconut sorbet nestled under flakes of shaved coconut; a dense, sour cream doughnut enclosed a frozen dome of vanilla bean icecream. The final element was a dark chocolate mousse, lightened by a side of cream that pouted under its beret of pistachio meringue. Even split amongst the four of us, finishing, was a true exercise in stomach contortions.

Throughout the duration of the meal, groups of diners seemed to be continually arriving and leaving, the result of which was that the room was at almost times, completely full. The upshot of this was that the usual diminuendo that occurs as the evening wears on, diners swallow their last drops of wine and leave and the atmosphere peters out, never actually occured. Even approaching 10pm, while we were licking the last lashings of lime from our spoons, animated tides of couples were still being ushered to their tables and the parade of dishes marching from the kitchen showed no signs of letting up.

By half ten, as we were departing, sleepy, our bellies full and round, merry groups of twenty-somethings were just arriving to drink cocktails at the bar. While no one dish had left an indelible mark in our minds, the evening as a whole had been a pleasure - the service quick, the dishes well-executed, the ambiance one of relaxtion. Warm, happy and content, we sighed deeply with satisfaction and parted ways, stumbling dreamily homewards in the gathering dark.

Balthazar
6 The Esplanade
PERTH WA 6000

Wagashi - The graphics of Japanese confection

2008-11-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

Last week I ordered a copy of Wagashi - The graphics of Japanese confection, a book that I have been eyeing for literally, years. I first came across in a bookstore in Shinsaibashi (Osaka) in 2006 and have regretted not buying it ever since.

Although it has been available on amazon.jp for sometime, I was unable to find it on English sites or in bookstores in Australia until a week ago.

It arrived in the post this afternoon, direct from fishpond, an online bookstore based in New Zealand. The cover is minimal, matte, smooth and clean, typically Japanese. I love Japanese design.

2008-11-09T03:35:00.000-08:00

Dinner at Balthazar

2008-11-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Artichokes for supper

2008-11-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I bought two artichokes for $1.99 each from the green grocer on Beaufort Street, but didn't get around to cooking them during the week. Tonight I prepared them for a late supper.

The tops of the artichokes were sawn off and the bulbs boiled and steamed in water flavoured with a slice of lemon, a clove of garlic and a couple of bay leaves. Once tender and while still warm, we peeled off the leaves and dipped them in whole egg mayonnaise seasoned with lemon zest.

Twenty minutes later our plates were a mountain of discarded leaves but our bellies were full.

Lavender mochi?

2008-11-02T01:54:00.001-07:00

Normally I'm a big advocate of using lavender as a flavouring - lavender shortbread, lavender icecream, lavender custard slices, lavender syrup, even savoury dishes, the possibilities abound. But when it came to these lavender-flavoured mochi that I picked up from an Asian supermarket on William Street this afternoon I started thinking that at times its best to stick with tradition.

I think the main problem was that these mochi simply weren't sweet enough to balance out the pungent herbal taste taste of the lavender, and the result was that the whole chewy morsel was quite bitter with a strong and flowery aftertaste that I had to brush my teeth vigorously to eliminate.

The mochi also came in 'camomile' flavour, however after after the lavender this is something I won't be rushing to try anytime soon.

Nosy Velvet, Meet Your Beautiful Lover

2008-11-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is from the 2008 edition of Finnish designer, Noa Bembibre's, calendar Cats Let Nothing Darken Their Roar. Released annually, each edition of the calendar features a fresh collection of surreal and quirky phrases for you to ponder ad infinitum, or at the very least until the beginning of the next month. Nosy Velvet, Meet Your Beautiful Lover is the composition for this November.

Despite the fact that the 2008 edition was listed as 'sold out' on both Noa's website and on a number of other online design shops, Noa was able to find me one last copy among her private stores. Once each month has passed (and if I don't decide to keep them), I use the tear-off sheets as gift-wrapping for books.

Printed in a limited edition of 500, the 2009 edition is currently available for order on her website.

Photo: Panther (or Nosy Velvet), sunning himself sleepily on the warm floorboards this lazy Sunday morning.

Spaghetti & Swedish meatballs

2008-10-31T04:53:00.000-07:00

While perhaps not the most elegant of dinners, it was certainly one of the easiest.

The meatballs were first tossed in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil and then mixed into a simple sauce of crushed tomatoes and fresh oregano simmered and reduced over a medium heat with a sprinkling of sea salt.

A grind or two of cracked black pepper, a few shavings of parmigiano and a side of sliced, crisp Lebanese cucumber finished off the dish.

The meatballs themselves, unexpectedly, were quite moist, tender and flavourful.

A trip to Ikea

2008-10-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

An evening trip to Ikea yielded the above pictured furry litter of baby animal finger puppets!

While these came in a set of ten 'land' animals, there is also a second set of 'sea creatures' that comes complete with miniature versions of the starfish, octopus and shark ($7.95).

The remainder of my nightly haul included a do-it-yourself kit for a fancy miniature gingerbread house complete with curlicules of white icing ($7.95), a bottle of elderflower cordial (about $4.95) and a kg of swedish meatballs ($11.95).

Any suggestions as to what to do with the meatballs will be much appreciated!

Ikea
6 Sunray Drive
Innaloo WA 6018

www.IKEA.com.au

Cinnamon Orange Palmiers

2008-10-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

In the realm of baking, palmiers fit somewhere between a pastry and a most delicate cookie with a crisp and flaky texture that quickly dissolves into a general sweetness. In order to eat a palmier I usually start at the tip of the pointy heart, then work around in a circular motion, unravelling the fragile layers of pastry with oh so tiny nibbles.

Lately, rather than wandering down and picking a few up from Soto or one of the asian bakeries on William Street, I've started baking them myself.

These are the first flavoured ones I've tried, although I've considered a variety of other flavours - vanilla, rosewater, cardamon, rosemary- that I may attempt on a future rainy afternoon.

the essence of wild willows

2008-10-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

I purchased this mysterious water, described as the essence of wild willows, several months ago but since then have frankly, been at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it.

According to the bottle the nectar is an Iranian ingredient traditionally added to sherbets, but in contemporary cooking can be dripped into desserts and cocktails to which it will grant a unique aroma. While trawling the net for additional ideas I also found a brief reference to it being diluted with ice water and drunk as a kind of cordial in the summer.

I think I may turn it into simple syrup to drizzle over cakes and icecream.

Rochelle Adonis

2008-10-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

I visited the new (ish) Rochelle Adonis cake shop on Brisbane Street, Northbridge this afternoon for a post-lunch, pre-shopping sugar fix. As you can see from the photos I took, Rochelle Adonis nougat is distinctly creamy in colour, rather than the artic white of almost every other kind of nougat I've had, or made.

After tasting a piece I realise just why this might be - the nougat seems to be honey-based. It is also quite dense, crumbly, and deceptively grainy in texture, while not being overly sweet.

Biting into the confection however is a bit like sinking your teeth into a bag of dried potpourri - there is a whiff of rose petals and a slight crunch of dried leaves before the fruit, nuts and honey finally take over.

Mina Perhonen

2008-10-23T02:15:00.001-07:00

I love these images from the 07 / 08 A-W collection of Tokyo-based fashion label Mina Perhonen. The name is Finnish and translated means "I, butterfly".

For me, the "Phoenix" dress (top image) is a clever take on the layered feathers of a golden bird rising from the ashes, while the pixelated shimmer of the "Ceremony" dress (bottom image) captures perfectly the neon lights and flashing signage of the modern Japanese city.

2008-10-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

I purchased these pastel gems from a tiny cupcake shop on Waratah Avenue, Dalkeith this afternoon. Sweet on Cupcakes seems mainly set up for catering and functions (while their website lists flavours such as passionfruit, rose garden and orange afternoon tea, only chocolate and vanilla cake flavours are available at the shop).

Nevertheless, the few varieties made available for spontaneous purchase create quite a circus of colours in the box. I shall no doubt enjoy them alongside a freshly brewed pot of earl grey.

2008-10-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Dutch artist, Marielle Leenders, has come up with a unique concept for packaging and marketing flower bulbs. The bulbs are dipped in a thin layer of wax to seal and preserve them, and when the bulbs are planted the roots grow through the wax.

Despite the innocuous intent, I can't help feeling that there's something rather uncanny about the images of the embalmed roots, something that makes me think of being buried alive.

2008-10-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Signature Menu

2 textures of wagyu beef, vietnamese inspired
Pelorus, cloudy bay sparkling wine, marlborough, nz
*Pol roger NV brut, epernay, france

manjimup marron
oyster mushrooms, baby corn, spiced coconut broth
Larry cherubino ‘the yard’ Riesling 2007, mt barker, wa
*Villa maria gewürztraminer 2005, hawkes bay, nz

jamon iberico de bellota grand reserva
yellowfin tuna, beetroot, fennel, pomegranate, sherry vinaigrette
O:TU otuwhero estates sauvignon blanc 2007, marlborough, nz
* Marc bredif vouvray 2005, loire, france

crispy aromatic duck
stir fried choy sum, sweet & sour mandarin & ginger sauce
Stefano lubiana ’primevara’ pinot noir 2007, tasmania
*Wairau river ‘homeblock’ pinot noir 2006, marlborough, nz

occeli du barolo, truffle honey, ash biscuits
Rusden driftsand , grenache/shiraz 2006, barossa valley, sa
*Charles melton ‘nine popes’ shiraz 2005, barossa valley, sa

watermelon jelly, strawberries, hibiscus flower & lemon granita

passionfruit souffle, passionfruit mascarpone parfait
Gandia ‘fusta nova’ moscatel 2006, valencia, spain
* Petaluma essence 2003, botrytis semillion

Toby’s estate coffee, caramels

I am going to Star Anise next Saturday night and am planning to partake of the above menu. The tuna with pomegranate, watermelon jelly and hibiscus flower granita and ash biscuits are the dishes that I'm most looking forward to.

In particular, I find anything with pomegranate or watermelon in it irresistable. For the last two summers, since I first chanced upon the recipe, I have made Sicilian watermelon puddings fragrant with rosewater obsessively.

Mid-afternoon impulse buys

2008-10-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I bought this vintage dress from etsy on impulse this afternoon. I have no idea where I might wear such a beautiful frock to and I'm pretty sure it's going to need significant alteration just to get it to fit, but it was indeed love at first sight. The midnight blue and silver swirls remind me of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and summer nights spent lying on the roof of my old house in Takarazuka.

Heston Blumenthal's popping-candy chocolate cake

2008-10-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this look lovely? The recipe, one of Heston Blumenthal's, is essentially chocolate mousse poured over a hazelnut and popping-rock base. When spooned into the mouth, the pop-rocks are supposed to crackle and fizzle, like tiny fire-works in the mouth. Apparently the manufacturers of popping-rock candy stopped making it in the 80's due to the surfacing of a vicious rumour that the pop-rocks, if ingested with coca cola, could produce a nasty explosion in the stomach. Consequently, if attempting this recipe (and I certainly intend to) I may need to acquire my supply of pop-rocks from the internet. A small inconvenience for the pleasure of producing (and consuming) my own little work of molecular gastronomy.

Mt Hutt - Lake Tekapo - Mt Cook - Christchurch

2008-10-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

A few photos from my two-week snowboarding trip to New Zealand in mid September. The variation in the landscape was amazing, from flat, dry, windy prairies covered in brush, to lush, rolling English slopes, to endless rocky mountain ranges that even through the months of summer still remain scattered with snow.

2008-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

2008-10-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

there's something very fragile about them

2008-10-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Apparently Barack Obama has flickr - or at least his PR department does - here

2008-10-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

2008-10-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

2008-10-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting for the elevator on the 8th floor and all I can smell is the scent of ham and cheese crepes wafting gently around the corners of the offices. If I was inspired to venture into the kitchen to investigate I am sure that my hallucinations of jaunty streetside vendors peddling fresh, crispy-edged triangles of rosy ham and gooey chese would fracture and fall away when I came across (as seems mostly likely) a middle-aged office-worker microwaving a piece of sweaty ham and plastic-wrapped cheese by way of a hurried lunch. But I don't investigate and the drifting scent stirs memories of Paris in the wintertime, and ice-skating on Valentine's Day at the Marie de Paris.

yakitori kaleidoscope at Botsu

2006-06-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

lazy saturday afternoons

2006-06-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

super small, super cute and super glum

2006-05-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

But I thought we'd be friends...

2006-05-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

at home in Takarazuka

2006-05-04T20:41:00.000-07:00