Alchemy @ BT2 Dublin, Ireland

On a weekend in October we were out and about due to the annual Open House 2015 event in Dublin, Ireland and a film "The song of the sea", which was Oscar nominated, at the Chester Beatty Library we've seen there.

After the beautiful animated movie we were hungry and went to Alchemy for a late lunch. We had been there a few times already (Please see our reviews.).

On this Sunday afternoon we were glad the salad section was well stocked. At earlier times some items weren't available when arriving later in the day.

We chose an Anti-everything juice,  a chocolate coconut milk and two nut cake, beetroot and red cabbage
slaw salads and paid 25 Euro (ca. 28.40 USD).

Since we were the only sit down customers we could choose our table. During our lunch two teenage boys arrived for a quick drink.

As always the food was delicious and the staff friendly. The setting on Grafton Street within BT2 is fascinating.

©2015  

Pichet Dublin, Ireland

During a Mid-October weekend we were out and about, taking part at the Open House Dublin 2015, organized by the Irish Architecture Foundation.

After seeing an exhibition about accommodation and a tour of the Fumbally Exchange, 5 Dame Lane, Dublin 2, we were hungry and tried our luck at Pichet, which we had for a longer time on our radar, but hadn’t tried it yet so far, for late lunch. The bistro is under direction by Headchef Stephen Gibson. We were lucky and after a short wait at the bar area of the bistro we were brought to our table.

Our jackets were taken from us before we were brought to the main dining room, by the friendly and efficent staff.

We were seated at a window table. The restaurant was full. There was a good atmosphere, but it was sometimes very loud, people overall were in a good mood.

The interior felt like being in the South of France.

Our drinks were water delivered in a carafe and a glass of Alois Kracher dessert wine.

We chose the lunch menu. He had the three course, while I had a two course.

We both started with smoked Haddock Beignets, pickled cucumber and smoked paprika. It looked understated, was generous sized and delicious.

His main course was roasted chicken breast with pumpkin risotto and mine was the Veal Bolognaise with gnocchi and Ricotta.

My dish was colorful, but didn’t remind me of a typical Bolognaise. The veal was cubed, melt in the mouth and served in a rich tomato sauce. It was more like a stew and I loved it.

The chicken was a bit of a departure of what he would normally eat. He isn’t too fond of risotto or pumpkin. In this case the autumn dish was just right. The pumpkin was soft and not fibrous. He said it was very well done and he liked the textures and flavors.

We shared our dessert, a peanut butter parfait with milk chocolate ice cream. It was delicious, light and offered a beautiful balance and lightness.

The Alois Kracher dessert wine was dry with fruity notes. It was matching perfect to the parfait.

Even if the service was very busy, they still had time for a quick chat and were attentive at all times.

Our lunch came in at 52.95 Euro, ca. 60.10 USD.

We would return to Pichet, which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and 2 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence. It’s very well worth spending an hour or longer, savoring French cuisine.

©2015  

Camera Museum, George Town, Penang, Malaysia

After having had a rest at Wheeler’s (Please see review.) we were ready to explore Love Lane in the heart of George Town, Penang, Malaysia and the surrounding area. We saw signs for the Camera Museum and decided spontaneously to visit it.

It was shortly after Ramadan, so there were discounts and special offers everywhere, including at the Camera Museum. We received two tickets for the price of one at 20 MYR (ca. 4.20 Euro or 4.75 USD).

The museum is small, but has some rare cameras like Leica, Russian and Belarussian cameras to be viewed here.

There was also a section showing some of the most impressive press photographs over the years.

Other parts dealt with how cameras work and another one had spy cameras. It wasn’t boring at all and didn’t take too long to explore. There was also a darkroom to be discovered by visitors.

Staff is very passionate, knowledgeable and willing to answer questions or show visitors how things work.

There is also a café and a gift shop, where we bought a t-shirt and got even a bit more off due to the vouchers that we received when buying our tickets. It's all good and memorable here for the right reasons.

We would visit again, when in George Town and would recommend it to photographers.

©2015  

Silk Road Cafe and The Arrow that Murder Sleep at the Chester Beatty Library / The Platinum Awards Exhibition at the Coach House, Dublin, Ireland

On a Sunday in October 2015 we had lunch at the Silk Road Café again at the Chester Beatty Library in the heart of Dublin, Ireland.

Before we had problems finding a table due to the restaurant being full and one part of the restaurant had been set up for an event.

We concluded we had to arrive earlier this time around, which we did. It paid off. The Silk Road Café wasn’t that busy, so we could even go together to the counter and choose our main course.

He had the butter chicken with Pilau rice, Greek salad and a bean and lentil salad. I chose the stuffed aubergine. It was filled with tomatoes, the scooped out aubergine flesh, courgette and onions. It was sprinkled with Feta cheese. My sides were also the bean and lentil salad and Pilau rice and a carrot salad. We shared a Synerchi Green Tea Kombucha and bought two Seed & Bean chocolate bars to take home with us. We paid 31.50 Euro (ca. 35.30 USD).

We found easily a space in the atrium.

The meal was delicious and we didn’t have to haste to arrive on time for the musical event we visited at the Chester Beatty Library.

The music recital was called The Arrows that Murder Sleep.

It was about classic Irish stories in song and music by a trio.

The music event started fifteen minutes after the advertised time.

There was a short introduction of the musicians and what the stories were all about.

Lorcan Mac Mathuna was the singer, on the piano accordion was Martin Tourish and Daire Bracken on the fiddle.

The music lasted about 45 minutes and was entirely different to what we normally listen too. We liked it though, and it was beautiful.

All was in Gaelic / Irish. Only the explanation provided by Lorcan was in English. Otherwise it would have been difficult to follow.

One song was about Liadain and Curithir, another about a prayer to protect from lightning strike or the tale about Colmcille’s exile amongst others.

The music varied from being lively and happy to sad and depressed.

At the end CDs were on sale in case the audience needed a Halloween or Christmas present as the band suggested.

Feeling up to more culture we went to the adjacent Coach House and saw the Platinum A’ Design Award Exhibition.

Dublin is the World Design Hub in 2015, so there are year round celebrations of international and Irish design.

The Platinum awards are the highest given by A’Design. The purpose is to inspire discussion about design and how it influences people and their lives.

Some of our favorite pieces were the Zephyr (made of aluminum and can be used to hold bike rentals, but looks also like a sculpture and protects against the elements and vandalism); the best bottle opener on the market at the moment, which is unbreakable and uses materials normally only found in Military or spacecraft engineering; RAW restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan; ICE Arena in Krakow; the newest Airport Terminal in New Delhi and artwork in Santander, Spain, which was created for the 2014 World Sailing Cup.

The exhibition has only opened beginning of October and runs until the 7th of November 2015.

If you have time and are interested in design, it’s worth a visit and can be done fairly quickly, depending if you are reading each text or just skim over it.

 

©2015  

Wheeler's, Love Lane, George Town, Penang, Malaysia

While exploring George Town we were also in Love Lane and stopped for a break at Wheeler’s Coffee. Penang is famous for excellent cuisine and good coffee.

The shop is quaint and easily identifiable because the entrance is decorated with bikes and there is a mural of a gentleman and his unicycle from a long bygone area, when bicycles were still in their infancy, plus a rabbit on a bicycle sporting a blue and red stripped balloons.

The bicycle theme continues throughout the café.

There were a lot of fresh cakes and sandwiches on display and a large board showed the drink menu.

The orders were taken at the counter, but brought to the table by the staff.

The different flavored teas, coffees and chocolates were mind boggling and fabulous.

For him it was easier, but I had difficulties deciding which drink to take.

He took the Nutella Hot Chocolate, while I had the Rose Latte. We chose two orange juices and two tiramisu cakes as well. All was delicious and fresh.

We paid 63.60 MYR (ca. 13 Euro or 14.50 USD).

Other customers were locals and Wheeler’s was very full, but quiet.

We would return next time if we are in Love Lane again.


©2015 

Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse and Grill Dublin, Ireland - Revisited

Having liked our experience at Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse & Grill earlier (Please see also review.) we decided to book a table for  lunch in late September after our visit to the Gallery of Photography at Meeting House Sqare, Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland.

We were recognized immediately, greeted warmly and brought to a corner table, which was already set.

There was no time frame given we had to vacate the table.

We decided to have the value lunch menu again. It had changed to reflect the season.

One starter was still the same. I had it during our previous visit and it had been delicious, so we both chose the Caprese Salad. The quality was the same, but the mix of the tomatoes was slightly different. It was very fresh, light, healthy and tasty at the same time.

He followed with a roasted half chicken and beurre blanc. It came with fries. They had a lemony flavor. The chicken was moist and delicious.

My main course was gnocchi with mushrooms, peas and truffle oil. It was a very satisfying, earthy and moreish dish and well balanced. A good seasonal dish. 

We shared a dessert, the lemon raspberry posset. It was served more like a hot beverage on a dainty saucer with flower print. To our surprise it was lighter then usual, but extremely tasty. 

We shared a large bottle of still water, Fior Uisce, True Water and he had a glass of Joly’s sweet wine with our dessert. The wine was very refreshing and complimented the posset perfectly. 

Staff was attentive and friendly. It seemed there were no walk in guests and the staff/diner ratio was just right. The atmosphere was pleasant and felt upscale.

We paid exactly the same as on our first time at 58.65 Euros or 66 USD. Good value all around.

Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse and Grill has turned out to be one of our favorite restaurants in Dublin. We will be back for more.

©2015 

Engagement

This is a story about Frieda's sister Bobby and how she met her future husband.

The ring burned in Juan Migallon's pocket. He was nervous and thought everyone could read his mind. Of course only his mother Yadra knew what he was up to. She had helped him choose the ring.

It wasn't easy to convince Bobby, short for Roberta Eduarda Leandra Pianas, to leave her family behind and have dinner on St. Stephen's Day. They had been invited by Bobby's oldest sister Frieda and her husband Fin to celebrate Christmas in Seattle. Bobby and her three sisters were very close, but Bobby didn't see too much of them, because they had dispersed to different corners in the world, so it was difficult to separate them when they met.

Finally Bobby agreed.

Juan had booked a table at the Space Needle’s revolving restaurant.

The views were beautiful and the steaks delicious. Juan was a bit absent minded, because he felt even jitterier than before. Bobby was displeased about it and asked him outright if something was wrong. If she went out for dinner with Juan she expected total attention. Otherwise it was a waste of time in her opinion. She rarely did anything half measured, had high expectations on herself and others and was difficult to please.

Juan had met Bobby the first time, when he started working for her father Roberto. His own father Zymon thought it was better Juan left the family business, because Juan and his older brother Aaden constantly clashed about decisions. Since Aaden was going to overtake the company and disputes weren’t good to conduct business, Juan had to go. It hadn’t been easy for Zymon. He wanted the best for his younger son, so when he heard through the grapevine that his old friend Roberto Pianas was looking for a left hand man, he suggested Juan. Roberto met Juan and thought he would be a perfect fit to Bobby’s temperament and supportive when she took the helm.

At first Juan had his doubts Bobby would be suitable as a leader. Bobby was small and petite. She had short black hair and green eyes. It didn’t take him long to understand Bobby liked to wear the trousers – figuratively and literally. She had charisma, was hardworking and tough. She wasn’t very feminine, but she was warm and generous. There was immediately good chemistry between Juan and Bobby. He couldn’t put his fingers on it, but he found the whole package attractive. Bobby felt the same. They had some things in common, like their Colombian background and having three siblings. They shared the same taste in music, films and cuisine. They disliked mushrooms and shrimps. At work Juan and Bobby had the same goals. It didn’t matter for Juan that Bobby was his boss. She did listen to what he had to say and generally took on his advice. Bobby was a bit hot headed and impatient, while Juan thought before talking and didn’t mind to bide his time. They complemented each other and that made them a strong couple on and off the job.

Juan could hardly wait to settle the bill. The butterflies in his stomach had increased. It was crunch time. Dining at the restaurant included also free access to observation deck.

When they arrived at the top it was already dark and the lights of Seattle were twinkling below them. It was romantic. Bobby went to one of the windows immediately to stare out. Juan retrieved the box from his jacket. Bobby was still concentrating on the views. Juan cleared his throat. “Um, Roberta, we have been now together more than two and a half years and I really love you.” He sank to his knees, took Bobby’s left hand and asked: “Will you marry me?” Due to his nerves Juan was a bit clumsy and had problems opening the box. Finally he managed to pry it open. Bobby took the box from him and checked out the trilogy diamond ring. It must have cost a fortune. She still hadn’t given an answer or shown any emotion. “I chose it, because it reflects our past, present and future and its 24 karat gold.” “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” “So, will you marry me?” “Of course I will, dummy! It was about time. I thought you were never going to ask.” Bobby tried the ring on. It fit like a glove. Juan laughed. Part of it was relieve, because Bobby had said yes and the other part was amusement about Bobby being totally unromantic. Well, at least one of them was. Having expected more or less such a reaction, Juan wasn’t disappointed and thought Roberta appreciated his efforts. Later she told him she had enjoyed the evening and it had been very well planned and executed.

Bobby wore her ring with pride and got oos and ahhs when she showed it to her sisters and mother. Vanessa, who was a designer and working in Paris, immediately said she would create Bobby’s wedding dress and help her with the planning if Bobby wanted. Bobby was gracious and said she would happily accept any help she could get, because she wanted a traditional wedding with lots of guests. She wanted all members of his and her family present as well as their friends.

A year later the wedding took place in New York City.

©2015