I don’t want to stray to far into the wonderful Happy Guts’ territory, so please consider this an homage rather than a rip off.
Now that I’m doing this food and sport thing I thought I’d tell you about dinner on Saturday night at France-Soir. Cause it was good.
I have often visited France-Soir’s cousin, Paris Go, and always with good result, so I had high expectations. France-Soir is a little more serious than its cross river relation but I was delighted to discover the experience was as good as promised by my companions. Having already been force-fed a bucket of gin (one very large, very dry martini) prior to dinner I was delighted to see the arrival of bread to the table. And this is good bread. Not the kind of hefty, sourdough goodness you want for dipping in oil, but thick slices of a tiny french baguette with a glossy sheen and a slight sweetness.
After much um-ing and ah-ing I opted for the scallops in basil sauce for the entrée, while he across the table chose the sea perch dumplings in prawn sauce, a favourite from the Paris Go menu. The scallops were not big, but very flavourful and while the sauce wasn’t exactly laden with basil I didn’t mind. The sauce quickly became fantastic creamy soup just waiting for me at the bottom of the empty scallop shells. This was where the bread really came into its own. Soaking up every last skerrick of sauce I ate far more than my fair share and received a brief look of concern from the waiter when he refilled the bread basket. I understand the perch dumplings were also perfect as usual.
After spending far too long trying to decipher the specials menu scribbled on the mirror behind me I gave in and chose the duck l’orange. It’s a good test of a restaurant to try the dish everyone expects to see on the menu. Rogan Josh in the Indian place, falafel in the Lebanese etc. If the kitchen does the everyday dishes as well as they do the specials you know you’re in the right place. And the duck was excellent. The very generous portion of duck, resting in a thin, orangey and not at all sweet sauce was excellent and accompanied by the best french fries I have ever eaten. If only the icy chill coming through the front door hadn’t cooled them before I had a chance to eat the lot. He across the table was also very fond of his veal in a creamy sauce ( I cant remember the finer details, they were in French), and I’m guessing the eye fillet ordered by the guy next to me was also good, as I didn’t hear a word out of him until it was completely gone.
Since the old faithfuls had seen me right so far, I chose the crème brulee for dessert. He across the table chose a sickly sweet and fiendishly dark chocolate mousse. Under pressure from the evening’s second sitting congregating at the bar the crème brulee was in front of me in record time. And France-Soir came through with the goods again. With a creamy layer of custard coated in a wonderfully thick and crunch toffee crust. I really only needed to eat half. Instead I ate the lot and rolled home with a moan and a satisfied grin.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Michael Schumacher has retired
Its worth mentioning because he was a champion of the sport and has been a household name for years and congratulations to him for being perhaps the best driver the race has ever seen.
But, frankly, I’m pleased he’s retiring. The things that made him such an excellent driver, his cool clinical manner, his steely resolve and complete lack of charisma also made him a bore to watch. His utter dominance of the sport made the sport itself boring. Hell, they even tried changing the rules to make it more interesting. With his retirement we will hopefully see a more even and therefore exciting competition.
The best moments in racing are when drivers stop acting on instruction and start acting on impulse. Craig Lowndes is good case in point. Several weeks ago he drove an almost flawless race to win Bathurst. It was impressive, but hardly exciting viewing. Yesterday however, nowhere near the front, he blew his top, did something stupid and was given a drive through penalty for his behaviour. He then proceeded to fill the radio airwaves with expletives for the rest of the race. It was great! It was interesting, unpredictable and showed the punters exactly how much he wanted to win. Schumacher rarely showed that kind of emotion and the sport was the poorer for it. Every once in a while its nice see that race car drivers are human too.
Still, good luck to Schumacher in his retirement. Hopefully he’ll volunteer to do a Top Gear hot lap, I’d like to see that!
But, frankly, I’m pleased he’s retiring. The things that made him such an excellent driver, his cool clinical manner, his steely resolve and complete lack of charisma also made him a bore to watch. His utter dominance of the sport made the sport itself boring. Hell, they even tried changing the rules to make it more interesting. With his retirement we will hopefully see a more even and therefore exciting competition.
The best moments in racing are when drivers stop acting on instruction and start acting on impulse. Craig Lowndes is good case in point. Several weeks ago he drove an almost flawless race to win Bathurst. It was impressive, but hardly exciting viewing. Yesterday however, nowhere near the front, he blew his top, did something stupid and was given a drive through penalty for his behaviour. He then proceeded to fill the radio airwaves with expletives for the rest of the race. It was great! It was interesting, unpredictable and showed the punters exactly how much he wanted to win. Schumacher rarely showed that kind of emotion and the sport was the poorer for it. Every once in a while its nice see that race car drivers are human too.
Still, good luck to Schumacher in his retirement. Hopefully he’ll volunteer to do a Top Gear hot lap, I’d like to see that!
Straying off the topic
It turns out Mike Brady is actually right! Footy does win hands down. And now that the season is finally over and the players have fled to Las Vegas and Phuket I have found myself with something of a gap in my life. There were so many empty hours in my weekend that I even the Gilmore Girls on DVD and actually turned the television over to Sky racing (bad commentary incarnate) in the hope of finding something interesting to watch. It comes as little surprise that Rory and Lorelai are still more interesting than Race 5 at Eagle Farm. Not even watching John Kosmina throttling Kevin Muscat could rouse me from my malaise. It's all so…not football.
So I think I’m going to have to start writing about something else for a bit. And not wanting to stray too far from what I know and love, I think it’s going to have to be food. So, if there are no objections I bring you:
Recipe #1 – Tofudabeast
This has become a weeknight favourite of mine as it requires virtually no forward planning, is pretty cheap, and because you can buy a couple of packets of tofu and they will live for a couple of weeks in the back of the fridge. Unlike the fish I bought the other week and forgot about.
Salt and Pepper Tofu
1 packet Firm tofu
Cornflour
Salt
Ground white pepper
Chinese 5 spice
Vegetable oil, perhaps with a squirt of sesame oil if you feel like it.
Combine enough cornflour to coat the tofu, with some* salt, pepper, and 5 spice.
Drain the tofu and dry off with some paper towel, pressing down on the tofu to squeeze out some of the excess water, then cut into bite size pieces. Keep in mind, the smaller you cut the tofu the more tasty fried bits you get on the outside.
Heat about an inch and half of oil in the bottom of a wok, toss the tofu in the cornflour mix, shake off the excess flour and drop into the hot oil. Fry in small batches, turning the tofu to brown on all sides and then drain on some paper towel.
Serve with some Asian greens (or perhaps some Australian Greens, but definitely not Democrats – far too bitter and there really isn’t enough of them to fill you up) in oyster sauce and some jasmine rice.
* ‘Some’ is an official measurement I will undoubtedly use in any and all recipes. It roughly converts to one ‘I don’t really measure things, so you’ll have to make an educated guess’. It’s usually somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon if you’re going to be a pedant about it.
So I think I’m going to have to start writing about something else for a bit. And not wanting to stray too far from what I know and love, I think it’s going to have to be food. So, if there are no objections I bring you:
Recipe #1 – Tofudabeast
This has become a weeknight favourite of mine as it requires virtually no forward planning, is pretty cheap, and because you can buy a couple of packets of tofu and they will live for a couple of weeks in the back of the fridge. Unlike the fish I bought the other week and forgot about.
Salt and Pepper Tofu
1 packet Firm tofu
Cornflour
Salt
Ground white pepper
Chinese 5 spice
Vegetable oil, perhaps with a squirt of sesame oil if you feel like it.
Combine enough cornflour to coat the tofu, with some* salt, pepper, and 5 spice.
Drain the tofu and dry off with some paper towel, pressing down on the tofu to squeeze out some of the excess water, then cut into bite size pieces. Keep in mind, the smaller you cut the tofu the more tasty fried bits you get on the outside.
Heat about an inch and half of oil in the bottom of a wok, toss the tofu in the cornflour mix, shake off the excess flour and drop into the hot oil. Fry in small batches, turning the tofu to brown on all sides and then drain on some paper towel.
Serve with some Asian greens (or perhaps some Australian Greens, but definitely not Democrats – far too bitter and there really isn’t enough of them to fill you up) in oyster sauce and some jasmine rice.
* ‘Some’ is an official measurement I will undoubtedly use in any and all recipes. It roughly converts to one ‘I don’t really measure things, so you’ll have to make an educated guess’. It’s usually somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon if you’re going to be a pedant about it.
Monday, October 09, 2006
The V8 Safety Car Series
I know no one else is even vaguely interested in motor sport, that’s why I spend so many lonely afternoons with only Neil Crompton as my friend, but Bathurst was on yesterday and it was good. So now I’m telling you about it.
After sitting on the couch for the better part of 8 hours I wished I had arranged a driver change of my own, but my patience and dedication (and the brief mid-afternoon nap, I only missed a couple of laps, I swear) was rewarded. Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup* won a race where everything went wrong for just about everyone. There a total of 10 safety car periods in the race, which means there are a lot of smashed cars and a lot of bruised drivers getting around today but everyone seems to have got away relatively unscathed.
The good thing about safety car periods, apart from the obvious safety benefits, is that it allows the viewer to take a much needed break from what is otherwise an epic journey on the couch. I did the washing… I’ll tell you about it another time, it was great, there were whites, there were colours…
The safety car also allowed me to regale my younger brother with enthralling tales of oil overflow leaks, drive through penalties, pit lane injuries and importantly for this race, clutch slip. And it gives the wonderful Neil Crompton and the rest of the commentary team the opportunity to teach me stuff about cars I never thought I’d know.
I watch and listen to a lot of sport which means I know a thing or two** about commentating. And I am willing to say here and now, Crompton is the best I have ever heard. (Yes, better than Gerard.)
I’m sure he would be completely useless commentating on anything else, but for V8 Supercars he is fabulous. He pitches his commentary at just the right level to keep the novices informed and the diehards interested. It really is an art. And he is genuinely good mates with the drivers (being an ex-driver himself), which means that there is an easy comradery when he interviews them, particularly while they are driving. He gets the drivers talking in real sentences rather than platitudes and deftly navigates the space between interviewer and friend so that both the TV audience and the drivers are happy. In summary, Neil Crompton is ace and if I could think up a good trophy name I would give him one.
So, what’s next on the sporting calendar?...
* This is the second silliest name in V8 racing. The silliest is Winterbottom.
**Thing 1) Gary Lyon and James Brayshaw should not be allowed in the same room together, Thing 2) understatement is actually an artform.
After sitting on the couch for the better part of 8 hours I wished I had arranged a driver change of my own, but my patience and dedication (and the brief mid-afternoon nap, I only missed a couple of laps, I swear) was rewarded. Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup* won a race where everything went wrong for just about everyone. There a total of 10 safety car periods in the race, which means there are a lot of smashed cars and a lot of bruised drivers getting around today but everyone seems to have got away relatively unscathed.
The good thing about safety car periods, apart from the obvious safety benefits, is that it allows the viewer to take a much needed break from what is otherwise an epic journey on the couch. I did the washing… I’ll tell you about it another time, it was great, there were whites, there were colours…
The safety car also allowed me to regale my younger brother with enthralling tales of oil overflow leaks, drive through penalties, pit lane injuries and importantly for this race, clutch slip. And it gives the wonderful Neil Crompton and the rest of the commentary team the opportunity to teach me stuff about cars I never thought I’d know.
I watch and listen to a lot of sport which means I know a thing or two** about commentating. And I am willing to say here and now, Crompton is the best I have ever heard. (Yes, better than Gerard.)
I’m sure he would be completely useless commentating on anything else, but for V8 Supercars he is fabulous. He pitches his commentary at just the right level to keep the novices informed and the diehards interested. It really is an art. And he is genuinely good mates with the drivers (being an ex-driver himself), which means that there is an easy comradery when he interviews them, particularly while they are driving. He gets the drivers talking in real sentences rather than platitudes and deftly navigates the space between interviewer and friend so that both the TV audience and the drivers are happy. In summary, Neil Crompton is ace and if I could think up a good trophy name I would give him one.
So, what’s next on the sporting calendar?...
* This is the second silliest name in V8 racing. The silliest is Winterbottom.
**Thing 1) Gary Lyon and James Brayshaw should not be allowed in the same room together, Thing 2) understatement is actually an artform.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
I Tell A Lie
I just remembered a personalised number plate I saw that actually made me smile rather than want to key the vehicle.
It was a black jeep with the number plate: BAA BAA.
Cute.
It was a black jeep with the number plate: BAA BAA.
Cute.
I H8 PRSNL PL8S
Like my friend Item I enjoy a good irrational hatred and one I have harboured for many a year is personalised number plates.
It is Bathurst week (Go Holden) so a thought a timely reminer might be needed, to just let everyone with a personalised number plate that your are being a dickhead and paying for the privilege.
My hatred began because our neighbour over the back fence has the numberplate ELUSIV. He is probably getting close to 40 years old, still lives with his parents and will be found in the laneway washing said car every single weekend, without fail. He is the least elusive person on the planet.
In all my years I have never seen a personalised numberplate that wasn’t stupid. A view confirmed, yet again, on the drive back from a weekend away when our carload took in the sight of a red Mercedes with the plate BYNSLL. It took us a while, but we figured it out, and quickly came to the conclusion that the guy was a WNKR.
Other stupidity includes:
XPLOZV
HLDNV.8
BIT3ME
DAHERO
PL4YER
SEXYY
LE6END
And you can have a look here to really make your blood boil. People actually make money selling these things! Arrgh.
Conclusion: Personalised number plates are stupid, unfunny and really really sleazy. People who own them are morons.
End rant.
It is Bathurst week (Go Holden) so a thought a timely reminer might be needed, to just let everyone with a personalised number plate that your are being a dickhead and paying for the privilege.
My hatred began because our neighbour over the back fence has the numberplate ELUSIV. He is probably getting close to 40 years old, still lives with his parents and will be found in the laneway washing said car every single weekend, without fail. He is the least elusive person on the planet.
In all my years I have never seen a personalised numberplate that wasn’t stupid. A view confirmed, yet again, on the drive back from a weekend away when our carload took in the sight of a red Mercedes with the plate BYNSLL. It took us a while, but we figured it out, and quickly came to the conclusion that the guy was a WNKR.
Other stupidity includes:
XPLOZV
HLDNV.8
BIT3ME
DAHERO
PL4YER
SEXYY
LE6END
And you can have a look here to really make your blood boil. People actually make money selling these things! Arrgh.
Conclusion: Personalised number plates are stupid, unfunny and really really sleazy. People who own them are morons.
End rant.
Monday, October 02, 2006
How do you feel about Jason Akermanis?
Everyone seems to have an opinion of him, but my own oscillates fairly rapidly between detest and respect.
He is an undeniable loudmouth who has managed to offend many in the footballing world (including myself) with ill-considered statements and idiotic football-show behaviour. But he also tells the truth. Never have I seen him give anything except a full and truthful account of himself, his actions and the situation as he sees it. That kind of honesty is such a rarity in public life that I can’t help but admire him. If only more were willing to risk their necks and speak their mind we might not all be in so much trouble.
He was ‘speaking out of turn’ again on The Footy Show on Thursday I gather. According to the Age saying,
The western bulldogs media department will certainly have their work cut out for them if he does end up a doggie, and I do think he could be more judicious in providing comment to anyone who asks, but I dearly hope he continues to speak the truth as he sees it and damn the consequences. I kind of hope we all do.
He is an undeniable loudmouth who has managed to offend many in the footballing world (including myself) with ill-considered statements and idiotic football-show behaviour. But he also tells the truth. Never have I seen him give anything except a full and truthful account of himself, his actions and the situation as he sees it. That kind of honesty is such a rarity in public life that I can’t help but admire him. If only more were willing to risk their necks and speak their mind we might not all be in so much trouble.
He was ‘speaking out of turn’ again on The Footy Show on Thursday I gather. According to the Age saying,
'that Simon Black would win the Lions' best and fairest, that former Lions assistant coach Daryn Cresswell had been responsible for leaking stories during the year, not him, and that despite the club being set to lose $1.5 million this year the chief executive had awarded himself a pay rise.'
The western bulldogs media department will certainly have their work cut out for them if he does end up a doggie, and I do think he could be more judicious in providing comment to anyone who asks, but I dearly hope he continues to speak the truth as he sees it and damn the consequences. I kind of hope we all do.
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