Good Morning Japan

So we are back to within 1 hour of Australian time, didn't get much sleep last night but I did rest so that's good,  somehow even a flatbed seat this time just didn't cut the mustard, maybe it was because we had that little wall between us.

It took about 11 hours to fly and we arriving 8 am 18th July into Japan. As much as I tried I just couldn't get to sleep, something that is alway fairly easy for me oh well it will be a long day and a early night then ready for our next adventure tomorrow.

Sandy's Japanese friend Hiroko who Sandy meet when she was 7 and Hiriko was a 17 year old rotary exchange student of Sandy's grandmother & her husband Ken now in their early 60's are retired and have a house in the country and as it is cooler up in the mountains they want to take us there away for the heat of the Yokahama City also suffering under the heatwave conditions. Already 28 deg here and expecting mid 30's and humid also, fantastic ... can't wait for that one!!!. That will teach us for staying away so long, spring is now long over and summer that was a month late is here and here with a bang.

We hop a bus, a beautifully air conditioned one from Narita Airport to Yokohama City for ¥7,000.00 so about $70 Aus it will take about 1.5 hours for the 100km trip and we will skirt Tokyo which is 60 km southwest from the airport. Today the driver has just informed us that there is traffic conjunction on the freeway so expect it to take 2 hours and with his many apologies. Japanese people are so polite and even as we were leaving the terminal the bus staff that put our luggage under the bus stood back and lined up and all bowed as we departed. That's right I remember from our last trip, everyone seams to do all day is lots of bowing so must get that back into practice also. Our trip on the bus to Yokohama City was on the biggest freeways that I have ever seen, when we were here last we took the train so do dent get to experience the traffic. The roads crisscross under and over and in some place it is a 10 wide highway and it is like this the whole 100 km amazing but could I live in this sort or overpopulation, keep think and seeing things that make me so grateful to be Australia.

We should never take for granted our open space.

We arrive into the bus terminal at Yokohama City and are greeted by Hiroko for the 20 min cab ride to her home. 

5 - 1 Minamikibogaoka, 

Asahi - ku,

Yokohama - shi.

241 - 0824 

Japan 

Now that's an address if ever there was, thank goodness she came to travel in the cab to her place other wise we may be still in a Japanese cab somewhere.

Sleeping Over Russia

Business class is the " new cattle class " well at least some of the food on this BA flight was  ... Bit harsh... Hmmmm

Peter Moore your such a food snob !!!  No I'm not ... but my memories of 10 year ago when the little salt and pepper were in little containers, now it is in a paper tear apart just like you would get at CFC ... and where have the flowers 

gone from the in flight toilets ! and that beautiful little scented hand creams.

It just won't do Mr BA !!! 

Our seats over we're fantastic, really fantastic, remember the little pair in the middle isle and that folded down and into our own little double bed apartment. Well this time we have a window seat, well Sandy does and they are separate, well together, side by side but facing each other with the little wall to separate us so it will be two little single beds apartments for tonight, sad ...

Dinner arrives and I go for the Japanese platter and it was amazing i love Japanese food and I can taste a food memory that I had some 10 years ago when I was last in Japan but have not had since. They are in the pickles and were a Shiso leaves that have a pungent flavour, I love them and to date I have not been able to get or taste them in Aus.  

We get two chocolate bars ! each ! well mini mini ones, about 25 mm x 60 mm and " oh so Japanese " great 2 bars of chocolate with so few calories better not eat them to fast then ... 

As we got on the plane in London at 1 pm and are arriving into Japan at 7 am their time tomorrow ... so with someone,s day turning into someone's night on the plane we settle down to sleep after lunch / dinner as we fly over Russia and get into the new time zone and drift off into sleep.

Out Of London

So it's a goodby to London and the heat wave but bound for Japan into there heat wave ! can't wait for that one... and so onto our last leg of this amazing Food Tour.

Mind you and shsh " keep it quiet " it was nice to have some plain English pub grub after Italy and before the pallet get a real workout in Japan.

So out to the air port and we have managed to get all back into to the suitcases once again, mind you a very large create will be leaving Italy soon, just some Italian dinnerware that Sandy can possible live with out !!!

So give me a break what do you mean you are going to have to throw out some of our lotions and potions that we have carried around the world and through every other security screens, now you say that you would like them in little 

100 ml container in little ziplock bags so that you can scan them " really " it's an out rage bla bla bla ... shut up Pete ... do you want us lockup ... go to the little airport chemist and buy the little plastic container that the girl wants us to have so we can get through security...  Well it observe ...  she must has a invested share in that chemist as the containers we £ 2.00 each ...Pete deal with it... You do love to carry on ... Who me Nhoooo  

So after we invest in the chemist store and buy the little clear plastic bottles that they buy by the 1000's for people just like us and probley only pay 2 cents for....just to put in some creams that Sandy needs for her face and some special sun cream that she has to have. We decanter them down and with a big smile on the lady face and now she lets us take them through in our hand luggage.

Yep yep it is for security reasons but it was already in a bottle that was 120 ml but they have to be in 100ml, but you can't tell these day who is a terrorist or a tourist.

Note to self next time get some 100 ml containers and clear ziplock bags.

So it's off to the BC lounge for a drink to settle my nerves, I did have to throw out my body butter, poop, poop, it was my nice cream, the one that I use on my bald head, laugh if you may, but this head takes a lot of maintenance to keep looking this good, I'm not just naturally this beautiful you know  ... I have to work at it !!!

I should have just stood there and applied it all over my body just out of principle, settle pettle we can get more of that somewhere ... I know I can ...

but I want that one !!!! Really ... it like having a 2 year old .... Yep I know !!!

Royal Afternoon

Well what a nice way to spend the afternoon in London, after the Bus ride no. 86 in and a movie " Internment " followed by some Ben & Jerry ice-cream we then have to get from Leister Square to the Appollo Victoria Theatre . Some times getting direction from locals is not such a good idea as they all want to catch a bus or the tube as it is so far from one theatre to the other... Not.... But as a tourist we want to walk, so getting from Leister Square to the Appollo Victoria Theatre behind Buck Palace according to the locals one would think that you needed to take a packed lunch!!

So with a trusty map that we picked up we head off with a few hours to kill before tonight showing of Wicked.

It was like walking on the monopoly board. From memory the dark purple of Whitehall, Northumberland Avenue, Yellow of The Strand, Piccadilly, and my fave the  dark green of Oxford, Bond and Regent St I used to love how the little red hotels looked on them, past Pall Mall what a walk and a blast from the monopoly past ...

We then made our way up the royal mile heading to the Buckingham Palace   with the flags waving all along the street towards the Palace was a amazing sire to see and thing to do.

As we get to the large roundabout out the front of the Palace with the gold statue sitting regally high and the whole area was swarming with people, they have closed it to traffic even though the royal baby is some weeks away from arriving. The press and the press tents are all there ready to catch the first glimpse of some new royal moment.

It's hard not to get involved with the whole party affect but as we will be long gone prior to the birth I can just tell that it is going to be a right royal party for Londoners...

The Breakfast Club

A bit more breakfast R & D is needed !! so lets do breakfast, cool....

And what a great place and on the High Street at Clapham Junction. We walked past everday and there was always a que but today was our lucky day as there was tables waiting. The place is just heaving with young hipsters day in day out and I can see why... It offers a big breakfast and " wifi " . So many other restaurants around them seam to be empty but don't want to offer the wifi and standing on their digs as they say it only attract people to sit at tables and no money. But as the cash register rang at The Breakfast Club and the customer turned over these guys are doing a great business, why would they que otherwise. It was so great to see how a well run place is going.

The place was a 1950's fit out and with some modern quirkily touches open fronted to take in the morning winter sun.

At the entrance there was a old sink and metal cabinet with painted overheads that look like the came from a demolition site or old council flat. These were setup with menus and water bottles. As the rest of the area it was set up with laminex tables and chrome vinyl 1950's chairs and a big English porcelain bull dog on the 

As for breakfast yes you could do the typical big breaky that pulls the crowds but we opted for the more interesting tit bits off the menu.

Had the birchlier muesli  to share which was served in a old enamel campfire bowl and looking like true food critic we dissected it to work out what they had used to make such a great muesli. Following this I had a bean dish  wich was Ham Hocks and a tomato and bean stew with a egg on top with so sourdough toast, I loved it...  and Sandy did have a poached eggs with paper thin English smoked bacon with a lime, avacardo and harrisa sauce, also so realy Yumo.

 

All in all another great breakfast and the atmosphere of the 1950's and the young people filling the space was fun and very active to watch. 

But will we change the breakfast menu at The Retreat ... well that's a biggish NO ... it was good ... real good in fact ... but Sandy to me is the " Queen " of the breakfast dishes that we have tried over the past 3 months.

But I'm proberly a bit bias.

Do Ya Think !!!!

Bus No. 86

I have loved the bus to and from the city into the West End as the train are so hot with this current heat wave.

We walk down the hill about 5 mins to get a No .86 into the city proper. 

The buses are great big red ones and double deckers so we head upstair and on a few occasion have jagged the front top seats with a big picture window and what a great view. It was like being on a tour bus as we made our way in over the Thames river right onto the road that takes us past the Westminster Catheridal and Big Ben, past Dowling Street which is now close by beautiful huge big black gates with armed security men at ever entrance.

Up to Trafalgar Square with a view off to the left of the Royal Palace at the end of the royal mile with the flags waving all along the street. 

Carful Where You Park The Car

Woken to the sounds of a car alarm going off big time and as I get to the window to see want is happing just in time to see a interesting sight, a huge car carrier truck is blocking the small one way street below our London pad and I think it is not going to make someone's day that for sure.

The parking is so limited that unless you really need a car why bother and today is an example of this and it has happen on several time during our stay here. Cars are hoisted onto the back of these big truck and drive away and impounded. Talking to a cabbie he tells us that they don't clamp the wheel anymore as parking is so limited that the cars owner may not claim the car for several days so that the space is then unavailable for other people that have the proper paid up permits to park there, so just take them away.

The fines are something like $500  + $30 a day that it is in the impound ouch.

Take a bus or train and sell the car ...

Missing Our Big Blue Sky

As we walk the small streets around our little suburb of Clapham Junction I can't get over the amount of trimmed and untamed privet hedges everywhere and they are giving my hay fever a real work out, but it is mid summer here and it just goes to show the difference in our two climates. Back home the privet is dun and dusted by mid spring but here as the temperature are some what milder they flower much much longer, so can't see me living in London the hay fever would do me in big time.

But the other thing that is so different to Aussie is the greyish-blue summer skies, as we sit one day the only clouds that can be seen in the sky are made up from the jet streams that crisscross the sky. I suppose living under a busy flight path what would you expect.

The days are english hot at 26 to 30 deg and back home that would be mid spring temperatures and our sky's at that temperature would be a beaming blue with big white fluffy clouds. I'm sure that it is also a heat and pollution haze but living under the big London sky's is so different to our clean clear sky's that we so enjoy in regional NSW.

Teach Your Children About Tax

Great sign board out the front of a cafe in London

Teach Your Children About Tax 

Eat 30 % Of Their Pancakes 

The Waterside Inn

Well how to kill £ 500 at lunch and come away soooo happy that you did...
And still happy when I got to blog about it.

But don't convert to Aussie $ as it will be nasty !!! $ 844 yep Real Nasty

But WHAT an experience and WHAT a taste sensation and worth ever $ , still gulping at the cost but the flavour will stay with us for a long time.

Left London and headed up country to a little 16th century village of Bray in Berkshire after a 1 & 1/2 hour on a train, had to gave the chauffeur the day off, well we can't afford a chauffeur and lunch .... unlike most of the rest of the clientele telling by the look of the cars in the car park. We will help to lower the tone and loosen the stiffs up once the Aussies arrive! 

Sandy did warn me that it was going to be a bit x-ee for lunch but it was somewhere she had alway wanted to go and experience the food of the famous Roux brother Michel, today it is run by his son Alain and it still holds 3 Michelin Star.

We arrived by cab from  Maidenshead train station 10 min from the restaurant to a little english postcard village with it thatched roves, white rendered walls and gloss black window and door trims. It was as pretty as a picture and lots of the building have over the year have been bought by Michel Roux and have been turned into B & B accommodation. Nestled on the banks of the Thames River it is away from London a bit but it is in the area of Royal Ascot, Henley Royal Regatta and Windsor Castle so not to shabby a neighbourhood.

We we escorted out to a private little timber deck on the waters edge and sat at white wrought iron chairs to enjoy a complementary glass of champaign from one of the x staff that we met in Italy. It was through him that we got a table so last minute and as the rest of the staff  knew it they fussed over us and asked how their colleague was doing in Italy, so it was quite nice.
 

We are served canopies while we look over the menus, typical of a restaurant of this standard they had a men's menu with prices and a ladies with no prices, how proper English or French and so old world ...

We decided to have the " Menu Expectionnel  " ( their spelling not mine ) which was a 6 course Tasting Menu for £ 153 or you could have a set menu for between £ 46 to £ 60 but as we will never get the chance to get back here again unless we win the lotto let's go the whole hog and try the tasting menu and experience many of their different dishes.

It also had wine paring for £ 93.50 , as it was a special lunch to celebrate Sandy's birthday lets go with that also ... it was soooo well worth it as we had some great drops that we proberly would not have tried otherwise and they match so beautifully to the food.
 

As we sat in the cool breeze the flag at the end of the little private jetty flapped and announced that they are Relais & Chateaux, now us recognising this flag as we have had the privilege to stay at several of them throughout our tripping around Italy.

Relais & Chateaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotel and restaurants and we are sitting here just about to be spoiled again. It's going to be a big fall when we come home to reality that for sure, so hope we make it home before the money runs out !!

Our several little canopies are delish and so pretty on the plate with a whole beetroot caved like a rose and glossed off in a jelly just to decorating the plate.

We are finally escorted into the full restaurant and it is a Wednesday, not a bad business in such a remote place. Its French food in such a elegant contemporary pavilion  surrounded with strip sheer curtains of olive green and soft orange gently swaying in the summer breeze. Our table is front and centre with the best view of the Thames River thanks to our new friend Stefano from Italy. Who says its what you know ... It is " Who you know " ( sorry ... but true ) and we are made and feel so spoiled. But I'm sure we are not the only ones being spoiled here as the place is heaving with some 12 suited waitstaff to look after us and the other 60 diners.
 

It was so cute as at your table they give you a little table for the ladies handbags or the mens man-bags,  we have seen these a lot in the more top end restaurants during our travels, can't have the Prado siting on the floor now can we girls. But I do think it was the first time a well traveled Aussie back-pac got that sort of royal treatment ...  So we did tuck the back-pac a little into the long table cloth just a little bit more, as I do think it was feeling a little bit underdressed !!

Now the menu for lunch

Starters
- Flaked Devon crab with sweet piquillo peppers, spicy guacamole and puff pastry tomato bread.

- Terrine of foie gras and chicken breast served with a crisp vegetable salad and a brioche toast

- Pan fried scallop and octopus slices with coriander, served on a bed of celery purée, coconut emulsion and tamarind sauce
 

Mains

- Roast loin of lamb stuffed with aubergine confit and grilled pine kernels, 

" gateau " of moussaka and a light saffron jus

OR which Sandy had 

- Roasted Challandair duck with cherry and Bourgueil wine

Pre Desert

- Shortbread biscuit with an apricot mousse and red-currents, rosemary scented apricot sorbet

And finally to finish was a Warm raspberry soufflé 

Exquisite food and the service was faultless. 

The service was so one on one, at one point Sandy started to stand and as quick as a flash a male-waiter is there assisting with her chair and a female waitstaff discreetly  walks with her to the restroom and Sandy said no words were used, a lady should never have to ask for the
 " restroom " especially  in this sort of a restaurant ... they were alway just discreetly there ... and knew what you needed ... sometime before you knew.

But wait we are not finished we are escorted back out to our little white wrought iron chair with our little pale blue cushions on the timber deck once more to over look the Thames River where petite fors on a towering silver tray are served with coffee and there we are able to sit back and just enjoy the afternoon as it floats by.
 

True decadence is all I can say, so live it up girlfriend it's not going to last too much longer as it is back to the train station and into our second class carriage and back to London with the memories of a fabulous lunch that will last a life time.

Rock & Rose Restaurant

So a short 10mins train ride from Clapham Junction to Richmond and then a 3 min walk up Kew Road to no. 106 -108 

Their signage out the front says Food . Passion . Glamour. and well we went disappointed it was so OTT that I wanted to move in ... a bit hard to live in a restaurant you may say, but I'm sure I could have made do....

The street presence was amazing it was a double fronted shop,  bar one side and the restaurant the other but total open between. With several small intimate dining rooms out the back.

The whole place was glamour with a capital G and would fit right in in any trendy high street are back little ally around the world.

The clientele were an eclectic mix from a old guy at the bar enjoying his cocktails to some trendy mid 20's sitting on cushioned benches under the front pink canvas awing's and the canopy of the green leafy trees.

The colour was blacks, pinks, burgandy and pearls beads, with white and silvers and crystals sparkling everywhere, sure it was feminine, but the blokes didn't feel out of place as it was dark enough and boudoir-ish and at any moment you felt as though some " high class lady " entertainment MAY appear!!!  But this was only the elision given, or my mind working overtime!!!

But you have to check it out on line Rock and Rose Restaurant Richmond Google it sorry don't have the web address 

Had a cocktail to start while we waited for Tamara and Dave and the new bub.

It was a Rosemary & Rose Mojito made with fresh rosemary & mint, rose petals and limes, Caribbean white rum, apple juice and brown sugar. It was served in a large glass flip top lidded jar, interesting was to serve and they were soooo good, how could you stop at one so we didn't. That terrible Muriel...

  

The theme was also of peace and love with huge bunches of flowers in large stone urns. Loads of cushion in a mix & match of exotic fabric with feather trims. Chandlers of many different types some with pearls hanging all over them others in bright red and black. Louie 15th chairs some painted in black or silver with fur fabric in electric colours and patterns and some had diamont-tees on the armrest.

Black and white pictures of Marilyn Munro and other sexy people and stars from the past, several different flock wall paper in outlandish bold prints.

Tented fabric ceiling in some of the back private dining rooms, and the tables were in  dark timber and covered in just enough of an eclectic mix of bric a brac.

Get the picture, really sensual, visual, and so soooo OTT and not the usual, and proberly not what you would fined in many places, but these guys pulled it off...

oh so well and the staff all fitted into the theme also so well, and as for the food well 

top end pub grub for sure, not fine dining and not stuffy. We had Thai fish cakes to start and lobster on eye filet steak served with a burnaise sauce on big timber boards with huge English potato chips ... Yum Yum delish and so much visual fun, maybe the gallery back at The Retreat may get a makeover!!!

Jamie Oliver what a Marketing Machine.

Today we are at one of his cooking schools and food shops at Clapham Junction in London. This place is amazing with an array of ready to take home meals for the busy person to cook or reheat, but all from local foods and with no preservatives.

But boy is it hot here today , it is 30deg and for London that is a heat wave and they don't do fans let alone the A/ C thinging here as it is so rare to get this sort of heat.

Every one is commenting that we are Australians aren't we used to the heat, it's may only 30 deg  but so humid and it is a different heat to back home.

The heading in the paper this morning was that the government needs to establish what temperature that worker can't go to work and they are thinking 30 deg is that temperature,  well if that was in Tamworth we would not have to work very often ! 

So back to the class, it is a 3 hour Mexican street food class that we have signed up for and one of his instruction chef is situated in the middle of a massive island and the class class consisting of 12 people at your own station.

It is a lot more lay back than the kitchen that we worked in Italy that's  for sure.

But today is about a bit of a fun approach to the whole cooking class, Jamie is trying to put fun into the whole approach and to help the average person to cook good healthy and easy to prepare food, to stop the excess use of junk and prepared food in England

The whole concept store is just a J..me approach and a massive marketing tool and so well set up.

They do breakfast every day and we are lucky enough to sit in on one class last week doing French toast with berries, mascopone and caramel soooo yum. Anyway back to today's class we are set at our own section with the ingredients all set up ready to cook. The class and food was simple but the experience was great. We made our own tor

Mini Corn Tortillas  ( makes 10 )

Ingredients

125g fine polenta

1⁄2 tsp salt

150 - 200ml hand hot water 

Dash of oil (for frying)

Method

Put the flour and salt in a bowl, and mix well. Pour in the hot water (use only as much as you need to combine the mixture) and mix together vigorously with a wooden spoon until it is firm dough. Cover with cling film and rest for 20 minutes.

Shape the dough into balls ( one should weigh about 25 g ).

Don’t make them too big or they will spill out of the tortilla press – experiment until you get it right. 

Open the press then, place a piece of cling film onto the base. Place the dough ball into the middle of the bottom of the press then top with another piece of cling film (this will stop the dough sticking to the press or the rolling pin. Close the top lid and press the dough until flattened.

If you don't have a press use a rolling pin, roll or press till about 80 mm dia.

Put a thin layer of oil in a fry pan heat on a medium heat, then fry off the pressed tortilla until golden brown on each side. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Roasted Corn Salsa ( sharing for 4 people )

1⁄2 red onion finely diced

1/3 red chili – or to taste

zest and juice of one lime – to taste 

extra virgin olive oil

fresh coriander – to taste

100 g sweet corn, frozen and defrosted or fresh

Dash of oil for frying corn

Salt and pepper if needed

Method

Makes approximately 14

Get a frying pan and add a dash of oil. On a high heat, fry the corn until golden brown. Remove from the pan and allow to cool a little. Meanwhile, put the finely diced onion, finely chopped chili, lime zest and juice, and chopped fresh coriander into the pan and just heat through about 1 minute.

Add the onion mix to the roasted sweet corn and enough extra virgin olive oil to make a sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. You may need more chili or lime to taste.

Chipotle Chicken ( enough for 2 people ) this was real yumo.

Ingredients

2 chicken thigh, skin on, bone in (remove the skin if you want to be healthier)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp whole cumin 

1 clove garlic 

1 small dried chilli

250ml passata

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp smoked chipotle chilli - mashed up Dash of oil for cooking

Salt and pepper if needed

Method

Put the oregano, cumin seeds, garlic, chili and a pinch of salt into a pestle and mortar and grind it until it is a paste. Rub this into the skin side of the chicken and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.

Heat a small pot on a medium heat then add a splash of oil, place the chicken in the plan skin side down and pan fry till golden on both sides.

Add the passata, castor sugar, white wine vinegar and the chipotle chilli to the chicken. Stir well, then turn the chicken and cover the pan with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 10 -15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and shiny.

In the same pan shred the chicken from the bone ( discard the bone, well suck it clean first as it is so yummy then you can bin it ) mix well with the sauce, taste. Add some salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy on top of your soft cooked tortillas.

Spinach and Feta filling for taco (serves 4 on small tacos)

Ingredients

1 small red onion – finely diced 

1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds

1⁄2 red chili – finely diced

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

200 g chopped tinned tomatoes 

250g fresh baby spinach

Few leaves of fresh mint

Few sprigs of fresh tarragon leaves 

1 lime – juice and zest

50 g feta

Oil for cooking – dash Salt and pepper if needed

Method

Heat a pan and add a dash of oil, gently fry off the diced onion, cumin seeds, chili and thyme stalks until soft. Add in tinned tomatoes and fresh baby spinach.

Cook till wilted but still bright green. Add in the ripped up mint leaves and tarragon leaves then add some lime zest and juice. Stir then taste.

You may need to add a little salt and pepper but be careful with seasoning as the feta cheese is salty. Top tortillas with the spinach and then crumble feta over to garnish.

Guacamole ( serves 4 people as a dip )

Ingredients

1 avocado

1⁄2 red chilli

1 lime

A little fresh mint

A little fresh coriander

1 spring onion

Salt and pepper if needed

Method

Halve the avocado and carefully remove the stone with a spoon. Scoop the flesh onto a board and roughly chop. Put the avocado into a bowl squeeze some lime juice over to stop it going black.

Finely chop the chili and add this to the avocado, roughly chop the herbs and spring onion and add this also. Carefully mix all of these ingredients together until you obtain your desired consistency. Add in the extra lime juice and season to taste. Add a little salt and pepper if you need to.

Tomato Salsa ( serves 4 people as a dip )

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes

2 small cloves of garlic

_ red chilli

2 strips of spring onion

1-2 limes

Small bunch Fresh mint leaves - add to taste

Small bunch Fresh coriander leaves - add to taste

Salt and pepper if needed

Method

Finely dice your tomatoes, red chili and garlic. Put into a small bowl. Then thinly slice your spring onions. Add to the tomatoes then add in the juice from 1 lime, add in the fresh chopped herbs and season to taste, drizzle in a little extra virgin olive oil.

Mix well then taste. Add more chilli or lime juice to your taste and salt and pepper if you need it.

Sit back with friends and enjoy with a long cold beer, and we did....

Overheard A Few Interesting Comments

First couple of comments while we we enjoying the Hampton Court Flower Show. Maybe these guys were not enjoying the flower and gardens as much as we were ...

 In the main rosé pavilion with 1,000's of roses and amazing floral displays.

" They are just All Roses ... only different colours " !

And while we we looking at the display gardens in the fields.

" But really ... how many time would we use a garden " !

And later in the week while we were dining at the Waterside Inn ( truly couldn't believe my ears and this one took to prize, it was from a young lady in her early 20's )

" They were really nice people ... even though they were working class " !

Hmmmm some people just shouldn't open their mouths !!!

Elvis and Travolta !!

So I made my way all around Italy and could not find that special pair of italian shoes that would fit my large feet,  I was also looking for a pair with a bit of a Pete OTT look !!! So a tall ask I must admit.

I did find a sexy pair of rich deep purple pig hair shoes that would have fitted Cinderella so I felt more like one of the ugly sisters with my huge feet and the attendant let me try to try them on ... just to humour myself or her!!

So it was London to the rescue.

www.shoez.co.uk 

Walking past a funky little shop in Clapham Junction and there they were,

with a big sign .... saying Pete I,m your's ...... go on.... you deserve me....

Sandy spotted them at first and agreed that they were worth a try on. 

This time like Cinderella they were just a perfect fit for my large feet, not saying that Cinders has large feet, anyway you get the gist.

So how would you describe them apart from being sooooo fabooo BUT sooo definitely won't go with that 8€ Italian jacket.

Well they are a mix of Elvis's blue suede shoes ... Hmmmm OK do go on , and with  5 mm silver threaded strips interwoven through the blue suede ... Hmmmm bit like soooo Travolta's Saturday Night Fever!! Yep just right ...

PERFECT for that " subtle look " that I was looking for !!

Our Own Little City Pad

We were going to be staying with Gail and James but the builder had other plans, well don't think he had planed the renovations too well !! Think he needed a bomb under him to make him work !! and as the house was not even party-able let alone liveable Gail organised for us to flat sit a friends place while she was away. Yep no problem we can do that, we meet with Teri so she could show us the in's and out's of her flat and to checkout if we were not some sort of crazy party going Aussie that would trash her place, well we must have fooled her and passed the test! 

But hmmmm white carpet actual lots of white looks like not a place to open that bottle of Italian red that I have been saving. Thats cool we will be out most of the time and as long as we have a shower and a bed we are set. Me feeling a bit uncomfortable with house sitting I was able to do some handy man work around the flat and we planted up her window boxes with new plants and left her some wine, some goodies as a thank you as it was great to be able to have a place to stay and not having to be in a hotel.

I must admit that a TV that spoke English may have been nice as Italian TV for the past 3 months has restricted my viewing time to 0 ... but the West-end will do just fine.

Her place was so cute and just off the High Street SW11, up the hill from Gail and James and the Clapton Junction train station so a short 10 mins into the city. Great location and so easy to get to the city that we went in every-other night to the West- end. 

Got to go to Wicked a great musical,  Internship great a movie and funny, Rock of Ages 70's rock musical and with a fantastic cast of strong singers and was a bit of comedy also.

Passion Play now that was just a tragic plot ... great actors, the set was amazing and simple but as for a fun night out ... NO ... and if you had suisidal tendencies and was carrying a dagger you way well have driven it into your heart, bit strong Pete ... Do ya think ... Sure I love live theatre  BUT this was too sad for me and it was only a play.

( than again I did sob after the 1980's movie Big with Tom Hanks !!! )

But on the last night we got into a play at the Harold Pinter Theatre and the only reason I mention the theatre is, well as beautiful as it was if you are in the top stalls as we were and it was so hot in London due to the heat wave, the place was not air conditioned let along ventilated and well the seats in the top were so small for my legs that we moved higher to watch the show. But the show was fabulous and a great way to finish our London leg of the trip

All Aboard The Euro Star Bound For London

Woo Whoo we board the Euro Star for London and staying for 11 nights but not before a bit of duty free shopping. Seamed funny somehow doing duty free shopping in a train station ! but as we are heading overseas well " underseas " 

" freekie " but only for 25 mins underwater, ouch ... so get out that spray big fella !!

So its a beautiful bottle of French champagne, some French smelly Brie and as it is my last chance for some Foie Gras so some of that, now that should do it. 

It will be a celebration party at our friends Gail and James tonight as they are in London renovating their house ready for US ... well the new tenants more like but we will get to enjoy it first .... 

We are also in London to do a couple of cooking classes at one of Jamie Oliver's cooking schools, not that we will be cooking with Jamie, can't win them all. After-all we have cooked with some of the worlds best chefs and cooked in some of the worlds best restaurants over the last few months in Italy so can't complain about that.

We are also off to Somerset House exhibition hall in London city to see the food expo and exhibition of El Bulla a Spanish restaurant and its chef that have won world wide attention for being no.1 in the world for 10 years straight.

He was the good father of molecular gastronomy and has share the secrets with the world, Sandy is really looking forward to that one.

Then 2 days at Hampton Court garden show soooo looking forward to that.

Couple of days at Design X for shop fittings and office displays better do some Froog work can't all be about The Retreat.

Also off to a funky little place in Richmond called The Rock & Rose Restaurant.  Check out www.rockandrose 

It is supposed to be a spinout in design and food so can't wait + we are meeting there with some other friends Tamara and Dave to meet their new 1st son Dexter who is 4 months old, and you all know how much we love children .

Hmmm " Baked or Fried " opps did I say that out loud ... BUT he was oh sooooo cute and as we both had bald heads he could relate to me and smiled and smiled and he just loved me ( but what's not to love )

We also have a booking at The Waterside Restaurant about 45 mins by train out of London. One of the chefs in Italy pulled some strings and got us a table apparently hard to get into as it is booked several months in advance so thank you Stefano from Massimo restaurant in the Po River for that...

Want to also take in some live shows at the West-end,  not sure whats on but we will catch a bus into the city from Clapham Junction to Leister Square and it should only take 30 min or so and go to the last minute box office and hopefully get some 1/2 price tickets.

So all in all a busy schedular, truly we will be looking forward to a holiday when we get home ...

Goodby To The City Of LOOOVE...

Well today we left Paris on the Euro star train bound for London. This morning I was up at 4.30 am, I wanted to see Paris by the last of the night lights and for the very last time. 

As I wandered around the streets some nights clubs were kicking out the last of the customers and it was amazing still the buzz to be around at that time of the morning.

It was still alive and rocking with the last of last nights party goers and in contrast to a young group of gospel singers strumming away on their guitars on the huge set of timber stairs set up in front of Notràdame.
Along further a group of young bohemian gypsies were all singing and chanting a to the dawn of a new day and the sound was floating over the river.

As I walk the last of the streets lights started to turn off and the street cleaners are working to clean away the mess from last night thousands of party goers. This seams to all announce the end of another party night in Paris ... The city once again is getting ready all over again to come back to life in the daytime for another day packed with tourist.