Brasserie Zedel in Soho London

This place is absolutely unbelievable and ticks all boxes for a fun night out. Good food, affordable. Excellent atmosphere and great service.

But let me back up a bit and start all over again with the introductions.

A bunch of friends booked a booth to catch up in on a Monday night. After all, this resident tourist was in town and what better excuse to eat French food in Soho London?

We were taken aback when we walked in the tiny space and taken to the entrance:

And it opens up to this gorgeous chandelier

And further into the Brasserie!

We were ravenous by this point, despite the deceiving evening bright skies of London's summer, it was already past eight p.m. and so we skipped right to the mains. Thankfully the food arrives quickly. And trust me, even if you know the food isn't made to order because they arrived so soon, they tasted delish to the very last morsel and everything was perfectly cooked.

Confit de Canard aux Lentilles du Puy
confit of duck with braised puy lentils 

 Falling off the bone but full of flavour this duck is definitely the best duck confit one could ever wish for.

Bœuf Bourguignon

 Comforting beef goodness, this dish makes you remember every nanna's meal you've ever had at the old kitchen table doted upon lovingly by your cheerful grandma.

Onglet Grillé, Confit d’Échalote 
grilled hanger steak with shallots and a red wine sauce 

You take the Boef Bourginon and you think, oh yeah they do beef well here, but my you haven't tasted their steak yet. Whilst the previous dish is hearty and comforting and this one comes looking bloody like a roo steak, the medium rare hanger steak is perfect in its texture and absolutely divine to eat. This was my dish for the night.

A Glass of merlot with a side of Pommes Frite

We were told to save room for desserts and so we each ordered one. You won't regret it. They are worth every pound spent and nothing was left on the plates after.

Bavarois à la Vanille et Fraise 

Millefeuille à la Vanille 

Crème Brûlée 

GâteauOpéra

Delicious Strawberry and Cream, delicate wafer layers of Millefeuille, bitter sweet Opera cake layers and a rich creamy creme brûlée sends us all into a happy place and I had to beg to leave before I slip into the depths of a jet-lagged food coma and embarrass myself in the booth. 

 You know the food wasn't even terribly expensive. We spent GBP30 each and that was for wine and two courses. Definitely a favourite haunt potential if I lived in London.

Harvey Nichols Sale

I remember distinctly raving to everyone that London was heaven because the sales were astronomical and it was delirious trying to fathom the idea of designer bags lurking in bargain bins when London goes on sale. Incredulous looks I got, and when I was here during the Boxing day sales five years after that ethereal experience, I couldn't find it, and I thought it was merely a mirage.

Lo and behold. I didn't dream it all. I saw a man on the tube reading his paper and on the front, it said, Harvey Nichols sale now on. #HNSTAYCALM. How to stay calm? I was moments away from experiencing that glory again! And this time I made sure I documented it because I didn't want people to disbelieve anymore that this heavenly experience existed.

Marc Jacobs in Bargain bin

You know what you spy behind the massive bins?

 Rows upon rows of Alexander Mcqueen discounted Pashminas and chiffon classic skull scarves!

GBP 134 for the Pashmina

GBP 83 for the scarf

Proenza Schouler Tote in the 70% off racks!

Alexander Wang 45% off!

PS1 bag in Paprika only GBP792!

I only hyperventilated in the bags department, but I must say the shoe department evoked the same emotions from shoe aficionados. Overheard, "I am at the Harvey Nichols sale, stuck in the shoe department. I have been here for a few hours trying on every pair of shoes that are on sale. I don't want to ever leave".

These Balenciagas caught my eye

 I didn't want to leave, but I couldn't buy up the store either, seeing I made a pact that I wasn't going to amass all these new wants before I make this move to London. Ah well, more for others to enjoy. I ask you again, How to stay calm?

Nobu Melbourne

This is a scheduled post for whilst I am still on a plane and battling jetlag and until I catch up from all the great travel and haul posts.

The first time I was here, I was having a lonesome lunch at the bar and ordered the Bento box. I must say that experience was a lot better than this time. We got a large table but because we were work colleagues with various dietary requirements, sharing food, especially something as unique as Japanese where raw food was an acquired delicacy, not everyone came to the party. And that may have foiled the experience somewhat.

I can only share with you what I ate:

Sashimi Dinner

 This dish is very generous in portion and variety but the quality of the fish could be a tad better. I'd have better in less expensive restaurant chains in Sydney - Musashi/ Miso. And this was a little less fresh leaving the fish texture to be a tad harder to chew and less firm to the bite. I couldn't find a soy sauce dish to mix my condiments in either so eating this platter was awkward for me, not being able to get the ratios of sauce and wasabi done right, the way I like it.

Mushroom Tobanyaki

I do like my mushrooms, so this dish was heaven for me, The flavours and textures were delightfully balanced and the dish served with rice was really comforting to have in winter. I did think there was a bit too much to have just this one dish for dinner though and I'd suggest this is one the ones that's better shared amongst the table.

I had other guests on the table that got sick from the food that night so I was lucky in a way we didn't share food. But that isn't acceptable standards in a fancy restaurant like Nobu and I'd say, if I had to pay for premium Japanese, I wouldn't be considering Nobu Melbourne for the time being.

Bistro Guillaume

I have been here before for work and I swear the service was a lot better then. Granted they were really accommodating in us bringing in a pram so that I could meet my 7 month old nephew and very thoughtfully placed us in a corner against the wall so that the pram wouldn't be in the way. However, they weren't as attentive beyond that and given that I had to try to get their attention each time to order, to get dessert and the bill, I wasn't overly pleased with the service this time.

That's where the fault ends however, the dining here is divine for the price. It's not exorbitant and yet everything is cooked with a certain care and finesse befitting of the Guillaume name and French bistro dining.

2009 La Bastide Dauzac Margaux Bordeaux FR

 Starting off with the most easy drinking Bordeaux, mellow yet full bodied, whilst waiting for my company to arrive. They were stuck in traffic.

Chargrilled King Salmon iwth braised Jerusalem artichokes,
broad beans and balsamic vinaigrette

 The Salmon was cooked to perfection and elegantly presented.

Sides: Spinach wtih extra virgin olive oil and garlic and French Fries

 Getting our three veg quota in. I love the copper dinnerware presentation. Adds a touch of french to french fries.

Barramundi with celeriac purée, field mushrooms and sage butter

 Perhaps the Barramundi is the dish that has the most flair, but the portion of barramundi looked measly underneath all that. Can't fault the fish though. Again cooked perfectly and just moist and lovely to eat.

John Dory with beurre noisette, capers and lemon

I liked the simplicity of this dish. Browned butter, capers and lemon, just as I would do at home. It's not fancy but it was comforting for me who had been away from home all week and had been eating out all the time.

Valrhona chocolate and salted caramel tart with rum and raisin ice cream

A rich dessert that was just the right edge to finish off our light dinners.

Overall, I still think this place is good value for its spend, especially if you get discounts with the Entertainment card, you'd love the Crown atmosphere, sitting along the bank in its invigorated apple green diner enjoying great food.

May in Australia

I have been travelling heaps in May, Roadshow conferences all around Australia, five states in one month kinda thing. Totally exhausted. It has been jam packed with social things too and catching up with old friends and family that I hadn't seen in yonks.

Adelaide:

How gorgeous is this door?

Anyone missing a baby?

Sipped at sparkling ale whilst lamenting the disappointment experienced with the Malaysian  elections

Brisbane:

The only place I hung out at in Brisbane both nights I was there. I have great friends in  town and loads to chat about

Perth:

Gorgeous jazz concert next to Perth MOMA. A small consolation for not being to see the Dali and Van Gogh exhibition

An airport full of engineers and miners headed to work at 5.30a.m. in the morning.

Melbourne:

Didn't see much of Melbourne, but what's more Melbournian than AFL and Crown? 

Other than the pics above, I only have food pics of what I ate. But I might save them for restaurant reviews later. By the way. It has been a tough month the past two weeks especially. I feel like my passion has been turned into something really negative and through other people's inability to cope and adjust, I have had to suffer the consequences and the backlash and mortification. These two quotes I looked at everyday on my phone until it all subsided and the stress went away with time.

What I have learnt is:

Shit happens and its not your fault

To hell with hierarchy at work, those who play the games best prevails.

Now looking forward to travelling not for work.