Victoria and Albert Museum

Took the day off to do some personal admin with the other half. Whilst waiting and hanging around we decided to take a detour to Harrods and also let ourselves loose at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. It is definitely worth a visit because (a) its free and (b) the exhibits are massive. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the arts and theatre exhibition, and even tried on a Juliet costume and took pics (for free!). We also looked closely at the history of jewellery and use of semi precious metals and stones in the name of vanity. Definitely worth it…

I will come again and this is a museum I probably will not be bored of!

Much awaited food pics from the past 2 months…

I’ve not been diligent with the food posts lately. These days Arch uses his dSLR and I tend to use my phone as a camera.. and since locating the cable which transfers pics can be a bit of a challenge, I tend to procrastinate until I can no longer save any more pictures on my phone before I start transferring them out.

Without further delay- here’s what I’ve been eating, cooking and drinking…

My first peppermint crisp tart!!

A winter braai

November is a nostalgic month. Friends from down under are making their way home to the land of surf, turf and koala bears for good. To kick start off the first farewell gathering, Alex organised a winter braai (for those who do not know what “braaing” is, it means bbq in Afrikaans). South Africans, as I have found out, love their braaing sessions and the weather/season is never an issue.

We had a wonderful crisp and cold afternoon chatting over crisps, beer and wine whilst waiting for the braai pit to heat up. There was so much food on offer- lamb chops, borewurst (Saffa sausage), king prawns, chicken wings and also a vegetarian spread of paneer chutney, green salad, potato salad and also mint yogurt.

My contribution for the day was a South African dessert-peppermint crisp tart. Made from ingredients largely sourced from a SA shop- it went down a storm and the guests loved it. I am not very good at making sweets but was suitably encouraged by everyone who seemed to enjoy the tart, and shall venture out more bravely from now onwards.

Have done a lot of soul searching lately on what I actually want to do, down the road- and also had a lovely chat with mom over the phone about her plans. Life’s looking good amidst all the what appears to be an economic doom and gloom.

Am taking the day off tomorrow to sort out some personal admin, will be bringing a book to read with me to kill the boredom.

Hope everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend!

Five years and counting

24-10-09…

Its been five years since I ranted on and off in my blog. What an adventure! I know I haven’t been diligent these days but its because I have a lot more going on in my life at the moment…

Cya folks!

Autumn chill

For some reason autumn has only started settling in the past couple of week or so. As reluctant as I am to reorganise my wardrobe, pack away my summer essentials and retrieve my autumn jumpers and coats from storage, the windchill, early sunsets and the fact that clocks move one hour back with effect from tomorrow means that the big chill is coming.

I am happy to say that we have made the most of this year- with trips to Wales and Budapest, romping around in gardens and parks, and me singing Mahler from memory and then Elijah with the formidable Maestro Masur, and also braaing at a good friend’s house whilst glugging down delicious red wine has been a treat!

Also the colder weather has called for more stews, roasts and comfort food- so bring on the carrots, tatties and swedes and cheap cuts of meat.

Have also invested in a red coat this year, I absolutely love it and hope it will last me as long as my other winter staples have!

Here’s to a lovely autumn- the leaves are starting to fall and it is quite a sight to behold!

Whats cooking on the last Sunday in September? Grilled courgettes!

I must admit I am fast becoming a fan of Allegra Mcevedy’s “Gastronomy Economy”, a tv programme on BBC that teaches you a systematic way of planning your meals ahead and only buying food that you need. The finale of each week’s challenge is for the families/friends who have adhered to the system for a week, to finish off all food in their larder and cook a feast for their guests, without spending an arm and a leg on food.

I had a bit of lamb mince, leftover olives, grated cheddar and some courgettes left. Here’s what I came up with:

A great way to finish off all the leftovers in the fridge- waste not!

Beautiful September

September 2009 has been a wonderful month for me.

We kicked started off Sep by going to Budapest, home to Bela Bartok and Franz Liszt, world reknowned classical music composers. Walking down the Danube on the Chain Mail bridge, going up the Funicular to explore the well preserved Buda Castle, traipsing along the cobbled streets in the touristy district, haggling in the central market for paprika and palinka, meeting an old friend who is carving a career there, were just part of the wonderful things that I saw and did in this breathtakingly beautiful city. Stuffed ourselves silly with the array of stews available during the Szeptember fest in the city park near Nyugati station.

Attended my solicitor’s admission ceremony at the Law Society in Chancery Lane. I was pleasantly surprised by the personal touches of the ceremony- the Master of ceremony encouraged family and friends to take photographs and during the Vice President’s address she even asked all newly qualified solicitors to turn around and give our friends and family a round of applause to thank them for their support in seeing us through the process of qualifying as a solicitor.

“To the parents, the husbands and wives, the children, who have been so patient and supportive in seeing you through your path to success”…

I am blessed. The wonderful spread of delicious goodies during afternoon tea was also something I hadn’t expected.

Best of all I had my other half and my very very good friend during the ceremony. I really couldnt ask for more.

And to top it all off, both of them attended my concert last night- 1st of the Autumn 2009/2010 season.

I am loving it… hoping for more beautiful and wonderful things ahead~!!

Whats cooking tonight? Scallop and broccoli noodles

A simple luxury that we all love!

Whats cooking tonight? All sorts!

Some pictures of food that we’ve been devouring over the week!

Thai style noodle salad-improvised of course

Delicious Hungarian Salami, Mangalica Sausage, gouda cheese with cumin, boiled potatoes and olives.

Hungarian style goulash served not with dumplings but cous cous.

Heavenly…

Beautiful Budapest

Budapest- a gem on the Danube, totally majestic and melancholy it takes your breath away for different reasons.

We were blessed with breathtaking views, hot and sunny weather for the brief 4 days in Budapest. This city has an age old charm about it, with its beautiful bridges dotted like necklaces along the Danube. A city rich in history, culture, a bit of old and new, with its charming architecture, landscaped parks and peaceful ambience, it is no wonder that Budapest is called the Paris of Eastern Europe.

Walking and taking public transport is probably the best way to explore this gem of a city. Although the Hungarians are not a super friendly lot, they can be quite helpful in giving directions- just don’t expect small talk like the Americans do, which is fine by me.

I personally felt my experience could have been enhanced if I spoke at least one Continental european language fluently. English is not widely spoken in Budapest and it has given me much food for thought-if I am to explore more of what continental europe has to offer, I must brush up on at least my German skills.

Hungarian food and wine is absolutely superb-their meat stew is flavorful and not overpowering, their wines fine and of an extremely high quality. I highly recommend trying Hungarian pork goulash (pork stew), catfish stew and also their cabbage soup served with sour cream (and a sausage too!). Stews are served with generous portions of egg/normal dumplings. A dollop of sour cream is necessary to maximise its potential.

Apart from the usual touristy sights, we were also in for a gastronomic treat, as the Szeptember Fest (September Festival which is also known as the “Stew” Festival) was going on this weekend. From 300 HUF upwards you can try different types of stew served by restaurants setting up stalls in the park. We spent about 1800 HUF on stew tasting (about £6, approx RM42) and left feeling totally satisfied!

Stay tuned for more updates and pictures!