Canteen - Great British Food

Back from London but I had to write a few lines about an interesting restaurant. Everyone (in France) is always bashing British food. While it might not be as varied or refined as French food, I have always objectively defended it as what people usually know are only the greasy fish'n'chips or the weird jelly dessert combinations. Suffice to branch to a modern restaurant serving traditional food like the Canteen near Liverpool Street and your opinion about the subject might change greatly. From the yummy roast of the day, through the pies or the classic bangers and mash the menu is a list of what British food really is about. And do not skip the dessert list!

Tate Modern

It was a lovely day in London today while the snow was falling in France. I took my nephew around to discover that great city. It is quite interesting to rediscover a place you know well with somebody who is seeing it with some fresh eyes. While it is charged of personal history and checking places that have long disappeared (it is sad to see that 2007 definitely killed the music industry - whatever happened to the record stores vibe on Berwick Street?) it probably took a different meaning for him. The ever wonderful Tate Modern was housing an amazing Rothko exhibition (his late period) and I urge you to visit it if you find yourself in London. to be honest, that was actually my real excuse for the trip.

See you next time

Bye bye the countryside and see you next time! it is amazing how quickly time flies. I hardly had enough time to reconnect with my native environment that I am already travelling away from home. A brief stop in Paris tonight and I am off to take my nephew along to London tomorrow. I already took him a few times when he was a kid but it is his first time as a teenager. I have not been there myself for a couple of years neither. It is always interesting to rediscover a familiar city through someone else's eyes though.

Foie Gras

You might not find the organ on the above picture appetizing but believe me, once cooked it is a delight. Many know about Foie Gras and also are aware of the awful way geese and ducks are force fed to produce a huge liver. I have to admit that if I think too much about it is taking my appetite away but it was very interesting to take the opportunity of being in my native village to visit the local Foie Gras producer as my Mum went to buy a fresh liver. After marinating in salt (fleur de sel) and pepper it will be oven cooked in a terrine for a delicious result.

Record of the Week: Air France 'No Way Down'

Rewind. 26 May 2008, a new EP from that mysterious Swedish band called Air France was released as an electronic format over the internet through klicktrack. Two years before that they already had issued another EP that caught my attention 'On Trade Winds' and that is still available through emusic or iTunes. Of particular interest was a bizarre take on Lisa Stansfield 'Reel Around The World' retitled as 'Beach Party'. If you missed both these Eps or if you want to get them on a physical format, here is your chance as they are now compiled into a full album. To give you an idea about their sound I could try and compare them to Boards of Canada, Lemon Jelly and the Avalanches. But the best probably is to give a listen through MySpace.

Autumn Specials

I do not know much about it but now definitely is one of the mushroom seasons at the moment. It seems to be truffle season in the southern central part of France and Italy but one thing is for sure is that there are many mushrooms in the fields and woods around my village. While walking I spotted quite a few different models. Some of them I know and some others I do not. the above picture is part of the latter category. I have no idea what they are but they certainly stood as a happy and united bunch in that field!

France profonde

We like to call it 'Deeeeep France' both reluctantly and affectionately. The fact is that having lived here as a teenager has never been easy but I am quite attached to the place and it can be beautiful for a few days in all seasons really. At the moment we are having a late Autumn. The colours are not quite yet this beautiful array of browns, goldens, greens, yellows and reds but when the sun is out there is nothing nicer than enjoying the countryside and its pure air with a digestive walk after a delicious French meal.

Oh joy!

I personally find long day flights to be a bit more tiring than night flights as my body clock usually is not in a sleeping mode. But that is valid for long flights like the Singapore-Paris leg that is nearly 14 hours. The plane was really empty today which made such a difference. Only a handful of people in Biz and maybe 50 passengers in Economy. That gave us the impression of flying a private B777 with more air hostesses than you could ask for. As a result the service was even better than usual and I can say I had the best beef in the sky ever. So tender. The food generally tends to be better out of Singapore rather than out of Paris strangely enough. Overall, a very enjoyable flight.

Wallpaper

I have been getting this Wallpaper from Various Production over a year ago and it is still sitting there confusing anyone who peeps over my screen. I do not know how often people change their wallpaper and I also know that it is not my company's policy to allow personal wallpapers but it has always been difficult for me to digest my corporate's logo since I also use this laptop for my own purposes.

Burn After Reading

Definitely not the best movie ever made and definitely not usually my cup of tea but I have to admit I had a pleasant time watching this new flick from the Coen brothers (O' Brother, Big Lebowski, Fargo, Barton Fink, etc...). It is good to have at least a few directors that do not necessarily fit in your typical Hollywood mould. It is also good to see this great skewer of actors playing offbeat roles. I would certainly recommend this movie if you want to spend a quality popcorn hour and a half (but do not overdose on the popcorns though).

Fernando Botero

The Art exploration continues in the streets of Singapore. I was telling you about Niki de Saint Phalle the other day so here is one of the Botero sculptures. This one is temporary but there are quite a few of his sculptures in the streets of Singapore. Whoever is in charge of the Art commisionning for Singapore City must have had something for Botero. Actually, I read somewhere there was an exhibition organised by the Singapore Art Museum some 4 years ago and featuring at least 20 of his pieces. At over 1 Ton each, it is possible Singapore preferred to purchase them rather than paying for the shipping back and forth. (Probably not the case, but anyway...)

Record of the Week: Lucien Caine 'EP1'

From Manchester with Love...

Even when you think you heard it all Manchester comes up with a new groundbreaking Artist. This week sees the release of Lucien Caine's first ep proper. You might not remember the electronic band called Alpinestars in the early 2000 but this guy was part of that band. He then went on releasing a 12" I would qualify as a bridge between his electronic previous sound and his new singer-songwriter-with-a-twist new sound called 'Coco'. He has now found his own identity and the single you can purchase this week is the first in a series of 4 that will be released this year.

You can visit his page and listen to some of his tracks at MySpace.
You can download his tracks for a fee at 7Digital, iTunes or emusic.
You can purchase the real thing on record at Piccadilly Records or Rough Trade.

Monkey Say Monkey Do!

I still have quite a lot to discover in Singapore. We just went for a stroll in MacRitchie Reservoir park and were amazed by how extensive the primary forest remains. We made a 10 kilometres walk in the middle of the virgin forest. If not the heat and the thunderous threatening weather, I am sure we could have walked much more than this. Wildlife is extensive considering we are in the middle of a highly developed urban environment. Squirrels, goanas, birds and of course monkeys. Most surprisingly, contrary to many other places we have visited in Asia, monkeys in Singapore are quite frightened of humans. It is probably due to the fact that it is strictly forbidden to feed them and fines are hefty if you are caught doing so. In Bali, for exemple, monkeys are quite aggressive and do not hesitate to come and steal from your pockets.

Art in the Streets

You could be forgiven for thinking you are in Paris. The Niki de Saint Phalle composition you can see on this picture is one of the numerous Art pieces currently displayed in the streets of Singapore. You have some imposing statues from Fernando Botero, numbers from Robert Indiana, characters from Jean-Michel Folon and other pieces scattered around the busiest streets of the City. It is quite amazing to observe the hordes of pedestrians passing by without even noticing what is on display. Shopping seems to be much more interesting...

Opera Gallery

Hidden in a corner of Ngee Ann city (Takashimaya on Orchard) you can find the Opera Gallery. It has branches in Paris, New York, London, Venice, hong Kong, etc... and is very active on the Arts scene. It is quite amazing though to discover some Picasso, Dali, Calder, Miro or Vlaminck in a small gallery like this. If it were Europe, you would have to queue and purchase an expensive ticket to view these artworks, but as it is in Singapore, it is for free and there is hardly anyone visiting the gallery.

And now for something completely different...

I am only using the famous Monthy Python quote to describe this incredible project called "Tokyo!". I had the opportunity to see it for the first time today and it is at the image of this incredible city: gritty, unique, different, difficult to describe and better experienced. It is composed of three shorts directed by the ever offbeat Michel Gondry (Interior Design) a simple and normal story inspired from a comics that suddenly goes awry, the too rare Leo Carax (Merde) starring the extraordinary Denis Lavant in a role that could not suit him better and an insight on one of the many japanese phenomenons (in that case, the hikikomori) as seen by Joon-Ho Boon (Shaking Tokyo).

Indonesia

It is probably one of my last official missions to these surrounding Indonesian islands. It has always been interesting to visit these places but I definitely can't picture myself living there. That's the 'Port' of the main city, Balai, and the facilities you see here are at the image of the rest of the existing infrastructures. Such a culture shock just over an hour away from Singapore. Exotism is enjoyable when it is for pleasure but when it is work related it can be quite tiring and frustrating.

From Nowhere to Nowhere

Everytime I take a ferry out of Singapore there is, most of the time, a boat going from / to Nowhere. I first found it strange and I was then explained one day that there were boats going to International waters for gambling purposes. Gambling is still illegal at the moment in Singapore even though they are currently building huge casino complexes. Anyway, it is always mysterious to have boats going nowhere. Imagine yourself being at the airport and seeing planes adverstised as going nowhere! You would really wonder what is hidden behind this, wouldn't you?

Record of the Week: Augie March 'Watch Me Disappear'

This week we head down to Australia, Melbourne to be precise, for our Record of The Week. It comes from 'Watch me Disappear' which is Augie March's fourth studio album. It continues in the long tradition of down under's songsmiths like Crowded House or Paul Kelly. Indeed, it has been recorded at Neil Finn's studios in New Zealand. It is also notably produced by Joe Chiccarelli of the White Stripes and The Shins fame. The title track is actually my favourite one. You can listen to some snippets on their website here.

Trikora Beach

Trikora beach is populated by a few fishermen's villages. A few huts on the land but mostly many kelongs. Kelongs are floating platform built out of wood (supposedely without nails) and are anchored in the water for fishing purposes. They can also be moved wherever the fishermen want to be and they can of coursed house their whole extensive families. There was only one on Saturday but this morning a floating village had suddenly appeared in front of the beach.

Bintan, Indonesia

An hour away from Singapore by ferry boat lay the Riau Islands. Undevelopped Karimun on the West, industrial Batam in the center and touristical Bintan on the East. The Northern part has been mostly developped to cater to Singaporean tourists as a weekend gateway and the long resort stretch is separated from the rest of the Island by guards, fences and all the security arsenal. Exclusive hotels like the Banyan Tree or Club Med all are within this stretch. Instead, we chose to go to the 'real' Bintan and we did not regret it. Far away from the hordes of tourists we found ourselves enjoying empty beaches. The water was just at a perfect temperature and very calm. A real relaxing Saturday on Trikora beach.

Bamboo Poles

One the specificity of Singapore is that accomodation is widely subventioned by the State. It is estimated that 80% to 90% of the Singaporean population is currently living in HDB flats (I also hear that rents go as low as 40 SGD per month for 3-bedroom appartments and some unscrupulous tenants rent them out for 50 times that amount, that's a ridiculous profit!). As a result, suburban style highrise accomodation towers compose the main landscape of the City-State. All the HDB come equipped with pole holders to enable their users to dry their linen. Rows of windows with (originally) bamboo sticks are therefore also part of the Singaporean image.

Holland V(illage)

Holland Village is located near the Buona Vista MRT station in Singapore. I have not checked the exact history and do not know why it is called as such apart from the fact that its landmark is a windmill that you can see somewhere in the distance on the above picture. What came first? The windmill or the name? Anyway, it is a small enclave full of eateries as well as a few interesting shops. I sometimes go there for some cheap (or not so cheap) meals for lunch. It is too much of an expatriate hangout to my liking but it still manages to retain a different spirit that makes the place interesting.

Working at Height

Being in the Oil and Gas industry, I have been accustomed to particularly high standards when it comes to safety. Ironically, most of the works that I have been involved in were taking place in third world countries where the safety standards are non existent. I kind of got used to these paradoxes but it is always a surprise to continue to witness a lack of common sense in certain situations. Today, while visiting a Port in the Riau Islands I came across this building site. I do not think you need any HSE expertise to observe at least 10 points of safety that could be addressed.

Indonesian Transports

If the sea transports between Singapore and Indonesia are usually 'top class' once you change for a domestic connection it is another story entirely. The terminals are busy, dirty, disorganised and grotty. There is surely no yield management. The boats used to ferry passenger around are disused. For example between the Riau Islands you can take the Miko Natalia which supposedy has a fixed schedule but which can be up to an hour or two early or late. Once on board, if you are lucky you will get a smelly seat, if you are a bit less lucky you can get a plastic chair in the corridor and if you are less lucky you will have to stand somewhere in between the cargo or on the deck. Luckily, I took the Natalia from Batam at a reasonable time today and it was not too crowded and only 30 minutes late but I can tell you I had some funny and interesting experiences in the past!

Record of the Week: Mr Scruff 'Ninja Tuna'

This week I was torn between a happy dancy funky album and a sad and romantic one... But that's often the case for me, isn't that? I was delighted by the return of Anne Clark (12 years since her last record). Her album is full of poetry ('The Hardest Heart') but also filled with nostalgia and darkness ('Waiting') An album of passion, or loss of. Listen to the amazing 'Psalm' an ode to the ultimate love.
Even though Anne's album will probably have a longer lasting impact on me I'll try to promote something lighter and make the long awaited Mr Scruff (6 years since the last one) record of the week. It has to be noted that I also chose to elect an album I will not really purchase (not in its album form). In fact, all the tracks from this album are being issued on separate 12" and my love for vinyl is dictating me to grab these four or five slabs.

Mr Scruff 'Ninja Tuna' (Out now / purchase here)

Anne Clark 'The Smallest Acts of Kindness' (Originally issued in 2002 / Reissued now in an enhanced version / purchase here)

Sunday

It is so enjoyable to have a lazy Sunday from time to time. I have actually kept my past weekends so busy that I had no time to rest as much as I would have loved to. But today started by a late morning in bed, followed by a late breakie. We then went out with a friend to Pulau Ubin to enjoy a very nice bike ride and walk. And came back to have a late lunch at Clarke Quay (picture above) after the clouds had cleared. The afternoon turned out to be quite beautiful with a lovely blue sky that is so rare in this City.

かわいい

The Japanese influence. McDonald's hamburgers are boring and disgusting! But I am quite curious to try the new Wasabi Filet-o-Fish accompanied by its Wasabi Shaker Fries. I have actually just received this ad in my inbox and if I had not just eaten a big late lunch I would probably have already gone out to try this one in my local burger joint...

Maria Cristina Barcelona

Not sure when this one came out but the latest Woody Allen movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a damned fine movie especially as seen from a Singapore perspective. It is exactly what Singapore is not. It is all about freedom and non conformism. Far from the moto you can read on the school boards here "moulding the future of our nation". Whose dream is that to have everyone coming from a single mould? Scary... Anyway, to come back to the movie, the fact the action also takes place in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Barcelona, surely helps to the pure moments of happiness we spent while watching this flick last night. Highly recommended.

Japanese Sweets

Not that I am mad about sweets (to the exception of sugar free Fisherman's Friend I hardly eat any) but I often find myself buying some Japanese sweets. Just for the packaging... I like these old fashioned metallic tins and the images printed on them. As a result I find myself with a collection of sweets that are laying there untouched!

Singapore Biennale '08 - Pt. 2

Last Sunday I visited the Biennale at City Hall. Today, being a public holiday, I took time to visit the free set up called the Central Promontory Site. The place itself is very interesting since it is a temporary shelter made out of containers. The addition of columns make it look like a modern Roman temple. Unfortunately, the space is underused and to the exception of a couple of displays I was not particularly overwhelmed by the Artworks proposed (neither in quantity nor in quantity). Nevertheless, it remains a very interesting idea and experience and I am sure in the evening you can also enjoy some nice views over the cityscape...