by Cedric | Nov 13, 2021 | Food and Drink, General
It may surprise you to know that I did not have a good time in Bristol. I had cycled 100 miles to get there and was not in the best shape having to do a full working day the following day as well as an hour presentation to dozens of people. No matter! La Grotta was highly rated and from the descriptions looked like the sort of place I might enjoy a hearty Italian meal. This was absolutely the case. And to top it off it is in the centre of Bristol.
To begin I had a lovely arrancino. This is a cone of rice, with tomato sauce, breaded and invariably with a glob of molten mozzarella in the centre. This after a long cycle and seemingly longer walk from Montpelier to Bristol centre was just right. This is a staple of Sicilian cuisine but is eaten across Italy, and indeed in Bristol. The one at the Grotta was no exception. It was exactly what I hoped it would be. The sauce mingling well with the coagulated rice, held together by a lovely thin crust of the bread crumbs which was not too thick.
Although the crust was good, I am afraid to say La Grotta could have done better on the margherita pizza test. They have, as you can see, used grated cheese instead of sliced mozzarella… and there is a distinctive green sweet leaf missing from the top. The best margherita pizza have a few pieces of basil scattered about just after the cooking is finished. This was not the case here. In this instance I was so ravenous that it did not much matter. The dough was good, nice and thin and even, cooked through with no soggy bits, which was ace.
Also, ever keen to be green, I had some rather buttery garlic broccoli with the meal, this helped counterbalance the relatively unhealthy carb overload of the pizza!
Overall I had a good time, I was well attended to, and the waiter was as keen a cyclist as me which was a big plus.
by Cedric | Nov 9, 2021 | General, Tunes
Welcome to another edition of Five Favourites where I share some excellent album covers which have brought me some measure of joy over the last few weeks. See below your fixe for November.
Fleetwood Mac – English Rose (1969)
An absolutely extraordinary cover. Of course this drag esque figure of a woman is the antithesis of an English Rose and is more reminiscent of one of Dr Evil’s goons in the first Austin Powers movie (“That’s a man, baby!”). But still, you have to admire the confidence Fleetwood Mac must have had to publish this in 1969.
Queen – News of the World (1977)
On the subject of frightening covers, see above this terrifying cover of a wonderful Queen album. The idea of a giant robot carrying the members of Queen, in full regalia, is just excellent. In fact, it is so scary that Family Guy included it in their episode Killer Queen. Brian used it to torture Stewie, who was deathly afraid of the cover!
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica (1969)
By this point I suppose you believe this month’s covers are All Hallows Eve based, and subconsciously I may have chosen these to reflect the horror of my present mood. However I find that I write best when stimulated, by all extremes of emotion. Trout Master Replica is called at once (by proper Music Men (TM) who can appreciate such works) a masterpiece and a cursed album. I have not yet understood the attraction to this strange band but am always willing to be proven wrong. What a very strange album this is, but absolutely worth seeing.
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
I suppose this is quite similar to the first cover in some ways. They were contemporaneous. This is supposedly one of the best albums ever made but I don’t see it. In fact I’m minded to think the opposite but this is a matter of my current taste. I need to listen with open ears and make an objective decision – but when does one have the time to open their minds? Anyway, this is quote something, a shocking and nauseating meld of colours and emotions which leaves one open mouthed, shall we say?
Grace Jones – Slave to the Rhythm (1985)
I have hinted at this album cover in the inaugural Five Favourites in March but not written about it directly. Of course those of you in the know will remember this won AOTY in 2019, and I was so overwhelmed that I could not talk about it. The cover is something of a work of art for me. I read in Grace’s memoirs, ‘I’ll Never Write My Memoirs’, that Jean Paul Goude designed this cover to mimic the face Grace made at the moment she gave birth to their son Paulo Goude. It’s quite extraordinary and equally frightening. I have a framed sketch of this on my wall. Just sensational.
See you all next month!
by Cedric | Nov 1, 2021 | Food and Drink, General
Ever oscillating, I took it upon myself to visit the South coast. During my short time in Dover and its environs, I had the opportunity to go to Luben’s pizza in Folkestone. This was the first time my immediate family had been in the same country for over 12 months so we took the opportunity to have a good time and eat many carbs.
Seitan Pepperoni
Seitan Pepperoni w. Vegan Mozzarella
I have fallen in love with seitan, no not the devil, but the flour and water based meat substitute. I was quite impressed to see this as a choice at Luben’s. This pizza was exquisite, perhaps a little dry and could have used more sauce but otherwise really quite excellent. The dough was perfect and the vegan cheese was very nice indeed.
Spicy Nduja, Pepperoni, Piquillo Pepper, Red Onion, Fresh Rocket & Buffalo Mozzarella // Moons Green Pepperoni, Buffalo Mozzarella
Of course the actual pepperoni was divine for other reasons. This was beautifully distributed, had a good amount of buffala mozzarella which was hot but not melted, as it should be, and well sauced. Again the dough was a thing of beauty. This was an alarmingly flavoursome pizza.
Father and Celia shared the Nduja pizza which was one of my favourites. The Nduja has an acidic flavour with a chili-forward bite. This mixed with the pepperoni and sweet but heatless Piquito pepper and the freshness of the rocket made a pseudo explosion of flavour in the mouth. This may have been my favourite of the night.
The dough ball sharing plate, served with a trio of dips; (garlic butter, aioli & pesto) was also quite good, soft and supple enriched by the dips.
Father and his oddly held cutlery enjoyed the wonderful salad which does not look like much but was equally explosively flavourful.
Overall this was a high quality restaurant in a beautiful street of Folkestone, moments from the sea front. We enjoyed our time there very much and I hope to go again before long.
by Cedric | Oct 20, 2021 | Food and Drink, General
This will likely be my last post regarding my trip to Hull, which now occurred some months ago. As you can see my ‘holidays’ are less about relaxing and more about covering ground, enjoying the local offerings and invariably exhausting myself. Indeed I covered 200km in two outings on the bike during my bank holiday August weekend. The second 100km cycle went through Huggate. St Nick and I went past this Inn on the last day of our Way of the Roses cycle (that was a 400km cycle for me!) and decided to return.
Bangers and Mash… hit the spot!
The Huggate Inn sits 170 metres (558 feet) above sea level which meant quite a shocking ascent from flat Hull! I arrived at the restaurant and ordered our food and a well deserved pint of cider to give me some calories and sugar in my system. Two 100km cycles in three days does use up many calories. I ordered the bangers and mash, having learned long ago that when cycling one should not overload oneself mid ride. This was the perfect portion size, with beautiful locally sourced pork sausages, which were fulsome and relatively light. The meat was supplied by M & K butchers in York, a traditional family owned and run butchers. This made it all the more delicious to me. The gravy was a sensation.
Nick and his angrily folded arms, perhaps because I was holding up his lunch for the sake of a photograph, Nick went for the Wolds Inn steak pie, with some beautiful homemade shortcrust pastry. This was a divine home made dish with just the right amount of bitterness. I was only allowed one morsel but could see why this was the eponymous dish for this wonderful restaurant. Nick went on to have some sponge cake and custard which was reminiscent of something I ate at primary school, all the better for the nostalgic element. I recommend this Inn to anyone in the vicinity. There are some excellent views of the best county in the Country in the immediate environs.
The cover photograph is my cycle, Excelsior, prior to a punishing ascent to the Inn. What a view!
by Cedric | Oct 16, 2021 | General, Miscellaneous
Birmingham Buddhist Vihara and Dhammatalaka Peace Pagoda is the only traditional Myanmar style Pagoda in the Western hemisphere. It is a Buddhist temple in the centre of Birmingham, near the Edgbaston reservoir. During Birmingham Heritage Week, we were able to visit as the Pagoda was open to visitors. We had the opportunity to go inside and speak to one of the monks at length, which was quite illuminating.
The Dhamma Talaka Peace Pagoda was opened in 1998 and is the only such building in traditional Burmese (Myanmar) style in the Western hemisphere. There is a monastery (vihara) where monks reside and a Dhamma teaching hall in the grounds. The Buddhism practised is of Theravada tradition. The pagoda complex is managed by Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Trust, a charitable trust registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Birmingham Heritage Week
The inside of the Peace Pagoda
Once inside, we spoke at length to one of the monks living in the grounds. The monastic life is not for everyone, he told us, but he enjoys the routine of the centre and the time he can devote to his own studies. I was quite moved by the peacefulness of the peace pagoda. Coming from working in commercial law, where restoring our client’s material possessions takes up the majority of our day, to a place which represents the antithesis of my work had quite an effect on me.
The base and walls of the pagoda are octagonal. The interior focuses upon a gold-painted shrine on which there is a large marble statue of the Buddha in meditation posture, sculpted in Burmese style in Mandalay. Images of the Twenty Eight Buddhas were created on site by a Burmese workman and mounted round the inner dome. The entrance is reached by a gabled arcade. Teak doors on three sides of the building are carved with temple guardians and two traditional lion statues at the arcade’s entrance provide protection from evil elements. The inner dome supports a gold-painted stepped spire in the same style as the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, rising to an ornate umbrella feature above which is mounted a crystal bud. Wikipedia
Koi in the pond behind the Pagoda
The grounds contain the monastery but also a Buddhist Academy. There are numerous retreats and lessons available which I hope to take part in. As Buddhism is a philosophy and Catholicism is my religion, I hope trust Jesus will not be vexed by my doing so. Please do go and visit the Pagoda if you can, even if just to see it from outside the grounds.
