Moving to a new city has its challenges: meeting new people; settling into a new routine; adjusting to the bizarre new geography… But most of all, finding a suitable hairdresser.
Those of you who know me will be acutely aware that I have hair on my head. This hair does not behave according to the regular, predictable laws of physics. It needs shearing far more often than I’d like. Consequently, my second haircut in this city stampeded my way with frightening alacrity.
Being a terribly busy man about town, I do not have much free time throughout the week or indeed on the weekends. I needed somewhere which would not make me go too much out of my way. Especially given I am without a bike now, since being crushed to death by a fast moving taxi. Pickles and Co is perfectly situated in the middle of the Jewellery Quarter.
At first I was a little concerned at the price. Alarm bells rang as soon as I was offered a coffee. That is usually a bad sign for your bank manager. Then I looked around me and understood where the few extra pounds were to go.
The place is absolutely gorgeous. The downstairs area is even more aesthetically pleasing. The coffee, by the way, is superb. Of course it is difficult to go on at length about a hair cut. Other than to say a hair cut is a hair enhanced, one can can seldom expand on his follicle foibles.
Suffice to say, the service was outstanding. Tom sheared me with passion, assisted by his glamorous apprentice, Soloman. I was impressed by the care with which he cut my hair. It took around an hour, which made me feel as though I was getting value for money – a prized boon.
Call them on 0121 389 8498 to book an appointment. And tell Tom I say hello.
By now, one ought to recognise a common trend in my AOTM choices – magnitude. When listening to a new album, I search for that je ne sais quoi which sets apart a standard album from an outstanding work of art. A Secret Wish is such an album.
Picture this: Boney M and Kraftwerk have a baby. This baby in turn marries ABBA. Their offspring would be Propaganda. The shocking amalgamation of sounds is so very pleasant.
Their debut album, A Secret Wish, appeared just after ZTT had crested commercially in July 1985, and remains a fascinating addition to the clumsy, clattering canon of 80s electronica. Powered by the vocal mystery of Claudia Brücken, the sweetness of Susanne Freytag and the engine room of Michael Mertens and Ralf Dörper, the group was able to sate the European fantasies of the label. BBC Music.
The opening number, Dream Within a Dream, sets a sky high standard for what is to follow. You are initially entranced by Claudia Brücken’s distinctive Deutsche vocals, and out of nowhere, a resounding and unyielding bass-line elevates the track flawlessly.
Jewel and Sorry for Laughing are the only two tracks which I avoid. They lack the drive and mysticism of the other tracks. p:Machinery is particularly good. A cascading bass and synth combination holds up the track and gives it a unique aura. Listen out for the middle of the track, where an astounding bass – I don’t even know what to call it. Just hang on to your seats.
The rest of the album basks in the halo effect of its opener. Duel, their greatest hit, the track which gained them the oft-repeated epithet of being “Abba from hell”, chugs along full of pop frisson and fizz. Ibidum.
Dr Mabuse is another highlight from this album. “Why does it hurt when my heart misses the beat?”. Listening to the insidious weave of interdependent bass; synth and sparse drum beats, one can understand why the BBC refers to them as ‘ABBA from hell’.
A Secret Wish is massive. And if you’re not convinced by Propaganda’s genius, listen to this song from Claudia Brücken’s album A Million Other Things:
And now, if you’re ready, here is my second favourite tune from Ms Brücken:
Given the length of the previous post, I shall keep this one brief. Crispin of Viterbo was a Capuchin monk living in the 18th century. It is said he made a shrine to the Mother of God everywhere he went.
The calls for him to be named as a saint began as soon as he had died and the formal cause to investigate his holiness opened on 16 September 1761 under Pope Clement XIII while he was named as Venerable in 1796 under Pope Pius VII. Pope Pius VII beatified him in 1806 while Pope John Paul II canonized him as a saint on 20 June 1982 – the first canonization in the latter’s pontificate.
The ice cream parlour named after him perhaps does not represent the sanctity of his devotion to the Capuchin Franciscan order, but they make a damn good gelato. Amaretto and the vanilla; blueberry; pistachio – each flavour I tried blew me away. But the flavours change daily. There is a choice of about 15 at any one time. I can’t tell you which to try because at present I do not know which ones are available!
In any case, their awards speak for themselves. What I must advise you to do, however, and this goes or every roman gelateria: ask for extra cream (panna).
When my friend Colin suggested we meet in Harborne, I was skeptical about the quality of food we were to ingest. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is small, with only five or six tables. It is tucked away in a busy corner of Harborne High Street.
Once you breach the threshold, smells and sounds meet you with their full force. The staff are attentive and the wine is served in big yet light glasses. This was the first oddity I noticed. the second was the concealed toilet. The door is so covered in posters that it seems to form part of the wall. Look out for the protruding handle, which denotes the existence of the prized loo.
Moving on from terrible toilet humour, the food at Wok Chi was certainly of very high quality. Colin went for the prawn crackers. They are pictured below.
This was quite a unique take on the traditional dish. I was taken aback by how tasty they were. I wouldn’t opt for fish without having my head examined, but these were no ordinary crackers.
My starter was the BBQ tofu. I would advise against ordering this. It fills you up to such a wild extent that one cannot fully appreciate the following main course.
Now, if your stomach is bigger than a Rubik’s cube, you may be able to handle this flavoursome delight. Mine, alas, is not. The flavours blended magnificently, with the tofu equally as chewy as it is crispy. This came as a surprise.
For the main, Colin opted for the vermicelli on the Specials menu. This time, I objected to the inclusion of prawns and did not try any bit of it. But Colin’s plate was empty within 20 mins. That is indeed telling.
My main was quite spectacular. The lemongrass chicken stir fry with coconut rice. Also from the Specials menu. It is pictured below.
The bursts of oscillating flavours drove me close to insanity. Coconut rice is seldom badly received. This was no exception. If this dish is still on the menu when you visit, I strongly recommend you try it. I can say with certainty that this was among my top three stir fries of all time, thus far.
I’ll set the scene for you. A cold evening in early November, my friends Tesharna and James were slaving away in a basement, trying to comprehend Real Estate VAT laws. Out of a chasm of desperation, Tesharna suggests we go to the cinema. After a brief peruse of the local venues, we settled on the Cineworld in Five Ways to watch The Grinch.
To tell you the truth, this movie moved me. I was in a fragile state when watching it, for reasons those close to me will know. The particular emphasis on familial proximity and generosity espoused in this film warmed my heart. Now, I know this story. Every person of my generation has their own memory of The Grinch. Probably Jim Carrey’s iconic portrayal of the Green Ghoul. But in the 2018 version, with Benedict Cumberbatch at the helm, one sees this wonderful tale in a new light.
The sheer lavish magnificence of Whoville in this animated version was impressive. Mr Grinch had to go to some extraordinary lengths to try to ruin Christmas, and he had his own reasons for doing so. But, at the centre of this film, one message is clear.
Christmas is not about gifts or decorations. The familiar feeling of pressure one gets at this time of year, where companies desperately try to equate Christmas’ success with the size of the gift box under the tree, is done away with. the true value of Christmas lies in unity. I’m going to repeat that. Christmas’ value lies in unity. Bringing people together for a short while and revelling in each other’s company is the true meaning of Christmas. No amount of ridiculous posed photography surrounded by mounds of presents in good lighting can take away from that.
Funnily enough, this tale of misapplied anger self-imposed exile affirmed the central message of the upcoming holiday season is togetherness. This film does wonders to remind us to look around and appreciate the things we already have. We should be thankful for each new day, loving all our friends and our families.
The Grinch reminded me how fortunate I am to be here. And it will remind you, too. I hope you’ll go and see it. Smiles are guaranteed.
