Nudey bums
I’ve been perusing my flickr stats tonight and am midly amused to find that the most viewed photograph of all time has the word ‘nudey’ in it. The white arts of SEO at it’s best!
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Bourke St Bakery
This week we are allowed to break the rules. I chose to shoot some 400 ISO slide film on the lomo and get it cross-processed to make the colours pop. A couple more are over at Flickr but I think this one is my favourite – makes me feel at home.
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In the dark
My shutter release cable arrived tonight so I couldn’t resist a few painting with light experiments in the dark. Most of them turned out pretty creepy but it was good fun!
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johnny&dave
I’ve been taking some photos around the old Kent Brewery site in Chippendale (more recently known as the Carlton Brewery site and now as Fraser’s redevelopment site). I really love construction sites but this one is particularly interesting due to the amount of street art around the perimeter. Johnny’s love letters to Dave are sketched in chalk or pen in the laneways and there are plenty of great stencils and characters too.
Check it out before it’s gone.
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Rainbow Connection
Mid-week happiness for all muppet fans. Sometimes it takes a Kermit to bring cheer and I make no apologies for the following video clip:
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Tags: cheese, deborah harry, kermit the frog, muppets
Foodie Heaven – Hanoi
In the last foodie heaven post, we took a look at places for eating in Ho Chi Minh city. As promised here is the cut from Hanoi, the other Vietnamese city, brimming with heritage, culture, traffic and amazing flavours.
Just do make sure to avoid the stinky Durian fruits!
Bobby Chins
Oh yes, Bobby Chins! Bobby is a self-described ‘ethnic mutt’, with fusion food clout to prove it. He explains that he is, “half Egyptian, half Chinese, born in New Zealand, educated primarily in England, with a sense that San Francisco was home. I was privileged to be brought up with two grandmother’s who were both really great cooks. My Chinese grandmother was from Shanghai and made Chinese food that I had never tasted in any restaurant anywhere. She was cooking a “fusion” type of Chinese food back in the 50’s, substituting for ingredients that were not readily available in the US at that time. Some how she made light sauces, greaseless noodles, and tastes that were entirely unique. My Egyptian grandmother cooked in all manners of North African food – she makes a wicked couscous, Bisteeya, and desserts that are highly addictive. Quite frankly, I do not remember ever having a bad meal until I arrived at boarding school in England.” (Quoted from the Bobby Chin website)
The place has a special ambience, with a bar, lounge area, and tables and chairs for larger groups or smaller couples. All around are lovely red draped curtains in a dimly lit space. So dim in fact, that playful magnification glasses with little built-in lights are needed to read the menu.
And speaking of playful, the menu is a bit of a comic marvel in itself. With an ex-life as a stand up comedian, Bobby’s sense of humour is entwined into all that he does here in this restaurant. Step into the ladies bathroom, and you’ll see what I mean – sketches of comedy on butchers paper and dinky little drawings adorn the walls. But the food itself is no laughing matter, it’s serious goodness. We had the crab trio for starters, (including the frothy, crab cappuccino) followed up by King Prawn red curry on a bed of coconut sticky rice and the blackened Barramundi on a bed of banana blossom salad. There was, unfortunately, no room for desert, but if there had been we would have certainly followed up with the pistachio encrusted goats cheese wrapped grapes.
Special mention: Highway 4
Highway 4 is an emerging chain and due to it’s nature as a chain, it unfortunately suffers a little for the sake of a consistent brand. The decor is distinctly Japanese inspired, down to the geisha and calligraphic prints on the walls and the low, shared table with tatami cushions. This style however is not reflected in menu, which promotes Vietnamese food and delicacies from the multicultural ethnic groups found across Vietnam. Ever wanted to try crunchy crickets washed down with a shot of fermented rice wine made from bees? Then this is the place for you. I played it safe and went for the catfish rolls (they are a specialty at Highway and are simply delectable). Also shared were some betel nut wraps with fresh pickles, salad and beef. Again – delicious.
And finally, another place worthy of attention is Koto Restaurant. With an idyllic location right next to the Temple of Literature, daytrippers can work up an appetite at this old university then head over to the restaurant for lunch. There are 3 levels, with the ground floor being the most formal and the top floor reserved especially for tour groups. We opted for the comfy couches and relaxed vibe of the middle floor with the bar to serve drinks. The food was good, but the main reason we ended up here was to support the work of the cooking school. The Koto Cooking School was set up to provide training and employment opportunities to orphans in Vietnam, who would not otherwise have the ability to undergo training to become working professionals. It’s a great cause and you’re sure to find a lot of Aussies dining there as Tracey Lister, the Head Chef Trainer, is an ex-Melbournian. You can read more about Koto here.
To be continued…next up, Hoi An!
Filed under: foodie heaven, many wanderings | 1 Comment
Tags: food, hanoi, travel, vietnam
Recycle with Freecycle
I’ve known about Freecycle.org.au for some time. It’s an online recycling community for Australians who would rather have their unwanted stuff go to a good home instead of landfill, or out on the street where it can potentially get damaged by the elements. Today I signed up, as I have an old external dvd burner that I don’t need anymore. All I can say is, well, wow! Within 10 minutes of posting the item, I’ve already received 2 replies. Done! All without the guilt of having to throw something away. Now, if only some kind generous web developer types would volunteer to re-design the site so it’s more user-friendly. Any takers?
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Tags: community, recycling
Beachobatics
Do yourself a favour and check out the lost art of ‘Beachobatics’, down at Bondi Beach. The SMH has a collection of b&w photographs on display, care of the NSW State Library and they are absolutely marvellous.
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Tags: bondi beach, history, photography
Iranian bloggers for change
This is a pretty amazing student work about blogging in Iran, despite the risks involved in participating in what is considered a politically subversive activity. The graphics are beautiful, reminding a little of the recent animated feature film, ‘Waltz With Bashir’ (a must see if you haven’t already).
Watch the clip below:
More information about this work is available at the Vancouver Film School
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Tags: blogging, film, graphics, iran, politics
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