I always feel that the last couple of months in a year tend to fly by, but November went by a bit too quickly if you ask me. Before i know it I’ll be writing about December, but for now, here are my November favs:
1
Sushi Show - Shoreditch
Starting off strong with the place I probably visited most this month: Sushi Show Shoreditch and their seared fatty tuna nigiri had me coming back literally every week. I love this place for its quality at great value, but also the place itself feels as if a Japanese family has invited you into their home for some food.
2
Mielie Chenin Blanc at Clara’s Deli
After a very wholesome rainy night out with Ben, we stopped to try the new deli that opened in Shoreditch: Clara’s Deli, Wine and Bistro. They have a great selection of wines and a very focused and cute choice of cocktails too (homemade limoncello!). The staff are all super lovely and welcoming, and the place felt like a warm hug (the warm colour palette of the place definitely helped). We drank this bottle of ‘Mielie’ which I loved.
3
Dining room ceiling at Eltham Palace
I went to Eltham Palace a rainy saturday morning out of pre-planned impulsiveness to spend some time by myself, and became obsessed with this aluminium-leaf ceiling above the dining table in the dining room. It was designed by Italian designer Peter Malacrida for the Courtauld family in the 1930s, who also designed the rest of the dining room’s interior. The palace dates back to 1305, when it was used as the royal home by the likes of the infamous Henry VIII. After many years and many lives, the palace now keeps the remains of what I read as a “before-its-time”, beautiful art-deco interior while still preserving the medieval great hall. Definitely worth a visit.
4
La Fromagerie Birthday Lunch
As mentioned in a previous post, I go to La Fromagerie every year on my birthday to have a glass of wine and a cheese board. I keep the menu year after year, almost claiming them like certificates of another year passing. This year I went with Eseniya, and we had some virgin bloody maries and a cheese toastie alongside the annual cheese and charcuterie boards. We had a great time, talking about nonsense and also all the things that matter. After telling the waiter I wanted to keep the menu as a memory because it has my birth-date on it, he brought us a chocolate cake at the end of our meal with a candle, which made me feel all the typical complicated birthday feelings I think a lot of people get.
5
Ponzu Teriyaki Salmon at home
My November comfort meal, I’ve been making this pretty often and I feel like I’ve found my favourite way of making salmon. When I was young and living in Tokyo my mom would take me to my swimming classes at a club and after I finished I’d always go to the cafeteria buffet and get the same meal: apple sauce with bacon as a starter and as a main the crispiest grilled salmon with sushi rice. It was ritualistic at one point, I refused to have anything else. One day they stopped making the grilled salmon, and I had to accept the change. Years passed and I never quite managed to get it right, but somehow this month I managed to get it exactly how I remember it. It’s shockingly simple, but eating this meal this month has brought me a lot of comfort.
here is the recipe:
- salmon
- microwave sushi rice
- sesame oil
- olive oil
- teriyaki sauce
- ponzu sauce
- 1 lemon
- salt + pepper
- (optional) furikake
2. heat up a pan on medium heat and once it’s hot pour a dash of olive oil followed my a dash of sesame oil. spread around the pan and then place the salmon meat down (you should hear it searing straight away).
3. after around 2 and a half minutes, flip the salmon so it’s skin down. The salmon shouldn’t be stuck to the pan; make sure you swivel the pan to check.
4. if it is a thick piece of salmon, sear the sides as well and when the top and bottom are crispy place on a board to rest.
5. make the microwaveable rice and then plate! sprinkle some furikake on top if you’d like, and enjoy :)
6
Cook Book stand by Michael Marriott
7
Tablecloth at Uludag
The last highlight of this month is this tablecloth that we saw in the last couple of hours of the month, getting some food at a kebab shop the night we all celebrated Salomee‘s birthday. December has begun, and with it comes everything this tablecloth represents. Time to touch base back home and have a 20o christmas in Mexico.
Today’s sign off will be this diagram of a formal dining table setting which I got to see very picturesque-ly executed at Eltham Palace. I have no idea what fork is meant to be used when or what plate holds what, but I guess I like these set ups because they inevitably make a table look really pretty and give the opportunity to use all those plates you never know when to take out.