Paris

Going to Paris in August is always a feast! The city is empty of angry Parisian and everything is smooth and nice. Of course there is no theatre show nor opera to see, little exhibitions and some shops and restaurants are closed for the summer holiday, but who cares? It’s the best time to visit Paris to me. The parks are beautifully refreshing and quiet, no little brats to disturb the quietness, the terraces of cafe are less busy, and everything seems to move at a slower pace or in a foggy heat.

I particularly love to walk in the Luxembourg Gardens, stop here and there and look at people, those playing chess, those playing tennis, those seating and lazying, those running frantically… it was perfect because I was working at ENS and we stayed at the newly reopened Lutecia, and the best way to travel back and forth is by crossing the garden!

So one word about the Lutecia… it has always been for me a landmark on the left bank and a place I wanted to stay at. After years of renovation, it finally reopened in July and I was happy A. booked there for this trip. The renovation is in fact not fully finished and it feels like it will be better in a year or so once they will really have finished it.

One thing that I love when traveling is to do a kitchen take over if I don’t have my own kitchen, and after 3 days in Paris I was longing for cooking and took over my best friend’s kitchen for one evening. She picked a recipe she wanted me to prepare and I picked the dessert.

We ended with some gnocchi with jus d’herbe as proposed in Passedat’s book, snd a mirabelles tart. Two simple and delicious recipes.

Mirabelle tart:

– 1.5 kg of mirabelle

– flour and butter for the dough

– a little bit of sugar to sprinkle on top

Prepare the sablé dough with the flour and butter. Roll it, not too thin (mine was and couldn’t absorb all the juice) to the size of your pie dish. Wash the mirabelle and pit them. Set a thick layer of mirabelle in the dough (they will reduce, so really pack them). Sprinkle a bit of sugar. Cook in the oven for 40min at 180deg.

August 26, 2018

Bosso

As planned I didn’t have much time to write in the past days, busy with work: final grading, entrance exams, proposals to submit and research to supervise as usual though. And at home it’s been busy too, with friends visiting and a feverish A. to take care of. But the noticeable thing of this week is the turn in the weather and since the 16th it is definitely not summer anymore. Days have noticeably shortened, there is a cool wind and we turned off the cooler. It is perfect now for open drives, walks around the rice fields to watch rice harvesting and have lunch outside in the shade. And one place I really like, just halfway to Isumi from Tokyo, is the pizzeria Bosso by the lake in Ichihara. It is a small restaurant with seats indoor that have view on the lake and outdoor, facing the lakeside museum, there is a terrace shaded by wine with plenty of grapes, where you can eat the takeaway pizza. Not only the place is really nice, the staff is super friendly and nice, and the food always surprises me. They use local fresh products for the pizze, both cheese and vegetables. The Noka pizza (農家ピザ) uses plenty of seasonal vegetables thus changes regularly and I really love it, it is always a surprise! This time, on the cheese base there was a massive amount of fresh myoga, okra and ginger as in the picture below.

So if you are in the Ichihara area this place is a must try!!!! The nearby museum, the Ichihara artmix events etc.. are also worth a visit. My favorite riding club is also in the area.

Bosso pizzeria:

Chiba-ken Ichihara-shi, Funyu75-1

Website

August 18, 2018

Away from the heat

I am quite ok with the heat in the summer, I move slowly, plan things ahead to never have to run, carry water with me and dress lightly. And if I can swim it’s perfect. I guess my body is also used to it from growing in the South of France. But little Parisian A. is more affected. So we decided to drive north a bit in the Nasu area and the Oku Nikko area for a very short refreshing time. The last time we visited the area was in 2007 in the winter, so quite a change of scenery and a few things have changed since then. Noticeably the Nikki club has closed last summer so we couldn’t stay there again, instead they have transformed the staff quarters into a much cheaper hotel called Artbiotop, where one can experience some craft activities and see the beautiful installation of Ikegami: the water garden. Overall Nasu was almost as hot as Tokyo during the day but nights were a bit cooler. It only really gets cooler when hiking mount Nasu at 1700m and in Oku Nikko by the Chuzenji lake where we visited the British and the Italian residences that have opened to the public since we first came in 2004. And of course we had yuba, a traditional product of Nikko, soba and river fishes. And we discovered by chance a very nice place to eat, while everyone rushes to Chus, the very marketed place to be downtown, we went to Cu-eri, a nice little restaurant that cooks local products with plenty of herbs in a French inspired way.

http://gentianeetantoine.com/igk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/img_7240.mov http://gentianeetantoine.com/igk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/img_7221.mov

July 23, 2018

Detour @Brisbane

So, we’ve been in Brisbane for a couple of days now and we’ve tried a few places to dine out but it is not too easy to find nice restaurants in at a reasonable distance from the city center that serves local products… hopefully our friend C. found one very very nice place where we had a great dinner in a nice casual environment. The place is called Detour and is in the neighborhood of Woolloongabba, a short Uber ride from the center.

The menu features an omnivore and an herbivore section. The guys tried the crocodile dumplings, D. and I just stick to vegan/vegetarian dishes that were all excellent. The carrots had a real something different that made them amazing. The desserts, using a bit more molecular cooking were also great. I discovered lemon myrtle, a very Queensland thing, that is just something I would love to eat more and try to cook!!!

Pictures are from the restaurant website.

Detour:

6/11 Logan Rd
Woolloongabba 4102, Brisbane, Australia
07 3217 4880
enquiries@detourrestaurant.com.au

May 24, 2018

Spring savory delights

Nothing to do with the recipe I am presenting today, but the other night we went to check the newly opened Tokyo midtown Hibiya. A new building with many shops, a large Toho cinema and a terrace garden with a view on Hibiya park and the imperial palace. The place just opened so it was very crowded in apparence but the overall place was quiet and walking around was smooth and nice. Shops are for the most the same as elsewhere. Brand names, big and small, chains. Nothing really to impressive. The only thing that I found fun and interesting was the retro corner on the 3rd floor, with some craft, a barber, a book store and some sculptural clothes.

There is one trend tough that I find quite interesting. 15 years ago when we arrived in Tokyo there a few cinemas, mainly old, that little by little were closing down, until it was a real pain to find one. Recently many of the new shopping places downtown have a large dedicated cinema. Toho cinemas are really spreading and now it is really easy to find a screening in original version too. Yet movies release is still super delayed compared to other countries and we usually watch the “new” movies on the international itunes store before they are available in Japanese theaters!!! And what to eat with a good movie? Pasta or a good and simple Japanese vegan meal with rice and sautéed vegetables. To celebrate spring I really like snap peas, for the crunchy texture, the little tart and sweet taste, and the brillant green. And I also love the salted sakura flowers with rice in particular, but not only ( I made some sable last weekend and it was great!). And since I still have some lotus root (I bought a giant one!) I cooked the all thing to be served together. Sautéed in a little of oil for the lotus root, then add a little of water to steam the snap peas on top, finish with soys sauce. For the sakura, I wash the salt in water and add them to the cooked and hot rice. Serve all and eat happily while watching a movie!!

April 6, 2018

Toronto

Until today I couldn’t really say “I’ve been in Toronto”. When I was a teenager I spent a few hours there on a trip to Niagara with my American family, I remembered the CN tower and around but that was all. So when D. and C. proposed to spend the weekend in Toronto while I was visiting Waterloo for work, I thought it was a great opportunity. A. could join for the weekend from Florence and we would enjoy what the city has to offer in the end of winter: good food, nice walks, theater shows…

We walked all over the city, from the Old Toronto to the East Bayfront, and the Distillery district, through China town to Kensington market and back to the Waterfront… stopping for a bite, a show, or design stores (on King street)…

Here are a few recommendations for enjoying you stay in Toronto.

– stay: I would recommend the Old Toronto where you can find all the big 5 stars hotels. It’s convenient to walk everywhere or so. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton. Nothing exceptional about it but great efficient service.

– coffee/breakfast: Hot Black Coffee on Queens street is a nice tiny coffee shop open early in the morning. Nice Chai latte, and a wide selection of items for breakfast: muffins, toasts…

– lunch: El Catrin is a Mexican restaurant in the distillery district, their vegetarian tacos were amazing, inventive and refreshing.

– dinner: Actinolite is THE place to eat. A restaurant with a chef that uses exclusively local and oc course seasonal products and makes an inventive, perfectly balanced menu, with the right textures and flavors, and the perfect size. Plating was also great. There is no Michelin guide of Toronto but if there was, it would surely be in with 2 stars at least.

Picture from Actinolite website

March 19, 2018

Kitte

When we first arrived in Japan there was a huge post office close to Tokyo station. Quite convenient at the time for tourists because post offices where the only places or so where you could withdraw cash from an ATM with a foreign credit card. But the building didn’t resist the whole tide of renewals in the Marunouchi area, the construction of the Shin Marunouchi building, the opening of brick town and the revamping of the station. Opened since 2013, Kitte (which means “post stamp” in Japanese) is the shopping mall in that very former post office in front of Tokyo Station (Marunouchi south). They basically kept the facade and some of the inside such as the old postmaster office. Otherwise it is a shopping mall like many others, with a flair for Japanese brands and local products. I’ve been visiting it a few times and I find it nice to stroll in because it is usually little crowded. There are two places I like there:

北麓草水 Hokuroku souui, a brand that sells mainly soaps and body soaps and a few cosmetics and skin cares made in Japan with simple ingredients. They have two main fragrances for their body soaps and most of their products, so it’s quite limited but it’s just enough because both smell super delicious: hinoki and yuzu. I find hinoki perfect for every situations, it is both stimulating and soothing at the same time. It smells our first trips to Japan, when we were bringing back charcoal soaps with hinoki fragrance as souvenir. It smells a long time ago!!!

Intermediatheque is the other place worth seeing at Kitte. It is a giant “cabinet de curiosities”, a museum (linked to the University of Tokyo museum) with free access that is worth the detour and spending 30 to 90min in or even more. There are many inspiring things on display of various biology, anthropology, physics, engineering… the organization is such that it gives the impression to wander in the attic of a museum with all these treasures kept secret. Yet a very sleek one!! The top pictures was taken there, but no spoilers, go and check out yourself!

February 17, 2018

Fresh pasta

You know how much we love fresh pasta and more than any stuffed pasta. While in Florence this time I didn’t have much free time to cook, traveling here and there (Pisa, Paris…) for work so we tried a few places where to buy some fresh pasta and so far in central Florence the best we’ve had were the spinach and ricotta ravioli from mercato centrale’s Raimondo Mendolia stand. You can eat there or buy the ravioli raw and cook them yourself at home. That’s what we always do. Because We have tried a few ravioli in different restaurants, they are always good, but what I love with bringing them back home is that I simply boil them and serve them with olive oil, salt and pepper and grated Parmigiano for me nothing else. The reason why we love these ravioli more than any it’s because they are large with a lot of filling. And, the filling has plenty of spinach which taste is really remarkable. Contrarily to many stuffed ravioli which stuffing is to dense and heavy (use of too much potato or starch or flour), this one is light. So if you’re in Florence and looked for stuffed pasta, head to mercato centrale!!!

February 14, 2018

Life in Florence

So, it’s been four days we’ve been in Florence, except for Sunday that we spent walking around the city as described here, it’s been a rather studious time. A. leaves early in the morning while it’s all dark and comes back late at night, and this gives me more than plenty of time to work, write and spend a little hour or two outside walking around the city in the cold and shopping for lunches and dinners.

I’ve now explored both the San’Ambroggio market and the San Lorenzo market, got to see everything twice or thrice to decide what to buy choosing between all the delicious cheeses, fresh pasta and all the fruits and vegetables that are alien to Japan. I must say that I passed on fish, not being fully satisfied with the stands and on meat as there was too many options and I am not good with meat too much… but I guess that I will have to try some for A.. For the moment I’m sticking to speck and San Daniele and it’s been perfect. I also got my tea from La Via del Te as recommended by Giula from the beautiful Juls’ kitchen. And really I am more than happy with my little kitchen and the simple cooking I can do!

So far the things I have really been enjoying are the greens: I packed on lamb’s lettuce, rucola, zucchini, fennel and artichokes and I have been using them in many various preparation. My best being this delicious dish of pasta with olive oil roasted fennels and zucchini and topped with rucola. It is so simple and so fresh, and so easy to make, that here is my recipe:

Pasta with zucchini, fennel and rucola (for 2)

– 125g of pasta

– 1 zucchini

– 1/2 fennel

-1 handful of rucola

– olive oil, salt and pepper

– additionally some fresh parmigiano or some other cheese

Boil the water for the pasta and the pasta. In the mean time, wash and cut the fennel and the zucchini, and in an olive oil greased frypan cook them, but not overcook them! Add the drained pasta, salt, pepper, and olive oil, top with rucola and stir, serve immediately. Add cheese if you like!

And have a great Wednesday!

December 20, 2017