Filed under: Design
Must… have… Lamy Dialog 1 designed by Richard Sapper in 2003. The Sap is also that guy that did that kettle and a zillion other Alessi paraphanelia. Somehow, it manages to feel way more relevant now than it did 5 years ago when it picked up a Good Design Award. For whatever reason, I was always more drawn to the typical Lamys, ie the cheaper ones that I owned. Not that the Dialog 1 is prohibitive, but it is quite costly for a ballpoint pen but how steezy is it gonna be when you signing shit.
Mmm… soft white buns and bunnies. I like how there’s like a hole where they inject the sesame into the bunnies and it looks like a nipple. And how the buns have that little tip that looks like tone on tone nipple.
The last time Sofia Coppola got together with Kirsten Dunst, it was Virgin Suicides. Which happened to be a really wonderful, beautiful little film about girls killing themselves. They got back together for the biographical film on the famously beheaded former empress of France, Marie Antoinette. Which happens to be really languid and rather boring, almost facile. I guess it was more of a “oh look, here’s a poor little rich girl trying hard to find herself” story. It seemed to really empathize with the supposedly decadent side of the empress and hardly bothered about the trivialities like her spending away the country’s money.
The movie was really slow and seemed disconnected with all this wonderful post punk/new wave stuff that was on the soundtrack. It all sounds great but doesn’t seem to move in tandem, even if particular themes are similar. It just felt very poseur almost, like hey, let’s throw in some really good music to distract people from the shitty script.
But I’m not too bothered. I just spent my time staring at the wonderful costumes and cleavage. And this lovely shot of Ms. Dunst without the silly costume. Which begs the question why Jason Schwarztmann took like a few years to bone her.
Finally, dinner at il Baretto. Met up with 2 friends and made the trek up Foveaux Street from Central station, which is a bitch but it proved to be worth it. Its a really steep slope as we neared our destination. We left our name and number with the waitress and hopped over to the pub across the road, which is the typical solution for most people making the trip here. The miniscule shop is inversely proportional to its popularity, which meant that we waited for an hour, sipping on beers, watching Blondie on the telly. We also took a bottle of vino over. I bet the pub is killing it with all this extra traffic.
Service was sharp and cheery, friendly and prompt. I’d have to say it was one of the things that stuck in my mind. Some people complained about getting the bill without being asked but this place needs a high turnover to get by. Its not a fine diner and the prices tell you so. BYO but with tumblers but who cares. The place isn’t anything to crow about. Its tiny but no one gives a shit about something like that. Here, its all about the food, which is also remarkably good value compared against the quality on offer.
First up was Bruschetta al Pomodoro, which we shared, one slice each. As boring and plain as it may appear, I took a first bite, which reminded me I needed to take pics. It was full, perfectly salted and the olive oil was great. Just clean simple fresh ingredient and letting the quality show. Completely unpretentious and wholly delightful.
My mate had a Porcini Risotto which was good. I didn’t have too much myself but I remember thinking its what I’d expect of a good risotto, good flavor, good texture and consistency.
My other friend opted for the Spaghetti Vongole, which was surprisingly good. Very clean, very full flavor despite the minimalism of the dish itself. It was clammy but not nauseating.
My choice was the pick though, Papardelle with Duck Ragu. Really good duck breathing throughout the dish, which was amped up after I dunked some cheese over. The sauce was pretty kickass and the duck lent a meaty, savory texture to proceedings.
We also got dessert and this Tiramisu was elegant and light but for me, it disappointed and failed to lift me up much. I guess I just like my good ole mom’s sloppy, sludgy version.
Next was a slice of Spumone, a gelato cake which was good without being overly impressive. Its just ice cream after all.
And finally, my pick, the Panna Cotta, which came with a wonderful spiced red wine caramel. The super smooth custard was brill when you paired with the tangy sauce, which I pretty much licked clean.
Overall, I really enjoyed myself. The food was always great. I haven’t had better pasta than here. The flavors are just so clean, fresh and full and I think its not easy to find places better than this. Perhaps slightly overhyped and/or in need of expansion but I’d brave the hour long wait again in a heartbeat. Its almost a little too good to be true.
il Baretto 496 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (02) 9361 6163 lunchTue to Sat 8am – 3pm
dinner
Mon to Sat 6pm – 10pm about 30 pax incl. corkage and 2+1 courses.
Filed under: Music
Sydneysiders Van She with a track called Kelly ladies and gents. I was kid in 1980s. Kthxbai.
Filed under: Music
This band is so buzzing. Cut Off Your Hands are Kiwis that sound a little like Franz Ferdinand meets Bloc Party in the 50s with the pop factor bumped up. Seriously catchy. Look out for their to be released LP, You & I.
Oh Girl
Still Fond
Filed under: Food
I have been stuck on a caramel whiz for since whenever. I’ve been having it in my coffee even, a travesty I know but its probably all Krispy Kreme’s fault for launching them Karamel Glazed jawns a while back. I also did baked bananas with caramel and a lovely Nutella and caramel sauce sammich the other day. Of course, I’m probably a little wrong when I say caramel, since its not really caramel but more like toffee. Oh and by the way, butterscotch rocks too. Which brings me to honeycomb… Omg that shiet is hot fiyah. Maltesers, Crunchies… I’m am so down with right now… All these are my excuses for an expanding waistline. Sugar in all its forms is just pure evil, sweet delicious evil.
Recipe for making your own honeycomb. Basically its toffee + bicarb. I never thought of it that way and simply assumed it was like high techs candybar boffin territory for whatever absurd reason. This recipe comes from Paul Merrett, whom you can see on the telly with his program, Ever Wondered About Food.
Prep a baking tray with silicon paper or whatever best non stick shiets you got. Then in a small saucepan, combine 250g demerara with 250g caster or a1, 4 tablespoons golden syrup, 75g unsalted butter and 60g glucose. Bring this to the boil and toss in 2 or so tablespoons of water to halt the caramelization process. Everything should be dissolved. At this point, add 2 tablespoons of baking powder and shake the saucepan so you try to evenly distribute the bubblins. Then immediately pour onto your lined tray, spread and let it set.
You’ll want to store it like asap cos it degrades the more it comes into contact with moisture so break into chunks and store airtight. Consume immediately is another option. Dip in melted choc. Use as biccies with coffee, crush over a salad/cake/fruit… the possibilities are endless.
Late pass alert!!!
Previously, when I went on a trip to Melbourne for Big Day Out, I managed to catch Bjork who eclipsed expectations. During her concert, there was this table thing that made noises as objects were shifted on it. I now learn that its actually Bjork’s producer, Damian Taylor fiddling with the reactable.
The reactable is being developed by Music Technology Group within the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain and Bjork is one of the artists that have started to use it on tour. As you can see in the pic above, its really a big, flat, round, illuminated table which reacts as you place objects on it. These objects have hieroglyphs printed on them that tell the table how to react, be it producing a sound or effecting other objects. You pretty much have a whole lot of control over pitch, volume, wavelength and how the sounds combine and move together. This is what makes the reactable different from a normal synthesizer. It allows you to effectively play many instruments that can mould and shape noise and sound as they are moved around each other.
But this is obviously one of those things that you have to see to believe.
Looking to buy cheap food in Sydney? Look no further than Sydney Markets of course. Located near Homebush bay, the Flemington markets are where many restaurants go to buy their shit because its good and its cheap. The only drawback is you have to buy in bulk. Its a pretty huge space as expected of a wholesale fruit and veg market separated into several sections.
There’s the Grower’s Market, shown above, which is a place where you can find anybody and everybody who has got produce for sale. The quality and prices vary pretty greatly. Although I’m pretty sure some of the sellers were quoting with bullshit prices. Then there’s the Produce Market, where its all agents where it used to be that the quality of stuff was be better but also slightly more expensive. That’s apparently not the case nowadays, as the Grower’s Market stuff I saw was pretty good as well. There’s also the banana market, where you can buy bananas obviously. Its kept separate because bananas actually ripen everything else it comes close to. The flower market rounds out the rest of the place and I guess is a good place to pick up fresh flowers for any establishment. Apparently, 90-95% of the produce on sale comes from Australia so you’re most likely buying local.
The market opens officially according to the website at from 6am but in reality, people come in from 2am. The place is also open for tours where you get to view the markets and listen to a guide whispering information as you traipse around the place, trying your best not to get in the way.
Its a tough ask as well, with loads of giant trucks and forklifts all over and people tugging trolleys filled with boxes of stuff. You pretty much have to look out for danger as much as you’re looking out for some good food.
The markets also start closing pretty early. I went at about 6ish and by 8, most places were closing. The Grower’s Market looked pretty devoid of life by 9.
Just to compare prices, you can basically buy a box of Golden Delicious apples for $30 a box, which has 60 apples in it. The fresh fruit market nearest to me sells the same stuff for about $5.99 a kilo, which gets me say 5 or 6 fruit. Its like half the price basically. A bunch of basil goes for $1.60 at the markets compared to 2 or 3 something at the supermart. If you have a massive party, this is defo the place to go to pick really good stuff. There’s a pretty great selection, with some agents offering some produce you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. If you did, you’d probably pay rape prices for it as well. At the very least, it’s worth a trip just for the sights and smells.
