Remember Vinyl

Ok ... so I've not had to purchase a new album in vinyl format for what seems like forevah!!!


LPs still hold such a fascination for me and I love flipping through racks of vinyl ... particularly new and mint versions and especially the 180 gram variety that feels so heavy and tactile!! But I guess the CD format has the convenience factor as well as availability (well maybe thats all about to change soon anyways)

Anyways, the vinyl edition of this album boasts 3 tracks not available on cd. And Polyester had a storewide 20% discount so that sealed the deal.
 
So what album am I talking about? Well Matmos' Supreme Balloon of course!!!
 

 
Its their first album recorded entirely on synthesizers with no mics allowed - whatever that means!!

(if you are unfamiliar of the milieu this group works in ... check out their myspace and find out more)


 
If I feel a little more constructive (yes I've chosen this word carefully) in the next few days I might post a review. But first impressions are that this is a much lighter sounding album compared to the others they have done - certainly the use of synthesizers (many analogue) creates a warmer sound - matmos can be quite abrasive at times.


Let me play this a few more times and we'll see ... for now it still makes my 2008 list but Portishead is still in prime position ... and I'd be very surprised that come the end of the year ... its still not thr crowning glory.

(Ok - the 24 minute title track is da bomb!!!!)

Addendum - 11 Jun 2008


Ok - you're going to scoff at this. But I did a "backup" of the basic cd version of this album. It sounds different - almost like listening to an entirely different album to my vinyl copy. I prefer the vinyl - no surprises here I guess.

CD WOW OMD AMAZ

Ok ... so I mentioned previously that I recently made my first CD WOW purchase ... my deluxe cd-dvd edition of OMD's Architecture and Morality was shoved in the mailslot at work 6 days after delivery confirmation .. I was on the phone when P brought it up to my desk ... so I wasn't demonstrably excited (i was planning to do a whole song and dance) ... the damn phone call killed the moment!!!

Anyhoo, the CD is kinda fucked ... there's a little dent near the central hole which my antiquated cd player can't seem to cope with ... it played fine in the puter and in my dvd player ... so a bit of a bummer ... but I've been trying to track this version down for sooo long and it was great to finally have it in my hot little hands!!!


What a trip down memory lane it was ... some songs are so evocative of a period in your life, sometimes painfully so ..... we were talking about this at R's the other day. K mentioned Cocteau twin's "heaven or las vegas" and its one of those CDs which I love but conjures up too many unhappy memories ... I was going through a break up at the time of its release ... my friend S has the same thing with the Communards ... and we were all there to witness that one!!!!!

Anyways I've never really seen any of OMD's Music Videos except perhaps for Locomotion ... there are promo vids for Souvenir and Joan of Arc on the disc ... pretty much what I was expecting ... what I didn't expect was Paul Humphrey's energetic 80s shoulder shaking dance moves ..oh.my.god. ... it was as bad as Roland Orzabal's pseudo kung fu hand moves in Tears for Fears' mad World video!!!
 
The Live DVD was a hoot just for the dance moves alone ... and for Joan of Arc (maid of orleans) ... just watch the drummer ... excellent stuff. And of course here for your enjoyment:
 

 
In other music related news - its stocktake time at JB's so I scored the following at $5.00 each:


Ultravox! - Ultravox! - digitally remastered with bonus tracks ... this is the one with John Foxx!! - post-punk madness, more Wire and buzzcocks than yazoo and depeche mode



Clinic - Visitations / Funf / Walking with Thee - always wanted to check these guys out, mainly because they supported Radiohead - but hey they can fart chunks for all I care at $5 a pop!



Cocteau Twins - Milk and Kisses - remastered by Robin Guthrie - I know its not their best ... but this version is hard to come by.



Oh and for $2.00 I got Mozart's Gran Partita for M - the Harmonia mundi recording

Also scored the Gossip Live in Liverpool from R, ... they're amazing live!!

Here's a taster:

Bacala

Ok .. so we finally cooked with Bacala !!!

So it don't look too appetising ... and its so stiff you could use it as a handy head-bashing mallet ... and for those more sensitive and precious readers out there ... the smell will have you reaching for the stemetil ... but for all novice cooks with even just a passing interest in mediteranean food, this is something of a culinary holygrail!


I can't remember when I first heard of bacala or when I came across someone actually cooking with this particular variant of salt cod ... but I've always wanted to know what people did with these hard bits of desicated fish. I knew that the Portuguese and Italians used it ... but it still seemed a little hardcore ... when I spoke to JP about how her mother used it ... she made it sound so matter-of-fact and oh so delicious ... I was determined to try it more than ever. Its not exactly hard to come by, most delis have a few pieces on offer ... so it must be a staple of some sorts.
 
Of course, everytime we had the opportunity to purchase one, I was the one that chickened out. Thankfully M had the gumption to ignore my lack of enthusiasm and dilligently changed the water every now and then .... you have to soak this overnight and change the water to re-constitute it and also to remove the bulk of the salt.
 

bacala soaking overnight

 
We bought one piecs of salt cod at our local IGA on Saturday and had it soaking overnight for Sunday.

 
We then had to cut the fish into smaller pieces and poached these in a mixture of milk and water, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns.
 

inspiration for our bacala dinner

 
Next came the painstaking process of removing the bones. We used some of the fish to make fish balls - and the rest went into a Portuguese dish of bacala with potatoes and olives.
 
 

bacala out of the poaching liquid

patient de-boning

 
The flavour of the fish wasn't as strong as I thought it would be ... but it was a terrific meal. I only wish they had salt cod fillets ... I've never seen these ... only the whole fish. Having to deal with the bones was a drainer!!!
 

bolinos de bacalhau - or portuguese cod cakes (from two fat ladies)

bacalhau a gomes de sa - or salt cod with potatoes & egg (from piripri strafish - tessa kiros)

plated

 
PS ... my piece of truffle still doesn't look like it has ripened at all ... did I buy a dud??

West Footscray - Little India

Ok ... I know we seem to be a little obsessed with food at the moment ... but when the weather gets colder ... your body needs insulation ... so your mind turns to cold weather sustenance ... cue the alcoholic beverage and spicy vittles!!

West Footscray is fast becoming a Little India ... what with its numerous indian cafes and provision stores serving the needs of an ever-burgeoning populace from this powerhouse asian economy ... and unless you're the type that freaks out if you have to drive beyond the familiar route between house and the nearest plastic shopping complex ... then you'd be celebrating the richness that this culture brings and contributes to our country, which as years go by, is assuredly reaching its destination towards true multiculturalism. (towns like Camden aside!!! I saw some of those peops on the News ... I can guarantee a few of them get off on Arabic porn ... they fear the "brotherhood" but bottled inside is unbridled guilt-ridden lust ... stupidity in all its mostly bigoted forms is sooooo pathetic).


Anyhoo I digress ... I mentioned Thai Angels previously, well Aangan is just a few shops away ... and boasts a beer garden and an oddly attractive fairy light tree crowning the doorway.

 
I asked my workmate P (who hails from said sub-continent) whether he knew of any good indian restaurants particularly down my way, and without skipping a beat he says"Aangan". So we decided to check the place out on one of our recent "eat out" Friday nights. The place was packed and the only way they could fit us in is if we agreed to eat out in the Beer Garden.


On the brink of starvation, we agreed. The Beer garden is under one of those makeshift plastic Marquees. They had a number of those portable heaters which did help stave off the cold .. but I kept my jacket on nonetheless. The beer garden (I suspect) boasts more staff per capita average than in the restaurant proper and boasts a big screen playing the ususal india music vids.

I swear every Indian restaurant in teh state owns the same DVD collection ... I've seen these time and time again, including one of the songs MIA samples on her last album .. a personal favourite.
 
So service was swift and efficient ... although it was of the "how was the food" variety which can be painful at times.
 

 
The food, although not mindblowing, was more than serviceable and prices are reasonable. We strated with a samosa chat ... which was a samosa covered in this sauce ... a tad too sweet for my liking, but M lapped it up. We followed this with Dhaal Markhani (of course!! - in the same way I test malaysian restaurants with their beef rendang prowess ... I measure indian restaurants on the quality of their version of Dhaal Makhani), a fried chilli fish dish and a yellow lamb and potato curry, accompanied by biryiani rice and naan. All in all it was a good feed. One of the tables next to us made a remark about returning to the inflight movie, and it did kinda feel like you were in a plane facing the big screen and having your meal. Anyhoo ... if you're in the neighbourhood and having a yearning for indian bear this place in mind!!!
 

 
I wouldn't bother with take away ... seeing the chick at the counter holding 2 phones to her ears at the same time whilst dealing with someone at the counter complaining about the lengthy wait ... I suspect this is the one part of their service that suffers.

 
Go here for more info: http://www.aangan.com.au/index.html

Random Thoughts Pt 2

Ok ... just doing some random thoughts again just so I don't forget things ...


- vale Sydney Pollack - he didn't seem that frail and now watching his character in Will & Grace will have a certain poignancy and added nuance.
- the Bill Henson debate rages on - pity that he does half look the part
- west footsray - the new little India - discuss (that frozen kulfi - I tell you what!!! Obesity here I come)
- Bacala (or lao if you're portuguese) - finally made it - ate it - loved it
- now own a dvd player that plays divx formats - unfotch will still need to keep the old player as this new one is region restricted - what the??
- still loving the Portishead album and also the Black Ghosts mix - seriously
- made first cd wow and amazon purchases - haven't quite made my mind up yet

Ok photos and details to follow!!

Art or Porn - the problem with Bill

Ok … so art or porn … splashed across all the print and tv news articles …


Here’s my take on Bill Henson. We went and saw his last exhibition in Melbourne and were totally blown away … some narrow minded/shopping centre frequenting/commercial tv watching/breakfast radio listening peops will go “of course” seeing as they think we’re sexual deviants to begin with anyways and are therefore predisposed to loving all things perverse.

Anyhoo … my honest opinion is that YES I found some of his photos quite intensely sexual but not in a “phwoarh nice hot young thing” kind of way but in a wider sense of the word sexual … or at least my interpretation of it ... my initial reaction was one of envy … I was envious of youth and discovery and experiencing the "new" … painful as this sometimes can be ... once lost, it feels like its lost forever ... age chips away at life's patina of hope and possibility and sours the moment of sexual awakening with guilt and shame, whilst it cowardly hides behind hindsight and the ephemeral cloak of adulthood.

Ok I'm waffling but why does someone always have to ruin the party and turn something that to me is aesthetically pleasing into something I should feel ashamed of. Why is sex such a divisive concept for something that is natural .... newsfIash peops ... I had sexual thoughts when I was in my pre-teens!!! I didn't seek them out, they just happened as my physical body started to mature ... I hope that these people who invest so much time and effort in speaking out against what they see as child exploitation are also spending time bringing up children to respect other people's views and cultures, and to have compassion for all other living things that share this earth with them, to be productive members of society and to always strive to improve themselves spiritually.

Admittedly, there are dark elements to Henson's photos but I approach these as dramatic moments of quiet reflection … puberty churning in the depths of souls that are about to step slowly into the light of adulthood … whether you view this moment of reflection as looking to the past, or looking to the future, is a statement on your psyche more than anything else.

Look, I can see both sides of the story. I truly can. But the question of authority and consent is such a pedagogical minefield .... I’m not even going to go there … on the one hand we don’t give children enough credit for their ability to understand concepts that we arbitrarily deem adult, and then we turn around and question the viability of their respective guardians making their decisions for them.

“cake and eat it” springs to mind.

Unfortunately, the luxury of being able to sit here and debate this is slowly being eroded. I’m all for having opinions aired and discussions heated, but why is it that when the conservative (i.e. middle class voters) arm of society decides to speak out events are cancelled and works banned? Why doesn’t it work the other way? Why does the creative arm of society always have to be the “bigger” person in this relationship?

PS - would we look at a nude painting of a child in a different way? There's plenty out there.

PPS - can a photograph be a work of art - discuss

Girls Night Out - Enoteca and Anada

Ok … so it was a girls night out!! I finally finally made it to Enoteca. M did the whole whiney bit about “why couldn’t he come” but it was strictly no partners!!!


JD had an interview on Gertrude Street at 4, so we arranged to meet up at Enoteca round 5.

 
I’ve always always wanted to go here, but everytime we’ve been in the area and in the mood, the joint has been rocking the crowds so it always has been a no go.


We didn’t eat here but had a glass of wine each. Let me warn you that the drinks are not cheap. My Spanish tempranillo was $16 per glass … so its not your everyday watering hole. But you do get to try a lot of specialist deli tidbits and carefully selected European wines. The table next to us ordered the selection plate which costs $28 and there’s enough for a drinking snack for 4 people.

 
Make sure your wallets full when you go. I guarantee, given the ambience and quality of the produce, that you will want to stay there and keep sampling.


Here’s the Epicure review: http://www.theage.com.au/news/bar-reviews/gertrude-street-enoteca/2007/08/23/1187462422796.html

Their website here: http://www.gertrudestreetenoteca.com/pages/index.html

And btw, Tempranillo is my wine du jour!! Isn’t it funny how wines go through fads as well. I’m still a flag bearer for Shiraz (particularly Mitchellton 2001), but we’ve run the gamut of Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Grenache and now Tempranillo … which seems to be everyone’s wine list! We still bemoan the fact that Turra Murra is no longer … so we’re determined to find another small winery that doesn’t charge an arm and a leg … the cellar door sales at Turra were truly remarkable!!

Before I go on about Anada, let me just tell you a little about JD.

First up, we almost had our own company called JD Designs. We made a half arsed attempt at making jewellery and tizzying up bonds singlets to sell online. Oh those afternoons spent sewing buttons and threading sparkly beads … wish we had a bit of gung-honess in us. We could have become the next endless spirit of FAT .. but twas not to be.

JD and I worked at good ole HMV … oh the stories we could tell … and we’ve remained friends ever since. Too many memories to recount but we’ve been through so much. I’m rather proud of JD in an oddly paternalistic way … she’s good value as a friend and a lot of fun to be round with. She’s one of the few people I would turn up to a party with where I don’t know anyone. I wish I could say he same about M, but you know he’s too much like me in that respect.

Anyways, Anada!!

Anada is the new tapas hotspot. Along with St Jude’s, it’s the eatery everyone is buzzing about. I love how this happens in Melbourne. You just have to mention the name of the place, and you can almost hear the thrumming hum of the grapevine going, and the Chinese whispers barely audible repeatedly calling out the names … “anada … anada … st jude’s … st jude’s … mama ganoush …mama ganoush”


Ok I’m back!

We didn’t book so were lucky enough to find a spot … unfortunately it was one of those high stools … which for young nubile butts is ok .. but M would have hated it!! Oddly enough, although it looks like a small place, it didn’t really feel cramped.

As with Enoteca, wines by the glass ain’t cheap. We ordered another tempranillo, this time at $10 per glass. The menu is divided into Tapas (single serves) and Raciones (to share). As JD is a veggo, I had resigned myself to having a mainly vegetarian night with a bit of fish thrown in. However, they did have a banquet style option. So for $48 each, we got to sample about 10 different dishes as selected by the chef (i.e. whatever he/she could be arsed cooking .. haha)

The chick who took our order was excellent. She actually made sense of our silly banter and was pre-empting a lot of questions we were going to ask … now that’s fantastic and intuitive service!!! We went for the banquet with the provisor that JD was veggo, could eat fish, and that it had to have something with potatoes.

The dishes were coming it out in quick sucession. We didn’t have to wait very long between each course. Again I forgot to take some happy snaps, but we started with something cheesy for JD, and a full plump oyster for me …. Let me take a beat here … I do not like Oysters … BUT, I had this one and it was soooooo fresh and did not have that ozone-y flavour that I’m not a fan off …. But please please please don’t make me feel guilty about refusing to eat oysters from now on … this was purely a once-off in the spirit of great wine and good company. I can’t really remember all of last night’s meal, but we had a palm heart with anchovy and pickled chilli, grilled prawns, gem salad, stuffed squid, trout rissoles, minced lamb filo pastry thingy, clams in whit wine sauce, those yummy to-die-for potatoes …

The only complaint we had was that the clams were gritty. We mentioned this to our lovely waitress and she said that someone else had the same complaint too. Now my normal expectations in situations like this is “in one ear and out the other”. However when I went past the kitchen to visit the loo, I heard them talking about this and considering changing suppliers … so this is a major Big Tick from me!!!
 
Will definitely be back there again and soon!!


The Age Epicure review here: http://www.gertrudestreetenoteca.com/pages/index.html

Their website here: http://anada.com.au/anadahome.html

GO GO GO.

PS ... doing this at work to celebrate the fact that the firewalls are now completely installed and configured and we're finally utilising our dedicated Optus pipe which we have been paying for for the last few months!!! God peops ... you have nfi how slow the damn system was before this.

Veal Shankanigans – Long Post Alert!!

Ok …. Firstly much salutatious greetings with balloons and creamy icing birthday cakes to P!!! Hope he enjoys our pressie which was seriously outclassed by the shiny blue metallic ipod shuffle he got from T&S – welcome to the 21st century … finally!!! 1gb is more than ample for you, but its like pricking a large pvc balloon with a sewing needle for me!! (Hhmm … did this work? Oh Whatevs!!!)


This cook-up was a bit special in that we cooked for 2 extra peops … P’s housemate T and his gf S. (this initial thing is getting a bit ridiculous … no?) Its one thing to have ourselves as guinea pigs … but its something altogether more stressful having guinea pigs that aren’t in the plastic wheel with you. “Two men in … one men out”

As always, the day started with a “round-table” discussion as to what we were going to actually cook. P had made the executive decision (“it’s your birthday”) on the veal shanks and consommé, so we had to decide on sweets, another entre and sides.

 
I suggested a cheese soufflé as an additional entre and a clafoutis for dessert. The Veal Shanks recipe we were working off had a vegetable component which did for one side. There was also a suggested pasta dish – macaroni in veal stock, which we decided would work as well.


So we made our shopping list and then it was off to Vic Market … in cold icy wet weather I might add … YET AGAIN!!!

I’m always telling M that we should go to Vic Markets more often. We’re really not that far from the place but can you imagine the amount of money we’d spend each time??

We ended up back at the same deli and our friendly brie-dispensing chick served us again. She kinda recognized me. P bought a slab of butter big enough for a day’s worth of bread at a bakery .. hehe. We were looking for a type of cheese called Cantal, which was the recommended type for the Cheese soufflé – they didn’t have any, but suggested Comte instead. We didn’t really know how much we needed so it was just as well that we didn’t get any Comte. True to form M picked the larger of the 2 pieces which was going to cost us $33. And we only needed 80gm!!!

When we got back to P’s house, we popped a bottle of P’s “special” white wine and started on the stock. M was more concerned about stuffing cheese down everyone’s throats. We were all pretty excited about the Wenslydale that M got at the markets … cue pathetic Wallace and Grommit impersonations … sometimes I wonder ….

Its like when you mention Monty Python with peops like this …. Oh.My.God.

I shouldn’t be such a hypocrite, quite a number of phrases now pepper my daily conversations as a result of a less than healthy obsession with French and Saunders … for instance:

“How true!” “Done! Deal struck” “I’ve got arms!!!” “Squashy legs!” “A bit like the war … without the war”
but to name a few.

Anyways onto the stock. Apparently P had said that he was going to prepare this beforehand, I must not have been part of the conversation. Stock making is fairly straightforward ... usually a stand back and throw method of some description. BUT stock making for a consommé has the added process of clarification. I was very excited about this particularly the use of egg shells in the mix … its one of those magical chemical things that happens every now and then in the kitchen … like how egg whites froth up into a peak for instance. However it was not to be as we ran out of time …!!!
 

 
With the stock on the go we got down to the business of the veal shanks. Paul placed them in individual oven bags each with a portion of veal stock. I prepared the mirepoire (such a nice word for a what is basically a combination of vegetables sweated out in oil) which then went into the oven bags with the veal. These were placed in a bain marie and straight into the oven for 5 hours.
 

 
Now we started the day close to 1pm … so you do the math.


M worked on dessert which was the cherry clafoutis … apparently this is one of the many signature French desserts … fairly simple in its construction but absolutely heaven on the palate.

We had a bit of a spell discussing the intricacies of P’s ikebana arrangement – I think I zoned out a little (sorry P) but I caught something about condensation or other …?? Who knows. M crapped on about the Golden Mean and then it was time to sort out the veg and the pasta.

 
There was time for T to have a little snooze (yes people … the sun set some time ago) and the first course was on the table at about 9.30 – ish!!!


We had to ditch the idea of the consommé because we didn’t have time to wait for the stock (Part 1) to set so I missed out on the egg-shell bit. But I had enough to contend with keeping fingers and legs crossed as the soufflé mix went in the oven.

But finally SUCCESS!!

So the menu for the evening:


Entre – Cheese Souffle (using Wenslydale … the only way to say this is with a Yorkshire accent)
Main – Slow-cooked Veal Shanks served with root vegetables and macaroni cooked in veal stock
Dessert – Cherry Clafoutis
 

 
All in all it was yet another successful French cook-up.
 

 
Oh and I forgot to mention … I bought a 35gm lump of truffle for $35 … the only drawback is that its not quite ripe yet. So its wrapped up in gladwrap and aluminium foil in a Ziploc bag in the fridge. Very excitement!!!
 

 
Oh and also at some point in the evening we realised that we were all in "couture" of some description. M & P were in Paul Smith (I know M!!! Could you die? Well he didn't pay for it). But I trumped the lot in my Comme des Garcons.

anigrafitti

Ok .. this is too good not to post:



More info can be found here: http://blublu.org/sito/news/news.htm

 
I only wished I had the patience and creative wherewithall.

The Kin - nouvelle cuisine?

Ok ... so it was a wintry Friday night and the old gang descended onto Lygon Street North Carlton en masse to sample the recently established culinary delights of The Kin.

 

When I say the old gang ... that also included SM and LM ... so watch out waiters!!! We are a hard table to manage as we're a combination of in-jokes, sly looks and knowing smiles ... oh and explosive laughter when you leave the table ... and be prepared for the strident chorus of "Apparently" should your hospitality skills come slightly asunder on a busy Friday night service.

 

Anyhoo ... we had all read the review and were prepared for 2 of our communal bugbears at restaurants the state over - lack of bread and water!!! 

 

With our worst fears confirmed, we settled down to the business of catching up and trying to decide what to order. Service was lacklustre and certainly not appropriately efficient for the prices that were being asked. The gloss and shine of the decor obviously did not transfer across to the staff. They did offer a form of degustation where we could order a number of entrees, pastas and mains to share ... which makes great sense with larger groups like ours and its also a fantastic way for punters to sample the wares of a fairly substantial menu (they had 12 specials on top of the printed a la carte menu).

 

But we decide to go for an anti-pasto and bread and we each picked out own mains.

 

I must say the food was good ... but it was a little too reminiscent of 80s nouvelle cuisine ... i.e. huge big plates with very small portions ... and no sides included in the price. So for example ... a piece of steak would just be that ... a piece of meat on a white plate .... chips/salad/veg have to be ordered separately.

 

Me and M shared a wild mushroom risotto (slightly salty but a good effort nonetheless) and this ravioli styled pasta filled with prawn/scallop/crab ... 5 pieces altogether and heaven to bite into.

 

For sweets me and SM shared a belgian chocolate fudge slice with a heavy chocolate sauce which rounded off the proceedings superbly!!

 

Also tried some of M's duck and a bit of L's pumpkin pasta.

 

 

I wouldn't be rushing out there again in a hurry ... but with a fantastic St Hubert's red and an italian Pinot griogio and unsurpassable company ... it was more than a pleasant way to spend an icy Friday night.

 

The Age review here: http://www.theage.com.au/news/restaurant-reviews/kin/2007/07/16/1184559688787.html

 

PS - I must try and remember to sneak pics of the food at the next dinner out - we plan to make this a monthly thing. Nest up is Mamma ganoush in June. Better head there before it gets a hat - rumour has it that this is more than a given

PPS - rediscovering the White Rabbits "Fortnightly" cd

 

Addendum - this restaurant is no more!!!