This day in history

31 August 2003: My first taste of outdoor climbing (Loudoun Hill).

Food, glorious food

It's becoming clear, I have to concede that I'll never get this work-life balance right.  This is the peak of the climbing season, and I have been out of action for three weeks due to work commitments.  Golf Boy and I had previously planned our annual Far East adventure for September, it's now been postponed till Jan 2012 because I struggle to find space in my work diary.  Unsurprisingly, my blog and flickr have both been gathering dust.  However, one thing I refuse to give up and always manage to fit into my work travels is an indulgent food experience...

O Ya, Boston - this is my second visit in two years, I still maintain this place produces some of the best food I have ever eaten.  Generally, Japanese food is renowned for its unusual but sensational flavours and immaculate presentation, the food at O Ya is all that at the highest level.  We had 19 courses and a variety of sake pairing, it was four hours of pure indulgence. 

Cail Bruich, Glasgow - this is not a work-related outing, but a great discovery worth noting.  Cail Bruich is within 15-minute walking distance from our flat, with great reviews of modern Scottish food, but somehow we never got round to it.  Always resourceful, Golf Boy got us a voucher for Chateaubriand, so off we went.  The reviews were spot on, and we were not disappointed - the menu is imaginative and the food is superb.  The only slight disappointment was our restriction on having Chateaubriand due to the voucher; while it was a supremely good steak, I was also very tempted by everything else that was coming out of the kitchen.  

Few days after our visit, we read that Chris Charalambous (chef and proprietor) was invited to spend a few months at Noma (top restaurant in the world since El Bulli announced closure) in Copenhagen.  I guess there's no reason not to stop by more often.  

York and Albany, London - my second encounter with the Gordon Ramsay empire.  I'm still no fan of the man himself, but this was another undeniably good meal.  

Monachyl Mhor, Trossachs - having read great things about this place and being impressed by Tom Lewis on the Great British Menu, we have sent various family members and visitors along, but never ourselves.  Now, we have finally made it to Monachyl Mhor ourselves!  

We had a great time, and learned a lesson in wine etiquette.  I'm quite sure we aren't the only ones guilty of this, but when the waiting staff comes to present you with the wine you ordered, most of the time you'd just glance at the bottle, nod politely before tasting and having your glasses filled.  Well, we did just that, and only after a short while of sipping and chatting did we realise that it was not the wine we ordered.  It was also when we suddenly remembered that she also said "this is our last bottle in the cellar" that sent a mild panic between us.  We queried the waiting staff, she went away for quite some time and brought back the sommelier; meanwhile Golf Boy was turning pale at the thought of us having been given the most expensive bottle of wine from their cellar.  Well, it was a more expensive bottle, they changed the wine without fuss and offered us the two already poured large glasses on the house; panic over.  Needless to say, I got a long lecture from my sommelier brother.

St Pancras Booking Office, London - the newly refurbished St Pancras Hotel bar, recommended by my sister who stopped by while waiting for the Eurostar.  Their champagne cocktails are the best, and the best quality bar snack you'd find anywhere.  Just as well I didn't have a train to catch, I'd be certain to miss it.

Nakajima, Tokyo - this is a meal that I did end up missing the train for.  I had planned to get the Shinkazen Nozomi to Kyoto at lunchtime.  However, I was too tempted by a one-Michelin-star lunch for 800 yen, so the bullet train has to wait.  It's a tiny restaurant on a side street in the basement.  Judging by the queue, it's clearly very popular.  In the evening they serve Japanese haute cuisine, but at lunchtime, they only offer four sardines dishes on the menu, all for 800 yen; I had the sardines sashimi.  I sat at the counter and watched the chefs at work, while having the best sardines I've ever had.