City guide book: Shanghai Promenade

May 30, 2010

The cover of Steffi’s book

Shanghai would not have been as much fun without the above book. If you are a German speaker, the best book to read before traveling to Shanghai is Steffi Schmitt’s “Shanghai Promenade – Spaziergaenge zwischen den Zeiten” (freely translated as: “walks between the times”). It gives you a fantastic head start into the fascinating world, past and present, of the “Paris of the East”.

I was so glad that I had mastered about 200 pages of it before descending on the city. My ignorance was much less than otherwise and I felt relieved somehow. I saw the town in an historic perspective which made it much more palatable. Because of the building boom of the last 20 years, it is easy to forget that this town is loaded with a very interesting past.

From page 385 onwards, Steffi describes 10 city walks. When I strolled along the Bund, all these historical facts came to mind and I felt like a real time traveler. Unfortunately, I had no time for any of them because my work schedule was just too tight. But it made me hungry for more, to visit the city again and spend some time to explore it’s beauties.

It’s easy to get this book. Just google the title and order it through Amazon or any other provider. The only thing I missed in the book is maps. I would love to have more maps in order to be able to locate events and places in general. But for the 10 proposed walks, no worries, there are maps guiding you through.

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Schanghai: The new Bund at night

May 28, 2010

The Bund at night from the terrace of “M on the Bund”

Shanghai has seen a tremendous development over the last 10 years. Last year when I visit the “Paris of the East”, as Shanghai used to be called, its famous “Bund” was still closed for renovations. With the World Expo came also the re-opening of this part of the metropolis which presents itself in a new incarnation.

I had dinner with an old friend on the terrace of the South Beauty restaurant 俏江南 overlooking the Huangpu river on the 10th floor of the Super Brand Mall in Pudong. The terrace offers a splendid view at night. South Beauty is a chain restaurant with dependencies in the capital Beijing and other provinces. It is seen as one of best Sichuan food restaurants in Pudong and Shanghai. The food was good, but we ordered too much of it. We were rather late and the service was friendly but quite slow. But I liked the food. In internet reviews South Beauty received varying reviews. Some rank it 57th of the 320 restaurants in Shanghai, other see it as 100. Some reviewers see the quality as 3.5 out of 5, others rank it 8 of 10.

After our meal, we crossed to the other side of town. because it was late, we had to take a taxi but there is a tunnel under the Huangpu river which is spectacular transportation. If in Shanghai you should try it, instead of a taxi. our object was the terrace of another landmark of Shanghai’s nightlife: M on the Bund.

I had visited it’s sister restaurant, Capital M in Beijing a couple of months ago. The terrace is wonderful and the new Bund presents itself as it always did: in great style. The Glamour Bar, one floor below M on the Bund and run by the same owner, is the place to have what we German’s call “Absacker”, a night cap.

Opened in January 1999 M on the Bund is located in the Nissin Shipping building which was built in 1921, the same year the Communist Party of China was founded (also in Shanghai). The Miele Guide ranks the restaurant as one among the top 20 in Asia! That’s quite an achievement.

The picture above gives you and idea of the views. The place to be, I guess.

Address:
South Beauty
10/F Super Brand Mall, 168 Lujiazui Lu,
陆家嘴西路168号正大广场10楼
Pudong, Shanghai
Tel.: 5047 1817

M on the Bund
7/F, No.5 The Bund ( corner of Guangdong Lu )
Shanghai 200002 China
中国上海市外滩广东路20号7楼
邮编 200002
Tel (86 -21) 6350-9988
Fax (86-21) 6322-0099

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The People’s Paradise

May 27, 2010

In between meetings I had the opportunity to visit the World Expo in Shanghai. Goodness me how many Chinese visitors flooded the place. Their interest in foreign nations and foreign culture seemed without bounds. Already early in the morning long queues built up very quickly so that people had to wait for 2-3 hours before they could enter a pavilion.

I manged to see only three country pavilions from the inside: Bangladesh, Mongolia and North Korea. I did not have to queue up for either of them. The casual visit was very educative. Now I know where the people are king: in North Korea.

The main slogan in its pavilion was: Paradise for people.

I must have missed something. Abduction of foreigners, gun boat tactics, and starvation comes to mind; senseless nuclear programs to take the world hostage and pay for the extravagances of one family and medical treatment of its leader.

Go north young man and migrate to this country of the gods, where people live in paradise.

The North Korean pavilion, with no queues

No one queuing for North Korea

The inside: large pictures and posters of paradise

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Crazy bridges – how to destroy the Mosel

May 15, 2010

Planned bridge near Uerzig, Mosel

Two days ago the deadline for the petition ended. I confess that I did not make it in time. But I have joined the facebook group called “Stop the new B 50 and save the Mosel vineyards from devastating damage” opposing the building of this bridge.

The planned bridge is massive. It is about 160 meters high and 1.7 km long. It will probably cost about 270 million EURO which is equivalent to about US $ 400 million. On the facebook site above you can find more photos and animations showing you what the bridge will do to the Mosel valley.

The issue made it even into the New York Times which carried an article about it contrasting pro and contra views. Because the cost and benefits of such a massive undertaking are not clear cut. If you asked me to which camp I would belong, well, I asked myself two simple question: 1. would I give up my vineyard land for the venture? and 2. Would I like to look at this bridge from my window when I wake up in the morning?

My recent Australian experience with the North-South pipeline suggests that there is very little hope that such mega projects can be stopped by citizens protest. The Plug the Pipe campaign could not stop the project but it surely raised the political costs to Victorian the labour government. And election time is near.

Topher analyses the political economy of the North-South Pipeline. Unfortunately, there are no elections in my home state of Rheinland-Pfalz this year. So we are less lucky than the Victorians. The only thing which might save us is the empty state coffers.

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From Shakespeare’s kitchen

May 11, 2010

Today I will share a recipe with you. Francine Segan produced this marvelous cookery book titled: “Shakespeare’s Kitchen – Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook”. We cooked from this book the most wonderful fish.

Red snapper with Caviar is the dish called.

From the outset I have to admit that our supermarket had only sea-bass on offer and instead of caviar we had to be content with ordinary fish roe. Indeed, Francine remarks that the original recipe was based on roe, not caviar, which was not well understood in Shakespearean times.

Ingredients:
– 4 small red snapper or trout with head on
– 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
– salt and freshly milled black pepper
– 12 dates, minced
– 1/4 cup finely grated fresh ginger (cam from my own production on my terrace garden)
– 8 ounces of caviar or roe
– 8 ounces fresh red currant or barberries
– 1 table spoon sugar
– 2 table spoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

How it’s done:

– Preheat the grill, brush the fish inside and outside with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, combine the dates with the ginger and gently fold into the caviar/roe, spoon the mixture into the cavity of the fish, grill of about 405 minutes on each side until the flesh is firm
– Place currant, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan, simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened, puree until smooth
– Place the fish on a plate and serve the sauce in a small dish next to it. Finished. Enjoy.

And this is what the dish may look like:

Sea-bass

Beautiful roe

The side dishes came also from the same cooking book. They were sweat onions (six different kinds of onions) and artichokes in vinegar with herbs.

The sweat onions

Artichokes

The wine we had with the food was not Shakespearean. Instead, we had a very simple wine with it, a ‘Frascati superiore’ from Rione. Ever since we lived in Rome about 20 years ago, I love the young white wines from Frascati,especially on hot days, the wines are refreshing and uplifting. It was a good complement to the “heavy” Shakespearean food.

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Away with the fairies – The Iron Fairies in Bangkok

May 4, 2010

A magical place

The Iron Fairies is the coolest hangout in Thonglor, our neighbourhood in Bangkok. On any night of the week, it is busy and buzzing with people. This Wine Bar cum Restaurant might even be the most hip place in town.

I pass by every day when walking to and from my office but it took me a while to check it out myself. It’s been there for about six months. In front of the narrow building, strange equipment is “parked”, sometimes an old motorbike, sometimes and old pump or other ancient equipment.

Ashley Sutton, the owner, originally from Perth, Western Australia, is a great host. He is not only a successful children’s book author but also a blacksmith, bar man, restaurant manager and who knows what. He is always there and makes sure his clients get what they want. He has a lot of experience because the Iron Fairies in Bangkok is not his first wine and jazz bar. There are Iron Fairies in Perth and new York.

We asked him for his best red wine, and he recommended a Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon from Western Australia. It was a good choice. We got a decent wine for a decent price. Also the food was not bad, although the burgers are a bit on the sweet side.

There is also great entertainment at the Iron Fairies. We were lucky to have four young Thai jazz musicians who made our time most enjoyable. On Saturday nights a magician is the attraction.

The Iron Fairies is a very small place and fills up quickly so that latest at about 10 pm, the doors are closed. We were early and it was during the week so that we had a choice where to sit.

In the daytime, the Iron Fairies is also a workshop, a place where fairies are made. Unfortunately, my old digital camera does not produce good pictures if the light is not right. Therefore, only the above photo is available to me.

I found some good pics on the internet. But of course, the best is you check it our yourself. If you come to Bangkok, come to Thonglor and visit the Iron Fairies.

The Iron Fairies

Address:
Iron Fairies
394 Thonglor Road (Sukhumvit Soi 55), Bangkok
(opposite Ton Krueng Thai Restaurant)
Tel.: +66 (0) 84 425 8080
Open Monday-Saturday, 8pm to 2am

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Greetings from Jelaluddin Rumi

May 3, 2010

Who says words with my mouth

by Jelaluddin Rumi*

All day I think about it, then at night I say it.
Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?
I have no idea.
My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that,
and I intend to end up there.

This drunkenness began in some other tavern.
When I get back around to that place,
I’ll be completely sober. Meanwhile,
I’m like a bird from another continent, sitting in his aviary.
The day is coming when I fly off,
but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice?
Who says words with my mouth?

Who looks out of my eyes? What is the soul?
I cannot stop asking.
If I cannot taste one sip of an answer,
I could break out of this prison for drunks.
I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way.
Whoever brought me here will have to take me home.

……………………..

We have a huge barrel of wine, but no cups.
That’s fine with us. Every morning
we glow and in the evening we glow again.

They say there’s no future for us. They’re right.
Which is fine with us.

Source:
Quoted from “The Essential Rumi” by Coleman Barks with John Moyne, Castle Books, New Jersey, 1997, page 2

*Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (Persian: جلال الدین محمد بلخى), also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمد رومی), and popularly known as Mowlānā (Persian: مولانا) but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi (30. September 1207 – 17. December 1273). More on Rumi on wikipedia.

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At the winemakers home – Timo Mayer, Yarra Valley

April 30, 2010

Timo Mayer and his Mayer Vineyard are well known among the wine fraternity in Australia, Germany and the UK. Timo is wine maker at Gembrook Hills and he has his own vineyard in the Yarra Valley. The Mayer Vineyard is what is called a boutique vineyard. Timo is also member of The South Pack, a group of innovative and independent winemakers in Victoria.

We know each other since many years. In fact Timo made the second vintage of our Two Hills Sauvignon Blanc (2002), which won a bronze medal at the Singapore Wine Show. Since many years our two families have been together, usually for skiing on Mount Buller, eating and drinking, either at our vineyard in Glenburn or at Timo and Ronda’s place, the Mayer Vineyard.

Also this time Timo and Ronda invited us for a gourmet dinner after an afternoon of ice skating and a visit of the Victoria market in Melbourne. The latter program was only attended by our two daughters; the old folks were only in for the eating and drinking part. Needless to say, Timo is not just an excellent wine maker but also an excellent cook.

Timo Mayer in the kitchen

My pictures of the event were somehow heavily affected by the enthusiasm of our re-union, and maybe, maybe, the alcohol of the many wines we tasted. Anyway, I do not have excellent pictures to show you. The longer the evening went on, the more terrible my pictures became. Bear with me. It was a great evening.

But let us start with the food. Out of this fine piece of tuna below, Timo made a delicious sashimi (second picture below). After that we ha another entrée, garlic prawns. The fist main dish was mussels with chorizo sausage chunks followed by some fish (white-head for the kids, and tuna). We were not in the position to eat another main course, although there was beef and various other meats waiting for us. What a wonderful feast that was. Delicious stuff.

Tuna

Sashimi Timo style

Garlic prawns

Mussles with chorizo sausages and herbs

The wines we tasted before, during and after the meal were:

• 2006 Vintage Yarra Burn Sparkling, Yarra Valley

• 2009 Bloody Hill Chardonnay, Mayer Vineyard, Yarra Valley

• 2008 Bloody Hill Rose, Mayer Vineyard, Yarra Valley

• Grande Signature de Rapatel, Roussanne-Bourboulenc, by Gérard Eyraud, France

• 2008 Bloody Hill Pinot Noir, Mayer Vineyard (and we had the 2009 vintage as cleanskin)

• 2008 Les Griottes, Beaujolais, by Pierre-Marie Chermente, France

• 2007 Syrah, Domaine des Rapatel, Gérard Eyraud, France

• 2006 Big Betty Shiraz, Mayer Vineyard, Yarra Valley

• 1996 Cornas, by Thierry Allemand, France

I did not take tasting notes, this was a social event and not a formal wine tasting. Below you will find photos of some the bottles. The two bottles from Domaine de Rapatel are not represented. You can find reviews in my earlier blog entries.

Vintage Yarra Burn Sparkling

This Yarra Burn is a wonderful cool climate sparkling wine, a classical blend of Pinot Noir (58%), Chardonnay (35%) and Pinot Meunier (7%), from the Yarra Valley. The price is about A$ 22/bottle, great price-value relationship.

2009 Bloody Hill Chardonnay, Mayer Vineyard

Just released, this young white wine from the Mayer Vineyard, although low in alcohol, is an easy drinking but very fine and delicate specimen of a modern Yarra Valley Chardonnay. It has funk, is zesty and very harmonious.

2008 Bloody Hill Rose, Mayer Vineyard

Great wine for hot days and not so hot days. We compared the Bloody Hill Rose with the Grand Signature de Rapatel and found to our amazement that both wines, despite being of such different origins, go well with the garlic prawns.

2008 Les Griottes, Beaujolais, France

Ha, this fine wine from Beaujolais by Marcel Lapierre of Domaine du Vissoux, is just a very seductive drink. Made of Gamay grapes it represents the traditional style of a truly grand Beaujolais. It is not as fruity (among them strawberry) as the “nouveau” wines but has the structure and depth we treasure so much. The carbonic maceration gives it some banana flavours. It is low in alcohol but rich in flavour. Get a bottle of it, if you can. The wine is young and you can enjoy it for some time to come.

The 1996 Cornas by Thiery Allemand

This wine is very powerful and just amazing. Thierry Allemand, the son of a factory worker and not blessed with a family history of wine making, is producing two blends, Les Chaillots and Reynard both from Cornas. The wines are made from low yielding, old vines. Thierry is one of the “wine gods”, the masters and spin doctors, producing “cult” wines. It has the “burned rubber” taste which needs some time to get used to in the beginning.

The Shiraz pannel

From left to right, we drank the Syrah by Domaine de Rapatel, 2008 and 2009 Big Betty Shiraz by the Mayer Vineyard and the 1996 Cornas by Thierry Allemand. Whereas the Domaine de Rapatel Syrah is “raisin” wine, made from very ripe fruit, heavy and full of fruit flavour, the Mayer wines try to be less of that style.

Timo sees the Cornas as a benchmark for his own Shiraz wines. Both Big Betty Shiraz vintages follow the traditional wine making of Burgundy. The Cornas has the “burnt rubber” taste, which is rejected by many wine lovers and seen by some as a fault (which is nonsense). It is also full of stalks and tannins on the palate resulting from the whole bunch fermented grapes. The range of different tastes, just from one grape variety, is amazing. I ended loving the Thierry Allemand style wines best.

The morning after a successful battle with delicious wines

The evening ended with coffee and water. We stayed over. It was just a wonderful evening, a great re-union and the sharing of experiences. We had to get up the next morning fairly early because Lucy and Charlotte were going horse riding. Getting up was not the slightest problem, we were still enchanted by the magical evening. Thanks folks.

PS: The Bloody Hill Pinot Noir wines I have not mentioned above but will do so in a separate entry.

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A Sunday in April: Music at the Yarra Glen Hotel

April 28, 2010

The Yarra Glen Hotel

Sunday live music is one of the highlights in the Yarra Valley. We used the opportunity twice listening to music at the Yarra Glen Hotel. On April 11, it was the Detonators who entertained us.

The Detonators at the Yarra Glen Hotel

It’s something for young and old, and Sunday afternoon is just the right time. I just love it. Needless to say that you can taste local wines from the Yarra Valley.

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Autumn in Victoria

April 27, 2010

Near Mt. St. Leonard, Toolangi road to Healesville

Most of the following pictures I took through the car window while driving from Glenburn to Healesville via Meyers Creek Road. Gum trees do not turn yellow in autumn as desidious trees do. But the combination in many gardens and park lands make a great composition of colours.

Gum treas near Castella

Mountain Ash trees in Toolangi

Mt. St Leonard from Healesville – peak to the left

Two Kukkaburra birds waiting for their feed at Michael’s home

I found the following short video clip on the internet. Please visit the place, it’s magic.

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