Restaurant Review - Simplicity (London, UK)

 Simplicity is a tiny little restaurant in between Rotherhithe underground station and the Brunel Museum, at 1 Tunnel Road off Salter Road.  It seats maybe 30 people and, when full, is a little bit "elbows at dawn" but it's worth going to.  The menu is written on chalk boards which are hoiked over & propped onto chairs according to whichever table needs to view it (which I found a bit weird - I'm used to the paper menus left on the table with specials written on a big board above the bar, or something!!!)

HOWEVER, if you can get past that, you're onto a damn good dinner!!!

(the point being there's no airs and graces to this place - just turn up with spending money and apetite!!!)

Last time I stayed in the area was May 2015 - first time in three years, and the owner recognised me, which was nice!  The first evening I ate there, the meal I chose was bubble & squeak on spinach and veggies with a poached egg with hollandaise sauce on top, and was ridiculously delicious!!!!  They live up to the name of the restaurant - simple food but it done brilliantly well!!!

For pudding, I had their chocolate mousse with fruit compote and chantilly cream...... YUM!!!

The second evening I ate there, I had three chorizo sausages on the best mashed potato on the planet EVER, on top of veggies and the richest onion gravy I have ever tasted.....!!  (I was too full up for pudding!!)

For price guidance, an evening meal for one person consisting of glass of wine, starter and main course is around £25 including the tip.
Rumour has it they do an excellent Sunday brunch which, although I've not tried it, would not surprise me in the slightest!!

Their website is Simplicity

Zazzle sale!!!

I made a new sale on my zazzle shop - finally a mouse mat sold!! New Sales From Your Store Hi Andreas_art, Look what has recently been sold from your store. L for London Mouse Pad You recently sold 1 copy(s) of your product,. Order Item Id: 169-44850673-1658668 Order Date: 9/23/2015 —The Zazzle Team

Fortnum & Masons Caramel hot chocolate drink

 This is a rather luxurious hot chocolate drink, states 300g on the back of the tin but 200g on the website for £15 which seems rather extorntiate.... but.....!!!

 (top of lid)

(contents - grated chocolate rather than powder)

As this is grated chocolate, it has a slightly different mixing instruction than powder - starting with 2 level measuring tablespoons of the chocolate (and yes, it works best with that amount - you get the full taste with it).  Heat up a mug's worth of milk and then when hot, pour a little into the mug with the chocolate and stir to melt.  Then pour the rest of the milk in, stir and drink.

This has a slightly different texture to the Harrods chocolate which is more full-flavoured.  The Fortnum & Masons has a more subtle flavouring but is more creamy and chocolatey smooth.

The full range can be seen here Fortnum's hot chocolate range

Note: the tin I have says 300g weight on the back of it but the website says 200g weight.  I can only guess the difference is the weight of the snazzy tin....?

Restaurant Review - Tas (London UK)

 On a recent trip to London, after visiting the British Museum on Great Russell Street, we stopped for lunch at Tas Restaurant on the corner of Great Russell Street and Gower Street.  It does Turkish/Anatolian style cooking

 They have a very good set menu of two courses (starter and main) for £12.45 per person which we decided to have.

 They brought us some warm bread, a yoghurt dip and some olives for nibbles.....

 ....with the Taboulleh salad which is called Maydanoz Salatasi - I'd forgotten how good this is!!!

 For the main course, we had Lamb Shish with couscous, which was lovely!!!

And then when we got the bill (service is included in the price, so no need to tip) we also got some Turkish Delight to nibble on!!!

This is definitely a ten out of ten restaurant...... and a good price for the centre of London!!!  

There are other branches of this restaurant around London - for more information click here Tas restaurants

Book Review - In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse and Modernism in Paris 1900 - 1910

In Montmartre.  Picasso, Matisse and Modernism in Paris 1900 - 1910

By Sue Roe

ISBN 978-1-905-49086-8

Some time ago, I went to see a big Matisse exhibition up at the Tate Modern in London, of his cut-outs.  Brilliant exhibition albeit ridiculously busy and popular!  In the gift shop, I found and bought this book, written by fellow Brightonian Sue Roe, which details the intertwining early careers of Matisse and Picasso in the first ten years of the 20th century.  This details the end of the Impressionist age to the early beginnings of the golden jazz age post war years and ultimate end of the Montmartre artistic commune, with the Matisse and Picasso "camps" being split between Gertrude and Leo Stein.
This is a wonderfully written and researched book that brings to life one of my favourite areas of Paris - almost a "join the dots" on a Paris street map!!  If you're familiar with Montmartre, impressionism, post impressionism or just plain interested in learning a little more, this is an excellent read to pick up....... and more than once, as well!

House away from Home

Last year I did a self catering trip to Paris for ten days, and rented a studio apartment through Housetrip.com which is a similar setup to AirB&B: apartment owners across the world list their apartments on the website and travellers can then search and select by country, town, date, and size of apartment.  You can contact the owners through the listings to enquire about availability and then, once you've chosen the apartment you want, pay the full booking cost up front.  Housetrip then hold the booking cost until you've picked up the keys and moved in and then, assuming you're happy with the place, forward the cost onto the owner 24 hours later.  (If, however, you're NOT happy with it, then you contact Housetrip by mobile phone to cancel, and they arrange alternate accommodation for you...... I presume you'd then be texted the new address to go to, and if that's OK, the new place gets the money.  My booking was fine though, so I've not had to  deal with that part!!)  After making the initial booking, you are provided the owners mobile/cell phone and, closer to the arrival dates, receive text/SMS message prompts from Housetrip to inform the owner of arrival time and to arrange key collection.  This is usually at the property address.

Rue Sauffroy, Paris, copyrighted to Andrea McNeill

Cards available of image through Andreas Art in Zazzle

I selected a small studio apartment on Rue Sauffroy which is off Avenue de Clichy in the 18th arrondisement not far from the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre.  This apartment was in a slightly run down building in an older part of Paris, with a rather rickety spiral staircase with uneven wooden stairs, up four floors (no lift!)  I understand now why Parisians are so slender - they're walking up and down stairs all day!!!  I chose this as it was close to the Batignolles area which I'm acquainted with from several previous visits to the area, and was within a 5 minute walk of an artisan baker, a tiny speciality coffee shop on the Avenue which roasts and grinds a variety of coffee bean in house, 2 butchers, a speciality cheese store and a covered market near the Brouant Metro that had a butchers, cheese stall, fish stall and fresh veg.  All you need for hearty feeding!!!  There were also half a dozen Marche Franprix type small supermarkets for the basics. There are several Metro stops within easy reach that can take you to any part of Paris, Brochant being the nearest on Line 13, plus two bus routes (the 74 and 54) that go to Hotel du Ville and past Gare du Nord respectively.  I also discovered on Saturday morning a wonderful market in Boulevard des Batignolles (starting at Place de Clichy and going down towards Parc Monceau) that was an absolute joy just to walk through and look at!  Packed with locals, too!  Seemed to start shutting down around 1 p.m. and packed overflowing with a multitude of fabulous foods! The only "down side" to the apartment was a rather tired sofa bed, quirky plumbing which meant coffee grinds occasionally flooding the shower stand and temperamental public access wifi!

Seafood stand in Saturday market in Boulevard des Batignolles

The cost of apartments in Paris tend to reflect the amount of floor space with the cheaper end of the market being comparative shoeboxes...... fold out the sofabed and that's the entire floor space taken up!  The higher the price gets more square footage though, and although some can cost more or equal to hotel costs of however many stars you'd normally choose, the savings come with doing your own cooking.  I found with the area I was in, I could eat very well on 10 - 15 Euros a meal (for something that would or could cost you 35 Euros or upwards a plate in a restaurant!!!)  The particular challenge for me there was the kitchen area I had which consisted of two hot plates and a microwave!!  Well, if Rachel Khoo can manage the challenge, I don’t see why I couldn’t attempt “two pot cooking”!!

Watercolour sketch, copyrighted Andrea McNeill

The Avenue de Clichy area going towards the Peripherique comes across as rather rough around the edges, however, the food shopping certainly makes it an area worth investigating.  Moving down towards the Batignolles part of Paris gets progressively more “up market”.  The Parc Batignolles is particularly pretty and very popular with young families especially in early evening.  Going from there down Rue des Batignolles provides several “vintage junk pseudo antique” stores, boutique shops and restaurants.  Sadly, my favourite, Cinnamon, has closed and the replacement - Augustin - unfortunately is a restaurant where you’ll be brushing elbows with the guests at the next table while you’re eating and memorable for being not very memorable!  Terrasse 17 next door is worth eating at though, as is Aubergine over the road with a very pretty mosaic by the entrance.  The other end of Rue des Batignolles takes you back to the Boulevard - turn left to return back to Place de Clichy, turn right for Courcelles and Parc Monceau.

Pizza college on junction of Rue Sauffroy, Paris

The experience of a self contained apartment rental for a vacation was a new one for me, and definitely one I’d want to repeat.  Housetrip provides a very easy to use facility and seems to be a well run and professional site that I’d have no problem using again myself and recommending to others.   It provides a unique opportunity to discover local neighbourhoods contained within a larger city, and the ability to discover the smaller lesser known museums, attractions and shopping areas away from the standard publicized and sometimes overpriced tourist areas.  It also means practising phrasebook style linguistics, but I found that done with a smile, Parisians welcomed my attempts at massacring their language!  I would also advise, though, to do your research on particular neighbourhoods before making your booking in whichever city you’re visiting, just to be sure the area is as safe as you can get (specially if you’re a single female traveller).  The only changes I would consider making to this particular trip would possibly find somewhere slightly more central, and with a bit more “leg space”.  

Full details and imagery of the vacation can be seen through these links.

Paris vacation day one

Paris vacation day two

Paris vacation day three

Paris vacation day four

Paris vacation day five

Paris vacation day six

Paris vacation day seven

Paris vacation day eight

Paris vacation day nine

Paris vacation day 10

Book Review - Professor Munakata's British Museum Adventure

Professor Munakata's British Museum Adventure

by Hoshino Yukinobu

ISBN 978-0-7141-2465-0

I bought this book from the British Museum a few years ago, after seeing a very small and rather disappointing Manga exhibition there.  However, this graphic novel is really good!!!  It involves the Professor arriving in London to give a lecture, only to discover the Stone Henge monoliths have suddenly gone missing!!  He then is embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens many London landmarks and works of art and races to uncover and destroy the criminals!!!!!

Very much worth a read and written/drawn by one of Japan's leading Manga artists

Zazzle sale!!!

We sold another postcard on my Zazzle shop - this one!!

New Sales From Your Store

Hi Andreas_art,

Look what has recently been sold from your store.

P is for Prague postcard You recently sold 1 copy(s) of your product,. Order Item Id: 169-40546493-2489486 Order Date: 9/8/2015

—The Zazzle Team