Before I even begin to recount our amazing 2 Michelin Star, four hour lunch at Geranium, I must remind you of the ABCs of YDP.  I do so to put all minds at ease, that I am not a writer, photographer nor a food stylist. And you can add food critic to the list as well.  I am a trained chef, yes, and lover of food, for sure.  I have some basis with which to comment on food, but actually, anyone who eats is entitled to that.  Because I have been paid as a professional cook I know the pressure it takes to create something out of various edible raw materials that is worthy for paying patrons.  However, I have never done it in the Michelin realm.  Therefore, anything you read beyond this is only a reflection of my opinion.  Well ours, since Hubby was the one who treated me to this dining extravaganza.

The choice of a lunch reservation over dinner was actually a prudent one for many reasons. The menu and cost are the same.  But because Geranium is in a high-rise building with glass windows, experiencing the daylight transitions as a backdrop to the amazing food was incredible.  Remember, this is winter and in Copenhagen it gets dark at 3:30 pm.  On top of that, with 20 courses of food, we were able to have a leisurely dining experience and have the rest of the evening to digest our food.  As well, the restaurant allowed us to split a flight of wine pairings with the courses, so we were coherent for all aspects of the meal!

The ambiance was quiet, serene, and calm. The dining room wasn’t too full, several tables of couples, several men dining alone, and a table of four.  The furniture was a very clean line Danish design.  It was mostly white and pale grey colors, with natural wood touches.  Nothing to distract from the beauty of the food. There was a cool fireplace just to the left of the reception desk as you get off the elevator and is also visible from the dining room.  It is a raised fireplace with glass around it and the flickering lights of the flames seemed to dance.

The staff were all young, attractive, international, professional, knowledgable, and friendly.  And interestingly enough my Hubby noticed (as he waited tables himself while in university) they were all quite thin.  He thought it was interesting given that they work in one the top restaurants in the world, and likely get to taste a thing or two.  But that is the key to the whole ethos.  The food is so clean and healthy, it never felt heavy, refined, stuffy or filling.  All of the portions are small and since the food is mostly vegetables or fish (we had two courses with duck) it is actually quite light.

When I say we had 20 courses, you’d think that we would be rolling out of there and we didn’t feel that way at all.  Because there was a synchronicity to the courses, and a balance of flavors and textures along with how the delivery was timed, we never felt that we had to turn away a course, or force ourselves to eat it.  Each course was described in detail, the ingredients and preparation, as if we were on a food archeological expedition and the servers were our guides.  Sometimes a course would be served by one waiter, other times two or three.  And often the chef that prepared and plated a particular dish would bring it to the table wearing their toque (tall white hat).

Between the savory and sweet courses, we were taken on a tour of the wine cellar and then to an annex dining room (in the process of being built) which will house an open plan kitchen allowing for easier interaction between chefs and diners.  The sous chef, Paul, came out to meet us personally and we chatted and had a picture taken with him.  It was very generous of him to talk to us as they had a quick turn around for the dinner service.  But at no time did we feel rushed. As much pressure as the restaurant is under to maintain its standards, you don’t feel the tension at all.  It appears effortless and seamless.  Even in the way your napkin has been refolded and neatly placed for your return visit from the ladies room.

While the food isn’t your normal, everyday fare, it is creative, experimental, earthy, seasonal. exquisite and yet still tasted like real food.  Though I did a snapchat story (username:blissbakery) it has since expired.  It was just over 10 minutes in length, LONG, yet felt like it went by in a flash as there was so many astonishing visuals of the food.  But I took screen shots and will share them here with captioned commentary of the taste, since that was part of the video aspect on snapchat.  Bottom line, any food write up’s most important aspect is to describe the taste!  Remember, this was the menu that was specific to our dining experience. The choices differ depending on the season, and also the patron’s preferred selections.   Each customer is presented a personal menu when they leave which shows each and every course, beverage selection (they also offer a flight of fresh juices for those not wanting to indulge in wine) and they stamp the date on the inside.  The quote on their website “Thoughtfulness can be tasted” is indeed true!

While our main server Damien poured us each a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne we nibbled on the most delightful, thin, crisp and savory edible leaves and thus began the playful mirage of flavors, textures and visuals of the feast!  The leaves were made from Jerusalem artichokes and were accompanied by a walnut oil and rye vinegar dipping delight.

Velvety and fragrant flowers swirled into Tomato Water that has been infused with pork fat was our second course. The most delightful taste and textures!

The final two “Appetizers” were both fish derived and both displayed in most unusual and also quite stunning ways. The “Dillstone” looked like a giant green pearl, but was filled with Mackerel and the “Razor Clam” was filled with a tartare.  All completely edible and totally delicious!

You can’t judge a book by its cover, or a sea urchin by its needles. Though sea urchins don’t look the most appetizing, when I tasted this sublime under the sea symphony I had a new opinion of the crustacean family!

While this left pic looks like a piece of Italian marble, it is actually Hake and was served naked, then dressed at the table with the most fragrant and multi textured sauce. The parsley stems fresh and bright along with the rich Finnish Caviar in a buttermilk sauce which had crunchy fish scales sprinkled on top. I think this was my favorite dish of the meal! I only wish my pics were better!

We were served two wild meat dishes, both duck from different parts of the bird. The leg was smoked and dolloped with truffle shavings and dripping with an elderberry sauce. The breast was served with beautiful grilled pear and wood sorrel which looks like a shamrock.

So it made me a bit homesick!

Dessert is always pretty much my favorite meal of the day….wait it isn’t a meal on its own? Well these three were hearty enough, yet not heavy, to be a meal!  Beeswax Icecream with the pollen (which was also served on a bed of pollen) was very whimsical and the dried apples with sheeps yogurt was so cool, and I’m not just talking about temperature.  Really it was awesome how they put that all together!  But their signature “Naked Tree” is quite astonishing really. A very interesting combo of tastes. But since it is the land of Carlsberg, I guess everyone is into beer. And the frozen beer disc in the middle of the Smoked Beachwood Cream made it all look pretty too.

Since we were there to celebrate my birthday they also brought out a mini birthday cake. Love the toned down, peeled back version. Not the typical sugar laden buttercream type.  It was three layers inside and totally delish!  Along with that they brought out some mini sweets too!  A caramel candy was as vibrant as the colorful Rose Hip sauce it was bathing in. While we were being served dessert wine we nibbled on the  pumpkin seed cake, a chocolate cake ball with oats and sea buckthorn and a chocolate green egg.

One of the highlights of the whole journey was being served a tea that had been steeped in fresh herbs. It was heaven!

Though this lunch is out of most people’s budgets (including ours) it is a possibility.  Everyone  needs a dream to add some sparkle to their lives.  Hubby and I don’t go out much and we never spend money on ourselves.  But when we save and save, and then treat ourselves to a bucket list destination, it makes it that much more special.  It really was the best birthday ever as we got to incorporate a foodie fieldtrip and enjoy Copenhagen together.  Damien our waiter explained that some customers have come every year but during a different time of year to experience the changing menu.  We had the “The Geranium Winter Universe” as they call it, but each season brings its own colors, ingredients and dynamic preparation and presentation.  For me, this was such an incredible experience I will be digesting it for years to come.

Thanks to my Hubby with lots of love to him and all the great chefs at Geranium who made my birthday so special.

Foodie Love,

YDP

ps. Keep your own bucket list alive by adding to it and ticking something off the list every now and again. This visit to Geranium was a perfect example of that!

 

 

Last Saturday in lieu of a recipe or a story, I decided to start a ongoing series with my ‘best of’ short list from various cities I have experienced.  I figured it is only fair to first cover places I’ve actually lived, before going on about places I have holidayed.  So I started with Los Angeles since it was my last port of call before moving abroad.  Now that I am currently living in London, an interesting mix of old and new, I thought I would share my tips and secrets about this incredible city I now call home.

It sounds strange to me to actually say London is my home.  I guess I still haven’t gotten used to it.  I have always loved London and enjoyed numerous visits here dating back to 1981.  In fact I was here when Charles and Diana got married.  Wow, so long ago and so much has happened since then!  But I actually never thought I would live here.  It is such a great place to explore and lots to soak up because it has much to offer.  But even the many times we came for a long weekend while living in Dublin (handy that it is only an hour plane ride across the Irish Sea), I figured, sure I’ll come again for another whirlwind stay.  And now the stay is more than 48 hours!

While Hubby and I are still finding our way, and likely will for a long time to come given the expanse and diversity of London, I have a current great ‘best of’ short list for you.   Where to sleep would be the first order of business I suppose, unless you have a friend or rele living here (which helps with the pocketbook since London is so expensive).  Mind you, this list is by no means comprehensive.  But I am only giving advice on places I’ve been and things I have done (unless otherwise noted). I am not getting paid or compensated by anything I say here.   I just happened to feel passionately about each of these items for various reasons.  And as I mentioned in the first ‘best of’ list, I won’t be going anywhere near negatives, or downers, as I am not gonna rain on anyone’s parade.  This is a happy, carefree piece for anyone interested in traveling here, or simply going on a virtual tour of this cool and complex city.

Places to stay:

Though the place to stay at the moment is the amazing architectural achievement called The Shard, since I haven’t stayed there, I can’t tell you what it is like.  Sure I have seen it (it is very visible no matter where you are in the city), but haven’t yet taken the journey up top.  One could always go to the viewing tower (for which you need to pre-book and pay upwards of 30 GBP) if so inclined.  The building is home to offices and the Shangri-La Hotel and its service is meant to be impeccable.  However the most pricey place to stay is none other than The Lanesborough.  Also, hasn’t made my short list, because for one night at this price, I could fly back to the States and see my family!  But for a special occasion like a wedding night, I suppose it would be a total splurge.  Here are my recommendations:

Pricey:  The Mayfair is not only a beautifully decorated hotel, it is beautifully located!  Very convenient to the Green Park Tube station and walking distance to Buckingham Palace.  It is also close to some very posh boutiques in Mayfair for those of you who like to shop.  As you already know if you’ve been reading this, I am not a shopper. But I did wear a Jenny Packham dress for my wedding and so I just had to have a pic taken out in front when Hubby and I stayed at the Mayfair back in 2011.  A little Hollywood trivia, the hotel was featured in the film Hereafter starring Matt Damon.

Mid: The Arch or The Dorset Square are equally amazing boutique hotels and with their occasional special deals, you might luck out and get something even more affordable than mid-range.  Hubby loves The Arch so much that he says it is on his ‘best of’ short list of all time places we’ve stayed.  What is great about both these hotels is the special care that the staff take towards the guests.  You don’t get lost in the shuffle of a big hotel chain, and they treat you like one of the family.  Special amenities such as a Nespresso coffee maker or thick bathrobes add a touch of an at home feeling when you are away from your creature comforts.  Speaking of which, a stay at The Arch over the Bank Holiday weekend in May 2014 led to a funny robe situation. I couldn’t find the robes in the room and called the front desk.  They sent up two robes, and the attendant politely showed me where the other two were located in the room.  Oops I missed that!  But he was so kind about it. Anyway, Hubby joked that maybe I should wear all four robes so that none would go to waste. And me being me, I took him up on his challenge. Michelin (Wo)Man London style!

Budget hotels do exist here despite London’s reputation for being outlandishly expensive.  But I have to admit we haven’t stayed in any of them.  To be quite frank, accommodations on holidays was an issue Hubby and I worked on early in our relationship, as we are both avid travelers.  But since he likes to spend as little time in the room as possible because of the great sightseeing in a new place, he would normally go budget.  But I like my creature comforts such as a nice bathroom and comfy bed.  So the sweet guy that he is, he has adapted.  And the mid range/boutique is usually our go to compromise.  But I do see his point, and so the list here looks darn good. Cheap and cheerful, yet still leaving money in your pocket to spend on a nice meal out or some epic shopping.

To Eat:

If you read yesterday’s sad face, poor me I’m hungry post, then you will know, food is my world.  So of course I could go on and on with this category of ‘best of’.  Especially since London is one of the most amazing foodie destinations in the world.  While some people might be snickering under their breath thinking of the fish and chips, bangers and mash British food reputation, let me tell you something, it is far more than that.  What has greatly influenced the revolution are Brits such as Gordon Ramsey, Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver, and the female foodies behind The River Cafe.  As well, The Great British Bake Off has seen enormous success and proves that there is more to English pastries than the humble scone.  And fabulous supper clubs and pop up restaurants are cropping up everywhere giving diners alternatives to posh establishments yet still having delicious food prepared by hand. One of our favs of course is Sabrina Gayhour whose Persian food fest is out of this world!  And of course the fab Nigella Lawson brought a whole new dimension to British food with her best selling cookery books and wildly popular food shows.  Though we have been lucky enough to dine at some out of this world, highly rated restaurants,  here is my ‘best of’ short list of foodie places I absolutely adore and share with anyone that comes visiting me.

Ottolenghi is a food goal in life for anyone who appreciates a good meal.  It is fresh, wholesome, delicious and made with the utmost love and integrity. These group of gourmet delis and restaurants are some of the best food dining experiences I have ever had in my life. Started by chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and  Sami Tamimi, they combined their Middle Eastern background and styles of cooking to bring a whole new genre of food.  I was lucky enough to meet them last year at the Ballymaloe Lit Fest and they are as nice in person as you could ever imagine.  Their cookbooks are literally a feast for the eyes and make you want to lock yourself in the kitchen for days recreating all their fabulous recipes.  I especially love their restaurant NOPI as the ‘small plates’ style of eating is right up my alley.  I love to taste a lot of different things and share my food with Hubby or with whomever I am dining.  As well, they recently opened a healthy “fast food” restaurant in Covent Garden called Sesame.  It is an amalgam of various street foods from the Mediterranean region and has items such as Hummus, Chicken in Pita, Cauliflower salads etc… Much better for you than chain restaurants.  Upshot, please go to one or all of their establishments if you are ever in London, you will thank me for it!

Honey and Co is also in the Middle Eastern food family. It is a trend that I hope never ends as the food is much better for our bodies than heavily fried or processed foods. This place was my choice of restaurants when Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in June.  It is owned and operated by a husband and wife team.  They are gloriously cute, and while I didn’t meet them when we went (as they were at The Ballymaloe Cookery School, my alma mater, doing a demonstration) I could feel their essence in every bite of food I tasted.  I ordered the Pomegranate Molasses Chicken and let’s just say that  Hubby wished he had ordered it too when he had a bite.  OMG so amazing!  The place is quite small, and not real fancy, but I love the coziness as it feels you are in someone’s home.  Bottom line, the food does the talking and it says, “You will love your honey when he/she brings you here!”

Eating London Foodie Tour might seem to fall under the “to do” list and yes, I suppose you could say that.  But since you are getting a tour of the city,  loads of history AND also getting the most amazing food experience of your life, I had to put it on this list.   I have been on two of their tours now and each is as good as the other.  The first one, which you can read about here, was in the East End part of London near the Old Spitalfields Market.  The tour was professional, fun and informative with our outstanding guide Harry. The second one I went on was in the Soho area of London led by the talented Joe and you can read about my experience here.  Just make sure to go hungry cuz there is a lot of eating on these tours.  It is well worth the price, and all the walking makes you feel less guilty about all the calories. I for one am so eager to go on another tour I am busting!

To Do:

The Queen and The Royal Family are really what makes London so unique in my opinion. Maybe because I am from America or lived in Ireland, but since there are so few royals left in this world I find it quite intriguing.  You’d think that by the 21st century it might not be a necessity for a country to have such a thing when there are so many other priorities the national treasury could spend money on, but yet it is still part of society.  I suppose that it offers tradition and comfort.

When you see the outpouring of love that happened this Spring when The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their baby Charlotte, you gain better insight into the British mentality towards the Royal Family.  So I think a trip to London wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Buckingham Palace or even the Tower of London, where the Royal Crown Jewels are kept.  However, if you aren’t inclined to support the House of Windsor, may I suggest visiting the former home of some literary royalty?  The Charles Dickens Museum which Hubby and I visited on one of our trips while living in Dublin, was such a wonderful experience!  It was fascinating to learn more about the history of one of the great British literary treasures and someone whom we both admire

.

Greenwich’s Royal Observatory is by far my best tourist experience here in London. Yet I never went until I actually moved here.  It is a bit out of city center so many people overlook it.  But it is so worth the trip and very easy to get to by train, bus or the river boat called the Thames Clipper.  The ride out to Greenwich by boat is more fun and scenic, and then when you dock you see none other than the infamous Cutty Sark.  A lovely walk through the village and up the hill to the top is actually breathtaking, and I’m not talking about OUT of breath.  I mean the park is stunning, and the view from the top will make your heart skip a beat. You can see London in the distance and Canary Warf in the foreground.

Then the tour in the Observatory will literally stop you in your tracks. You will learn how and why we have the time keeping capacity we do now.  It is because of the incredibly intelligent and diligent British men who spent years designing a way to record time using the stars and navigation along with specially designed clocks that would work on boats.  So when you see GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) after having stood atop the Prime Meridian, you will have a greater appreciation for the old clock!

The West End is the original Broadway.  It is theater that is considered popular and accessible.  Hubby and I love our Shakespeare but I know it isn’t for anyone.  Case in point when my cousin recently came to visit us from Ireland and I pointed out Shakespeare’s Old Globe Theater not far from Hubby’s work.  I asked if she’d like to see a play there and she politely said no.  But she said she’d love to see a West End play.  So Hubby booked three tickets to see The Audience with Kristen Scott Thomas (one of my fav actresses and whom we have seen perform before).  It was a fantastic play and my cousin was over the moon!  Before we moved to London, we never came for a visit without attending at least one West End show.  Sometimes we saw three or more.   In fact, on one occasion we even saw two in a day!  And now that we live here we still attend, having seen four so far.  As fate would have it, tonight we were in the West End to see Hangmen, Martin McDonagh’s new play.  Years ago we saw his play here called The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a dark yet delightful comedy.  I expected more of that tonight and wasn’t disappointed.  This is the same guy who wrote In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. Prolific and talented!  We were lucky enough to chat with him tonight during intermission.  What a coincidence as Hubby and I were just talking about how we first met him at a private screening of In Bruges at the Director’s Guild in L.A. just before we moved to Dublin.  It was a great surprise to see him again!  Though it appeared that most everyone else was ogling the actor Jude Law who happened to be in the audience as well.

Admittedly though it took me a while to warm up to it, I am really settling into life here in London.  I know it isn’t forever, so I am trying to enjoy it as much as possible.  I might have been reluctant to move here, as I have shared before, since I didn’t want to leave Ireland.  But I can see so many benefits to living here that I hadn’t appreciated in the beginning.  Someday we will leave, but we will continue to come back for visits because there will always be so much to do and see here as it is a constantly changing environment. Yet what I really love about London is that it retains all the rich history.  If you haven’t been, all I can say is, what are you waiting for people?

Lovin’ London,

YDP

hunger

emptiness

ache inside

void

wish and wanting

food

fasting

i am not at my best when i don’t have my food.  HANGRY is an actual word in the dictionary now and i think the person who put it there must have followed me around when i have had low blood sugar. i don’t shop for clothes, makeup or shoes.  i don’t get my nails done or spend money on spa treatments.  but i love my food.  and because i have literally been starving in my life, i try to avoid it at all costs.  it takes me back to a dark place of poverty and neglect.  i don’t like it.

i use food to show my love.  i try to make sure people eat well, often and loads when they are with me.  i want people to feel FED!  and right now i am not feeling fed at all.  i literally hurt from lack of food.  and it has barely been 24 hours. but i am fasting for a test later today and under doctor’s orders to not eat or drink (except water or clear liquid, which is basically water right?) until after the test.  i also have to drink some gross and awful stuff that is masked as a super salty diet 7-up that has gone flat.  like 2 liters of it!  not good.  i am not a happy camper right now!

so i am trying to change my thinking, and look at this in a positive way. the doc is doing his job, trying to help me feel better physically.  though at the moment it feels worse, like torture.  since the beginning of october, on this day, i do a foodie fieldtrip friday.  one of the highlights of my week (and those who watch my snapchat too).  duh, that ain’t happenin’!  but somehow when we are kept from something we so desire, so need and want, it makes us appreciate it even more, don’t you think?  when i am allowed to eat, which will hopefully be this evening all things going well, i will be completely mindful, in every bite.  often times i think we eat aimlessly and don’t even think about the movement of the hand to the mouth. we eat while we drive, watch tv, surf the net, talk on the phone.  but to really engage with our food and take time to chew each bite and indeed savor it, that is being grate FULL!

i also think that the stomach’s response to hunger, the actual “rumbly in the tumbly” as winnie the pooh calls it, is really just a metaphor for something greater. we are humans, living beings like the animals and other inhabitants of this planet.  but as i shared with you on thanksgiving, we are also special.  we have opposable thumbs (this makes sense if you read the part of the post on FAITH).  so we naturally have a longing for our CREATOR.  but that longing, that hunger is in our soul.  and when we aren’t fed, when we are fasting, our soul hurts.  it is just manifested differently.

our SOULS might not have a physical pain as such, but there are pains, and you see them in the world today.  people who are addicts and inflict pain on themselves through alcoholism and drug addiction, have starving souls.  people who are violent and hurt others clearly have a void in their souls.  if they lash out in pain, like what we see and read about in the news, they are not, cannot be,  connected to their loving creator.  a wishing and wanting, a longing gone unfulfulled will manifest itself somehow, someway.  but sadly, it is not in a productive or positive way.  even the 12-step recovery systems, which are non-denominational, recognize that it is important to engage with a “higher power” and the 1st step and 2nd step are reflective of that.

the strange thing is this folks.  real food, edible food, which though seemingly readily available in our fast food, mega super market world, actually isn’t.  we know that because even in rich cities people are malnourished.  and in poor countries people are literally starving.  but food for the soul is available anytime, day or night, past or present, here and now, forever ETERNAL!  and interestingly enough, even poor people without food know that and are perhaps those most closely linked in their souls with their creator.

a perfect example of that is a story once told during mass by our then priest who was originally from Ghana.  he shared a personal account of how their country was going through a famine and each night their mother would put a pot of food on the fire and tell her children to gather around her for story time.  she would go on for hours telling great and wonderful african stories into the wee hours of the night.  until finally all of her many children would be sound asleep at her lap. only years later did father linus discover the truth that in the pot was not food but water.  his mother put water on to boil and lulled the kids to sleep with her love.  that was in essence the most important thing they needed. it gave them COMFORT in the midst of chaos.

it is there for all of us folks, to give and receive. LOVE.  i go on about it all the time, i realize that.  the #lovefest contest was an example of it.  thank you for reading/listening/humoring me.  but just know that when people expect some bit giant flashes, explosions with fog machines and strobe lights, with pipe organs playing and choral voices for background music as their ‘soul moment’, that is what fiction tries to tell us.  but it is the quiet, soft moment when someone shows you a bit of care, tenderness, respect and you say, “A-HA” love, that is it. that is GOD, my creator.  that is what is gonna feed your soul, keep you going back for seconds and thirds etc, and in which you will be forever CONTENT.

love,

ydp