video: what is a bouchon?

Join me and Mr. Sazy Rock as we dine in a real bouchon in Lyon, France at Comptoir Chabert. I hope you enjoy our short video.

travel zen on friday: lyon

A view of Lyon and the River Saone.

video: dining at paul bocuse's l'auberge du pont de collonges in lyon, france

If you've ever wondered what it is like to dine at Paul Bocuse's temple of gastronomy - L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges - in Lyon, France, I've shot a short video below. Enjoy!

have you ever wondered how the british house of lords dine?

The menu at the Peers' Dining Room.

If you've ever wondered how those Lords in the British Parliament ate, well, now you can somewhat have an insight. As a quick primer, the British Parliament is made up of two houses - the House of Lords (similar to the Senate in the USA) and the House of Commons (similar to the US House of Representatives). Their office is the Palace of Westminster where Big Ben is located. If you are a Downton Abbey fan (like me), a period drama about the lives of the upper and lower classes of wartime Britain, Lord Grantham would have been a part of the House of Lords.

Within the Houses of Parliament are dining areas. The Peers' Dining Room is the restaurant where the Lords eat. Usually, only Lords are allowed to dine there, unless invited by a Lord (or when they decide to - on very rare occasions - open it up to the public. (The House of Commons has its own dining area and Lords cannot dine there unless invited by a Member of Parliament ("MP"). So, if Lord Grantham was visiting London (and if he were real), he would have had access to the Peers' Dining Room.

During our last visit to London, Mr. Sazy Rock (a dual citizen of the US and the UK) got wind of a rare opening of the Peers' Dining Room. Lords and MPs were out and about campaigning for and against Brexit so the powers-that-be decided to open up the Peers' Dining Room for a short period (about one week) to plebeians like us. As an aside, 2015 was the first year that the powers-that-be opened up the Peers' Dining Room to the common folk. It was such a success that they did it again in 2016. Pre-Brexit, we were told that they had plans to do it again. I don't know how those plans will work post-Brexit.

travel zen on friday: view from the tate modern

 One of the many joys of London are the free museums. This is a view from the balcony of the Tate Modern: the Millenium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral.

London

hedone: hedonism for the mouth

Hedone.

One of the highlights of my last trip to London with Mr. Sazy Rock was a meal at Hedone. Our expectations were very high. Yet, Hedone still met them.

Let me explain. My brother in law dines at Hedone. A lot. As in he-dines-there-so-much-he-has-a-chair-with-a-plaque-with-his-name-on-it "a lot." He's been dining there since it opened and we think he's dined there over 200 times. When Mr. SR lived in London, he and my brother in law ate out a lot and talked about it. The bottom line is: we trust his palate.

So, on our recent trip, my brother in law treated us to a meal at his favorite restaurant. We went for lunch because we knew it was going to be a long lunch. As the restaurant's name suggests, we were in for a pleasurable meal, and we wanted it to last a very long time.

Hedone.

travel zen on friday: rubik's cube in budapest, hungary

Did you know that the Rubik's Cube was invented by a Hungarian?  We learned that during our walking tour near the ruin pubs where we saw this amazing graffiti art.

le chantecler restaurant in nice, france

(Nice, France).  As part of our friends' 40th birthday celebrations in France, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Le Chantecler - a gorgeous Michelin-starred restaurant located in the storied Hotel Negresco along Les Promenade des Anglais.   It is a very posh place so we definitely dressed for the occasion.  (Tip - Before dining here, check the dress code on their website.)

The lobby was beautiful but quiet and empty like a museum...

We enjoyed some drinks at the hotel bar before dinner which is highly recommended simply for location and people watching.  Then we entered into the grand hotel lobby into the formal dining room of the restaurant (which had surprisingly pink table cloths). 

Very very pink table cloth... but check out the gorgeous dishware!

The moment we sat down we were embraced with a cloak of finely orchestrated service.  Course after course arrived - each more beautiful than the next, as you can see below...

 

By the end we were bursting at the seams, yet not so full that we weren't able to end the night with another nightcap at the hotel bar.

The entire experience was extraordinary and highly recommended.  The elegant, posh surroundings, impeccable service and beautiful plating made the entire meal from beginning to end magical and nearly theatrical.  But while I enjoyed my meal immensely, I can't go as far as to say that it was the best meal I had in Nice.  That honor would go to Restaurant JAN (reviewed here).  The bill at Le Chantecler was also about double the cost of JAN.  I think the choice  really boils down to whether you care more about the actual food versus the entire dining experience.

lamb chops: london's iconic dish?

There are plenty of iconic dishes in London to choose from. Last week, I wrote about the Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad from St. John. Today, I submit that the Tandoori Lamb Chops at Tayyabs is pretty iconic as well.

The Tandoori Lamb Chops at Tayyabs.

Tayyabs is named after the last name of the owners of a Punjabi restaurant in the Whitechapel area of Greater London. Although it is very near Brick Lane, which is known for South Asian restaurants, Tayyabs is the better option because the food is just amazing (and affordable).