Celebrations

Yes, I am working my way through the pile of bedside books, and no, it doesn't look like it because I keep adding more. 

Bedside books at the beginning of December

I work for The Smith Family who are celebrating their centenary next year. There is an entire year of activities planned as the organisation recognises their team members, partners, volunteers, and, of course, the families they have supported over the years. And, as we know, nothing says celebrations like cake. 

 

Of course, the other thing that says celebration is champagne. We had booked a champagne dinner with The Lovely Bonkers around the time of my birthday but it was postponed, what with one thing and another. Fortunately it was rescheduled for around the time of Mrs Lovely Bonkers' birthday, so we still had an anniversary to celebrate.

Run by the company Emperor, and delivered by Kyla Kirkpatrick (The Champagne Dame), the event was held at QT in Canberra in a room on the 14th floor, affording some great aerial views of the city. 

 

The dinner was presented as a 'flight', which is when all the wine is from the same provider. In this case it was from the house of Louis Roederer, one of the remaining independently-owned champagne houses. The champagne was matched with food and anecdotes, but it was definitely all about the bubbles.

We began with Sydney rock oysters, smoked salmon rosti and zucchini flowers, all matched with Blanc de Blancs 2014, a pure, taut, fine and bright wine. The blurb indicates that there are delicate hints of honeysuckle and jasmine, followed by iodised, sea-breeze aromas, combined with the warm, sweet notes of freshly-baked pastries. For once I agree with the tasting notes, and I definitely picked up the floral, honey zest followed by a saline character and a fresh limestone finish. 

Our next course was 'alternating' king prawns and Vanella Burrata (a fresh, Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and fresh cream). When 'alternating' is used on a menu, it means that people sitting next to each other get served different dishes. While this can lead to experimentation and sharing, it can also lead to arguments and plate envy. We are adults; guess which one we did?

The accompanying champagne was Collection 242. This is the first time that Louis Roederer (and potentially any champagne house) is phasing out their iconic Brut Premier, to lead with their new Collection Series instead. The reasoning is that, with climate change affecting the ripeness of the grapes, it is difficult to reproduce the same wine each season, so why try? The new method will be a blend of 56% base wine (the 242 is from the 2017 vintage), 34% perpetuelle reserve wines (from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) and 10% Roederer reserve wine (from young vines planted on chalky soil, used to make the Cristal - more of which later) aged in oak. It's called 242 because it's the 242nd blend of the house since its establishment in 1776. 

It is very fine with vivid, fresh fruit aromas and a defined minerality combined with white florals, citrus zest and a distinct chalkiness. It is Chardonnay-dominant in profile (as are all my favourites) displaying characteristics of ripe lemon, Williams pear and red apple, with a toasty backdrop and hints of peppery spice from the oak. It's delicious and (at $93 a bottle), the cheapest wine of the night.

Vanella Burrata

King Prawns

Our main course was free-range pork with apple 'alternating' with grass-fed sirloin. I preferred the pork, but then I don't get the antipodean adoration of steak. The accompanying wine for this course was the Vintage 2014 - nothing too different, but a sensational champagne with all the fruit and toasty complexity that makes this stuff so special.

Free-range pork with apple

Grass-fed sirloin

And so to the main event: the Cristal. Beloved of rappers and a symbol of decadence, this stuff is $400+ per bottle and has a sublime reputation. The story goes that it was first made for Tsar Alexander II who requested a wine at "the absolute pinnacle of quality" in 1876. Done. 

Because he was paranoid about being poisoned, he asked for the bottle to be clear (leaded crystal was originally used). Done. However, to prevent the UV light penetration from adversely affecting the wine (the reason bottles are usually dark green) it is wrapped in Lucozade-like cellophane, which, although it is meant to signify gold, rather lessens the impression. 

Tsar Alexander II also requested that the punt (the deep indent at the base of the bottle, which is there to provide the extra strength in accordance with the pressure built up through secondary fermentation) be replaced with a flat bottom to prevent bombs from being hidden it. Done. The reinforced glass necessary to withstand the pressure makes the bottle particularly heavy.

Incidentally, he could be excused this paranoia as half of the previous Tsars had been assassinated. Indeed, despite all his caution, he was himself blown up in 1881 after six previous assassination attempts. 

The champagne is delightful. It is made from the fruit of selected vines (which must be at least 25 years old) and cellar-aged for six months before dégorgement. Its palate is bold and powerful packed with stone fruit (nectarine and yellow plums), with candied orange and hazelnut. The elegant chalky notes and finely textured tannins add complexity and the finish is subtly saline. Would I pay for that again? Probably not. Did I thoroughly enjoy it at the time? You bet!

Him Outdoors with about $50-worth of Cristal

The other antipodean obsession I don't get is pavlova. I know Aussies and Kiwis like to fight over who invented it, but it's just meringue, isn't it? The Christmas pudding, however, was delicious with more than a hint of ginger in the spice mix set off perfectly with the sour cherries. 

I suppose these are festive desserts from either side of the world, but they both matched wonderfully with the Vintage Rosé 2014. The light pink colour suggests a party, which continues through the wild berry and spicy zest aromas, to the fresh pink grapefruit and blood orange flavours. The finish is smooth and full of character. 

The Cellar Master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, describes it thus: "A characteristic Roederer rosé: the concentration, fruitiness, and compactness of the Cumières Pinot Noir grapes are transcended by the elegance, purity, and freshness of the finest Chardonnay grapes cultivated on the Côte des Blancs." But then, he would say that, wouldn't he?

My dessert is looking at me!

Christmas Pudding with sour cherries

For my birthday, I requested a street library. So Him Outdoors has assembled me one and painted it in Liverpool FC colours, poured a concrete foundation and mounted it on a pole. Today I got to put some books in and open it for business. The whole thing is terribly exciting, or exhausting, depending on your viewpoint.

Beers, Books and Breakfast

We begin this week with a new month, which means an update on the bedside books pile. From last month I have read two (Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days and The Outcasts of Time) and added two (The Alice Network and The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared). So I've still got the same number of books to read as before. 

Bedside books, February

A walk to the shops revealed the new mural in progress on the side of the IGA in Cook. It's looking good so far!

 

We splashed out on a special eight-course-dinner with Mr & Mrs Lovely Bonkers at Chairman & Yip. The ambient lighting made it a touch difficult to take photos, but the food was delicious and the company delightful. The first course was a sushi trio of cold-smoked kingfish, mango and pepperberry; Yellowfin tuna nigiri, ginger and garlic; and Kaisen maki (seafood sushi roll) 

Sushi Trio

The second dish was a dashi gazpacho and butter-poached WA rock lobster with mint oil and crispy burdock.  I had not heard of dashi before, but it turns out it is a clear Japanese broth akin to miso - it certainly made for a very refreshing soup and set that melting lobster off perfectly.

The next dish was probably my favourite of the night: a malt-glazed pork belly (char-siu) with rose-infused brown sugar and Jerusalem artichoke. Mrs Lovely Bonkers doesn't usually enjoy the combination of sweet and savoury foods, but she made an exception here and agreed that this was taste and texture perfection.

The chef brought our twice-cooked crispy duck pancake with spices-infused hoisin sauce to the table where he carved up the duck and then allowed us to assemble it into thin (slightly floury, if I were to make the slightest complaint) pancakes with spring onions and pickled ginger. 

There followed a steamed seafood medley with fermented chilli, glass noodle and shiso. One of the great things about dining out with Him Outdoors is that there are certain types of seafood he doesn't like as they are 'too fishy'. While he will happily eat the lobster, prawns,scallops and calamari, it does mean I get extra helpings of the mussels and the cockles (or pipis as they are known here).

I was obviously distracted by the second bottle of bubbles as I didn't take any pictures of the next course. This was a dish of wok-tossed pork fillet with sweet chilli jam and five spice green pea, and Shantung lamb belly, accompanied by a tofu and mushroom side dish.

Finally dessert was a coconut ice-cream with shredded toasted coconut and sticky black rice. 

The following evening our friend, Original Gravity, was back from his holidays, and he came round to our house with his Christmas present to himself, which we were more than happy to share with him. 

It does exactly what it says on the label

Obviously, my kittens are still gorgeous. They're not sure how to curl up delicately yet and spend rather a lot of their time exhibiting their fluffy bellies, which clearly need smooching. 

Not to be outdone in the gourmet stakes (or should that be steaks?), Him Outdoors served up this concoction of bangers and mash with mushy peas and gravy for Friday night dinner.

And here's a reminder of how the professionals do it, as we went out to breakfast on a very wet Saturday morning at Ona Coffee House. I had the special, which was a crispy fried chicken benedict with wilted spinach, shredded pickled cabbage with Korean spices and snow peas, and Him Outdoors had the courgette, corn and haloumi fritters with chilli scrambled eggs, smoked corn puree, cherry tomato salsa, dill creme fraiche and cress. 

The food is great here, but the standing take-away queue is too close to the diners (especially when the weather makes them huddle together under cover), meaning that one feels encroached upon while trying to eat at a table. And I think a surcharge for a weekend is ridiculous - as is a further one for using a card when the cafe doesn't accept cash - and so we won't be returning while this punitive fee is in place. 

Korean chicken benedict

Fritters

Honestly, we do things other than eat and drink, such as read, and shop for books. I was very pleased with these finds in Canty' s Bookshop (a secondhand bookshop), as they are both on the Family Book Club list.

And now back to the eating and drinking. It was Waitangi Day on Saturday so we celebrated by watching a New Zealand film (What We Do in the Shadows), drinking New Zealand beer (Garage Project, Deep Creek and Liberty Brewing) and eating New Zealand chocolate (Whittaker's Coconut Slab)

I finished the week with a walk around Lake Burley Griffin followed by a coffee with the Walking Crew.

 

Purple Lady at the end of the walk

Before Christmas our friends, The Lovely Bonkers, Dr Kay and Patience Itself, gave us a wonderful outdoor table that they had made themselves. We didn't have the means to collect it from their place at the time, but now Original Gravity arrived with his trailer and so we were able to reposition it to our garden and christen it with a beer. The design of the table top is in homage to the silver fern of New Zealand. It looks wonderful in situ, and the beer tastes great!

I finished it all off by reading in the hammock, under the watchful eye of Melantho who climbed her first tree.

Welcome 2021

These beautiful little girls are looking forward to a year of scampering up and down the corridor, followed by eating until their bellies are full and curling up for a good sleep. Well, aren't we all. 

New-Year's Eve walk up One Tree Hill with Him Outdoors on a glorious day.

The evening's 'celebrations' were held at The Lovely Bonkers' bounteous homestead, where Him Outdoors poses with a Burnley Bounty (that's the tomato).

Him Outdoors with a Burnley Bounty

And then there was beer and bubbles and cake. Last time the fabulous Emma Cake made me one of these, I had several comments asking what it looked like inside, but the I read the comments after the cake had been consumed, so I've included some images of the internal confection, so I hope you're satisfied. I certainly was!

NYE Cake!

 

Okay, back to business - this is the stack of books on the bedside table, so I'd best get reading again.

January 2021 bedside books

It's becoming a bit of joke (as in, it's funny because it's true), that every weekend I go for a walk with the walking crew (comprising The Luminosity, Purple Diva, and Design Diva) and I fail to take photos of us in action, but I always capture evidence of our post- perambulatory repasts.

Breakfast Burger at Lucky Shot

The Walking Crew

And we'll finish the post as we began, with Penelope and Melantho (of the Pretty Cheeks) at their slumbers.

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