I went out of town for a few days to the lovely Mississippi delta with a friend, which meant no bike riding for a couple of days. I had such a lovely time out in the middle of nowhere, though. The highlight was definitely the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center; I haven’t learned that much from a museum in a long, long time. I took the train back to New Orleans, thoroughly enjoying the view. Though I was only gone for two days, it felt like longer since I’d been on my bike, so I was happy to hop on and tool down to the CBD for a little comedy with friends. I love riding after a couple days off–you get that rushing reminder that it’s just plain fun to ride a bike. It’s always good to be home. I rode back Uptown on St. Charles and passed this sign at Louisiana. It has been there since I moved to New Orleans, and they recently started construction at the site for a new bank branch. Or so I thought, since that’s what we’ve been promised for years. Today is the first day I’ve noticed this other side: Fortissimo The Food Emporium. Is this a new sign? Will there be an emporium of food rather than an emporium of capital? Please? I would love to ride my bike past more grocery stores in this town. Time will tell. I’ll let you know, since I’m pretty sure I’ll be riding by this spot for a long time.

I love Journal Canteen. I love the simple perfectly made Italian food that is served there. What? Am I giving away the ending again? Sorry.

(small antipasto platter – $15)

Well, I work near Journal Canteen and we go there for lunch quite often, so this post will be about a few trips that we made to Journal Canteen and some the fabulous food they serve there.

First things first, Journal Canteen is not Journal (the cafe), which is visible from Flinders Lane. They are in the same building so don’t get confused. To get to Journal Canteen (also known as Rosa’s Kitchen – its red neon lettering visible from Flinders Lane), you need to go into the CAE building and it’s up a few steps up on the right.

(the same antipasto platter but on the other side)

The menu at Journal Canteen changes almost everyday. There’s the standing favourite, of course, which is the anti pasto platter (small or large). The items on the platter do change depending on seasons (we have had zucchini flowers) but this time we had olives, sliced salami, zucchini fritter, dressed potato, dressed zucchini (with mint), grilled capsicum, grilled eggplant with tomato sauce. The very first time Nicole had the eggplant, she reckoned it was the best eggplant she ever had. The eggplant itself gets cooked different ways each time we visited though.

(complimentary bread – just bread, no butter, no oil)

The menu, as I mentioned earlier, changes daily but it always consists of generally a pasta or two dishes, a meat or two dishes and a vegetarian option.

(spaghetti alla Norma – $20)

The very first time I was at Journal Canteen, I had a spaghetti alla Norma, which was spaghetti in tomato sauce served with roasted eggplant slices and topped with salted ricotta (although I don’t think featured here was salted ricotta). It was a really good dish of eggplant but I found that $20 was a bit much to charge for a small(ish) plate of spaghetti with a couple of slices of eggplant when you had to share communal tables.

(slow roast lamb with potatoes and greens – $20)

Josh had decided on the roast lamb. The lamb was very tender. The portion wasn’t big so you can get away with shared anti pasto and dessert.

(complimentary side salad)

As always, main meals were accompanied by a side salad which was ice berg (and this time) radish dressed with olive oil. Seriously, I never had interesting iceberg lettuce salad until I went to Journal Canteen. Nicole found it a tad oily though.

(another roast lamb dish – $20)

On the last occasion, Nicole had chosen another lamb dish. Equally good. And different to the slow roast lamb Josh had.

I went for the sardine and fennel spaghetti. It was topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and pine nuts. To be perfectly honest, I really am not a fan of sardine but I ordered it because it was just something I never tried before. And I didn’t mind it too much either. The sardines were absolutely fresh and the dish was just well flavoured. I won’t order it again now that I have tried it but if you don’t mind sardines (one of the VERY few things I’m not overly keen of) this dish would have been beautiful. The ‘fennel’ bit was just fennel leaf pesto. Interesting.

(peach and almond tart – $7.5?)

Nicole and I also shared a peach and almond tart. It was very good. So good I wanted to buy a slice home for Josh (since he’s the sweettooth and not me) but Rosa Mitchell wouldn’t sell it. She said it wouldn’t travel.

(a view of Centre Place from Journal Canteen)

We also had a lovely long chat with Rosa. Mainly about my failed attempt to cook her broccoli and potato soup. She was very lovely and helpful

Journal Canteen (Rosa’s Kitchen) 253 Flinders Ln Melbourne VIC 3000  (03) 9650 4399

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I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the New Orleans Saints are having a pretty good football season. They were undefeated, 13-0, going into tonight’s game versus the Dallas Cowboys. One of the very first things I learned as a child was to hate the Cowboys. As far my recall goes, my learning went like this: Yankees suck, never cross a picket line, hate the Dallas Cowboys. So yeah, I was rooting for the Saints.I took Rhoda out tonight, for the first time in awhile, and rode down to the Treme for veggie chili and football. Once I got to the CBD I was in tailgate central. There were huge TVs everywhere, BBQs, and drunk folks dancing and screaming about the Saints. I stopped to snap a picture, but was interrupted by a drunken fan who wanted to be in the picture. Then there was the trouble of trying to get a shot that wasn’t blurry with fans rush to the Superdome. This photo was the best I could do. Everybody’s dancing, except for #23 there, who is headed somewhere important, I’m guessing somewhere where thong underwear is involved. Whatever. People were in the good mood you’d expect of fans getting ready to root on the perfect-season Saints. But we lost. To the Cowboys. They pay their cheerleaders, you know. The Saintsations dance for charity, man. The Saints should have one. But we collectively seem to have decided that we needed to get this loss under our belts. Onward and upward, we say. What matters is the big one, not this one. But man, I wish we’d won that game. I’ll be outside the next one, though, on bike. Go Saints!

Oh, it was sunny today. Cool and sunny. My final grades were due today, so I hopped on the Surly, put on a song, and headed to campus. I’ve been feeling a little off lately; I think I just needed a fast pedal in the sunshine and a little bike dancing. After cleaning up after the semester, I headed down to the Quarter, mostly just so I could ride my bike around. I saw lots of stuff–a rude fellow biker who cut me off, fresh potholes on St. Charles after the rain of the past few weeks,  advertising agency down in the CBD with its totally out of place modern design, etc. There was a movie shooting at Jackson Square. The guy who plays his synthesizer for tips was moved out to make way for the cameras. He was muttering about it–with impressive calm, if you ask me–and one of people working on the film asked him if he had his union card, so he could join the shoot. Awkward laughs all around. The whole thing was complicated, so I got back on my bike, after snapping some photos, and headed to the Treme to pick up a friend to wander in the sunlight with. I spotted this plant crawling up the side of a house and got up close to examine it. Look at all those little “feet” shooting out, climbing up the siding! I’m used to ivy, but that stuff hides its feet. Alright, fine. I get it. We need all this rain to support the fantabulous flora we’ve got here. Much easier to feel on a lazy bike ride on a sunny afternoon.

Seriously, why have I left it so long until November 2009 before I set foot in The European? Totally inexcusable as this gem was there all along. So it was a Sunday where the four of us girls had made plans to go and see Chicago the Musical (yes, again for me). This time I had scored us the front row tickets. So I thought a lunch at The European would be a nice pre-theatre lunch event. Turned out I was right of course. I generally don’t steer you wrong when it comes to choosing restaurant!

(complimentary crusty bread and aioli)

The European promised us ‘Elegant dining’ – I’m not really sure about that. The place was noisy and lively despite its dark brooding image (the dining room was rather dark as you may have worked out the decline in photography). But it was, as the name suggested, very European, old fashioned and most importantly very delicious food was served.

(fried white baits – $10.50)

I didn’t feel like ordering a main and felt like trying lots of things since the menu was interesting so I ordered two separate smaller dishes (and a dessert but we’ll get there). First up for me was the fried whitebaits. To me, whitebaits are just one of those quintessentially British things. Very simple but done oh-so-right. The fish were fresh and perfectly fried until golden and with wonderful crunch. It was served with a slice of lemon and some sort of sauce (my brain is a bit hazy at this point). Beautiful. On a subsequent visit, I had the fried school prawns done perfectly again. I guess I love the little seafood that you eat whole. The European still had not let me down.

(baby beans and almonds – $9.50)

My other dish was a side of green beans and almonds. Perfectly cooked green and butter beans with shallots, broad beans (?) and almonds in a bit of olive oil. I added a squeeze of lemon from my white baits, which didn’t actually need lemon. Perfect.

(Duck terrine with house condiment and grilled baguette – $19.50)

This was KJ’s duck terrine. The terrine was lovely and meaty with rich duck meat and err… various other things. To be frank, all I remembered about it was that it was very ducky and terrine-y. Purpose achieved. Couldn’t fault it.

(Freshly shucked oysters – $3.50 each)

Jacqui had settled for oysters. They were served with the usual traditional suspect of red wine vinegar and shallots and lemon. She said they were perfectly fresh and fabulous.

(Smoked trout and potato frittata with avocado salsa – $16.00)

Maya had ordered the frittata. Unfortunately, I never had any. Nor do I remember her saying any good or bad about it. She didn’t finish it but that’s quite normal for Maya. I normally do that for her but this time I was shockers. Yes, I admit it, I am the family’s, workplace’s, circle of friends’ garbage guts. But without further ado, let’s get on to the desssert.

(Banana soufflé, cinnamon doughnuts & ice cream – $15.50)

Let me give you a tip: when you are at The European, order a souffle. Just. Order. A. Souffle. It was the absolute highlight of the meal. Sure, I’m not a dessert person. Sure, those were the best damn white baits I had ever eaten. But the souffle won. So light. So fluffy. So banana-ey. So vanilla seedy. So, so good! I love the banana flavour (which surely must have been banana flavouring since the souffle texture was too refined and light to contain any real banana in it, someone correct me if I’m wrong here) and I love the crunch of the real vanilla seeds in it. Heaven. I don’t need to talk about the ice cream and the doughnuts. They were not important. Good. But not important. I felt that similar experience with their chocolate souffle (daily special) on a separate occasion but in a totally rich chocolate way. I just couldn’t figure out how something that was so light tasted so rich. But that’s science experiment for another day.

(chocolate delice – $15.50?)

Jacqui ordered the chocolate delice. I didn’t question her how good it was (too busy with the souffle) but I did observe that she looked like she was in heaven. So that was that. Folks, leave room for dessert. This is a special advice that I personally rarely follow but I am making an exception for this place.

So what? No complaint? Hmm, well, the dining room was pretty dark. Not ideal for photos. And the service while very efficient is rather reminiscent of European cafe standard. But I’m going back. In fact, I had been back since. And I will again.

The European, 161 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 (03 96540811)

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Marijuana for Alzheimers

Active ingredient in marijuana may help preserve brain function

A puff a day might keep Alzheimer’s away

The following is written by Dr. Robert Melamede and comes from here.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neuro-degenerative condition for which cannabis and cannabinoid therapies show promise, both for treating the symptoms and the underlying disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is widely held to be associated with oxidative stress due, in part, to the membrane action of beta-amyloid peptide aggregates.  A laboratory study published in 2004 indicates that one of the cannabis plant’s primary components, cannabidiol (CBD), exerts a combination of neuroprotective, anti-oxidative and antiapoptotic effects by inhibiting the release of the toxic beta-amyloid peptide.

Another cannabinoid, THC, has also has been shown to reduce the agitation common to Alzheimer’s sufferers, according to findings presented in 2003 at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists’ 34th annual meeting.  Agitation is the most common behavioral management problem in patients with Alzheimer’s and affects an estimated 75 percent of people with the disease.  It may lead to a variety of symptoms ranging from physical and/or verbal abusive postures, physically non-aggressive conduct including pacing and restlessness, as well as verbally disturbed behaviors such as screaming and repetitive requests for attention.

This study and the Institutes of Medicine report also show THC to be effective in combating the anorexia or wasting syndrome common to Alzheimer’s sufferers, since food refusal is a common problem in patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s type dementia. The appettite-stimulation properties of cannabis are some of the most well-established in clinical research.122

This new research on cannabis and Alzheimer’s disease, coupled with the extensive work done on other neuroprotective qualities of cannabis and its components, indicates that cannabis may become the source of the most effective treatments for battling the Central Nervous System diseases that afflict millions of elderly Americans.

PERTH is to become a vibrant waterfront city, says Premier Colin Barnett, who today unveiled plans for a massive redevelopment featuring an inlet connecting the CBD and the river.

Mr Barnett plans to create a vibrant new area for the city and ‘finally’ connect the waterfront to the CBD.

The centrepiece will be a 2.8ha inlet that will bring the river back to near its original shore line. 

The inlet will be surrounded by landscaped terraces, boardwalks and promenades, and fringed by shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and other activities.

 “The Swan River – our greatest natural asset – is effectively cut ff from the city by Riverside Drive and by an expanse of lawn,” said Mr Barnett at today’s unveiling.

“Other major Australian cities have done far more with much less.  This will assist Perth to mature as a vibrant, sophisticated capital city, providing an attraction for locals and tourists.” By removing a section of Riverside Drive, the development encourages the use of public transport, taking advantage of the nearby Esplanade train station, Busport and commuter ferry services. Some changes to existing roads will be made to create more pedestrian-friendly routes.

Mr Barnett was joined by Planning Minister John Day,Tourism Minister Liz Constable and Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi at the unveiling.

The development will cover nearly 10ha, focused between Barrack and William streets.

“The development is designed for pedestrians and cyclists – not cars,” said Mr Barnett:.

“It will be an attractive destination for families, young people, city workers, national and international tourists and seniors to gather and enjoy.

“The State Government will take the lead on this development, along with Perth City Council, and we will be looking – indeed asking – the private sector to join with us.  I am also confident the Federal Government will be supportive.”

Mr Barnett said there was significant work to be done on road realignment, drainage and dredging but preliminary works would begin as soon as possible, with major construction starting in 2012.

The plans signal a new era of city building, as a logical and seamless extension of the city.  Together with The Link, major works to the Cultural Precinct and other CBD projects, the city’s axis will be redefined through the strengthening of the Barrack and William streets links.

In addition, Howard Street and Sherwood Court will provide direct links between St George’s Terrace and the waterfront, enhancing the capacity for these laneways to become vibrant places with shops, cafes and small bars.

The inlet, designed to reflect the historical characteristics of Perth Port, will have room for public boat mooring facilities.

At the heart of the new inlet will be an island, a landscaped parkland offering a unique experience for visitors. This family-focused destination will provide opportunities for relaxation in sheltered open spaces with 360 degree views of the surrounding city.  It may also include a safe, child-friendly beach and swimming areas.

Land at the foot of William Street has been preserved for a significant public building.  The Government’s preference is that this building be a national centre for indigenous art and culture, providing a major focus for the project.

Event spaces will be dotted throughout the waterfront, including a public square next to the Esplanade train station, the promenade, the island and a new road which can be closed to accommodate events.  Larger events will be held at the Supreme Court Gardens, which will be improved under the plan.

 There is also the potential to include a swimming pool, which could be an attractive recreational asset for city workers.

Full details of the Perth Waterfront concept plan can be found on the PlanningWA website at http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/waterfront 

Source  :  www.news.com.au

Seriously, with a name like that, how could you not? Let me ask again, HOW COULD YOU NOT?!?

So I said to Josh on a working Monday – how about we do lunch to celebrate our first wedding anniversary? Where would you rather go? Bistro Vue or New Kun Den? My treat since I totally screwed up and booked us into David Thompson’s book launch that night (I forgot all about the anniversary thing. Seriously, who remembers things like this?)

(complimentary broth)

The man chose New Kum Den. Not only he is low maintenance. He is also childish to the max. I guess you win some, you lose some. So we rocked up in the restaurant expecting a somewhat dodgy haunt. We were disappointed. It was all sort of new, and shiny and clean. The waiter greeted us with bowls of carrot soup and then gave us a lunch menu which was awfully boring but quite cheap (note to self for team lunch) – the usual stir-fries, fried rice, noodles. So we asked for dinner menu. Still nothing interesting however, I ended up picking salt & pepper Japanese silken tofu. Josh had decided on pork spare ribs with wuxi sauce. Mainly because neither of us had any idea what wuxi sauce is. And a New Kum Den seafood and ham fried rice from the lunch menu.

(seafood and ham fried rice -$9.50)

Our fried rice arrived within five minutes. I guess the lunch menu gets a bit of priority. The fried rice was yummy. Glossy and full of flavour. The ’seafood’ in question must mean scallops because they were everywhere! There was no other seafood to be found but I love scallops and didn’t mind. It also had a bit of ham although not to the same extent as scallop.

(Salt & pepper silken Japanese tofu – $18.80)

My salt and pepper tofu arrived five or so minutes later. This was made from the tube ‘egg tofu’ which is slightly different from normal silken tofu. It was the best thing since sliced bread (although I don’t think that highly of sliced bread, by the way) but this tofu was fabulous. It was salty, spicy and crunchy on the outside and wonderfully silky and mild on the inside. Ah I could just eat this and nothing else.

(Pork spareribs in wuxi style sauce – $17.80)

Josh’s dish arrived last. He ordered it because he didn’t know what it was and he found the rest of the menu too uninteresting. It was pork belly in sweet-ish, tomato-ey, five spice type sauce. It was all right but Josh found it a bit too fatty and I thought the sauce was a bit sweet. Still, it was good with the salt and pepper tofu. We couldn’t finish all the food and Josh had the pork belly for lunch at work the next day and it was still quite all right.

Satisfactory lunch, I say. I would definitely be back for the salt & pepper tofu. Loved it. I imagine it’s a good lunch place too. By the way, their web site is food porn galore – this is exactly how all restaurants should do their websites, in my humblest opinion.

New Kum Den, 15 Heffernan Lane, Melbourne Chinatown Victoria Ph: (03) 9639 9857

PS. Please rate this post.

2008-2009 Financial Year Report

200 Spencer St, Melbourne

Harcourts City Residential

In this report, James Edmundson has prepared an overview of all sales & rental transactions* for 200 Spencer St, for the 2008/2009 financial year along with extra details about the building and a forecast for the year ahead.

You can find this and more Real Estate blogs at http://harcourtscityresidential.wordpress.com/

200 Spencer St, Melbourne FY 08-09

Top Reported Sale:                 $995,000

Bottom Reported Sale:           $322,000

Number of Private Sales: 79

Melbourne Apartment Overview FY 08-09:

Apartment Sales in Melbourne:         1753

Clearance Rate in Melbourne: 79%
Average Sale Price in Melbourne: $503,347

SALES RESULTS –  Financial Year 08-09:*

RENTAL RESULTS – Financial Year 08-09:*

Facilities: Security entrance, Gym, intercom, Pool, Terrace BBQ, Concierge and Lift

Demographics: Originally marketed to international and interstate investors 200 Spencer Street is a majority tenanted building. The property is especially well suited to people looking to live and work from the city especially young professionals, students and more mature buyers, all who appreciate the central location and public transport on the doorstep.

Development in the area: The old power station on the corner of Spencer and Little Bourke directly opposite the Neo is due for demolition to give way in part for four residential towers from 30 to 50 stories in height that will cover the blocks from little Bourke to Little Lonsdale st. If the current plans are approved the project  is expected to bring 2555 (approx) new units, over 3000 m2 of retail, but surprisingly just 700 car parks (an attach rate of less than one car park per three unit.) Remaining will be the heritage portion of the power station that still acts as a substation to the docklands area.

Units facing the site may experience a temporary cooling of clearance rates once construction commences but should return to full market once the new development comes online.

200 Spencer St Forecast for the 09-10 Financial Year: The first resales started in the middle of 2008 with the last recorded sale from the developer being early in 2009.  Whilst early stagnation in 2009 caused by the GFC saw a reduction in clearance rates in other buildings we envisage that continuing first home owner interest and buying power will keep the market buoyant in Melbourne for the remainder of 2009.

With interest rates tipped to continue to rise, we could experience a leveling of the general market in 2010 particularly in the pre $500,000 range. Investors may well make a comeback in 2010 once first home owners lose their puff and buying power.

For further information on this, or any other property needs you may have, please contact:

James Edmundson

Sales Consultant – Harcourts City Residential

Ph: 03 9664 8100          Mob: 0411 456 770

E: James.Edmundson@harcourts.com.au

Web: www.cityresidential.harcourts.com.au

Disclaimer: *Harcourts City Residential has gathered this information to provide an interesting document for apartment owners and prospective purchasers. Harcourts City Residential may not have affected any or all of the transactions noted; rather we’ve gathered as much market information as possible on ALL transactions to be as conclusive as possible.

Information contained herein is gathered from a range of sources including but not limited to; The Age Property Results, The Herald Sun Property Results, Valuer General Information & Agents own investigations. All efforts are made to verify the information provided. The information is not to be relied upon or used in dealings with third parties and people should make their own investigations regarding their own property or personal circumstances. Opinions offered are just that, our opinions & observations and should not be treated as fact.

If your property is exclusively listed with another agent please disregard this communication

2010 Calendar for the Latin American and Caribbean sub-regional workshops organized in collaboration with the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network (IWBN) in the region and with the financial support of the Government of Spain
CBD notification, 2 December 2009

MONTREAL, CANADA: As part of its work in the framework of Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the CBD Secretariat is organizing this series of sub-regional workshops, aiming to improve the numbers of indigenous and local community representatives, with an emphasis on women, effectively participating in the CBD processes, as well as build their capacity to do so. A provisional calendar of the workshops for 2010 is provided for in the notification. Indigenous and local community organizations are encouraged to nominate indigenous and local community trainers in due course, to assist the workshop in its train-the-trainer methodology, to further disseminate information through indigenous and local community networks in each of the sub-regions. Download the notification [pdf] …

The last week or so of rides have been largely task rides. Even when I was riding for pleasure, I was usually looking for a places to put posters or flyers for the Bicycle Film Festival. Today was stormy, but I was excited to get to ride for pleasure to meet friends at a fancy bar on North Rampart for fancy drinks. The streets were wet and empty, and it felt so, so good to just spin the pedals on the Surly as I raced myself downtown. I slowed when I hit the streetcar tracks, though–beware the wet track! The ride back Uptown was even nicer. I don’t know, it just felt good to be riding tonight. I snapped this picture while waiting for the light to change at at Dauphine and Canal. This Walgreens is the brightest in the city, especially so tonight, with the wet asphalt reflecting like this. I love the city’s attempts to make it feel like Christmas in places where they might have trees to string lights. Here, we get giant lighted socks for our palm trees. The light changed and I raced home, strangely pleased I don’t have fenders on the Surly. Yep, it’s always good riding weather in New Orleans.

It’s cold tonight. And rainy. There was talk of snow, but that was mostly just fantasy. Regardless, it meant I was driving downtown tonight. And for a party with other bikers. I figured I’d have to park a few blocks away, skulk in. But first, I had to ride my bike to my car. It was cold and rainy and dark, and I quickly locked up to this nice rack outside of Harry’s Ace Hardware on Magazine. The sign reads, “Bike Parking for Harry’s Ace Customers.” Well, I wasn’t a customer tonight. And it didn’t look like anyone else would want to use it. I decided to just go for it, park there even though I wasn’t actually a customer. And then I was wondering if they could really enforce such a rule. Can they really tell bikers they can’t lock up here? I do like, though, knowing this business arranged to have these racks put in. Three cheers for more bike racks, and thanks, Harry. I drove down to the bar for a party, got my cell phone stolen, and then drove back to the bike and back home, a bad taste in my mouth, hoping tomorrow goes a little more smoothly.

(Scrambled eggs with extra mushrooms – $7.5+ $2.5)

This was the morning after Cafe Vue Cocktail Night - believe it or not, no hang over. Jacqui (the champ who consumed 10 about cocktails, was not the least bit drunk, and to prove it drove home got breathalysed and passed) had theorised that that is the difference good quality vodka and the nasty cheap crap that gives you hang over.

Because KJ only had two more days in Melbourne, we decided to take her to a cafe for brunch, very relaxing Saturday brunch, Melbourne style. Because it was on the way to the Queen Vic Market (let’s face it, all tourist road leads the Queen Vic), Maya had chosen this place.

(Chicken and avocado salad – $?)

It’s a typical nice, warm coloured and relaxing Melbourne cafe really. The Saturday breakfast menu consisted of the usual breakfast menu typical of the better Melbourne cafes. KJ, being a fussy girl that she is, had asked if they could do a salad (who the hell eats salad for breakfast anyway?) They said yes with a choice of tuna or chicken. She opted for chicken. Maya had opted for scrambled eggs and ’shrooms on the side.

(pancake with bacon, banana and maple syrup – $14?)

The food took quite a while though – almost 30 minutes before we were served despite being one of the few tables. So bring your patience with you and it shall be rewarded. Josh opted for the pancake option and boy did it blow me away! The dish was made up of two pancakes – one topped with lots of bacon and another with grilled banana. Both doused with maple syrup. Absolutely delicious. I would totally order that.

(the big veggie breakfast – $14? well, free actually)

Me? Starving and couldn’t decide. I opted for the big veggie breakfast. And it did not disappoint. It was the biggest veggie breakfast I had ever seen (hallelujah!). It consisted of two perfectly poached eggs (my choice), fried mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, spinach, home made baked mixed beans and tomato relish. There was supposed to be a hash brown but they had run out so I asked for extra mushrooms instead. All perfectly made and all perfectly yummy. Even the bread (Turkish) passed. And I’m fussy about bread.

But wait. There is a catch. Let’s see that one again. What do you see? You saw something sticking out under a piece of tomato you say? Bad luck for me, unfortunately, because I didn’t. I had to find out the hard way and something sharp poked the side of my mouth. What it turned out to be was a used match. Complete with one burnt end and everything. So I complained. Of course, I complained. In a nice way obviously. The waitress was most apologetic. She immediately took away my plate and offered to make me another breakfast. She rattled off  a few things and I settled for a toasted chicken, cheese and avocado sandwich. Luckily by now I had eaten most of the breakfast.

(toasted chicken, cheese and avocado sandwich – free)

A few minutes later, the chef herself turned up to apologised. And a few minutes later, my toasted sandwich arrived. And it was good (and fast! Next table had been there a while and still no food, seems like the 30 minute wait for breakfast was universal). The Turkish bread was perfectly toasted and the chicken unassumingly good with gooey avocado. Josh ate half of it because well, I had eaten most of the breakfast before that.

All in all, it was good. The food was really good as far as cafe breakfast goes. Quite outstanding in fact. I would wait half an hour for that sort of feed any day. As for the used match, I’m sure it’s a genuine mistake, which they promptly corrected in the most apologetic manner. My breakfast and the extra toasted sandwich were taken off the bill. I was happy with the service and the way they handled the situation.

So yes, I would go back.

Milano on Queen, 215 Queen St., Melbourne VIC 3000

Ok, so for me, riding a bicycle is usually a solitary act. I don’t love riding with other people–I’m not good at pacing. I prefer heavily-trafficked routes to the side streets with their potholes, unlike most of my friends, for whom fear of the motor vehicle outweighs all else. And I’m a stickler about being a law-abiding cyclist, which means no, I do not want to ride the wrong way down that one way street (S., I’m looking at you). But today I rode my bike down to the Tidewater Building on Canal to talk about riding in the city with nine other folks who regularly pedal around here. Turns out, all the things that drive me crazy drive others crazy too. And it turns out I’m not all that law-abiding either. Asked repeatedly what would make me obey all stop signs, traffic or not, I kept saying, “nothing.” I enjoyed this brief foray into group activity, but was also happy to leave, clip in, and head off on my own way. I stopped in front of this statue on my ride back toward the river. It was 5:00, which meant heavy traffic on Canal, and rather than try to talk on my cell phone and ride at the same time (there’s not a law against it, but there probably should be), I hopped off and walked my bike. I’ve ridden past Molly Marine a hundred times, but I’ve actually never really noticed her. She was erected in 1943, in honor of women marines, the very first statue honoring military women in the entire U.S.. Huh. Sometimes it’s safer to get off and walk. Who knows what you’ve been missing, speeding by on a bike.

It was Mfluder’s birthday and the inimitable Tricia, together with Mr and Mrs Sailorboy, put together an amazing dinner at then-new Kiraku. (Sorry Mfluder for posting this late, happy birthday plus 8 weeks!) Almost 20 of us took up the centre of the restaurant (not enough space in the private room) for Mfluder’s Sake-To-Me Night of Indulgence and made enough noise for 40! Mrs Sailorboy arranged for a special menu and the restaurant graciously gave us, among other things,  little bites to start the meal. The first little bite was fish liver. It tasted like rather fishy foie gras, not too bad but I probably wouldn’t want more than the few morsels in the bowl.

Then they probably ran out of fish liver because the rest of the late ones streaming in got this rather nice unagi starter. Boy were Hypodermically and I pleased that we got there early as we got two types of nice bites!

Because Hypodermically and I couldn’t wait for the rest to arrive so dinner proper could start, we ordered a very competent sashimi salad that was very fresh and left us hankering for more.

The first dish was the star of the entire dinner: oyster chawanmushi like nothing we’d tasted before. This truly brought chawanmushi to a new level. The uber-soft egg custard lay under half an inch of clear broth. Taking an exploratory spoonful of the broth, I tasted dashi broth and ginger. Dipping my spoon gently into the custard, I got ready for the egg part. And the silky yielding custard was an epiphany of oyster. I don’t know how they got it so soft and how they got the oyster bits just cooked without tasting at all fishy, but this is top of my list in chawanmushi. It’s the best one I’ve had. Ever.

Next came assorted sashimi, which was fresh, though not astoundingly fresh like on lucky days when you intercept the shipment straight from Japan. I liked it even more when Hypodermically agreed to swap her maguro for my salmon. The sweet prawn was quite nice…

… but even nicer was Mrs Sailorboy making sure that everyone surrendered their prawn heads for frying. Now these deep-fried prawn heads made for an ideal snack to go along with sake…

… which by now everyone was downing. The owner gave us what seemed like a free flow of very good, very smooth sake that kept coming. I don’t remember very much what it tasted like because DC didn’t let me take more than a few sips. Before you think he was being evil (though he normally is, heheh), he didn’t want me to repeat a Smokin’ Frogz. We also shared a small bottle of very lovely (even better than the free flow stuff!) sake between the four or five of us in the vicinity.

Next up was the tempura, nice and crisp. Good standard, though not particularly special.

But the sushi was very good. Somehow the rice was done perfect: balanced perfectly on the edge of hard and flavoured with just the right amount of vinegar. The three here beat my Singapore gold standard of Isetan supermarket sushi (go try it for yourself before you scoff). Excellent.

Emboldened by the excellent sushi, we rather paradoxically ordered more sashimi. The otoro was amazing. Having not been to Tsukiji market, I obviously don’t know what otoro is supposed to be like, but this one was another epiphany. Even DC was uncharacteristically uncharitable: we had to split the last piece. Being on the more despotic side of the relationship, I obviously got the slightly bigger and therefore better half.

It was a pity that my favourite ikura gunkan didn’t fare as well. Here, they soak the salmon roe in sake which gives it a rather interesting alcoholic edge. I prefer it done the normal way where you can really taste the fish oil. It didn’t help that the sacs were quite thick, so the ikura wasn’t as bursty as I like.

Everyone else oohed and aahed and loved the oyster sashimi. It was so big that it had to be served cut into little bits. I felt that it was a competent and fresh enough oyster. However, it just doesn’t beat oysters in the half-shell that still taste of the sea. This one somehow didn’t. It felt more like it belonged in a (very) high-class or luak.

The savoury courses finally came to an end with sukiyaki and shabu shabu.

True to form, ours wasn’t any old sukiyaki or shabu shabu. It came with wagyu beef…

… and kurobuta pork.

No pictures of the cooked product because we were busy squabbling and fighting over who was hogging (pun intended) the beef and the pork. All’s fair in love, war and eating. Amen.

Now the last course was something off-menu. Even the owner only tasted it the night before when the chef had finished the cake. It was a lovely strawberry cheesecake, very rich and homey tasting. It was unanimous, everyone wanted it to be put on the menu.

Kiraku
55 Market Street
#B1-01
Tel: 6438 6428

Biodiversity Negotiations Need to Allow for Flexibility in Business, Industry Says
IP Watch, 25 November 2009

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Aspects of a legally-binding international agreement on access and benefit-sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity may harm business interests and also fail to reach its objectives of protecting and preserving biodiversity, said members of a panel of industry representatives held in Geneva on 24 November 2009, hosted by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations. Read the article …

I used to work in the old Brisbane Administration Centre building behind City Hall.  A few years ago, they moved us over to Brisbane Square, which is now the administrative centre of Brisbane City Council.  The old building was kind of chewed up, Telstra has gone into 69 Ann Street and they’ve built another building on the Adelaide Street.  A few new cafe/restaurants have sprung up around the shopfronts of the new building.  From Firefly, which has pizza (very good pizza in fact) to Chocolate Soldier, which is all about chocolate and coffee (great chocolate, mediocre coffee).

On the Adelaide Street side is a new restaurant called Cicada, which looked really promising at first look.  Modern, open and glossy, the decor looks inviting for lunch, dinner or a coffee or drinks.  There is also a take-away section that I had seen had lots of good looking salads, paninis and pastas.  But I hadn’t tried it out yet.

Last week, we booked it for a work get together lunch on Thursday.  When we booked, we weren’t asked whether we would like a table indoors or outside, just that it was a table for eight people.

When we got there a couple of people from our party went to the salad/panini area to purchase something from there for lunch, and a waitress came and asked me who booked the table.  I pointed out the lady, and off the waitress went to talk to her.  The lady came back to our table to tell us that she had been told that when someone books the tables inside the restaurant, they’re not allowed to order from the salad/panini area.  She insisted we would have been told this on booking (we weren’t – nor did we request particularly to be inside) but said she would allow it “this time”.  So this at first left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths.

I ordered the gnocchi from the menu, others ordered the tuna, the lamb souvlaki.  When my gnocchi arrived, I actually wondered if there was gnocchi in there.  It was literally six pieces of gnocchi, a little cream sauce, a swirl of barbecue sauce buried under about three large handfuls of  what I would call garnish.

What little there was there was delicious, but it was such a small amount I was looking for something else.  Strangely though, the other dishes served were all much more sensibly sized portions.

This was the last we saw our wait staff other than them reaching over us to whisk our empty glasses away (which they never asked if we would like another drink during the whole hour we were there) and remove our plates.  We were not asked if our meals were satisfactory, nor were we offered to order more drinks or even coffee.  As soon as we had finished eating what was in front of us, we got the distinct impression that we were meant to leave.  I know at least three of the party would have had coffee, and I probably would have had some cheese or a dessert, given the small size of my meal.

We paid our bill, weren’t thanked or made feel welcome at all, and left.  I dashed over the road and got something else to eat to finish my lunch and a coffee.

If you’re thinking of giving Cicada a try… give them a miss.  I certainly won’t be going back.

German Development Cooperation (GTZ) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat has launched a new guide on Biodiversity and Livelihoods: REDD Benefits.

This brochure provides a wide array of tools and examples on how measures and policies can be shaped to simultaneously address climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty. It provides a basic introduction to biodiversity and livelihoods aspects, including identifying opportunities for synergies and mutual enhancement of the objectives of international agreements, and background information on the linkages between ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation measures.

The brochure also describes concrete measures to achieve long-term success and the multiple benefits of mitigation and adaptation measures. These include participatory approaches and pro-poor policies, improving the adaptation capacity of forests to climate changes, maintaining species migration routes, and avoiding self-enforcing negative impacts of climate change.

“Forest ecosystems that have the ability to adapt to climate change can provide for the livelihoods of forest-dependent people and communities who are partners in safeguarding forests and supporting the mitigation of climate change. To sustain this partnership, these people should actively participate in decision-making, and financial compensation for their efforts is needed.” – Extract from the Good Practice Guide

Chapter 5 specifically focuses on indigenous and local communities as partners and beneficiaries of REDD efforts.

Download Biodiversity and Livelihoods: REDD Benefits [pdf]….

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a new Good Practice Guide on Sustainable Forest Management: Biodiversity and Livelihoods. This booklet is part of a series of Good Practice Guides produced by the CBD. It provides a range of case studies and other materials to make the forest sector more biodiversity-friendly, and socially beneficial. It addresses the linkages between forestry, biodiversity, and development / poverty reduction. The summaries and examples included in this booklet show how biodiversity and sustainable economic development can go hand in hand. The primary target audiences for the guide are government officers and decision-makers in the various government agencies related to forestry (at global, regional, national and local levels), as well as development practitioners. A CD-ROM is also available.

Chapter II.c of the guide focuses specifically on the role of indigenous and local communities. Indigenous case studies include one from the Congo (on the use of GPS and community radio by Pygmy communities to protect cultural sites) and Malaysia (on biodiversity in production forests).

“Recent developments for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) have the potential to provide benefits to local and indigenous communities. However, a number of conditions would need to be met for these co-benefits to be achieved. Indigenous peoples are unlikely to benefit from REDD where they have no secure land tenure; if there is no principle of free, prior and informed consent concerning the use of their lands and resources; and if their identities are not recognized or they have no space to participate in policy-making processes and/or lack the capacity to engage on an equal footing.” - Extract from Sustainable Forest Management: Biodiversity and Livelihoods

Download the Good Practice Guide on Sustainable Forest Management: Biodiversity and Livelihoods [pdf]…

This was back during the awful hay fever episode. I remember it distinctly as the night I barely slept and woke up at 6am and couldn’t go back to sleep. Generally, I would pick myself out of bed and go for a morning walk/run but because I barely slept I was just too tired so I figured let’s just hit Degraves St. for breakfast. So I pulled poor Josh out of a bed with a promise of breakfast treat.

(eggs florentine, poached eggs with spinach and hallandaise sauce – $12.00)

It was a lovely warm day and the day was heating up already (loves it) but we went in and sat in the booth at the back anyway. Unfortunately, I was grouchy to the max from lack of sleep and the fact that I had to be at work soonish didn’t help either.

The cafe was warmly decorated with interesting black and white photographs and while it was quite warm at the back, I didn’t mind. I am a tropical girl, after all. The breakfast options weren’t large with a few daily specials.

Due to grouchiness, I decided to be boring (I’m sorry, I try to not order the same thing over and over again) and ordered eggs florentine. The eggs were perfectly cooked this time (as opposed to my last eggs florentine) and I enjoyed it. Although still the hollandaise was a bit lacking. I’m yet to find perfect hollandaise sauce.

(Mediterranean omelet – $14.50?)

Josh ordered what was called Mediterranean omelet. I thought it was going to be normal runny omelet with ‘Mediterranean’ ingredients in them (like fetta, olives, etc.)  but surprisingly it was the Spanish style omelet (tortilla) which was served in a hot iron pan. The eggs were fluffly and cooked through – Spanish style with chorizo, onion and a few other things (can’t remember, too grouchy, no potato though).

Josh enjoyed it because he liked his eggs cooked through. I don’t but it wasn’t because it wasn’t done right. It was a fair portion of food. I ended up helping him with some. He’s not a big eater – especially for breakfast. It’s fantastic I married him. I get all his leftovers.

It was a good breakfast – typical of Degraves St. cafe standard. It did make me less grouchy before heading off for work. I’m so glad I work nearby.

The Quarter, 27 – 31 Degraves Street, Melbourne VIC