We'll always have Paris

People always ask me which European city I like best. It's not Rome, it's not Barcelona and it's not Berlin.

My favourite city is by far Paris. I wouldn't want to live there, but each time I go back as a tourist, it makes my heart flutter with joy.

The cafes, the people, the food, the savoir vivre - all add to the excitement. But I also feel that I have a rich fund of beautiful memories to draw from.

The other day I went to Paris for a business meeting and when we drove through the city by taxi, I started to recognise places I had visited with My. A little bar we had been to in summer, a bistro where we had mussels and steak, the lights of the Moulin Rouge... All these little moments make Paris very special to me.

And I take something new away from each visit, memories to hold and to cherish.

When I think back about this recent trip in a few years' time I will probably remember a few random moments, like

- ordering the most expensive wine on the list (at 49 EUR/glass) - by mistake
- running up the Arc de Triomphe in my 1hr lunch break
- shouting at the hotelier for messing up my reservation
- riding through Paris by night at the back of a motor bike
- fighting with the Oysters at dinner, not wanting to admit that I wasn't familiar with half of the food items

I guess there's a reason why Bogart's line from Casablanca is so iconic. Once you've been to Paris, the city of lights, it will stay with you for life.

Winter Wonderland

Call me boring, but I love traditions.

There is something very comforting and calming in following certain rituals at certain times of the year. It provides people with lasting memories and a sense of continuation.

There are many ways to kick-start the Christmas season, but for me it has to involve a trip to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. I adore the glitter and the sparkle of the stalls, fun fair rides and eateries and I don't mind paying disproportionate sums of money for my mulled wine and my fried potatoes.

Yes, I hear them too, the Scrooges of the world who argue that the event is not authentic, meaning it's not an exact copy of the Christmas Market from whichever little German town they happen to come from. But these people are missing the point. It's not about finding the BEST Christmas market in the world, it's about establishing traditions and celebrating a wonderful season of the year.

And what's not to like about the Winter Wonderland? It features the largest ice rink in the UK lit with more than 100,000 fairy lights, a magical world of ice sculptures, a Bavarian Village with German Schlager music and more Gluehwein stalls than you can imagine.

Now, shake of that winter gloom and Prost to a wonderful Christmas time!

Chocolate Fondant

It always surprises me what amazing things one can make with very basic ingredients such as butter, flower, sugar and eggs.

This chocolate fondant for example uses little else (apart from chocolate of course), yet it is such an amazing and luxurious desert.

The fondants were actually for a little dinner party tomorrow evening, but I couldn't resist the temptation to eat one straightway ...

The Art of Bonding

I have a theory: the ability to form friendships is in inverse relation to our age. Meaning: the older we become, the more difficult it is to connect to other people.

I obviously haven't conducted a study on this, but I think anecdotal evidence is enough in this case. If you put kids into the same room, likelihood is that they will become friends - or enemies - by the end of the afternoon. In any case, they will have formed some kind of relationship to each other.

Equally at school or in college, we tend to approach others with little prejudice and an open mind, but over time, these things don't happen naturally anymore.

Maybe it is because we become mentally less flexible and prefer to socialise with people who are exactly like us. Or maybe we lose our curiosity about the world and the people around us.

This becomes very apparent in the work environment and the question for companies is: how do you facilitate bonding between team members who think of each other as work colleagues first and as human beings second?

Like most companies, we have an "entertainment budget" to be allocated on booze and dinners and other "team enhancing" activities.

Below is how we spent it this month. Nothing too wild, nothing too crazy. But enough to remind ourselves that

a) Angel is actually not a bad location for a night out
b) there is some serious musical talent in London
c) burritos are a better late night snack that doner
d) the boss is just a human being after all.

Mixology

If you were a cocktail, which one would you be?

It's a valid question, because the guys from Mixology were in the office today, tasked with creating a signature cocktail for each of the country teams in Europe.

If you think the German cocktail would definitely have beer in it, you're mistaken. The mixologists came up with something even better! Here's the list - I think they nailed the personality (or is it just the stereotype?) of each country spot on!

British:
Gin, Elderflower cordial, apple juice, lemon, mint

French:
Peach Purée and champagne

Italian:
Whisky and Amaretto

Spanish:
Absolut Vodka, Ginger beer, lime and bitters

German:
Jägermeister, Peach Schnapps, cranberry juice and vodka

I wish I could have tried them all, but 5 cocktails during working hours is never a good idea!

Pho Express Redux

The good news is: My little Vietnamese Lunch cafe in Upper Street didn't go bankrupt after all. They were just closed for renovation.

The bad news is: the renovation didn't do anything in their favour.

I quite liked the original decor of the place - makeshift wallpaper made out of newspapers and posters. Bottles and boxes everywhere. Now that they've tried to paint the place and clean it up, it looks rather boring and uninspiring.

Nevertheless, the food is still the same and worth the little trek from my office. I'm usually not a big fan of sandwiches or bread in general, but this Vietnamese baguette with pork and pickled carrots was very yummy and a welcome break from the usual canteen food.

Cucumber Cups

I've been watching a lot of of cookery programmes recently and one chef that stands out to me is Nigel Slater. His show is about the best way to use up groceries and to avoid waste where possible. Slightly bruised fruits might still make a good crumble and leftover greens could become a lovely sandwich filling, given the right seasoning.

I love the idea of resourcefulness. I think it got triggered when people started to tell me that everything costs three times as much in Australia, especially basics such as bread, milk and vegetables. I think people are probably exaggerating he cost of living in Australia, however, it never hurts to be economical with food.

In the spirit of thriftiness I was determined to clear out my fridge today before heading out to the shops for fresh groceries.

The bounty was rather mixed: half a cucumber, lots of herbs, salmon trimmings, creme fraiche.

I wanted to make salmon cups, but I didn't have any pastry cups, blinis or bread. I therefore decided to use the cucumber as a base instead.

I cut the cucumber into thick slices, scooped out the seeds and filled the slices with smoked salmon which was mashed up with creme fraiche, spring onions, wasabi and lemon juice.

I think the pink of the salmon looks quite pretty against the dark green of the cucumber and it makes a nice and simple little starter.