Americium - Completing visits to all 50 states of the USA

Americium

Americium (atomic number 95) seems to me to be the perfect element for the final post of this year's holiday blog. During the last three weeks we have travelled to three states and completed the fifty states of the United States of America. So marking this with the first element to be synthesized in the Americas. Yet again it is the work of Seaborg and his team. I'd not come across there work until this year. But thanks to the challenge from Robin Croft, I've had to work hard to find titles for each of the blog posts which are elements or something closely related, but in doing so I have discovered much about the 118 elements that I did not know. Indeed when I finished studying chemistry in 1973 there were only 103 elements!

Reflecting on the Holiday

This is the fifth time I've ended the holiday blog with a reflection. Given the complexity of this year's holiday I am so pleased, and a little amazed, that everything worked so well, including so much flying, which was a new aspect of this year's holiday.

Highlights 

There are so many great things to remember about this holiday that it was had to think of just three to be highlights. But here goes:

Welcome to Alaska

Welcome to Kaua'i, Hawai'i

First, actually making it to the last two states of the fifty is a source of joy. I didn't realise it would feel like such a great achievement. I think they were two good states to leave until last. They are very different from each other and indeed very different from the other 48 states.

Second, Lands End and Twin Peaks - San Francisco. I was aware there were such places, but finally making it to both was for me a great achievement. I was a way of getting to know my favourite City all the better. 

Third, Kaua'i. The island was an unexpectedly lovely place and the company of the GyPSy guide meant there was a story or tale around every corner. It was early in the holiday but set us up for all that was to come. 


I would have included Homer in my list, but Drew wrote his list first and has already included that lovely place. I could easily go back there for a week or a fortnight. 

<<Co-pilot's note:

Here is my list

First, Honolulu - I thought it would be tacky and touristy like Vegas. While it is focused on tourists it has more character and charm than I expected. A nice little place.

Second, Alaska as a whole. While Denali was special there were so many unexpected: "There's pretty moments" all around the route. These are places that no one hears of, but are still exceptionally pretty. 


Third, Homer Spit - the whole place has an air of mild craziness that suited us. The views of glaciers, mountains, sea and sand all held great charm. It was a lovely place.

Favourite Meal

I have two favourite meals

The Pizzeria at Denali - it was the best comedy value of the holiday. 

Arancino in Honolulu, the best meal, nice atmosphere, lots going on around us. A very nice place. The starter had lots of different flavour tomatoes for starters, then Amatriciana, my favourite, plus I had room for a wobbly Panna Cotta for dessert. >>

Memorable Meal

For me it was Quince of course, but excluding that because it was so exceptional. I think my favourite was Aliotos. From its exceptional service <<Co-pilot's note: Good old Alfred.>>, to its delightful food and most of all for the rich Tomato-base and the astounding collection of seafood in the Cioppino.

Travel

Miles driven

In total we drove 1,742 miles, an exceptionally short period for one of our holidays. We drove 278 miles in Kaua'i and 1,464 in Alaska.

We shared the driving almost evenly, with Drew doing 893 miles and I doing 849 miles (51%-49%). Though the time driving was very different with Drew driving for 16 hours and 35 minutes and I driving for 26 hours and 31 minutes (38% and 62%). This reflects the Kaua'i driving which was very slow, and pretty, and the fact Drew prefers long drives with little stopping, so I end up with town driving.

Miles walked 

Driving is our normal means of travel on holiday, but this year Drew was determined to increase our walking to balance our increase in eating on holiday. This seems to have worked well. 

Overall we walked 309,071 steps or 117 miles. An average of 14,718, or 5.6 miles per day, well above our 10,000 step target. He's a hard task master.

The exceptional days were the Saturday when we walked from Waikiki to Download Honolulu via the murals of Kaka'ako when we walked 28,574 steps or 10.5 miles. The day in Homer when we walked 27,187 steps or 10.9 miles and the Sunday in Fairbanks when, just walking three times back and for from the hotel to town I did 26,872 steps at just over 11 miles. 

It is strange that what was by far the hardest day, the climb up Diamond Head, come in at only 24,409 steps and 9.63 miles. I guess those steep steps are only one step, however steep!!

NB - If you are wondering why the highest steps day is not the highest mile day, it is due to Google fit registering the distance and the steps separately. It doesn't convert steps into miles. It registers the distance travelled and counts the steps taken. Steps of course can be large or small.

Clipper Card

Using a Clipper Card worked out very well for us. If you are going to San Francisco it is worth considering. Even with a $3 charge for the plastic card we saved $20 by having the card rather than using cash. <<Co-pilot's note: I would like, dear readers, to point out that he has saved both plastic cards to achieve greater savings next time!!>>

Earworm songs

An additional section to the review this year. The songs which have stuck in our minds since we heard them, what they call Earworms. 

For us this year there were two songs which were played a few times by the driver, Eddie on our Pearl Harbour tour. Both were by the Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The first an adaption of John Denver's country road song where Israel is coming home to West Makaha and Mount Ka'ala and has my favourite lyrics about: "crystal-clear blue watah" and "hanging on da beach".

The second about the god/legend of Hawai'i Maui, the Hawaiian superman (or as spelt in the lyrics of this song Suppaman), whose story was told on the GyPSy guide.

Both songs got stuck in our mind on that day, and I suspect will be there for many years.

Thanks

Thanks to all of you who have made the journey with us, with comments on the blog, on Flickr and on Facebook - they have been a great help and encouragement both for informing the journey and for correcting the infelicities <<Co-pilot's note: Eh? U wha?>> on the blog and Flickr pictures.  My favourites have been Robin pointing out on the blog that I had called Denali's former name of Mount McKinley, Mount Kinsey, which is an Antarctic mountain and my sister pointing out on Flickr that the red peppers in the picture were in fact green!! (red-green is a common colour-blind problem for me).

Titanium - The flight and the rest of the journey home

Titanium

The title of this post is Titanium, like Aluminium, which I used as the title for the flight out to San Francisco, the element Titanium (atomic number 22) is a vital element in aircraft manufacturing. Indeed the Boeing 787-900 we travelled on today is made up 15% of Titanium. Titanium is used because it withstands comparable loads better than aluminum. It also has minimal fatigue concern, which is a good thing on airplanes. 

The Flight

We left the KLM-Air France lounge at 5:20pm and were boarded straight away. We had a refreshing Orange Juice while everyone else boarded.

The plane pulled away from the gate at exactly 6:00pm as scheduled and as were in the air by 6:10pm PST - 2:10am BST.

We were served pretzels and drinks (Diet Cokes for us) and at just after 7pm (3am Saturday BST) we had dinner. I'm afraid that with only my phone camera to hand I couldn't take photos of the food. I tried three, but none of them looked as nice as the food itself did.

The starter was a lovely Greek salad with feta, cherry tomatoes, basil and a balsamic vinaigrette which you could pour over if you wished. We wished!! The vinaigrette was sharp and tasty, it complemented, rather than overpowered the salad.

For mains Drew opted for Bulgogi Beef, a spicy korean dish with jasmine rice. The beef had raw chilli on top as well as being well flavoured throughout. Drew enjoyed it.

I opted for the Pesto Chicken, now it is Saturday, this was simple but tasty, with chunks of chicken in a pstor sauce with mashed potato and very tasty, el-dente, kale.

The desserts were peach and cream cheesecake and cheese and crackers. As is our tradition Drew had both cheesecakes and I had both cheeses. Drew said the cheesecake was very, very rich. It was a struggle to eat both of them (apparently). He managed without any complaint. <<Co-pilot's note: I am, dear readers, as you know, a Martyr!>>

We had finished by 3:40am with a lovely cup of PG Tips. My first tea for three weeks. 

I watched Skymap and slept to the background of Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn and Blake Shelton. If you don't know who these heros of country music are you should be ashamed of yourselves 😂. Seriously, I am a country fan and these were the best available. Dolly's selection was two hours long, Johnny's 90 minutes and the others between 60 and 80 - so there was enough to be going on with. I realised I was sleeping when I work up with no music on.

I wasn't asleep all the time, as I tracked us on Skymap, so I know we flew a different route from the one in which we had arrived. We flew inland from San Francisco airport over Salt Lake City and on across the centre of the USA. On this occasion we only turned north as we entered Maine, flying up over Houlton, Maine then via New Brunswick and across Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic and crossing Ireland (Dingle was the first town we flew over in Ireland) and South Wales. 

I think I slept between 4 and 5 of the ten hours. Drew managed some sleep too, about three hours, between watching The Lost Boys and Space Cowboys, two classic films.

At 10am BST the lights gradually come up a process which takes 30 minutes to complete, so that people are woken gently. At 10:30am breakfast is provided. 

Fresh fruit, not a great photo, due to the lighting

The days were when breakfast was bacon, sausage and egg. But now it is all grains, yogurt and fruit. Drew had my yogurt and granola and I had his fresh fruit. The fruit is really chilled and tasty, the picture makes it looked washed out, but that is simply the lighting in the plane. 

I washed breakfast down with a cup of tea, but I do feel I'll need to buy breakfast/lunch when we land. 

We arrive at Heathrow at 12:13pm the plane taxis for a while getting to the gate at 12:25pm.  We go through passport control by 12:45pm and pick up our bags straight away (another advantage of Premium Economy, faster bag pick up). 

Travelling back to Wales

Panini and Coffees - Heathrow Bus Station

We walked to the Heathrow Central Bus Station arriving at 1:00pm where we had a panini and coffee each while waiting for our coach at 2:10pm. Drew had ham and mozzarella with a latte and I had meatballs and mozzarella with an americano.  

The coach ride was smooth, we both had short dozes and were grateful neither of us were driving. Given how hot it is today in England and Wales we were very grateful for the lovely air-conditioning that the bus provided.

We arrived at Sophia Gardens at 5:30pm, ten minutes before schedule and walked to the front of the Castle to catch the 132 at the stop Drew's uses to come home from work. 

Drew on the 132 coming across the Coryton Gyratory

The bus arrived at the same time as we did so we were back in Tongwynlais by 6:05pm. 

Our Front Door - we have arrived

We get to our front door, pause for a photo and are home. It is nice to be home, but I'll miss the fun of the holiday. 

An hour later our cases are unpacked, washing in the machine, milk bought from the Spar for cups of tea. Settling back in time has begun.

Fermium - Eating Italian on the last day in San Francisco

Yerba Buena Gardens

Fermium

Today's element Fermium (atomic number 100) is named for the noted Italian-American Enrico Fermi. Fermi was influential in the Manhattan project and though his post-war links are more with Chicago than San Francisco. I think the Italian-American influence on both our meals today is a good reason to go with this element as the blog title of the day.

Leaving the Hotel Room

Both our stays at the Hotel Triton this holiday have been as good as they always are. Since I first stayed here in 1996, I have come to the hotel each time I have come to the City. Its location and quality of service are excellent, so I hope to be back again.  

This morning I woke at 5:30am and wrote up yesterday's blog post until Drew woke at 6:15am. I then went down for coffee and carried on with the blog until it is finished at 7:00am. 

We get up showered and begin the packing process. I don't know why, but packing for the home journey always seems a bit fraught. Given the number of times we have packed and unpacked on this holiday you would think it was routine. But somehow it isn't. So, having checked and double checked, we left the room at  8:50, checked out and left our four bags - luggage and hand luggage secure at the hotel.

Breakfast

Welcome to Roxanne's

Our breakfast was a return visit to Roxanne's Cafe at the cross-street between Bush and Powell - three blocks away. We had enjoyed our first visit, and I had spotted some items on the menu that would suit me on a Friday when meat is off the agenda. While the breakfast menu is not particularly Italian, a look at what else they do, shows the clear link - as does much of the art and images inside.

Smoked Salmon Benedict

I chose the Smoked Salmon Benedict. Which was an English Muffin topped with smoked salmon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. It was as tasty as it sounds, the poached egg was firm on the outside, but soft and juicy in the very centre - not enough to make a mess of the plate (and me), but enough to allow the flavour of the egg to merge with the bread. The smoked salmon was salty and mixed well wiht the egg.

Eggs, link sausages and sourdough toast

Drew had two Eggs over easy with sausage and sourdough toast for his breakfast and enjoyed it too. 

Walking and shopping

Our route, including Roxanne's looked like this (ignore the dark line which is the subway coming out to the Airport).

Friday Morning

From Roxanne's we walked down through the Tenderloin and district then strolled along Market Street and down to 4th and Harrison, marked SoMa (South of Market) on the Map. Passed the lovely Yerba Buena Gardens (see the picture at the top of the post).

It doesn't look so scary in the daylight years later

On a previous visit to San Francisco (I think the 2009 one) Drew and I had gone out for a lovely Thai meal in the Castro and caught a bus back to downtown. However it was quite late and the bus, instead of going to 3rd and Market, as advertised, went to the Bus Depot in Berry Street at 4th. Meaning we had to walk through a slightly less salubrious area. At one point, as we came under the I-80 overpass we saw people acting surreptitiously - moving something from the boot of their car into a hole in the ground - was it a body, was it something stolen - they saw us and shouted something and we ran. We'd never been back to this place, so today we saw if we could locate it, and found it. Though now it is being worked on, and whatever <<Co-pilot's note: or whoever!!!>> was buried there has probably been dug up.

An old sign - still in use

Our next task was to find a store that Drew uses for some mail-order material that he had never visited in the flesh before. So he went along, got a discount as a regular customer coming into store and bought some personal items. I'll let him describe them if he chooses. <<Co-pilot's note: Let's not old boy!!>>

From here we walked back to Market and I went to Ross, which I associate with the British brand which sells electrical goods, but here sells cheap clothing. As my Walmart trip in Alaska didn't get all the items I needed I tried Ross and was pleased with the two pairs of trousers and two shirts I bought. Very reasonably priced, but with 7% tax here in San Francisco, rather than the tax-free situation in Alaska. (Walmart and JC Penny's my more regular places to purchase don't have any presence in downtown San Francisco.)

We meandered up to Lori's for lunch, the map shows you quite what a meander it was.

Lunch

While Lori's is 1950s Americana, its lunch menu includes a lot of Italian influences - hence the link to Fermium. 

Spinach Lasagna

I, still not eating meat, went for Spinach Lasagna. The Lasagna had shredded baby spinach, garlic, leeks and a bechamel sauce with ricotta and parmesan on top. Very Italian and very tasty. I was surprised how rich the flavour was, I'd always assumed meat played a large part in the lasagne taste, but the Spinach worked just as well.

Penne Italiano

Drew also went Italian, with Penne Italiano it was Penne pasta cooked with Italian Sausage, peppers, tomato and garlic. He said it was delicious.

Garden Salad with Honey and Mustard

Both were served with a garden salad with honey and mustard dressing for Drew and blue cheese dressing for me.

Back to Airport

Lobby of the Hotel Triton

Following lunch we went back to the hotel at 1:15pm, put the items we had bought into our cases and used the facilities.

Drew in the Triton Lobby

We left the hotel at 2:10pm arrived at BART station at 2:18pm - the train departed at 2:30pm arriving at the airport at 2:55pm (they are every 15 minutes). 

Priority Lane this way

We checked in at 3:00pm, there was no queue at Premium Economy. We were given Priority access through security checks, so we were though and clear by 3:15pm.

Another snack - Friday afternoon

As usual we have paid for a Airport Lounge, so I sit here at 4:30pm completing this blog post in the KLM-Air France lounge before a planned boarding at 5:20pm for the 6pm flight.

Livermorium - A day remembering the Hispanic founding of the Mission San Francisco de Asís

The Painted Ladies

Livermorium

Livermorium (atomic number 116) is our element for today. It is an element which was discovered at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Due to its discovery there Livermorium is named for the City of Livermore here in the bay. The City is named for the English born, Mexican citizen - Robert Livermore - whose ranch forms the basis of the City. Robert was linked to the Mission network in California, having been baptised as a Catholic in Mission Santa Clara before working in Mission San Gabriel, then buying the land, which now bears his name, and which is now also bournw by Livermorium, from the Mission San José. The mission network has been on my mind today as we spent most of our day in the Mission Dolores area of San Francisco and visited the place which gave this city its name the Mission San Francisco de Asís.

Breakfast

After the wonderful meal of last night, I lay-in until 6am and begin yesterday's blog post, Drew wakes at 6:10am and I go down (yes in last night's clothes - I'm not proud) for coffee for us both. 

I compete the blog post we ablute and leave the hotel at 9.00am. 

To make sure I keep trim, Drew's plans for today are a walking day. A good plan as Friday/Saturday will be taken up on a plane and I don't expect to go far without a car on Sunday <<Co-pilot's note: OK>> or Bank Holiday Monday <<Co-pilot's note: Not OK, you'll be walking to Church, not hanging around the house bothering me.>>. So today will be the last day for a chance of a good walk for a while. 

Our route for the day

I suggested we start by visiting Pacific Heights, sometimes called Millionaires row, this was the  only one of the 8 walks that Frommer recommend for visitors to the City that we had not yet done. We did the first seven before heading to Hawai'i and Alaska. 

We went up one street through Chinatown and then walked 9 blocks to Polk Gulch, where at 9.30am we stopped for breakfast at the Village Cafe at Pine and Polk.

New Village Cafe

New Village Cafe

The New Village Cafe is a two person operation, one out front, the other in the kitchen. But it works very smoothly and produces good food. 

Farmers Scramble

Drew decided to have Farmers Scramble which was a three egg scramble with bell peppers, mushrooms, avocado, spinach and jack cheese with home fries.

Breakfast Fajitas 

I decided to go a bit spicier with Breakfast Fajitas which were the same number of eggs with black beans, jack cheese, bell peppers, tomato and avocado served with tortillas and a pico sauce. The waiter recommended I try some Gringo Bandito hot sauce with it, and it was really zingy. A great way to wake up in the morning.

Pacific Heights

Lafayette Park

From Polk Gulch, we walked up three streets and then along two streets to Lafayette Park which is the centre of the Pacific Heights area. 

Fog in the bay

From here we could not only see some of the amazing houses, but also down into the bay. Guess what? The Fog is back, so we were lucky to get to see the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday.

An elaborate house in Pacific Heights

The houses are very impressive here, all with high gates and security systems. I'll point you to Flickr if you wish to see more.

Japantown

We wandered on heading for the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square.  We stumbled into Japantown, an area I'd visited back in the 90s, but not been to since. It is a lot more prosperous than it was then.

I stopped to read the memorials to the Japanese who were interned during the second world war. This is clearly a live issue for community politics here.

Catholic Cathedral

St Mary of the Assumption Cathedral

We leave Japantown and come, in a few blocks, to the modern brutalist Catholic Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption. I realize that while I like brutalism as a clear cut architectural style, I prefer it in museums and offices not in Churches.  

St Mary of the Assumption Cathedral

The internal art is as bleak and brutalist as the exterior. For those who can cope with it, there is plenty of evidence on Flickr starting here.

The Painted Ladies

The Painted Ladies

We continued on to Alamo Square Park and sat and took in the street of Victorian era houses known as the Painted Ladies. These have become Icons of the City, and attract a large number of tourists. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this place. My Mum and I went to see the Mike Myers film, So I Married an Axe Murderer, in the 90s. This comedy is set in San Francisco, and Myers charecter spends quite a bit of time doing his sitting and thinking on the bench I sat on as I took the photo above. So these ladies bring back lovely memories of my Mam. It is why it is so nice to be here.

Mission Dolores

Mission San Francisco de Asís - Mission Dolores

We left Alamo Square with the intention of heading straight to the Mission area of town, as Drew had seen that it has its own murals and wanted to photo them. But in doing so we came passed the Mission Dolores Basilica. The place for which this City is named.

Mission Dolores - old and new

The Mission San Francisco de Asís is the sixth, by order of founding, of the 21 California Missions. It was established on the 27th of June, 1776 - a week later, a long way away on the other side of this continent, something else was happening. 

Our Lady of Sorrows

The alternate name of Our Lady of Sorrows, comes from a missionary scouting party who arrived three months earlier and called the nearby river Arroyo de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. With the wider city taking the name of this foundation MIssion, the Mission is now known mainly as Mission Dolores.  

Earthquake Damage - 1906

The original Mission Church, and the Basilica which also carries its name, are side by side. In the 1906 earthquake the Mission, made of dried mud, stayed stable, but the Gothic Church collapsed and was replaced by the more tasteful hispanic style building we see now.

Both the old and new Church are worth a visit and we have 98 photos on Flickr, if you'd like to see more - start here.

Murals in the Mission

Coffee at Maxfield's - House of Caffeine

From the Church we headed deeper into the Mission area, stopping for a Coffee along the way.

Mural in the Mission

We noted we had already taken 13,000 steps and walked 5.20 miles at this point in the day. 

Saints who worked with the poor and oppressed

We visited the amazing Murals in Mission Dolores. Along 24th Street from its junction with Mission, there are an enormous number with great variety.

Artists titles

The murals are very political and some very emotional. The themes of Hispanic people and immigration (e.g. we were here before the border), themes of black oppression (See Martin Luther King), themes of Native American Indian oppression (with European's attacking Quetzalcoatl and the Aztec God responding) are all mixed together, with socalist themes of oppression and Christian images like Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Oscar Romero. 

Artist at work

This provides a fascinating and complex mix depicted in art, we even saw one of the artists at work. There are 144 photos to look at on Flickr - starting here

Back to the Hotel

We continued to walk along 24th Street until we arrived at Portero. Here we stopped at Walgreens to buy our supplies of aspirin and hydrocortisone to take home. (This is a regular part of an American trip, as prices and quantity of both products are much better than can be had in the UK. 

We caught the 9R bus from Portero at 24th Street to Mission and Kearney, this was 11 stops. We paid $2:50 (each) on our Clipper card for one ride. (Clippers hold cash as well as day tickets) We got back to the hotel just after 4pm and loaded the photos to Flickr, which, given there number, took some time.

Tadich Grill 

The Tadich Grill

The Tadich Grill is a San Francisco tradition everyone who visits the City should try. The restaurant was first opened in 1849 (before California had joined the USA). Though not on its current site, which would have been under water at the time, before they backfilled the bay to make more land for the City developments. 

Tadich Bar

The Tadich takes no bookings, you walk in and wait for as long as is needed at the bar for a table to become available, or you can eat at the bar. We have experience of early eaters in this city so we left the hotel at 7:25 to get to Tadich at 7:35. There were only five groups of two waiting for tables before us and by 8:15am we are seated at a table.

Caesar Salad

Drew started with his old staple - Caesar Salad, the anchovies were whole rather than sprinkled through the salad, which makes it more salty. The lettuce was crisp, the cheese melting and the generous helping of dressing was delcious. 

Crab Cakes with Aioli

I opted for Crab Cakes with Aioli, which was wonderful. The tightly packed cake, with the light breadcrumbed batter was firm and juicy. The Aioli was rich in garlic and the sauce around the plate had a mustardy flavour which worked well with the crab.

Halibut poached in a soy and ginger sauce with potatoes, leek and carrots 

The sauce had large slices of ginger in it, but this did not overpower the halibut given its own strong firm texture. The potatoes had a bite to them and the strips of carrot and leek were a good accompaniment to the halibut. 

Pork Shoulder

I chose one of the items from the daily specials list - Pork Shoulder with mashed potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and courgette.  This was a real triumph, the four think slice of Pork were rich in their own juices. The mash had not been messed with or added to, it was simply potato. The other vegetables were all cooked el dente, it was nice to have so much veg, it isn't always the case in the US. It was a hearty tasty meal, perfect for our last night here.

The meal looked so good that someone from a neighbouring table came over to ask what I had had, so he could order it when he came again.

We walked back to the hotel and were in bed by 11.00pm.

Californium - Eating Californian Food at Quince

Californium

In this extra post, to report on the wonderful meal we had in Quince, the element is the one named for this great state of California - Californium. The element with the atomic number 98 is very rare, first synthesized by Seaborg and his team, it stands out as a distinctive material emerging from nuclear reaction. Well Michael Tusk Quince's chef stands out as a distinctive person, creating astonishing food and getting a more positive reaction than the nuclear one.

Quince

San Francisco has three restaurants with three Michelin stars, an enormous accolade for the City’s dining traditions. I’d looked at all three before coming away and decided to try Quince, as I liked the reports on it on Trip Advisor and its delightful focus on fresh food from its own farm across the Golden Gate bridge. 

We walked to the restaurant, a short distance from our hotel on Pacific Avenue and were sat at 7:20pm. The restaurant is laid out in a series of 'rooms' separated by curtains. This has the effect of making the place more intimate. We were in an area with 8 other diners. Two tables of two and a table of four. The table next to us were about an hour in to their meal (judging by our timings) when we arrived.

The waitress who looked after us all evening, along with eight or nine other staff at various times explained the menu to us, and told us of the two choices we had, which we will discuss later.

We began with canapes:

First canapes, working from right to left as I look at the plate

Beef and parmesan macaroon – The tanginess of the beef was well accompanied by the parmesan flavour which give a salty richness to the little morsel.

Black olive macaroon with farro – the olive flavour was dominant, but it was extended by the wheaty flavour of the dish. It was sharp, but each flavour emerged as the macaroon melted in the mouth

Melon and feta – there was a very smooth melon flavour in the melon jelly. The jelly was not sweet, but rather tangy, it worked well with the saltiness of the feta running through the middle.

By this point of the meal I began to think – I like this chef. He does flavours, but they are of the sharp, tangy and salty end of the spectrum just like my palette. I hoped the rest of the meal would keep this practice, and it did.

Black rice cracker

Foie gras

Next among the canapes was a black rice cracker with pate de foie gras – the cracker was crunchy and crisp with a squid ink like taste. The pate was as rich as foie gras always is, so the cracker did a good job of carrying that earthy richness to the palette – this was a real winner for me. Drew, who isn’t always sure he, likes livery flavours enjoyed it too.

Fava bean croquette 

The third of the canapes was fava bean croquette – The croquette had pickled sweet red peppers on top, these were the dominant flavour, and suited both of us very well. The fava bean seemed more to be a vehicle for the peppers than having a purpose of its own, as its flavour is so light.

Tomato+

Our first course was entitled simply - Tomato - it was tomato with pine nuts and Monterey Bay seaweed, plus avocado and a delicious cucumber granita – which melted as it was poured. There were four different types of tomato only one of them looked like a tomato, the rest where all spheres that had been made to communicate the essence of tomato. Each of the spheres were strong, almost more tomatoey than a tomato, and were a delight to eat. Some were crunchy, others had a soft exterior and a liquid interior, each gave a wonderful flavour and none of them were sweet, which suits me. The cucumber granita acted as a seasoning for the rest of the dish, with suitable but pleasant flavours.

Fresh Farm Celtuce with Caviar

Next came Fresh Farm Celtuce with Tsar Nicoulai caviar, squid and lardo. The caviar was salty and squishy. They popped as they hit the tongue and had a fishy flavour. In the past, Drew has had a reservation for fish eggs since eating to many of them in dishes in a Spanish restaurant. If they had all been like these tender morsels, Drew wouldn’t have gone off them in the first place. The celtuce was chopped in thin batons and acted like celery would in a dish of this kind. The squid was cut in the same way as the celtuce, so it was part of the fun of eating this meal that it was not always clear what a baton was, squid or celtuce. This provided a fun element to the eating of this dish. The lardo surrounded the caviar and gave the whole dish a salty tang which was not overpowering but was delicious. 

We had been given the option of Golden Oestera Caviar Panna Cota, instead of this course, but with Drew’s reservations about fish egg – we didn’t go for it, but I can’t imagine a caviar dish that was a delicious as this one.

Freshly Dug Potatoes

The next course was Freshly Dug Potatoes with Oyster and Oyster Leaf. The potatoes came in chunks and spheres with intense flavours. It was like discovering new dimensions of an old friend. These potatoes were fresh from the farm and the flavour showed it. They were potatoes, but not like any we buy from the market or supermarket. The oyster was used as a sauce, so there were no texture problems for Drew. The dish was served with a onion bread, with salt crystals on top. Perfect for mopping up the bowl. The whole dish had the taste buds ringing with delight. Yum, I could have stopped now and asked for more of this delicious dish, if I didn't know how much more was to come.

Young Peas in their pod

The Young Peas in their pod was also delightful. The pea shoots with Goat’s Milk Butter and Balinese Sea Salt was delicious, unbelievably soft pea pods with the flavour baked in. The pods were cooked for so long that the pods were as tasty as the peas themselves. They were black in colour and pushing with the fork at one end brought the lovely green peas out the other. In a way the pods had become more of an attraction than the peas, though they were great too.

Bottoni Pasta

Now it was time for some Bottoni pasta with corn, chanterelles and black garlic. The chanterelles were tiny and cut in half, packed with flavour and saltiness. I felt sorry for whoever had had to peel such small mushrooms, but even sorrier for the person who had had to make such a delicate pasta which opened with an intense corn flavour from the liquid within. There were small bits of corn too. The little leaves gave a gentle lemony flavour. The combination of the pasta, corn and mushroom had me whimpering in delight – and Drew telling me to keep quiet. Amazing. 

Viennese Pretzel Bread

Black rye bread with sesame seeds, nearest the camera
A crunchy onion and cheese bread further away

We then came to the bread course that was to go with our mains. There were three types of bread, a white Viennese pretzel bread, a dark black rye bread with sesame seeds on the outside and a crunchy onion and cheese Bread

We enjoyed them so much we had another lot before the lamb course arrived!

Watson Farm Lamb

The main course was Watson Farm Lamb cuts from heel to shoulder this was served with melanzane alla parmigiana, allium and capsicum. The lamb was tender and delicious, each cut giving a different flavour. The melanzane put me in mind of chicken parmesan, except this was lamb parmesan. I think this was the intention. The allium gave a tender onion flavour to the whole dish, and the peppers, cooked in a light crumb brought crunch and juiciness. The sauce in the middle of the lamb was a creamy spinach flavour, but even more exciting were the two little black blobs which turned out to be an aniseed flavour and created a zing when eaten with the lamb. Overall this was a tongue tingling success. 

We had been given the option of replacing the lamb with Wagyu Beef, but as Welsh men proud of our own lamb, we wanted to taste the Californian variety. <<Co-pilot's note: I, dear readers, think Wagyu is exceptionally overrated, slimy murky mess. That is a dis-service to other types of beef.>>

Bread for cheese

We did however take up the option of a Cheese Course. The cheese was served with pieces of white baguette lightly toasted and a nut and raisin bread. 

Pickled walnuts, home crated Honey and golden raisin preserve

There was also pickled walnuts, home crated Honey and golden raisin preserve. Drew concentrated on these more than the cheese. The preserve was sharp, the honey was delicious, and the pickled walnuts were sweet and crunchy. Note the flickering candle, which was the only light source, not making photo taking easy.

What - no Cheese?? You can see we had very clean plates

We had four cheeses to share – Plas, a smelly, soft cheese that Drew claimed winked at him. It oozed over the plate, needing a spoon to eat it. Sofia; an Indiana blue goat’s cheese with ash, this was also soft, but had a real tang. There was a hard blue goat’s cheese from Umbria and a hard blue sheep’s cheese from Brooklyn, New York. While I took a photo of the accompaniments when they arrived, I got so exited talking about cheeses to the waitress that I forgot to take a photo until the plate was empty!! My sister will not be pleased!

Then came the desserts. First was a dessert simply called Strawberry, it came with tiny, sliced strawberries from the restaurant’s farm and was served with Anise Hyssop, Verbena and Lime with a milk chocolate parfait with cream. The lime was a great counter to the strawberries. The chef managed something, I didn’t think possible, a sweet that was not to sweet. I’m beginning to think this chef is related to me. His emphasis on spice and tang, with saltiness is exactly my flavour profile. Being able to produce a dessert which is fresh, tasty, but not sweet enough to turn my sugar alarms on is some kind of miracle. This like the cheese didn't get a picture!!

Yellow Peach with mascarpone

The next dessert was Yellow Peach with mascarpone, Bee Pollen and Lemon Leaf. Again, with the bee pollen handed over to Drew, it would be too sweet, the rest of the dish wasn’t just edible, but was fruity and tangy. Another triumph. The tweel had a light crunch.

Mignardise

We were then provided with Mignardise, what I would have called petit fours. There was a wide selection, but Drew choose eight of them. The macaroons were strawberry sweet with a strawberry cream inside. The two jellies tasted like sweetened strawberry and fig. The tayberry topped item tasted just like a cheesecake, Drew thought they were remarkable. The biscotti were crunchy but soft, a cross between a biscuit and a sponge cake, with an almond sweetness to them. I didn’t join in at this stage. It was clear these were all too sweet.

Chocolatereat

They then brought us a semi-sphere of milk chocolate with a sponge cake sandwich with a creamy filling. Drew managed to complete this on his own

Finally, they arrived with another post-dessert, dessert – these were a French pastry with a sweet syrup poured over it. The overlying taste was honey, but Drew felt it was to much as he had to have mine as well as his own. 

Espresso

We completed the meal with double expressos. 

As we were led out of the restaurant we saw that we had been enjoying our meal at the same time as a god of the catering world, Clare Smyth. Smyth formally a Three-Star Chef at London’s Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and now a two-star chef at her own recently opened restaurant called Core by Clare Smyth, was eating with someone I didn’t recognise. I wish I could have gone over and asked what they thought of the meal. <<Co-pilot's note: There, dear readers, would have been blood, pouring from each of his orraphases. Just because they are famous they don't need a Mr B chatting to them. It was no to Jason and now it is no to Clare, leave them alone!!>> But I felt it might be a bit much having a fan disturb your meal.

As we left the building we were given a tisane – lemongrass and ginger – to take with us. This was a warming flavour, without sugar, went down very well as we walked back down Montgomery Street and up Bush to the Hotel. We got back in at 11:15pm