Marrakech Night Markets, stall no. 32

When we see our delightful host at breakfast the next morning, we are quick to tell him how very much we enjoyed dinner at no. 14. We also told him about our discovery of the Moroccan viagra, to which he found very funny ;) We spoke about our plans for the day, which inevitably would lead back to the night markets ... Stall no. 32 was another of his recommendations. Grilled sausages and other meats .... He warned us that there was a delightful chopped up mix of insides, that was super delicious and full of charcoal, but also advises we probably won't like that ... all the more reason we want to try it!

As the sun goes down, we head back to the night markets armed with the no. 32. We arrive a little early and all the stalls are still setting up. We grab a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and just perch to watch the scrambling before dinner.



As the food stalls come to life, we spot to corner that just has smoke billowing above and smells of grilling meats.



We order some bread & grilled meguez to start. The bread is placed on the paper in front of us, again our only implement for eating with this evening, other than our nimble fingers of course. A little dish of fresh tomato sauce that is packed full of fresh herbs, cummin & pepper accompanies the bread. There are hundreds of little merguez sizzling away on the grill, popping and twisting in anticipation. A completely random number is just scooped up onto a little stainless plate and set before us.



We sit enjoying our sausages, mopping up all of the rich red fat that is on the bottom of the plate with our bread. We're not quite sure what this chopped insides thing is so we are on the watch. We see a wrapped parcel reset on a silver tray and placed directly into the coals. When it comes out, the parcel is pierced and out explodes this chopped mess. We grab a grill boys attention and proclaim our need for one of these plates .... We see a little parcel come out, and be placed into the charcoal. Yay, just for us. It arrives and the smell is intoxicating. Herbs, spice, meat, offal, charcoal. We have managed to save enough bread to mop this chopped mess up, delicious with a splash of their home made tomato sauce.



Now that has certainly whet the appetite, time to find dinner.

A little cabinet draws us in ....

We were wandering through the Medina of Fes ... All 9,000 of the little lanes & alleyways, that are mostly unmarked, hold some kinds of treasure. Sometime turning the corner you find pots of snails simmering away in a salted broth, other times a whole street lined with hand-made silk buttons, then there's the fresh nougat on carts, the bags of spices, and the hand-made pastries. One turn we made led us down a narrow path and we found a little cabinet sitting out the front that immediately drew both of our attention. It was filled with a range of meats & little sausages with some crusty baguette style breads and some pita style pockets.



We were both immediately intrigued, and with our interest are warmly welcomed inside. Kim chooses the little sausage, which they warn us are very spicy - perfect! and has them on a crusty roll with chili sauce & pickles and it comes wrapped in paper with a generous serve of hand cut chips.



My version is sans bread roll, and just a selection of grilled random meats with a few green olives and a handful of chips. There's mayonnasie & a light tomato & chili sauce on the side.



All washed down with some almost-salty Arabic Coca-Cola and we are set to tackle the Fes Medina once again.

Whipping up breakfast in Barcelona

We were very lucky to have a little apartment in Barcelona with a well equiped kitchen, and even a teeny-tiny little balcony that opened up and looked out onto Las Ramblas. When we arrived, it was coming into Easter weekend ... We were fortunate enough to think that through, and ventured out on Saturday to stock the fridge. What we hauled home you'd think the easter holidays ran for a whole week, and that we were feeding 7 people, but that's beside the point.

We barely make it through the afternoon before we crack into the stash. Chickpeas that are in a rich tomato & herb liquid, pepperdews filled with cheese & some baby chorizos along with a slab of pure honeycomb and an artesian goat's cheese.

Sunday is for sleeping in, as well as big hearty home-cooked breakfasts! We fry a few eggs and place them on some toasted sliced bread, along with some trompet & morel mushrooms which we have simply sauteed in butter and some little fried pork sausages. Oh, what a surprise these were! Tiny little chipolata's that were specked with fresh black truffle. A very decadent breakfast indeed ...

Are you going to drink that??

Seems it is the festive season round here ... Following close on the heels of pork and lanterns is the festival of beer (oh joy!). This happens smack bang in the middle of Sapporo and goes on for three weeks. All down Odori park huge beer gardens are set up by all the major players on Japans inebriation circuit as well as a bunch of the guys who usually prefer quality over quantity.

We made plans to meet up with a few friends in the center of the beerdom and headed off for a much needed civilization day in the city before hand. After some city wandering we found ourselves at the beginning of Odori so decided what better time than the present to have a few drinks. Wandering down the park we head past the gardens of the beers we can enjoy any day and grabbed a seat in the German section, we started off with a Franziskaner's weiss and a Spaten fest bier



Of course we couldn't have a beer garden without beer drinking snacking, so with table and beer secured we picked up a German sausage plate as well as a curry sausage an kicked back in the afternoon sun. Sweet.



Just as we finished the first round, we were joined by the Gyu+ crew We picked up a HB Munchen Dunkel and a Hallerndorfer Rauchbier which is a smoked beer, and got down to chewing the fat with the guys.



After we polished off these beers, and maybe a couple of pretzels we took a mosey on down to the Otaru beer spot, passing a group of sumo on the way (our first sumo sighting in Japan). Although we would have been glad to drink any of Otaru's range we were more interested in the other creatively named micro brewed beers from Rouge brewery on offer. With one Dead guy ale, a Brutal bitter, Shakespeare stout and an Otaru Pilsner with strawberry syrup in our hands it was time for a little more talk and don't forget the snacks, this time grilled squid and beef with mustard.





As the light was fading we now made our way to the Kirin tent where the night time action really kicks off, fueled by towers - 6 liters of towering beer, scouring the garden it seems that there is no seats left so we grab a spot on the grass....for about two seconds before a group leaving gives us their table. A tower is procured and the drinking begins.



It's a long way to the bottom and just when we had thought we had finished we realised we had just drunk until the beer level was out of sight, but there was still a liter in the plastic tower housing, once this was done the foolishness really set in.





Fuzzy logic brought Hisashi to the realization that if we had missed the unseen liter there were many liters awaiting a fellow in the know. This genius thought in his head he headed off into the throng of festivalers helpfully clearing the empty towers two or three at a time and stopping by our now hysterical table to empty the stash.



Ten more liters later we decided to head into town for a few more drinks and salsa of course. A quick stop in Tanuki koji at a bar that all I can remember is the roof was a foot shorter than I was, and we were suddenly in Suskino in a salsa bar, Hisashi promply passed out and the rest of us enjoyed salsa lessons from the owner for a few hours before wandering out onto the street for late late night ramen Kyushu style.





This means thin noodles and that's about all anyone remembers from that night. Good times.

Bourbon St, Bangkok

We watched a fair bit of Top Chef while down in Koh Phangan and particularly enjoyed the controversial finale that saw many asking whether Kasey's influence as sous chef to sous vide over Carla may have lost her the game ....... but all the New Orleans had us amped, and I had indeed been wanting to try a Cajun gumbo.

Luckily while in Bangkok we found a little piece of Bourbon St.



Once we stepped inside it was as if we weren't even in Bangkok anymore. Mardi gras beads and giant tabasco paraphernalia adorned the walls ...



and it had an all round homely and welcoming feel.

Bourbon St. Restaurant and Oyster Bar
29/4-6 Sukhumvit Soi 22
Washington Square
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66-2 259-0328/9



We start with a bloomin' onion. An onion sliced to open like a blossom, dusted in a nice spicy flour and fried until crisp and served with something called a tiger sauce. It was finger-lickin' delicious.



Next up we try the spinach and artichoke dip. The spinach and artichokes are blended with 3 types of cheese, to a chunky dip. There's also a chunky tomato salsa and piles of tortilla chips. The spinach and artichoke dip would be my favorite dish of the day.



We then had the house-made Italian style sausage po' boy. The sausage grilled and split open on a toasted bun with fried peppers and onion. The onion and pepper mix had a nice surprise of toasted fennel seeds, and the side of mayonnaise being slathered on with each bite.



Last dish up, the gumbo. We try to chicken and andouillette version. A bowl of food that definitely tastes more appealing than it looks. It's such a homely dish, packed with flavour, spice and chunks of meat and a touch of rice. The home-made cornbread, that's served warm, is the perfect way to mop up the remains.



A nice little escape in the heart of Sukumvit, with plenty of soul and good food !

Drinking the cow+

When you live in the big city there is always at least one or two places that hospitality workers tend to end up at after work. These places are open late and serve food and drinks for foodies.

Now living far from the big smoke we were really pleased to find such a place even in our tiny town. Gyu+ bar is most known for it's unusual entrance, an old coke fridge door.



Once you pass through the low door you enter a warm inviting bar, the walls adorned with thousands of records that all get played depending on the whim of Hisashi, the owner of Gyu who along with working behind the bar takes time out to keep the music going on the set of decks next to the bar.



The seats and lounges are all mismatched there's a chair made from rubber balls and a wooden seagull hanging from the rafters guiding you to the bathroom. Once you sink into one of the lounges you may never want to leave.





The drinks menu is extensive, with a whole page devoted to hot cocktails, like hot chocolate with bailey's, just the thing on these sub zero nights.



There's a page of Gyu originals with things like the Dr Pepper, a beer with a splash of coke and a shot of amaretto, it has the flavor Dr Pepper down pat, perhaps just a little more grown up.



But where Gyu really comes into it's own (apart from the amazing music/cocktails/decor/staff and food) is Hisashi's collection of whiskeys. An avid collector, he has an extensive collection, with a good range of Japanese included. When a whisky is ordered if the order is on rocks, the rocks are a single perfect ball of ice that fills the whole glass, providing maximum chill with minimum melt.



With Gyu being open late after we have finished up it's the perfect place to drop in for a late night snack and unwind. Those snacks being the Gyu sausage plate, five large sausages of different flavors, pork, chorizo, lemon and parsley and plain, these come with olives, pickles and mustard. The sausages are custom made for Gyu by a butcher in Sapporo as large sausages are something of a rarity in Japan. Great drinking food.



And the sardine plate, a tin of sardines heated untill the oil is bubbling then generously seasoned and served still in the can, along side wedges of camembert, olives and crusty bread. This plate is so addictive we found our selves dropping in for a fix more and more often.



When it's all added up the answer is, no wonder we were here most nights!

Eff Eff, Annupuri

On our first visit to Annupuri we tryed to go to Eff Eff with Sh. We got there a bit late, though... Ever since then we'd been meaning to get back there. Here's a little old cottage tucked away at the base of Niseko Annupuri. The little sign on the front boasts "Ham & Sausages", awesome!



Walking in it feels like Grandma's house .. The fire was going, there's little vase's of flowers and plenty of knick-knack's lining the walls.



But then there's a small little showcase at the front filled with packets of house cured meats, hand-made sausages and ham. I believe it's all produced down below. We want to get a few things to go to take back and have a look out, but there's also a small little menu that you can sit down and enjoy.

Firstly comes a plate of sliced speck. It's nice and salty, with a good firm texture. It smells amazing! The 7 slices are draped over a little salad of crisp lettuce and tomatoes with a nice vinegary dressing. Yum!



As we're enjoying this, we see our selection of sausages being grilled over a little charcoal grill.



Then they arrive, hot from the grill. There's a weisswurst - a German style white sausage, a spicy pork sausage and a few little weiners. They are served with a good whack of mustard, ketchup, potato salad, sliced gherkin pickles and 2 lonely little beans .....

It was all delicious! Everyday we are amazed at what this little part of the world has to offer ......

Eff Eff
Annupuri Village
Hokkaido, Japan