*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Cafe Vittoria

The North End of Boston is the Italian quarter where many Italian restaurants are situated. I happened to be there during a street festival that was held along Hanover Street. There were parades and food stalls around. I was really lucky to be there!

When my friend and I got there, it was tea-time so we popped into one of the cafes along the street. We had initially wanted to go to Mike's Pastries which, according to a colleague in Boston, is an institution in the city amongst cake and pastry lovers. She wasn't wrong--the place was packed to the brim. Even wanting to buy some cakes and pastries to take away was a challenge. It was very old-styled and seem to be stuck in a time-warp. Charming.

So we headed a few doors down to Cafe Vittoria which also had a old world charm about it. The funny thing is that the cafe has two sides and thus two entrances. The one on the right is the one with the old, musky and dark feel to the place. The on the left is brighter and more modern. So head either right or left depending on the mood you're in.

The menu which gives a short introduction of the place at the front. At the bottom of the page, we're told that there's a cigar parlour at the basement. Cool. I don't smoke cigars, but I think it just adds to the charm of the place.

The cafe is long and narrow and we chose to sit at the back, hence according us this view of the place through the metal work which adds a nice touch, transporting one to the cafes in Italy itself.

Our tea-time treats. A chocolate chip cannoli which tasted great with its crispy cone and wonderful smooth custard. And as I have made it a personal mission to try all the tiramisus in the world, I had to order it (also 'cos it came highly recommended by the waitress). It didn't disappoint as it was creamy and moist with alcohol and so smooth. One of the best I've eaten. The cappuccino was drunk by my friend and according to him, was good.

Affair-restaurants

Affair-restaurants put the adult into adultery and the fun into fornication. And the guy into the driving seat.

A really fun read. Maybe I should start my own list for Singapore...but it's not like I need it!

Food Vocabulary

Something I learnt from Germany in my recent trip there:

In Germany, a Bratkartoffel relationship refers to a relationship based purely on sex.

Brat = fried
Kartoffel = potato

Apparently, it's so-named because fried potatoes are so common in Germany, thus alluding to the casual nature and the frequent occurence of such relationships in society.

Interesting. And I suppose it's a good thing (or not?) I don't like eating potatoes! ;p

Sunday Reading

Every Sunday, I look forward to surfing by two websites. The first being Postsecret where people send in postcards anonymously bearing their deepest secrets. All of the postcards are creatively made, and the messages can really tug at your heart. Some confessions are funny and cute, others are beautifully tragic. Some make you smile as you identify with them. Some make your eyes water at its sad message. It must be cathartic and therapeutic for the individuals who send their secrets, and most of all, when reading it, it reminds me life is about these myriad of emotions and situations.

The second website I surf to is the Weddings & Celebrations section of the New York Times. Every week, a wedding couple and their love story are featured. There's nothing like a good love story and I'm a sucker for it even though my own love life is in the doldrums. And perhaps that's exactly the reason why I need to read such things to not give up on love.

It's just nice to read how real people (and not characters in novels) meet, fall in love, and decide to spend the rest of their lives together. What I like about it is it features people from all walks of life and situations. Gay and lesbian couples are also featured as just another love story, with no emphasis on their sexuality. Something like that would never happen in Singapore's media, I'm sure. Singapore's media is just too straight-laced for this sort of thing. Blah.

So yeah, that's Sunday reading fodder for you.

Lobster Pie & Boston Clam Chowder

Had this for lunch on one of those days in Boston. Both were delish! The pie was filled with many pieces of lobster...so it was definitely the worth the US$14 I paid for it! I bought it at Quincy Food Market at Faneuil Hall.

Back to Reality

OK, just got back from the land of beer. Still jet-lagged. But now it's back to work and reality.

Beer & Wine

Am in Germany at the moment, enjoying lots of beer and wine!

*burp*

Am OK

I woke up this morning in Boston to learn about the thwarted terrorist bombings in London. Sigh...I hate all these senseless conflict. Thankfully, there are no fatalities.

I'm leaving Boston tonight and I expect to see insanely long queues at the airport so I'll definitely be there early. But meanwhile, just wanted to drop a note to say that I'm OK.

Boston Seafood

It's been non-stop eating for the past few days. Boy, am I stuffed! Lots of seafood and clam chowder soup. I bet my cholesterol levels have gone sky-high.

There were no meetings on Sunday and so I went on the Duck Tours to have a quick look around Boston. Then when the tour ended, I headed to the South End Open Market, a flea market open every Sunday during the summer months. The stalls sold handmade arts and crafts, vintage stuff, second-hand things, homemade bread etc. It's located at 540 Harrison Ave.

Then headed to the North End (the Italian quarter of Boston) where there was an Italian street festival along Hanover Street. There are lots of Italian restaurants and eateries there. The well-patronised cafes are Mike's Pastries and just next to it, Cafe Vittoria. The tiramisu at the latter is great!

At night it was seafood dinner at Legal Seafoods, a famous chain of restaurants along the east coast of the US. Had steamed lobster, baked lobster, crab cakes and clam chowder. All very yummy!

Yesterday's dinner was at Kingfish Hall, a seafood restaurant at Faneuil Hall's South Market building. I had the Thai Bouillabaisse and tuna tartar and both were really good too. For desserts, their key lime pie and Boston Creme Pie are also good.

Anyway, those are just the highlights of what I've been stuffing myself with. Getting fat in Boston!

Hello from Boston

After more than a day of travel, I finally arrived in Boston. The flight from Frankfurt to Boston was delayed for slightly more than an hour because of some technical fault. Then just as the plane was about to touch down in Boston, the pilot suddenly accelerated and brought the plane up a few hundred metres into the sky again! It was rather scary I must say. Later, the pilot announced over the PA that it was because there was another aircraft on the runway as he was about to land. I'm seriously doubting the competency of the air traffic controls in Boston...

The food on Lufthansa was, surprisingly, edible. I had chicken in mushroom sauce served with mash potato for dinner on the Sg-Frankfurt leg. Breakfast was a chicken panini. On the Frankfurt-Boston leg, I had beef pasta with beans and carrots. The flight from Sg to Frankfurt was really packed. I was hoping it would be quite empty so that I could stretch out and sleep. No such luck though. Lufthansa has no personal inflight entertainment, which is really annoying!!! It's just utterly depressing when you're taking a long-haul flight. I managed to sleep during the Sg-Frankfurt leg. I'm thinking of buying some sleeping pills for the Frankfurt-Sg leg just so I can knock myself out. I had a 6-hour transit in Frankfurt where I spent my time reading Richard Branson's autobiography Losing My Virginity. I bought the book at the departure lounge in Sg to help me kill time during all these waiting. I didn't sleep a wink during the Frankfurt-Boston leg and spent the time reading more of Branson's book. It's an interesting read by the way.

Anyway, I'm staying at Boston's Omni Parker House Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Boston. I have a very big and plush bed full of pillows - all of which are wasted on me 'cos I don't need such a big bed and that many pillows. I'm in downtown Boston, so that's good. I've already walked around some of the historical buildings and spots in Boston. I also found my way (I can read maps after all) to Chinatown last night and bought dinner from a Vietnamese restaurant there. And much to my delight, a big Borders store is just a 1-min walk away. I've since bought 3 books and a magazine to occupy myself on the return journey.

From what I've seen of Boston (no doubt very little still), I love the city! All the architecture's lovely and there's a lot of history in this city. It's clean, the people are generally friendly and there's so much water surrounding the city. I've always loved cities with lots of waterways as there's so much more character to these cities.

I woke up at 5.30am today and decided to make my way to the gym for some exercise. I actually bumped into my managing director there. So I morphed into a hamster on a wheel for 50 minutes as I ran on the treadmill, followed by some weights. I actually feel normal-sized in the US 'cos so many people here are overweight.

I wandered to Faneuil Hall this afternoon and at Quincy Market, had a very yummy lobster pie and clam chowder for lunch. Wonder what's going to be for dinner. hee.

Off to Boston

Yes, I'm flying to Boston tonight for work! It's going to be my first time there and I'm really looking forward to it as everyone tells me it's a really pretty city. I'm also looking forward to the seafood, especially the lobster which I'm told is a must-eat.

Mr Lobster here I come!!!!