Miami heat

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray produced an excellent final of the Sony Ericsson Open here in Miami this afternoon. In searing heat and high humidity the Serb and the Scot slogged it out for almost two and a half hours producing rally after rally.

920 lb. tuna

I do like a bit of tuna. Served raw preferably as opposed to a tin of John West’s but there will be a lot of it about this next week in Bermuda as yesterday a local fisherman hauled into his boat a 10 foot, 920 pound blue fin tuna (photo).

It was the biggest tuna caught in local waters for 28 years and the single fisherman wrestled with his catch for over two hours, all the while fighting of a school of sharks, which took a shine to some easy lunch and bit a big chunk out of the tuna’s tail, which also probably prevented the fish from weighing over 1,000 lbs.

2011 Top 5 Restaurants

The next installment in my Top 5 collection from 2011. There was plenty of nominations, but here are my Top Five Restaurants of 2011:

1. Joe Fortes, Vancouver
An atmospheric seafood and chop house in Vancouver. I remember the night more than the food, but it was a great night mostly because of Joe Fortes. Tip-top service, sensational and flavourful food.
Website

Zooropa

Amongst bundles of discarded wrapping paper, turkey leftovers and bags under the eyes during our trip home I also made my first ever visit to Colchester Zoo, re-discovered some old London stomping grounds and had a couple of cracking pub lunches.

Colchester Zoo was much bigger than I imagined. Our friends had suggested a 4-hour visit and as we drove up there in the drizzly rain I truly wondered what an earth we were going to do for 3 of those hours.

But I should have feared not as we comfortably strolled it’s 60 acres during 3 hours and still left some for another day, although there were a fair amount of exhibits that had migrated for the winter. There are apparently over 260 different species and they are laid out in numerous zones where you can get pretty close to the animals.

Happy New Year

Another year over. A new one just begun.

About this time every year I sit with a pen and paper and write a list of resolutions and personal goals. I’ve done it for years but last year I wrote just two things:

Lose weight
Get fit

Latin finale

Today is the opening day of a new restaurant in Bermuda, something that doesn’t happen very often, so I normally like to promote them, yet sadly it is at the expense of another.

I had dinner at Latin (photo) on Victoria Street last week, and although the service was characteristically poor, the South American/Cuban cuisine was again very good. Hamilton is stuffed full of steak, expense burgers and catch of the day type restaurants, and Latin was always a nice alternative so it will be a real shame to see it disappear from the short list of options.

Changing colours

A family orientated week in Chicago accompanied by early nights and late mornings. September is a beautiful time to be in Chicago. Liberated from any humidity, walking the cities convivial streets is an absolute pleasure. The leaves on the trees might be changing colour but the locals are hanging on to every thread of summer despite the pumpkins, witches and skeletons rapidly appearing in readiness for the wintery Halloween celebrations in 6 week time.

Tonight we have our one night out of the week when we have collected together six of our best friends for a dinner at Prasino in Wicker Park, a neighbourhood a short cab ride away.

In spirit if not body

My body doesn’t like me too much at the moment. After a weekend on the toot in Magaluf pretending to be 25-years younger than I really am, I then flew myself 9 hours back in time to Sin City, Las Vegas which included a sprint through Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 to make my final connection.

When my alarm went off on Monday night when I was in a cab taking me from the airport in Las Vegas to the hotel, it signalled that I had been up for 24 hours.

The Plaza Café

Not content with discovering good coffee at the Tribe Road Kitchen last week, this week I came across a good lunch spot in Hamilton.

The Plaza Café is tucked away upstairs in what is called the Walker Arcade between Reid and Front Street’s and used to be a very third rate coffee shop.

Upon research the Plaza Café got renovated by the owners at the back end of last year and I normally have no reason to venture near it, so when I did stroll past earlier in the week it was a pleasant surprise to look in it’s window at the very sleek interior.

The Tribe Road Kitchen

This weekend was my 3rd anniversary of being in Bermuda, more on that another day, but I have to tell you that I finally found a coffee shop to rival one I found in my early decent coffee hunting three years ago.

The Tribe Road Kitchen has been open just a few weeks and is on the corner of Reid Street and King Street in Hamilton. The owners stripped down and restored a derelict 200-year-old Bermuda cottage and have used appealing reconditioned furniture and fittings to give it a hip but homely look.

64 Degrees

We tried a new place to eat last night which is a rarity in Bermuda. 64 Degrees at the Port Royal Golf Club has been open for over a year but we hadn’t been anywhere near it despite the fact it is probably the closet restaurant to our house.

Named after one half of Bermuda’s co-ordinates (64W 32N), the simple but spacious restaurant forms part of the revitalised club house at Port Royal and is elevated perfectly to give panoramic views of the course and the south shore.

The menu had a Meditterranean leaning but was pretty fruitless for the vegetarian’s amongst us (my other half) but I chose well, tuna tartare for starters and the seven-spice pork chop for main, but I left the best to last avoiding the stares from the other half and plumping for the bread pudding, which was wickedly fabulous. You may remember that I gave up bread for lent, but this didn’t count.

Sadly our friends were less impressed with their meals and the portions seem to be inconsistent and certainly my other half struggled, going straight for the fridge when she got home after two measly-sized appetisers.

64 Degrees is proud of it’s impressive wine room but I found the wine list humdrum and uninspiring, particularly below the $100 price range. Whoever priced the list had notions well above the restaurant’s standing.

The staff were informative and friendly though, which can’t often be said in Bermuda and I will go back, although I’d hope they modify the menu occasionally.

Girls, goats and iPads

We are leaving Chicago first thing tomorrow after an enjoyable few days here. Without one shadow of a doubt, me and the other half will have the same conversation we always have when we leave Chicago during the journey back which will end in us categorically agreeing to move back as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

That of course doesn’t mean it will and we are happy in Bermuda, although we have had a couple of blips recently, namely having great difficulty in getting our daughter into a (decent) pre-school, which we have finally done for a start in September.

There are few places however that light me up more than when I’m walking the streets of Chicago, which I did a lot these last few days, mostly holding my daughter’s tiny hand as she explored every minute detail at an extremely slow pace as only 16-month olds can.

I was in the Apple Store every day trying to get my hands on an iPad 2, but as expected they are only available to people prepared to sleep outside on the pavement every night with a credit card and a duvet. I can wait.

Lunchtime today we had sushi at one of my favourite restaurants, Sushi Wabi. The little ‘un has a strange liking for soy sauce we found out but neither the food nor the Sapporo disappointed.

I also grabbed some Dirty Bastards and a few different Goose Island brews with some friends at the Hubbard Inn on Monday night, but our best meal was Sunday night at the new Girl & the Goat. Owned by US Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard, the menu was a delight with some inspired concoctions such as seared scallops with goat sausage. There was a lot of goat (I skipped the cheese) plus for the more adventurous there was wood oven roasted pig face, grilled bison buttocks, braised beef tongue and cod cheeks. Pick your body part!

Every dish the four of us picked was excellent and despite one hell of a miserable waitress, I will still be recommending this place.

96 hours

Back in Bermuda after a short hop home for my son’s birthday and mascot exploits.

There was a lot of flying around, which is customary. I had a cracking night with my Hornchurch mates on Friday plus a very hot chicken madras in the Cinnamon Spice. We followed this up on Saturday after the game with another curry, this time in Brick Lane. We vowed not to be enticed into the first place we passed, but sure enough the offer of two rounds of drinks and a lively atmosphere was enough for us to eat at The Famous Curry Bazaar. It was very good and full of local hipsters and pre-clubbers at 8pm. Whatever happened to eating a curry after the pub shut?

The next morning my brother took us just up the street from where he lives to The Premises Cafe on Hackney Road. According to The Observer, one of the 50 coolest places to eat in the world! It’s attached to the renowned recording studios (with an impressive list of artists) and next door to the gigantic rabbit (which at the end of last year caused quite a stir) and our brunch was top-notch. The dinner menu looked good too, and at a tenner a head for two courses bloody good value.

Then we wandered up and down the Colombia Road Flower Market, which I have always loved. The smell of early spring blooms and toasted bagels filled the air and I couldn’t quite resist the little boutiques where I picked up a few things for my daughter. 

Then finally the long weekend ended with some home cooking at my Mum & Dad’s down in East Sussex and a little nap through Gnomeo & Juliet on Monday and a drink down by Sovereign Harbour. 96 hours, back at Gatwick and home.

Further development at Tuckers Point

Last week my favourite hotel brand Rosewood officially took over the management of Tuckers Point. Interestingly at the same time Tuckers announced an agreement with the Bermudian Government to circumvent restrictions on building on prime open space. This has been met with outcry from the National Trust amongst many others as the land earmarked for development around Glebe Road and Paynter’s Hill (right) is currently a swarthe of open hills that are home to 17 of the last 19 Yellowwood trees in Bermuda, rock outcrops and also include a large network of ancient caves.

Tuckers Point’s viability has been a continual struggle and this expansion is believed to be the only way it can be financially successful. Rosewood and HSBC, who are reportedly owed $85m, are said to have insisted on the further development which will include 78 residences and another 70 hotel rooms. However the work will not be immediate as the hotel’s Bermudian owners look to weather the recession.

Tuckers is beautifully positioned on Castle Harbour, once home for centuries to a majority of poor black Bermudians. I find it the development sad though because one of the hotel’s great appeals was that it was completely enshrined by flora and woodland. It will be a shame to see further building yet Tuckers is invaluable if Bermuda is ever going to be recognised again as a exclusive holiday resort.

It was also announced this week that the Splendido Restaurant which is perched on a Paget Parish hill at the old cottage colony resort Horizons is closing. The Italian chef and owners plan to re-open the restaurant elsewhere on the island. As for the Horizons, owners Brickman Associates are said to have an agreement with Four Seasons to redevelop along with nearby Coral Beach. However I was told that the cottages will be leased to the Bermuda Hospital Board to be used as nurse’s accomodation.

Meanwhile just around the corner from my office Italian restaurant Primavera has closed for a rebranding and will open as a dedicated fish restaurant called Flying Fish. We used Primavera quite often and although the sushi wasn’t bad, and nor were the pizzas, the menu had an identity crisis as too often did the food. Adding sushi to the predominately Italian offerings a year or two ago was a sure sign of desperation by the owners and the customers soon started to drift. Flying Fish is supposed to be opening next week.

My Top 5 2010 Restaurants

I love good food and good restaurants and we are horribly starved (sorry) of really good ones here in Bermuda. Still I am lucky and managed to eat in some great places last year. It was hard to pick five but I did.

My Five Favourite Restaurants of 2010

1. Purple Pig, Chicago
Cheese, wine and swine. A brilliantly conceived space, unusual tapas style menu, beguiling wine list and big range of unusual beers. The creation of Mario Batali prodigy Jimmy Bannos Jr, who gave my friends and I an unforgettable food experience in September.
Website

2. Houstons, Coral Gables, Florida
I loved this place. Warm, cozy, kid friendly with tip-top service and a great menu.
Website

3. Ocean Prime, Tampa, Florida
A busy and lively steak and fish restaurant also in Florida. A familiar big American city set up with piano bar and atmospheric restaurant but food was good and the people watching even better.
Website

4. Punta Bonita, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Unbeatable location peering out into the Carribean Sea. A huge array of intriguing fresh small Mexican dishes to share, or if you’re me, eat on your own!
Website

5. Modern, New York City
Tucked away almost unnoticed within New York’s Museum of Modern Art, this is a real gem of a restaurant. Kid friendly with a pleasing selection of dishes split by size of plate. An oasis away from the Christmas shoppers just a few blocks south of Central Park.
Website