Viva la revolución!

Fellow workers in the Global Struggle,

Be comforted, for a dinner was held in your honour this May 1st weekend, to remember your plight and call for social reform! This was a celebration of culinary peasantry throughout the globe. Not a single stack in sight. The menu was gourmet peasant, to cater for the needs of the modern revolutionary. For various reasons, the menu, which was to include spring onion pancakes (Chinese peasantry) and humitas (Pampas socialism), underwent some last minute changes. For one, that evil oppressor (Sainsbury's) refuses to sell husked corn; I imagine they think those darned capitalists have no time for such plebeian tasks as removing the husk off their corn (what, you can afford to ship the darn thing all the way from the US, but you can't leave even half a husk on??).

Instead, on the menu were Guatemalan coffee, roasted corn kernels, pam amb tomaquet (Catalan socialism), platanos con queso (Colombian revolution, albeit with Canadian cheddar, but never mind, eh?), moros y cristianos (Fidel's recipe), coconut curry with okra, long beans and butternut squash (broadly representing socialism spanning Kerala and eastwards), stir-fried asparagus with roasted tomato (budget socialism - hey, they were a pound for two bunches!) and chilli chocolate soufflé (ermm... French socialism with a Zapatista twist...?).

Roasted corn kernels

The revolutionary loaf

Platano con queso

Social reform on banana leaf

Budget socialism

Chilli chocolate soufflé (oh, what drama!)

Rage Against the Machine was listened to and due contemplation was given to the speeches of Fidel and the writings of Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos. There was much ranting about fair-trade coffee, evil corporations, the medicalization of society, telemarketing, the dire state of customer services, banks, scientific imperialism, bike theft, North London's snails. Anything else I've left out?

Viva la Revolución playlist:

1. Queremos Paz - Gotan Project

2. Calm Like A Bomb - Rage Against The Machine

3. Haiti - The Arcade Fire

4. Cochise - Audioslave

5. Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley & The Wailers

6. Mystery of Iniquity - Lauryn Hill

7. Zombie - The Cranberries

8. Bullet In The Head - Rage Against The Machine

9. El Capitalismo Foraneo - Gotan Project

10. Mr Intentional - Lauryn Hill

11. Fight The Power - Public Enemy

12. Combat Baby - Metric

13. Battle Without Honor Or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei

14. Power To The People - Public Enemy

15. Ready Or Not - The Fugees

16. I Shot The Sheriff - Bob Marley & The Wailers

17. Take The Power Back - Rage Against The Machine

18. Rebel - Lauryn Hill

19. Rebellion - The Arcade Fire

20. Beautiful Struggle - Talib Kweli

21. Guerrilla Radio (Live) - Rage Against The Machine

22. Exodus - Bob Marley & The Wailers

23. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

24. Freedom Time - Lauryn Hill

25. Bells Of War - Wu-Tang Clan

26. Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine

27. Melting Pot - The Roots

Liberty!
Democracy!
Justice!

Nahm

Meanwhile, in Hyde Park Corner....

Sawadee pee mai! About two weeks too late, but never mind. Nahm, situated in the swanky Halkin Hotel, is Australian chef David Thompson's Michelin-starred Thai restaurant. His much-raved book, Thai Food, is one you couldn't possibly have missed, if only because of its bright pink jacket. The book very much captures the essence of Nahm, now in its fifth year: simple, traditional Thai cooking in a modern environment. Have a pre-dinner drink at the chilled-out lounge bar before being led to your table. The huge wooden double-doors open up to reveal a large dragon Thai silk print. The decor is sleek and minimalist, with earthy colours and wood panelling, and the service is super-friendly.

Menus are designed to provide a balanced, four-course Thai meal, combining sweet, salty and spicy flavours, and the waiters are more than happy to provide helpful suggestions. The menu varies regularly, but we opted for a sweet salad of scallops, long beans and tamarind, a mild monkfish green curry with baby green aubergines and galangal, and stir-fried aubergine. Sadly, my mobile photography skills on this occasion were rather sub-standard, so you'll have to take my word for it that it all looked very appetizing and tasted even better. I do have visual evidence of dessert, though, which was lamut (sapadillo) in coconut milk, with rice and coconut cakes topped with gold leaf.

Monkfish green curry

Lamut

Expect to do some damage to your bank balance, but for a really chilled-out dinner to celebrate Thai new year (without getting wet) after a week of New York carb gluttony, it's all good...

The Global Citizen's Guide To: London Transport (part 7)

Underground parties:

On a random Friday night, you might be fortunate enough to get on the last carriage of an underground train, only to accidentally step into the middle of the Circle Line Train Party. Train parties are intentional, illegal "reclamations" of public space that take their inspiration from flash mobs. The Circle Line, of course, goes round and round in circles, so you could party on to your heart's desire. To attract as little attention as possible, though, the ghetto blasters are only switched on while the train is in the tunnel, so make sure you make the most of repeated 90-second excerpts of Robbie Williams' Let Me Entertain You... Things to bring:

1. A purple wig
2. Your choice of booze
3. Name tags - the likelihood of your being able to read these while totally drunk out of your mind is very low, but it makes it all the more amusing for the rest of us. "Oh, look, Georgia's not looking so great... you think she'll make it to Edgware Road station?"
4. Your choice of food - for reasons implied in (3) above, it's unlikely you'll actually be able to eat it. You might wanna give this a miss. Note that, if you're really drunk, a moving underground train is probably not the best place to be at. Hence the next item:
5. A bucket - alternatively, you could get off at the earliest possible convenience, as a courtesy to your fellow passengers, who probably don't really want to review what you brought in (4). Note that, as mentioned above, the Circle Line goes round in a circle, so you could quite easily wait with your head between your knees until the train comes round again to re-join the revelry.

For more information, consult the wiki.

The Circle Line Train Party

For reasons of confidentiality, we cannot disclose the physical state of some revellers. However, you can infer the desperate circumstances of one such unfortunate soul - oh, let's call her Georgia - from the bottom right corner of the above. Really, girl, you didn't look so good...

How to...

... be a successful busker:

Learn "Hotel California".
Learn "Stairway to Heaven".
Play them.
Over.
And over.
And over.
And over.
Again.
Go on.
Just one more time.
So we can kill you....

New York miscellanea...

Other things that weren't worthy of a blog in themselves, but which together make up more than the sum of their parts.....

Bagelry: really, anywhere in New York, but try First Avenue for some real pastrami and all manner of lox, whichever is your preference.


Pasticce: try the ever-popular Ferrara on the corner of Canal and Mulberry Streets (or the second location on Mulberry Street) for Italian cakes, pastries, florentines, biscotti, ice cream etc. For more of the same, try Bleecker Street - Rocco's Cake and Espresso shop and Pasticceria Bruno next door are almost carbon copies of each other.

Pizza: Lombardi's (corner of Mott and Spring Streets) boasts of serving the Zagat-proclaimed best pizza in the world out of a coal fired oven. Although I wouldn't recommend the clam pie unless you're trying to tone up your jaw muscles...


Pots and pans: Also around SoHo (thanks to SJL for this one) you'll find The Broadway Panhandler (corner of Broome and Wooster Streets, for all your kitchen needs (and needless desires). Here's mine:

Bags: For the luggage fiend, walk down to the Crumpler store at 45 Spring Street.

If you feel like getting out of Manhattan, but not, Columbia's a nice place to imagine you're almost in Paris, but not quite. Check out al fresco waffles and Labyrinth Books on 536 West 112th Street.

Flor's Kitchen

For some simple, traditional Venezuelan home cooking, head down to Flor's Kitchen (149 First Avenue or 170 Waverly Place between Sixth and Seventh Avenues). The ambience is relaxed, comfortable and low key, ideal for a quiet dinner. The menu offers empanadas (deep-fried, stuffed corn dough pastries served with guacamole and jalapeño dips - empanada de bacalao (cod empanada) is particularly good), ceviche and an appealing selection of beef, chicken and seafood entrées. Try arroz con pollo, slow-cooked rice with chicken in a tomato sauce, which comes cutely decorated with a smiley face made of olives and a half-slice of pepper. The plantains and yucca also sound yummy.

Empanada de bacalao

Arroz con pollo

Fake eye

Sorry, dude, I couldn't find any fake eye.... (for the rest of you, I was challenged to find some soya-based fake eye of any 'animal' somewhere in NYC).

The best I could do was Buddha Bodai (Chinatown, corner of Mott Street and Chatham Square), which boasts of being a kosher Chinese vegetarian restaurant. Being neither Jewish nor vegetarian, I don't quite understand the significance of this, but kosher or no kosher, this is a great restaurant that specializes in tofu- and gluten-based fake meat dishes. I'm told their specialty is fake crispy pork, although I opted instead for the deep fried 'duck' and yam, which was excellent, although this rubbish picture doesn't really do it justice:

Also on the vegetarian theme, thanks to BL for this suggestion: Candle 79 (79th Street, between Third and Lex, or Candle Café, 1307 Third Avenue at 75th Street). This highly rated fancy restaurant offers smart, modern and original vegetarian dishes of broad influence that go beyond granola and tofu. You'll no doubt be asking your waiter what seitan and tempeh are (I have no idea, other than one is gluten and the other soya), but my choice of roasted artichokes with onion rings and grilled asparagus with roasted red pepper sauce, butternut squash risotto with stir-fried kale, and banana empanadas with chocolate sauce and peanut butter ice-cream were all excellent. It's certainly not cheap (expect to pay upwards of $55 per person with drinks if you're a pig like me and want all the specials), but for that special vegetarian occasion (e.g. after a Gracie Mews experience...) it's certainly a treat.

Roasted artichokes

Butternut squash risotto

Banana empanadas

More pho less...

For a less hole-in-the-wall, not so eye-of-round Vietnamese experience, you could head to Nha Trang in Chinatown (87 Baxter Street). I'm all for the pho (without the extra bits of cow this time, certainly lacking some of the taste), but they have an extensive menu of rice and noodle dishes, and spring rolls and all that jazz. The ambience is even genuinely Vietnamese (?), with waiters spinning round to the sounds of classic rock and Perry Como tunes - all that's missing are some US marines......

Or if Perry Como's not quite your thing, you could go next door to the New Pasteur, which has a similar menu with somewhat less grumpy service (and my thanks to our colleagues at NYCDOHMH for this one). And at $4.50 for a bowl of pho, this must be one of the cheapest lunches in town. Of course, if you're a glutton like me, you'll be wanting some of those summer rolls too....