What follows is a tale of greed, lust, violence and of course, cheese. It started innocently enough – three female friends having a quiet Thursday night dinner at our “local” restaurant Opal by Gordon Ramsay at St Regis Dohaafter a complex week in the vineyards of truth. I spend a lot of time at Opal, because it has simple and fabulous food, great staff and an outdoor terrace. It’s the closest place I have to a neighborhood brasserie. I know I can go there, have a terrific meal, a glass of wine and usually little drama. they also have a hard core commitment to cheese in all its form. It’s…
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Fast Food Notion
In spite of my complaints, my life is pretty good at the moment. I live in an interesting place, I have a great circle of friends, I have the job of my dreams and as for my love life, well my mum reads this blog. Enough said. So why I felt compelled to plunge head first into the vortex of self loathing as I did yesterday, is beyond my comprehension. You see, McDonalds, in its pursuit of ruining all is great in the world, has turned its attention to cheese. Not just any cheese, Camembert. Behold my dear readers, the Camembert Bite (also known as the Cheesy Dipper). Five small…
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All White on the Night
Sometimes a girl needs a home-cooked meal. And in the absence of a husband or even a knight in shining armor, basically anyone, that task often, okay always, falls to me. Last week, faced with a fridge full of cheese and a chicken breast, I had to get creative. In a not especially creative moment, I picked up some White Castello cheese at the supermarket. Castello is a brand name and its’ influence spreads around the globe. White Castello is a white blue cheese. It has the strong taste of blue, without the confronting veins. The cheese tself is a Danish White Mould full fat soft cheese. The consistency matures…
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Solidarity for Philippines and Somalia
While I joke about my #whitegirlproblems, I do lead a blessed life. One of the exceptional things about living int he Middle East is meeting people from around the globe. I am fortunate to have friends and colleagues from dozens of countries including The Philippines and Somalia. While the situation in The Philippines is well documented, the recent Cyclone in Somalia may have passed you by. I was especially moved when at a special event at my workplace, colleagues spoke movingly about the plight of people in both countries. Today in Qatar has been earmarked as a day of solidarity for our friends in both countries, and I urge you…
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Grapes and Cheese Night
Thanks to the St Regis Doha for plugging my blog post on their excellent Grapes and Cheese Night which is tonight. If you are in Doha, you can get more info here: Grapes and Cheese at St Regis Doha
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Room With of View…of Cheese
Great piece from the equally fabulous folks at The Kitchn about a cheesemaker in Florence. Definitely on my must visit list in 2014… A Visit With a Cheesemaker in Tuscany
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Sydney Cheese Theft – Will They Gouda to Prison?
Seems like a waste of good cheese to me. But I didn’t know that people in Sydney’s West – my natural habitat – were so predisposed to cheese. Sydney police destroy 150kg of cheese seized from back of car
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Baguette About It – French Cheese Wrapped in More Than Bread
I don’t know about you, but I love eating things that are wrapped in something else. Be it bread, pastry, cheese or even bacon. It’s like getting two tastes in one bite. Cheese has been wrapped in things besides bread (ahem baguettes) for centuries. At a recent cheese and wine night at Grand Hyatt Doha I came across this beauty – Banon à la feuille, it is an unpasteurized cheese made from goat’s milk. This pungent uncooked, unpressed cheese consists of a fine soft white pâte that is wrapped in chestnut leaves and tied with raffia prior to shipping. It hails from the region around the town of Banon in…
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Beefed Up – Review of The Anvil Rooms
I had a phase (and by phase I mean 18 months) at university when I became a vegetarian. I’m not sure what prompted it, seemed like the thing to do at the time. Like wearing Doc Martins and raging against “The Man”. One day, about 18 months in, I decided to start eating chicken again. Then the floodgates opened and I have been making up for that 18 month lapse for the last 25 years. I love a good steak and especially love a good steakhouse, there is something about their warm, clubby environment, their comfy chairs and the proliferation of onion rings that make me very, very happy. This…
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The Great Halloumi Shortage of 2013
Start hoarding folks, even if you don’t like it because times are tough in Cyprus. That great Cypriot cheese, Halloumi, which can only be authentically made on part of this small island, is seeing demand outstripping supply. This foodie crisis is outlined in the link below. Meanwhile those who can’t live without it, can try making their own according to Cheesemaking.com Halloumi Shortage