We're Going to The Winchester!

Shaun's original plan:

• We take Pete's car
• We drive over to mums
• We go in
• Take care of Phillip
• Then we grab mum
• Go over to Liz's place
• Hole up, have a cup of tea and wait for all this to blow over

However, Ed does not want to stay at Liz's place. If they hole up, he wants to:

• Be somewhere familiar
• Know where all the exits are
• Be allowed to smoke

Shaun's revised plan:

• Take Pete's car
• Drive over to mums
• We go in
• Deal with Phillip
• Grab mum
• Go to Liz's, pick her up
• Bring her back here, have a cup of tea and wait for all this to blow over

Then they realise their home is not exactly safe.

Where's safe? Where's familiar? Where can Ed smoke?

The final plan:

• Take car
• Go to mums
• Kill Phil
• Grab Liz
• Go to The Winchester**
• Have a nice cold pint and wait for all this to blow over

How's that for a slice of fried gold?

We're coming to get you, Barbara!

* Information/quotes derived from the 2004 film: 'Shaun of the Dead' - part one of the Cornetto Trilogy *

** Please note that the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces and places of work did not come into effect in the UK until July 2007 **

Beauty is Being Human

In February 2024, the Domestic Goblin decided to give The Ordinary skincare line another chance after being disappointed with some of their products in 2018/2019.

Items purchased and in the testing phase are:

~ Salicylic Acid 2% Solution

Claims to help decongest the skin.

Improves the blemishes from hyperpigmentation.

Will initially use in the evening once a month followed by a moisturiser.

~ Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution

Described as an expectionally stable, direct acting form of Vitamin C. 

Will initially use this once a week in the morning after cleansing and before applying sunscreen.

~ 100% Plant-Derived Squalane

Non-comodogenic.

Can be used on face and hair.

Will use in the evening when extra moisturisation is needed. For example, after using salicylic acid.

UPDATE

The salicylic acid solution foamed up on the face despite adjusting the amount used and despite adjusting the application technique. After 4-6 weeks, her skin barrier was sensitive and took at least a further fortnight to heal. Not sure if this was a purge effect but the Domestic Goblin decided to discontinue usage and reverted back to low percentage chemical peel pads.

Verdict: ❌

Although there were noticeable improvements to hyperpigmentation, after four months of usage, the ethylated ascorbic acid may have triggered contact dermatitis around DG's eyelids.

Verdict: ❌

 

Skim and hair actually felt drier after using the squalane. DG will revert back to her trusted favourites.

Verdict: ❌

Even though these products were recommended by Dr Vanita Rattan for people of colour, DG is once again disappointed with The Ordinary...

Gird Your Loins!

Miranda Priestly quotes from the film adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada

~ I don't understand why it's so difficult to confirm an appointment.

~ Details of your incompetence do not interest me.

~ I asked for clean, athletic and smiling. She sent me dirty, tired and paunchy.

~ I don't want dacqouise. I want tortes filled with warm rhubarb compote.

~ Is it impossible to find a lovely, slender female paratrooper?

~ That's all.

===

~ So you don't read Runway and before today you have never heard of me. And you have no style or sense of fashion. No, no. That wasn't a question.

===

~ Is there any reason why my coffee isn't here? Has she died or something?

~ I need 10 or 15 skirts from Calvin Klein.

~ Please bore someone else with your questions.

===

~ Where's that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday morning?

===

~ Why is it so impossible to put together a decent run-through?

~ Why is no one ready?

~ You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and select that lumpy blue sweater because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue. It's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean.

And you're so blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Rental did a collection of cerulean gowns and then it was Yves Saint Laurent who showed cerulean military jackets. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers and then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled down into somebtragic Casual Corner, where you no doubt fished it out of some clearance bin.

However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when in fact you're wearing a sweater that was selected for you hy the people in this room from a pile of stuff.

===

~ I thought you could be different. I said to myself, go ahead, take a chance. Hire the smart, fat girl.

===

~ Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.

~ Perfect. Thank God somebody came to work today.

~ Only when the first assistant hasn't decided to become an incubus of viral plague.

===

If I see freesias anywhere, I will be very disappointed.

===

~ Of all the assistants I've ever had, Andrea was by far my biggest disappointment. And if you don't hire her, you are an idiot.

===

~ I don't understand why it's so challenging to get my car when I ask for it.

~ Go.

Bonus quotes from other characters:

Fashion is not about utility. An accessory is merely a piece of iconography used to express individual identity - (Doug).

Corn chowder. That's an interesting choice. You do know that cellulite is one of the main ingredients in corn chowder - (Nigel).

Carla Crale

Superficial smoothness

Crude contrasts

Canary-yellow shirt

Violent blue sea

Calumny

A very moral life

Big grey eyes - like dead lakes

Dante meeting Beatrice on a bridge

Blind girl sitting on an orange and called Hope

Hoydenish

Always the chivalrous pukka sahib

Rich but tiresome

Desultory 

* Found poem inspired by 'Five Little Pigs' written by Agatha Christie *

Amyas Crale's best painting

The painting had an old superficial smoothness. At first it might have been a poster, so seemingly crude were it's contrasts.

A girl in a canary-yellow shirt and dark blue slacks, sitting on a grey wall [hoary old chestnut of a battlement wall] in full sunlight against a background of violent blue sea [conventional blue sea and the decorous English trees].

* Description taken from Five Little Pigs written by Agatha Christie *

Act 2, Scene 2

Montague & Capulet 

If that thy bent of love be honorable, 

Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow 

By one that I'll procure to come to thee 

Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite, 

And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay 

And follow thee my lord throughout the world.

Lunch at The George

 The Coffee Room

Excellent mutton

Large slabs of watery cabbage

Dispirited potatoes

Tasteless stewed fruit and custard

Gorgonzola and biscuits

Doubtful fluid called coffee

* Information inspired by 'Dumb Witness' written by Agatha Christie *

Littlegreen House, Market Basing

The Arundell family home

Period house of character consisting of:

• Four reception rooms
• Eight bedrooms and dressing
• Usual offices
• Commodious kitchen premises
• Ample outbuildings, stable etc. 
• Main water
• Old world gardens, inexpensive upkeep, amounting in all to three acres
• Two summerhouses

Price £2850 or near offer.

The morning room

Pleasant room with its long windows giving on the street.

Furnished with good solid, old fashioned furniture, mostly Victorian.

A Chippendale bookcase.

A set of Hepplewhite chairs.

The dining room

Victorian room with:

• a heavy mahogany dining table
• a massive sideboard of almost purple mahogany with great clusters of carved fruit
• solid leather-covered dining room chairs
• Family portraits hung on the wall

The drawing room

Chintzes patterned with garlandsnof roses.

Prints and watercolour drawings on the walls.

China shepherds and shepherdesses.

Cushions worked in crewel stitch.

Photographs in handsome silver frames.

Inlaid work boxes and tea caddies.

Tissue paper ladies under glass stands. One with a spinning wheel and one with a cat on her knee.

Elegant little table with two drawers in it.

Various cupboards

A downstairs cloakroom

A small pantry place

Bedrooms

* Information derived from 'Dumb Witness' written by Agatha Christie *

Miss Emily Arundell

Dr and Mrs Tanios in the Oak room

Theresa in the Blue room

Mr Charles in the Old Nursery

Epistle 

Market Basing

Dr Grainger
Valentines beef juice
Brands essence 
Teaspoonfuls of brandy

Spasmodic

Pince-nez

Easter Tuesday

Half a gooseberry pie

Dr Loughbarrow's Liverpool Capsules 

Size 50

Eight and six 

Stock Breeders Gazette

* Found poem inspired by the 'Dumb Witness' written by Agatha Christie *

Super Menu - Mazza!

Phil Rosenthal samples the food inside the kitchen of "the best restaurant in Modena and the world": Osteria Francescana, owned by Massimo Bottura.

~ Five ages of parmigiana reggiano in different textures and temperatures

Parmesan transformed into souffle, foam, sauce, frothy air and a crunchy cracker.

~ Sea salad

Oyster, squid, some ink of the squid, calamari, seaweed, crunchy leaf made with mussels.

~ Fish dish inspired by Sole en Papillote

The flavours of lemon, capers, black olives and tomatoes served with sea water dehydrated and transformed into edible paper.

~ Meatballs 

Made with the interiors and the legs of the pigeon served with dehydrated sauces.

Avia Pervia - make look simple a very complicated thing.

* Information taken from S2:E1 of Somebody Feed Phil *

Eilish Sculptures

The Domestic Goblin is not a fan or a follower of Billie Eilish and does not know very much about them. However, YouTuber Dr Dray was very strongly enamoured with the Eilish perfume in one of her December 2023 videos and the bottle caught the Domestic Goblin's attention.

Basically, the Domestic Goblin was not interested in the juice itself but was coveting the perfume bottle and wanted them as ornaments to display! 

The Domestic Goblin finally purchased the perfume in March 2024 and loves how it doubles as an art sculpture.

    

  

Here is the link to Dr Dray's YouTube video.

Elton Elderberry's Tea Selection

~ Lapsang souchong

~ Peppermint-licorice root

~ Blackberry-lemongrass

~ Smoked mango oolong

~ Chai

* Information taken from the Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery game *

Cabane À Sucre Au Pied De Cochon

The Foot of the Pig Sugar Shack

A restaurant located on a maple farm in Montreal with a reputation for excess.

Described by Phil Rosenthal as a crazy lumberjack-riot-rave festival.

Chef Martin serves up:

~ Caviar from Saint Laurent, eggs from their chickens and cucumber from the garden.

~ Duck heart tartare mixed with oysters.

~ Cauliflower roasted like a steak with shavings of foie gras and cheddar cheese.

~ Bao with mapo tofu and foie gras.

~ Micro octopus on Himalayan salt.

~ Melon cantaloupe salad.

~ Green wedge salad.

~ Classic meat pie consisting of calf brain, sweetbread and foie gras.

~ Pigs end with tripe stew.

~ Maple pie 

Sante a la vie!

* Information taken from S3:E5 of Somebody Feed Phil *

La Table de St Vincent

Owners: Therese and Annabelle

Chef and patron: Claude/Hugo

Waitress: Audette

~

Menu 1

Starter

Moules Marinière

(Mussels in garlic, cream and white wine sauce)

~

Soup

Soupe à l’oignon

(Onion Soup)

~

Entrees

Gratin de pommes de terre aux anchois

(Potato gratin with anchovies)

Navarin Printanier 

(lamb stew with spring vegetables)

Boeuf Bourguinon 

(Beef stew cooked in red wine)

~

Quatre Fromages

~

Custard Tart

~

Wine

 Chablis and house red

Menu 2

Normandy Ham with blackcurrant sauce

Potatoe Dauphinoise 

Beef Consomme

Menu 3

Onion Soup

Wild mushroom roulade

Guineafowl with a red wine jus

Sole served with sauce Dugléré

Griotte cherry clafoutis

Marcona almond cream

Mushroom, cheese and truffle omelette 

Wine

Chinon 

Menu 4

Huitres Mornay

(Oysters with Mornay Sauce)

Sea bass on fennel

Steak tartare 

* Post inspired by 'The Second Worst Restaurant in France' written by Alexander McCall Smith *

Musings from Saint Vincent de la Colline & Chateau Blissac

Bowdlerisation 

Removing or changing words or parts from a book, play, or film that are considered to be unsuitable or offensive.

Benighted

intellectually or morally ignorant, unenlightened.

Flibbertigibbet

An irresponsible, silly, gossipy or excessively talkative person.

Insults of the Day

A cross between a half-witted fish and a pneumonia germ.

Pop-eyed defective.

Goggling like a fish.

A low-down, horn-swoggling, double-crossing skunk.

What Patrick (Packy) Franklyn thinks of Senator Opal

"If he ever asks me to come down a lonely alley way with him to see his stamp collection I shall refuse with considerable firmness."

Downright amusing

"It was the first time Packy had been formally introduced to a cistern, and he was not quite sure of the correct etiquette. He bowed slightly and eyed the repellent object with interest."

"You cannot conduct a full-throated long-distance conversation in the early morning and finish up by ejaculating 'Hell!' in a voice like the bursting of an ammunition-dump without rousing such sleepers as may be in your vicinity."

Mr Slattery's Breakfast

Pot of coffee

Omelette fines herbes

Double order of ham and eggs

Small sirloin steak 

Toast and marmalade

Gertie gives Gordon Carlisle the bird

"If you want to know how you stand with me, we're pf' f' ft, and don't you forget it."

The scene changed

Medway smoked her cigarette without exhibiting any of the emotion which a girl listening to the conversation of a libertine might be expected to display.

The cigarette fell from Medway's fingers. She stared at her companion as if what he had just said had shocked her maidenly modesty to the core.

Sagacity

Foresight or ability to make good judgements.

Quagmire

A dangerous place or a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape.

Gendarme

French armed police force.

Auge davonkommen

As we should say in English (hazarding a translation of an untranslatable phrase): 'jolly well out of it.'

Broken off engagement 

Exquisite elation.

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir

* Information taken from 'The Second Worst Restaurant in France' written by Alexander McCall Smith and 'Hot Water' written by P. G. Wodehouse *

Kembleston Olimpicks

Hambleston versus Kembleford

Shin Kicking

Dwile Flonking

Spinach Eating

Stone Lifting

Wife Carrying 

Toe Wrestling

Barrel Rolling

"True happiness is impossible to conceal." (Father Brown: Series 11, Episode 1)

Sister Boniface's Crime Kit

Camera

Torch

Magnifying glass

Gloves

Aluminium powder

Luminol

"Fudgeberries and cream!"

"Fishbuns!" 

(Sister Boniface) 

Father Brown: Series 11, Episode 2

Kemblefood

A food fayre comes to 1950s Kembleford to introduce people to food from all around the world.

• Lei Yen, head chef of Five Spice Province - one of London's best Chinese restaurants. Serving Szechwan prawns and beef chop suey.

• Rafi Faridi, owner of The Cinnamon Ruby - one of the best Indian restaurants in Birmingham. Serving samosa and pakoras; dhal tarka - lentils with garlic; Chingri Malai curry. The spices and the love are from Bihar.

Series 11, Episode 4 of Father Brown

Osric Wolf

The Quill of Osric Award nominees for the best crime novel by a Cotswold author are:

• James Langford for The Return of Lulu And Lucia

• Uncle Mirth for Goodbye, Mr Kafka

• Jack Wilmot for The Eye of Lykos

• Walter Mitford for The Stiletto Dagger

Father Brown: Series 11, Episode 6

Science v Religion

Father Brown: Be it lectern or pulpit, last minute preparation is always a good idea.

Professor: Don't let the spiritual setting deceive you Father. There is no comparison between your profession and mine. Unlike religion, science is absolute.

Father Brown: I think science has its limitations. It can't explain joy or love. And it certainly can't save your soul. 

Professor: Sentimental defence of an irrational dogma.

===

Professor: Would you care to observe my midday lecture, Father? You'll like it. It's on the burden of proof.

Father Brown: I'd be delighted, Professor. And perhaps you'll attend my Sunday homilly, on the gift of doubt.

Father Brown: Series 11, Episode 7

Miss Kipley

"Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good" 

ROMANS 12:21

Quoted in Father Brown: Series 11, Episode 9

The House of No Imagination

Monica inherits her aunt Slyvia's dollhouse and invites Phoebe to play. The following evening, Phoebe is ready to play and brings:

An enormous ceramic dog

Phoebe: Every house should have a dog.

Monica: Not one that can pee on the roof!

Phoebe: Maybe it's so big because the house was built on radioactive waste.

Ghost for the attic

Monica: I don't want a ghost.

Phoebe: Well, nobody wants a ghost but you got one because the house is sitting on an ancient Indian burial ground.

Dinosaur

Phoebe: Quick, dinosaur attack! Quick, everyone into the house!

Monica: No dinosaurs, no ghosts and no giant dogs okay? They're not the right size, they're not Victorian and they just don't go.

Phoebe: Come dinosaur, we're not welcome in the house of no imagination.

===

Phoebe creates her own dollhouse and it has:

~ A slide instead of stairs

~ A licorice room where you can eat all the furniture

~ When guests come over, they can stay on the tootsie roll-away bed

~ An aroma room

Ross: This is the coolest house ever!

In addition, Phoebe's dollhouse lights up and blows bubbles.

Chandler: Hey, my father's house does that.

Residents of the dollhouse:

~ Giraffe

~ Pirate

~ Foster puppets

===

Information derived from FRIENDS S3:E20.

Come On!

Domestic Goblin's favourite episodes of Somebody Feed Phil:

Season One

~ Bangkok

The Venice of the East. 

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market: grilled bananas on a stick, pad thai and boat noodles.

Land market desserts: khanom tua pap (sticky rice flour crepe cooked on a griddle and filled with shrimp, coconut, mung bean and sesame), and coconut ice-cream sundae with your choice of toppings.

The Authors' Lounge: Marco Polo tea served with a selection of savouries and pastries.

Err cafe owned by Bo and Dylan: an idealised take on street food and cocktails. Their signature cocktail the Err contains fresh passion fruit, Thai rum and a little chili. GM Tini contains Thai basil, popcorn spirit with their delicious spicy popcorn on top. Chicken Movie. Salted Mackerel and Rice Ball.

Yaowarat Road, Chinatown: duck noodle soup and durian.

Wat Po (religious shrine): the Reclining Buddha.

Jay Fai in the Ghost Gate District: crab omelette and Tom Yum Kha soup.

Khlong Toei Market: food shopping.

Issaya Siamese Club owned by Ian Kittichai: Broken Bucket dessert.

Golden Mount at Wat Saket.

25-course tasting menu prepared by Gaggan Anand. A futuristic take on street food. Vegetable charcoal; mushroom rolls with green peas; tuna sushi; uni, mango and wasabi ice-cream sundae; orange and corn waffle; fresh strawberry on top of elderflower jelly and ghevar.

Chiang Mai

The Rose of the North: Wat Suan Dok (Buddhist Temple); Khao Soi Loong Prakid Gard Gorm (Khao soi is soup noodle with a creamy rich coconut curry broth).

 

~ Saigon

Phở Bò Phú Gia: the best pho bo in Saigon?

Thuc Pham Duc Viet: a cart selling the best bahn mi in Saigon?

Cậu Ba Quán owned by Nikki Tran.

Vietnamese meets Cajun: Five Colour Beef Salad or Happy Salad as Phil calls it and Vajun crawfish boil using river prawns.

Quy's Lotus Farm and Pond on Thanh Da Island.

Vỹ Dạ Quán on Võ Văn Tần Road: pork ribs and Ca Bo (grilled unicorn leather jacket fish).

Mrs Lien's District 3 restaurant: Bò Lá Lốt (grilled beef wrapped in Betel leaf).

Tao Dan Park.

Maison Marou owned by French expats Vincent Mourou and Sam Maruta: legendary hot chocolate using Vietnamese cacao shaken, not stirred.

Hoang Minh: breakfast of pork skin, pork belly, pork cake and pork chop served on a bed of broken rice with a fried egg on top.

~ New Orleans

Bevi Seafood served by chef Justin LeBlanc: Cochon de Lait Po Boy; the Peacemaker Po Boy (half roast beef, half shrimp, Swiss cheese, roast beef debris); and Crawfish Boil.

Monday evening dinner / non-Kosher Passover hosted by Alon and his wife Emily at their residence in Bayou St Johns: a treif festival of grilled shrimp; marinated cheese; matzah; gefilte fish stuffed with trout and Emily's red beans and rice.

Cochon Butcher specialises in Cajun style cured meat and sausage run by Steven Strejewski and Donald Link: Cracklin and Steen's Syrup; hog head cheese; blood sausage; Cajun boudin; pralines (with bacon as special ingredient).

Turkey and the Wolf: It's Got Electrolytes cocktail; Ma'am Don't Be Hysterical cocktail (Campari, gin, house blackberry syrup and lime); Tacos Inauthenticos; vegetarian Reuben sandwich made with collard greens; soft serve ice cream with cheese straws and sprinkles.

Roots of Music started by Derrick Taab based in Treme (a non-profit that teachea inner city kids how to play musical instruments. The arts is the answer.

Shaya (an Israeli restaurant named after Alon Shaya): pita bread made in an Italian pizza oven; Ljutenica (a Bulgarian spread made with roasted peppers, aubergine and tomato with parsley and extra virgin olive oil on top);  Taramasalata made with paddlefish caviar; Tabbouleh; Baba Ghanoush with grilled spring onions; hummus; short ribs; chocolate babka served with halva gelato and poppy seeds. 

Dooky Chase's Restaurant (known as the meeting place in the 1960sbfor discussing issues of civil and economic rights in the African-American community in New Orleans and throughout the country: Leah Chase's gumbo. 

Willie Mae's: golden fried chicken served with red beans, green beans and sweet potatoe fries.

Mosca's Restaurant (Alon's favourite Italian restaurant in New Orleans): chicken a la grande; Oysters Mosca served on top of nspaghetti borderlaise; meatballs; shrimp Mosca.

Camellia Grill: bacon and cheese omelette; chefs omlette and cheeseburger with everything. Eggs are blender whipped.

Nikki and Annie from Ho Chi Minh City get married in New Orleans.

"Eh, la-bas bruh"

Season Two

~ New York

Peter Luger Steak House (established in 1887): bacon and cheeseburgers made with steak trimmings; lamb chops; steak; hash browns; french fries; ice cream sundae, cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake and hot pecan pie all served with mountains of schlag (whipped cream).

Pizza crawl

• Phil tried white pie at Totonno's on Coney Island. Totonno's was opened by Anthony Pero in 1924 and is now run by his granddaughters, Antoinette and Cookie. 

• Phil tried a basic pie with fresh cut basil on top handmade by Dom DeMarc, the founder of Di Fara Pizza in Midwood, Brooklyn. 

• Phil tried pepperoni pizza handmade by Dan Richer, the owner of Razza in New Jersey. Phil also tried their seasonal pie: New Jersey corn, shaved onions, fresh mozzarella and scamorza cheese. Phil and his companions were also served pork pie made with pork gelatin.

Pilot: a seasonal oyster bar on board a boat docked at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Fort Tryon Park and Central Park.

White Gold Butcher Shop: bacon, egg and cheese sandwich; beef pastrami Reuben with a house made kraut and house made thousand island; homemade hotdog with kimchi sauerkraut; roast beef with beef butter; the chopped cheese (like a chopped cheeseburger).

Zabar's deli.

JJ Johnson at Chef's Club (pan African cuisine, home style comfort food served in a hip downtown setting): goat noodles (West African peanut sauce, braised goat, bok choy and edamame beans); jollof rice (spicy rice with a stewed aubergine curry);  braised short ribs and peanut sauce with rice, beans and roti.

The community canteen at Ganesh Temple in Flushing Queens which specialises in dosas (south Indian vegetarian pancakes made of fermented rice and lentils stuffed or served with dips and sauces.

Nathan's Famous hot dogs and crinkle cut fries on Coney Island.

Ice and Vice ice-cream (the Domestic Goblin wrote a separate blog post for this and was published in May 2023.

Russ & Daughters Cafe (Jewish Soul Food): chocolate egg cream contains Fox’s U-bet, milk and  seltzer (despite its name this drink contains no egg and no cream); potato latkes served with smoked salmon; herring.

Picnic in Central Park: Charles Pan Fried Chicken; giant hero sandwiches from Faicco's, Katz's and Harry & Iders; Dan Dan Noodles from Han Dynasty; cake made by  Paulette Goto.

Blue Hill restaurant owned by Dan Barber at Stone Barns in Hudson Valley; vegetable sushi; beet hotdogs; mushroom and poached eggs cooked in compost; fish head; duck breast; honey nut squash; roasted gruyère oyster with aubergine broth.

Four star matzo ball soup made by Phil's mum, Helen Rosenthal.

Season Three

~ Chicago

Al's Beef: plain Italian beef sandwich.

Jim's Original: the Polish dog butterflied and deep-fried and the deep fried pork chop sandwich.

Bang Bang Pies managed by Ben Shartar (Phil's cousin) and owned by Michael Ciapciak: candied bacon; grits; BLT biscuit; scratch biscuit; peach pie with a cornmeal crumble of malted milk chocolate with whipped cream; pistachio with blueberry compote; peanut butter custard with raspberry preserves and toasted Virginia peanuts.

Pequod's deep dish pizza: Phil tried the extra cheese, pepperoni and garlic as well as the extra cheese, garlic, mushroom and onion.

The Urban Growers Collective started by Erika Allen: the Fresh Moves Mobile Market.

Monteverde co-owned by Sarah Grueneberg and Meg Sahs: pork and ricotta ravioli made at the pastificio;  tigelle sandwiches; the holiday dish consisting of homemade pasta and sauce, pork meatballs made with sobrassada, a pork shank, pork sausages, and some green salad.

Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice-cream opened by Yahya and Nataki Muhammed: chocolate bourbon java explosion; vanilla ice cream with peach cobbler.

Virtue owned by Erick Williams who is also the executive chef serving up a northern take on southern cuisine: salmon succotash and corn puree; 

Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church: the birthplace of gospel music in America. The current venue in Bronzeville was formerly the Isaiah Temple.

~ London

Dark Chocolate Coated Chocolate Pearl from Fortnam & Mason.

Ken's Fish Bar on Half Moon Lane in Herne Hill: the best fish and chips according to Jay Rayner.

Rovi, a vegetable-focused restaurant owned by Yotam Ottolenghi. The signature dish is a shawarma sandwich made with celeriac. According to Phil, it's "a veggie sandwich that tastes better than most burgers I've ever had."

Artichoke fruit store in Hampstead.

Les Filles cafe: rose tea porridge; beet hummus with pomegranate; frozen chia pudding with chocolate ganache.

Ginger and White: some of the best espresso in London according to David and Steven Flynn.

Borough Market (London's oldest fruit and veg market). Stalls that Phil and co visited: include: Maria's Market Cafe and Kappacasein

Rochelle Canteen: scrambled eggs on toast; chicken and leek pie; pork with fennel.

Dukes Bar: the world's best martini prepared by Alessandro.

BRAT Restaurant: bread with anchovies; langoustines; whole wild turbot.

Aynhoe Park Estate in Northhamptonshire is a 17th century home currently owned by James Perkins and Sophie Taylor. Aynhoe Park is a medieval term for 'spring on the hill'. Lunch was cooked by chef Brett Graham: 14 year old oysters grilled with smoked butter and topped with grilled oil; a rack of fallow deer slowly roasted over the wood.

Dishoom (modern Indian food): naan bread breakfast roll with bacon and egg; lamb chops; chilli chicken; okra fries; pav bhaji; Awadhi lamb biryani; gunpowder potatoes.

~ Seoul

Mabongnim at Sindang-dong Ttoekbokki Town.

Gwangjang Market: bindaetteeok (mung bean pancake); kimchi with Mrs Kim; kalguksu (handcut noodles); san-nakji (baby octopus tentacles).

Samcheongdong Kalguksu Jukkumi: budae jjigae (Korean army stew); kimchi dumplings; spicy squid; clam kalguksu; walnut soup.

Noryangjin Fish Market: after choosing your seafood, there is the option having it cooked and served to you at a partner restaurant upstairs for an extra fee. 

Neungra Bapsang specialises in North Korean cuisine such as soondae (blood sausage) and potato dumplings filled with vegetables and pork.

Jungsik is a two Michelin starred restaurant serving new Korean fine dining. Their tasting menu includes: egg, mushroom stock and truffle sauce; flounder tartare with a lemon sauce and trout roe; deep fried oyster with a sesame aioli and pickled celery inside; uni; charcoal lobster with clam butter sauce.

Korean Airlines catering facility: galbi-jjim (braised beef short ribs); bibimbap (mixed rice).

Chimaek (Korean fried chicken and beer) at Ddobagi Chicken. Flavours include: basic, sweet and spicy.

BBQ at Chung-mi-shim.

Season Four

~ Singapore

No littering. No spitting. No walking nude around your house. No bothering people with your musical instruments. Chewing gum is not allowed in the country. Don't pee in an elevator. 

Tiong Bahru Hawker Market: duck rice; sugarcane juice over ice; watercake (steamed rice cakes with preserved radish on top) eaten with toothpicks.

Candlenut, the first Peranakan restaurant to have a Michelin star.

Long Bar at Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling cocktail was created.

Burnt Ends, an Australian BBQ restaurant that specialises in small bites and a Japanese influence / barbeque omakase: smoked quail egg and caviar; burnt flour crostini and taramasalata; beef marmalade and house pickles; beef, uni and caviar; eel and bone marrow; an accordion of pork; king crab, garlic butter and truffle; steak aged for 78 days; pulled pork sandwich.

Maxwell Hawker Center: chicken rice.

Changi Village: nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk, salt and pandan leaf served with various fried options and a chili paste on the side). Normally eaten for breakfast.

Artichoke is owned by Bjorn Shen and specialises in middle eastern food through the lens of a Singaporean boy.

Singapore in December - wet and delicious!

 

~ The Mississippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta technically starts in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee and goes all the way down to Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Cosy Corner Restaurant run by Desiree Robinson.

Talbert Fleming is the chef and owner of Jim & Samella's House (which was named after his grandparents) serving southern classics such as fried chicken; Crown Royal buttered apple waffles; shrimp & grits; and fried lobster tails. The local residents sit and dine at communal tables.  

The ideal vision of what southern hospitality is.

Abe's in Clarksdale was started by a Lebanese immigrant in 1924 and serves southern barbeque. You'll die pleasant.

The Delta Arts Alliance is a community centre where you can dance, sing and create art.

The Delta Meat Market opened by Cole Ellis in 2013: the wedge salad; butternut squash soup; turkey sandwich; hanger steak fries; Hoover sauce. 

Open a mouth first and the mind will follow.

At Jim's Cafe in Greenville,  you will find the Table of Knowledge. Friends who eat lunch together every day. Dirty Burger created by Jerred 'Dirty' Brown. Jerred insists his nickname was from high school football.

Dominic 'Big Doe' Signa started Doe's Eat Place in 1941. Aunt Flo's famous wet salad; tamales; broiled shrimp, garlic bread; fried shrimp; steak and fries.

The Highland Club: fried catfish; rotisserie chicken and cabbage salad; crowder peas and chow chow; potato salad, alligator.

Music provided by Ferd, Raymond and Valley.

It's never a disaster if you're eating with a master.

~ Hawaii

Ahi Assassins provides only Hawaiian wild line caught fish from fisherman to consumer. 

Hanks Haute Dogs: Kobe; wagyu beef; bacon wrapped; deep fried; Polish;

Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha serves all natural Hawaiian shave ice.

GJs Huli Huli Chicken run by Gil and Jonalyn and their son Irwin: pork ribs; chicken with sweet chili sauce; deep fried banana.

The Feeding Leaf is run by Tracey and serves okazu (Japanese hand food): chicken skin masubu (fried chicken skin on top of rice that's been mixed with plum powder); seaweed and sesame seed waffles with fried chicken dipped in a Korean sauce with a chili pepper honey syrup on top; nishime (Japanese pot stew); two finger uala kala poi (mashed up sweet potato and taro). Hawaiian for wet nap: lick it!

Kahua Ranch and sheep farm / Merrimans. Food roasted on a Schwenker: corn on the cob; lamb chop.

Season Five

~ Helsinki

Muikku should be the national fish of Finland!

At the Old Market Hall, Phil tries dipping cheese into coffee; smoked salmon; cold smoked reindeer; cold smoked reindeer mousse; dried bear.

Löyly, a restaurant and sauna owned by Jasper Pääkkönen: rainbow trout soup and reindeer filet.

It's not a real visit to Finland unless you do a sauna and then jump into the Baltic sea!

Sauna Boat: sauna sausage; sauna snacks such as hard core egg salad made with butter instead of mayonnaise.

Kot pop-up truck created by Kim Mikkola during the 2020 lockdown offering a $5 chicken burger in a steamed potato bun with naughty sauce. Kim also created Koti which delivers $5 meals to people's homes such as Steak Wallenberg which is made out of like with breadcrumbs and fried.

Foraging with Sami Tallberg in the woods and they find garlic mustard; mushrooms such as Russula and pied-de-mouton. Sami prepares a seven-mushroom soup (which includes a splash of chaga and reishi for it's medicinal benefits) and sprinkled with wild sorrel and cacao nibs.

Tommi Tuominen is the chef at Finnjävel (Finnish Devil - a derogatory term from the Swedes). Tommi serves up: pea soup made with smoked pork, mustard cream, bechamel and ham sauce; celeriac served with some pickled lingonberry and some butter; plus a very different version of one of the most hated dishes in Finnish school lunches - Tilliliha (dill meat).

Helena Puolakka is the current Chef at the Savoy serving Finnish-French food with subtle Russian touches. Helena serves an elegant version of vorschmack (chopped herring and braised beef) in a pelmeni.

B-Smokery is co-owned by Karri Niinivaara and offers Phil some savoury treats: funky pickles; barbequed ribs and brisket; pastrami, mustard and pickle sandwiches.

Kippis!

Season Six

~ Croatia

Split

St Burek: Phil tries burek (fillings wrapped in filo pastry) in cheese & spinach and also meat. These are served warm.

Kantun Paulina serves cevapi (a Bosnian beef sausage sandwich with sauce and vegetables). The oldest burger is a cevapi.

Lemon lavender gelato at Gelateria Emiliana.

Hvar

Dalmatian delicacies/antipasti at Konoba Menego.

Gelato at aROMA Gelato Boutique. Phil tried hazelnut with lemon basil, and chocolate orange with rum raisin.

Korcula

Konoba Maha is a family run restaurant serving fig old-fashioned cocktails; freshly caught sea urchins; octopus slow-cooked under an iron bell.

Konoba Mate is another family run restaurant located in the hills and serves figs and ham; pasticada (a traditional meal of hand rolled macaroni with wild fennel and tomato sauce); goats cheese ravioli.

Ziveli!

Dubrovnik

Octopus burger at Barba.

Gverovic Orsan is a family run restaurant and serves oysters, scorpianfish, black risotto.

===

Bonus mention

~ Season One: Lisbon

Cervejaria Ramiro - a casual restaurant with amazing food. 

Lisbon food journalist, Miguel Pires, says this is his most favourite seafood place in Portugal/the world that he knows.

They serve a celebration of seafood such as six kinds of shrimp (including Carabinero) steamed or boiled and eaten with salt.

"It's like God made seafood soup."

Dessert is a steak sandwich served with mustard and piri piri sauce.

~ Season Four: San Francisco

The Paris of the Pacific.

Tomatoes in your face; vegetables can be rock stars.

Napa Valley wine region: America's Tuscany.

Cal Red peach: a heritage superstar.

===

Apparently, Phil fasts during Yom Kippur even though he is not religious. 

“I do it because it ties me to my roots, to my parents, their parents and beyond. I feel it in a spiritual way, not a religious way, if that make sense? I see it as good for the soul."

“I am culturally and traditionally Jewish, but not religious. I am proud of Jews for their many contributions, their culture, their philosophy and their values. I love the people, and I love that humor is a value.”

===