Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - Eyüp Sultan Camii (Eyüp Sultan Mosque)

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque is the holiest mosque in Istanbul and it is one of the holiest in the world. It is situated outside the historical Walls of Constantinople, near the Golden Horn, on the European side of İstanbul.

According to Wiki:

It was built in 1458 and is the first mosque which was constructed by the Ottoman Turks following their conquest of Constantinople (İstanbul) in 1453. The mosque rises on the spot where Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Turkish: Eyüp Sultan), the standard-bearer of Prophet Mohammed, died during the Arab assault on Constantinople in 670. His tomb is greatly venerated by the Muslims and attracts many pilgrims.

The area surrounding the mosque is one of the more conservative areas in Istanbul. All local women are veiled and men are also wearing religious clothing.

We paid a visit to the tomb of the Eyup Sultan. Outside the tomb, we spoke to a man who has just retired. He lives round the around and he visits the mosque daily. He has previously lived in the US and it is interesting to hear his view.

In front of one of the entrances.

Look at the tile work!

The courtyard

Cheltenham Trip, May 2007 - Surprise trip to Le Champignon Sauvage, a two-Michelar star restaurant!

I've just returned from a weekend trip to Cheltenham.

Valerie and I was totally surprised yesterday. SP has came to collect us from our lesson with a car and packed luggage! It is the first time that Valerie has visited other parts of England.

We arrived in Cheltenham about 2 hours later. We checked into our room and then took a short nap. Then, SP handed me a set of driving instructions into town. We arrived at Le Champignon Sauvage Restaurant just in time for our bookings!

For the next few hours, we were treated to some of the nicest food we've had in the UK (so far).

In front of the restaurant

Les champignons!

Onion biscuits and caramelised onions & cheese on crackers

White bean soup with lemon zest froth. I love this soup.

'Bread' with bacon & shallot

Roasted duck foie gras, lamb's tongue, quince and walnuts. This smells divine. The sauce matches the food well and walnuts added extra dimension to the whole dish.

Seared dived Shetland scallops, crisp belly Gloucester Old Spot pork, pea purée and peanuts. The peanuts is an interesting addition. The scallops are cooked nicely.

Wood pigeon, Alexander purée, asparagus, broad beans and Morel mushrooms. These local pigeons do not have a very 'game' taste to it. The morel mushrooms are very meaty and they have soaked up the tasty sauce. The restaurant has recommended a great matching wine!

Beef with oxtail, cepes ad shallots. It was cooked 'bleu', just the way I like it. And there are cepes. What else do I need? :) Again, I love the matching wine.

Pre-dessert. Rose and Geranium cream with rhubarb sorbet. There are some popping candy sprinkled on top of the dessert. The dessert itself is light and creamy.

Hot fig tart with browned butter ice cream. It is not as good as the rhubarb rice pudding (which is SP's most highly rated dessert to date)

Petits fours. This didn't have a very good hit rate with me.

3 pieces of the petits fours were abandoned. These petits fours found its way to SP's plate.

Today, we drove around the country-side in search of proper cream tea (with real clotted cream). My ideal would be a country house overlooking the fields filled with sheep. Since it is a long weekend over here and it was raining, the search proved to be difficult. We ended up in a cafe in a small town. The clotted cream was really nice though!

On our way home, we tried to look for a farm shop which sells fresh produce. We only found one, and as we approached the shop, we saw this:

Can you spot something suspicious in this picture?

It was raining quite heavily and this 'free-range' chicken-on-the-run is hiding under the plants!

Unfortunately, it does not have many meat in stock. They usually butcher-to--order, so that's what we are going to do next time.

For more information:
http://www.lechampignonsauvage.co.uk/

Friend from Down Under

We had a friend from Australia visited us yesterday. We brought them to the local touristy places such as Borough Market, Tower of London and the old Brick Lane.

We complained why SY never smiles, he claimed that he is very tired from the flight. Oh well, this time he doesn't bull**** us. He said he is nearly drunk from 2 half pints of English Ale.

Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - More food in Turkey

Another post on the food in Turkey:

Kebab

An Antakya dish. No idea what it is called now.

Lamb kebab.

Chicken stuffed with rice. Very delicious.

Kebeb in the local restaurant. This is particularly good! The marinate was perfect.

Fried fish at a local stall. 3YTL per portion

Grilled fish at a local stall. 7YTL per fish.

Gözleme, a sort of Turkish crepe, folded over many available savory fillings.

Dondurma (Turkish ice cream) at Mado's, a famous ice cream shop.

SP loves this dish. It is supposed to be very tasty.

Lamb chop, a popular dish for the locals.

More chicken kebab. This time, it is not as nice, but still good.

Ramazan pidesi, Turkish bread.

SP even had a go. He wasn't that good a baker though. He almost dropped the bread when the chef baker handed him the freshly baked bread. His hands were too delicate for the heat!

Fine dining on the London Underground

Someone decided to have a full dinner dinner on the Jubille Line.

On a different note, there is another Tube related event coming up this Saturday. It is the Tube Zone 1 Challenge and it is a race to visit all Zone 1 tube stations in the fastest time. Dijkstra's algorithm, anyone? You just have to be mindful of the engineering work that are taking place this weekend!

For more information:

http://www.tubechallenge.com/

Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - Kumkapi

Kumkapi is an ancient quarter of Istanbul. And if you are visiting the city for the first time, you are sure to be told to visit one of the fish restaurants in the area.

We decided early on that we didn't want to eat there, but we still wanted to visit the fish market in the area. So, on our last night in Istanbul, we went for a walk after dinner.

The fish market is actually not that big, and it wasn't busy at all, because it was already late at night. However, the stalls are much posher than we expected as all the fish was laid out on marble. I guess the city gets pretty hot in summer and hence these outdoor markets will need it.

Some of the stalls were already cleaning up, as you can see in the following picture:

The person with the trolley is selling nuts to the fish vendors. He offered us some nuts for free but we were already quite full.

We went around and took photos of the fish. Then this person took out one of the weirdest fish in the pile and showed it to me. Then he invited SP to take photos of the fish. It was quite funny.

We also spoke to an Armenian who owns a vegetable stalls in the fish market. Apparently, he does business with a lot of the local restaurants and business is good. He earns more than SP and myself and he is living in Istanbul, which is much cheaper to live in! He owns a villa in the Armenian quarter and life is good. He said he will shout us fish if we wait until he finishes up. It was a kind offer but we have already had a big meal before hand! Anyway, we hanged around a little and had a good chat with him.

On the way back, we walked past the Kumkapi restaurants area. As expected, it was full of tourists. There were also more police patrolling the area. The food looks pretty good though.

Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - Sütlaç

Sütlaç, or Turkish rice pudding, is a very popular traditional dessert in Turkey. The dessert is usually served in a clay bowl and it can be served either hot or cold.

It was first prepared in the Royal Ottoman kitchen. The pudding is made with rice cooked in milk thickened with a ground rice/milk mixture and it is also sometimes flavoured with vanilla. In the Ottoman days, all these ingredients were very valuable and only the wealthiest could afford this dessert. Nowadays, of course, you can get them everywhere.

The one we tried was very creamy. It has a hint of vanilla and it is not extremely sweet, like the other Turkish desserts. It is one of the few Turkish desserts which I like and probably will eat again.

Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower)

The Galata Tower was built as "Christea Turris" in 1348 as part of the expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. The tower stands at 69.90 meters above ground and it is still the one of the most prominent landmarks in the city on the Asian Side of Istanbul. The tower was originally erected to observe the port and the city. It has been used for various purposes over the centuries, but now it is functioning as a 'watch tower' for the tourists. There is an observation deck on the top floor of the tower, which you pay 10YTL to visit. You don't have to walk all the way up, as there is an elevator and you will only need to walk up the final two floors.

Some interesting fact about the tower: In the 17th Century, an Ottoman citizen, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi flew from Galata Tower to Asian Shore of Üsküdar with the 'wings' that he invented.


It was deemed to be a great success and he was rewarded with 1,000 gold pieces by the then Sultan. He is now known as one of the first aviators to have succeeded in flying with artificial wings.

A photo a of the Galata Tower from the European shore

A Piece of Old Warren....any taker?

Ever since I've read Intelligent Investor and other value investor books and articles, I have became more admire of Warren Buffett's skill of consistently achieving greater than 20% return every year for the last what? 40 years?

My friend ML has consistently asked where to put his massive fortune for long term investment. Well, I think I have found the answer for him and I want to have a piece of this old man as well.

To be my little Van Gogh on my tiny apartment wall

I hope I will be able to see him at Omaha next year at the AGM. The idea of going to US has shrug off JK but I hope the jewelry shopping at the AGM will tempt her :-)

Mischa Maisky in action

The Cadogan Hall

I've been in London for a year now. To me, one of the main attractions of London is its world-class classical music scene. Top musicians always visit London! (as opposed to Sydney)

During my time here, I am always on the look out for concert which I want to attend. I wanted to see a cello programme. But everyone is playing the Shostakovich Cello Concerto these days, which I just won't pay to watch live. Plus, I've already got Rostropovich's version on DVD. The music was written for him! So it's unlikely anyone can top that!

Anyway, I finally found a cello programme that appealed to me last month:

Alexander Polianichko, conductor
Mischa Maisky, cello
English Chamber Orchestra

Tchaikovsky Serenade for String Orchestra
Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme
Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile for cello
Tchaikovsky Suite No. 4, Mozartiana

The venue, Cadogen Hall, is not so well known. The hall was formally a church. It was purchased by Cadogan Estates Ltd in 2000. Cagoden Estates, in turn, is owned by the Earl Cadogan, whose ancestors have been the main landowners in Chelsea since the 19th Century. The current Earl, Charles Gerald John Cadogan, is listed as the 243th richest person in the world on the 2007 Forbe Billionaire List. He owns much of Sloane Street, which lines the exclusive district Knightsbridge, Belgravia, and Chelsea. In the most exclusive residential area of the street, some of the residences have remained as whole houses. And the properties in the area have sold for in excess of £2,500 per square foot on long leases earlier this year!

Back to the concert, Mischa Maisky is one of the top cellist in the world. He won the 6th Prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1966, so I was really looking forward to hearing this all-Tchaikovsky programme. Again, Rostropovich, being the President of the Organising Committee of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, has made the definite record on Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme. Nevertheless, Maisky, who has studied under the maestro and Piatigorsky, is a well-respected cellists and it is rare to hear the Andante Cantabile live, so I jumped at the opportunity!

Maisky entered the stage after the first piece, and he dedicated his music to his teacher, Rostropovich, which I think was very heart-warming.

Maisky with his cello. Look at the length of the end-pin! His suit was also very interesting.

Maisky played a wonderful interpretation of the Variations on a Rococo Theme. His technique was almost perfect and the tone was very warm and full. He had lots of fun going up and down the fingerboard. The Andante Cantabile was beautiful, even more so than I expected. Maisky was in control the whole time. It was mesmerising. Before I know it, his programme was over!

It is the first time of me hearing a Montagnana live. What an amazing instrument and player. The back of the Montagnana is amazing. I can see the grain all the way from the gallery. The English Chamber Orchestra also put up a wonderful performance. Although the hall is slightly too big for chamber music (it sits around 600 people), the music still carry through reasonable well.

On a side note, I also saw Julian Lloyd Webber, the cellist brother of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Here is a not-so-clear photographic evidence:

He was walking right behind me when we entered the hall. He attended the concert with an Oriental lady and left during the interval. It is a shame because he missed the Andante Cantabile, which was played so beautifully!

I now look forward to more concerts. Hopefully, I can find something nice at the Wigmore Hall in the near future!

Istanbul Trip, April 2007 - The search for the perfect Turkish Delights

Turkish Delights, or lokum in Turkish, is a confection made from sugar and starch. For those with sweet tooth like SP, it is the perfect snack.

The search for the perfect Turkish Delights has always been on our to-do list. During our trip, it has become our daily ritual and we tried to have as many Turkish Delights from as many shops as possible.

One day, we walked down the streets and bought a small bag of Turkish Delights, just as we've finished these sweets, we walked past a shop which looked old (the sign says 'since 1777') and authentic. So we went in and had a look. The shop assistant offered us samples and once we've tried it, there was no going back!

Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir Confectioners' Turkish Delights was not too sweet, not too gluey or sticky, not too hard and not too soft. Despite having just finished a bag of Turkish Delights, we bought some more! :)

We later found out that Haci Bekir used to be the "Chief Confectioner" to the Ottoman Court and since 1777, the confectionery shop has been passed down through the family. It is now in the fifth generation.

The shop also does other confectionaries like chocolate, hard candies, dragee, halva and demirhindi. Next time you are in town, you should check them out!

For more information:
http://www.hacibekir.com.tr/

Map of Online Communities

Here is a map of the online communities from xkcd.com.

(Source: http://www.xkcd.com/c256.html)

I am on the "intellectual"-side of the online community. Haha. I don't know whether it is for the good or the bad :P