The Manifold Clock

After the success of the LunaTik, timekeeping has again hit Kickstarter with the 3D Manifold Clock, which shows the time via constantly changing shapes created by a flexible sheet of Tyvek attached between the hands.

So it looks a bit funky, but what’s it all about?

It turns out that the Manifold is pure maths geek. The idea behind it was to create a clock with a flexible surface based on the mathematical notion of Riemann surfaces.

The two hands are connected with a flexible sheet of Tyvek. The circular movement of the hands causes the surface to move, changing the clock appearance every minute. The surface rotates freely around the hands.

A $45 Kickstarter pledge gets backers a clock, $100 a jumbo-sized version. Interestingly, a $1 pledge is available, for a screen saver version. With over $23,000 raised and ten days to go, the Manifold Clock has already topped its $15,000 Kickstarter goal.

British Horological Institute honours Roger Smith

The British Horological Institute recently awarded Isle of Man based Roger W. Smith the Barrett Silver Medal in recognition of his “dedication to and successfully continuing the finest traditions of English watchmaking”.

During his acceptance speech, Roger Smith remembered his own studies for the BHI qualification at the Manchester School of Horology almost 25 years ago, remarking that his first day on the course was "the most enjoyable day in education that I had ever had" and from that day, he knew that he "had been gripped by this fascinating and multi faceted occupation of horology".

He originally moved to the island from Greater Manchester in 1998 to work with the late Dr George Daniels CBE, whom he describes as the 'greatest horologist of all time", and who inspired him to take up watchmaking.

Dr Daniels was awarded the BHI Gold Medal in 1981, the highest distinction that the institute offers for his outstanding horological achievement, writing and research.

Roger Smith, awarded the BHI Bronze Medal in 1989 after being voted the most outstanding student of the year at the Manchester School of Horolog, worked closely with Dr Daniels for more than 20 years until Dr Daniel's death in October 2011 at the age of 85.

He made his first pocket watch at the age of 22 and currently has a two-year waiting list for his watches, which start at £72,500.

[AP]

Assault with Rolex

What’s the hottest Rolex story in New York? Well it could be the recent conviction of “one-legged millionaire Thomas Hartmann”, as the press are calling him, of assaulting Russian stripper-masseuse Sophia Kandelaki with his gold Rolex (on his wrist) after an altercation outside restaurant Baraonda on the Upper East Side.

Kandelaki, who described herself in court as a "gunpoint kidnapping survivor, a reality star hopeful, a stripper, a private shopper, a vegan chef, a singer, a composer and an expert in 'deep, inner tantric massage’”, said that the attack was unprovoked, whilst Hartman stated that what happened was an accident that occurred after he "lost his balance on his prosthetic leg when [Kandelaki] reached in his pants for his giant wad of cash."'

The origins of Hartmann's missing leg and his millions are already a part of New York history. He was awarded more than $19.6 million by a jury after he lost his leg in 2004 when a police officer in a patrol car, trying to catch Hartmann for harassing his then-wife, ran him over.

Hartman himself served a six year custodial sentence in 1992 for stealing a car and setting it on fire and leading police officers in a car chase during a second vehicle theft. He also served a two year sentence just before the car theft, for stabbing a man in the face.

According to trial testimony, Hartmann was having a rather extravagant and exuberant dinner at the restaurant when Kandelaki and a friend joined his table. By all accounts, things went on swimmingly until they left. The subsequent altercation left Kandelaki with a large gash on her face.

The situation was further complicated by Hartman’s defence lawyer stating that Kandelaki called 1-800-LAWYERS from her hospital bed in hopes of a big payout of her own in an ongoing civil case.

Bemusingly, Kandelaki’s professional activities were subject to much court time.

"Men and women are naked," she told the jury at one point, describing her massage technique. "It has to be done really sensual, slow way," she explained.

"And it is a lot of touching, like, all over the body," she added, illustrating the point with gestures.

“Touching the private parts also, yes," she added.

Harman is due to be sentenced on 7 February.

Clearly, the actual Rolex model doesn't seem to be of interest to anyone but me, as I can find no details about it, not even a photo.

[AP]

Yu-U Japanese Restaurant

Yu-U
137 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
VIC 3000
Ph : (03) 9639 7073

A twitter conversation with @drng about a ‘hidden’ CBD restaurant which he challenged me to find was like a red rag to the proverbial.

Difficult to find? Not a problem.

The key is to know the name of the ‘cross’ laneway. Without that, and the knowledge that you are looking for a nondescript graffiti-strewn door, you are likely to walk past it.

Mistiming how long it would take me to walk there and arriving a fraction before noon to find it closed, I wandered aimlessly for a bit, arriving back at 12.05pm to find it not only open, but already almost half occupied.

On a bright Summer’s day it takes a minute to adjust your eyes to the darkened minimalist styling of Yu-U but once you do, it’s like a peaceful retreat. Dark colours, lighting that is very much ‘night’ lighting.

Most of the seating is at a long L-shaped bar, with a couple of tables to the side, and judging from the speed at which people arrived, this is a popular lunch time venue.

As the menu on the front door shows, there are a limited number of lunch items from which to choose. In terms of process, this manifests itself in a row of prepared trays outside the kitchen, visible to those seated at that end of the bar, ready for the placement of the main dish of choice, before delivery.

My choice? The sashimi, plus some tea which, happily, came with a large pot, and wasn’t powdered or a bag.

A compact no-frills tray with a selection of sweet fresh fish, more rice than I actually needed and a delicate broth that was clearly terribly healthy, but for which I’d have probably like a little bit more seasoning.

Yu-U has a really relaxed feel to it, despite the speed of the ordering and food arrival process. I didn’t feel any pressure to hurry, and was predisposed to linger there. I am glad that I decided to take up @drng’s challenge, and having enjoyed my brief time there, I think I’ll also take his suggestion of having dinner there. The ambience struck me as one that comes into its own in the evening.

[AP]

Les Univers Infinis - Vacheron Constantin

 

Vacheron’s "Les Univers Infinis" is their latest Métiers d’Art collection, which highlights the artisanal crafts of enamelling, engraving, Escher influenced tessellation and guilloché. There’s something to be said about watches with a sense of whimsy rather than ultra complications, watches that remind us of art forms that, if we don’t support them, could die out.

The 2012 collection consists of three watches, each produced in a limited edition of twenty : Dove, Fish and Shell.

Each of the watches is 18K white gold, 40mm, contains Vacheron’s automatic Caliber 2460 SC which can be seen through an open case back, has 3 bar water resistance, and is individually numbered.

DOVE WATCH

 Ref. 86222/000G-9774

The dial of the Dove watch features 38 doves in flight, captured by engravers, Grand Feu champlevé enamelling and guilloché work. 'Champlever' refers to how an image is carved out before the enameller fills the cavities. Champlevé is distinguished from cloisonné enameling, in which the images/ spaces are created by soldering flat metal strips to the surface of the object.

For the Dove, the enameller completes the dial by applying a translucent enamel coating to the violet birds and opalescent enamel to the white ones. Once the enamelling is complete, the gemsetter inserts diamonds into one of the doves. Finally, the guillocheur, finishes it off.


FISH WATCH

Ref. 86222/000G-9689

A shoal of fish created by guilloché work and grand feu cloisonné enamelling commences with cutting the fish and engraving their eyes. The guillocheur then creates tenth-of-a-millimetre symmetrical motifs, curves are added, and the fish covered with scales. The enameller marks out the outline of the fish using a very fine gold wire to separate the various colours. The enamel is placed in each fish and it is then fired in an oven several times, after which the wires are polished down to the level of the enamelling before a final glaze of varnish is added.

SHELL WATCH

Ref. 86222/000G-9685

Shells and starfish are created by the same methods above, with grand feu champlevé enamelling to form an ochre-tinged seabed.

Even if the subject matter of these watches is not to your liking, or you find them a bit too visually elaborate for your tastes, you can still admire the craftsmanship that goes into these dials. Firstly, the engraver traces the shapes on the dial using a drypoint and then hollows out the fields or cavities in order to create a relief engraving using this champlevé technique.

After that is the enamelling work. Firstly, the cavities created by the engraver are filled with enamel. They are then fired them several times at 800° to 850°C. Several firing sessions are required, after which the result is polished, glazed and varnished. At the completion of these, an engraver finishes off the surface of the designs where necessary.

Here is a video from Vacheron about these three new watches that is worth watching.

For more about the art of enameling, read Elizabeth Doerr’s great in-depth piece here


[AP]

Hu Tong Dumpling Bar

Hu Tong
14-16 Market Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Ph : (03) 9650 8128

Situated opposite the much lauded Flower Drum, the three-level Hu Tong has become one of Melbourne’s most popular CBD restaurants and Xiao Long Bao destinations. In the mood for some food of the dumpling kind, I made my way there for an early lunch at about noon. Apparently, noon isn’t early by Hu Tong standards, as they were already almost-full, and within about 15 minutes or so after my arrival, they had to turn people away.

Comfortably ensconced at a window table and fairly hungry despite the early hour, I decided to go with old favourites instead of ordering dumplings (no, XLB are not dumplings, 'bao' means 'bun'), both as a point of comparison and because sometimes, all you need is comfort food. Preferably involving a chilli kick.

Xiao Long Bao ($11.80)

Nicely pleated and looking as though they had little skirts, the XLB were borderline scorchingly hot, just as I like them. The skin nicely translucent, the filling juicy, well seasoned, and the burst of a good clear flavoursome broth (with added vinegar) just what I needed. Some of the better XLBs I’ve had in Australia.

Hot and Sour soup ($6.00)

A good sized serving (enough for two bowls), this is what I’d been hanging out for. The balance between the ‘hot’ and the ‘sour’ seems to be a somewhat subjective thing. I suspect I like mine a fraction more sour than most. In any event, this example wasn’t bad at all, with a reasonable amount of chilli, an absence of the too-much-added-cornflour syndrome, and some nice depth to it. Not amongst my top hot and sour soup experiences, but then again I have found it difficult to find a good one in Sydney, and I’d consider ordering the Hu Tong one again if I was there.

Spring onion pancake ($6.50)

More attractively presented than that in many places (though smaller in quantity) and touted as a ‘house special’, the pancake’s layers were light and crisp but not too oily. The amount of spring onions fairly decent; too few and the pancake becomes a tad on the bland side. Not inexpensive, but as it was a lot better than some I've had in the past year, worth it.

All in all, the location of Melbourne’s most popular XLB was a pleasant experience both food and service wise, and I’d be happy to revisit Hu Tong on any future trip to Melbourne. 

[AP]

Season vs Shimizu Part 1

After sampling various local high end/ fine dining restaurants (if you can call them that) we find ourselves keep coming back to these two. Granted, they're still not inexpensive all things considered, but at about $50 per head (fully fed with drinks) it's relatively acceptable in terms of having a good night out. Of course, this could blow out quite a bit if you choose to have a more expensive drop, or order the absolute most expensive dishes from each course.

We feel that many of the so-called high-end restaurants are just not good value for money. Either in terms of the food quality, quantity, the service quality, attitude, even the atmosphere are nowhere close to what is expected at their price point.  And this is a cryin' shame. We've kinda lost faith in these kinds of places and are happy to stick to the following two favourites.

There are quite a contrast between the two places, and depending on your mood, you can choose from having a quiet evening or a lively atmosphere.

Part 1:  Quiet Night Out in Willoughby

A la Façon de Shimizu
537 Willoughby Road
NSW 2068
(02) 9958 8782537

The name roughly translates to "The way of Shimizu". This is a 'French' influenced place run by a Japanese Chef. But it felt more like a Japanese/ French influenced fusion western style restaurant. I don't think I can pigeon hole this place, and that is part of their charm. From the looks of it, all the staff (including kitchen staff) are all Japanese, so you immediately get that extremely polite Japanese service. It is not one bit pretentious which we really like. If you ignore what's going on outside (it is on Willoughby Road after all) you could imagine yourself in a little rustic European back alley restaurant with stone paved roads outside, and fire crackling in the fireplace. They are genuinely welcoming and appreciative of your patronage in a very Japanese kind of way, and there is a warmth in their greeting that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Now the dishes aren't exactly what you'd call 'fine' but again, there is none of that over-the-top presentation and plating up that we're so accustomed to from these far-from-realistic cooking/ competition shows. You don't get a big empty plate with the food stacked 30cm tall in the middle. None of those artistic spreads of bright/ matching colour sauces nor the little dabs here and there that leaves you confused as to what goes with what. The presentation is functional like a Toyota, but it's reliable and won't age over time.

Of course, being a fairly small restaurant with minimal staff, there can sometimes be a bit of a lag between courses, and this is more noticeable when the restaurant is fuller and you can almost see the kitchen straining at the seams. However, when you're with good company (and this is a place you would take good company to) the lag won't be as glaring.

Grilled Lamb Cutlet with Miso Sauce

To the dishes. For those who are accustomed to the "full-on-hit-by-the-train" flavour of the Chinese takeaway, this place is most definitely not for you. Their flavours might be light, but certainly not lacking. I find them balanced and intricate, and you want to take things slow and savour each mouthful, for fear of possibility missing out on something.

Although they do have a special set menu - a bargain at $35 for 3 courses, for the past few visits, my slightly high maintenance palate has found me a set of "usuals" that I have ended up ordering upon each returning visit.

Fresh Salmon Tartare - Fresh salmon and avocado tartare with dill, capper and olive .Served with wasabi-mayonnais and bread

The soft texture of the salmon and avocado is juxtaposed with the crunchy bread with a soft centre. It's presented in almost a grid of salmon, avocado and the mayo that you don't want to mess it up. But you should.