Gaziano & Girling

PROGRESS REPORT

Buffalo micro box grained seamless, stitchless wholecut oxfords

August 2010, Tokyo

Fast forward to.....


February 2011, Hong Kong

Bespoke requires patience. But I think it's worth the wait!
 

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Related : Gaziano & Girling Trunk Show

Nosh

Nosh Restaurant
111 Coliemore Rd
Dalkey
Co Dublin
Ireland
+353 (0)1 284-0666

Another notable restaurant in Dalkey is 'Nosh', though its bright, sun-filled informal interior means that it could easily be taken for a cafe. They have a children's menu as well, adding to the relaxed feel of the place.

The treacle bread (a traditional Irish bread) and the fish and with chunky homemade chips were outright winners.

Beer battered cod, pea puree + tartare sauce (13.50)

Sportful Garden Restaurant

Sportful Garden Restaurant
G/F, Eton Tower
8 Hysan Avenue
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Ph: +85225762008

I am not quite sure about why the Sportful Garden chain of (nine) restaurants goes by this name, but English name aside, I was staying in the Causeway Bay area, feeling like some yum cha, and was there on a family recommendation.

Situated in a large comfortable second level space, this restaurant is a mid-range Yum Cha option. With friendly and professional staff, the menu is in both Chinese and English, but on this occasion, it was very much a local crowd dining there.

Spring rolls. Pan fried turnip cake.

Pan fried turnip cake is a dim sum favourite of mine, and this one, presented in a more thought-out manner than most places, was hot, slightly crispy on the top and bottom (one of my pet peeves being turnip cake that has not been pan fried for long enough and has no crispiness), and with a nice balance of the turnip cake and the sausage that forms part of it. 

The spring rolls, not normally something I would order, had a wonderfully light crunchy exterior, the filling generous but not too heavy. I would order these again.

Define Watches - auction for the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal

This Summer has been a difficult one in Australia, from floods in Queensland, Victoria and NSW, to bushfires and Cyclone Yasi in North Queensland.

We were very relieved to hear that our fellow Ristis in Brisbane in particular, were all safe.

Fortunately, our friends at Define Watches also escaped the worst of the floods in Brisbane, but as you know, many were not as lucky.

To assist in the rebuilding of their home town, Define Watches are conducting a watch auction with 100% of proceeds going to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal.

In a very generous act, all the timepieces to be auctioned have been donated by the relevant German and Swiss watchmakers, and include the following :

Armin Strom - Blue Chip Power Reserve

Jörg Schauer - Edition 10 white dial
Personalised with initials of the buyer on the dial

MeisterSinger - No 03
Special Edition Black PVD (AM 910)

The watches will be auctioned from 9:00 am on Feb 21 to midnight, February 27.

Details of all watches being auctioned, and the registration and bidding process, can be found here.

For any additional information call Peter on 07 3395 7728 or 0401 326 998 or email him at pp@definewatches.com.au

Happy bidding, and please support this worthy cause.

An interview with A.B.P. (Atelier du Bracelet Parisien)

For many a watch enthusiast, straps are an important part of watch ownership, with strap purchases and changes according to mood/ weather/ purpose/ colour/ material  being a regular part of one's horological existence.  If you're a Paneristi, strapmania can reach epic proportions, with leather strap cases which can hold two dozen straps, vintage straps that go for four figure amounts, and adoration of particular strapmakers and types of straps leathers and styles.

Perhaps the most celebrated maker of custom straps is A.B.P. (Atelier du Bracelet Parisien).

Situated in the heart of Paris, A.B.P. was founded in 1997 by Jean-Claude Perrin who, after 40 years of experience in the industry with Camille Fournet & Créations Perrin, decided to dedicate himself to bespoke strap making for individual clients. Today, it remains a family business, with Jean-Claude and his son Yann at its helm.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Yann via email, giving some insight into the A.B.P. atelier and those of us (yes, myself included) who have their straps. Apart from the dizzying array of combinations which a customer can select, the most unexpected insight for me was the small percentage of Panerai related straps that they sell.

Left : Alligator. Right : Ostrich leg

1. ABP is the most renowned strap maker amongst watch enthusiasts, and your customers are worldwide. How many people are there in your workshop making straps?

We are a team of 14 people at the workshop, but only seven are making straps.

Ouzo's Bar & Grill

Ouzo's Bar and Grill
22 Castle St.
Dalkey
Co. Dublin
Ph : +353 1 285 1890

This was one of those happy accidents - I'd stumbled into town and was, at the last minute, looking for somewhere to get in, let alone eat. It was late, and these guys were able to accommodate me with a table.

Being rather hungry I opted for the crab claws followed by a standard sirloin steak - all I can say is this restaurant is about as good as one could hope for - the food was top notch and the value for money outstanding.

Tribes Restaurant

Tribes Restaurant
57a Glasthule Rd
Glasthule
Sandycove
Co Dublin
Ireland
Ph : +353 (0)1 236 5971

Lunch 12.30 - 3.00pm (4.00pm Sun)
Dinner 5.30 - 11.00pm Mon-Sat (6.00 - 10.00pm Sun)

Just next door to Cavistons is the very laid back Tribes Bar and Restaurant - it serves what is, to date, the best lamb shank I've ever eaten. Yes I know that this is a big call but trust me, so was the taste and delivery of this dish.

Braised lamb shank "off the bone" with vegetables, crushed potato and rosemary jus
€19.95

The lamb is removed from the bone before cooking and placed in a tubed tin (I know that sounds odd) for the cooking process. You can't tell from looking at it, but the meat just falls apart at touch. Served with a very traditional rosemary combination, it was also good value for money, a similar dish in London would cost considerably more.