Costa Rica Critter Round-Up

Warning: image-heavy post ahead. One of the reasons I wanted to visit Costa Rica was because of its incredible biodiversity. Although it's a pretty small country, the landscape and the climate changes quickly from cloud forest to rain forest to hot, dry beaches and as such, it would be difficult to spend two weeks there and not see some cool creatures. 

Spot the howler monkeys

Tamarindo & Mal País: In Search of the Perfect Beach

After an action-packed first week in Costa Rica, we have been spending our second week hopping from beach to beach. En route from our hotel to Playa Tamarindo, the heavens opened for the first time of the holiday and we were forced to seek refuge in one of the main restaurants that line the main drag of 'Tamagringo.' 

Tamarindo: Leaping in Paradise

We left the cloud forest today, journeying over rocky, unpaved roads down the mountain, until we finally reached the Pan-American highway, where things improved a little. Still it's hard to complain when we were in our hotel pool cooling off well before noon.

We're staying near at El Sabanero Eco Lodge, near Tamarindo, a little way away from the beach and the shops. It's pretty quiet out here, but we're expecting another dawn wake-up call from the monkeys. Later, though, we are going in search of food and waves, and a little bit more civilisation. Relatively speaking.

The Monteverde Caffeine Chronicles: The Common Cup

There isn't a huge amount to do in the towns of Monteverde and Santa Elena — the restaurants tend to be touristy and overpriced — but we did manage to find a few nice places to go. Top of my list was The Common Cup, an independent coffee shop serving espresso drinks made with Monteverde coffee roasted on site. Plus, they do a good line in latte art. Yesterday, I tried a cappuccino, which was too milky for me; this morning's macchiato was much better: rich and creamy.

Monteverde: I've Looked at Clouds from Both Sides Now

When you're staying in Monteverde, Costa Rica, most of the activities are in or near one of the cloud forests. The two largest are the Monteverde reserve and the Santa Elena reserve, but I still haven't worked out which is which, especially given the two 'towns' of Monteverde and Santa Elena are next-door neighbours, and neither consists of anything more than a few unpaved roads on the hilltop, with a handful of sodas, touristy shops and hotels.

Monteverde: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

We left our lovely little cabin at the foot of the Volcán Arenal early this morning (we were staying at Hotel Campo Verde and I would highly recommended it).

La Fortuna: She's a Waterfall

In La Fortuna and the Arenal National Park, there are a whole load of activities on offer. It's one of the most popular regions in Costa Rica! As we will be doing a canopy tour in our next location, we decided to do a four-in-one combination tour, which offered a floating safari, a tour of the Catarata de La Fortuna, a hike around the Volcán Arenal and a visit to one of the many hot springs in the area.

La Fortuna: Hot Stuff

Today we travelled from Costa Rica's capital, San José, to the town of La Fortuna, some 100 miles northwest of the capital. We took the bus and because the main road winds it way through the mountains, the journey takes 4 1/2 hours. At one point, the fog or cloud was so thick that we couldn't see the treacherous drop beyond the edge of the narrow road.

San José: The Way to San José

When you fly to Costa Rica from Europe, the length of the flights and the time difference mean you pretty much have to stay one night in the capital, San José, although even Lonely Planet couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for the place.

In Search of Coffee and Monkeys

I'm off adventuring in the morning. My bags are packed—I'm taking a little more than shown in the photo, but not much—and in case you can't guess, I'm going to Costa Rica for a fortnight, which achieves my not-really-a-resolution of taking a two-week holiday in a new hot country. 

Costa Rica essentials. Just add a sun hat. And an umbrella.

The Burger Bulletin: Kua 'Aina

After some pre-holiday shopping this evening, I was in Soho and in need of dinner. My initial plan was to go to Brgr.co in Wardour Street but then it started to rain and I happened upon Kua 'Aina, just off Carnaby Street. Also, I was in the mood for vowels. Kua 'Aina has a couple of locations in Hawai'i, one of which is supposed to be one of Barack Obama's favourite places in his home state, a handful in Japan, and now one in London. The Japanese connection is interesting, because Kua 'Aina is a little like a Hawai'ian burger shack theme park. Surf boards on the walls: check. Vintage posters of bikini-clad babes and turquoise oceans: check. All that was missing were the leis.

Kua 'Aina: Hawai'ian burgers near Carnaby Street

Kua 'Aina is famous for its lava-rock-chargrilled burgers. You can choose a 1/2 lb or a 1/3 lb burger and add various combinations of cheese, bacon, avo and, this being a Hawai'ian, pineapple. I ordered a 1/3 lb burger with cheddar and despite the promise on the menu that "juicy medium" was standard, I opted to have it medium rare just in case. I needn't have worried because the burger was delicious: juicy, flavoursome and very moreish. I'm not really sure what difference the lava grilling made, but they are obviously doing something right! The golden, seeded bun ("baked daily") was also good. I probably could have eaten the 1/2 lb model, especially because the skin-on fries were fine, but nothing special.

Kua 'Aina cheese burger

And the golden seeded bun.

The menu also offered sweet potato fries but I overindulged in those last week (I also saw an empty cardboard box upstairs that seemed to have contained the non-homemade sweet potato fries). If you're not in the mood for a burger, there is a selection of sandwiches and salads. They also "fluffy American pancakes" and a few Hawai'ian puddings and drinks.

A long way from Honolulu...

The restaurant is pretty small and crowded — there are a few seats outside for those rare days when the London weather is being kind. I was sitting downstairs and although the wait staff was friendly, the service was a little spotty, in part, I'm sure, because the downpour made Kua 'Aina very busy tonight. Still, it was refreshing not to see the standard 12.5% service charge being whacked on the bill. For a chilled out, unpretentious restaurant that offers a great burger without the queues or the attitude, you should check Kua 'Aina out.

Kua 'Aina. 26 Foubert's Place (just off Carnaby Street), London, W1F 7PP (Tube: Oxford Circus). Website. Twitter.

From the Sublime to the Hot Dog

Since Bubbledogs opened last year, it has been on my list of restaurants to check out. When my brother went last year, though, he had to queue for hours in the cold before they got in, so I decided to wait for warmer climes and for the hype to die down a little. But it was number one on Dr E's list of London restaurants to visit, and she had the advantage of not being at work on Friday and so was able to nab us a place near the front of the queue: by the time I arrived, just before six, they others were already at our table. It also helped that Friday afternoon was quite sunny, of course.

The Bubbledogs queue at 5.45.

Conceptually, Bubbledogs is simple: you pick a hot dog from the list of 13, and you pick a glass or a bottle of Champagne to accompany it. The hot dogs aren't especially filling, so most people order two, apparently, but although my friends managed a second, I was full after my first dog. I picked the Fourth of July, which involves a bacon-wrapped hot dog topped with smokey BBQ sauce and coleslaw. You can choose a pork, beef or veggie hot dog, but I went for the pork option. The hot dog itself was nice enough (it is just a hot dog, after all), although I couldn't really taste the BBQ sauce and there was a lot of coleslaw. I like coleslaw, but I also like to be able to taste what I'm eating. Most of the others ordered the same and then went for the Buffalo Dog: a deep-fried hot dog with spicy buffalo sauce, blue cheese, pickled celery and celery seeds. The general consensus was that the Fourth of July was better. If I go back, I'll probably try out the José, with salsa, avo, sour cream and jalapeño peppers. The sides were very good: both the sweet potato fries and the tater tots were tasty (unsurprisingly, we didn't order in more coleslaw).

Bubbles: check. Dogs: check.

As for the bubbles, the Champagne menu is organised thematically, which is quite fun. Dr E was in charge of bubbly, and I believe we had a bottle of the Bérêche et Fils from the "fresh fruit bowl" list and a bottle from the "flowers and fields" list. They were both very good, although I'm hardly a connoisseur. I think both bottles were in the £40–50 range.

Inside Bubbledogs.

Of course the cool part is the quirky juxtaposition of the posh bubbly and its culinary opposite, the lowly hot dog. Dante would definitely have approved of this seamless mixing of highbrow and lowbrow. Still, Bubbledogs isn't cheap and it's not necessarily the kind of place you would go back to often. Our tab came in at nearly £200 for four people, including two bottles, seven hot dogs and two sides. For the same amount, you could get a really great meal with a cocktail or carafe of Prosecco at many other London restaurants. It was a fun experience and perhaps I would have been more excited by the food if I had had to queue for it. But if you've got money to burn, though, and want a very of-the-moment London dining experience, do check it out!

Bubbledogs. 70 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 4QG (Tube: Goodge Street). Website. Twitter.

Good Days and Sunshine

It's been a pretty hectic weekend. Dr E was visiting from Australia and there were plenty of assorted social occasions and birthday celebrations to keep me entertained, most of which revolved around food and/or drink. It didn't hurt that the sun has finally decided to get its hat on and although it wasn't exactly warm, it was a lot more pleasant than it has been for months.

Bubbledogs preview

On Friday night Dr E and I went to Bubbledogs with a couple of other university friends, but I'll be doing a more detailed review of that in due course. I had hoped to take them all to Bourne & Hollingsworth for a cocktail afterwards but it was a Friday night and we hadn't booked, so we ended up in the Carpenter's Arms instead, which is a decent enough pub, just off Tottenham Court Road. They have a roof garden, which will be nice in the summer.

Bottomless coffee at Bea's Diner

Bea's buttermilk pancakes with strawberries

It was then a relatively early start on Saturday to make it to Bea's Diner for 10 am, with Dr E and a slightly different combination of our university friends. The weather was certainly a lot more clement than the last time I went, and spirits were high. After Friday night's hot dog fest, I decided to refrain from the bacon and went for the 'healthy' option of buttermilk pancakes with roasted strawberries. That and three mugs of 'bottomless' Hasbean coffee, and a subsequent macchiato at Monmouth's Maltby Street outlet, was enough to keep me buzzing for a while.

People-watching at the Tate Modern

St Paul's and the North Bank in the sunshine

We wandered over to the Tate Modern, as some of our group were going to see the Lichtenstein retrospective. The rest of us people-watched for a while, and then we went to the cafe for afternoon tea. I ordered a coke float from the Lichtenstein-themed special menu (a bargain at £2). Then it was back towards London Bridge for a few drinks at the Market Porter, before heading over Tower Bridge for our dinner date at Café Spice Namaste, an Indian restaurant near Aldgate. The food was really good quality: I had a chicken pasanda, which was a little spicier than my usual chicken korma order, but still within my comfort zone. The menu is pretty creative—there is a springbok curry, for example—and the starters, many of which are veggie-friendly, looked really good. I then headed back over the river for another friend's birthday celebration in Kennington.

Art or Ikea?

After the weekend's excesses, I felt much better after my run this morning, although the sunshine had brought out the crowds, even at a relatively early hour. I then met some more university friends at CASK in Pimlico, which was chosen on the basis of its craft beer selection and its roasts. I can't speak for the former but the roast chicken with stuffing and all the trimmings was delicious. I did also consume at least some ale in the gravy, and in the rich chocolate cake I had for pudding.

Two out of Three Ain't Bad

As part of the gentrification of King's Cross, a couple of years ago saw the arrival of Drink, Shop & Do, on the site of a former sex shop (cf The Brewhouse on York). Although it sounds like the slightly less hippy-dippy sequel to an Elizabeth Gilbert book, it's actually quite a fun concept. Up front, there is a shop selling cards, jewellery and other girly and/or quirky gifts. At the back, you can grab a table and, depending on the time of day, enjoy breakfast, tea and cakes, or a cocktail. I often peruse the shop section and have been to a Christmas party in the basement, the best part of the do being the retro snacks, including Skips and Scotch eggs.

Drink, Shop & Do: fancy tablecloths and a front garden cocktail

This week, I managed to drink and to do, although not to shop. Not bad for a Thursday night, though. We started with a few cocktails. My favourite was the, er, front garden, which contained gin, lime, elderflower and basil. It was delicious and the £8.50 pricetag isn't too horrific for central London. We did face some pressure from the bar staff to order more drinks, however, even when we had clearly just got a round in.

Vintage chic

The 'do' on Thursday involved having vintage hair and make-up done, at £10 for one or £15 for both, which is pretty reasonable. I have only had my make-up done once before, when I was a bridesmaid and I'm still not entirely comfortable with it, especially when sitting in the middle of a crowded bar. Still, although I didn't exactly give very specific instructions to the ladies, I was quite pleased with the finished look, even if the hair seemed to me more 1940s than the "Mad Men bob" the hair stylist suggested (I have long hair, so I'm not sure how that would have worked, anyway). I look a little pale in the photo, partly due to having to use the flash on my camera and partly because they didn't have very many shades of foundation. The amount of time and effort it took for the make-up artist to apply liquid liner hasn't exactly converted me.

Afterwards, there was an early doors disco downstairs, or an "old people's disco" as I refer to it. Perfect for people who like a bit of a dance but can't face the late nights and/or the queue for Fabric. It finishes at 11 pm, so you can be home before midnight, even if you live South of the River. Drink, Shop & Do is a fun place to hang out, so do check the listings page on their website. They arrange a lot of different activities and the drinks are good; the food is a little pricey for what it is, but I can't say I wasn't tempted by the menu. Oh, and as well as the formal shop section, you can also buy pretty much anything else that isn't glued down, including the artwork, the tables and the funky shelving unit on which they were displaying a series of glass bottles. It looked great, but it was also £220...

Drink, Shop & Do. 9 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX (Tube: King's Cross). Website. Twitter.

Make Yourself at Home

François Ozon sure loves his black humour, most recently seen in Potiche, with Catherine Deneuve playing the titular trophy wife, who manages to take her life back. Ozon's new film Dans la Maison (In the House) continues in much the same vein. Germain (Fabrice Luchini) is a French literature teacher at the Lycée Gustave Flaubert (natch) who, among the dregs of his year eleven class's homework assignments, spots something rare: the hint of an ability to write. The only trouble is that the author of the piece in question, Claude (Ernst Umhauer), has written an acutely observed, if voyeuristic and borderline offensive piece about the afternoon he spent with "a normal French family" — his classmate Rapha (Bastien Ughetto) and Rapha's parents Esther (Emmanuelle Seigner) and Rapha Senior (Denis Ménochet). The piece is more than a little snarky — Claude remarks upon the "scent of the middle-class housewife" that lingers in one of the rooms —and although Germain is initially disturbed, he is also intrigued, especially as Claude signs off with the phrase, à suivre (to be continued).

Germain, whose sole published novel bombed, decides to mentor Claude and to help him to develop his writing skills, even though this entails Claude insinuating himself further within this normal family upon whom he has stumbled. The film soon starts to resemble Ruby Sparks, with both Germain and Claude discussing potential plot developments, which Claude then brings to life. Claude's writing also reminded me in its style of Cassandra, the protagonist of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle — recording everyday, excitement-free life can be interesting if you write well enough. But how much of what Claude writes and what we see is in Claude's imagination? And far will he have to go to achieve the dramatic tension he desires? And is Germain putting himself at risk by helping a boy who treads a thin line between social commentator and evil genius?

Dans la Maison is clever, funny and, of course, very dark. The script is sharp (I was doing my best not to read the subtitles) and the characters interesting and complex. Although I thought Kristin Scott Thomas was excellent as Germain's wife and although her relationship with Germain is as important to the story as the relationship between Germain and Claude, I did feel that the sub-plot involving the art gallery that she runs detracted from the story somewhat, even if it did provide some comic relief. I thought Umhauer was also good as the charming but creepy young writer. The film reminded me of a number of other movies too, including Adaptation and Entre les Murs, and it's not short on its more intentional literary and cultural references — Jeanne Germain can't understand why her exhibition that combines porn and dictators isn't a huge success, for instance. No, not even in France, apparently...

Highly Strung: A Late Quartet Review

I saw Yaron Silberman's movie A Late Quartet way back in January as part of a cinema 'spring preview' for journalists and bloggers, and it's finally out in the UK this week. I had heard nothing of the movie before heading into the screening and was initially worried it was the similarly titled Quartet, which wasn't really my cup of tea. I'm not sure A Late Quartet will be to everyone's taste either, but if you're in the mood for a tightly scripted, well acted film, then you might like it; if you happen to be a classical music buff—and I'm not—so much the better.

Mark Ivanir, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener & Christopher Walken in A Late Quartet. Image.

The Fugue Quartet have been playing together for 25 years when Peter (Christopher Walken) is diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease. He decides he will perform in one last concert with group, as they play Beethoven's Late String Quartets, before he retires. The film is about what this discovery does to the group, as it highlights long-standing tensions and triggers new conflicts among the four players. Robert (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the second violin player with the inferiority complex. Peter's news and the subsequent changes to the quartet it will entail leads Robert to suggest that he and first violin Daniel (Mark Ivanir) alternate. "The second and first violins aren't hierarchical; they are just different roles," he explains. Robert is also having problems with his wife Juliette (Catherine Keener), the viola player. He has always been jealous of her relationships with Peter and Daniel, and he begins an affair with another musician. "You took this whole alternate chairs theme a little too far," Juliette snaps.

Meanwhile Robert and Juliette's daughter Alexandra (Imogen Poots) is receiving violin tuition—and, it turns out, a whole lot more—from Daniel. Both Alexandra and Daniel are keen to hide their relationship from Robert and Juliette, but no secret can stay hidden for very long in this movie, and its revelation only complicates things further, both within the quartet and within Alexandra's family. And with so much drama and Peter's worsening condition, can they all keep it together for the quartet's swan song?

A Late Quartet is a film about obsession, drive and the single-mindedness musicians need to succeed. You can see the ambition and the dedication on the faces of each of the actors as they play their instruments, especially Keener as her character is betrayed by each of the others in turn, in different ways. I thought Ivanov was perhaps the weak link of the four, but I am a fan of Walken and Seymour Hoffman, and the chemistry between all four actors worked rather well. It is definitely a film for music lovers, but although there were probably references that went over my head, it didn't stop me from enjoying a piece of work that was subtly emotional. A Late Quartet is also a very New Yorky film, with the Lincoln Center and Central Park featuring prominently; I also enjoyed the cameo of the Frick Collection, one of my favourite New York galleries, and apparently this is the first time the Frick has granted permission for a movie to film inside.