Hué II: Bex and the Citadel

I couldn't drag myself out of bed as early I would have liked this morning, but after a quick breakfast at my hotel, I headed straight out to Hué's UNESCO-listed Imperial City. The site is huge — the steep walls run in a 2 x 2 km square, surrounded by a moat and just north of the Perfume River.  This imperial enclosure is nested within a bigger citadel and do note that the ticket desk is just before the moat by the main gate. It only takes 25 minutes or so to walk there from the hotel zone, but there are plenty of people who would love to give you a boat, bike, cyclo or taxi ride if you think it's too far.

Hué I: Temples, Tombs and Tasty Food

On Tuesday morning, I took a flight from Saigon to Hué (pronounced hweh), the former imperial capital, located about 600 miles north of Saigon and 400 miles south of Hanoi. I arrived at the airport two hours ahead of my flight as when I tried to check in online, the Vietnam Airlines website told me that the flight was overbooked. Luckily, I got my seat, and when I reached the gate I found a group of about 100 excitable Vietnamese tweens (one of whom was documenting everything on his video camera); I assume that their group was the reason for the check-in issues.

Saigon III: Mekong Delta Day Trip

Numerous tour companies run trips from Saigon to the Mekong Delta, a huge region of southwest Vietnam that begins about 50 miles southwest of Saigon. There are thousands of villages and towns, as well as more rural areas and tiny river tributaries to explore. When researching this trip, I soon realised that you really need at least a couple of days to get even a flavour of the region, but I only had a day and so I booked onto a one-day tour.

Saigon II: Exploring Ho Chi Minh City

My hectic day on Saturday meant that I slept perfectly on Saturday night, only waking to the sound of my alarm. I left my Ho Chi Minh City hotel before 8 am, hoping that it might be a little cooler and it was — but only by a degree or two. First on my to-do list was coffee. 

Saigon I: Xin Chào, Saigon!

I left London around noon on Friday and, after a layover in Hong Kong just long enough to grab a decent macchiato from the Illy Cafe and soak in some of those moody, mountainous views, I arrived in Saigon (AKA Ho Chi Minh City; I've been calling it Saigon, as most of the locals seem to) at around 10.30 am local time on Saturday. 

What's in My Bag: 2 Weeks in Vietnam Edition

Today I'm heading off on my next adventure: a two-week trip to Vietnam, which I've been planning for the past six months. I have never visited Southeast Asia before and I initially toyed with the idea of spending a few days in Cambodia too but I've decided to save that for another trip to try to pack in as many of Vietnam's sights, sounds, smells and flavours as I can. It is, of course, impossible to 'do' Vietnam — or very many countries, for that matter —in just two weeks, but I hope that the small selection of towns and cities I am visiting will at least give me a taste of what the country has to offer.

Three Weeks in Cuba — A Retrospective Travel Guide

As the United States begins to relax its rules that have long prohibited its citizens from travelling to Cuba, 2016 is billed as the year to visit the Caribbean's largest island in order to beat the rush. I visited Cuba back in 2005: a couple of friends and I spent three weeks travelling around the country in the summer before our final year of university. As my trip pre-dated this blog, I thought I'd share some of my photos and experiences, although I am a little hazy some of the specifics.

Pride and Prejudice — and Cincinnati: Eligible Review

I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice. I’ll repeat that: I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice. Controversial as this fact may be, I have never been much of a fan of Jane Austen (or 19th century romantic fiction in general), although I did love Clueless. But I was curious when I heard that the latest novel by one of my favourite writers, Curtis Sittenfeld, was a contemporary retelling of Austen's classic love story, set in Cincinnati, Ohio, of all places.

My favourite of Sittenfeld’s novels is American Wife, whose protagonist is loosely based on former US First Lady Laura Bush, but Prep, Sittenfeld’s first novel — set in an exclusive East Coast boarding school — is also sharp and keenly observed, if often uncomfortable. Like both of these works, Eligible, her new novel, is a little soapy at times, but it’s also dry, witty and hugely entertaining.

In Sittenfeld’s retelling of Austen’s story, the Bennet family occupy a huge but dilapidated mansion in Cincinnati. The two eldest daughters, Jane and Liz (their ages accelerated to 39 and 38 for the present-day setting), live and work in New York, but have returned home after their father is taken ill. The three youngest sisters, Mary (30), Kitty (26) and Lydia (23) still live at home and their snobby, social-climbing mother is desperate to see them all married — and to the ‘right’ men. 

When Mrs Bennet finds out that Chip Bingley — a surgeon and the star of a Bachelor-like reality show called Eligible — has moved to Cincinnati, she is desperate to set him up with one of her daughters, and soon enough, Jane and Chip begin to fall for each other. The same cannot be said for Liz — a clever but judgmental and gossip-loving journalist — and Chip’s best friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, a hard-working but aloof doctor, who start off on the wrong foot and then grow further and further out of step with each other.

I know the story of Pride and Prejudice well enough (I saw Joe Wright’s film adaptation) to recognise how clever a retelling Eligible is. Sittenfeld has done a great job of transposing Regency England and all of its rules, mores and attitudes to the 21st century Midwest. Her prose is razor-sharp and knowing and her protagonist Liz makes a largely sympathetic, if flawed heroine — not dissimilar to Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones, in fact. 

Great work of literature, Eligible ain’t, but it is funny, smart and tremendous fun.

Disclaimer: Eligible will be published by Random House on 19 April 2016. I received a pre-release copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The London Coffee Festival 2016

The London Coffee Festival often seems to occur during my main holiday of the year — last year, for example, I was in Mexico — but I was able to book into one of the sessions of this year's event. Three hours isn't really enough to explore all the festival has to offer, but I did pack a fair amount into the Saturday 'brunch' slot, from 10 am until 1 pm.

I say that the session was three hours long but the festival has expanded since my last visit in 2014 and my brother, sister-in-law and I had to queue for about 20 minutes. Luckily, once the doors opened at 10 am, we moved fairly swiftly. The Truman Brewery event space is huge and the festival is divided into a number of different sections with stands manned by coffee shops, roasters and coffee (and coffee-related) equipment manufacturers, as well as The Lab (for talks and demos), and stages for the final stages of the UK Barista Championships and the Coffee Masters. There are also areas set aside for shopping and eating.

On arrival, we headed to Union Coffee's den where one of their founders, Jeremy, talked us through a roasting. I've seen a few roasting demos in my time, but Jeremy did a great job of explaining the process using really clear analogies that highlighted how coffee beans are like undeveloped photographic negatives and their complex, subtle profiles can be drawn out differently depending on the roasting technique. Quality and sustainability are both really central to Union's ethos and Jeremy's passion for what he does was apparent throughout.

They also had one of the most beautiful espresso machines I've even seen on display and were doing tasting sessions, but I'd had a go at one of those last time so we decided to move on.

I had expected the espresso tonic to be a big trend at this year's festival, but instead, cascara-related drinks were the hot item. Cascara is a fruity, refreshing drink made from the coffee cherry and I tried a few different variations, but Warwick Retail's was my favourite: a delicious combination of coffee, cascara, blueberry gum and floral tonic topped with nitrogen-infused espresso foam. Another great coffee drink I tried was a cocktail that involved coffee, gin, raspberries and rosemary. It was super-refreshing. Most of these drinks and samples were free with a donation to Project Waterfall.

Over at The Roasting Party's stand, latte artisan Dhan Tamang was demonstrating some of his beautiful, caffeinated works of art. It was incredible to watch, although the coffees were almost too pretty to drink — luckily, they made me a less artistic but very tasty macchiato instead.

The only café-roastery present with an eth in its name, Norð's baristas had travelled all the way from Oslo. I'm hoping to visit the Norwegian capital later this year and Norð is definitely on my list of coffee stops. I tried one of their filter coffees, which was excellent, and the design of their takeaway coffee cups is beautiful too.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make the preview event at The Gentlemen Baristas, where the Borough-based coffee shop launched its collaboration with Bulleit whiskey. But at the London Coffee Festival, I got to try both the bourbon-infused coffee (complex and interesting) and their fruity, smooth Bulleit bourbon / coffee cocktail. I adore both coffee and bourbon so the latter was, of course, delicious.

Another great London Coffee Festival collaboration was the wonderful union of cold-brew kings, Sandows, and doughnut dynasts, Crosstown. Most of the coffee samples I tried were free, but I decided that £4 was a reasonable price to pay for a generous serving of Sandows' beautiful, flavoursome nitro cold brew and a doughnut.

Downstairs, we watched the Coffee Masters at work for a while, and then visited a few more stands, including one of my King's Cross coffee favourites, Caravan, who made me an excellent macchiato, and Assembly. At Assembly, I tried a stunning Kenyan coffee, brewed through the Chemex. It was so good, I bought a bag of beans, which, by happy coincidence, featured my two favourite colours. Assembly's beans are on the pricey side (£12 for 300g), but the coffee is really good.

Finally, we stopped by the shopping area. I had been looking forward to buying one of the stylish and playful enamel mugs I'd seen on some of the festival's mailings. I particularly liked the "Pro-Caffeinating" design. Unfortunately, they were priced at a very cynical £15, which was way too expensive. I would have happily paid £10 for a cool and useful souvenir, but £15 was too much. I also thought about buying one of Eliza Southwood's stylish coffee prints, which were specially commissioned for the festival, but spent all of my pennies on coffee instead!

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to attend any of the talks or sessions in The Lab, and I was sad to miss the Meet the Bloggers session with Brian of Brian's Coffee Spot and some of the UK's other top coffee bloggers. Next year, assuming I'm not on holiday again, I'll try to go for more than one session so I can enjoy the experience more without rushing around like a caffeinated chicken.

Although it was very crowded, it was great to see so much interest in coffee and London's coffee shops. I suspect that many people will attend the festival once and then consider it done — even those with a modest interest in coffee may find that three hours is more than enough time. For coffee lovers like me, though, my session just left me wanting more. Oh, and despite all the coffee I drank, I still didn't get the coffee shakes; maybe that was down to the bourbon though!

If the London Coffee Festival has left you wanting to explore more of the coffee scene in London — or elsewhere — you might like to check out some of my coffee guides and maps. This post has ten starters for ten.

A Southern Brunch at The Lockhart

A few weeks ago, some of my friends and I decided that we needed to plan a lazy Saturday brunch to get us through the damp and chilly days of March. I consulted my London restaurant spreadsheet (yes, I know) and pulled together a shortlist of five or six places and The Lockhart was the near-unanimous victor.

Located in the south-western corner of Marylebone, The Lockhart is only a few blocks from my old flat, although I was long gone by the time it opened. There are many lovely independent shops and restaurants on that stretch of Seymour Place and although The Lockhart's pistachio exterior was hidden by scaffolding on my visit, the pretty interiors more than made up for it.

The main dining room on the ground floor is light and wonderfully airy (the reflective ceiling helps), with exposed-brick walls and rustic wooden tables. On the wall next to our table was an Instagram-ready selection of decorative plates. We arrived around 11 am and there were still a few empty tables, although they soon filled up. There is more seating — and a bar — downstairs.

The brunch menu is filled with southern American classics — luckily, we had a couple of Americans in our group who could translate "grits" and "biscuits" (the latter, which come with sausage gravy and a fried egg, are a far cry from your soggy Digestive). I was tempted by the eggs Benedict (£10.50), especially when I heard that it came with bacon instead of ham, but in the end, I went for the fried chicken and waffle (£14.50). I also made good use of the bottomless Union filter coffee (£3.50) and drank three or four cups over the course of the meal.

Once I'd absorbed enough caffeine, it was time for a cocktail. There were only two brunch cocktails on offer (the evening menu has a more impressive cocktail list) and I ordered a gin Bloody Mary (£9), which came with celery bitters and an okra garnish and was suitably spicy.

As for my food, it was great. There was a generous serving of fried chicken and it was beautifully crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The waffles were also huge — slightly softer than I was expecting, but still tasty, especially with a large helping of maple syrup. I was very happy and the Americans also agreed that the food was very authentic (the chef is Mississippi, so it ought to be!). If you're an American in London, check out the events page for special evenings for US holidays.

The Lockhart. 22–24 Seymour Place, London, W1H 7NL (Tube: Marble Arch). Website. Twitter.

The Secret in His Eyes — Midnight Special Review

It's hard to say much about Jeff Nichols' new film Midnight Special without spoiling it. It's definitely better to go in knowing as little as possible and if you have yet to see the film, I suggest that you don't read on any further. but suffice to say that Midnight Special is a beautiful and ethereal work that transcends genres.


As the film opens, we learn that a young boy, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), has been abducted from a religious cult by his birth father Roy (Michael Shannon) and Roy's friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton). It soon becomes clear that there is something highly unusual about Alton — he seems to have some kind of other-worldly, and potentially dangerous, powers, hence the reason for Roy taking him away. The three drive together across the country under the cover of nightfall, stopping to sleep during the day at various friends' houses and eventually at the house of Alton's mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst). Meanwhile, various government officials, led by NSA agent Paul Sevier (Adam Driver), have their own interest in tracking down Alton that goes far beyond the scope of a missing-child case.

Midnight Special is a road movie, a thriller, a sci-fi and an adventure; at its core, though, it is the story of a father who will do anything to protect his son. The chemistry between Shannon and the talented young Lieberher is terrific, and is bolstered by a strong supporting cast — Edgerton and Driver are particularly good. Adam Stone's gorgeous cinematography makes the most of the stunning landscapes of the US south, which contrast nicely with the gritty realism of the sequestered houses and cheap motels. Add in a beautiful, haunting score from David Wingo and the result is a transcendental experience.

If Terrence Malick directed Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the result might be a little like Midnight Special. Slow and brooding at times but always compelling, the film is an enigma that gradually unravels until its majestic climax — David Wingo's haunting score is perfect here, and the result is a sublime and transcendental viewing experience.

Etc — March 2016

1. High-Rise
I've always enjoyed a good Ballardian dystopia and although I haven't read High-Rise, I was keen to see its big-screen adaptation, directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Tom Hiddleston. In High-Rise, life in a luxury apartment building in — "a future that had already taken place" — begins to spiral out of control as the (literally) higher-ups clash with the residents from the lower floors. "Successful people don't want to be reminded when things go wrong," one character notes. The film is dark, satirical, often wickedly funny and with meticulous attention to the 1970s period details. Hiddleston is excellent as ever as the enigmatic newcomer. High-Rise isn't perfect but it is a keenly observed, if troubling, piece — a must for anyone who loved SimTower.

2. Brunch at Beany Green
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was keen to try the brunch at Beany Green but wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. Fortunately, the wonderful Brian of Brian's Coffee Spot organised an Easter Sunday brunch outing for a few coffee bloggers — Dan from Cups of London Coffee, Jess from Eating East and me.

I am generally of the opinion that broccoli is too healthy to feature in a brunch dish, but I can happily make the exception for Beany Green's broccoli and corn fritters, which came with all of the basic brunch food groups — avo, poached egg and bacon — as well as chilli pesto. Delicious and very filling, although I still had room for some toasted coconut bread (almost, but not quite, as good as their banana bread) and a couple of coffees. Beany's diminutive Broadgate Circle location was the perfect place to shelter from the bank holiday showers with excellent company.

3. Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler
I've had Nickolas Butler's 2014 debut novel on my iPad for months but only just got round to reading it. I'm glad I did. Shotgun Lovesongs is an understated and rather old-fashioned story of four close friends from a small Wisconsin town. Henry is still farming his family's land; Leland has become a famous musician; Kip is a commodities trader; and Ronny is a washed-up rodeo star. The friends — and the wife of one character — take turns to narrate a chapter, with the story skipping forward (and sometimes backwards) to significant events in their lives. There are weddings, separations and a number of secrets that have remained hidden for years. Male friendship is central to the story, though, and Butler has created a warm and sympathetic group of characters, whose friendships seem very realistic.

4. The Camberwell Arms
There are so many great restaurants on Camberwell Church Street that it takes a considerable amount of time to visit them all. Last Saturday, we had a family lunch at The Camberwell Arms, which was another new one for me. The gastropub is cosily decorated and it was bustling when we visited, with several other groups. The menu is complex and interesting — you probably won't see steak or fish and chips featured. I liked the sound of the gigantes plaki (butter beans in a tomato sauce) but wasn't keen on the feta it came with, so I went for the cod with new potatoes and wild garlic. The fish was delicious, although (perhaps ignorantly) I was expecting a more garlicky taste. The service was great and we had a lovely relaxed meal.

5. Coffee update
I have drunk between two and five cups of coffee per day for the past 15 years or so; that's over 15,000 cups of coffee! But much as I love the drink, I've decided it's time to cut down. In fact, I'm going cold turkey and won't even be drinking decaf. My last coffee was a delicious single-origin Flori Opal from Peru, brewed through my Aeropress. The only problem is that I'm now going to need a new blog name. Suggestions on a postcard, or in the comments, please!

Oh, and happy April!