This is the fourth installment of The Misadventures of the Modern Gentleman — a diary of sorts, from one of my good friends. To learn more about Mr. MMG, click here.
Setting: Cold Wet Grey London Summer
First, please click here to listen to the Modern Gentleman playlist to give you the soundtrack for this entry. An update of about 11 tracks to the same MMG playlist with songs by Santigold and Franz Ferdinand remixed by 2 Bears and Trentemoller. Also includes the Drive Soundtrack intro by the Chromatics. Enjoy!
Unsurprising and stereotypical of your impression of London weather, the past 2 months has been an utter disappointment. Rain for a month, a weekend of sun, then back to the current gray. Luckily, I’ve had the fortune of seeking refuge in warmer climates having spent the better half of the past month in a random conference in Atlantic City(!), DC for work and visiting friends in Paris to escape the fanfare of the British Jubilee and indulge in the increasingly popular “le jeune cuisine” that’s taking Paris by storm.
I’ll refer you to a reliable food blog – Paris by Mouth and a recent article in the NYT highlighting the recent love affair with American food and the imminent rise of younger chefs who besides their passion for food and a relaxed space to pig out, don’t take themselves too seriously.
If you happen to be in Paris anytime soon, be sure to visit the current Helmet Newton exhibit at the Grand Palais and enjoy a cup of tea in the neighbouring gallery cafe. Hundreds of some of his best work is on display for not much longer. A personal favourite of mine used for the show’s marketing as well.
Back in the States I’m always reminded of the bland and zesty flavours I strangely miss in Europe. A perfect example is buffalo sauce! We all need our wings fix or a few sliders and nachos to make it through the week but a recent visit to a favourite venue inspired me with an unexpected application of buffalo sauce. One of the many fantastic a la carte items at Cafe Saint Ex was a buffalo style sweetbread garnished with celery and a blue cheese mousse! Be sure to head over and give the menu a go.
Back in London now I had a Brasilian girlfriend visiting I had met over New Years in Cartagena, Colombia and wanted to show her a different side of the city most don’t know about. So we headed over to the Summerhouse in the Little Venice canals in Maida Vale where you can enjoy some of the city’s best seafood. I took the photo below while we sipped wine before the table was ready. We didn’t get to dance salsa in the streets all night again but it did seem to make a good impression on her…
Hope you’ve enjoyed the music and recommendations. To further supplement the bad vibe of a British Summer I recently had my Vespa stolen! So for you scooterists out there, a friendly security reminder to keep your bike chained up!!!
Until next time,
MG
