Vals Kitchen

Ah Paris 2009

Drool!

Hard to believe it's back to school time again. Despite summer floods it's been a great one with lots of days at the beach, a trip to the UK and a sneaky one for just the two of us to Paris just a week ago. Feeling bogged down by the rain and freed up by Granny, we grabbed some last minute flights on Sunday and were gone on Tuesday. Who says having kids takes the spontanaeity (how do I spell that?) out of life?

Coffee and pastry at the famous Paul bakery on the Rue St.Paul

The only thing wrong with Paris is that there are too many places to eat, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, cheap or pricey, most are good. I know Paris should be all about the French food but you can also get the best pizza, Chinese and Vietnamese. We had the escargots (not for me), the confit de canard, the spring rolls on the Rue St Paul, the pastries, the baguette and cheese on the riverbank overlooking Notre Dame Cathederal. The food hall of the Galleries Lafayette is too good for any foodie to pass up and we treated ourselves to Greek specialities and the best coffee before I made a trolley dash of chocolate and coffee which caused some problems with my baggage allowance at Beauvais. Still I managed to smuggle some hardcore smoked ham in my bag. Vaccum packed of course! On week on I'm still pining for crunchy baguettes that cost less than a Euro, but my coffee has kept me sane. Paris ticks so many boxes, art, I finally saw the Mona Lisa amongst the throngs, people watching, how do they stay soooooo thin? and lots of culture in general. It's near, and yet so far. Le nom nom. 

The view from our hotel window

And from the other side

A little picnic by the Seine

And one late look at Notre Dame Cathederal

I Love Limerick

Yes, I'm clearly not afraid of stepping into unchartered waters, and strange places with puppets! This clip is part of an an on-going project, soon to be launched, that highlights the highlights of Limerick life. Have a look for yourself here, and remember I love Limerick

 

New Thai Restaurant Siam Corner open in Limerick

Sponsored Post

 

Stephen Phanpitak opened Siam Corner Thai Restaurant after many years in the restaurant trade in Limerick. This man has a keen eye for simple design and has furnished the space; a bijou spot on three levels, in a subtle East meets West style. Pale colours and wooden stencils of Thai motifs are suggestive of his home country, while diners peer out the large Georgian windows in the business district of the city.

A good Thai, these days is hard to find. Starters range from Thai fish cakes to Pattaya Prawns and the classic Chicken Satay. My pal chose the Tom Kha Gai, a mild coconut soup flavoured with lime juice, lime leaves and los of galangal. She was blown away by the freshness of the flavours, deep and yet refreshing. I went for the crunchy Chicken Salad with lots of Thai herbs and a zingy dressing. It was light and bursting with freshness, a perfect starter with a typically Thai, Singha beer.

I love a good curry so I chose the Massaman, a tricky one to get right as it requires a long, slow cooking process. The curry was full of complex flavours and had a nice, nutty undertone, delicious with the fluffy jasmine rice. My friend chose the house special stir-fry with sweet and sour sauce. This dish had feather-light battered prawns, and still crunchy fresh vegetables in a light sauce, served with thin egg noodles, it was full of colour, flavour and texture.

We skipped desert, although we could have chosen from lots of great looking ice creams. Coffee was excellent and service attentive. Given that their doors are only open one month, business is good and the atmosphere in the restaurant was cosy and intimate. I love to see new Asian places open that do it well, prices are reasonable too, so important in the here and now.

Siam Corner

Thai Restaurant

21 Henry Street

Limerick

Phone (061) 469 662

The long hot summer just passed me by

The sun shone brightly and all day today for the first time in forever. This is the view through my kitchen skylight, thats a vine of a pumpkin plant trailing across the window.

The absent sun has resulted in heavy tomato plants laden with green fruit. Runner beans are growing, botlotti beans too, I've eaten some small spuds. lots of lovely broccoli, peas, spring onions and even some apples from the yard and roof garden. We painted the back of the house sky blue and it really stands out now, plus all the plants look great in front of it. The best plants have been the round courgettes, you can see me trying to make reduced rate calls on this one

How big can these babies get?