Hana Restaurant, Brussels

Hana is a Japanese - Korean restaurant located on Rue Saint-Boniface, close to the buzzing St. Boniface area of Brussels. Given that I had just wrapped up a key piece of work, I wanted to have something nice to eat, rather than facing into cooking a meal at 10.30 pm.

I had thought about going to a Mexican restaurant on Chausee de Wavre, but it was closed, so I remembered seeing Hana when wandering around the Boniface area on a previous day. I was scanning the menu in the window when two ladies who were standing outside for a cigarett told me to get inside as it was "le meilleur sushi" - pardon my french spelling. I didn't really need any more persuasion, so in I went. The restaurant is simple and clean inside with a simple menu. However, there was a nice level of occupancy, even at 10pm on a Tuesday night and customers were clearly enjoying themselves.

I opted for the shrimp roll, followed by the beef bulgogi. The shrimp roll consisted of deep fried shrimp, placed into a sushi roll and served with prawn on top with a tasty, soya-based dipping sauce. I ordered the 5 pc portion for starter and it turned out to be quite a generous size. The beef bulgogi arrived at the table in a cast-iron pot, bubbling awaty merrily, along with sides of rice, miso soup, kimchee and sesame beansprouts. You can't fault this restaurant on portion sizes - that's for certain. I love the Korean stews that feature thinly sliced cooked meats, and this was no exception. It wasn't spicy, but instead slightly sweetly flavoured with soya sauce. Delicious.

A quarter beaker of wine, and an espresso bought the bill to €35.50 in total for quite a large meal. Too much for me anyway. Great food - this restaurants compares very favourably to any other Korean or Japanese restaurant that I've eaten in. A new favourite for me.

La Kasbah Restaurant Brussels

My time in Brussels is drawing to a close, so I'm on a mission now to maximise what time I have left in this city. Therefore on Saturday, I wanted to visit one of the well-known restaurants on the city's Rue Antoine Dansaert. Saturday had been an extremely frustrating day as it had been raining for the most of the day, and all shops and most restaurants were shut as it was a public holiday. It looks as if consumerism doesn't have quite the same grip on Belgium as it does in Ireland. I think that there would be a revolution in Ireland if all shops and restaurants were closed on a public holiday!!

Luckily restaurants were open on Saturday evening, and the rain had stopped. We got into the Kasbah restaurant without reservations after only waiting for a few minutes. While waiting, I picked up one of their cards, which has to be one of the prettiest designs I've ever seen - a lovely metallic red mosaic pattern. The interior of the restaurant is dim and it is lit by literally hundreds of jewel-coloured hanging lanterns, creating a lovely relaxed atmosphere.

I can never relax at a restaurant until I've placed my order, so I focus completely on the menu for the first few minutes. We ordered Harira soup and a Trio de Briwats (deep fried parcels of cheese, chicken and almonds and lastly lamb). Both were quite nice, not spectacular, but the chicken and almond filling in one of the briwat parcels proved very intriguing.

I had a lamb tagine with prunes and almons for my main. Those poor waiters. They spend the whole night rushing back and forth from the kitchen with these scalding, volcanic ceramic tagine pots. I wonder if there's ever been a tagine-related accident at the restaurant. Once the waiter had ceremoniously removed the lid, I was able to start shredding the meat from the lamb shank and mixing it into the stew. Our other main was the Kasbah Royal, a plate of tasty mixed grilled meats, served with couscous and a vegetable stew.

I got the feeling that the food was peasant-style, though I don't have much experience with Moroccan food. It was tasty, served in generous portions, but I just felt that it lacked a certain flair. For instance, a little touch of honey and tomatoes in my tagine would have elevated it to heavenly propotions.

One glass of wine, one Moroccan beer (Casablanca for those beer fanatics out there) and two espressos bought the bill to €60. It was a great value meal given the quantity of food served and the atmosphere was just lovely. Great for a romantic date.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Jordan Belfort

Jordan Belfort was living proof of the American dream in the heady days of Wall Street. Nicknamed the "Wolf of Wall Street", he lived in a fabulous mansion, with his beautiful wife and child, flew his helicopter, indulged in copious amounts of drugs, all while running a busy brokerage firm, Stratton Oakmount, which he had founded.

Stratton Oakmount found fame as one of the biggest "boiler room" brokerage firms. Belfort was eventually convicted of selling purpotedly profitable stocks at inflated prices and spent two years in jail. This book attempts to tell the tale of his high life and how it all fell apart around him as his drug addiction spiralled out of control.

There is no doubting what this man, and his company did, was odious. But as you read the book, what really comes across are Belfort's superb skills as a salesman and motivator. This is evident in every description of his motivational sessions at Stratton Oakmount, and even later when he was in rehab. You can only imagine what he was like to listen to in real life.

Also apparent from the book is the scale of Jordan's intelligence. He comes across as quite a clever person, who however, devoted a significant part of his life to circumventing stock trading laws. His descrption of how he bugged the SEC personnel who were investigating his books is quite amusing and novel.

His descriptions of his drug taking make you realise how easy it can be for an intelligent person to persuade themselves that their drug problem is under control not a problem at all.

This book is quite a quick-paced, interesting and amusing read. Granted, the subject matter is unpleasant to some, but it is entertaining and quite an interesting insight into the mind of Jordan Belfort.

Where Am I Wearing? - Kelsey Timmerman

I received an advance copy of this soon to be published book courtesy of Kim at John Wiley & Sons.

Kelsey Timmerman is a travel writer who blogs at Where Am I Wearing? One day he took notice of the labels inside his clothes and a quest began. As the author himself says:

I was made in America. My “Jingle These” Christmas boxers were MADE IN BANGLADESH. I had an all-American childhood in rural Ohio. My all-American blue jeans were MADE IN CAMBODIA. I wore flip-flops every day for a year when I worked as a SCUBA diving instructor in Key West. They were MADE IN CHINA. One day while staring at a pile of clothes on the floor, I noticed the tag of my favorite T-shirt: MADE IN HONDURAS. I read the tag. My mind wandered.

I liked the fact that Timmerman's first trip to Honduras to meet some garment factory workers turns out to be not such a success. He found it difficult to frame questions to workers, consequently feelt embarassed and returned home without having really achieved anything. I found this honesty refreshing and in stark contrast to the bolshy attitude of many crusaders.

However, the question remained in Timmerman's mind, and he decided to try again. He travels to Bangladesh where he gains access to a garment factory under the "guise" of an American website owner on the quest for cheaper merchandising. To our hilarity, the aforementioned Jingle These boxers are examined minutely by the garment factory manufacturers in order to determine their providence. He shares a day with Arifa, a determined and able worker in one of the Bangladeshi factories.

Timmerman continues his on his journey to Cambodia where he befriends a group of young female garment factory workers who make jeans andtakes them bowling and for pizaza, much to their bemusement. He then proceeds to China where he meets a young couple who live far apart from their son and family in order to work at the factory where the author's flip flops were made.

In all instances, Timmerman describes the surrounding economic situation of the country and the context/importance of the garment industry within that country. He reviews the western attitude to sweatshops and child labour. Overall, the reader is left with the conclusion that the author didn't visit anywhere that would disgust us, but rather visited places where life is tough and the only option open to many people is to work long, hard hours. It's not the child labour itself that is awful, but the fact that it is a necessity for many children in the developing world to work.

Despite Timmerman's journey, there is a distinct sensation of dis-involvement (is that a word?) or distance in the book. The author doesn't really make any moral judgements, but rather presents the facts for us to read and review. The pace of the first half of the book is somewhat lacklustre but it does gain some momentum and attraction in the second half as the author himself appears to warm to his quest.

The book is written very much in the style of a blogger, as opposed to a serious journalist, and is a suitable read for someone wishing to learn more about the world of cheap, mass-produced clothing. Timmerman doesn't overwhelm us with statistics and obscure legalities and economics, but presents it as he saw it. The decision is up to you.

Ananda Indian Restaurant - Dundrum

Ananda is the newly opened Indian restaurant in Dundrum Town Centre. It's been open for a few weeks now and I had eagerly anticipated a chance to eat there, which finally arrived last night.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the hostess went to check on our table, leaving us to stand in the corridor outside the restaurant. At this stage I felt a little like an orphan child sneaking a peek in through a window, but not being allowed to eat at the table. Eventually, the host/manager noticed us standing rather desolately outside and he apologised for the lack of seating for waiting guests. We were seated at the table, which was still in the process of being set with silver and glass ware.

However, any upset we may have been feeling disappeared once we got down to the serious business of reading the menu and selecting our dishes and wines. Poppadoms were served to the table along with a choice of 4 sauces, two of which appeared to be mango chutney and none of which possessed any real heat. The toasted spice tomato relish was very nice though.

Our starters consisted of a duck platter with a terrine of confit duck, tikka duck, pickled cucumbers, mango sauce and apple sauce. The terrine could have benefited from being slightly warmer in order to release the flavours a little more, but the duck tikka was delicious, especially with the accompanying mango sauce. Our other starter of free range guinea fowl fillet was served with a deliciously spicy tomato based sauce and potato crisps. It left a wonderful warming heat in the mouth long after it was cleaned from the plate.

Mains were monkfish tails, served with rice and a green curry sauce which was flavoured with curry leaves. The other main of duck chettinad (sliced fried duck breast served on crushed potatoes with a fantastic aniseed/star anise flavour).. A chili cheese and a gluten free roti bread were our accompaniments to the meal.

Throughout the meal, the attention to detail and presentation was top notch. Each sauce focussed on one or two flavours rather than hitting you over the head with strong curry flavours. House wines were excellent value and served to complement the food.

Two espressos served with little chocolate bonbons rounded off our meal which came to approximately €90. The only downside was the slow service, but the hostess did apologise for this, stating that they were short-staffed on the night. Personally I don't want excuses, I want service to continue and not be left waiting for 5 minutes to get a refill in my water glass.

What do I think overall? This is what I would consider the second good modern Indian restaurnt in Dublin (following the excellent Indian Summer in Kilmacud). There is no doubt that Ananda has the greater pedigree of the two with the involvement of Michelin chef Atul Kochhar. But will it be enough in the current climate?

Dublin still awaits the arrival of a good value everyday Indian.

The Secret Lives of Men - Christopher Blazina

I received a copy of The Secret Lives of Men: What Men Want You to Know About Love, Sex and Relationships from the author Christopher Blazina, who took pity on me following my surgery to correct a detached retina, and promised to send me a copy to read while recovering. Unfortunately, the book arrived long after I had returned to work, but I still looked forward to reading it. So a big thank you to the author for following through on his promise.

TBH, self-help and guides to better living are not generally my thing. I do take a certain pride in the fact that I think things through as much as I can, and also discuss things very frankly with my better half. However, you can never know enough and different perspectives can be quite illuminating. So I approached the book with an optimistic and open mind.

To be honest, while the title of the book concerns itself with males, both sexes can learn valuable lessons from this book as the author takes an unbiased approach. He aims to teach the important people in a man's life on how to connect and interact in a meaningful way. The author states the 10 commandments of being male and the pressures and fear that face modern men on a regular basis.

My only complaint is that the book is possibly too long. A shorter snappier book might be easier for people to complete and digest. However, it is an interesting take on how to emotionally connect with an important person in your life.

The Final Reckoning - Sam Bourne

I wanted a nice easy book to read on the Eurostar between London and Brussels, and I hadn't read a thriller in ages. It's pretty clear when you look at any bookstore shelves at the moment that Sam Bourne seems to be the nom de jour. The Final Reckoning is his latest novel and judging by the author's notes and comments at the rear of the book, it is well researched and very much based in fact.

A elderly man is shot dead in front of the UN in New York. A disillusioned ex-UN lawyer is asked to visit the relatives of the deceased and stumbles upon a secret reaching all the way from the Holocaust and some of the darkest times known. Excepting the relationship between the lead male and female characters, the book fairly rattles along and is an easy, gripping read. Other characters come in and out of the novel and are dropped before the climax leaving you with a sense of shadows and unfleshed characters.

The great positive about this novel is that it left me with a desire to find out more about the historical events and people upon which the novel is based. Sam Bourne isn't writing anything incredibly new or original, but for the most part, he is writing it well.

Ethnic Foods - Brussels

For those of you in the know, I've been working on a project in Brussels since the end of May. There are several sandwich and salad shops around my work location, including chains such as Exki and Pulp. However, my clear favourite is independently-owned Ethnic Foods.

The same friendly staff are always at work, making fresh sandwiches and salad to order. Or if you prefer, you can pick up a pre-packed salad and one of their tasy and just-desserts. Tomato and olive breads are offered to accompany salads (un morceau du pain?) which I always decline. At this stage, it's a little joke between the staff and I.

The owner is friendly and charming, offering tastes of salad fillings or soups of the day. What a great way to run your business. Additionally, complete their loyalty card (5 stamps required) and receive a free dessert with your sandwich/salad. I love my full-loyalty card days!

Today, the owner informed us that it was the 3rd anniversary of Ethnic Foods and presented each of us with a little bag of fresh herbs as a little gift. Right now, the herbs are being put to use in a stew and I just want to take this opportunity to wish Ethnic Foods another 3 years of success.

College Girl - Patricia Weitz

Author: Patricia Weitz

I received an ARC copy of College Girl from Penguin Group USA and it immediately looked like a book I would want to read. I couldn't find the note, if any, that came with the book, and therefore I do not know who to thank. Unfortunately, due to a combination of work and exams, it took me a while to get around to reading the book.

However, once I did pick up the book, I absolutely devoured it from cover to cover. The story is based on hard-working studious Natalie Bloom. Coming from a working class background, she is determined to better herself and earn respect through hard work in college. She constantly struggles against her upbringing which has left her with a repressed sexuality and questions about her brother's suicide.

The feelings of lonliness and sexual curiosity that are common to university students are keenly evoked by the author and you will find yourself nodding along and agreeing with so many of the incidents. As Natalie develops sexual relationships and friendships, you will want to catch her and stop her from hurting herself. The story took me back to my own college days and my own efforts at those crucial first adult relationships.

It is a credit to the author that the book is easy and light to read, despite the heartful subjects at hand. It is an accurate experience of the college experience and I would recommend it as good reading for any young student who has questions about themselves and their relationships. To make an analogy that shows my age, it's a Judy Blume book for the college generation.

Empress Orchid - Anchee Min

Author: Anchee Min
Empress Orchid tells the tale of the early life of Empress Dowager Cixi, the last empress of China. She is a controversial figure, often blamed for the downfall of the Qing dynasty and Imperial China. It is somewhat accepted now that she may not have been as despotic as comtemporary press made her out to be, but she was definitely of a conservative and nationalistic political stance. Anchee Min's dramatisation of her early life is sympathetic, but even so, I still caught glimpses of a shrewd and determined operator.

Orchid enters the Forbidden City at a long age, having been selected through open competition to be a concubine and wife to the Emperor Hsien Feng. Her early time in the compound are filled with loneliness and desolation as she remains unselected for the Imperial bed. She begins to play the system, resulting in becoming a favourite of the emperor, bearing him a male heir, and gaining exposure to the political and foreign pressures faced by the emperor.

The book follows Orchid's life as the health of both the emperor and China itself decline. Orchid is forced to come into a more open role in order to secure the future of her son. We are treated to glimpses of a sympathetic, yet driven and manipulative character. Upon finishing the book, you aren't too sure who Orchid really was, whether she was truly a person capable of manouvers, or whether life in the Forbidden city had turned her into such a person.

This is an excellently colourful book, packed with descriptions of the costumes and courts of the era. However, it also captures the sense of decline and confusion that must have been rampant in the China of the time.

Best Coffee in Dublin

Grand Canal Harbour area is gradually coming to life in Dublin. I've previously written about Riva and Herbstreet restaurants but on Friday I went to Il Valentino café and continental bakery for the first time.

Owner Owen Doorley missed fresh Italian bread so much when he returned from Italy to Ireland that he decided to found Il Valentino. All breads are baked on site and are free from additives and preservatives. Since opening, press coverage has been nothing less than laudatory, focusing mainly on the excellent quality of the bread.

Although the range of cakes, pastries, breads, pizzas and sandwiches looked amazing, all I really wanted was a coffe. Il Valentino brews Bristot 1919 coffee and man, is it good! It's probably replaced La Corte in the Epicurean Food Hall as my favourite coffe in Dublin.

Well done to the staff and owners of Il Valentino. It was a pleasure to enjoy your espresso.

Death Race

I saw Death Race at a preview screening in UGC de Brouckere in Brussels where the total cost for 2 tickets including credit card booking fee was €7.50! Suck on that all other cinemas.

Death Race is one of those films where the trailers only appear about a month or so before it's releases. Therefore, you're not already bored and tired of it before you go to the cinema to see it. A good start. The premise of the fim is simple. It is the near future and the american economy has collapsed (rings true at the moment, doesn't it?). Prisons are overcrowded and are turnedover to private companies to run. In order to make money, the prisons broadcast a television show where prisoners race to the death. Simple eh? and rather reminiscent of ancient Rome.

The film stars Jason Statham, one of the true current action stars, as a man who is *shock* framed for the murder of his wife. Why? Because he is a superb racing driving. But he is of course a man of honour and decency, though not without a mean streak, and not unsurprisingly takes offence at being sent to jail.

What did I think? Overall, it's not a bad film. It's one where you can leave your mind in neutral and enjoy the loud, noisy and messy car scenes. It races across the screen in full high-octane mode and Statham produces a mean performance as toughman Ames.

Pineapple Express

Sunday night rolled around and, once again, I was facing the prospect of getting up at 5 a.m. for the morning flight to Brussels. Sunday evenings like that suck donkey balls (as an old friend of mine used to say), so in such situations, the cinema is always a good option.

This is one bizarrely good film, in my opinion. I don't think I've ever seen a film that combines stoner sequences with hard action. Those aren't two themes that you'd think would sit well together, but it works for Pineapple Express. Denton (Seth Rogen) is a slacker and dope fiend, who holds down a job and a teenage girlfriend. His supplier Saul (excellent performance from James Franco) is lonely and looking for a friend. When Denton witnesses a murder, the two end up on the run hiding from the murderer.

This film tries to convey some messages (such as growing up into adulthood and the effects of dope) but the final action scenes override these and the engaging characters really made the film enjoyable. A surprise surprise for me.

Weekend Eating in Brussels

For us, eating is a big part of life. In fact, given my tightening waistband, it probably ranks too high. But it's undeniably one of life's greatest pleasures, and damn if I'm going to stop enjoying my food. This weekend in Brussels, we got through some fine meals. On Friday night, we visited the K-Touch Thai restaurant on the Rue Jules Van Praet. We sat in a lovely corner seat, looking out through open windows onto the Place Saint Gery. The food was nice, and service pleasant.

The area around the Place Saint Gery is a lovely way to spend an evening. It's probably one of the trendiest areas in Brussels and you can choose from numerous restaurants with plenty of Asian food on offer. There are numerous bars, both traditional and cool, to choose from and the square is filled with people sitting at tables and watching the world go by.

On Saturday, we walked along the Avenue Louise where Sushishop caught our eye. We opted for one lunch menu (a plate of sushi, salad, and rice or soup for €12.50) and two special orders from the kitchen. The pre-packed plate of sushi and sashimi was delicious and excellent quality and the accompanying coleslaw salad had a real kick to it. However, the stars of the show were the specials from the kitchen. One featured lovely flavours of coriander and mint, while the other was nicely spicy. A great lunch.

That night, we met a friend for a drink at L'Ultime Atome on Rue Saint Boniface. I really like this pub, which is a great choice for drinks, or some food. It's always busy and is in a lovely setting. It's probably the Belgian version of a gastropub.


We went from L'Ultime Atome to Belgo Belge just around the corner, where we had a table booked for a late dinner. Again, this is another gastropub / brasserie which offers great food at good prices. This area around Saint Boniface is packed full of good restaurants, and you won't be stuck for choice. The Belgo Belge offers traditional Belgian cuisine, and I opted for the magret de canard served with a Kriek sauce, which turned out to be delicious. The duck breast was cooked to pink, and served sliced with the delicious sweet sauce.

On Sunday, we headed back to Rue Jules Van Praet as we had a craving for more Thai food. This time we went to the Restaurant Davi, where we settled for main courses only as we were on a deadline for the cinema. Unintentionally, we ended up with similar dishes, but they were nice and generously sized. I've got a feeling that all the Thai restaurants on this street are of similar quality (nice but not great) and that there must be a better Thai restaurant to be found in the city

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

Author: Marie Philips

Remember the Greek gods? Zeus, Hera, Athena, Artmis, Persephone, Apollo and Hermes, to name but a few. Their legendary acts are just that, the stuff of legend. But imagine how this rather unique, incestuous family would manage in modern times. Dsyfunctional doesn't quite fit the bill.

These gods are the real deal but the unfortunate lack of a believer base means that their powers are in decline. That's gotta be tough for once-omnipotent beings to deal with.

Things get interesting when they hire a mortal cleaner, Alice. As in tales of old, the mortals play with human emotions and lives. However, this time their games take a deadly turn of events.

This is a funny tale, which gives nice nods to the greek legends and myths of yore. The characters are endearing, and at times downright funny. (Think about Aphrodite working as a telephone sex line operator). The book is short, snappy and lively.

Vellum: The Book of All Hours - Hal Duncan

Author: Hal Duncan

Vellum is a book that I'd been meaning to read for quite a while. It was always on prominent display in my nearby bookshops and the rough textured cover of the paperback version hinted at a great read. From reading collected reviews on LibraryThing and Amazon.co.uk, it appears that public opinion is pretty divided on the merits of this novel. And I'm afraid that I'm coming down on the side of the confused and bewildered.

On one hand this book is rich with cultural references, old legends and a grand scale. On the other hand, it moves back and forth through time and rambles from character to character. After an initially intriguing opening section (which lured me in) the book deteriorated. I gave it the 100 page test (read 100 pages and see how you feel then) and because I don't like giving up on books, it got the 200 page test. Then due to having to wait in a hospital for 2 hours it got to over 300 pages. It was then I realised how many of the seemingly disparate threads in the story were being woven together, but at that point I didn't really care anymore. The non-linear narrative was just too disjointed for me.

The lack of distinct characters in this book, their replacement with overarching characters that transcend time and location is confusing and for me, offputting. It's clear that this is a book into which the author invested a lot of time and research. It's just not for everyone and it's not for me. I definitely won't be picking up the sequel.

Balzac Restaurant

The dining room at Balzac has to simply be one of the most elegant and graceful rooms in Dublin. Tall ceilings, wooden floors and mirrored wall, faux marble pillars and large flowerpots make fcr a formidable dining room. For all that, the dining room is often noisy, the wooden floor is perilously close to slippery and chairs are placed too close together.

We ate at Balzac recently as part of a party of 5. Due to an error with our booking, we were seated on our own in the curtained-off private area to the rear of the restaurant. We welcomed this as it provided some isolation of the main dining room.

In the 3 times I've eaten at Balzac, I've found the service to be slow. It can be hard to get a waiter's attention, and given that there is a 12.5% service charge added to the bill, I think that I'd expect more attentive service. However, the waiters are unerringly polite and are clearly kept busy throughout the whole night.

Food was generally good with some odd exceptions. My crab creme brulee was divine and the tanginess of the accompanying pickled cucumbers set off the creaminess of the eggy custard to perfection. My main of rump of lamb with caponata and rosemary was excellent, cooked just the right side of rare and a nice sized-portion. Two of my party ordered the "Crispy Fried Monkfish, Chips, Sauce Gribiche" and received a very disappointing plate of fish and chips. Three small squares of batttered monkfish, a bowl of sauce and a bowl of chips constituted a very empty and desolate looking plate. The lack of presentation or skill with this dish left an empty feeling in our mouths.

Deserts were good (strawberry and vanilla panna cotta for me) with an excellent glass of Mount Horrocks desert wine to wash it down. Two bottles of french red, several bottle of water bought the bill for 5 to €430 approx (incl. service charge).

I'm not as enamoured of Balzac following this trip as I would have been on previous visits. I still think that it offers good food at good prices, but the combination of the service charge and the overpriced fish and chips just takes the edge off.

Restaurant L'Ogenblik, Brussels

De L'Ogenblik is located in the Galerie des Princes, just off the elegant and beautiful Galeries Royales St-Hubert. It has a split-level dining room, with brass and wooden fittings and floors scattered with sand. Lights with green lampshades hang over each table and their height can be adjusted via a counterweight system to each diner's satisfaction.

The food tends to seafood and game, with few vegetarian options. One of our dining party can only eat chicken or vegetarian, and he found his options quite limited. I opted for the turbot en papillote with garlic butter and vegetables. The price was higher than I would normally pay for lunch (by a factor of 2 or 3) but given that this was a business lunch, price wasn't a concern. When my turbot arrived, the waiter cut open the tinfoil packet for me, releasing the most wonderful garlic aroma. The turbot fillet was resting on some tomatoes and courgettes along with some baby potatoes which had cooked in the juices and the garlic butter.

You're obviously paying for the atmosphere and tradition of L'Ogenblik when you eat there. While the food is good, it's not great, but the convivial air of the restaurant undoubtedly makes it a favourite of the regular customers.

Tokyo Year Zero - David Peace

Author: David Peace

Sometimes you read a book that rather viciously forces you to adapt to it's style of writing. Irvine Welsh's "Trainspotting" was such a book for me, as was Tolkien's "The Simarillion" and Hal Duncan's "Vellum". Books like this aren't always bad, in fact they can be truly great, but they push you into an uncomfortable zone. Once in that zone, you will either acclimatise or give up.. My recent reading of "Vellum" was a sense of bewilderment and borderline refusal, whereas "Trainspotting" is a hilarious, and gripping read.

I felt mildly uncomfortable reading "Tokyo Year Zero". It's definitely an ambitious novel, based on a true crime committed in post-surrender Japan, in a country where lives have been destroyed and a proud people are surviving hand to mouth. Given the struggling state of the country, it's odd to think that murders are being investigated but Inspector Minami is assigned to the case and quickly uncovers that the murder is not a once-off but part of the handiwork of a serial rapist and killer.

It's clear that Minami is a man struggling with the world around him, and Peace uses inner monologues to bring the character to the reader. Repetitive sequences of words are designed to evoke the sounds of the world but fail to engage. Instead they feel intrusive and distracting. Although it's clear that the book is well-researched and the despair of post-war Japan is quite evocative, the unexciting plot, combined with the repetitive writing, means that the book falls short.

Candyfreak - Steve Almond

Author: Steve Almond

Steve Almond is a guy who loves candy. And he also happens to be a writer. So why not put the two together and write a book that explores his obsession with candy as well as visiting small local candy factories throughout the USA.

Being Irish, I didn't recognise a lot of the candy bars mentioned in this book (with the exception of dark Kit Kats), but what I did understand was this author's passion and humour when it came to the subject of candy. Parts of this book will have you laughing out loud. He is never afraid to be open and honest, and you will finish this book with a sense of connection to the author.

As part of his research, Almond arranged to visit several small regional manufacturers throughout the states, including Philadelphia (Peanut Chews), Sioux City (Twin Bing), Nashville (Goo Goo Cluster), and Boise (Idaho Spud). The character portraits drawn of the factory owners and employees are endearing, but the author's fascination with the machinery used to create candy and his obsessional thieving fresh bars from the production line when not being watched are hilarious. Also amusing are his efforts to avoid candies containing coconut.

This is one sweet treat of a book.