Fashion inspired by Marvel’s The Avengers
You know that tingly sensation of awe and excitement you get after seeing a truly great film? Well, besides leaving me with a serious hankering for shawarma, Marvel’s The Avengers definitely gave me that oh-my-gosh-you-guys-let’s-watch-that-again feeling: the epic battle scenes, the hilarious one-liners, the seriously sexy cast, and of course, the style! And what better way to channel a newfound obsession with comic books and superheroes than with a fashion post?
Liuli, also known as vaidurya, is a gemstone appeared first in the China’s Han Dynasty. It was referred to as glass in ancient China, and now it’s better known to people as the Chinese crystal that embodies culture and history through artists’ imagination and emotions.
The huge shinning wall stands on Xintiandi’s trendy commercial area can easily catch people’s eyes. The walls is of 8.5 meters length and formed by 4800 blocks of transparent liuli, on which the giant golden peony shimmering. Especially in the evening, the colorful gleaming wall match perfectly with the Xintiandi’s cultural vibe, together they present a milestone of Shanghai’s commercial zone. This wall belongs to China’s first liuli museum—-Liuli China Museum.
Walking into the museum, we instantly got mesmerized with handcrafts made of liuli. The black walls set a serious tone for the atmosphere, which make the colorful art works stand out. Sophisticated, majestic, pure or romantic, the deigns are enhanced by videos through the images of flapping butterflies, ancient desert, animation in the elevators, Buda statue twirling into the sky. The museum is turning into a fantasy land, and all the handcrafts are sleeping angels. We lost in the mysterious world of outer space.
Liuli China Museum
Address: 25 Taikang Lu
Contact: 6467 2268
With film premieres, concerts, fashion shows and football matches galore, London is a great place to catch a glimpse of the rich and famous. You just have to know where to find them. When the stars are in town, they have to eat, so London’s hippest restaurants are a good place to start. To increase your chances of spotting a celeb, below is our pick of the stars’ favourite restaurants in London.
Referee: Michael Craig Martin
A contemporary conceptual artist and painter. He is noted for his fostering of the Young British Artists, many of whom he taught, and for his conceptual artwork, An Oak Tree. He is Emeritus Professor of Fine Art at Goldsmiths and designed the poster for London 2012 Olympic Games.
St. John Bar & Restaurant Smithfield
Food celebrities love this trailblazing restaurant, famed for its “nose to tail eating”. It’s supposedly Anthony Bourdain’s favourite restaurant in the UK, and Jamie Oliver follows St John on Twitter. Tracy Emin is a regular at the sister branch St John Bread & Wine at Spitalfields.
Add: 26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Celeb spot in style at The Wolseley, a grand old café-restaurant on London’s Piccadilly. With a spectacular Grade II Listed interior and a menu to match, it’s a magnet for the rich and famous. You’re sure to spot a star whether you go for the European lunch and dinner menus, a traditional afternoon tea or the famous Wolseley breakfast.
Add: 160 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EB
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Referee: Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby
They are also known as Barber Osgerby, which is a furniture and industrial design studio established in 1996 by these two British designers. And also they designed the torch of London 2012 Olympic Games with the symbolism of representing the relay an the nation, and also to reflect that London and the UK are the forefront of design and manufacturing.
Polpo
Londoners love this buzzing, Venetian-style ‘bacaro’ bar & restaurant, & are quite happy to queue until a table frees up (you can only book for lunch). Polpo puts the emphasis on ‘style & the customer’: the Prosecco flows & the music thumps as proceedings in the slender, artfully distressed room are orchestrated by warm, friendly staff who are simply ‘brilliant’. The menu offers amazingly inexpensive bread-based cichetti (snacks) such as cured pork panino or goats’ cheese, walnut & grape bruschetta ahead of irresistible small plates: favourites include polpette (saucy meatballs), fritto misto & grilled flank steak with truffle cream. The pricing allows you to ‘indulge yourself’ with lots of little dishes, & many wines are offered by the carafe. The dimly lit Campari Bar downstairs serves the same spot-on cocktails as the ground-floor zinc bar, & keeps hopeful punters happy while they’re waiting.
Add: 41 Beak St., London W1F 9SB
Tramshed
Located in the old Shoreditch Tramshed building, Mark Hix’s latest venture is a cavernous refectory space kitted out with communal tables and chairs made from recycled Coke bottles. Head for the mezzanine to get the best views of the striking Damien Hirst centrepiece depicting a cockerel astride a cow – a visual clue to the restaurant’s theme: chicken and steak. The former, sourced from Woolley Park, roasted whole and served upright for punters to hack apart, arrives with deliciously moist meat and crispy skin. As for steak, the ‘mighty marbled’ sirloin (dry-aged in a Himalayan salt chamber) has wonderful depth of flavour. Starters might feature smoked Cornish sardines with beets and horseradish, while puds keep it simple with the likes of apple pie and custard. A ‘hidden’ bar deals in snacks and cocktails, and the Cock ‘n’ Bull basement gallery doubles as a library/exhibition space.
Add: 32 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3LX
Referee: Kelly Hoppen
World-renowned designer Kelly Hoppen MBE is the visionary behind her design studio, Kelly Hoppen Interiors. Honing her craft since the tender age of 17, Kelly has created not only a distinctive ‘style’ but an aesthetic that is synonymous with elegance, luxury and timeless classics.
During his visit to London in 1848 Chopin stayed in Dover Street a couple of doors up from No 40. Unfortunately this house is no longer there, having been bombed in the war. However, the Arts Club is typical of houses of this time and has a concert room decorated in opulent Victorian style, which is why we have chosen it for some of our events this year.
The Arts Club was founded in 1863 by Lord Leighton and Charles Dickens. Since then it has numbered many eminent authors and artists amongst its members, including Anthony Trollope, Arnold Bennett, Dame Laura Knight, Sir Alfred Munnings, Bram Stoker, Camille Pisarro, John Piper, David Hockney.
Add: 40 Dover Street | Mayfair, London W1S 4NP
The gregarious sibling of Osteria Basilico just a few doors away, Mediterraneo cranks things up a notch or two with more refined ingredients & an extensive wine list. Inside, its relaxed, rustic style is much favoured by locals & Italian expats, despite the formal linen cloths on the tables. Tagliata di manzo (succulent slices of char-grilled fillet of beef scented with rosemary) is a standout dish, while spaghetti with lobster is worthy of that special occasion. ‘The food isn’t cheap but it’s always exceptional’, observes one regular. A set-lunch menu (£14.50 for two courses) puts Mediterraneo’s assured cooking within easier reach, but it will take a lot of willpower to steer clear of the temptations on the main menu – not to mention the Tuscan treasures on the wine list.
Add: 37 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU
Referee:
Ken Grant
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CEO of International Presidents Club (IPC)
Gordon Ramsay
In 1998 at the age of 31, Gordon set up his first wholly owned restaurant, Gordon Ramsay, in Chelsea. Combining an intimate ambience and exquisite cuisine by 2001 the restaurant had gained three Michelin stars which it retains today. Head Chef Clare Smyth, who was appointed to the position in January 2007 remains the only female chef in the UK to hold this accolade.
This intimate restaurant seats 45 guests surrounded by the stylish interiors designed by the acclaimed designer David Collins. Combining contemporary elegance and unparalleled service, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay has the hallmark of true excellence.
Add: 68 Royal Hospital Road London SW3 4HP
Alain Ducasse At The Dorchester
‘Seriously grown-up food in a seriously grown-up restaurant’ captures the essence of this outpost of Alain Ducasse’s global empire. It delivers a luxury experience with consummate expertise, from the comfortably spacious surrounds & legions of heavily accented staff to extravagantly generous amuse-bouches & premium ingredients. Lobster with truffled chicken quenelles, sautéed ceps & mini rolls of homemade pasta is precision cooking of the highest order, all melting textures, deep flavours & glossy saucing; turbot ‘matelote’ with tomato gnocchi & ‘country bacon’ is decadent but refined, while memorable desserts include an unmissable rum baba. Prices, however, remain an intractable issue: pitching one of the world’s most famous chefs on a blue-chip Monopoly square is never going to be cheap, but comments such as ‘very good but not extraordinary’ suggest that this ultimate expression of high-end French dining can also be a tad predictable. That said, the £50 lunch (with two glasses of wine) is a good introduction.
Add: 53 Park Lane, London W1K 1QA
Referee: Anna Dodonova
Anna Casa Interiors is the culmination of the intuitive and creative vision of owner and director Anna Dodonova. Launched in 2007 at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour in London’s fashionable Chelsea, Anna Casa Interiors has become synonymous with the very best in forward-thinking and glamorous design. Anna is highly passionate about art and design and this is reflected in the edited selection of brands and pieces on offer at the inspiring showroom.
Hakkasan Mayfair
‘Happening’, ‘electric’, ‘seductive’, ‘exclusive’ – just some of the superlatives fired at high-rolling Hakkasan’s Mayfair-chic sibling. The scent of jasmine candles hits you in the sultry passageway, & the smell of money also hangs in the air as the place works its ice-cool magic. A thumping ground-floor cocktail bar immediately cranks up the decibels, & the cacophony continues in the glamorous, moody-blue dining room. Those flexing the company plastic go for ‘supreme special dishes’ at ‘shocking’ prices, although financial investment pays dividends: the legendary roast silver cod with Champagne & Chinese honey shows technical skill & invention in spades, likewise roast mango duck & ‘awesome’ New Zealand lobster tails with glass vermicelli. Elsewhere, the long menu runs from some extraordinary dim sum to the likes of sweet & sour Duke of Berkshire pork with pomegranate or Alaskan royal king crab in black bean sauce. Cleverly crafted east/west desserts are also guaranteed to wow in this oriental sizzler.
Add: 17 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QB
Nobu - Berkeley Street
Nobu is one of the most popular celebrity restaurants in the UK. Co-owned by Robert de Niro and frequented by the likes of Cheryl Cole, Brad Pitt, Kate Moss, Tom Cruise, Elton John and Naomi Campbell, it is a veritable magnet for A List diners! Boris Becker very recently clarified that his daughter was conceived on Nobu’s stairs, not in the broom cupboard!
Add: 15 Berkelely Street, London W1J 8DY
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[Juzine Experts] Michael Rauter,the Executive Chef from JC Mandarin
Despite all the Germans stereotypes, Michael Rauter, the executive chef at JC Mandarin is anything but stiff and humorless. As the head of a team consisting 60 chefs, there is no intimidating boss image in Michael at all. Joking around sometimes even in simple Shanghai dialect, chef Michael manages keeping a vibe of optimism at work while running the kitchen efficiently. With a passion for food and adventure, Michael has travelled and worked in top hotels around the world, eventually he chose to settle in Shanghai with his Shanghainese wife. Juzine catches an interview with the executive chef in his workplace. (J=Juzine, M=Michael)
J: Do you miss German cuisine?
M: Nice question, actually no, not really. You still get some German cuisine in China if you really want some, at the same time, I always cook at home, prepare the dish I would really miss, the way my grandmother made it or my mother made it. So….not really I can do them at home it’s okay.
J: What’s the difference the first time you work in Shanghai back to 1992, comparing to now?
M: The first time I came here, it was absolutely different. If you look back to 92, Shanghai or China was not open the way it is today. Of course the whole situation, products you get were totally different from today. Today you get abundance of things you can get on every corner. The whole lifestyle of Shanghai is totally changed. It’s almost like being in the center of the world.
J: You have been to different countries, please tell us more about it.
M: For instance, I have worked for 4 years in South Africa. It’s a beautiful country for chef especially. They have a lot of products, the climate is perfect, they are doing wine themselves. Working in hospitality industry especially in South Africa, there is abundance of products for chefs available, which makes that experience quite valuable I have to say.
J: What’s your favorite cuisine?
M: I wouldn’t say I have a favorite cuisine because (there are) abundance of cuisines around the world, flavors, textures and all the enjoyment you can get. It’s very difficult to say, I only like French or I only love Chinese, or I only love German or I only love Japanese. I think you know you pick the nicest things out of each cuisine, you can be perfectly happy and it can be very very enjoyable. Like I said earlier, simply pasta or a nice goose liver or lobster, you name it. (There are) a lot of different flavors, a lot of different styles and a lot of different textures, so I wouldn’t say I have a favorite. I am quite open-minded.
J: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
M: If you have a guest try to order at night, if you get a guest finish the dish and says “chef, this was fantastic!” “Excellent job, well done! Congratulations to you!” Then you say to yourself, well, that was worth it, the stress and the long hours. The guest is happy and the guest is gonna come back. I guess that’s the most rewarding thing.
J: What’s your advice for home enthusiasts?
M: It depends on what do you like, what flavors, what kind of cuisine you want to go. In general I would say, be open-minded, try to create a few different flavors and try a few things that you think at the first sight maybe they don’t go good together. With the experiments, you will think, well it goes well together.
J: What do you do to stay educated about the change in food industry and the food trend?
M: Well, there are a lot of things going on especially in Shanghai. From visiting a nice hostel and other hotels, you can go there for lunch, breakfast or for dinner, going on the internet, books, magazines, food shows, food fairs. There are a lot of things one can search for, if you really want to.
J: What influence your cooking style the most?
M: I was influenced in Europe, in Germany especially20 years, 30 years ago by German/European cuisine. They design in a lighter, innovative way with a lot of French influence; I have been trained classically in that way. Of course it still is in my blood today. I also get to experiment with different flavors all around the world, Asian flavors for instance.
J: What’s your advice for new chefs out there who want to be as successful as you are?
M: Train, train, train, learn, learn, learn. Try to go to the best restaurants and hotels, try to learn as much as you can. Don’t worry about money. Money at young age is not important. Especially if you want to become a chef to develop your taste buds, to develop your style, to learn how to cook, if you want to achieve those, you stick to the best hotels and restaurants in the world. Success will come automatically, money will come automatically. But at a young age, as a beginner, you should just worry where I learn my trick, you have to learn it in the possibly best place that you are able to.
J: Can you share with us your life philosophy?
M: I am thinking about what I would say to my daughter. I would say never give up, everything is possible. If you want to do it, you can do it. That’s for sure, I believe it that. It’s just do you have to way or you don’t. That’s the bottom line， when it comes down to it.
Please check the recent JC Mandarin Seafood Themed Buffet Dinner by executive chef Michael Rauter
Fragrance library is a place to rekindle your memory by a certain smell. Mud, storm, tomato, chocolate cookies, the scent of simple objects could be easily related to the feelings of air after a raining afternoon, the smell of a neighborhood lane or childhood.
It might happen to everyone: you may not remember those people who once encountered in life, but the smell of them may hard to forget. Fragrance library is a place to rekindle your memory by a certain smell. Mud, storm, tomato, chocolate cookies, the scent of simple objects could be easily related to the feelings of air after a raining afternoon, the smell of a neighborhood lane or childhood. The pleasant and familiar smells are collected in DEMETER Fragrance Library, for the visitors, a tour in the library is like a ride in time machine, taking you back to the good old days. DEMETER, the New York Fragrance brand put your memory into little bottles of perfumes, more than 300 types of smells will surely surprises you. Come and join us on the journey of your memory lane.
Address: No. 16, Lane 274 Taikang Lu
Contact: 6172 5979
(Source: juzine.com)
Cocktail Master Class Four: Plantation Punch
• 1/4 cup(s) orange juice
• 1/4 cup(s) dark rum
• 2 tablespoon(s) pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon(s) Amaretto liqueur
• 1 tablespoon(s) grenadine
• Crushed ice
• Orange rind (optional)
STEP 1: In serving glass, combine orange juice, rum, pineapple juice, liqueur, and grenadine.
STEP 2: Add ice to fill glass; transfer mixture to cocktail shaker and shake. Pour mixture back into serving glass, garnish with orange rind, if desired, and serve.
Weeee!
As irreparably attached to digital accessories like smartphones, e-readers and laptops as we are, there is still something to be said for setting pen or pencil to actual paper. In our laptop sleeve pocket, we’ve always got a notebook of some sorts, just poised to record odd thoughts and inspiration from our trips, thoughts that just don’t seem as magical when entered into a Word or Notepad file. All praise be to the almighty travel notebook.
Here are our Top 5 Picks for the Best Travel Notebooks:
