Recipe - Hearty Mushroom Soup/西式乾牛肝菌菇湯

Serves: 4

份量：四人

Cook: 1 hour

烹煮：一小時

Ingredients 食材

• 25g porcini mushrooms/二十五克乾牛肝菌菇
• 500g fresh mushrooms/五百克鮮蘑菇
• 2 tbsp olive oil/兩餐匙橄欖油
• 1 onion/一顆洋蔥
• 2 carrots/兩根紅蘿蔔
• 2 garlic cloves/兩顆大蒜
• 1 tbsp rosemary/一餐匙迷迭香
• 2 tbsp tomato puree/兩餐匙蕃茄漿（非蕃茄醬）
• 100g pearl barley/一百克薏仁（珍珠麥）
• 1l vegetable stock/一公升蔬菜高湯
• grated parmesan/碎巴馬乾酪

Directions 烹煮步驟

1. Put porcini mushrooms in boiling water and leave to soak for 25 minutes

1. 將乾牛肝菌菇放入滾水中約25分鐘

2. Fry the onion, carrot, garlic and rosemary for 5 minutes

2. 炒洋蔥、紅蘿蔔、蒜頭和迷迭香約五分鐘

3. Drain the porcini (save the liquid). Add porcini and fresh mushrooms to onion, carrot, garlic and rosemary. Fry for another 5 minutes

3. 將乾牛肝菌菇瀝乾（保留乾牛肝菌菇水）後將其與鮮蘑菇加入炒洋蔥、紅蘿蔔、蒜頭和迷迭香中

4.  Add the stock, tomato puree, barley and porcini liquid

4. 加入蔬菜高湯、蕃茄漿、薏仁和乾牛肝菌菇水 

5. Cook for 40 minutes or until barley is soft.

5. 小火燉煮約40分鐘至薏仁軟熟。

6. Serve with grated parmesan sprinkled over

6. 灑上巴馬乾酪

Celine Phantom and Luggage Bags

Celine Phantom and Luggage bags have been two of the most popular designer bags for years. When they just came out I though they were different and cute. However they made their way to be such huge IT bags that I was worried it would look silly carrying them after couple years and never thought of buying one. A couple of years later, they are still one of the top of designer bags and getting harder and harder to get – seems like my previous worry was unnecessary. Plus, with Dr. T’s encouragement, I finally decided to get one - Phantom (after months of thinking, searching all the colours online, three times of visit Celine and about 20 minutes consideration at the shop). After getting the Phantom, I feel I didn’t make the wrong decision and I’ve fallen in love with it more and more.

Celine的Phantom和 Luggage已經流行了好些年。當他們剛上市時，我覺得他們可愛歸可愛，但流形成那樣，現在買了幾年後拿一定非常奇怪。但幾年過後，意外的他們仍然是搶手貨，不見他們退燒反而有越來越難到手的趨勢。看來我先前的疑慮還真是多餘了。加上Dr. T非常喜歡這款包，在他的鼓勵下，我終於入手了Phantom (這可經過了好幾個月的考慮，上網搜遍全部的顏色，去了Celine三次，最後還在店裡想了二十分鐘)。最終我覺得我沒有做錯決定且越來越喜歡他。

Phantoms and Luggage are like little twins. I found it hard to differentiate them at the beginning. After searching online and chatting to Celine staff, I finally have some clues:

• Luggage have a big zipper to close the bag but phantoms don’t – instead they have two strings on the side to close the bag
•  Phantoms have bigger “ears”
• Phantoms’ zipper on the front is longer

I prefer the proportion of Phantoms and think they look more casual (Luggage looks a bit business-y to me).

Phantom和 Luggage長得實在像對雙胞胎。剛開始我分不太清楚誰是誰。經過網上搜尋以及和店員聊天後，總算有了些頭緒：

• Luggage 有拉鍊可以關起包包而Phantom沒有
• Phantom的“耳朵”比較大
• Phantom包包前面的拉鍊比較長

兩者間我偏愛Phantom的比例。而且Luggage對我來說稍嫌正式。

However, the material usage for Luggage is more interesting. They always mix colours and leathers. There are way more options than for the Phantom. Phantoms are available in manyour and material.

然而在皮質和用色上Luggage較活潑而有變化。多款Luggage都是混合皮質與混搭顏色。選擇遠比Phantom來得多。

Phantoms are available in many colours as well but for now Phantoms tend to only have single colour and material.

Phantom也有許多不同的顏色，但都是單一皮質與色調。

Here are the Phantoms that I like the most:

以下是我最喜歡的三款Phantom：

At first I was thinking buying this one. Black is always the one to go for me. The leather looks really nice quality and croc leather makes it more interesting and cooler.

一開始我鎖定這款。黑色向來是我的第一選擇，加上鱷魚皮質感佳也特別。

I am not into bright colours in general but this red is very vivid and young. It would definitely catch the eye and be especially nice for summer.

通常我是不喜歡亮色系，但這個紅鮮艷又年輕，走到哪一定都是目光焦點，是夏天的第一選擇。

This is the colour I got in the end – patrol/concrete blue. The colour is subtle but it adds more vibes to the bag and is more interesting than just black – think it suite the playful ‘face’ design well. I like also because it’s practical - works well with both summer and winter clothes.

最後我買了這個顏色。灰藍色低調但又比黑色有趣，也比較適合玩味的“囧臉“設計。重要的是冬夏天都適用。

However, getting the colour you really want in the UK sometimes depends on luck. Celine do not display Phantoms and Luggage in their shops anymore (sometime they display one but not for sell).  You need to ask the staff if they have they have them in store, sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. According to their staff, they have 2-3 a day and they don’t know what colour they will get. They always sell out all of them - Sometimes customers actually fight for a bag! A tip from the staff: “come and check before 12 everyday” (she thinks we don’t have a life?).

但在英國要買到心儀的顏色實在還得看運氣。英國的Celine專櫃已經不陳列Phantom和 Luggage了（有時會擺一個非賣品）。你必須問店員他們是否有貨，有時有，有時沒有。店員告訴我通常他們每天會進兩到三個，但他們也不知道會是什麼顏色。通常當天就會賣完當天進的貨，兩三個人搶一個包的戲碼也不時在上演。店員說最好的方法就是：每天十二點前來看囉。他可能以為我們都不用生活吧！

If it’s really too difficult to get one, maybe go for a Luggage key ring before you have the chance to meet your dream Phantom/Luggage J  

如果真的真的買不到心目中的Phantom和 Luggage，在遇到那夢中的包包前，Luggage鑰匙圈可能可以解解隱吧！

Restaurant Review - Bully’s, Cardiff

Bully’s is Dr. T’s and my favourite restaurant in Cardiff. We went there without knowing it’s a one ‘spoon and fork’ awarded Michelin restaurant and simply fell in love with it. We did a friend’s birthday and our Christmas dinner there – it has become our first choice for special occasions and celebrations.

Bully's是我和Dr. T在Cardiff最喜歡的餐廳。我們第一次拜訪時並不知道它是米其林推薦餐廳，但知道後我們一點也不意外。我們在那慶祝了朋友的生日和聖誕節，Bully’s已經變成了我們特別節日的第一選擇。

The restaurant is small but cosy. Their walls are full of the owner’s art collection which gives Bully’s a unique vibe. Unlike most of the posh French restaurants, Bully’s gives a homely and friendly ambiance.  

Bully’s小歸小卻很舒適。牆上滿滿的餐廳老闆畫作收藏給Bully’s有別於一般法國餐廳的氛圍 – 溫暖而親切。

This time we had ‘Crayfish tail and sunblushed tomato tian, rocket salad apple and balsamic dressing’ and ‘Seared scallops, parsnip puree, parsnip ribbons, walnut dressing’ to start.

前菜我們點了‘Crayfish tail and sunblushed tomato tian, rocket salad apple and balsamic dressing’ 和 ‘Seared scallops, parsnip puree, parsnip ribbons, walnut dressing’。

The crayfish was fresh and firm and the flavour matched nicely with the tomato. A tiny bit of apple and balsamic dressing freshened up the taste.

螯蝦甘甜有彈性，配上番茄乾的微酸，蘋果丁和甜醋味道爽朗。

The scallops were very tender and well seasoned. However, the sauce didn’t give much surprise. 

干貝肥嫩，淡淡的海鹽與胡椒提出了海味的鮮美。美中不足的是醬汁並未替干貝加分多少。

One of our main courses was ‘Char-grilled fillet of Welsh beef, purple kale, braised leeks, potato and gruyere gallette, Brazilian pink peppercon sauce’. The steak is what Dr. T and I always miss about Bully’s. No need to say the meat is good quality (not just good quality, but amazing steak – Dr. T). What made me fall in love with the dish was its super tasty pink peppercorn sauce. It had a bit of a mysterious and subtle flavour which made me want to have more and more. The braised leek was soft and it melted in my mouth. Dr. T and I couldn’t tell it was leeks because the taste and texture was so different (in a good way). Dr. T liked the potato but for me it was the weakest part of the dish.

其中一道主菜是‘Char-grilled fillet of Welsh beef, purple kale, braised leeks, potato and gruyere gallette, Brazilian pink peppercon sauce’。我和Dr. T每每無法忘懷Bully’s的牛排的美味。肉質肥美不用說，讓我對這道菜愛不釋手的主要原因卻是沾醬。巴西粉紅胡椒有種神秘而隱約香味引誘我想一嚐再嚐。韮蔥炖的入口即化，甜而不嗆。Dr. T也喜歡馬鈴薯派，然而我覺得這是這道菜中最不突出的部分。

We also had ‘Breast of Barbary duck, sugar snap peas, gaufrette potato, blueberry sauce’. The thing that worries Dr. T and me about duck is it’s already too fat. But we trusted the chef here and decided to give it a go. It didn’t disappoint us. There wasn’t much fat and the chef still managed to make the meat soft and tender. The sauce was delicious however couldn’t taste much blueberry.

另一道主菜我們點了‘Breast of Barbary duck, sugar snap peas, gaufrette potato, blueberry sauce’。我和Dr. T對鴨肉總是又愛又恨，愛他的香味恨他的脂肪。但我們對Bully’s的廚師尚有信心，所以給了鴨胸一個機會，而他也沒讓我們失望。廚師選了不油膩的部位且熟度控制得宜，鴨胸不肥卻軟嫩。醬汁方面，如果菜單上沒寫是藍莓醬汁，我會說醬汁很棒，但他寫了藍莓卻沒藍莓味，失分。

For dessert, Dr. T had ‘Selection of French and Welsh cheese, served with homemade chutney and croutons’. It was a generous amount of good quality cheese.

甜點Dr. T選了Selection of French and Welsh cheese, served with homemade chutney and croutons’。份量慷慨品質也佳。

I had ‘Golden delicious apple tarte tatin, lemon and thyme sorbet’. The sorbet had a nice refreshing flavour with went well with sweet dishes. The tarte tatin itself wasn’t amazing since it lacking slightly in flavour. Please don’t get me wrong – it was still nice but just I had high expectation from Bully’s!

我點了‘Golden delicious apple tarte tatin, lemon and thyme sorbet’。冰沙非常爽口而適合甜膩膩的食物。然而蘋果塔卻有些令人失望，並非不好吃，只是我對Bully’s的期望更高些。

The owner told us they will have the restaurant refitted in the beginning of 2013. If you go now, you can see the brand new Bully’s – Don’t forget to make a reservation!

老闆說在2013年年初他們會完成餐廳新裝潢，所以如果現在拜訪，或許可以見到全新的Bully’s。可別忘了預約！

My scores for Bully’s:

Food – 8.5

Atmosphere – 7

Service – 7.5

Value – 7

Dr. T’s scores for Bully’s 

Food – 9

Atmosphere – 7.5

Service – 7

Value – 7

Restaurant Website

餐廳網址

Other reviews on Bully's:

Love to Dine

Gourmet Gorro

Food & Drink 

Square Meal

Les Delices de Fleur

Recipes - Chines Braised Beef with Ginger/中式薑汁燉牛肉

Serve: 2   

份量：兩人

Cook: 2 hours 

烹煮：2小時 

Ingredients 食材

• 2 tbsp olive oil/兩餐桌匙橄欖油
• 500g beef shin/五百克牛脛肉
• 1 onion/一顆洋蔥
• 25g ginger/二十五克老薑
• 3 garlic cloves/三瓣大蒜
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder/兩茶匙五味粉
• 3 star anise/三顆八角
• 1 tsp black peppercorns/一茶匙黑胡椒
• 50g brown sugar/五十克紅糖
• 30ml soy sauce/三十毫升醬油
• 1 tbsp tomato pureee/一茶匙蕃茄漿（非蕃茄醬）
• 200g beef stock/三百克牛高湯
• 20ml rice wine/二十毫升米酒

Directions

1. Chop onion, ginger and garlic into chunks. Put them in a food processor and whizz to a paste.

1. 將洋蔥、老薑和大蒜切塊後放入食物調理機打成泥。

2. Heat the oil and fry the beef until browned.

2. 油加熱後放入牛肉至牛肉外層呈金黃色。

3. Add the paste to the beef with a splash of water and gently fry for 5 minutes.

3. 將洋蔥、老薑和大蒜泥加入牛肉中烹煮五分鐘。

4. Add the five-spice powder, star anise and peppercorns. Cook for 1 minutes.

4. 加入五味粉、八角和黑胡椒烹煮一分鐘。

5. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce and tomato puree.

5. 加入紅糖、醬油和蕃茄漿。

6. Add Stock and rice wine and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 1.5 hour. 

6.倒入牛高湯和米酒後煮至沸騰。關小火燉煮一個半小時。

On the side

1. Osmanthus Rice - Add in a small bunch Osmanthus flower powder in the rice and cook as normal.

1. 桂花飯 – 將些許桂花乾加入生米後照常烹煮。

2. Since it's a meat-only dish it's nice to serve with vegetables on the side - I recommend asparagus with mushrooms. Simply fry the garlic for 1 minutes and then add in asparagus and mushrooms. Ready to serve in 5 minutes.

2. 蘆筍蘑菇 – 炒香大蒜後放入蘆筍與蘑菇，五分鐘內完成！