Champagne Charlie is My Name!

University House Champagne Expo 2016

The University of Melbourne - November

Well, you can imagine the scene.  I’m meeting one of my favourite clients at the University of Melbourne who tells me she’s attending a champagne tasting at the University Club in two weeks time.  Nine champagne houses will be in attendance, with smoked salmon tastings to boot.

‘Can I come too?’ I asked timidly.

Thirty dollars later, I was in.

The following article is a longish one, but if you’d like to improve "votre" education on all things authentically bubbly, click below to read more.  Meanwhile, for those of you who just turned up to hear the song Champagne Charlie (which we discuss the origins of below), here's a link!

Champagne Charlie - the song.

... full text

The Best Sandwiches in the World

The Alpen Pantry
23 Arcadia Rd
Old Greenwich, CT 06870, USA
alpenpantry.com

Alright, fine.  I know what you're thinking:

'What an ambit claim, how can you possibly demonstrate that something is the best?  It varies from week to week, even the greatest sandwich maker has an off day."

Well, I am prone to hyperbole, but as the man at the Alpen Pantry (Old Greenwich, Connecticut) said as he leaned on the counter and someone fixed my sandwich up "Well, we've been here for over seventy five years, so we must be doing something right".

Yes, I'd agree.  There's a preponderance of black breads, and their website is essentially the sandwich list supplied below, but for those who are thinking of opening a sandwich bar of their own, you could do far worse than emulate this little gem that my brother pointed out to me while I was visiting the US recently.

Click the "full text..." tab below for the complete list of sandwich fare.  OK, so there's only one vegetarian option.  But a crab/langostino sandwich?  Come on!!  Truly excellent:


... full text

Bergerac is Coming Your Way!!

Bergerac Restaurant
131 King St
Melbourne  VIC  3000
bergeracrestaurant.com.au

No... not the TV show, the restaurant!

If you don't know the song used in the title of this article, you should probably click on the link below and listen to it while you read the rest:

Spiderbait: Bergerac (from ShaShaVaGlava)



... full text