a la Lambada

Ever wanted to know how the jet-set lives or what they are up to these days. Some say that the phenomena of the jet-set as a culture faded with the advent of cheap airline travel back in the early seventies. Wrong! It lives on in the art of Jordi Lambada of Spain.

Wallpaper which is one of my favourite magazines, can (I believe) be responsible for Jordi’s big break. I think one of the reasons why I only bought the magazine was for his illustrations within, which invariably included a full page as the very last thing in the magazine.

Through his illustrations we have a glimpse in to what the “bright young things” are doing these days, where they are going and what they are wearing. There is a definite retro flair in his work, which combines elements of sexual ambiguity, politics, cheekiness and savoir faire.

Hip bars, embassy parties, streetscenes, exotic pool side locations are all illustrated in a sophisticated style. Bright young things are seen in bars and restaurants enjoying the good life and society matrons (perhaps left over from the real jet set) are seen also, glasses of champagne in hand, being the life of the party.

Sexual ambiguity runs rife, which leaves us guessing to the character’s sexual orientation.

Occassionally a political undertone creeps in, such as the guard with a machine gun outside a gate, which is by no means threatening, but treated with a sense of playful flirting.

One of my favourite commercial artists, so get inspired, raise a glass of champagne, imagine yourself a la Lambada enjoying the good life.

Aqua Mirabilis

We have all seen it, heard about it and maybe even smelt it, but do we really appreciate this elixir of life, this magic potion all wrapped up in the ubiquitous gold and blue bottle which it was said Napoleon doused himself in a bottle every day!

Long before eau de cologne became a plethora of anything in a bottle that was weaker than eau de toilette, there was 4711! This is a scent like none other that includes various elements of a man of God, Royalty, Popes and pop stars.

Legend has it that a Carthusian monk who because of persecution had taken refuge with one of Cologne’s wealthiest families (the Mulheses) and as a token of gratitude gave their son a wedding gift of a parchment scroll inscribed with the recipe for an elixir known as Aqua Mirabilis because of its healing powers. And miracle water it is! Thanks to the French occupation of Cologne in 1794 and a new street numbering system we now have 4711.

Napoleon was not the only one was aware of this miracle water; Goethe, Wagner and Dostoyevsky were avid wearers. It won awards from Moscow to Melbourne, and the bottle has been de rigueur on dressing tables ever since.

In an era when we have seen the rise and fall of everything from Brut 33 to Old Spice this one is a stayer. This could be due to fact that not only is it a perfume but a refresher. Feeling wan? A few drops on a handkerchief will instantly revive you. Hot summer’s day outside a few spritzes of this and you can face the world. Need an antiseptic in a hurry? You guessed it, 4711. Each year I participate in a bike rally that cycles 600kms between Toronto to Montreal, and you guessed it! In my repair kit with my spanners, tubes and pump is a bottle of 4711! A couple of sprays and instant refreshment takes over!

The ingredients are still top secret over 200 years later, but I can tell you that Bergamot, Lemon, Neroli, Orange, Petigrain, Rosemary, Rose and Musk all play a part. Read any herb book and most of these are known for their healing and refreshing properties.

So all stock up summer is on its way! Don’t leave it on your dressing table or bathroom shelf! Carry it with you, spritz frequently and know that you and Napoleon have something in common!

Savoir Faire with Pluck

Early one morning 1964, three burglars entered Madame Helena Rubinstein’s Manhattan apartment while she was still in bed and demanded her jewelry collection, which was reputed to be valued at over one million dollars. First of all the intruders would have been amazed at Madame Rubinstein’s lucite furnitured bedroom. Long before Philip Stark made the ghost chair famous, Rubinstein had a whole room of the stuff. This included an illuminated bed specially made that would fit her short frame. Over ninety years old, Rubinstein refused, saying they could shoot her. Unnerved, the robbers left with only $200 in cash, which one of them had found in her handbag. With her quick wit and just plain courage she told two of the burglars that they had better make sure that they got their share of the $200.

Three hours later Madame, emerged from the building immaculately attired in Balenciaga, a Hermes scarf tied around the handle of her handbag and one of her signature bowler hats on her head and headed off for a day at the office. Mind you this was only after driving around the block in her limousine to compose herself. Still you have to admire her courage and her savoir faire as any other 93 year old would have probably died of fright when confronted with 3 gun wielding intruders or emerged still clad in their housecoat, too upset to do anything let alone spend a day at the office! Though I have no photo of this, below is an example of how she would have been dressed

Tehran - Au go go

One of my favourite restaurants here in Toronto is Banu on Queen Street West. To most people, tell them you are going to an Iranian restaurant for dinner and they will probably beg you not to ask them to accompany you. Images of shwarma and dona kebabs are probably flashing through their minds while their throats are becoming parched with the thought of not being able to indulge in an alcoholic beverage of some sort. However tell them that you are going to Banu and they will beg to be taken along.

They call themselves Banu – Iranian Kabob Vodka Bar and it does not disappoint. Walk in to this average sized restaurant and all your preconceived notions of what an Iranian restaurant should look like, might as well be left in the trash can on the street. Here is a sleek modern interior that gives you a feel of what a hip nightclub/restaurant would have been like in pre-revolutionary Tehran. There is definitely a retro 70’s vibe to the place. Dark hardwood floors highlight the low white leather chairs and banquettes that are used for seating. They are islands floating in space surrounding wonderful turquoise tilled top tables. The walls decorated with wonderful teal blue arabesques similar to what I have seen in the coffee shop at the Nile Hilton in Cairo.

The menu doesn’t disappoint either. Who would have thought that a normal kabob could taste so good with melt in your mouth organic meats and the freshest flavours that you have ever experienced. After taking your first bite of several menu items accompanied with the fresh basil and mint that are provided, you are in culinary heaven. Don’t let the inclusion of several items from dubious parts of an animal’s body put you off, as I believe they are an integral part of the cuisine and have been sometimes unavailable attesting to their popularity.

Again think Iranian restaurant and you would be forgiven that it is going to be a dry evening with nothing but juices or water to indulge in. Wrong again! Twenty-five different vodkas on offer! Not being a vodka drinker, I am sure that the vodka aficionado has probably thought that they have died and gone to heaven after reading the list. However, don’t despair if you don’t drink vodka, there is a small but comprehensive wine list that pairs perfectly with the menu.

So if someone asks you to Banu, GO! Raise your glass and eat your kabob and feel part of the jet set!

www.banu.ca

La Dolce Vita in a Glass

Ok, I am over all the hype that Martinis have garnered over the last couple of years with Martini Bars springing up in all the world capitals and then being bastardized so that the drink is no longer recognizable. I am a purist at heart and like my martinis pure. Lots of ice-cold gin, just a sniff of vermouth and a twist of lemon.

I am a gin and tonic man, so was rather intrigued when reading ‘The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone’ by Tennessee Williams that all were drinking Negronis which I had not heard of. So after a bit of research I find that the cocktail combines all my favourites in a tantalizing concoction that will take you right back to the ‘la dolce vita’ of Rome in the 50’s

According to the most popular story, the Negroni was invented in Florence in 1919, at Caffè Casoni, It was named for Count Camillo Negroni, the man who invented it by asking a bartender to add gin to the Americano, his favorite drink.

So here is the recipe
1 oz gin
1 oz Campari
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Shake until well chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a burnt orange. To make a burnt orange, cut about a 1 1/2 inch by 1 inch peel off a ripe navel orange. Be sure to get just the skin and as little of the pith as possible. Holding the orange peel between thumb and index fingers with skin facing out, hold a lit match over the glass and with the orange peel about an inch away from the flame squeeze the peel quickly and firmly between your fingers. When done correctly, a burst of flame will come from the oils being released from the peel leaving an aroma and adding a note of orange to the cocktail. Simply drop the twist in the drink.

So lets drink to summer with a negroni in hand and ‘la dolce vita’ on our minds!

Some Style we Cannot do Without!

Bronwen Pugh, top model of the late 1950’s, the daughter of a Knight of the Realm, the muse of Pierre Balmain here was a girl who just reeked savoir faire!

Once described as "that Welsh girl who slinks along the runway with a fur over her shoulder looking as though she's just killed it and is taking it home to her mate" she gave it all up in 1960 to become Lady Astor. Enough said!

Take Me to The Hilton

The Hilton please, of course Sir! When arriving at Cairo’s International Airport in the 60’s and 70’s, hop into a taxi and ask for the Hilton and there would be no question as to where you wanted to go. Of course there were other hotels in Cairo, just as famous but anyone who was anybody stayed at the Nile Hilton. Shepheards had burnt to the ground previously and the new Shepheards was struggling to regain its former glory. The Semiramis was looking old and tired around the edges and The Mena House was in a different class of its own.

What Cairo needed was an American style mega hotel and Conrad Hilton was just the person to deliver it. The new hotel was dominant in its location on the banks of the Nile, scale, whiteness and extraordinary in its modernity. The site was prime real estate in Cairo. The front of the building facing the Nile on the Corniche and the back of the building overlooking Freedom Square and the Egyptian Museum. The façade facing the Nile was a gleaming edifice of white, with an unbroken grid like pattern that was formed by the balconies of each room overlooking the Nile. The back of the hotel’s façade was similar to the front however this time we had the grid pattern interrupted by service stairs and elevator shafts. Surrounding the hotel was a wonderful multicoloured glass mosaic (now obscured by an ugly conference centre), representing the symbols of Ancient Egypt, in colours that would make Tutankhamen jealous. This was a building of stark modernity that contrasted heavily with the belle époque and Moorish style buildings that predominated Cairo. To cap it all off on the top of the building a sign proclaiming Hilton’s ownership, that has now become an icon.

Interior wise Ancient Egypt came to life with a modern glamorous twist. The lobby was dominated with a huge stone bas relief displaying an ancient hunting scene that was cast from an original in the Egyptian Museum. Small replicas adorned the walls of each guest room. A stylized lotus pattern was used on the fabrics that adorned the rooms and were represented in the main coffee shop painted on the walls in a fabulous teal colour. A friend of mine who stayed in the late 60’s can remember shag pile so deep you could lose a shoe in it.

This was an era of stark contrasts. Guests displayed themselves on the open balconies above a city in which the normal populous would remain behind closed doors. You could sit on one’s balcony after an excursion out to the pyramids and then marvel at where you had just been, while being attended to by an Arab waiter.

Sadly this is the end of an era. The Hilton has now closed and Ritz Carlton has taken over the management contract, and will completely refurbish the hotel. This could and probably will go horribly wrong. I just hope that Ritz Carlton will maintain the integrity of the original building and all it stands for.