Sometimes, we have late breakfast or brunch at Delante on Sundays. We love the place and their vegetarian breakfast options, too. This time, we took Berfu with us and she enjoyed her pancakes.
Galleries
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Exhibition at Art Gallery of NSW
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection at Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Diego on my mind (Self-portrait as Tehuana) 1943
Self-portrait with braid 1941
Frida Kahlo painted Self-portrait with braid shortly after she married Diego Rivera in 1940. She portrays herself covered only by a grapevine, a symbol associated with the Roman god Bacchus and often used by the artist to symbolise everlasting love. The Fantastic braid references a hairstyle worn by young women from the Chinantla region of Oaxaca. Kahlo’s exaggerated version is fashioned into the shape of a lemniscate, the symbol for infinity.
Self-portrait with monkeys 1943 oil on canvas
In 1943 Frida Kahlo was appointed professor at the National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking. For Kahlo, who had not received any formal art education, this was an exceptionally high honour. In Self-portrait with monkeys the viewer is caught in a stare that is at once proud and all too aware of the irony of her appointment. Her white blouse, a traditional outfit worn by Yalalag women of her mother’s native Oaxaca province, is fastened with tassle of a doctoral cap. This painting is also arguably the earliest manifestation of ‘Fridamania’, with the four adoring monkeys representing a group of students who so admired their teacher that they became known as ‘Los Fridos’.
The healer by Diego Rivera 1943
Birds of Sydney
Sydney Habour Bridge
Big Chefs, Istanbul
Here we are with dear friends Asuman and Artun at Big Chefs. We totally stuffed ourselves here but there was more food coming in.
St Stephen’s Church, Vienna
Belvedere, Vienna
Wrenkh, Vienna
We found Vienna quite surprising in many ways. It was our first time but we can safely say that we would definitely go back. Vienna is full of art, music and incredible food. For us, it is becoming our new Paris or New York.
Vienna is extra surprising, especially in food department. They are so switched on when it comes to vegetarian/vegan food. Every vegan or vegetarian restaurant has their own cookbook published traditionally and their bookstores are full of those local as well as international cookbooks.
Personally, I am a huge fan of German/Austrian cuisine. Mostly because I love how they do their potatoes. And the dumpling business is just divine. They call them dumplings but they’re very much like baked loaves like nut roast without the nuts but breadcrumbs instead. I believe they are their bread substitute. We had something similar in Prague too.
At Wrenkh, you should ask for a menu in English and they give you one with an “E” at one ear (the left ear, to be precise). And definitely ask for wine recommendation; you won’t be disappointed. We fell in love with Austrian wines. Try Grüner Veltliner. You’ll thank us later. Actually, you can get Grüner Veltliner in Australia. I know it because we found some a few weeks after we got back.
Food at Wrenkh
We ordered two distinctive Austrian dishes so that we could share. It’s a great way of trying different dishes.
Dish number one: Creamy lentils in white wine sauce with roasted bread dumplings (above) or laird lentils in “Veltliner” sauce with celery stalks and carrots, served with herbed bread dumplings. Same thing.
Dish number two: Wrenkh’s Erdäpfelschmarrn (shredded potatoes)
Grated crispy grilled potatoes with marjoram, oregano and thyme, served with roasted seasonal vegetables and herbed goat cream cheese-dip.
Sides (above): Lightly cooked seasonal vegetables and cream cheese dip.
Wrench in Vienna is such an institution; they even have a cooking school (right next door to the restaurant). We noticed that the students were presenting their dishes to a group of judges outside. It is always nice to see young people showing interest in cooking.
When we eat out, we have the tendency to talk to our fellow diners. We did that in Paris on many occasions. This time we found ourselves talking to a really nice couple from Frankfurt.
Mozart Concert at Golden Hall, Vienna
Golden Hall (building on the outside)
Inside the famous Golden Hall.
I am such a sucker for caryatids… and for chandeliers, too 🙂
At some stage during the concert, Turkish March took on a different spin. I believe even Mozart himself didn’t see that coming 🙂
Tian Vegetarian Restaurant, Vienna
Tian Vegetarian Restaurant in Vienna was one of the most unforgettable culinary experiences we have ever. Being a Michelin star restaurant, this is exactly what you’d expect.
In French, Tian is the name of a vegetarian stew and in Chinese, it means heaven. So, it would be safe to call Tian “a vegetarian heaven” because it truly is a vegetarian heaven; a classy one.
