Weekly A to Z, Oct 15th.
The one with the King of Chenin Blanc.
I thoroughly enjoyed my flight back from Brussels and was delighted I didn’t overschedule myself over last weekend. We had an easy in town ‘hike’ with Poppy, a lot of meal prep, and delivery of some tangy wings and corn from Cluckind. #gifted
With some pitching, volunteering, and trying to avoid Mercury’s current retrograde, I mostly kept my head down this week. On Wednesday I was filming/recording a new project with MMI. I can’t wait to tell you more about it, as it’s something I’m incredibly proud of. I can tell you we were at iconic CLAP chatting to the King of Chenin Blanc, Ken Forrester. Special thanks to Amaeya Media and Dima Ayad Consulting for their support.
A generous amount of deliveries this week, including a collection of grass-fed beef products from long-time favorite, Silver Fern Farms, the latest of Kitch-In’s projects, Freshhly, some delicious Chef Nouel pastries, alcohol-free G&Ts from DrinkDry, a modern piece of art from the team at Curious Cucumber, and some a few products from the Soule Soups range (personally delivered from Alex and Spero). #gifted
On Thursday, I accepted a generous lunch invite to Zuma, which I’m always overdue in visiting. As any long-time Dubai resident knows, Zuma remains one of the most consistent restaurants in the city. Always vibey, and with a reasonable AED137 per person business lunch during the week, there’s a reason it remains popular. If you’d like to check out my visit, click here. #invited
Links, please.
Why do bartenders hate espresso martinis? Grub Street
Did you catch me on the Conte Show? Vuuzle TV
Loved reading about Rowan’s day! Caterer
V. interested in Sandy’s aprons. Sandy’s Kitchen
Low key obsessed with this podcast. Spotify
Would you eat vrimp? Eater
I’ll always love fine dining, but this guy has some arguments post COVID. Grub Street
How do you feel about vegan fish? Food52
A sad and beautiful fact. NPR
This is an adventure. Twitter
Loved this essay on drinking in America. LitHub
How to split a check. (This elder millennial downloaded the Splitwise app and now feels very clever.) Apartment Therapy
I watched this, so you have to. TikTok
A perfect little milk and sugar set. West Elm
How to break your digital addiction. The Atlantic
Pizza and wine pairings. Food & Wine
A fascinating deep dive on the Chinese takeout box. The Dieline
On not picking the restaurant. McSweeney’s
What is the correct PB to J ratio? The Takeout
The first English language guacamole recipe. Pocket
Another quiet weekend — next week I’m off to Parma (by way of Milan) to explore and learn all about Parmigiano Reggiano. We’ve got a book club meet-up at Marea, and I might sneak out for a special Moet event before flying. I’m also looking forward to a delivery from Ka’ak Al Manara and maybe a special surprise from local favorites The Kakao Guy.
If you enjoy this newsletter and want to support me, consider telling a friend, ordering from these restaurants, purchasing my books (or these novels), or buying me coffee.
C.
