The day I liked goat cheese for the first time in my life

I like restaurants. I want to use this blog to remember what were my feelings about the restaurants I have discovered. It can be a good guide for some of you as well. So now, if I can, each time I will try a new restaurant, I will write a review about it.

Today, the Real Greek in Covent Garden.

Decoration/Ambiance:

The dining room is very nice. It is an old bar transformed in restaurant. In the day light, a lot of windows make the sunshine going in. The table are high so you sit on bar chairs. The lamps are very cool. The music is chilling out and not too loud. It's perfect.

Food:

The Real Greek offers a Greek food experience, mainly based on mezze or wraps. Selections of 6-8 mezzes to share are a great deal. The quality is OK. Some dishes were great (halloumi, beans, aubergine dip), some were a bit disappointing, too simple (raw vegetables, Greek salad).

Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese made of a mix of goat and sheep milk. It is grilled and served on a skewer with peppers. It tastes very good and not like goat cheese at all. It has a similar texture as gnocchi. Even if, like me, you do not like goat cheese, you have to try it. I was really scared but I did not regret. We also had grilled sardines in our course. Very tasty, but really not convenient to eat in a restaurant. Overall, the food was good, in normal proportion.

Service/Price:

We were served by a lovely waitress! We were lucky as I looked at another one who was much less friendly. Anyway, for us, the service was perfect. The price is good value. We added to our main, a big bottle of sparkling water for two (only £3.50) and the total was less than £30, so £15 each. The restaurant does not charge automatically for the service. It is very good because it is really unusual nowadays. Though we gave £2-3 tip as we were very statisfied.

I really advise the Real Greek depsite it is a small chain and I usually do not like chains. But they are very good to discover and enjoy Greek food.

Salt Beef at Selfridges!

After the posh drunk ladies at the Royal Ascot, let's talk about another British meat tradition: salt beef!

Ok, I admit, this was not from the finest humor. Anyway, I really advise you to try this dish in the simplest but its best garnish: English mustard and bread as a sandwich. It is served like this at the very reputable Selfridges & Co where it is supposed to be the best in London. I tried it and I tell you: yes it is very good. I do not know if it is the best as I only tried two salt beef sandwiches in London. It was, at least, the best of both.

The beef is cooked in salt for few days. It makes it so tender and very tasty. It is rinced several time so you do not feel a very strong taste of salt. Salt and beed, not really the most recommended mix for your heart and blood pressure, but come on, sometimes, give yourself a treat!

Think about bringing enough money as a half sandwich alone is £5.25... A extra gherkin will be 60p, and a drink, minimum £1.25.

Selfridges, you know...

The day I saw the Queen of England

Horse racing is not more popular in the UK than in France in everyday life but there is a special race that more people follow as a big tradition: the Royal Ascot. The event goes on for a full week every year and is covered all day by the BBC as are major sport events like the World Cup, the Olympics or Wimbledon.

The Royal Ascot is followed by the Queen who comes everyday to watch the races as it is one of her passion. It has been a tradition that a lot of rich people come to show off. It is now all about dressing well: morning dress and top hat for the men and party dress and fabulous hats for ladies. The Thursday is know as Ladies day: photographers and journalists shoot the most attractive pieces of fashion for the readers in the tube on Friday.

I went to the Royal Ascot on Saturday with friends. It was the experimentation of a very British tradition for me. We all dress well: suits for men and dresses and hats for women. Because even in the lower stand, people show off. But, they might look posh and understated, they mainly come to enjoy an afternoon with friends while having a picnic and drinking. Drinking a lot actually... So, all that good looking people end completely pissed at the end of the day: the picture is quite hilarious. I guess this is part of the tradition as well...

It was also my first horse race experience. I have been well impressed by the size, the power and the speed of the animals. Just amazing. And to add some spices to the races, betting were open. I bet for the six races and won three times! Just enough to not lose any money in the end. I was well inspirated and advised by the Guardian.

And, as I say on the title of this article, the high point of the day was seeing the Queen for the first time of my life! As she comes everyday to the races, she is driven in a coach on the pitch where the horses race after. There is no roof so she can greet her people and we can see her. I am not British but I felt particularly touched to see her. She is THE Queen!

Hamilton wins the Canadian GP

The Formula 1 Circus went back to Canada last week but the starting World Cup hid a very interesting GP. The Montreal circuit always provides a spectacular race and the 2010 one was very entertaining indeed.

The war was about the tyre choice. This time, emblematic teams Ferrari and McLaren did the right choices whereas RedBull went completely wrong. Thus its drivers did not shine finishing only 4th and 5th with Vettel ahead of Webber. Alonso (*) did a great job to put Ferrari back in the fight after a disastrous performance two weeks before. But he was overtaken in the race by both McLaren drivers who were just flying in Montreal!

Button (*) eventually finished second after improving all the weekend and the race. He was starting from too far to be able to contest his team-mate the win. But this result is excellent for the reigning champion as he stays in a good position to conserve his title.

The man of the race is definitely Hamilton (***). He was impressive all the weekend with a stunning pole position. I did not see such a great qualifying since a very long time ago! A very big attack everytime, everywhere. His race was brilliant even if strategy was very difficult to predict. But he always gave the maximum and had a very virile fight with Alonso and won it. Hamilton is now leading the championship and, more than ever, my stars ranking. Here is the new top 5:

HAMILTON 14

KUBICA 10

ALONSO 10

VETTEL 9

WEBBER 9

BUTTON 9

Just-in-time Turkish GP Review

This is THE picture everybody will remember about this GP. Perhaps about the whole season, as this crash is so important for the rest of the year. First because both RedBull drivers did not take all the points they could expect with a 1-2 finish. And of course, how will this crash change the relations between Webber and Vettel who might hate each other today, both blaming the other for the responsibility of the accident.

HAMILTON: Eventually, Hamilton ended winner of the race. A very much deserved result for the 2008 World Champion considering his season and his misfortune so far. This time, the misfortune of others served him. He drove amazingly anyway in a very tight and nervous race. ***

BUTTON: As his team-mate, Button gets here a very happy result. He even attacked Lewis for the lead in a superb battle he eventually lost. But this attack was not really fair, resulting from a misunderstanding of team orders. But the McLaren boys did not crash. Them. **

WEBBER: His third pole position in a row was an impressive signal he sent to his team and to Vettel. Webber is back to business! It is probably one of the explanation of the crash as Vettel was frustrated to be outpaced again by Webber who he used to crush easily last year and at the begining of the season. He finally had an opportunity to pass but Webber did not want to lose the psychological advantage and did not move. Vettel thought he would and though turned on him... Crash! Both drivers are responsible and I am well disapointed. Webber keeps the advantage here thanks to his pole. I give him a star for his whole weekend. *

Behind them, nothing really good to say: the Mercedes did their normal job, Schumacher ahead of Rosberg for the second time and by only one second. Nothing impressive yet. The Renault get closer and closer to the top 4. The main problem is for Ferrari. They loose pace, race after race as their development is not enough at all. Alonso is really not in a great shape! He was nowhere in Turkey! Well, he was in Turkey but very slow in qualifying and too quiet in race. I do not give any point to Vettel as he does not deserve any. He missed his qualifying. And he took a big responsibility in the crash with Webber. He clearly is under pressure because nothing go perfectly well this season despite a great car and a lot of efforts. But I trust him to come back in trust and overtake his team-mate to fight for the title. However McLaren achieved a very good step forward in pace and I hope he will not regret lost points.

As Hamilton becomes a new leader, the ranking is now:

HAMILTON 11

KUBICA 10

VETTEL 9

ALONSO 9

WEBBER 8

BUTTON 8

ROSBERG 4

MASSA 4

ALGUERSUARI 3

SUTIL 2

PETROV 2

BARRICHELLO 2

LIUZZI 1

HULKENBERG 1

Traffic jam in Monaco as an excuse to my late GP review

Traffic jam indeed in one of the most terrific race of the season. Watching these high-speed cars yelling in the streets and brushing the walls is always a nice show. Despite the action on track, mostly a bit boring considering how difficult it is to overtake here.

WEBBER: For the second time in a row, the Aussie Grit (his Twitter nickname) did the perfect job as he took pole and drove to win. This time, I reckon he was not very pushed by team-mate Vettel as the latter was more trying to finish instead of pushing. Anyway, nothing to say, brilliant result. ***

VETTEL: Considering his race last year when he pushed too much and eventually ended up crashing in the barrier, I am very happy to see Vettel finishing with big points, despite outpaced by Webber. Nothing great though as he just used the speed avantage of his car to beat the others. He moved perfectly on Kubica at the start to secure this result.

KUBICA: Wow! The Renault is a really good car. Kubica can make some great result in some occasion. His drive in qualifying and in race was amazing, despite he has been surprised by Vettel at the first corner. **

MASSA: After several difficult results, Felipe Massa got back in performance. This 4th place is a very good result for self-confidence. *

HAMILTON: Nothing to say, he was just at his place, doing what he could considering his car.

ALONSO: I would like to understand how can a driver race the whole race with the same tyres without having any problems. Alonso and Ferrari did a great job in driving and strategy, but what a shame that the tyres do not wear more. It would make a much interesting season. Still a great job from the Spanish champion. **

BUTTON (DNF): His engine failure is just a shame and a very important stake for the season. I hope he will not regret it.

No more stars given for this GP. Here is the new ranking. There is change on top as Kubica takes the lead and the gaps reduce between top drivers.

KUBICA 10

VETTEL 9

ALONSO 9

HAMILTON 8

WEBBER 7

BUTTON 6

ROSBERG 4

MASSA 4

ALGUERSUARI 3

SUTIL 2

PETROV 2

BARRICHELLO 2

LIUZZI 1

HULKENBERG 1

What about how late is this Spanish Grand Prix review?

The first GP of the "European" season gave some new clues about who could be Button's successor. Here is what I have to say about some drivers. And my stars!

WEBBER: I must admit that, after a horrible start of the season, Webber was just perfect in Spain. In qualifying and in race. ***

ALONSO: Second place is a fantastic result for Alonso, in front of his public. His car was a bit lower in performance behing the RedBull and McLaren but much enough quicker to stay in front of the slow Mercedes of Schumacher. The problems of both Vettel and Hamilton gave him a unhopped podium. *

VETTEL: He was really not in a great shape in Spain. Outpaced by his team-mate, he has been overtaken by Hamilton in the pits because of his team's mistake. Vettel definitely seems to get all the problems at RedBull as he had a brakes failure then. Very brave, he decided to finish. Third is still a good and important result.

SCHUMACHER: This result sounds good for him as he is back at a good position for the first time of the season. But he was actually very slow, finishing more than a minute behind the winner. Anyway, he drove at the maximum he could and did better than his team-mate Rosberg, completely lost in Spain. Nothing amazing though. But he resisted perfectly to the very fast McLaren of Button. *

BUTTON: Blocked behing Schumacher, he never found an opportunity to pass. He tried hard but despite being slow, Schumacher still knows how to keep a position. His final place is a good result for the championship.

MASSA: The difficulties continue as he is really far from Alonso.

BARRICHELLO (9): A very strong race to score good points after a terrible qualifying session. *

HAMILTON (DNF): It is such a shame! He had done the best work possible to be in second position before one of his tyre exploded. This is a very disappointed point loss for the championship. Especially two laps before the end of the race. I hope it will not be decisive for the title. **

The stars ranking:

VETTEL 9

KUBICA 8

HAMILTON 8

ALONSO 7

BUTTON 6

ROSBERG 4

WEBBER 4

MASSA 3

ALGUERSUARI 3

SUTIL 2

PETROV 2

BARRICHELLO 2

LIUZZI 1

HULKENBERG 1