This week has been a busy one.  Not only have I been stood up for 8+ hours every day for five days working a trade show, but I’ve also enjoyed the pleasure of yet more outstanding German engineering by taking a short trip to Cologne on the S-Bahn (Germany’s super-fast rail service) to visit Music Store, Europe’s largest musical instrument shop.  Five floors of instrument heaven ranging from the simplest recorder to the most complex drum synthesiser.  And a thousand guitars.  Need I say more…

Back to Monkey’s East.  This is a superb Asian restaurant with an easy cool style and staff that ooze that ‘we know we have a cool restaurant so be cool, OK…’.  On offer was crisp, fresh sashimi, sushi and various side dishes including a stupendous Thai Green Curry.  Now, bearing in mind this was a corporate hospitality evening, I was all set for some kind of ice cream based sweet to cater to the mass tastebud, so imagine my surprise when these little teardrops presented themselves…  The photo itself makes me smile.  Just look at how elegant they are.  Simple and beautiful.  The brûlée itself was presented with a light caramelisation, with a subtle hint of coconut adding some colour to a somewhat light custard, which lacked in any significant flavour other than the coconut.  A mediocre effort given the surroundings but the overall presentation helped lift this one up the rankings.  6/10.

Foot note:  Any trip to Düsseldorf is not complete without a visit to the Killepitsch Bar in the Altstädt, so I add this as encouragement…

OK, so I wholesale nfl jerseys have to admit that I like Düsseldorf.  A lot.  In fact, I like Germany a lot too.  As a country, it’s beautiful.  It’s people are cheap nfl jerseys lovely.  You can drive at ridiculous speeds on the Autobahn.  And most importantly, it has doors that close.  Properly.  None of this, ‘well we tried really hard to hang it well mate, but just couldn’t quite get it 100%’.  German doors, especially in hotels, close perfectly.  No noise, no Oyster gaps, just a perfect fit.  You may wonder why I am labouring this point, but being British means de we often accept workmanship which is not quite 100%.  Not so cheap mlb jerseys our German friends.  German doors close nicely, first time and without any fuss.  Anyone who’s Work? stayed in a German hotel, or owned a German car will know what I’m on about.

Anyway, I am not here Bistro, to highlight skilled craftsmanship of the woodworking variety, but of the culinary variety!  Now, strictly speaking the offering you can see above was not ‘on the menu’, so I have to Lacroix ask myself if it should make it on to the blog…?  Well, it was on the buffet counter, Program so ?n I guess it qualifies… and just look at it!!  Marshmallows in custard then caramelised?!!  Genius.  You should also note that the dish was 50cm wide, so this Zielona thing was a monster and deserved the photograph alone.  Just fantastic creativity by the hotel chef…!

Now for the admission.  I didn’t try it.  I should probably be shot and have the blog shut down for that admission.  In my defence, there was a chocolate fountain running and the idea of dipping various wholesale jerseys things in molten chocolate was simply a better idea that evening…  Sorry.  It won’t happen again…  0/10.