Reviews

Reviews of food and travel.

Book Reviews

  • The Life and Cuisine of ElvisThe Life And Cuisine of Elvis Presley book review
    The Life And Cuisine of Elvis Presley
    Author David Adler Publisher Three Rivers Press ISBN-10: 0517880245 ISBN-13: 978-0517880241 The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley is a book about the food that made The King. It doesn’t try to hound (dog) you into trying all of the recipes (wise men say only fools rush in, but we can’t help falling for much of the cuisine on offer) but this is, nevertheless, a compelling read that links the life of Elvis Presley with the food that he consumed.  The book starts earlier than you might expect, opening by discussing the dishes that his mother Gladys would have eaten,…
  • Damn Fine Cherry Pie – Recipes Inspired by Twin Peaks
    Author Lindsey Bowden Publisher Mitchell Beazley ISBN-10: 1784721905 ISBN-13: 978-1784721909 Kamera Book about David Lynch As with all recipe books be sure to follow the directions otherwise you may find that your bowls are not what they seem. “Food is interesting. For instance, why do we need to eat?” questions the aphorism guru The Log Lady before providing an in-depth consideration of edible ethics. So here, for you to digest, are a plethora of dishes inspired by David Lynch’s Twin Peaks (Population 51,201, although that varies). Food is an integral part of many films but is particularly important in television…
  • flavour thesaurus book review
    The Flavour Thesaurus Review
    The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit encourages you to experiment with flavours in cooking. Here’s The Flavour Thesaurus book review.

Film Reviews

  • The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House
    Director: Koreeda Hirokazu(是枝 裕和) From the manga by Aiko Koyama Starring: Nana Mori,Natsuki Deguchi,Aju Makita Cuisine: Japanese IMDB Link Netflix Link  Country (of film origin): Japan TV Rating: 9/10 Foodie Rating: 9/10 Review: Cuisine and culture combine in an emotional and educational entertainment about Kyoto life, friends, futures and food. There’s a line in anarchic 80s British TV show The Young Ones when punk student Vivyan, talking about a TV show, yells, “It’s so bloody nice!” Whereas his character despised feelgood TV, you just can’t help falling for the voie de vivre while watching The…
  • Bao 2018 - Pixar food film
    Film Review: Bao (2018)
    A review of Domee Shi’s charming Bao, a food fantasy film that is imaginative, emotional and a sheer delight.
  • Jadoo-Kings of Curry
    Film Review: Jadoo (Kings of Curry 2013)
    Director /screenplay :          Amit Gupta Foodie Expert Madhur Jaffrey Country: UK Film Rating: 6/10 Foodie Rating: 8/10 Without the risk of trying to curry favour this is a delightfully enjoyable foodie rom-com. Set in the UK city of Leicester cross-cultural expectations collide with family conflicts and culinary rivalries at the height of the festival of Holi, so colourful confrontations ensue in more ways than one. Mark (Tom Mison) and Shalini (Amara Karan) want to get married but Shalini is worried about getting approval from her father, especially as they come from different cultural backgrounds. Shalini…
  • The Ramen Girl
    Film Review: Ramen Girl (2008)
    The Ramen Girl is a mixed concoction of East meets West which is a sweet and fun film.
  • Nina's Heavenly Delights review
    Film Review: Nina’s Heavenly Delights (2006)
    Writer/Director:  Pratibha Parmar Country: UK Cuisine: Indian set in Scotland Film Rating 8/10 Foodie Rating 8/10 “Taste is in your heart. Always follow your heart.” Culinary pleasure mixes with romantic pleasure in Nina’s Heavenly Delights, the title of which prefectly reflects its tone and theme. Nina Shah (Shelley Conn) is coming home to Glasgow after three years having departed in circumstances that left her estranged from her family. But her beloved, enthusiastic and talented father has recently passed away and she has returned to attend his funeral. He was the head chef and owner of…
  • Film Review: Chocolat (2000)
    Director : Lasse Hallström Writers: Joanne Harris (novel) Country: UK/US (Film is set in France) Food Consultant: Walter Bienz  (chocolate expert) Film Rating: 8/10 Foodie Rating: 8/10 Cocoa-based joy lies at the heart of Lasse Hallström’s romantic drama set in 1950’s France. First a word of warning. Note the lack of ‘e’ in the title. If you get Prachya Pinkaew’s 2008 film Chocolate you may well be in for a shock if you were expecting some sort of Milkybar huggy romance film. Instead you would see a remarkable, exciting and somewhat violent Thai martial-arts film…
  • Film Review: What’s Cooking? (2000)
    Writer/Director:        Gurinder Chadha Country: US/UK Cuisine: Multiple Film Rating: 7/10 Foodie Rating: 8/10 Gurinder Chadha is fond of depicting meals in her films, to the extent that many of them feature food in the titles. From her early feature Bhaji on the Beach (1993) and as a writer with The Mistress of Spices (2005), food is an inherent part of the lives of the protagonists and their communities: from Bend It Like Beckham (2002), whose tagline even emphasises the food – “Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi when you can bend a ball like Beckham?”…
  • Babette’s Feast Review
    Babette’s Feast , a film from 1986 demonstrates that a soupçon of decadence and indulgence even a little gluttony, does you good
  • Film Review: The God of Cookery (食神 1996)
    God of Cookery Director:  Stephen Chow Sing Chi (周星馳) Country:  Hong Kong Cuisine: Chinese / Cantonese Film Rating 6/10Foodie Rating 5/10 The world of food is tough in more ways than one. The bourgeois rich insist on the distinctive, the unique and the best and are willing to pay for it, whilst the poor survive on what they can get. Then there is celebrity and publicity with competitions which ensure that skilled chefs become either rich or rejected largely because of trends and interpretations of the quality of the food, style, taste or even the…
  • Film Review: Eat Drink Man Woman
    Writer/Director:Ang Lee Country: Taiwan Cuisine: Chinese Film Rating 9/10 Foodie Rating 10/10 The only problem with this foodophile classic is its title: it should be Eat Drink Man Women as the relationships centre on protagonist Chu (Sihung Lung), his three daughters as well as his friend, her mother and her daughter. Chu is a former chef and the story revolves around the women who define his life following his retirement and widowhood examining their relations with him and each other, all within the context of a great deal of amazing food. His daughters have complicated…

Art Music and Culture

  • VTW Go Finland and Meet Leningrad Cowboys
    They’ve been to America (Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)) and they’ve met Moses (Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)) so VTW Go Finland is perhaps an appropriate foodie film excursion. Those curious about the Leningrad Cowboys band and their work with legendary low-key Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki should check out the review here before purchasing their cinematic output, including videos, for your education and pleasure. While the band, instantly identifiable by their outrageously long and pointy quiff hairstyles and black winkle-picker shoes, have played gigs all over the world, one of their enterprises in Helsinki involves food…

Ramen Reviews