Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

YummY! - Octopus Adventures!

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               Jotaro's Food Review              
OCTOPUS ADVENTURES!
Ever since tasting my first grilled octopus during a 2019 cycling tour in Portugal & Spain, I have been sort of an addict of the dish - ever on the lookout for it whenever I am out dining!
I liked the burnt smokiness of it, and if cooked well, the nice chewiness when biting into the meat.
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PORTUGUESE GRILLED OCTOPUS (POLVO GRELHADO)
@ RESTAURANTE BACALHAU LISBON (2019)
My first taste of grilled octopus was during that  2019 cycling tour in Portugal & Spain, on Day 9 in Lisbon, come lunchtime and we had thought of eating at Time Out. But our buddies Mel & Kev had tried the place a day earlier and found the place touristy, the food just mediocre yet pricey. So we walked to the nearby streets to hunt for a more "local" place and found one called Restaurante Bacalhau. It's a place manned by Indian immigrant waiters, and whenever we recall that Indian place in Lisbon, we know that we are referring to Bacalhau. But the chef and kitchen staff were Portuguese and they whipped out a fantastic lunch for us, one that's very ala Portuguese.
We went Grilled Octopus (Polvo Grelhado) here, and as have never tried grilled octopus before. It was a very good introduction to this dish; its slightly burnt outside brought out the aroma of the sea, yet its internal was succulently tender, and we savoured it slowly, bite by bite. From then on I was hooked on grilled octopus. (Click for the Blog Link of our meal at Bacalhau)
Octopus & squids are not easy to cook, often most of us get it wrong and the meat turns out rubbery and difficult to bite into. But surprisingly, cooking them longer in a slow, i.e. confit cooking in oil or water. The most basic way of cooking octopus is to simmer it in liquid. Fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the octopus, reduce the heat immediately and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes. It's important that the water is turned down to a gentle simmer once the octopus is in the pan. Cooking it too quickly will result in a rubbery texture.

Here's the Facebook posting on our Bacalhau meal in Lisbon, click on the photo to go to the post.
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GRILLED GALICIAN OCTOPUS
@ CAFE-BISTROT DAVID KUALA LUMPUR (2020)
After that 2019 cycling tour in Portugal & Spain, back home I was on the lookout for grilled octopus, but it's not so easily available in our home country of Malaysia.
So it was with much excitement & anticipation that we found out that Cafe-Bistrot David in Kuala Lumpur had opened up a Bar X Grille on the first floor of their restaurant! And with this addition, they had also revamped their menu!
And guess what? Included there is something my eyes zoomed into immediately - Grilled Spanish Galician Octopus! Though not from Portugal it's from Galicia, that part of Spain just north of Portugal where the cooking style would have some similarity and the octopus will be of the Atlantic Octopus variety!
This pièces de résistance, the Grilled Galician Octopus (Pulpo a la parrilla), was served with one large octopus tentacle curled up like a finger calling out a welcome! It was beautifully grilled; nicely browned on the outside and was served on a Yuzu Vinaigrette dressing with a Celery & Leek Salad. It exuded a good burnt aroma. David's have done it very nicely, it was easy to bite into and the grilled exterior complemented the fleshy inside very well. And marinating with a Ras el hanout, spice mix have made it all the better -  we slowly savoured it bite by bite. Hah! Even looking at this photo again has made me drool!
Click for the 2020 Blog Link.

Here's the Facebook posting on our Cafe-Bistrot David meal in Kuala Lumpur, click on the photo to go to the post.
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GRILLED SQUID @ LE JACKPOT, LE MARAIS, PARIS (Oct. 2023)
During a 2023 family tour of Western Europe, we dropped into Le Jackpot at Le Marias locality in Paris for dinner. They serve small plates/tapas style and we were surprised to find grilled squid on their menu. But I think it was a misnomer, as the squid turned out to be an octopus. It was a good find as their grilled octopus turned out to be one of the best we had. Needless to say, we ordered a second helping.

Front view of Le Jackpot.


Here's the Facebook posting on our Le Jackpot dinner at Le Marias, Paris, click on the photo to go to the post.
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GRILLED OCTOPUS @ LA BANQUET, LE MARAIS, PARIS (Oct. 2023)
We discovered this place by "accident', we were exploring the Le Marias area of Paris when my son had to do some toilet duty. Dropped into La Banquet for his purpose, it wasn't so nice to use their restroom without any orders, so we ordered this swirling grilled octopus served in pumpkin sauce.

The slightly sweet sauce went very well with the smokiness of the octopus, its bright saffron yellow colour highlighting the smokiness of the grilled octopus.

It was a badly needed trip to the restroom for Nicks, but it was another octopus good find for us. Haha!
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FRENCH LUNCH AT MARCHE DES ENFANTS ROUGES, PARIS (Oct. 2023)
[includes Snails (escargot) (okay), Mussels in gorgonzola sauce (very good), Grilled octopus (okay only),
Dry aged sirloin in beetroot sauce (not to be missed), Rack of lamb (very good) & Good white wine]
We were on a 2023 family of London, Paris & Amsterdam. We met up with my son's friend, who's a teaching chef and thus very familiar with the nooks & crannies of Paris. He brought us to one of the stalls at the Marche des Enfants Rouges where we had a swell meal. The grilled octopus was ok-ok only, but their Mussels in Gorgonzola Sauce and Rack of Lamb were both very good. AND NOT TO BE MISSED is the Dry Aged Sirloin in Beetroot Sauce!

Nevertheless, we did enjoy the grilled octopus.


Looks mouth-watering, yah?
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SMOKED OCTOPUS AT BREF BY DARREN CHIN, TTDI, KUALA LUMPUR (Nov. 2023)
Back in Kuala Lumpur, it's a-hunting time again for grilled octopus. Popped into Bref by Darren Chin (David's son) to celebrate the missus birthday. Had a nicely done Wagyu Beef and a unique Pasta with flying fish roe (tobiko) sauce.
The flying fish reminded me of my cycling adventures at the Batanes in the Philippines, where I had pickled dibang (that's Filipino for flying fish). Must say that the dibang there was an acquired taste, as the locals chuckled on seeing me trying to handle the sour-tasting/fishy-smelling "Maytahes Dibang" unsuccessfully.


Sorry, I detracted. Here's the grilled octopus. Not the best of photos under dimmed lighting BUT it was the best I had so far! The adequate comfiting had it nicely tender and the smoked grilling added to an overall treat!
Will definitely go back for this again and again!
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DINNER AT SOON LAI SEAFOOD (顺来海鲜), BATU GREEN, GREEN LANE, PENANG (Nov. 2023)
From grilled octopus we proceed to boiled octopus; more specifically blanched baby octopus tentacles. Up in Penang, this delicacy is called Too Boh Sui, which we had during a dinner at Soon Lai Seafood.

The tentacles when blanched in hot water correctly, have a crunchy bite. By itself it's tasteless but the garlic-chilli sauce (with pound groundnuts) that goes with its crunchiness that makes this a delicacy!
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TEOCHEW FARE AT RESTORAN TEOW CHEW MENG, SS2, PETALING JAYA (Nov. 2023)
Down in Petaling Jaya, one can have Too Boh Sui at Restoran Teow Chew Meng. This restaurant is renowned for good Teochew dishes on their menu. My favorite is the such as their seafood min sin.

Looks simple but good! 
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JAPANESE FARE AT GYUKINGU, KOTA DAMANSARA, PETALING JAYA (Feb. 2019)
From Octopus we continue on to grilled squids (aka cuttlefish, calamari); this is a large one we had at Gyukingu in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Above photo shows the fresh large squids just started being grilled.

As the squids were slowly cooked, their burnt aroma tickled our appetite, making us eager to bite in! Gyukingu is a Japanese grille house, and we were there to savour the Wagyu Beef that was on promotion then. Of course, we had other delicacies including these squids. Read more about our feast there.
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SQUID TREATS AT THE IBERIAN PENINSULAR (Nov. 2019)
Towards the end of 2019, we went on a cycling tours at the Iberian Peninsular, it turned out to be one of our best tours. Needless to say, it was also a foodie tour and other than the grilled octopus we had at Lisbon, we also had some yummy grilled squid.

Any squid aficionado will know that the best part of a squid is its roe, especially when it's still soft and a bit runny.

We had this yummilicious squid at O Alminhas in Faro, Portugal (6th Nov 2019).

This whitish squid, clean of its spotty skin looks almost immaculate. It had been lightly pan-fried and olive oil added as a dressing.

We had this at the Mercat de la Concepció, Barcelona, Spain just before meeting some local Brompton cyclists who took us on a whirlwind cycling tour of their city (15th Nov 2019, 
Click here for Blog Link.

Back in Malaysia, at Peko-Peko, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, we had this huge squid, even after grilling it was about a foot long (9th Oct 2023).

It was pan-fried teppan-style with most of the oil drained off.

Well that's it, that's my Octopus and Squid adventures for the moment. Will update once I savour other similar delicacies in future.

LOCATION PLAN OF GOOD OCTOPUS/SQUID EATERIES
Click here for the link to the Octopus/Squid Google Location Map
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Sunday, June 6, 2021

Sites : Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Lourdes, France

 You are at - Jotaro's Blog / Footsteps / Cycling Europe 2019- Sites / Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Lourdes, France

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SANCTUARY OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Lourdes, France - November 2019
While on of  a cycling tour of Portugal & Spain, I managed to fulfill on of life's wishes, that is to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Our family has had an affinity with Lourdes - through the past decades relatives coming back from this holy place had managed bring back the Lourdes Holy Water and sparsely distribute it to our large extended family. During the last few days of the cycling tour, I had managed to  pop over to Southern France, from where one of my relatives took me on a long drive over to the pilgrimage town.

We visited Lourdes in mid-November 2019, late autumn and although we were in Southern France, the weather was getting cold. But their was a plus point, it was off-peak and when we arrived at close to 2 pm the town was very quiet with not many visitors around.
Parking our car near the cathedral, we took a walk around the old town. The houses along the Ousse River, looked serene and the bustling water of the turquoise water added to this atmosphere. At the sides of a few houses, huge banners hung down advertising "Bernadette de Lourdes", i.e. a musical about Bernadette of Lourdes.  We won't be able to attend the show, but nevertheless we will get to know more about the story of this lady, a legend which I have heard of since young days.
Bernadette Soubirous (7 January 1844–16 April 1879), also known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, is best known for experiencing Marian apparitions of a "young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at the nearby cave-grotto at Massabielle. These apparitions are said to have occurred between 11 February and 16 July 1858, and the woman who appeared to her identified herself as the "Immaculate Conception". The Marian apparition became known as Our Lady of Lourdes. Since her death, Soubirous's body has remained internally incorrupt. On 8 December 1933, Pope Pius XI, canonized Soubirous a saint of the Catholic Church. The Marian shrine at Lourdes went on to become a major pilgrimage site, attracting over five million pilgrims of all denominations each year.

Click on map for enlarged view.
The place has since grown to be the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is commonly known as the Domain - the area of ground surrounding this Catholic shrine (known simply as the Grotto) to Our Lady of Lourdes (as can be seen in the above map). The Sanctuary is a destination for pilgrimage; sick pilgrims are reputed to be miraculously healed by the Lourdes water. This ground is owned and administered by the Roman Catholic Church, and has several functions, including devotional activities, offices, and accommodation for sick pilgrims and their helpers. The Domain includes the Grotto itself, the nearby taps which dispense the Lourdes water, and the offices of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, as well as several churches and basilicas. It comprises an area of 51 hectares, and includes 22 separate places of worship.

An interactive Google Street map here to "explore: the Domain.

We walked in through the Porte Saint-Michel onto the large compound call the L'Esplanade. This is at the lower lever of the sanctuary, ahead can be seen the entrance to the Basilique Notre-Dame du Rosaire-Mosaïque (Basilica of the Rosary).
(Click here for a street view from the Esplanade)

Seen here is the entrance to the Basilica of the Rosary, which was built in the Romano-Byzantine style and was designed to be the pedestal of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, which stands above the Grotto. 

This is a monument of great interest because of the Venetian mosaic decorations covering a surface area of 2000m2. It is decorated with 39 paintings depicting various saints and blessed people, and also by 52 gemmaux.

To the left, a shrine dedicated to St. Joseph, shows the elaborate and colorful style of the Venetian mosaic.

Just inside this basilica, a dim aisle leads to the bright altar at the other end.

Just at the entrance, to one side is a small shrine dedicated to our Our Lady of Lourdes, with a easily recognisable blue sash.

The elaborate dome right at the top of the ceiling over the nave, measuring 2,000m2. Its centerpiece is a huge Greek cross.

The naming of this lower church - Basilica of the Rosary - becomes apparent to me; at both sides of the nave are alcoves with secondary altars adorned with nice murals .....

... th nice murals at each of the alcove altar signifies each of the Mysteries of the Rosary.
The Mysteries of the Rosary are meditations on episodes in the life and death of Jesus from the Annunciation to the Ascension and beyond. These are traditionally grouped by fives into themed sets known as the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries.

The altar.

A closer view of the altar.

The ceiling above the altar.

Interactive inside view of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

We exited and went on the pathway at the right. This led us to the Grotto where we attended a mass that was being held.
The masses at the Grotto are recorded and posted on YouTube, here's a YouTube link on our attendance for that day - we (in red & blue at the right) can be seen at Minute 21:00 and at Minute 35:17, bowing to the priest.

In the Grotto one can view the holy spring which is now covered by a piece of glass. No worries about collecting the Lourdes water; the water is piped to storage tanks and from there it fed to taps further down. On can easily collect the holy water from these taps, to remember to buy containers from shops in town first.
Officially it is known as the Massabielle Grotto, .

Some of the containers are statues in the form of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Within the church were sections were people can either sprinkle themselves with the Lourdes water or immerse themselves fully in the holy water. Many of the faithful have claimed to have been cured by drinking or bathing in it, and the Lourdes authorities provide it free of charge to any who ask for it.

Back tracking out to the L'Esplanade, viewing outwards one will see the town and also the Statue of the Crowned Virgin of Lourdes (Statue de la Vierge couronnée de Lourdes).

Back at the Esplanade, we take the stairs leading up to a mid-level. There are two of these stairs, one on each side of the entrance to the Basilica of the Rosary. At this mid-level is the dome (the one over the nave of the Basilica of the Rosary). At the top of this dome is a large gold crown with a cross topping it.
At this level is also the Porto de la Crypte, which connects to the Chemin de Croix (Way of the Cross) which was completed in 1912 and located on the Hill of Espélugues. This way of the cross is 1500 metres long and has no fewer than 115 figures made of cast iron and painted gold. Each station has been donated, whether by a benefactor, group or diocese

An upward look from the mid-level, showing the top of a pair of stairs (one on each side) leading up to the Basilique Supérieure, upper basilica. This is the level where the most important basilica is - Basilique de l'Immaculée-Conception de Lourdes (the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception).

Take a pause here, to look at the large golden crown with the old town in the background.

A closer view of the golden crown's elaborate details. The original gold paint of this crown included the gold from the wedding rings of Irish married women.

Going up the stairs to the top level, one will notice at the top of each stair are these stand alone bell towers, which also looks like "turrets of a castle" - are they there to guard the place?

At the upper level is a small compound, cars can access this compound via two ramps leading up from the L'Esplanade. From here two set of stairs lead up to the entrance of main church itself - the Basilique de l'Immaculée-Conception de Lourdes (Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception).
Above the entrance is a mosaic depicting Pope Pius IX, who defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

On entering, to the right is a shrine dedicated to Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. One can light candles there and say a prayer.

Vies of the aisle leading to the altar.

The stained glass windows in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception retrace the history of the Virgin Mary until the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pope Pius IX in 1854 and the Apparitions of Lourdes in 1858.

An interactive inside view of the Basilique Supérieure, viewed from the altar.

Coming back out, from the staircase, a view of the old town.

But before leaving, a surprise. At the bottom of the stairs, a doorway in between the two staircases lead into the Shrine of Ste. Jeanne de Arc (Joan of Arc).
Nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" (French: La Pucelle d'Orléans) or "Maid of Lorraine" (French: La Pucelle de Lorraine), she is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years' War, and was canonized as a saint. On 23 May 1430, she was captured at Compiègne by the Burgundian faction, a group of French nobles allied with the English. She was later handed over to the English and put on trial by the pro-English bishop, Pierre Cauchon, on a variety of charges. After Cauchon declared her guilty, she was burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, dying at about nineteen years of age.

Exiting the shrine, we walk down there driveway ramps. It's a pleasant walk as along the route down were gardens and in them were several statues dedicated to saints like St. Roch, seen here with a dog as he's the patron saint of dogs, invalids, of falsely accused people, bachelors, etc.

At St. Joseph's Gate is this sculpture entitled Salus Infirmorum; 
The full inscription is "Salus infirmorum ora pro nobis", it's Latin meaning "We pray for the safety of the Sick".

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
(Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes)
Carrer de M1 Avenue Mgr Théas, 65100 Lourdes, France.
Phone: +33-562427878
Entrance is free fee, but one can make an online donation.
Hours: 7:45 am – 8:00 pm
Mass time at the Grotto: 12:00 noon.
Web Page: https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/
Web page include Pilgrim activities such as Drinking at the Fountain, Going to the Bath, Attending Processions, etc.
Direction Map & GPS: 43.09741, -0.05829


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You are at - Jotaro's Blog / Footsteps / Cycling Europe 2019- Sites / Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Lourdes, France
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