RICKY DLS 英会話 blog

Sapporo’s best Thai restaurant just opened their second branch at the location where Cuban bar Caribe used to be. Latin and Thai culture are similar in quite a few ways - the use of vivid colors in, the love of life and the exotic cuisine - and it was no surprise that ex-Caribe proved to be the perfect venue for Pattaya’s second outlet. The wall colors are still bright orange, only the Che paintings are gone and have been replaced with Buddhist ones, the Cuban flag with a Thai one, and there are lots of big wooden Buddha statues all over the place. We were a group of six and sampled lots of different foods. My favorite is still and always the spicy green papaya salad, my #2 the classic shrimp tom yam kun soup. I am immune to chili peppers so I didn’t perceive the spice but if you have a sensitive stomach or tongue for that matter, caution is recommended. The sesame shrimp pie was out of this world as well. As for drinks, I had a fresh squeezed watermelon juice, perfect for the season. Pattaya 2, Tanukikoji S3, W6
The Cuban and the Thai flag: similar colors and design

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

I have many Cancer friends (born end of June or July) and a friend’s birthday is always a good excuse to eat one of these delicious tiny Japanese cakes, lol. Well I had a Starbucks lemon pie today and a Cherry Merry cherry pie yesterday. The lemon pie was almost as good as the one from the Fruitscake Factory - almost. Oh and Cherry Merry is a coffee & cake shop in the North 18 neighborhood, a little treasure box on a busy street that is home to mostly real estate agencies, dental clinics and old-fashioned drugstores. You’d never expect to find such sophisticated desserts there. They have about a dozen of fresh baked cakes from the now popular caramel and choco-banana tart to French and Spanish versions of chocolate cake etc. My favorite, however, is the cherry pie: small, sour and full of cherries!

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Me and a bunch of friends watched the soccer game USA vs Slovenia last night at Mexican bar Simba, and after a 2:2 draw Maurice Edu scored a third goal for the US, the goal that would have given the US the lead - if it had been allowed. Because the Malinese referee decided there had been a foul, even though video replays showed no infringement. Generally it seemed like the referee was lenient on the Slovenians and harsh on the Americans, and one could almost get the feeling he was trying at all cost to prevent the US from winning a soccer game. Well that bias may have cost him his job as a World Cup referee because FIFA is currently looking into the issue, scrutinizing this decision of his as well as previous ones. It’s a bit sad because the US players delivered a decent game and deserved to win. Then again, this has been the World Cup of upsets, shocks and sensations. We enjoyed the fantastic food & drinks at Simba but we would have enjoyed more if the US had won. Nakagin Building, Susukino, 1 F (next to Cyber City).

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Currently an attraction in Sapporo: Japan’s largest paella, prepared by Chef Raf and Chef Vincent. At the Hokkudaisai (Hokkaido University Food Festival) you can see - and eat! - the largest paella in Japan: Chef Raf and Chef Vincent made this popular rice dish in a pan that serves 400 people! They have two stands, the larger one is “Mediterraneo” and offers crab paella, the other one is dedicated to chicken chorizo paella. The festival lasts from today until including Sunday and I’ve had two paellas already. All I can say is … YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

The Velvet Room in South Susukino, my #2 in Sapporo’s bar scene. The sun currently rises around 4 AM in Sapporo. I noticed that early this morning when I left Spanish bar Los Gatos - yeah, no kidding! Me and two friends were talking the night away over a bottle of wine and the next thing we knew it was 4:30 and bright daylight. On my way home the sidewalks were crowded with people walking their dogs. Boy oh boy I thought, Sapporoites do like to get up early, but then again I kinda envy them for being able to make the fullest out of every day, taking advantage of each hour of natural light. For those of you who are more active after dusk than after dawn, here are some recommendations on where to go in Sapporo. Here’s my bar ranking:
1. Los Gatos
2. Velvet Room
3. Famous Door
4. Habana
5. Electric Sheep Bar JR GoGo
Another one of my favorites, Cuban bar Caribe, unfortunately closed down several months ago.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Talking about CostCo, this is one of their must-have products: Snuggle fabric softener “green burst” in a 6 L bottle. The neutral smelling Japanese softeners don’t work for me, and the Snuggle or Downy products that are sold in drugstores are produced specifically for the Japanese market and very lightly scented. This one comes directly from the US and leaves clothes with a pleasant fragrance all day.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Our DLS Hanami Party was a big success and our already legendary giant paella made by Chef Vincent and Chef Raf attracted a lot of attention as usual. Even some TV stations showed up and Radio North Wave. Thanks for the 50+ students and teachers for attending one of the coldest hanamis in Hokkaido history. Look for yourself: Equipped with blankets, gloves and down jackets we stayed warm drinking Otaru Dunkel beer. Interesting to note is that Eikaiwa schools traditionally used to have more female students but these days men are catching up and the ratio is about 60:40. Click here to see the complete album.
私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

I was treated to dinner at the Mercure Hotel’s restaurant Bordeaux the other day. French cuisine as the name suggests, and it was fabulous. The course came with champagne as an aperitif, two appetizers including exotic sweet potato mousse, fish, beef and a dessert. It is appropriate to say that the course is French-Japanese fusion, a sophisticated blend of French flavors with the freshest Hokkaido ingredients. Always having been fond of French style beef - small, thick junks of juicy meat - the meat dish was my favorite part of the meal. The wine was excellent as well, a 2005 Cheverny Domaine de Veilloux. Not to mention the design of the restaurant, tasteful, contemporary and stylish. Bordeaux filled a vacancy in Sapporo’s gourmet scene and adds a touch of cosmopolitan flair to the city. Mercure Hotel S4, W2. Phone 011-518 5708

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

In case you park your bicycle around Sapporo Station you better watch out cause they are picking them up and taking them to a large storage area near the Factory. It costs 2000 yen to recover it, a 100% increase as compared to a few years ago. I had planned to drop by at Jupiter (import store) today and get some wine. Just when I was about to park my bike in front of Esta I noticed a truck and two officers loading bikes onto it. Made me change plans and I stopped at Daimaru instead, lol. The service was excellent as usual and it’s always a pleasure to watch and smell the food. These people are not only chefs but also artists! And in case you were wondering what wine I bought, Spanish red wine year 2004, the best wine year ever, full-bodied, great taste, great aroma.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

The best thing on TV since “Rome”: “Spartacus”, currently airing in the US. A high-budget action-drama about gladiators and their masters, about male power struggle and female intrigues. Oh and lots of ribbed bodies, lol. Check it out.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。