Street Fashion Sydney: Travel

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Seafood Diner in Monterosso al Mar at Trattoria Da Oscar

One of the curious things about travel by train and, choosing a hotel just out of town; up a steep hillside with an impressive view - of the beautiful bays of Cinque Terre. Is you do manage to meet and converse with your fellow guests; chatting away as you shuttle up and down the switchbacks of the hillside in the courtesy mini bus. The little van that takes you down to the beach or back up to that glorious view. It was on one of these return trips to the hotel that David and Margaret, who just so happened to be from Sydney too.. kindly recommended to us a seafood restaurant called Oscars, that they had tried the night before and thought was just fabulous! So Vivienne and I decided to give it a shot the very next evening. The mini bus drops us at the start of the beach on Via Fegina opposite, Ristorante Miky, but that's another culinary story yet to be told. continues below..

Umbrellas folded for the night, Monterosso al Mar, Cinque Terre, Italy. Photo by Kent Johnson

Now as compact as Monterosso is, there is the new town (not that new) and there is the medieval old town on the other side of the rocky promontory. A distance of perhaps a kilometre and half of pleasant beach front promenade. Trattoria Da Oscar is in the old town, through the tunnel under the hill, of rock. Past the fishing boats, across the square skirting churches in bold marble stripes, watched over by a Madonna, by a peloton of bicycles and up a bendy narrow street. Yes there were some wrong turns and directions asked, but at last we found Oscars!

A small Madonna in a wall niche, old town, Monterosso al Mar, Cinque Terre, Italy. Photo by Kent Johnson

a peloton of bicycles, old town, Monterosso al Mare. Photograph by Kent Johnson

Looking in from the street at Trattoria de Oscar, Monterosso, Cinque Terre. Photograph by Kent Johnson

And we found it reassuringly busy, all the tables taken outside, though still with room for the two of us inside, away from the chatter of the American accents.. The next night we had a booking for a multi course extravaganza at Ristorante Miky. So for diner at Oscar's we decided on a simple menu. We would start with fried sardines followed by the dish of the day, scampi gnocchi. All accompanied by a bottle of Prosecco, why not!

Chef at work - Trattoria de Oscar Monterosso al Mare. Photograph by Kent Johnson

How was it? We loved our sardines, fresh and tasty and they didn't last long. Next came our scampi gnocchi, which we had discovered was to be the last serving of the special that day. The sauce was a rich, intense tomato driven infusion with a hint of spice, a little chilli? Garlic and olive oil. And it was divine, easily coating the light fluffy gnocchi and the all important scampi! We polished it all off as you can see below, leaving just the pan, and the spoon. I not only relished our shared meal, I really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere. The immediacy of the experience and the quality of food and service. It was an authentic food and travel experience to remember. I hope you enjoy my black and white pictures of our meal. (I actually turned to camera to B&W to take them) Why black and white? because I feel it lends itself to the immediacy, the directness of flavors the meal, the clarity of it all which sometimes colour diffuses. More at the end - and click on the pictures to view them large.

A serving of sardines at Trattoria Da Oscar. Photograph by Kent Johnson

Sardines on the plate, knife and fork, at Trattoria Da Oscar. Photograph by Kent Johnson

The ancient arched stone roof at Oscar's. Photograph by Kent Johnson

Serving from our pan of scampi gnocchi at Trattoria Da Oscar Monterosso al Mar. Photo by Kent Johnson

Scampi gnocchi at Trattoria Da Oscar Monterosso al Mar. Photo by Kent Johnson

Just the shells remain, scampi gnocchi at Trattoria Da Oscar Monterosso al Mar. Photo by Kent Johnson

The empty pan, all gone! Scampi gnocchi at Trattoria Da Oscar Monterosso al Mar. Photo by Kent Johnson

Oscar and a mural of Oscar! Trattoria Da Oscar Monterosso al Mar. Photo by Kent Johnson

The boat harbour at twilight, Monterosso al Mar, Cinque Terre, Italy. Photo by Kent Johnson

After that, it was another pleasurable stroll back along the waterfront to the new town and a short wait for the mini bus to deliver us back up the hill to our hotel. Diner at Trattoria Da Oscar; highly recommended.

Special thanks to White Caviar Life for making this story possible.

Telling Stories in Pictures all over..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Saturday Night at a Rooftop Bar in Singapore

You've been travelling for weeks, you are exhausted and arguing. It's a two day stopover and Saturday night in Singapore. Will you ever be in this city again; on a Saturday night, who really knows.. So what's to be done? Just for once I don't bother checking google maps or any of the guides. I want to go over to old Chinatown where exploring the city early one morning, I saw all these restaurants and bars packed in cheek to jowl. Quiet in the morning sure, but it looked fascinating and at night; now that's got to be be the place to be. We pull ourselves together, exit the Intercontinental from it's labyrinth of corridors and grab a cab over to old Chinatown. And the whole place is going off!

Restaurants and bars on Ann Siang Hill and Club Street on a Saturday night in Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Ann Siang Hill and Club Street are packed with people; there are tables and chairs set out on the road, people are spilling from doorways, there's a pleasant vibe, a party atmosphere and no end of venues to explore. The place feels great. We end up deciding on a rooftop bar, old building no lift, six flights of stairs maybe more.. but we have been assured its worth the work. When we make it to the top we find a lovely terrace bar, couches, a view of the other bar across the way, beautiful coloured lights, new Singapore towering in the background. I'm outdoors in the humidity and loving it! It's like being out at a summer party in Brisbane back in college days, if only there had been bars like this - if only they had kept Brisbane's colonial heart.. I like this Singapore place, I like this bar, and we like the people; it turns into a great night out in Singapore after all, and truly one to remember.

Revellers and diners out on Ann Siang Hill and Club Street on a Saturday night in Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Tables and people move out onto the street on a Saturday night. Ann Siang Hill, Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Ladies out enjoying a drink at Ann Siang Hill, Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Colonial buildings lit up in coloured lights at night, Ann Siang Hill, Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Drinks at the bar, Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

A view of the bar and the rooftop view of Singapore at Screening Room. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Bar food a screening Room Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

A group of friends enjoying a night out at Screening Room Rooftop Bar, Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Framing a shot on the roof top bar in Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

View back to the CBD from the rooftop terrace at Screening Room, Singapore. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Neon lit limo-taxis on South Bridge Road Singapore - Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

We ended up at Screening Room Roof Top Bar - great location, friendly, our snacks were good though we did find the establishment a little pricey. No doubt on par with similar establishments with a view.

Special thanks to whitecaviarlife.com

Telling Stories in Pictures all over the world..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Crossing Piazza San Marco in Style - SFS Italy Edition

"I'm on my way to work"

Autumn Fashion, White on White on White - Crossing Piazza San Marco in Style - Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Telling Stories in Pictures all over the world..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

Monday, October 1, 2018

Victoria - By the Beach - Monterosso, Italy

White Caviar Life and I were only in Monterosso al Mare for a week, but Victoria who we met at the local supermarket became like a close friend, providing us with tips and letting us know if something was happening in town. I grabbed this shot of Victoria on one of our last evenings in Monterosso, looking great as always, and with a very nice bike as well. If you are in Monterosso, drop in and say hello for us!

Victoria with her bicycley by the beach, Monterosso al Mare. Photo by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Telling Stories in Pictures all over the world..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

Sunday, September 9, 2018

On The Beach - Monterosso Al Mare, Cinque Terre - Italy

The hills, the water, the clouds streaming overhead and ever changing; it's all just so beautiful, I have to remind myself to look down as well. That's how I spotted these young sunbakers, limbs akimbo on the sand at Monterosso. I'm going to call this shot - Five Beauties of Monterosso - and maybe submit it to a photo competition or two; after all, you never know do you! Click to view larger - and don't forget to follow on Facebook!

Five young women sunbaking on the beach at Monterosso Al Mare, Cinque Terre, Italy. Photographed by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney.

Telling Stories in Pictures all over..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

Monday, October 9, 2017

Getting My Geek On at Fred Wilson Chess Books NYC!

What makes for a perfect travel souvenir? It's a really tough question isn't it; and one that will have a different answer at different times of life too I think. So at this stage of my life; I'm mostly happy with the pictures I take while I'm away as souvenirs of my journey. That said, for the last few years I have been playing chess again, and the search for nice and affordable chess sets has also become a bit of a thing. Where do all the chess pieces and chess boards go? I mean there must be millions of them out there, and yet they seem quite hard to find. At least attractive sets seem harder to find than you would probably think! New York City is of course a famous chess playing city so I thought where better to find an interesting vintage chess set than New York.. Continued below

Now before I left Sydney I did a bit of google searching for Thrift and Chess shops, hoping to turn up something nice without a specialist store or antique shop price tag. I found an interesting cluster of Thrift shops around East 23rd and Third Avenue including the City Opera Thrift Shop - nice - and my favourite Vintage Thrift Shop, "Nonprofit vintage-goods flagship store benefiting the United Jewish Council of the East Side." The latter shop had had a mid century modern Hermann Ohme Chess Set I spotted on their Instagram in the weeks before the trip, but unfortunately for me, already snapped up. They did have another set when I visited the store made of stone or marble, way too heavy to bring back; and not really the sort of thing I was after. So then it was a trip even further downtown to Fred Wilson's Chess Book store on East 11th Street in the hope he might have what I was after.

A beautiful props hire company, Bijan Royal on 11th Street. Photographed by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney NY Edition.

Bijan Royal (props) on 11th Street

Fred's is not a street front shop; the book shop is up on the 3rd floor, so it was great to get inside an old commercial building with a beautiful ornate cast iron staircase - right outside the lift - on just day two. It's along the corridor and around the corner but very easy to find. And there it, and he were, and is in the pictures below. And Fred had just what I wanted, just what I was looking for, even if I did not know it myself.

An ornate cast iron staircase inside 80 East 11th Street New York. Photographed by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney NY Edition.

An early to mid 1940's "Drueke's *American Made* Chessmen" Red and Cream #23 in the original box, a simple folding cardboard red and black board. And to top it off a volume called "Russians Verses Fischer," I mean does it get any more NY & American than that! All ready to go in the left of the portrait below. So there it was, a perfect NYC souvenir for me and I had a great time chatting with Fred, talking about how bad my game is and I don't even understand why I like the game so much.. While there I also met a Ukrainian player who like me had found the shop via Google. Yes Google works. A week later I headed back to see if Fred had managed to dig out any Kasparov books for me. Again he came up trumps with a well annotated volume "Kasparov's Fighting Chess" and also recommended his own volume "Simple Attacking Plans" to help me get my game a little sharper. Fred, I am reading it and enjoying "Simple Attacking Plans" direct, simple and effective concepts and game examples. Thank you! One last thing; one of the other uses for the souvenir chess set is that I like to work it into a shot of the place we have visited, sometimes with Vivienne for her travel website White Caviar Life; after all that's the real reason we were in NY in the first place. We did one, and that shot closes out this story below with a perfectly styled outfit. Hope you all like it. So don't forget to check out White Caviar Life too, New York, Prague, it's all happening, and Viv is now playing chess for real too!

Fred Wilson at Fred Wilson Chess Books.

Fred Wilson and a customer at Fred Wilson books NYC. Photographed by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney NY Edition.

Vivienne at the Roger Hotel, Manhattan NY going over a Bobby Fischer game using the Drueke's *American Made* Chessmen. Photographed by Kent Johnson for Street Fashion Sydney NY Edition.

http://www.fredwilsonchess.com/
Fred Wilson Chess Books
80 East 11th Street, Suite 334
New York.
http://whitecaviarlife.com/

Telling Stories in Pictures all over..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863