Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Profound Prezzo

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Prezzo Logo

Restaurant review of Prezzo

Another wonderful evening out this week but this time to Prezzo – the modern, Italian influenced restaurant – which turned out to be quite an unanticipated but exquisite meal. Obviously I wasn’t expecting an amateur performance from the food but the flavour and panache of the dishes was something I couldn’t quite prepare myself for. The atmosphere of the restaurant set the tone perfectly:

Prezzo Decour



Prezzo building

 Originally a very elaborate house, now converted into small, separate dining rooms, the restaurant provided the intimacy of dining at home without losing that restaurant buzz of a busy night out.
Prezzo Atmosphere Photo
Unfortunately, despite a very friendly welcoming member of staff, our main server was a bit distant and lacked the proper seasoning of good personality, however the fantastic food she served more than made up for this minor defect. After analysing their extensively appetising dinner menu, I finally selected a delicious starter “Baked mushrooms” (£5.50), a dish consisting of mushrooms “Stuffed with grana padano and mozzarella cheese, garlic, onions, mushrooms and breadcrumbs”.
Prezzo Starter Photo
 I thought the dish was beautiful although the flavours may not have been quite pungent enough – the essence of the cheese, garlic and onion seemed somewhat marred by the bread crumbs. However, I often find that using mushrooms as the base of a dish like this can sometimes allow the natural, wonderful flavour of the mushrooms to be lost whereas the mushrooms (6 in a portion) in this dish were spot on – soaked in their own gorgeous juices, saturating the mouth with every bite was absolutely delicious, particularly as this kind of tribute to the flavour of a mushroom is so rare.

For my main I had “Wild mushroom Girasole” 10.75) which was served “With buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes and fresh rocket”.
Prezzo Main Photo
I felt this main was perfect! The ultimate Italian pasta dish! The pesto was salty but not overpowering, complementing perfectly with the juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes. The girasole (basically large ravioli) themselves were fantastic – obviously homemade with a wide collection of rich mushroom treasures stuffed inside. What I also enjoyed about the dish was the fact that there wasn’t too much of it – quality rather than quantity was obviously the priority which I find is always the best way to serve pasta, particularly at this high standard – flavours are much more important than feeling stuffed and bloated so instead I finished the platter with a sense of deep satisfaction and contentment.

For my dessert (I know – how cheeky!) I had Honeycomb smash cheesecake”, an old favourite of mine and my brother’s who described it as the world’s best cheesecake! (£5.25) The cheesecake was “blended and topped with crunchy honeycomb pieces coated in chocolate”.
Prezzo Desert Photo
This wonderfully rich, creamy cheesecake was quite simply pudding at its best. Every mouthful felt like a soft taste of luxury as the cheesecake was so incredibly smooth and velvety. Not only had it got a lovely short biscuity base, it also had exciting little nuggets of chocolate covered honeycomb which added an extra dimension and crunch to this already splendid dish.

Overall, the whole night was a wonderful success – with everyone left feeling full yet satisfied. I shall be returning, I’m sure, very soon to see what more culinary delights Prezzo can conjure up!

Pictures: http://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/Harpenden; Own taken in restaurant (15 Leyton Road, Harpenden, AL5 2HX) 

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Monday, 26 May 2014

Fantastic 'First Position'

 
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Film review of ‘First Position’

After having a quick flick through Netflix this week, I stumbled across a true gem of inspiration.
First Position Title
Following the journeys of multiple dedicated young ballet dancers ranging from 9-19 years old from Sicily to Columbia to California, the film/documentary ‘First Position’ looks at the lead up to the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York – one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.
The work these dancers put in is absolutely unbelievable! Miko (12) conveys to viewers the sorts of sacrifices that must be made in order to succeed: “I think I’ve had the right amount of childhood and the right amount of ballet”.
Working from beyond 9am-5pm, 7 days a week, the dancers unreservedly surrender the fun of any sort of social life. Furthermore, they often use almost medieval contraptions for foot shaping and strengthening, working through blisters, torn ligaments and other excruciating injuries in order to be the best and fulfil their potential – if they don’t, someone else will. One dance. Three minutes is what it all comes down to. With scholarships, work contracts and dreams in the balance, this film (documentary) perfectly captures the brutal, sometimes heart-breaking yet gritty truths of life as a professional ballet dancer – it’s certainly not all about sequins and princess tutus.
What I couldn’t cope with was not only the children’s work ethic but also the pressure and dedication from parents and coaches too. Even moving house and work in order to accommodate the young professionals’ dancing needs.  As you follow Aran (11), Rebecca (17), Joan Sebastian (16), Miko (12), Jules (10) and Michaela (14) through their inspirational yet emotional stories, you can honestly appreciate what these professional dancers must have in order to compete in this cut-throat industry.
Aran, a ballet dancer from 4 who after showing us his ‘BB’ gun, goes on to demonstrate his foot stretcher, the medieval-looking device to strengthen his feet and mould them into the perfect shape for his ballet career. His talent is extraordinary; in one of his routines alone he performs a 10 turn pirouette with outstanding control and precision.First Position - Aran
Michaela, a survivor from Sierra Leone’s 12 year civil war, was adopted to America. After watching her own parents being shot dead and the mutilation of her teacher by rebels she lived at an orphanage until she was ‘rescued’ by her American parents. Against all the odds, she has become an incredible dancer. Born a true fighter, she continues with the competition despite a horrifically injured Achilles heel which could, at any moment, tear and ruin any hopes for a future career in dancing.First Position - Michaela
Rebecca, from America is probably the most ‘normal’ of these dancers, for example she has friends OUTSIDE of ballet (I know – shocking!) However she then goes on to describe herself as flexible as Barbie and you can see why:   ... This is almost gymnastics!
First Position - Rebecca

Miko and brother, Jules make sacrifices from a very young age (as does the rest of the family) on vacations and TV to family time and the simplicities of childhood – like school. After their demanding coach insists, their obsessive mother removes both children from school and are given home-schooling in order to be able to focus on being better at ballet. Despite her daughter losing her friends, Miko’s mother is more than happy to support this exhausting routine in order to give her child the best opportunities possible. But it makes me wonder: what will she look back on in ten year’s time – a fun childhood of dancing? Or a manic waste of time – all resting on whether she will be spotted for a career to make it worthwhile? The truly sad thing in my opinion is the continued pressure that in particular Miko suffers with and the worst is that the film is an unbiased documentary – they tell their routine to camera with a sheepish smile on their faces as though it’s not a big deal to lose your childhood – these are real people, not made up characters to make the profession look unobtainable, this is the reality of this beyond brutal industry.
First Position - Miko
Joan Sebastian from Columbia lives without his family in a new country (America) to fulfil his dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer where a scholarship may change not only his but his entire family’s future. This highlights another problem of ballet – the expense! One scholarship alone can be over $50,000 and when this is put into harsh perspective by Joan Sebastian’s family – the monthly wage in Columbia for them is only $250 a month – it enables us to truly appreciate the pressure to attain a successful career in dancing.

First Position - Joan Sebastian

As an avid dancer myself but by no means at all a professional – only for my own recreational enjoyment (ISTD Grade 6 Tap and Modern) – to see such determination at such a young age is truly awe-inspiring.

Overall: 5 stars.

I thoroughly recommend to anyone to watch this incredible film, whether a dance fanatic or not, this film is truly satisfying and honestly amazing! Thank goodness they decided to divert from the usual cliché of solely portraying the profession as a pathetic gossipy trade and instead focused more on the incredible ability, talent and drive of these young individuals by truthfully conveying the stunning career they have chosen.
First Position Movie Poster


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