DAPHNE'S DINNER DATES (RESUMED) - PIZZERIA SALVARINO and HEYDENBERG BRASSERIE

Phase 4 of the "deconfinement" arrived in Belgium on 8th June, and although I didn't rush out to bag my spot at the local pub, I have been out for two carefully planned lunches since then.  Lunch is a safe option as although I can drink many people under the table in the evening, I don't drink wine or alcohol at lunchtime.  

So on 11 June I ventured, masked and sanitized, to Pizzeria Salvarino on Place Meiser, with my French friend la Duchesse de Médeux.  They had installed perspex partitions between tables, and the owner/waiter was masked up.  (You could still tell he was handsome though, it's all in the eyes).   

Salvarino do great pizzas, but also great classical Italian dishes.  I had a favourite lunchtime standard, the mozzarella bufala and tomato salad.  It was certainly more than a salad, with a whole bufala cheese perched on a bed of grilled aubergine, lightly boiled carrots and green beans, red lettuce and grilled datterino tomatoes.  The Duchess went for the orecchietti pasta in an arrabbiata sauce.  Both dishes were attractively presented and delicious.  My only complaint was the dessert, I asked if the panna cotta was home made and the charming masked seducer confirmed it was.  When it arrived it was a little congealed, as if it had been sitting around for a few days.  I had this problem once in the Dordogne and I sent it back and got an apology from the Chef.  However, this was not quite so old, so I ate it.  Panna cotta has to be eaten within 12 hours or it starts to turn into something else.

I checked Trip Advisor afterwards and Salvarino has got a few dreadful reviews.  Most of the bad reviews related to being told there was no English menu, or getting the dish wrong, which can happen anywhere.  Many good reviews however.  Perhaps stick to the pizza next time.

Last Sunday I went with Aunty Marianne and The Bloke to an local haunt of theirs, the Heydenberg brasserie.  It used to be charmingly olde worlde and full of pensioners, but it has had a makeover and a change of management and is a lovely modern brasserie now (though still frequented by pensoners, viz moiself).   

I love to go out with Aunty M and the Bloke (aka Mr Brexit) as they are so charmingly olde-worlde about Going Out to Eat.  They DRESS UP.  Aunty was wearing a lovely red and black frock with big roses on.  The Bloke had put his spats on specially.  I had made an effort and put on makeup for the first time in over a month, earrings and a decent pair of elasticated-waist trousers instead of the rancid old trackie bottoms I spent most days in.  It does make you feel different, a bit more alive.  The Bloke complimented me on my appearance.  He really can't help schmoozing, bless him.   They are certainly the power couple of the Brussels British expat community.




Before we went out, we had an apéritif at their place.  As I was driving, and as mentioned above am not a great lunchtime drinker, Aunty broke out the non-alcoholic gin.  Yes, you heard me.  NON-ALCOHOLIC GIN.  And tonic.  And do you know what, it was surprisingly pleasant.  I might even buy some.  At least it'll be safe from Gorbals. 




Aunty M and The Bloke are regulars at the Heydenberg, as you could tell from the socially-distanced warm welcome and the length of time it took to get from front door to table.  The Bloke had booked us a nicely safe corner table behind a perspex screen, so we could safely take our masks off.   

We ordered our starters and main courses.  Even before the starters were served, Aunty M was presented with her piece of cow in its raw state.  Not, as in the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by the cow itself, but by the charmingly tattooed waitress.  I managed to get this shot just before Aunty M's fangs appeared.









Aunty was certainly in the mood for raw things, as she ordered six oysters to start.  The Bloke, who is apparently notoriously unadventurous in what he eats, ordered "scampi sauce diabolique" which he'd had before.  Scampi in Belgium is not the same as scampi in the UK.  It is large prawns.  "Crevettes", the classic French word for prawns, refers to the tiny grey ones that they use in croquettes and stuffed tomatoes. 

I find I can't manage a full meal with starter and main course any more, makes me feel really uncomfortable afterwards.  Another side effect of ageing, and yet another handicap for a food writer.  So if everyone is going for two courses I take two starters, usually the first cold, the second hot.  Add to this, I am on doctor's orders to lose weight, and am on a low-carb diet.  Why do I bother continuing to write about food, one may ask, given that the gods of the kitchen seem to be conspiring against me?   Let's say I like a challenge.

Mozzarella and tomato salad is always reliable choice.  This one was as pretty as a picture and the size of a pizza.  The tomatoes were sweet and juicy, and the mozzarella was creamy and copious.    Quite, quite different from the one at Salvarino.  Light and refreshing. 

So to our mains.  Aunty's slice of cow was brought back cooked to perfection, nice and pink in the middle, with a gratin dauphinois.  She set to with gusto.  The Bloke had lost his shit in a moment of madness no doubt brought on by the non-alcoholic gin and gone for something different to his usual choice - CHICKEN with Archiduc sauce!  I had garlic prawns. 

The Bloke's chicken arrived with decorative bits of broccoli and beetroot, which made him squirm a bit.  He has a visceral distrust of vegetables, as befits a British man from north of the M25.  I helped him out with the broccoli and also with some of his red wine, which comes from a vegetal source but he seems to be able to manage it. We were terribly reasonable on the booze front, and even then the volume of conversation went to 11 on occasion.  (UNLESS someone* had sneaked one or two in before i even arrived). 

Ther thing about having lunch with Aunty M and The Bloke is, we never stop talking.  Often all at the same time.  We spark off each other, jumping from one topic to another and never at a loss for a subject.  After months of lockdown, you could have wound this up to the power of 12 last Sunday.    It must have sounded like playing Newsnight back at 78 rpm. 



Tarte Julie serves quiche.  Just quiche. And salads and soups.  It's a handy lunch place when I was working at Spart Towers.  I met up with my German colleague who had popped into the office to pick up something. 



Although I have adapted well to lockdown, being fundamentally antisocial and ever so slightly lazy, it was great to get out and see people again. 






SALVARINO
Place Meiser
Schaerbeek
Tel:  02 734 5806

BRASSERIE HEYDENBERG
Avenue Heydenberg 17
Woluwe St Lambert
Tel:  02 771 7929

TARTE JULIE
Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 56
Brussels
Tel:  218 5389



*No names no pack drill.  

BEER AND DUMPLINGS

Update  24 May 2020:  In view of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, please do not take offence at what follows.  It was dated 17 February.  We didn't know that the vile virus was already among us.  Nobody did.  It was not, obviously the middle of the corona virus panic.  It was the beginning.   COVID did do its worst.  It is a relic from a recent past when we were carefree and social.  God knows how many people caught the virus that night in Brussels alone.    Forgive us, for we knew not what we did. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Woodbine Kitty, Gorbals and I are kindred spirits.  Rebels, natural risk takers, we'll take you all down with us.  In the middle of the Corona virus panic, we decided we wanted to try out a newish Chinese restaurant.  I know. We just don't care.   COVID, do your worst.

It was Valentine's Day, and it so happened that I had just received a Valentine from the Belgian authorities that very day.  I had been registered as a Belgian.  This required a vote of thanks to the Kingdom, which involved sampling several glasses of Belgium's finest. After a swift half in the Brewdog, we braved Storm Dennis as far as  the Grand'Place where we ducked  into Leroy's (Le Roy d'Espagne).  The waiters wear funny aprons, there is a roaring fire in the middle of the room, bars on the windows and puppets and pig bladders hanging from the ceiling.  So far, so Belgian.  A couple of toasts to Phil and Mattie* and we were ready to pursue our odyssey.

I can't remember when I last saw downtown Brussels so packed.  There was this light show going on, which we had intended to visit and then missed most of, and the weather was unseasonably warm despite Storm Dennis blowing up, which may explain partly why the city centre was so packed.  Grand'Place was heaving.

In the Archipel bar we fell into conversation with some wacky young Flemings who were all wearing each other's hats.   When they  learned I was newly one of them, they all stood up and shook my hand and wished me Welkom in Belgium, after which we all sang Happy Birthday to You in Flemish. After 15 years in the birthplace of surrealism, this seemed perfectly normal behaviour to me.

By the time we hit Dam Sum, we were rather windswept and interesting with healthy appetites to boot. Dam Sum looks huge from the outside, but doesn't go back very far so is the opposite of the Tardis.   It was packed with kwailos, and the waiting staff were uber trendy beautiful young things of all ethnicities.  Our waitress was a delightful maiden from South Korea with perfect teeth and a California accent.  

Kitty wanted to kick off with dim sum and cocktails. Well why not.  Gorbals had never had a cocktail in his life and gave his Yantai serious examination (see above) before knocking it back in one go.   I had a Hong Kong Pink, gin and pomegranate syrup and guava juice.  The 3 types of dim sum (about 8 euros for 3 pieces) were good, hand made in a pristine open kitchen where bamboo steamers were on the go.

Beef noodle soup

For mains Gorbals had a classic wonton soup, I had a beef noodle soup, and Kitty had something fried with noodles she'd been coveting on someone else's plate since we'd come in.  The beef noodle soup was good, plenty of vegetables and meat (eyes left) but the broth was lacking in something oriental, not a patch on Thaimo my lunchtime hole-in-the-wall. We would have liked a glass of wine at this point, but the waiter said they were technically closed as of 11 p.m. and couldn't serve us anything else, even though it was only 10:50.  This struck us as very uncommercial, but may explain why the restaurant is squeezed into a shopfront under a hotel.  

Unable to order anything else, we paid and ventured out into the arms of Dennis who blew us clean across the square to a bar, where we had a last snifter before taking the metro home. On the tube we fell into conversation with two older couples who had clearly been on a very enjoyable night out and were wearing each other's hats.  Must be a Belgian St Valentine's tradition.


* Their majesties King Philippe of the Belgian, and Queen Mathilde



Dam Sum
Quai du Bois a Bruler 51
Sainte-Catherine
and 
Parvis de la Trinite 11
Ixelles

Some more of my favourite oriental eateries:

YAKI (Viet-Thai)

Rue du Pont de la Carpe 1

Rue du Midi 52 and

Rue des Poissonniers 6b

Best Thai noodle soup I have ever tasted.

Thaimo (Thai)

Rue du Pont Neuf 35

between Adolphe Max and Jacqumain

Hole in the wall. Top notch noodle soup.

Not spicy - but they will add fire if you want.

Open lunchtimes and early evening.

Cash only.

Phô-Phô

Boulevard de la Botanique

and

Rue de la Paix 27

Pho-starter-drink combo for 14 euros, decent enough

Pho and pretty popular with Asian people so must be

doing something right.

Can Tho

Rue de Treves 38

opposite European Parliament

touchscreen ordering, big shared tables

full of overexcited stagiaires

"Little Saigon" can be found in the university district known, inexplicably, as "Petite Suisse".   Chaussée de Boondael alone boasts about 10 Vietnamese restaurants:

320  Hanoi Square

325  Pho Diem Xuan

326 Chez Fleur (Viet)

328  Chao (Viet)

332  La Pagode d’Or (Viet)

347  Apocalypse (Viet)

360  Exodus (Viet)

436  L’Orchidee Blanche(Viet)

470  Makisu (Japanese)

MY, GRANDMA, WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE

WOLF
Brussels food market, 50 rue du Fossé aux Loups


I waited a few weeks until the novelty had worn off a little before venturing into WOLF, the new trendy foodie market in downtown Brussels.    It is situated in the Wolvengracht meaning Wolf's Canal, which has been mistranslated into French as rue du Fossé aux Loups.  It has nothing to do with wolves, but refers to the owner of the land who was called Wolf.   To make it even more fun, I went with a German colleague called Wolfgang.  Just call me Polly Glott.   

The open-air foodie markets in St Gilles and Chasseurs Ardennais and elsewhere are becoming hugely popular, especially with the expats, but they're not much fun in the cold grey drizzle of a Brussels January.    A team of trendy entrepreneurs in the food industry has taken over a beautiful old art deco bank building which had been standing empty for years, gutted it and made it into a pleasant space to eat and drink and stay out of the rain.  It covers 2000 m2 and seats 800. 

I have mixed feelings about these foodie markets.  One the one hand they're a cheap way of sampling food from different countries and a good way for some established restaurants to advertise their wares.  This is how the Time Out market in Lisbon, the benchmark for the concept, started out.  On the other hand, if the food is not quality, they can end up being just a trendy food court.  WOLF houses a pizzeria, a tapas bar, a fish & seafood bar serving mostly oysters and posh stuff, a red-in-tooth-and-claw meat counter run by Dierendonck the butchers, a couple of oriental kitchens including Hanoi Station Vietnamese, an African kitchen run by the people from Toukoul, a couple of burger joints including Les Filles, a poke bar, poke being a Hawaiian concept of eating a mixed salad out of a bowl (how original),  an Indian kitchen, a waffle bar, a Greek taverna, a juice bar and a chocolate & dessert atelier. 

HoReCa, as the HOspitality-REstaurant-CAtering trade is known in Belgium, is my bete noire in this country.   Although the quality of food is high, the Belgian idea of service reminds me of the UK in the 1970s.  It's slow, sloppy, sullen and surly.  Their idea of food hygiene is the stuff of nightmares.  Despite the European Commission's obsession with regulation, hygienic gloves do not appear to be obligatory, as you never see anyone wearing them.  Hair, jewellery, clothing do not seem to be regulated for health and safety.  At the new City2 downstairs food mall, I remarked to the young man who was preparing my lunch for me that his mass of unkempt frizzy hair might be better tied back or in a bandanna when working with food.  He breezily told me he'd run a number of takeaways and he'd never had a complaint from an inspector.   I decided to hush ma mowf.   I know how these things can go in Belgium. The customer is NEVER right. 

The massive island bar in the middle was manned by neatly bearded hipster barmen and surrounded by tables and chairs in the popular "recouped from old schools" style.  Around the edges are 17 food outlets, ranging from tapas to sushi to phô to fish, and a microbrewery for good measure.  In a corner is what was to become an organic food market, open on Saturdays.   Wolf and I decided to go for oriental wraps from Knees to Chin, he queued for the food while I went to the bar for drinks.   A large samovar of iced tea looked tempting, so I ordered two.  They came to EIGHT euros, which is daylight robbery.  The wraps were quite pleasant and suitable for a brief lunch break, although a little light on the meat filling and rather bland. 

The atmosphere on a Friday lunchtime is hectic.  There were queues for all the food counters.   The longest queue was for the Syrian kitchen.   It was very noisy, and most of the tables were taken, so we ended up perching at a counter at the back of an oriental kitchen where a lady was mixing a big salad.  We noticed she was wearing only one hygienic glove.  At one point she wiped her nose with her gloved hand and carried on turning the salad.  

I would return to Wolf in the evening, for a pre- or post-cinema drink, I imagine it is less pressured.   I don't think I'd bother for lunch again.  I would like to have seen some of the more innovative Belgian and European cuisine represented such as Balls & Glory, Poule et Poulette, Noordzee or Bia Mara but maybe I'm more of a food mall gal.  I'm much happier at Lunch Garden. 

For info, these are the outlets currently operating at WOLF.

HANOI STATION * vietnamese

IDEA * greek

LES SUPER FILLES DU TRAM * burgers

KNEES TO CHIN * asian

TOUKOUL TOGO * ethiopian

BOLLYFOOD STORIES * indian

DIERENDONCK * meat

MY TANNOUR * syrian-lebanese

LE COMPTOIR DU CRABE * fish & shells

LA TABLE DU MARCHE * organic & local

LA PIOLA * pizza & pasta

GAUFRES & WAFFLES * sweet & salty

LES FILLES * urban bowls

TAPERO * tapas & bread

POKE CLUB * sushi

VINCENT DENIS * desserts

JUS * juices

Le Wolf, 50 Rue Fossée aux Loups, à 1000 Bruxelles, www.wolf;brussels

Ouvert 7 jours / 7, de 8h à 23h. Toute l'année sauf le 25 décembre.

MUSSELS IN BRUSSELS

Mussels.  Possibly the most Belgian dish there is.  Fished straight from Zeeland, 70 kilometers away from Brussels and just over the Netherlands border, they are beloved by both French and Belgians, served in their shells in the pot they were cooked in, with a side dish of chips and presented in a hundred different formulations, from the simple and classic marinière to cream sauce, white wine or even curry.  Unlike oysters, they are never eaten raw.  

I can't eat them.

I have tried, several times.  Nine times out of ten I have had a violent reaction.  One involved a spectacular projectile vomit from the top of the grand staircase at Geneva railway station.  I also had a bad reaction to clams in Boston, where the clams couldn't be fresher.  As a result I can only conclude that I have an intolerance to molluscs and will therefore never eat an oyster.

It's a damn shame, especially as I am now diabetic and mussels are perfect for people who should stay away from sugar and fat.  

I am not intolerant to all seafood.  I can eat crustaceans.  Crab, prawns, crayfish, lobster.  Or, as my ex husband used to say, "Yeah you can bloody eat the expensive stuff."  (A clue to why he is an ex is in that quote).

To be a food writer in Brussels who cannot eat mussels is like being a deaf music critic.  I can appreciate the aroma, the presentation, and the ecstasy on the faces of people eating them, but I can never again savour the flavour, the texture or the fiddling about with specialized cutlery.  

C'est la vie. 

They are not cheap.  20 to 30 euros a helping of about a kilo of mussels (in their shells, in reality you're probably eating about 250g of food).  

I can however give you a list of the places in Brussels where those who do partake might enjoy a steaming hotpot of the treacherous little bearded bivalves.  If your dining companion is intolerant to mussels, most restaurants offer crustaceans, fish and even meat dishes. 

The mussel season runs from July to April, so really you shouldn't eat them in May and June, but you won't find them in Belgian restaurants in the summer months anyway. 

Quai aux Briques alongside Saint Catherine's church is Mecca for mussels lovers.  The most popular recipes are moules mariniere, or cooked in white wine, cream or beer.  The traditional beverage to accompany them is white wine or a good old Belgian beer. 


Le Rugbyman I    quai aux Briques 4
Le New Rugbyman II   quai aux Briques 12   Specializes in lobster so a good place to invite me, but mussels on the menu
Mussel Mongers   quai aux Briques 8    A new addition to Mussels Corner boasts 99 recipes
Chez Léon   rue des Bouchers 18   The original, they own the popular French franchise but this is the real deal:  labyrinthine corner restaurant, speedy service
Le Pré Salé   rue de Flandre 20
La Marée  rue de Flandre 99
Le Chou de Bruxelles  rue de Florence 26, Ixelles
Aux Vieux Bruxelles  rue Saint Boniface 35, Ixelles
In 't Spinnekopke, place du Jardin aux Fleurs 1  Historic Brussels "estaminet"  or popular restaurant.  Gets very packed. 
Le Zinneke  place de la Patrie 26, Schaerbeek   Off the beaten track, near parc Josaphat 
Le Marmiton   Galerie de la Reine 38, downtown  

RIP Gary Rhodes

1960-2019

EAT! BRUSSELS

Reposted from Brussels Express  https://brussels-express.eu

List of Brussels chefs taking part of eat! BRUSSELS

 13 June 2018

eat! BRUSSELS is a free event that will take place in September. Around twenty Brussels chefs will be running pop-up kitchens in the heart of Brussels. Every day, they will take turns to present to you their cuisine by offering their signature dish. To taste our chefs’ dishes, you will need to use credits. One credit = €1. One dish = 9 credits. All the dishes are offered at the same price.

The chefs

Laure Genonceaux – Brinz’l

Laure Genonceaux affirms and proudly showcases her Mauritian roots with a little nod to the Brinzelle, Mauritius’ local aubergine. Her cuisine is nevertheless French, and highly creative. Laure will be present on Thursday and Sunday

Alex Joseph – Rouge Tomate

Without a doubt, one of the finest spots in town. Since he took over its kitchens, Californian Alex Joseph has led Rouge Tomate toward a refined contemporary cuisine that always offers something new. Alex won the San Pellegrino best young chef title in 2015. Alex will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Denis Delcampe – Le Tournant

Le Tournant is located in the heart of Ixelles at the edge of the Matongé neighbourhood. This is where Denis Delcampe puts together a gourmet market cuisine influenced by cuisines from all over the world. The restaurant also emphasises its natural wine menu and the food-wine pairings that come from it. Denis will be present on Friday and Saturday.

Giuseppe Zizza – Il Passatempo

A well-kept secret in fine Brussels Italian cuisine, Il Passatempo has a good many fans both famous and anonymous who love Pino Zizza’s instinctive cuisine. This is a place where the chef’s inspiration determines the course of your meal, much to your great delight. Pino will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

François-Xavier Lambory – Stirwen

Alain Troubat ran the Stirwen from 1992 to 2014 and in that time developed a formidable reputation among foodies. Succeeding him in 2014 was a challenge that François-Xavier Lambory has passed with flying colours! Having previously learnt his trade is great sea food restaurants such as the Sea Grill and Bon Bon, his cuisine is regional and seasonal, without nostalgia. A gem nestled in a neighborhood close to the European institutions. François-Xavier will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Minoru Seino – Restaurant Seino

Whatever you do, don’t talk to Minoru Seino about fusion cuisine. Seino serves French cuisine peppered with Japanese influences within the walls that saw Pascal Devalkeneer blossom in his day. His food has an extremely personal touch, the result of the chef expressing himself as he goes off the beaten path. Seino offers the best of both worlds: French culinary heritage and the refinement of Japanese cuisine. Minoru will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ugo Federico & Francesco Cury – Racines

Above all, Racines is a culinary journey. It’s a trip to an authentic, flavourful, and lyrical Italy. An Italy that offers us a limitless supply of first rate products. An Italy where the Slow Food Movement began, which shines through the cuisine of these two partners. The soul of Racines can be summed up in a few words: “From Capri and Florence to Flagey.”Ugo & Francesco will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Issa Abdul – Restaurant Vincent

Restaurant Vincent is a century-old institution that showcases Brussels specialities. You can savour home-made dishes prepared with care, such as North Sea prawn croquettes and delicious meats selected by Hendrik Dierendonck. Issa will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Joël Geismar – Garage à manger

The Garage à Manger is first and foremost the story of a food truck, El Camion, which Joël Geismar has presided over for several years. To complement his rolling restaurant, the chef took over an old mechanic’s garage where he offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks over the course of the day. He even does brunch on weekends. It’s a spot where it’s always the right time to come in and enjoy his cuisine. Joël will be present on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Luigi Ciciriello – La Truffe Noire

La Truffe Noire has been delighting lovers of fine food for nearly 30 years with the truffle as the star of the show. Whether black, white or summer, the truffle is turned into poetry by Luigi Ciciriello in his elegant venue near to the Cambre. This eatery dedicated to refinement and to the powerful magic of this extraordinary ingredient ensures an unforgettable experience at this gem of the culinary world. Luigi will be present Thrusday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

ANTHONY MON AMOUR

The foodie and television world was shocked and stunned exactly one month ago by the news that Anthony Bourdain had taken his own life by hanging.  As the news filtered through, disbelief spread through the legions of his fans.  Not Tony - fearless, brash, combative Tony?  There must be some mistake!  

Well there wasn't.  It was indeed suicide.  There was no suicide note, indicating it was a spontaneous act.  There were no narcotic drugs in his system, although plenty of alcohol, but that wasn't unusual for him.  He was working on an episode of Parts Unknown, set in Strasbourg, when he suddenly decided to check out. 

I sat down and re-read his autobiographical book Kitchen Confidential and then the follow-up book Medium Raw.   I realized that he was a much better writer than anything else.   A self avowed fan of Hunter S. Thompson, his style aimed at a kind of gonzo journalism for kitchen workers.  He was fearless (or so we thought), and without pity for those he despised, and especially for himself.

I reviewed his early work on "A Cook's Tour", in which his unfamiliarity with presenting (or perhaps the demands of the Food Network) showed through in his uncharacteristic winsome smiling for the camera.  In later work, over which he had more control, his sardonic gonzoness came through.  He didn't do winsome very well.  He was more attractive when snarly and world-weary.  I imagine the election of Trump and what has happened to America since then may have made him even more so.  I first encountered him midway through No Reservations, when I stumbled across his second trip to Lisbon, and was immediately hooked.

By the time he got to "Parts Unknown" which he wrote himself and filmed with his own hand-picked production crew at Zero Point Zero Productions, he had got the gonzo travelogue down to a fine art.  It was barely about the food any more.  A whole load more social commentary.  A smattering of dark humour.   And a kicking rock 'n' roll soundtrack. And the camerawork and editing was superb   It was like a smouldering Clive James meets Simon Reeve filmed by Michael Slovis.  Only better.  And highly addictive.

Suicide is an incredibly selfish act - especially if you have children, parents, partners and other people who love you - but it's also something that can happen in a moment of madness.   Impulsiveness can be an attractive trait.  It can also be deadly.  

Fans were reluctant to believe it was simply a moment of madness.  But he had been so happy this last year!   He had an 11-year old daughter he adored!  He was so in love with Asia Argento!  Parts Unknown was in its 13th series and had scooped up the awards last year!  He was now best friends with the chef whose shoes he famously did not deem himself fit to clean when he started off! He had been clean of drugs for over 20 years!  There must have been something else. 

Asia Argento had been papped in Rome snogging a younger man.  They had famously declared they had an 'open relationship'.   I don't think he would have topped himself over the betrayal.   It may however have brought home to him that there would always be someone younger.  He hated the idea of getting old.  So, not that fearless then.  

Personally, I reckon he was working too hard and was exhausted;  why didn't he just take a holiday, you may ask?    Well ... fearless Tony was afraid of showing weakness.  His gonzo swagger betrayed all the signs of deep insecurity and shaky self-esteem.  It was probably getting better, with the success of Parts Unknown, but those little demons of doubt will creep up on you at the most opportune moments.  Nothing like success to remind you it can all come tumbling down in the blink of an eye.  Maybe they already had visited him before and someone had been there to hold his hand until daylight.   He didn't need an open relationship with a much younger woman.  He needed a mum.  

Thank you Tony for all the journeys, the meals, the laughs, and occasionally tears.  In the intro to No Reservations you said:  "I eat.  I write.  I travel. And I'm hungry for more."  You left us hungry for more.