Family Affairs

ARMEN’S CAFE, SOUTHAMPTON, ONTARIO

My lovely cousin in Canada has just written a review of one of her favourite places in the world:-

“Food is about trust, security, and feeling good about yourself and the world.
Armen Higgins understands that. After spending several years as a chef at some
of the culinary hot spots of the posh ski-resorts of Alberta and British
Columbia, he came back to the picturesque lake-side town of Southampton,
Ontario, where he grew up , to set up his own shop.

He chose a narrow two-level loft for his restaurant and named it “Armen’s Cafe”.
Inside, he covered the walls with photographs from his travels, paintings by
local artists, a collection of vintage hardware and World War I memorabilia.
Upstairs the walls are decorated with antique Armenian rugs (his mother was
Armenian) and printed silk scarves from India. A pair of skis hang from the
balustrade.

This sets the tone for the food. The menu runs the gamut from quesadillas, to
eggs benedict, fritatas, borsht, and hummus made in-house. It’s a medley of
tastes and nations and Armen is not one bit self-conscious about it. His
restaurant is what one may call fusion, but mostly it reflects the owner’s
adventurous spirit. He is unabashed about his use of spices – they are by no
means overpowering, but quite assertive in most of his dishes. To some, the
abundance of greens and alfalfa sprouts creates the impression that “Armen’s”
is an “alternative”, or green” food place. Armen definitely offers many
extremely attractive options for vegetarians, but his choice of ingredients is
unrestricted, except by culinary and practical considerations. Don’t be fooled
by the casual atmosphere – behind every bite is Armen’s steady hand that
guarantees quality and consistency. Taste, presentation, fast and friendly
service, all speak of a consummate pro. Smiling and chatting with the patrons,
Armen makes it look easy, but he definitely does not take it easy.Very little
escapes his attention. That is why his establishment is thriving after eight
years in business.

“Armen’s Cafe” is known far beyond the limits of the county. Once, as a joke, at
the beginning of the cottage season, Armen put up a “for sale” sign in his
window. Frantic calls came from as far as Toronto, which is 150 miles away.

Armen also finds time to nurture a new generation of food experts. His manager,
Jenn McLaughlin, started behind the counter, but, spurred on by Armen and her
own curiosity, gradually developed a passion for pastry-making. As a result, on
any given day you might be suprised by pasteis de nata – the famous Portuguese
custard tarts, Moroccan sesame cookies, or some other delectable dessert, on
top of the regular dessert line-up. The twenty-five year old Jenn is absolutely
fearless when it comes to tackling demanding recipes. The expression “labour
intensive” is an invitation, not a turn off. Jenn also designs menues for
Armen’s world cuisine nights and follows through on every little detail, from
writing down the ideas to personally waiting on the guests, making sure that
they are happy and satisfied. The attention to each and every customer is
definitely a hall-mark of “Armen’s”.

If you are ever in our corner of the world, drop by. You will see that great
chefs can be found anywhere.

AUSCHWITZ TOUR

My daughter had the most amazing time in Poland. Enjoyed her stay with a family friend and loved Krakow and the festivals and food and stuff……
She came back with many, many stories and lots of photographs. She had presents for everybody – shot glasses for her older brother, packets of strange jellied drinks [...]

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MACKEREL FISHING ON THE ALGARVE – POST NOTE

My son did in fact catch a mackerel on our fishing trip and was unbelievably delighted to have done so:-

Then we found a starfish:-

Silly poses that the skipper decided to encourage:-

Starfish on daughter:-

Starfish on son:-

Starfish on me:-

Starfish on sadly not my bottom – teenage bottom:-

Followed by starfish back in the sea….

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HOME AGAIN….

Home again. Disappointingly I’ve managed to peak too early. I’ve now got the prospect of the rest of the summer stretching ahead of me with no other plans. I’m not going anywhere else. My children are going to be doing some other stuff and will be spending a week of their [...]

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“BISTR’EAU RYON” NEW RESTAURANT IN LE LAVENDOU, SOUTH OF FRANCE

I just have to tell you about Alain Ryon and his new restaurant, Bistr’eau Ryon. This is mainly because the friends I was staying with in France last week are very, very good friends of his – but also because he and his wife have found one of the best locations ever to open [...]

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LONDON

My cousin, who lives in Canada sent me an email the other day about her experience in London. I thought it was an interesting and appealing historical take on an alternative tourist outlook:-
Here she is with Paddington Bear and her son:-
.
“A good writer once said that all his hopes lay in one [...]

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MILLIONAIRE LIFESTYLE ON A BUDGET IN THAILAND

Could you all do me a favour please and click on the following link for a friend of mine who is desperately in need of a free holiday – she is a travel writer and has written an article about travelling in Thailand on a budget.
Travelzoo, publisher of the Top 20, [...]

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