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Sailing dates for tavolotwelve in barca are live for 2024! Want to receive more info? Reply directly to this email and I’ll send you the full brochure. A brief overview can be found on the tavolotwelve website.
A voice note for you…
Just around the river bend…
I’d like to tell you I’m not breaking into song, but it’s hard to tell a lie. You see, growing up with the 1995 film, Pocahontas, engrained the soundtrack’s lyrics into my memory bank. Lyrics that, when you hear a phrase that’s similar in sound, you suddenly break into said song. Maybe it’s because this song is so urgent - something is just around the river bend, she says. It’s just there, in reach. Will she get there? She has so many questions left hanging towards the end of the song and we know the answers wait for her just around the river bend. To be honest, when I started typing the title for this section I really meant to type “just around the corner”, but here we are. Just around the river bend, and my gosh, can I relate. What’s coming? What’s next? And just like that, we’ve spiraled and you’ve had to endure a little 90s kid rant with subliminal messages about the future. But, my 5 year old niece loves this “old” version of Pocahontas so, it’s safe to say I’m not that old yet…or am I? Well, just around the river bend and time will tell.
All of this to say, winter’s official end date is just around the corner. Although, Sim Moment (as my favorite podcasters on Armchair Expert say) because in celebration of winter’s official end, I’m offering a winter special for our sailing experience which just so happens to obviously take place on the water (yikes, if it didn’t). So did river bend somehow sneak into my subconscious?…I mean, who’s pulling the strings up there?
We’re getting off track here. I was saying that winter’s official end is in 49 days which means you have 49 days to book our sailing experience with 10% off! We’re sailing to the islands just off of Rome - the islands of Ponza and Palmarola. And since we’re fast approaching the sailing season, I figured it was probably a good time for you to look into your summer travel plans. We’re offering 10% off your booking between now and winter’s official end date, March 20th! So if you’ve been silently thinking about this trip or just needed a little sign to start thinking about summer travel, here it is. Think about it this way, your boat is your hotel, sun bed, restaurant, spritz machine, and fun starter pack for the week! We’ve included almost everything you need which allows you to sit back, relax, eat mozzarella, sip a glass of wine, paddle board, snorkel, sunbathe, hike…the list goes on. And if you’re not convinced than I’m sure it’s not you, it’s the Vitamin D deficiency speaking.
How does it work? We’ll come up with available dates together, you’ll arrive in Italy, and we’ll sail to Ponza! It’ll all look a little something like this…
• 5 nights, 6 days on your private and beautiful sailboat
• All meals by private chef (me) on board
• Aperitivi fixings, wine, beer, and mock-tails on board with meals and snacks
• Private group transfer to and from Rome to the port
• Wine tasting at a local Ponzese winery + any guided tours we arrange
• Snorkeling equipment & paddle board to explore the sea & grottos
• tavolotwelve welcome treats to help you settle into life at sea
Still have questions? I’d be concerned if you didn’t! Let’s set up a Zoom call to go through all the details. No questions is too small, too big, or too silly (love a silly question).
Sail. (queue the song by AWOLNATION and will blame it on my ADD, which up until this point I’ve never officially had. Haven’t heard that song in a moment but here we are. Send help, ha!)
Moving week
We are one week away from our moving day! New flat, here we come! The flat is actually on a river bend. Oh gosh. I’ll stop. But seriously, the flat looks over the River Thames and I couldn’t be more excited to see water again from my living room window. I grew up seeing the sea each morning so this special nod to my home fills me with so much joy. I think anything that gives you a sense of home in a place that’s so far away should be held close. Growing up as a beach kid in a small town was special, to say the least, and I’ll always be that girl, a Jersey girl. And so, when we found this flat in London, I automatically knew that seeing the tides wash in and out would be a special way to ease some of that homesickness that always lingers, no matter how happy you are to build a life outside of home home.
The skies are blue in London as I type this newsletter to you. I must say that we’ve had some beautiful sunny days this winter, I will hand it to London. There’s been more sunny days than I’ve experienced over the years of either living or visiting England during the winter months. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s grey its grey and miserable. But I have a note to whoever is pulling the Sim strings up there - we like the sunshine, a lot, so if you could somehow keep it coming, that would be great. The days are chilly and brisk which is acceptable when the sun shines - I’d rather see the sun and blue sky than not. What’s it like in your part of the world? I’m curious to know…and please don’t tell me your on a beach (or else…).
In an effort to not pack more boxes, I have taken approximately several walks per day. Between constant job applications (television friends, got any work for your girl?!), working on website glitches, marketing, and pretending to be a lawyer and writing my own legal jargon, I’ve made some surprisingly delicious snacks. I’m currently eating high amounts of ginger at the moment. It’s fresh, zingy, spicy, and makes me feel like I’m fighting off the constant influx of colds that seem to fly through the city like little bouncing balls, picking up people like a game of jacks. Whether it’s true or not, I feel slightly healthier and I guess that’s all that matters. Without further ado and before I continue to procrastinate even more-so, I bring to you my bright and zingy coconut salmon with chili, ginger, lemongrass, and lime.
Coconut salmon with chili, lemongrass, ginger and lime
This dish is warming with bright flavors that make you feel like it’s not actually the dead of winter. Add any vegetables you’d like and swap out the salmon for a protein of your choice. I’m certain this would be delicious with tofu, chicken, prawns, or simply with just vegetables. I served mine with jasmine rice stirred throughout but you could add rice noodles or even leave those options out and let the coconut sauce become a soup. The choice is yours so make it, plate it, and enjoy!
Serves 2
Ingredients
1-2 salmon steaks
1 stalk of lemongrass, bashed with your knife
1 clove of garlic, diced and made into a paste
1 large chunk of ginger, about 2 inches. Finely dice half and julienne the other half for garnish later.
2 tsp of honey or brown sugar
2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp of tomato paste
4 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 small red chili, thinly sliced. Mild in heat or to your liking
2 Tbsp of fish sauce
1 lime, for grating and juice
1 can of coconut milk (400ml)
1 cup of cooked jasmine rice
5 mushrooms, sliced in half
1 pak choi (bok choy) sliced in half
Thai basil or basil for garnish
Cook’s note: cook your rice or noodle prior to adding to the coconut soup base as the starches in either the rice or noodles will quickly soak up the liquid and you’ll be left with a dry and starchy rice/noodle dish. Alternatively you could cook the rice in the coconut liquid but you’d have to add a good amount of water to the coconut liquid which would then need additional seasoning to keep those delicious flavors you’ve created. Pre-cooking the rice/noodles proved to be a simpler step, in my opinion.
Method
In a large pot, add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic paste, finely diced ginger, chili (to your liking), bashed lemongrass and curry leaves and allow to gently simmer, releasing the aromatics. After about 3 minutes add the honey and tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the can of coconut milk and bring to a simmer, making sure to whisk out any lumps that might have formed from the tomato paste. After about 10 minutes of infusing, add the fish sauce. Continue to gently simmer with a lid on.
While the coconut milk infusion is simmering, season the salmon and bring a frying pan to a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Quickly sear the salmon, making sure not to cook through but only to create a bit a browning. Remove the salmon from the heat. Add the mushrooms and pak choi to the coconut milk sauce and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the lemongrass.
Next, add the rice or noodle of your choice to the coconut milk sauce. Give the rice a gentle stir and allow the starch to create a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat on the pot and add the salmon on top. Put the lid back on the pot and allow the salmon to finish steam cooking for another 5 minutes.
Garnish with grated lime, a lime wedge, sliced ginger, and basil. Enjoy!
Until next time at a standing reservation…
With love & snacks,
Paige
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Need a happy moment?
Next week’s newsletter will be about all things Paris. But for now, I’ll leave you with this teaser, a view of the Eiffel Tower from a very unexpected spot we went to for “tea”.