Chopped Chilies: Slithering outta Jan
Tiny treats 🍬
APW - It’s highly unlikely that anyone reading this is headed to Kuala Lumpur anytime soon but if you are, you must go to APW. I’m always eager to try new restaurants (RIP Small Shifting Space) when I’m home and APW scratches that exact itch. An old printing press converted into a mixed-use lifestyle space (comparable to Platform here in LA), it’s the perfect place for some retail therapy followed by an afternoon of al fresco drinks. Favorites include local streetwear brand (and friends) Pestle & Mortar, Malaysian-Japanese fusion Waig (where we celebrated my parents’ anniversary) and the pizza at Proof (great natty wine selection too).
Dinner at Waig: yes, I got a blue drink and yes it was delicious. Neptune’s Grotto - on our last evening in Sydney, Peter and I hopped the ferry from Watsons Bay. We had no plans and no reservations (a potential fool’s errand on a Saturday) but thanks to a tip from friends Avery and Josh, wandered into Neptune’s Grotto. I love restaurants like this - subterranean, a devastatingly sexy- but-vibrant-black lacquer den with a killer disco playlist (I Shazamed at least four songs). We snagged two bar seats and watched the theatrics of the well-oiled kitchen. Because everyone in Sydney is effusive and friendly, the chefs enthusiastically answered our barrage of questions and kindly guided our order (washed down with sparkling rosé). 10/10 dining experience.
Saved as inspo for my at-home bar The Haneida airport - as you may recall, I was overserved on my KL-Tokyo flight and arrived in Haneida worse for wear. I have previously only flown through Narita and the last thing you want to do drunk and bound towards an inferno is navigate a new airport. But if you must, Japan is as good as it gets. Everything is streamlined and pristine. By the time I stumbled into the ANA lounge (five stars for the Mr. Chow adjacent post-modern interior and slow jazz) desperate for some udon, my nerves were considerably less frayed. I also picked up some very cute souvenirs (cat-shaped dish sponges, a very cute hairbrush and peach teddy bear gummies) but most importantly, I didn’t miss my connecting flight home.
Michel & Augustin shortbread cookies - I did a half-dry Jan and these were very helpful in lieu of a glass of red. I picked these up on on a grocery run (yes the pink packaging got me) and they are delightful. I have eaten so many of these damn cookies just to feel something and you know what? Zero regret. Some months are for housing dark chocolate squares wrapped in cute buttery envelopes and Jan was it for me.
Try to resist this packaging These fuzzy Bombas. I first read about Bombas in Jonathan Waxman’s “Can’t Live Without” Strategist feature and decided to give them a try; if an avowed cashmere sock-wearer was making the switch, I figured Bomba was doing something right. That was five years ago and I’ve been a convert since. They’re all great but I recently discovered these furry ones, a hybrid sock/slipper that are equally plush inside as they are out. Think of them as PJ’s for your feet.
Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum - Malaysia is very humid which means a new skincare regimen while I’m visiting. I grabbed this on a whim at my local Guardian (drugstore chain; Watsons is the other fav) and it far exceeded any expectations. It has a jelly-like texture going on but absorbs instantly, leaving no tacky residue. Even back in arid LA, it’s giving my skin that plump, bouncy feel. It’s so good I skipped my de rigueur duty-free bottle of SKII.
(click here for 10% off if you’re keen to try)Gore Vidal’s general vibe - I packed Myra Breckinridge on my holiday and was NOT disappointed. This is a wild book (the titular Myra is a gorgeous trans woman, hell-bent on conquering Hollywood and dismantling the patriarchy, one acting class at a time) but I was just as delighted by Camille Paglia’s intro.
”At La Rondinaia, his cliffside villa in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast, Vidal had a settled routine: work in the morning, sex in the afternoon, friends in the evening. Many observers have testified to how “disciplined” he was about writing every morning, even with a hangover.”
Something to aspire to! Ryan Murphy, do your thing.
The Vintage French Farmhouse - I watched this in-flight and while I hate to give you a rec with no actionable steps (unless you have access to BBC, in which case lucky you, and send me your login, thanks), this show is too charming not to share. Three ameteur antique dealers hole up in a rustic French farmhouse and are tasked with finding three items at the local markets to then photograph and list. The dealer with the highest bidders wins the contest. In the vein of Bake Off, the profit margins are razor thin (these aren’t high end antiques, which makes the whole thing very daffy and a lot more fun) and they’re doing it purely for the love. All in all a very wholesome watch.
Daniel Roseberry’s thoughts on modernism.
I'm so tired of everyone constantly equating modernity with simplicity: can’t the new also be worked, be baroque, be extravagant? Has our fixation on what looks or feels modern become a limitation? Has it cost us our imagination?
If you know me well, you know my feelings on the prefab (fab used loosely here) white farmhousification of LA - we are losing the recipes! We get but one precious life, why not festoon it with ribbons, accoutrements, why not fly a little close to the sun! Leave homogenization in 2024 and embrace your inner freak (I myself am contemplating re-painting my study a moody eggplant or burgundy, wine not amirite?)
We did it! We finally made it through January y’all. Remember Feb is a fresh start too, let’s go forth with that feeling.