Marieke's Art of Living

We are often asked where we eat, what we have read or seen, where we shop.
It is a pleasure to share these favourite things.

Current Wishlist of Cookbooks

Anyone curious about the inspiration for and methodolgies and high-tech science pertaining to new wave cooking will be interested in the following books, worthy of being collected as unique windows into culinary wizadry.
2008 and 09 have produced a range of inspiring tomes from culinary luminaries leading a new avant-garde such as Johnny Iuzinni, Grant Achatz, Joel Robuchon and Thomas Keller.
Heston Blumenthal's Big Fat Duck Cookbook of which it has been said: "With an introduction by Harold McGee, incredible colour photographs throughout, illustrations by Dave McKean, multiple ribbons, real cloth binding and a gorgeous slip case, "The Big Fat Duck Cookbook" is not only the nearest thing to an autobiography from the world's most fascinating chef, but also a stunning, colourful and joyous work of art". This is very much more than about achievable recipes for home cooks. It breaks new ground and challenges old food conventions, and all from a self taught and curious cook. If its hefty price tag puts it out of reach then log onto innumerable Youtube classes by Blumenthal or follow his domestically friendly recipes published weekly at TimesOn Line.
Further titles, Alinea by Grant Achatz; Under Pressure by Thomas Keller; A Day at elBulli by Ferran Adria & many more professional books can be sourced at the incomparable Books for Cooks in Fitzroy.

Best Recent Reads: Marieke's Favourite Books

"When we read, when we listen to music, when we immerse ourselves in the flow of an opera, we go underneath the surface of life. Like going underwater the noise stops, and we concentrate differently." Jeanette Winterson
2009 list. In a year when the daily press bespeaks doom and gloom that an intelligent and alert world would have been anticipating, the exciting world of books has been extremely comforting and inspiring and there seems to be an unprecedented plethora of fresh new talent "......in the category of fiction writer who restores to us the entire world, in its infinite complexity and inexorable bitterness."
Bel Canto by Anne Patchett, a ravishing, elegant, operatic read about the triumph of beauty, the thrall of music, humanising connectivenss when under siege.
Linda Olsson’s Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs (aka Astrid + Veronika), a beguiling read that “tells a story of an unusual and unexpected friendship. It describes the strength that is to be found in friendship, the comfort and perhaps the love. It describes how a deep friendship can be found and developed anywhere, anytime, at any stage in our lives and between persons who may superficially seem to have very little in common”. More recently, Sonata for Miriam.
Siri Hustvedt’s What I Loved and more recently The Sorrows of an American. She is a brave and thrilling writer of existential bent, able to explore the interior life, the secrets we carry with us, the construct of memories we make and remake to make sense of ourselves and our legacy and I specially love her profoundly articulated thoughts and descriptions of art practise and the ways that art can be voyeuristic. She appeared at the Adelaide Writer’s Festival in 2008 and a wonderful Coetzee interview with her can be seen on Slow TV.
Orhan Parmuk’s Istanbul. This combined reading one of my currently favourite writers, writing about one of my all time favourite cities. "Part memoir, part cultural history, the vision of his home city that Parmuk presents in this book is occluded by the mists of reminiscence. He tries to make sense of the contested representations of European travellers and Turkish writers, the changing fortunes of Istanbul, and his own place within it." - Alev Adil, The Independent
Recently discovered at the marvellous Jaipur Literary Festival, a new spunky young writer from Mumbai, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi who pirouettes between shyness on stage and boldness on the page, especially when exploring sexual encounters albeit sometimes in purplish prose. Last Song of Dusk and Lost Flamingoes of Bombay.
As we confront and contemplate the emergence of the new Powers, China and India, Being Indian by Pavan K Varma, a potent writer and also an Indian, analyzes the Indian life and psyche attempting impartially to arrive at a Truth about why the twenty first century will be India’s.
Conversations with Arundhati Roy have been collected under the title The Shape of the Beast. Long a heroine for me since both God of Small Things and her activism around the Narmada River’s dam scheme, these unabashedly political perspectives resonate. “In her penetratingly poetic manner, she talks about the hegemonies of state, religion, imperialism, corporate entities and social constructs. All of them have been published before, so in themselves they say nothing new. But collected together they shed light not so much on the nature of the Beasts that democracy, egalitarianism and sheer goodness are up against, but on the woman who dares to outline their shapes”.
For Francophiles and travellers addicted to Paris then two distinguished writers have recently published books that are “must haves” for your next Paris visit. Edmund White’s The Flâneur and Adam Gopnik’s Paris to the Moon, throw a very personal light on her fascinating inhabitants and the seductive backstreets of Paris that you might not otherwise see or find.
Amongst travel reads, I also very much relished the reissue of Jan Morris’ Spain. First written soon after the death of Franco, this slim but dense travelogue of evocative writing still illuminates the fesity soul of this marvellous race, their cuisine, their pride, their history. “A good read for anyone susceptible to "the contagion of Spain".
A veritable feast of enjoyment has also included: The Book Thief, discovering JM Coetzee, Colm Tóibín's The Master, Ondaatje's Divisadero, the page-turner Millennium Trilogy volumes I + II from Stieg Larsson and from Australia: the astounding debut by Nam Le, the chilling thrillers from the pen of Peter Temple, Wanting by Richard Flanagan, Landscape of Farewell by Alex Miller......
2008 List
Favourite book this year: Inhaling the Mahatma by Christopher Kremmer. From the famed author who also wrote "Behind the Bamboo Palace" and "Carpet Wars", and was an ABC Correspondent for years in the Middle East and the Sub Continent, this truly marvellous MUST READ book is an account of the Birth of Modern India, experienced first-hand. In the searing summer of 2004, Christopher Kremmer returns to India, a country in the grip of enormous and sometimes violent change. Embarking on a yatra, or pilgrimage, he travels the dangerous frontier where religion and politics face off. Tracking down the players in a decisive decade, he takes us inside the enigmatic Gandhi dynasty, and introduces an operatic cast of political Brahmins, 'cyber coolies', low-caste messiahs and wrestling priests. A sprawling portrait of India at the crossroads, 'Inhaling the Mahatma' is also an intensely personal story about coming to terms with a dazzlingly different culture, as the author's fate is entwined with a cosmopolitan Hindu family of Old Delhi, and a guru who might just change his life.
Never able to satisfy an inquisitiveness for all things Indian, The Last Mughal is engrossing and compelling, as with everything written by William Dalrymple, and
Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns is also a great sequel to the author's remarkable, deeply moving debut novel, The Kite Runner, the movie of which will be released later this year.

Dining OUT

Oh Calcutta in South Delhi for its modern, lighter and clean interpretation of Bengali cuisine and contemporary aesthetic, rare in a city that does not yet have a strong restaurant culture.
Malabar House in Fort Cochin for its delightful courtyard setting, Mediterranean flourishes, and sparkling fresh fish and seafood in delectable masalas.
Sa.Qua.Na. Only established last last year in the delightfully romantic harbour town of Honfleur in Normandy, Cuisinier, Alexandre Bourdas has already been awarded 1 Michelin star. Influenced by years spent in Japan and able to access superior fish and seafood, this gem of an exquisitely designed little restaurant served one of the most memorable meals I've ever eaten anywhere: a sublime understatement. Un filet de daurade au Curry doux, caviar d'aubergines, moules de bouchot & pralin sec de cacahuètes – Mizuna- recently was a standout.
Le Pré Verre. No visit to Paris is now complete without a meal at this refreshing, affordable, "neo" bistro on Rue Thenard around the corner from the Panthéon and Sorbonne. The brothers Delacourcelle run it vivaciously. Chef, Phillipe, having had years in Asia, brings to his precise cooking of superior produce an original, subtle dosage of oriental spices. Funky art, occasionally great music, and an eclectic wine list including smaller growers in the south of France (also available by the glass), all show remarkable savoir-faire.
Vulcans at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. I would make a pilgrimage across mountain ranges and deserts to eat at Phillip Searle's table. 20 years after first eating with him, I still find him the most exciting, innovative, brilliant -albeit always humble - chef that Australia has ever produced. In the unassuming but cosy space, the large wood-fired oven dictates how many dishes are cooked. Often simple ingredients are transformed into harmonious masterpieces that are a party on the palate. His desserts are without parallel anywhere in the world. Worth the detour, if only for the chequerboard ice cream that he continues to make 15 years after first inventing it!
Fork to Fork at Heronswood is the charming thatched cottage with al fresco terrace at the famed gardens of Diggers in Dromana. Home to Penny and Clive Blazey's vision for model sustainable gardens and a nursery supplying a vast variety of heirloom and Seed Saver seeds, this is a worthwhile detour from Melbourne to enjoy not only the beautiful grounds but also a deeply satisfying lunch that celebrates the flavour of local produce and unusual homegrown vegetables and fruits.

Fashion and Jewellery:

Recent meanderings through the by ways of inner Melbounre led to two delightful encounters with creative spaces:
Gallery Funaki for a wondrous collection of Australian and international contemporary jewellery of impeccable taste in a bijoux gallery off Little Bourke Street and L.E.F.T. in Gertrude Street Fitzroy, for seriously desirable clothing no one else could be wearing.
Relocated to Daylesford from her tusan style studio house in Richmond some years ago, the elusive Sandy Kilpatrick, protege of Matcham Skipper from Montsalvat days, still creates sensuous precious gold jewellery redolent of celtic, aztec, ancient roman origins. Truly stunning collectibles.
If you relish the idea of collaborating with a master jeweller/artist to arrive at a design that speaks to you profoundly, then consider establishing a creative realtionship with Diane Appleby. I have enjoyed years of joyful design projects and have been never less than ecstatic with the bold sensual strong pieces she has crafted exquisitely.
Favourite Shops: latest Paris discovery is the NorieM boutique on 374 rue Saint-Honore near rue Cambon. A salon of contemporary Japanese aesthetic, it showcases some 10 young Japanese designers who combine craft, tradition and high-tech culture in their clothes designs, which are cut to size for the Western woman; as well as a dazzling array of homewares, objets and garden accoutrements. Also the better known fashionista address: L’eclaireur in the Marais, with two outlets: 12 Rue Mahler and 3 Rue du Rosiers, for edited fashion, accessories and the latest designs.

Favourite Designer: Martin Grant, Marieke’s friend from childhood days when his grandmother Nancy taught her to sew and inspired Martin’s creativity, is now feted as one of Paris’ leading couturiers. Recently honoured with a retrospective of his work at the National Gallery in Melbourne, Martin creates exquisitely crafted, understated, timeless, elemental clothes that are superbly constructed, eminently wearable and desirable the world over. You visit his charming atelier in a lovely hôtel particulier in the Marais quarter. Otherwise just feast on his immaculate designs on his web site.

Contemporary Indian Textiles:
Hailing from an illustriously creative line of siblings (“Little” Nell and blockprint artist Cressida), Sally Campbell enjoyed a significant career as a set and costume designer before Home Textiles was launched in November 2005. Sydney homewares guru Melissa Penfold called Sally's first collection museum worthy.

 Sally produce exceptional contemporary and practical textiles that utilize and respect the hand created techniques and the morés of traditional lifestyles. Sally designs a diverse range of home textiles, which have been profiled in the Sydney Morning Herald and Vogue Living. She specialises in reversible quilts, hand-woven in remote villages of West Bengal. Each stage of production from spinning, fabric dyeing, weaving, and stitching is done by hand, so every finished item is unique. Sally's aim is to combine her sense of contemporary design with traditional craft skills.



Like other Western designers working at grass roots level in India, Sally helps provide sustainable income to craftspeople whose livelihood has been endangered by industrialization. Her website offers a superb range on line and Sally also exhibits new collections in galleries around Australia.