What stop me fr my walking tour all the time.....

heeeee heeeee.....
I want~~~~~~~

Gondola ride....raa.....raaaa....raaaa

This post is dedicated to Mee Mee
whom visited beautiful Venice in 2008
and wondered wat's the big fuss about the ride
:)))))))))))))
it was on our to do list :))))))))))))
and we took off after a long long day of walking around the whole of Venice
decided it's time to take some form of transportation without using our poor legs
*esp Monkey's tiny legs*
Madamme Bottega got her own seat as well....
One gondola can seat a max of 6 person

and soon we were transported to smaller canals
and over bridges
and oh yea wearing a Venetian handmade mask and riding a gondola with the fella at the back singing were also in my to do list
:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
JS's to do list is to train me to use his camera :P
hence the stress facial expression
wakakakakkaka
soli lar sir....me can only manage my Leica
the Grand Canal
and we watched sunset over the Grand Canal

building a gondola is a mad mad job...
7 different types of wood were used just to make the hull alone
and it has to be asymetrical
in a way where the left side has greater curve to counterbalance the weight of the gondolier
and the lateral action of the oar

it takes about one month to make one
and a standard gondola cost Euro 20,000 = RM 100,000
a pretty one can cost more than Euro 50,000

and yes I know everyone's been asking..
how much doest it cost to ride one
well it depends on your route....duration.....and your disembark location
watever it is...pls do negotiate

our 45 minute ride cost Euro 110 = RM 550
hmmm....well...
and another thing...it's not as romantic as u think it is :P
unless u hire musicians and a singer on board
kakkakakakkaakaa

MET by Metropole Hotel *2 Michelin Star*

Seafood is very popular in Venice so it's a must have in the list
MET is a very beautiful restaurant in Metropole Hotel
and was just some walking distance away from San Marco
*well anyway u can just walk around the whole of Venice easily*
wat surprised me the most was the "water menu"
with the indication of PH level and mineral content by percentage
and also its nutrients value
and also its origin and tasting notes
-_-"

JS made me chose the water and without any idea I just mini-minor-moh-ed it
JS chose Barbaresco 2004 for the nite and its nose was such a beautiful bouquet
:))))))))))))
we were served this delicate consomme of duck & thyme
*can u imagine how JS shrieked?*
**nyek nyek nyek**
anyway it was very good
followed by braised squid in its natural black ink served with saffron foam and anchovies on top of its crispy bread
the bread here was outstanding....all in small lil bites with 8 different flavours..
u have black charcoal bread, herbs bread, olives bread, shallots bread, saffron bread..
and erm I forgot some other yummy crispy ones.
JS had this first course of scallops
it was injected with juices fr the sea...served on top of mash with mozzarella foam and sevruga caviar...and the crystal sheets that u can see there was the rose candy!!!!
I had the Venetian Style starter of: *fr left to right*
1) deep fried crispy baby crab with fried polenta
2) tartare of fish with cheese and olives
3) Tempura of scallop with Puccini Cocktail
4) mixture of fish
5) really really fresh anchovies with frozen raspberry *this was the best of the lot*
squid ink pasta with oysters and mussels and aragula
sorry I forgot to change the settings of my camera

and I had braised beef cheek drowned with Rabara wine and chestnut pudding
after our main course we still have rooms and ordered the famous traditional risotto
served with tuna tartare and crispy chamomile flower and WASABI ice cream
it broke its mould outta tradition...with tuna tartare???
with wasabi ice cream??
but the combo was very good and tasty and the fresh chamomile flower
I wanted to try their "surprise menu" but it was a 9 courses menu and JS was so fearful of huge dinner -_-"

for dessert we shared this cigar and rum
the round truffle was broken with a fork and smokes soon came out
with aroma of cigar
how innovative...followed by the rum gelle in the clear glass
since we had this dinner about 1.5 months ago...I can't remember wat is this.....

I have a MOLE on my right hand...it just grew outta nowhere a few years ago :P

entrance of MET hotel
Chef Corrado Fasolato really did put the bar high this time
and I bet this had to be the BEST restaurant in VENICE
:)))))))
after all there's only 2 restaurants in Venice with Michelin Stars
will blog bout the other one soon...soon.....SOON!!!!!

MET Restaurant by Metropole Hotel
Riva degli Schiavoni, 4149,
30122 Venezia.
Tel: +39 041 520 5044
*reservations in advance is required*
www.hotelmetropole.com