Latest news with #SideA
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dessert made with chicken? This S.F. pastry chef works wonders with unconventional ingredients
My first introduction to the chef Deirdre Balao Rieutort-Louis was a scallop. Served in its shell set over a bed of ice and kelp, it was hard-seared to a mahogany brown. My spoon sliced through it as if it were custard, which makes sense, because it was. This was dessert. Rieutort-Louis was the pastry chef at Aphotic until its closure at the end of last year. In his review of the restaurant, which served seafood as part of every course, my colleague Cesar Hernandez wrote gleefully about her oyster ice cream, 'served on a half shell with tart mignonette foam,' as well as her uni ice cream, also served in its spiny endoskeleton. The scallop dish I had, a squidgy cylinder of pudding with a crackly brûléed crust, tasted of coconut, vanilla and, ever so faintly, scallop. You'll have to take my word for it, but it worked. There was a lot of talent in the kitchen at Aphotic, a Michelin-starred, white tablecloth restaurant full of theatricality, and it's been interesting to see where alums have landed. Parker Brown, the chef de cuisine, recently opened Side A in the old Universal Cafe space. (If you're wondering if it's fine dining, he serves something called a 'garbage salad.') And in March, Rieutort-Louis began her new job at Dalida. Like Ernest, which I reviewed last week, Dalida was a restaurant many readers felt deserved a spot on our Top 100 Restaurants list. Cesar wrote a warm review of the Mediterranean restaurant in 2023, which at the time didn't have a pastry chef. When I visited last year, both desserts that I tried were puddings — one rice, finished under the broiler and topped with caramel, the other a chocolate muhallebi with a swirl of Turkish coffee cream. I enjoyed them both, but they were clearly the types of lower-lift, make-ahead desserts that could be sauced to order and sent out. When chef-owners Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz first approached Rieutort-Louis about taking over pastry at Dalida, they thought it was a long shot. They were friends with her from culinary school, but Rieutort-Louis' path had taken her firmly in the direction of fine dining. To their great surprise, she said yes, and her presence in the kitchen is a game changer. Desserts are now an order of magnitude more complex and composed, with multiple elements on the plate. A tribute to vişneli ekmek tatlısı, a Turkish dessert of bread soaked in sour cherry syrup, features a layer of white chocolate anise cream sandwiched between the two magenta milk bread layers, a caramelized almond and amaretto ice cream, and a shard of anise meringue set over the top at a jaunty angle, like a hat at a royal wedding. There are edible flowers. My immediate thought when I read the description for the tavuk göğsü — a 'chicken and milk pudding' — was that Rieutort-Louis was once again dreaming up desserts featuring ingredients that should reasonably not be on the dessert menu. But tavuk göğsü, our server explained, is a traditional Ottoman delicacy, with boiled and pulverized chicken breast acting as a thickener in much the way that gelatin might. (This was a particular win for my dining companion, Zaynab Issa, as the dish was halal.) It was both a triumph and like nothing I've ever had before. The silky pudding, set into a thin sheet, rolled into a cylinder and brûleed, dissolved on the tongue, leaving behind the taste of cinnamon, not chicken. Paired with a strawberry-lemon sorbet and a neat pile of strawberries, it is a bewitching dessert, whether you're a Protein Bro or not. That's not to say Rieutort-Louis isn't up to her old tricks. When I visited in April, she told me she was working on a tzatziki ice cream, and I see there's a cantaloupe granita with feta and dill as well. If I didn't know who was in the kitchen, I'd be worried, but Rieutort-Louis can feed me whatever madness she wants.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The movie marketing mania
I met Kamal Haasan for an interview last Friday in Chennai for his much-awaited movie, Thug Life. The next day, he was at Sri Sai Ram College along with the entire team for the film's audio launch. On Sunday, he was present at the finals of a popular musical reality contest, Vijay's Super Singer Junior 10. In between these two big music events, I decided to watch an IPL match. Sure enough, Mr. Haasan was there on TV too, at a special programme hosted by Star Sports Tamil featuring the Thug Life team. 'I enjoy talking. It's a learning experience for me, because only when I talk, people get an opportunity to correct me,' he told me, when I pointed out his hectic travel schedule for the film's promotions. It is hard to escape the film and its team, as Thug Life's PR game has been on an overdrive in the last few weeks. I'm sure even die-hard fans of Mani Ratnam and Mr. Haasan are tired of it. At the same time, it is also heartening to watch a 70-year-old Haasan croon old melodies with a little girl, or shake a leg to a fast-paced number on stage. The world has changed a lot over the last 20 years when I began as a rookie reporter. I remember attending the launch of Mr. Haasan's Mumbai Xpress. The invite to the event was quirky: it was printed on a fake ₹500 currency note. The title read 'Raajkamal Bank of India' — a reference to both the Reserve Bank of India and his production house, Raajkamal Productions. The line below said: 'I promise entertainment for the entire family'. Before the age of mobile phones and social media, information about a film or album was scarce, so film-makers went all out to market their films in person. Some adopted traditional ways of promoting their films, such as through newspaper advertisements, while some were others were more innovative. Promotional material used to be a collector's delight. Cassettes in the 1990s gave us a quick peek into what to expect: the audio cassette of Shankar's Jeans, with music by A.R. Rahman, was packed in denim in 1998. I remember walking into a neighbourhood shop to buy a special edition audio cassette of Laysa Laysa in 2003. Priced at ₹10 at a time when cassettes cost around ₹50, it had just two versions of the title song in its Side A and Side B, serving as a curtain-raiser for the album composed by Harris Jayaraj. In contrast, today's audio invites arrive as WhatsApp notifications. Over time, promotions became more and more geared towards grabbing eyeballs. I remember the buzz surrounding the launch of Madraspattinam in 2010 — the invite featured old maps of Madras and old currency, and the venue of the event, Chennai Trade Centre, was transformed into the Madras of the 1940s, replete with soldiers and people marching along shouting slogans. Actors too have various promotion styles. While Rajinikanth did not personally promote Kabali, the 2016 film was a massive hit in terms of promotions. Mr. Rajinikanth's face was everywhere, from billboards to aircraft. Parthiban has always been the most wacky. Attendees to his Iravin Nizhal audio launch in 2022 were greeted with a mouth organ, while the invite to Teenz (2024) came with a large ruler and pen. On the other hand, actors such as Ajith and Nayanthara stay away from promotions. Today's launches are aimed at digital audiences. 'Singles' and 'hook steps' rule the roost. Unlike earlier, people unfortunately seldom wait for an entire album with songs in different genres to drop. Songs themselves are chopped up in films given our dwindling attention spans. The goal seems to be to come up with a catchy line and a distinctive dance that will go 'viral' on Instagram. So much so that the team of Thug Life had a 'Thugfluencers' event in Chennai recently, and reels of Mr. Haasan flooded Instagram feeds. Is there any place where Kamal Haasan, aka Vinveli Nayagan (Space Hero), is not present? srinivasa.r@
Irish Post
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Traditional music meets the unknown on Ultan O'Brien's latest album
The wonderful paradox underpinning Ultan O'Brien's new album Dancing the Line is its ability to sound both familiar and completely new at the same time—holding each half of the contradiction as equally true. That seems about right: there are six traditional tunes and seven new compositions by O'Brien, written in Leitrim and Clare between 2023 and 2024. The new and the old are balanced against each other. O'Brien was raised in the musical tradition of his home in County Clare and has played and recorded with acts such as John Francis Flynn, Skipper's Alley, and Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin. There's a strong connection with Clare throughout the album: most tracks were recorded at Malbay Studios in the county, and field recordings from nearby Whitestrand, close to Miltown Malbay, feature heavily. Meanwhile, The Four Courts comes from the playing of Nell Galvin, who was born in Clare and to whom O'Brien dedicates the tune. He wastes no time getting straight into the thick of things, opening Side A with Iron Mountain Foothills , showing the depth of sound available on the alternatively tuned alto fiddle used throughout the album. "I found that the resonance and growl of this lower-tuned instrument sat me perfectly into the sound-world I wanted to be in, giving vibrancy to my own compositions and nestling into the traditional music I grew up with," O'Brien said of his decision to switch to the alto fiddle for Dancing the Line . Nic Gareiss's percussive dance, which first appears on the fourth track, The Boyne Hunt —a song O'Brien first heard on the 1951 Alan Lomax recording of Séamus Ennis—energises proceedings. The shuffle of his feet provides a real sense of urgency during the album's busier moments. On The Four Courts , the dance sounds at times like the deep breaths of a concertina's bellows, driving O'Brien's fiddle onward. There are striking moments throughout, particularly when O'Brien suddenly shifts the mood: the abrupt tempo change in Wayside Wonders , or the transition from The Four Courts to Rolling in the Barrel , for example. The Forde Collection—a canon of pre-Famine traditional Irish music noted by William Forde—also provides three traditional tunes on Side A: It Was in the Year Eighteen Hundred and Four (though O'Brien notes it's unclear what happened in 1804) and the uplifting pairing of the jigs Domhnall na Griana and The Butcher's March . Beyond the exuberant jigs, O'Brien offers expansive slow airs that explore the experimental side of his playing as the record shifts to Side B—O'Brien marking a clear delineation between the two halves. Packie's Pandemonium , from the playing of Packie Manus Byrne from Ardara, opens the second half. It's a luscious track of synth-like, sustained vibrato, followed by the equally rich Banbha's Ruins , with its ebbing and flowing melody. Martin Green's accordion provides an atmospheric accompaniment, blending with O'Brien's electronic flourishes. These are followed by the album's most experimental pieces: Down in Whitestrand , Secret House in Fintra Beg , and Death Doula Meet close the album. Each features field recordings from Whitestrand near Miltown Malbay, or friends in conversation. You can hear the shared influence with John Francis Flynn on these tracks—it wouldn't be surprising to hear Secret House in Fintra Beg bleed into Flynn's version of The Zoological Gardens . These final tracks, with their found sounds overlaid on ambient soundscapes, owe as much to Brian Eno as to traditional music—which is no bad thing. The result is a stunning and frequently surprising album that presents a vision of music rooted in the traditional genre, yet unafraid to reach beyond its boundaries for inspiration. Dancing the Line is out now on Nyahh Records available HERE See More: Fiddle Music, Irish Traditional Music
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
New S.F. bistro mixes Midwestern comfort food with vinyl DJs
A new San Francisco bistro is bringing together Midwestern comfort foods and the hip aesthetic of Japanese listening bars under one roof in the Mission District. Side A will open on May 1 at 2814 19th St., the former home of longtime brunch favorite Universal Cafe. The restaurant is the first joint venture for couple Caroline and Parker Brown, who have, respectively, worked in the music and restaurant industries. He was most recently the chef de cuisine at Aphotic, the dark, Michelin-starred seafood temple in SoMa which closed last winter (but may resurface in Jackson Square). Parker, who grew up eating kspinach-artichoke dip with his family, says that while the kitchen will use choice Bay Area produce, dishes will definitely have Midwestern heartiness. 'It's going to be more of a pork chops and applesauce and less of an avocado toast thing,' Parker said. He called the short rib Parisian gnocchi his 'ode to the Chicago beef sandwich.' The puffy pasta bites come in a bowl with morsels of beef and a giardiniera, briny Italian pickles. It has undergone refinements and variations over the years, but he still takes pride in it being the first dish he ever put on a menu as a sous chef. 'It's near and dear to my heart,' he said. Other dishes may include classic steaks and fried chicken cutlets topped with chicories and served with a honey mustard sauce. A cheeseburger will feature a thick patty, Tomales Farmstead Kenne cheese and red onion jam on an Acme sesame bun. A generous scrape of bone marrow adds plenty of richness. Not every dish will be so rich, however. Vegetarian dishes include eggplant with french lentils and topped with pickled summer squash. The 'garbage' salad is a mix of lettuce, pork belly confit, feta and dilly beans tossed with a wine vinaigrette. It comes topped with a quartered hard-boiled egg. Though menu prices weren't yet determined, the Browns say affordability is one of the goals for Side A. 'It allows diners to become regulars and eat here more than once,' Caroline said. Parker was born in Milwaukee, so the bar will always keep bottles of Miller High Life, along with a selection of seven other beers. There will also be an emphasis on wines from California and Italy, with a list of about 40 selected by beverage partner Paul Chung. Non-alcoholic beverages will include classic Arnold Palmers and lemonades incorporating house-made shrubs. The bar counter will be active all day long on weekdays. The Coffee Movement, one of the Bay Area's top destinations for coffee, will be serving drinks on weekday mornings, as well as homemade doughnuts. Landing a lease for the Universal Cafe space is a full circle moment for the Browns. Caroline moved to San Francisco in 2017, and her first job in the city was nearby. The popular restaurant's crowd of regulars and warmth reminded her of her native Chicago. 'I knew this was the type of restaurant we wanted to open someday,' she said. The Browns had inquired about the space in 2021 and in 2023 with no luck. It wasn't until this year that a series of connections helped them to land in space. 'It's very special to do Side A here,' she said. The space got a revamp led by neighboring designers Studio Ahead. The result is a clean, sleek look that maintains the same feel as the former tenant, with plenty of natural light. Caroline pointed to some of the wood cuts which remain in place, though some have been used to line the bottom of the bar. Metal shop 280 West made some of the new metal design pieces inside the dining room. The clean white marble tables and bartop will also remain in place. Side A's dining room can seat 28 inside plus eight outside. Bar seating will be walk-in only and include 11 chairs. The chic look sets the stage for the musical programming. Caroline has been a DJ since she moved to San Francisco, though the Browns have collected records since they met. Caroline will pull from their library, which includes titles picked up on trips to England, Italy and Mexico. Expect to hear soul, funk and disco grooves with some jazz and rock and roll mixed in during cafe and dinner service. 'It's all to remain authentic and really feel like you're at a dinner party in our home,' Caroline said. She added that there are plans to bring in DJs on the weekends. As cool as all of this may sound, the Browns want the vibe to be down-to-earth and welcoming. 'We're Midwesterners, man. We're going to give you a hug no matter how you're dressed,' Parker said. Side A. 2814 19th St., Opening May 1. 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Monday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
Express Tribune
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
No Shikwa with Talhah Yunus so far
Guess who's back? That's right, it's Young Stunners' Talhah Yunus with an album of Iqbal-esque complaints, and let's just say, I'm bopping my head even as I write this. There's something delightfully cinematic about Shikwa (Side A), Talhah Yunus' long-awaited solo album dropped on Friday; a collection of ten tracks which feels like a smouldering monologue delivered under a flickering street lamp in Karachi, cigarette burning, pistol on the table. It's noir rap. It's desi existentialism in an expensive leather jacket. And it's Yunus' most compelling declaration of self yet. The album opens not with an invitation but a warning. Gangsters slink in with Wazir Patar's rusty-slick Punjabi verse and Rap Demon's biting delivery. The beat is dark, oily, and Yunus doesn't rap so much as stalk through the track, delivering bars like he's loading bullets. It's a swaggering setup and a clever misdirection. Because just when you expect an album full of smoke and fire, Yunus pivots toward something far more emotionally layered. Musically, Shikwa (Side A) walks a fine line between drill-inspired aggression and melancholic reflection. The mixing is clean but not sterile: basslines thump without overpowering, and the beats across tracks show a careful commitment to restraint. You don't get the hyper-saturated maximalism of commercial hip-hop here. Instead, producers Umair and Jokhay curate a moodboard of icy synths, ambient textures, and pocketed drums that allow space for Yunus' voice: low, steady, often more pained than proud. Somewhere between Takeover and Fancy, the persona of "Talhah Yunus" starts to fracture. Yes, he flexes with his signature iced-out confidence, nods to influence, lyrical stunt work. But listen closer, and Yunus keeps doubling back, questioning the very world he's painting gold. The writing is introspective, often self-critical. Nowhere is this clearer than in Shopping, where a bouncy, almost pop-like beat camouflages a growing cynicism. Karachi is my home and my warzone, it spits, flipping the consumerist thrill into something that feels more like survival. Talk to him, he talks back Guess Who's Back drops like a villain re-entering halfway through the story. But this isn't just a triumphant return. Yunus isn't hungry for the charts; he's clawing back a sense of self. There's a studied layering here: each verse glances back at his past work but refuses to get nostalgic. This is not the Young Stunners of Burger-e-Karachi, this is a more bruised, more bitter narrator trying to find coherence in contradiction. And the collaborations aren't just for show. Dawgs with Talha Anjum sounds like a conversation between two old friends: coded, world-weary, intimate. The chemistry is still there, but it simmers rather than sparks. Then there's Happen, where Faris Shafi delivers razorwire poetry with all the weight of a confession booth. Yunus meets him in that vulnerability, and together they flip the beat into a space of disorientation and regret. Happen is a moment of emotional disarmament in an otherwise controlled album. The sonic palette shifts in interesting ways, too. 100% injects Shareh's laid-back delivery into a beat that leans more lo-fi than trap. It's a palette cleanser, chai on a hot day, while Majaal, with Shamoon Ismail's honeyed hook, is almost airborne in its smoothness. These tracks are tonal contrast, and Yunus uses them smartly, punctuating the record with moments of lightness that never drift into frivolity. And then there's Shikwa, the closer and the namesake. It's the album's anchor, a track that sounds like a sigh turned into song. Layered with Urdu poetry, the verse, "Kya hi shikwa karein phir, teri ghalti nahi hai," lands like a heart quietly breaking. The production drops out just enough to let the emotion breathe. It's the kind of track you sit with long after it ends. Deconstructing a heartbreak What's especially clever is how Shikwa (Side A) retroactively speaks to Shikwa (Side B), released last year in a chronology-flipping move. Side B was all heartbreak and smoke; a post-mortem on love and loss. Side A is the build-up, the swagger, the denial, the grand illusions before the crash. If Side B was the aftermath, Side A is the ego's final stand. Taken together, they form a nonlinear heartbreak, a rap duology that says: here's what went wrong, and here's who I was before I knew it had. Ultimately, Shikwa (Side A) does what most solo rap debuts can't: it tells a story only Talhah Yunus could tell. There's plot, mood, character, and critique. There's wordplay and world-building. It's not perfect but it's deliberately imperfect, and that's what makes it honest. Is it okay to ask for a Side C? If it happens, it had better bring tissues and a body bag. Because if this is just the beginning of the shikwa, we're not ready for the jawab. Shikwa (Side A) is now out on YouTube and Spotify.
