Cooking Musician

Cooking Musician Exploring the worlds of music and food, creating beautiful shared moments and connecting people across borders, cultures and languages.

22/04/2026

L’Ail d’Ours, bärlauch, 韭菜, wild garlic… what is it called in your language?

Wild garlic season is here- and fast passing! So I made a big batch of wild garlic pesto which I could use in risotto, soup, pasta and to flavour any number of things.

Next I need to decide what else I want to make before the season passes; dumplings? Ssam? Compound butter? What would you make?

Shout out to and and The Girlfriend Quartet for the music ❤️

Happy cooking, friends!
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19/04/2026

The sushi train is pulling in…!

We have not hit anywhere near the same level of sushi train in Europe (try the amazing cheese train at Pick and Cheese in London instead 😅) as they have in Asia… so my husband was not convinced that Sushiro was going to be good…

But I’d seen so many good things about Sushiro that I finally convinced him to try the one in the neighbourhood where we stay in Taipei and now we’re obsessed!

What do you think is the best sushi train you’ve been to? And has anyone found a good one in North America or Europe?

Happy travels, friends!
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18/04/2026

Epic hot pot with optional cosplay 😉

Totally worth the money to go here- the food was fantastic and my new phone home screen is amazing 😄❤️

The wagyu, pork, tofu, vegetables- everything was fabulous! And the seafood was super fresh; I think we might stick with the meat only next time just since we got too full though 🫣

All this plus unlimited cocktails and a great dipping sauce bar- and dress up space at the end; what more could you ask for?

Shoutout to for the vocals@on the background music, we had a blast jamming last summer!

And to for his video recommending Emperor Palace Hot Pot, he’s got such good Taiwan recommendations!

Happy travels , friends!
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17/04/2026

Peaceful and delicious protest…

Politics forces us to fight, I’d rather sit down and share a meal; good people exist everywhere and I think we should support each other by reaching out to eat, make music and talk to one another.

This meal of Persian lamb (thank you to Elenor Ford and her book The Nutmeg Trail for the recipe) and rice was accompanied by zalouk, a delicious salad of tomato and aubergine dressed with Argan oil. Argan oil was one of the highlights of my trip to Morocco and I encourage everyone to look for traditionally made oil which supports micro businesses, usually run by women.

In addition, I made spinach with pine nuts and raisins and radishes with spring onions with sumac and the olive oil and green beans with olive oil, garlic and mint.

It was wonderful to have our old friend, a retired trumpet player from the Luxembourg Philharmonic, come by with his family while returning to Luxembourg for a visit. Connecting and reconnecting helps keep us to stay positive and feel whole in the world.

Which recipe would you try?
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15/04/2026

Din Tai Fung is one of Taiwan’s most well known exports…

We love it, and while there are other fantastic xiao long bao places, for consistency, it’s pretty unrivaled across the branches in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore…

My experiences in London and Tokyo DTF were disappointing though. And in the 90s we always loved Joe’s Shanghai in NYC, but our last trip there also wasn’t great. I loved Crystal Jade in Singapore too. Anywhere else I should avoid or make sure to try?

Happy travels, friends!
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12/04/2026

Back in the kitchen!

Back from traveling and I jumped straight into the kitchen with one of my family’s favourite dinners…

This is so easy and pretty healthy; it does use a good amount of olive oil, but it’s meatless, protein rich with the cheese, and carb free if you skip dipping bread into the sauce😉

My main tips for this recipe:
1) use salted capers
2) use passata (not cooked down tomato sauce)
3) thinly slice your garlic and don’t let it brown
4) use plenty of good olive oil
5) take out the courgette/zucchini seeds (they make the dish watery)

Happy cooking, friends!
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11/04/2026

Trying new tastes in foods and ideas…

That’s why I love places like this izakaya or at a tapas bar, at mezze, or over long brunches… it’s where we can spend time with friends and family checking out the new and exploring tastes and discussing the world.

Chicken butt, cartilage, and skin are now my favourites and even when I find something I don’t love, it’s great to give it a go- and I’ll probably try it again next time, just to see if my tastes have changed!

Which are some of your favourites?

Happy travels, friends!
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09/04/2026

Music, food, good vibes…

Night time Taipei is absolutely my type of place! The options are endless- wine bars, cool cocktail bars, jazz clubs, local late night restaurants and secret bars and speakeasies… it’s pretty clear I’ve found my spiritual home when I’m here! 😅

Which would be your top place to check out?

Happy travels, friends!
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08/04/2026

Café culture and traditional teahouses…

What a special way to spend a few hours, chatting with friends and drinking either traditional tea from around Taiwan or having a more modern experience and going for a coffee!

My personal favourite for coffee is an iced brown sugar latte but in the tea plantations, the oolongs are most well known here and I’m a particular fan of the Alishan high mountain oolongs.

Which cafe appealed to you the most?

Happy travels, friends!
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06/04/2026

Beef Noodle Soup in Taipei!

It’s not the first time I’ve raved about Master Jim’s- or even my first video… but we keep coming back and I keep telling friends about this legend of a place. Probably to my great regret as it is tiny and the line can snake down the block on a busy day…

But that spicy and numbing broth with loads of Sichuan peppercorns, the hand cut noodles and the perfect beef with plenty of connective tissue and some glossy, chewy tendon to round it out… it cannot be beat.

My husband has been in Taipei for a little while on family business so wanted to try something other than the niu rou mian and went for the chicken and clam which he and his brother thought was as good- next time I want to check out the peeled chili and chicken soup if I can stop myself from ordering my usual 😅

What would you pick?

Happy travels, friends!

03/04/2026

Traditional breakfast in Taiwan at Shijie Soymilk King!

Breakfast is such an interesting meal to compare around the world- some places it barely amounts to anything (I’m looking at you Italy, with your unsalted bread and, admittedly, amazing coffee…!) to the most elaborate spreads of food imaginable (Turkey, you are the champion!).

Here in Taiwan, the traditional breakfast includes clay oven rolls, dumplings, different steamed buns, and, of course, homemade soymilk. Fu Hang Soymilk might be better known, but Soymilk King is our undisputed number one now!

How about you? Favourite breakfast dishes?

Happy travels, friends!
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02/04/2026

Brunch is probably my absolute favourite meal to invite friends to have; anything goes! From fried chicken and waffles to these croissant sandwiches to dim sum to Middle Eastern mezze- any of it works!

These croissant sandwiches have been a part of my ‘best breakfast’ repertoire for 25 years and they are still a hit.

What are your go to brunch favourites?

Happy cooking friends!
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台北市士林區中山北路五段505巷42弄1號
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