While shopping for ingredients to make teriyaki chicken in Sainsbury’s yesterday I came past some duck breast and decided to try using duck instead. I found a teriyaki chicken recipe online and just substituted chicken for duck. I also made a couple of other minor substitutions to the recipe since I didn’t have all the ingredients. Luckily, it ended up tasting pretty good.

Here’s the recipe:

• 2 duck breasts with skin on (about 300 grams)
• 4 tablespoons of sake (rice wine)
• 4 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice

Combine the ingredients and marinate the duck breasts in the refrigerator for about an hour. Heat some oil in a fry pan and fry the duck breasts skin down on medium heat until the skin is brown and crispy. If the duck is browning too quickly turn the heat down a little. Turn the duck over and fry the other side on low heat. After about 10 minutes add the remainder of the marinade to the pan and cook until the sauce thickens. Remove the duck and allow to rest for a few minutes. Slice the duck and serve with steamed rice, brocolli and a slice of pan fried pineapple.

I was walking through Westferry Circus Gardens today in Canary Wharf and saw this little squirrel scavenging for food in the trash bin and hopping around as squirrels do. I snapped away with my camera trying to get a few decent shots in which is never easy with squirrels since they rarely stay still for long.

We don’t have squirrels in Australia, just possums so I always get a little excited whenever I see them in the parks around London. They’re such cute little creatures.

I just got back yesterday from Barcelona, Spain where my girlfriend and I spent the long weekend. Luckily for us, it was warm and sunny for the entire weekend. It was so nice to be out in a t-shirt for a change.

To get around we walked heaps and used the fabulous Barcelona Bus Turistic, the official sightseeing bus that takes you on predefined routes that cover Barcelona’s main tourist attractions. It made getting around so easy.

Some of the attractions we visited included Tibidabo mountain, Antoni Gaudí’s famous architectural masterpieces; the Casa Mila, Park Güell garden complex and the absolutely massive and spectacular Sagrada Família cathedral which is still under construction and has been since 1882. The cathedral’s construction is said to be dictated by the availability of funds from anonymous donations and as a result, construction is expected to continue until at least 2026.