Spanish cuisine the latest 'it' food

GIRLS, put on your favourite pair of Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals, grab your partner and step out Spanish style.

From falafel to fettuccine, from French to Finnish, from fresh to fast, food is a fad, subject to the fate of fashion - and following the latest trend allows for fearless fun and fine feasting, flamenco style!

It's sexy, sultry and just a little bit spicy and, according to renowned Brisbane food critic, Jan Power, Spain is the new 'it' place for fabulous and fashionable food, well on its way to being the number one international cuisine in Brisbane.

"Spanish food is the new fashion; it's quite glamorous and it's always been there but now people are discovering it's really worth it," Ms Power said.

"Spanish food is very popular in Brisbane and as we have a similar climate and similar personalities it works because we always need a change in fashion.

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"I'm a total fan of Spain, they do everything well, eating to them is a total social component and something to share."

The Mediterranean diet appears to be in sync with both the Queensland climate and its health conscious, trendy population. The ingredients used in Spanish cooking are known to be fresh, natural and nourishing, with liberal use of herbs, oils and spices delivering scintillating flavours.

Brisbanites are jumping on the Mediterranean bandwagon with nine Spanish restaurants currently operating within a 5 kilometre radius of Brisbane's CBD. Additionally through the popularity of television programs such as Masterchef Australia and My Kitchen Rules, people are becoming more adventurous and trying new delicacies at fine dining eateries and backstreet cafes or even sharing tapas and sangria on their backyard deck.

Cooking classes around Brisbane including Mondo Organics at West End are incorporating classes solely devoted to the craft of learning Spanish cooking, with Chef Paul Horne sharing modern recipes for sophisticated tapas.

Language and Latin dance schools also have more people learning Spanish and the sexy, seductive and sultry moves of the Tango and the Samba. Latin dance teacher Anthea Tert, who's been dancing for 33 years, says the Spanish way of life is taking over as the international flavour in terms of music, culture, food and dance.

"I teach private classes and there has been a huge growth in popularity in the past two years as there are more people wanting to learn just for fun," Mrs Tert said.

"Spanish music is very rich, it makes you feel like dancing and it has a special way of reaching people internally," she said.

Brisbane is following the international rise in popularity of Spanish cuisine. Recent results from the 2010 San Pellegrino's World's Best 50 restaurants, found restaurants in Spain hold four of the top 10 positions worldwide.

Owner of Pintxo Spanish Taperia Tapas Restaurant in Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Melissa Telecican, attributes Spanish food's popularity with an assortment of various taste sensations and its unique social atmosphere.

"People like having variety and trying lots of different things and as the food comes out gradually on a tapas train it makes it ideal for the individual, couples or larger social groups," Mrs Telecian said.

"We have Spanish tourists drop by for an authentic meal, however, we mainly cater to Brisbane locals, particularly those who have travelled to Spain and are passionate about the food and culture.

"I opened the restaurant after a trip to Spain, realising there were Spanish quarters in both Sydney and Melbourne yet there was a market for Spanish food in Brisbane that had yet to be discovered," Mrs Telecican said.

A patron dining at Pintxo, Jason Quinell, said he would definitely be back.

"It's my first time trying Spanish food and I love it," he said.

As Spanish cuisine is sizzling hot right now, step out before summer ends, sangria in one hand, flamenco fan in the other and adopt a fearless fixation for the 'latest' fashionable food.

Singapore Has a Manolo Blahnik Crisis

Singapore. Shoe lovers may not be able to get their hands on a pair of Manolo Blahniks in Singapore for a while due to the fallout from a divorce.

Permanent liquidators have been named to wind up the only company that sold them here. It means that until another company buys the exclusive franchise, shoppers who want a pair will have to travel abroad to places such as Hong Kong.

The shoes are named after Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik - who is famous for his stiletto heels - and they can cost up to S$1,000 a pair.

They were sold at two shops, at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Hilton Hotel, owned by Cloud 9 Lifestyle.

The firm is run by Jamie Chua, 36, who is locked in a bitter divorce suit with businessman Nurdian Cuaca, 46. Cloud 9's majority shareholder is a firm called D'League, which is substantially owned by Cuaca.

Chua had appointed temporary liquidators to wind up Cloud 9 Lifestyle. But D'League voted last week at a creditors' meeting to replace them with permanent liquidators Chia Soo Hien and Leow Quek Shiong from international audit firm BDO.

The shoes have been removed from the rented space in the two outlets and warehoused.

Chua's lawyer, Salem Ibrahim, said the franchise comes to an end the moment the company is put into liquidation.

The Singapore franchise was obtained from Hong Kong-based Manolo Blahnik supplier Larry Fong, 55, who also helps the brand's London head office find new franchisees in the region.

Fong, who owns and has run the Manolo Blahnik outlets in Hong Kong for more than 20 years, described the turn of events here as "unfortunate and embarrassing."

This is the second time a Manolo Blahnik outlet in Asia has closed. The first happened last October in Jakarta. Mr Fong said he is in talks with several companies which are keen to buy and run the franchise in Singapore.

"Customers can definitely look forward to a new outlet with a new franchisee and a new supply of shoes as soon as possible," he said.

"For the time being, they could go to Hong Kong or some other place." He said the date that the outlets reopen here will depend on how quickly the choice of a franchisee and the legal terms of operation are settled.

Cloud 9 Lifestyle owes more than $1.6 million to D'League alone, official company records show. Other creditors include landlords MBS and Hilton Hotel for the shop space as well as staff who are owed wages.

Contacted yesterday, Ms Chua said: "All my hard work has gone to waste and I am very disappointed."

High-Fashion Books: Christian Lacroix And The Tale Of Sleeping Beauty

Christian Lacroix is the subject, inspiration and collaborator of the first iconic-designer-meets-fairy-tale book by Camilla Morton. The book, illustrated by Christian Lacroix himself, weaves in the designer's biography into the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Morton tells of a world where a young boy draws, creates and designs for as long as he can remember himself, inspired by anything and everything around him and dreams of great things and a princess who is saved by couture from a lifetime of boring outfits. The last few pages list Lacroix's actual biography timeline. Even if the story itself is superficial at times, the book's illustrations alone are worth it and give an insight into the drawing process of one of the important couturiers of our time.

The book is one of Morton's firsts and will be followed by similar designer-illustrated fairy tales by Manolo Blahnik and Diane von Furstenberg.

Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir is available on Amazon.com, $14.95.