u/UltraZulwarn

After going on a "rampage" in Tokyo, I have come to the realization that I...actually don't enjoy wagyu beef that much at fine dining places.

don't get me wrong, A5 (or even less) wagyu is great, but it kinda takes away from the skill of the chef because they kinda had to "leave it alone", it seems like "less is more" is the approach to this type of ingredient (don't get me wrong, not overcooking a steak is an important skill), best they can add is a banging sauce/jus.

However, my personal palate kinda prefer a more cooked wagyu, like a medium rather than medium rare/rare that many places aim toward.

but hey, that's just my personal preference.

I always get excited when there are something "less common" like quails, venison, John Dory and all kind of fish that are cooked perfectly or in a more creative way.

thus I am now curious, what types of main course you like in a fine dining establishment?

IIRC, last year I and some of my friends managed to easily book for 1 guest last year.

but now it seems like Exhibition Restaurant doesn't seem to accept solo booking anymore?

there is nothing available for 1 guest (had to be on "standby"), but when when I changed to "2 people" then there are way more options.

as per title, I found some decent deals on all three of [The Hobbit], [The Lord Of The Rings] and [The Silmarillion] illustrated by the author editions.

the thing is, I already got them, but the "regular"/trade version.

I am aware of the the quality issues that the deluxe versions have, but they just look so damn nice....

TL;DR: this is a call for help

To begin with, I have finished Mistborn Era 1 and Elantris

plus The Eleventh Metal + The Emperor's Soul + The Hope of Elantris.

I was half-way through Mistborn Secret History, but decided to pause, don't get on with me on that.

Now, Warbreaker.

I have heard this is Brandon's h*rniest book yet and it shows hahahaha, oh well.

Not a bad book, of course not, but then again I somehow wish it were longer?

The ending sequence feels quite abrupt ngl, especially after absolute adrenaline rush of [The Hero of Ages] and [Elantris]'s ending.

However, I do have one...complaint (?) / burning question.

We never got to see what was happening back in Idris, and why did the king decided to send Siri instead of Vivenna?

Did he actually hate his youngest daughter that much? Or that he much preferred his eldest?

if this is addressed in other Cosmere books, you don't need to let me know, but it definitely made me scratch my head.

Next, I suppose it's time to crack open those tomes of Stormlight?

okay, not sure where to ask this, but has anything changed with Exhibition Restaurant recently?

there is no available reservation up to Nov 2026, and I have been stalking their website since the start of the year.

At least last year I could make a booking fairly easily, like a few weeks or so from the day.

the only difference that I have noticed is that Exhibition Restaurant now has 18 Chef Hats in 2026, the most in Brisbane.

is that why?
or has something changed?

I am very curious

I don't mind short forms content like tiktok or youtube shorts, I have found many great series to pick up since getting back to reading after half a decade or so.

However, after finishing a few books and watching more videos/reading more book pitches, I feel like they either talk too little or too much.

I understand that writing summaries or blurbs is a skill that doesn't really come naturally.

However, a book pitch doesn't need to summarise the entire book, because that kinda spoils the fun?

I get it, in this day and age when we are overflooded with all kind of media, we should get the relevant information in order to find the books that we would enjoy.

Ironically enough, my mind tuned out the moment any videos start mentioning names of characters and locations, even more so if they go into more details about the premise or even summarise the first few chapters.

I swear my attention is not that short, and I am all for nerdy world building, but those kind of information are totally unnecessary in a "pitch" or "review" IMO.

For example, Mistborn: The Final Empire, I personally would pitch it as: >!A story of a street urchin finding her place in a dystopian fantasy world with unique magic. !<

then maybe a few extra: >!heist-like plot, found family and crew dynamic.!<

perhaps some content warning: >!violence, murders, mild body horror, implications of SA!<

I would not even mention any names, leave that to the readers (including me) to find out.

the reason I am writing this because someone include a pretty significant plot twist (or "event" I guess) in their video that happens mid way through a book, and it has pretty substantial impact on the plot moving forward.

For example, they say the story has these main POV: A, B and C who were close friends...etc...but then C got seperated from the group...and they ended up on opposite sides.

Like why???? Isn't that a huge plot development???

also, and this might be a minor gripe, some shorts or videos are titled "rapid fire" reviews, but they drone on for 2 minutes straight about a thing or two without hitting the main strong point of the story that can provide the answer for "should you read this book?"

no, I don't mind if they want to go a bit in depth in their videos, but perhaps section the videos into parts?

sorry, just my personal rant

maybe I am just a cranky unc with a particular taste when it comes to book pitches.

or maybe I am used to "structured, succinct reports" due to my job