Nota Bene! Magazine

Very excited, the Brit Awards!  Check out Cheryl Cole versus Lady Gaga back to back below:

We are addicted to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup, can't get enough of it.  There are many copycat recipes floating around the net, but we picked this one for trying in our kitchen as the most simple and believably authentic. Posting here as a bookmark. Photos and review to follow.

On the lookout for a good looking lunch box, we rounded up the following brands and outlets:

• Built NY
• Sachi Lunch Bags
• Sigg Lunchbox
• OOTS lunchbox (the orange one)
• New Wave Enviro
• Skipping bento boxes, wrong form factor

Also, if all else fails - Furoshiki, the art of folding.

You can buy soba here.

Pasta here.

Miracle noodle here.

Still hungry? Get some dumplings! Bam!

We are huge fans of Dilettante design studio, makers of unique fashion items for kids. The line is well known for their fantastic baby carriers, and they recently expanded their selection with a dozen new bright pieces to please sling moms everywhere. Here's a random sampling of the studio's works:

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While trying to find some new wallpaper patterns, we got sidetracked by dozens of websites offering great selection of self-adhesive wall decals.  Here are several of the more noteworthy "sticker" resources:

• Blik Wall Decals
  
• Dali Wall Decals
• WallTat.com
• Wallstickers

(lifted from EnglishRussia for not being burdened with details)

Fans of Kidulthood will be delighted to see this trailer for the upcoming release of "Shank". As expected, the film's soundtrack  features exclusive audio from big names in grime like  D Double and Tempa T, but you also need to check out the official site which has the shortlist of amateur track submissions competing for the spot on the soundtrack and a chance to perform at the premiere.

Grammy live version is... was under the cut.

Here is an example of a more far-reaching industrial design: HerbaScanner. This unique device is a battery powered portable scanner designed specifically for the purpose of collecting scans of flora around you. Russian product design studio describes the device as follows:

Herborization is a useful and educative occupation for teenagers who want to explore nature of their own region or during traveling around the world. But in order to botanize a usual herbarium one should pick up a plant, then keep it in heavy card-boards between cardboard sheets, where with time leaves, flowers and herbs lose their natural colour. Besides the fact that it is harmful for nature, it is very much subjected to the influence of time. Moreover, it is not thought out how to preserve plants.

Herba Scanner is invented to avoid these negative effects. Firstly, one does not have to pick up plants for botanizing. What one has to do is only to place a pattern between the two parts of the scanner and press a button. Thus the process of scanning begins. When the process is finished, the scanner should be opened (like a book), the plant should be put out of the scanner and it continues growing, just as if nothing had happened.

A novel and very nature-friendly approach to creating your herbarium. Not sure if this is available anymore.

This unusual bottle holder caught our eye today on the Animi Causa website.

Check out some other goodies from this industrial design outlet, like a couch made of red balls, which will set you back $4K plus shipping from Israel. Also featured are more familiar items from OTOTO design group like the TeaSub tea container.

Bey and Gaga "Video Phone" under the cut:

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We totally thought California was going to get this one. Good show overall, a few new twists to keep it interesting.

Hoisin sauce, also called Chinese barbeque sauce is a fragrant, pungent sauce used frequently in Asian stir-fries and marinades. Made from a combination of fermented soy, garlic, vinegar, and usually chilis and sweetener, hoisin is dark in color and thick in consistency. It has a very strong salty and slightly sweet flavor, which some may find objectionable.

Because the flavor can be overpowering, particularly if you’re new to Asian cuisine, it’s recommended that you use only a bit at a time to experiment with the flavor. Or, dilute the flavor by adding water or oil to the paste before using in a recipe. (source)

We would simply combine equal parts of hoisin sauce, light soy sauce and sugar to make a quick and easy marinade for chicken, pork or fish. Or check out this recipe for hoisin glazed salmon to get you started. Available at your local asian market.