Mr Romance 
Imagine crossing an arched threshold of old limestone brick and being instantly shifted back to the Middle Ages. This is pretty much what happens as you walk through any one of the many gates of the great Margaret Wall that surrounds the gem of Estonia, Tallinn Old Town. How do you get to Tallinn Old … Read more
Imagine a Chinese restaurant that has a buffet of all the food you can think of… then imagine that buffet brought to your table by ladies with trolleys. This is heaven. This is yum cha! I’ll let you into a little secret: when it comes to yum cha, I am a total pig. I could … Read more
Whenever someone says “it’s where east meets west”, the phrase conjures up two very different images in my mind. The stupid part of my mind thinks of planet Earth as one of those pyjama holders that zip up at the back – east being one side of the zip, west being the other. The slightly … Read more
Aren’t phobias strange? Totally irrational and uncontrollable but non-the-less intriguing. I met a Taiwanese girl once who was terrified of chickens. Mrs Romance knows an Italian lady who is petrified of cheese. Cheese! And she’s not even dairy intolerant! Clothing buttons are also the source of many people’s phobias. We men don’t have phobias. No, … Read more
Lunch. It’s an important meal and one that Mrs Romance values highly. It’s right up there with breakfast and dinner, and if it looks like she’s going to miss it, Mrs R can get very grumpy. A good old sandwich is not an option any more thanks to the effects gluten has on Mrs Romance. … Read more
There’s nothing quite like the crack and jangle of ice as it tumbles about in a cocktail shaker. Watching a good mixologist is like watching an artist and a scientist rolled into one. They are the da Vincis of our time. I’m not talking about the Tom Cruise types, who throw your drink fifteen metres … Read more
Mrs Romance loves corn. She could eat it for every meal, every day for the rest of her life. When she dies, she wants to be buried in corn. Until that day, she dreams of living in a corn house with corn children and a corn dog… hmm that last one’s actually do-able! When Mrs … Read more
There are always rules. Never trust a thin chef, always trust a barber with bad hair, only ever eat white snow… for Valentine’s Day, there are rules just the same: you’re being judged today – don’t cock it up! You’re mission here is to earn brownie points. Here’s how I earned mine. The morning started … Read more
I’m really quite good at tying my shoe laces. I can do it almost without thinking. I can also cross the road safely and effectively… most of the time and I’m a star at making toast. Shopping, however, is not something I can do with perfunctory automation. Women can. You guys are great at it. … Read more
Ever get that feeling he’s really not happy while you peruse the aisles? Wonder what’s going through his mind as he slumps into one of what Mrs Romance calls the ‘glare chairs’. There’s a reason: we men like to feel involved. We love to have a mission. The idea of vague window shopping fills us … Read more