Nº 12: Rebecca Raphael
The artist and researcher shares her exceptionally good taste, including but not limited to: a (genuinely) good vintage shop in South London, her grandmother's secret recipe, and affordable skincare.
We’re back with researcher and artist Rebecca Raphael. Read on to find out what she’s into, and if you’re new here, hit subscribe for secret recommendations every Monday and Wednesday.
Rebecca is a native Londoner who works in gallery archives and research. She makes artwork, visits museums and compulsively watches Japanese cooking videos on Youtube in her spare time.
☞ HAUSER AND WIRTH – FAUSTO MELOTTI: I recently visited the Fausto Melotti exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s London gallery and couldn’t recommend it more. The exhibition displays works spanning four decades (1930s-1986) by Rovereto-born Melotti, with an emphasis on the theatrical leitmotif across his oeuvre of sculpture, ceramics and works on paper. The exhibition space itself is a work of art, with a pseudo-stage set into the back wall housing 7 ceramic sculptures, and plinths evoking the textures and dimensions of the artist’s work. Free and on until 20th April, it’s well worth visiting and for me has been the exhibition highlight of the year so far. hauserwirth.com
☞ VINTAGE UNDERDOG: CHICHIRARA VINTAGE, NORTH CROSS ROAD: Nestled away on Northcross Road in Dulwich, ChichiRara is packed with a lovely array of vintage, sporting as a bonus a uniquely generous bargain section. I’ve been meaning to go for ages, but only got the chance last weekend and spent the afternoon poring through racks for things I don’t need but definitely bought. Be warned, the place will make you compulsively spend money you don’t have, but unlike the wealth of crap vintage in London which more and more often seems to comprise of ‘reworked’ or ‘vintage inspired’ tat, the pieces in Chichirara are consciously collected by the owner and are genuine gems which feel worth the price. I’m too Englishly scared of being rude to haggle, but I heard others getting some good deals. chichirara-vintage
☞ Q+A SKINCARE: If like me you have very sensitive skin but resent paying upwards of £15 per product that caters to you, brands like Q+A are a godsend. Ranging from about £6-£12 for serums, the brand is a bit like The Ordinary in concept (simple, targeted and often scent-free) but is based in Norfolk, so more planet friendly for those of us based in the UK. I particularly love their hyaluronic acid and superfood serum, which have effectively eliminated dry areas on my face that I’d never been able to quite remedy before. A particular draw of this brand for me is the checklist on the back of every product, which shows exactly what skin issues it’s good for and those it won’t address. I’m always googling whether an ingredient works for my skin, so this is a really user-friendly touch I appreciate. Q+A is sold in Holland & Barrett and online. hollandandbarrett.com
☞ THE CAMBERWELL ARMS: Having had a short break between jobs, I’ve recently been able to be one of those people who actually goes out for lunch on a weekday. This is ideal for somewhere like the Camberwell Arms, a pub/restaurant I’ve frequented a lot through the years and always loved but can rarely get a last-minute table at for dinner. But with nothing to do on a Wednesday when everyone’s working and the highlight of the day is a game of Scrabble with my dad (a genuine, very lovely highlight), I decided to treat myself. We shared one of the best starters I’ve eaten, calçots (like a bigger, better spring onion) with cods roe, smoked almonds and hot sauce, followed by deep fried mackerel with sauerkraut, tartar sauce and chips. £20 each (dinner menu prices are similar give or take a fiver and excluding drinks), very delicious and always lovely service. Their Sunday roasts are incredible too and actually feel better than the one you could make at home for less, which is rare in my opinion. Highly recommend (and please don’t be put off by my atrocious photography of the main). thecamberwellarms.co.uk
☞ SECRET RECIPE: BEETLE’S LENTILS: My grandmother Beetle is the most amazing cook and since her stroke a few years ago, I’ve been attempting to recreate a few of her classics since she finds it more difficult to remember recipes or perform them nowadays. Having finally got it down, I’ve been making batches of Beetle’s lentils weekly now for about a month and am yet to grow sick of them.
I always think of Anton Ego remembering his mum’s ratatouille when I eat this, incidentally a Disney classic that Beetle would generously endure with me in her flat about 15 times between 2007 and 2008. For a woman who hated garlic (red flag?), maintained a low-sodium diet and never added heat to anything in her life, she had an exceptional talent for creating delicious things from an economy of means. They’re subtle in flavour but so comforting and moreish, and the perfect base to dress up with roasted veg, fresh herbs or to pair with protein. As a bonus, most of the ingredients will be in your cupboard or fridge already.
In my mind, these lentils are cold from the fridge, served alongside snacky lunches in the Dordogne through my childhood, where my grandparents lived for half the year. However, they’re also just as good hot or warm on their own (in a country of your choice). I always make a big batch and store in the fridge covered for 5-7 days. For the morally superior among us, they also happen to be vegan.
Recipe as follows:
Ingredients:
Puy lentils (brown also work just as well and are easier to get, but red will turn to mush so avoid), I always guesstimate but around 600g
A decent lug of olive oil
1 medium-large carrot or 2 small, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced (or as much as is equal to the carrot)
1 large or 2 small white onions, finely diced
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed (my addition, sorry Beetle)
A splosh of any cheap white wine (optional, but it makes it better)
2-3 litres vegetable stock (I use Marigold powder with water, but any will do)
Optional bay leaf
For the dressing:
I just do this to taste, mixing extra virgin olive oil, honey, s+p and red wine vinegar (any vinegar will do but red wine and/or balsamic is best). Don’t skimp on the vinegar as it’s the key part, but just pour onto the cooked lentils and keep throwing in more of whatever you feel is lacking until it’s *chef’s kiss*.
Method:
Pour a generous lug of olive oil into a tall-sided pot/saucepan (non-stick would be good but not essential), then throw in the chopped celery, carrot and onion with a little salt and pepper. Let all the veg soften on medium heat.
Turn the heat to medium-low when everything else has softened and chuck in the crushed garlic and optional bay leaf, cooking until fragrant but not burnt, about 1-2 mins.
Turn the heat up high and add the wine, letting the alcohol cook out for 3-5 mins. If skipping this, go straight to the next step.
Add the dry lentils and cover with the veg stock, you want the lentils to be swimming in stock, so just add more if things look too crowded. Keep on a high heat until stock begins to bubble.
Once everything is gently simmering (careful not to boil as the lentils will fall apart), let it cook for around 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft but with a bit of bite, tasting along the way.
Once cooked, drain the lentils with a sieve and place in a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the lentils whilst still warm and mix, seasoning with extra vinegar, oil, honey and salt/pepper as desired.
☞ WELLS CATHEDRAL: If you’re in the Somerset area, you’re probably no more than a Mendip Explorer bus away from Wells, the smallest city in the UK and home to both the country’s oldest surviving residential street and a very beautiful cathedral. I went on a Wednesday so was able to take full advantage of the Chapter House acoustics as seen below, but even in devout silence it’s an amazing place to walk around. If you’re already in the area, go to the Bishop’s palace and gardens too. An all-round lovely day trip with some cool antique shops hidden away too. wellscathedral.org.uk
☞ NIGHTMARE ALLEY: As someone who can find contemporary attempts at film noir irritating, especially in the context of Southern drawls and Bradley Cooper, I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Nightmare Alley. Guillermo del Toro redeems himself from the last film of his I watched—the shocker that was Crimson Peak—in this metaphor-laden saga, following a swindling ‘clairvoyant’ in 1940s New York, including predictably great performances from Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. It packs a lot into 2.5 hours without unwelcome ennui, and is worth paying to see on a big screen.
♪ LISTENING TO: Album for when you’re feeling words: On Your Own Love Again – Jessica Pratt. Album for when you’re not feeling words: Venus in Cancer – Robbie Basho
☠︎ HATES: Speaking of film noir, I can’t think in recent years of a worse blunder than The Batman. I won’t give any overt spoilers, but it went from tasteful injections of re-balanced Nirvana and protracted moody shots of rainfall to, in the last forty-five minutes, basically a series of Fast and Furious style vignettes which ended in Robert Pattinson grunting something like “this city is scarred and bruised, just like me”. I actually dozed off for a few minutes during a car chase, which should sum it up. Essentially high-budget wank in my opinion; don’t bother seeing it in the cinema unless you pay £5 at PeckhamPlex and bring ample alcohol supply.
TY Bex! For more beautiful ceramics and exhibition recs, follow Rebecca here.
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hahaha yes. Read it again: DO NOT WATCH THE BATMAN (at least do not pay to watch it). Loved this recommendations :)