|
. My Tasting Palette .
|
|||
|
. In celebration of food and dining experiences . |
|||
Exploring and discovering new restaurants Dining and chilling out with my loved ones Baking and cooking over the weekends Sharing my love for food with others
Vanilla bean pods (one can never have enough) Valrhona Cocoa powder Valrhona chocolate Macarons from Laduree and Pierre Herme Madelines mold Pretty cake stands (I only have one and only one) YUZU from Japan! (They taste great in almost anything) A food tour to Italy and France Opportunity to study at Le Cordon Bleu |
Thursday, April 24, 2008 Marco Sacco at Domvs- Starry starry night  The yearly World Gourmet Submit was here again, bringing along with it a wave of star chefs with enough Michelin stars blind us all. I received an emailer tempting me with a degustation menu by 2 Michelin Star chef, Marco Sacco at Domvs at Sheraton Tower. Immediately, I rang my dad to see if he would be interested in going. To be honest, I was simply testing waters. However, I was pleasantly surprised when my dad asked me if I was free on Thursday night. I was so ecstatic that I could have high-fived everyone around me. I have yet to experience a Michelin-starred dining experience and have always hoped for this gleaming opportunity. On the night of 24th April, I headed down to Domvs expectantly. Prior to that evening, I have been reading up on star chef Marco Sacco. His reputation is undisputed as he brought his family’s restaurant Piccolo Lago its first Michelin-star in 2004 and its second in 2007. This left me wanting to experience the magic he creates with his kitchen tools. The restaurant was filled with couples and groups and it was no surprise that they were there for the same reason as I. I then found out from the restaurant manager that the reservation line has been ringing endlessly and the restaurant was packed for that entire week. I was certain that this would be an experience worth every single cent of the $165++ that I’ll be paying for. I was proven correct right from the first dish. First to dazzle was the beef tartare drizzled with raspberry vinegar, served with julienned summer vegetables. This waiter told us that the beef tartare was prepared using sparkling water (not that I found it any different). In any case, this elegant dish was a perfect synthesis of flavours and textures. The finely chopped raw beef was lightly seasoned with salt, black pepper and herbs. The thin strips of red bell peppers, zucchini and the glistering pearl onions completed the dish with its interesting arrays of textures. This was complemented with a raspberry vinegar sauce that playfully intrigues my taste buds with its subtle sweetness and light acidity, whetting my appetite for the following dishes to come. Beef Tartare with raspberry vinegarOther memorable dishes of the night’s dinner included the flan di bettelmatt. The flan wasn’t a custard-filled dessert as one may expect. Instead, its name suggested its texture which was light and custardy, almost like a Portuguese egg tart. The top was browned which gave it a smoky flavour. Together with the spiced pears and cranberries, this dish is really quite hard to beat in terms of its originality and execution. I learnt that this flan was made with Bettelmatt cheese which is an herbed cheese unique to Piedmonte where Sacco is from. I just love it when chefs make use of the freshest produce in their town/country to bring out the best of their cuisine. The ingredients chosen tell an intriguing story of a chef’s personality and his roots.  Beef Tartare with raspberry vinegar Flan di bettelmatt- Bettelmatt Flan, spiced pears and cranberriesAfter gobbling down (I did try to savour it as slowly as I could) the flan, I was at the edge of my seat excitedly waiting for the remaining of Sacco’s creations to wow me. And they did dish after dish. Every dish was a surprising blend of flavours and textures in the most unlikely manner yet they continue to entertain and delight my senses.  Flan di bettelmatt- Bettelmatt Flan, spiced pears and cranberries The ravioli packs a punch! Filled with potato and beet and served with veal jus and cheese foam, it took my taste buds on a rollercoaster ride with its unique combination. The tagliolini carbonara with cured ham was the epitome of carbonara. Many mistake carbonara for being a cream sauce yet it just simply indicates the creamy texture of the sauce and not the ingredient used! The only time when I was disappointed with the food stemmed from cultural difference rather than anything else. Whipped pike in cream of pea a dish I was wary of the minute I saw it on the menu. It was the first time trying the pike and the strong fishy taste did not take to me. The twice-cooked suckling pig while being cooked to perfection with its crispy skin and tender meat was too fatty for my liking. The licorice sauce did not go too well with me and I rather have my traditional Chinese suckling pig anytime. The disappointment was soon forgotten when our dessert arrived. We were served liquid tiramisu in a cocktail glass. Tiramisu is like the quintessential of Italian dessert. What Sacco had in mind was to preserve its tradition while giving it a new lease of life. This liquid tiramisu was the pick me up that I really needed after a week long of work. This reinterpretation did away with the savoiardi, the light sponge cakes, and drew focus to the sweet and lusciously smooth mascarpone cream contrasted with the fresh, strongly-brewed espresso. By the end of dinner, I wished that I could stop time (as cheesy as that might sound) so that I could slowly savour those starry moments right from the start, all over again.  Raviolone di patate e barbabietole, spuma di mascarpa Pasta filled with potato and beet with cured meat chips, veal essence and cheese foam  Carbonara Au Coque Tagliolini pasta with ham, cream and yolks  The egg yolk based carbonara sauce- the white crisp is actually made from milk foam. Really amazing! It has little taste but it melts in your mouth the moment you place it on your tongue.  Whipped pike with cream of pea  Twice-cooked Suckling Pig in Liquorice sauce and potato foam  Tiramisu' Liquido
liquid tiramisu, espresso and mascapone cream Monday, April 21, 2008 Masterclasses- World Gourmet Submit 2008
I read about the annual World Gourmet Submit about two to three months back and boy was I ecstatic when I found out that the patissiere whom I idolized, Pierre Herme, was going to be in Singapore to give a Masterclass. Simply out of this world.  Cream of Porcini mushroom and Beer soup "Iced" Orange with Apple and Ginger Espuma  My inspiration- Pierre Herme After the masterclass, we headed to jones the grocer for lunch and to check out the food stuff they have. I came to a simple conclusion- “Interesting but way overpriced”. Throughout lunch, I was fidgety as I was overexcited. We arrived at the Pierre Hermé Masterclass at 4pm (half an hour before the class started). I found a large crowd of his fans waiting at the reception already. I hurriedly went to sign myself up and got a tag that says “38”. My head was screaming “What! You mean there are 37 people before me! How am I going to get a good view of Pierre Hermé then!” “Every ingredient is there for a reason. Even the decorations on the pastry- it must serves a purpose in adding to the flavour, texture, temperature and not just for décor sake,” explains Hermé.  the chef in deep concentration
Close up shot Revelation- Tomato Puff Pastry, tomato and strawberry compote, Mascapone Olive Oil Cream, Dried Black Olives
Sunday, April 20, 2008 Joel Robuchon in Hong Kong
The service staff were friendly and they had good knowledge about the food served at the restaurant. This is something that I didn't expect as I have heard about snobbish service at the L'Ateliers. They were able passionate about their food which impressed me greatly. The first dish I had was the thinly sliced veal with capers and tuna sauce. This reminded me of the beef carpaccio with tuna sauce that I had at Garibaldi. I have to say this is better though. This is thinnly sliced veal, cooked to medium-rare. The texture is much better than the carpaccio. The capers added the sharp twang of unique saltiness to the creamy tuna sauce. For my mains, I ordered the cubed lamb fillet served with an interesting Asian-inspired sauce. Initially, I was rather apprehensive when I first tasted the sauce. It's rather liquidy in nature and it is probably made from star anise, cumin and curry spices. The lamb itself was nicely seared to the right doneness. I find it hard to describe the taste of this dish but it's a combination that I have not tasted or expected. The side dish was a light-version of the curry rice. Influence from India but incoporated with western technique. Dessert was fantastic. There wasn't much choices so between us, we ordered the Chocolate mousse on banana cake served with vanilla ice cream and a cream cheese soup served with mango sherbet ice cream. I definitely like the cream cheese soup better. I think even people who are not huge fans of cheese would love this one too. The soup isn't overpowering in flavour since cream cheese is a very light cheese. The mango sherbet lent the dish an intensive and powering flavour and gave this dish its "Oomph" factor. Dill and cream cheese will never be too far from each other even in desserts as proven in this case. Basically, this dish gets full marks for the great balance of its texture (the smooth, liquidy texture of the cream cheese soup, with the coarse texture from the sherbet), taste ( creamy, intense, sweet, tangy flavours all in a bite), the colours is just like the warmth of summer. I also tried the chocolate dessert. It's really good as well though I'm not a big fan of pure chocolate desserts. The mousse was rich and decadent. What's interesting though is that it rests on a thin layer of banana sponge cake. The quality dark chocolate slices and the vanilla bean ice cream made this dessert a delightful eat though it's pretty heavy I must say. Indeed, the my expierence at L'Atelier lived up to its name of the "Atelier" which means artiste workshop in French. Lunch was a delightful affair as we were presented with beautiful palate of colours and shapes. The food was up to mark and it was the best meal I had in Hong Kong. I'll definitely recommend anyone to dine there not just for the food but the whole experience.
The experience  The basket of freshly baked bread from the bakery I LOVE his bread! I still could remember the richly buttery brioche that I bought in Tokyo. This time, I had the baguette and a butter roll.  Pan seared scallop on ratatouille and olive oil  Thinly sliced veal with capers and tuna sauce  Cubed lamb fillet with Asian-inspired sauce  Pan-fried sea-bass on aubergine
Cream cheese soup with mango sherbet
 Lovely macarons that came with the tea*** L'Atelier Du Joel Robuchon Shop 401, 4th Floor, The Landmark, Tel: +852 2166 90000 Friday, April 18, 2008 Hong Kong- The more traditional  I’ve heard so much about Yung Kee. It must be Hong Kong’s most famous restaurant. The roast goose here is supposedly one of the best in the island. The window of the shop along Wellington Street at Central bear testament to this. Hung in a row, the roast goose really looked delicious and crying out to any passer-bys to be eaten. We made reservations as we are afraid that we won’t be able to get seats. For some reason, I did not have much appetite. It must be because it was a horrible start in Hong Kong- the flight was tiring, the plane food was expectedly horrid, the wait at the immigration was long, our itinerary got screwed up, need I say more?  Century egg with pickled ginger We were first served with the traditional styled halved century eggs with pickled ginger. I just love this simple but appetite-whetting dish. Then we had the award-winning (Gold award in the Best of the Best Culinary Awards in 2001) deep-fried prawns with crab roe. Taste-wise, it was pretty good. The crab roe lent the dish an interesting bite. A pity that the batter wasn’t crispy enough; it kind of clung onto the prawn in a slightly soggy manner.  Deep fried golden prawns with crab roe  Roasted goose, Yung KeeHow could we not order the roasted goose when we are at Yung Kee. It was good! The meat was tender and moist and it came with crispy skin that I couldn’t resist eating. I greatly wished that I had more appetite to order the deluxe set actually but I just wasn’t feeling hungry. Another reason why I did not order that set was because the first dish was roasted goose with preserved trotter! I don’t fancy trotters so it was a deterring factor. The other dishes were not worth mentioning. In any case, on the whole, my experience at Yung Kee was pretty disappointing. Perhaps I was let down as I had heard so much about this place and expected something more or perhaps we did not order the right dishes. *** Yung Kee Restaurant 32-40 Wellington Street Central, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2522 1624 *** Dinner at Lei Garden We were shopping at the IFC mall and were thinking of where to head for a good dinner. My dad told me about the Lei Garden that was located here (Yes. It is the very same Lei Garden which they also set up 2 restaurants in Singapore). I always liked the food served at Lei Garden (Singapore, Chjimes) hence I decided that this will be a great choice. We arrived at the restaurant at 615pm which was early for dinner but we were told that the restaurant was fully booked already! Filled with disappointment, I was about to leave when the waitress t old me that we could eat there if we could finish in an hour's time. And so we did. We did not order much since we weren't too hungry after eating a huge lunch at Joel Robuchon (will blog later). The stir-fried shrimps and baby scalops with a mix of celery and bell peppers together with the macademia nut was really good. Rich enough flavours, a myraid of textures and colours made a lovely, delectable dish.
Stir fry seafood and vegetable served on cabbage The dish that took me by surprise, however, was the braised chicken in 3 types of sauces. I'm not exactly a huge fan of braised meat or anything. This one was done so well that I couldn't stop eating. Lovely, lovely, lovely! In closure, our meal at Lei Garden, IFC mall, was truly good, we couldn't find fault with anything. The dishes that we ordered were really simple but we got more than we could asked for. Braised chicken in 3 types of sauces Lei Garden Shop 3008-3011 IFC Mall 1 Harbour View Street, Central Tel: +852 2295 0238 *** Dim Sum at Maxim's Palace, City Hall  I was really excited to eat dim sum in Hong Kong since dim sum originated there. Hong Kongers can spend mornings and afternoons just sipping on tea, feasting on those tiny morsels of food and reading their papers. I think if I tried doing that in Singapore, I would be asked to leave by the staff. In Hong Kong, dim sum and yum cha has reached a cult-like status; it is a weekly activity for the family as they rise up early on Sundays to eat and chat the day away. After being let down by Lu Yu Tea House, a traditional dim sum place along Stanley road, I was hoping that Maxim’s Palace at City Hall will give me better memories. I was looking forward to good dim sum because I had heard about this restaurant from a friend and I had read favourable online reviews of the dim sum served here. Maxim, as I came to realize has a chain of shops just like Crystal Jade in Singapore. They had their bakeries, their small informal cafés, and their more upscale restaurant. We arrived at Maxim’s Palace on our last day in Hong Kong at 9am. The restaurant was still empty but it started filling up fast by 10am. While the dim sum here was way better than the ones at Lu Yu, I had to admit that we started off from a low ground. As I was eating, I could already think of many places with higher standard of dim sum in Singapore alone- my favourite being Hua Ting. Like I have mentioned in my previous post, I tend to judge a dim sum place for its har kau. It is the simplest yet the hardest to get it perfect. The one at Maxim’s palace lacked the juiciness of the prawn, the skin was slightly on the thicker side too. The most memorable dish from Maxim’s Palace is the actually the soya beancurd. I ordered the one with 黄糖 (sugar). The soya beancurd was really smooth and silky and the sugar added crunchiness to the otherwise normal dessert.
Memorable soya beancurd with 黄糖 The downside of eating at Maxim’s Palace is that it is indeed expensive! We spent about S$45 per person and we did not even order a lot! After the meal, I felt like I could have eaten much better stuff with the money spent. *** Maxim's Palace(City Hall) Low Block City Hall, Central, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2526 9931 *** Krispy Kreme, Terminal 1 (Arrival Hall)  First row from bottom: Glazed Cruller, Chocolate Cruller, Middle row: Cinnamon Apple Filled, New York Cheesecake Last row from bottom: Chocolate Iced Custard Filled, Caramel Kreme Crunch I was tasked to bring back Krispy Kreme for my greedy sis and best friend. I took a turn at the airport and went down to the arrival hall located at the basement to buy back the donuts. I'm not a fan of donuts. In fact, I don't like the fried dough dessert at all. However, my first encounter with the krispy kreme told me that this donut is going to be different. My favourite flavour is the New York Cheesecake. I find the rest a tad too sweet. At least the New York cheesecake has cheese flavour (albeit mild) but better than the uber sweet maple fillings and sugar icing. Even though I am not such a big fan of donuts, I do agree that they are pretty darn attractive! Look at the colors! My photo does no justice to them because of the yellowish lighting. Thursday, April 17, 2008 Macau Bites  Lago Do Senado My fascination with Macau as country made me interested to discover their culture through their cuisine. To me, it is interesting to see how colonialism left a mark on the country's food scene. The indent of Portuguese influence on Macau is so deep as Portugal only gave up Macau in 1999, ending the longest European rule in Asia. As I disembarked the ferry, I was welcomed by the signs of a flourishing state of casinos. But as we got closer to the city centre, we were embraced by the residue of Portugal's colonial rule. We went into a small store that sells milk-based desserts- Yee Soon Dairies (义顺牛奶公司). They are popular with both locals and tourists alike. I suppose their signature dish is the double-steamed milk (双皮奶) and ginger milk (姜汁撞奶). I ordered the almond milk instead. This bowl of milk is definitely an acquired taste. On first mouthful, I thought it tasted weird. Imagine having the taste of almond backed with an even stronger taste of milk. The texture was also very watery unlike the almond paste soup that I was used to eating.  Almond milk soup On our way up to the Ruins of St. Paul, we were greeted by a lane of shops peddling Macau's specialty products which include the ubiquitous almond cookies. They came in different varieties such as salted almond cookies, almond cookies with sesame and almond cookies with pork floss. One of the better ones is from Koi Kei Bakery (鉅記) The almond cookies are bursting with almond flavour without being too sweet. They also contain chopped almond bits which gives it its crunchiness.  Almond cookies. Yum! We headed to the Coloane island for lunch and of course the famed Lord Stow's Portuguese egg tarts. Coloane is one of the two main islands of Macau and it is about 35 minutes drive from the city centre. This is quite a long way off just to eat. In any case, we were in Macau and there was no way that I'm leaving without getting my hands on those egg tarts! On my previous trip to Macau, I can distinctly remembered how much I LOVED those egg tarts. I'm not a huge fan of egg tarts nor Portuguese egg tarts but the ones at Lord Stow's brought that experience to another realm. Lord Stow's bakery is located on the way to Har Sa Bay. Though it is a small and unassuming shop, do not belittle it as it has been franchised to Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. I wonder why it is the only store in Macau though. We bought some egg tarts and a roll of egg white loaf cake which was said to be good too before heading to Fernando's. Everyone at Macau knows Fernando's. We simply had to tell the cab driver the name and he was like "OH.. Fernando!" before driving us there.  Signboard of Lord Stow's bakery  Droolicious egg tarts Wish I could have eaten more! A stepped into that little shack on Har Sa Bay brought back memories where I was eating at the same restaurant a few years back. The ambience is nothing to speak about really. The bread which reviews said it was good was really below average. It was only slightly warm and slightly stretchy in texture. Since Macau is known for the seafood, given that it is a coast country. We ordered the grilled prawns with spicy sauce and char-grilled sardines with a side salad. These were much better than the bread and ambience. Thankfully! If not I'll be very disappointed for traveling so far sub-standard food. The sardines were really good. Simple but since it is grilled over charcoal, it was fragrant with and the flavours of the fish is well-brought out. However, the dishes here aren't as cheap as you might think it is. Overall, it was a good experience. If I had more time in Macau, I'll definitely check out the other Portuguese food restaurants. I'll be back to this interesting state for sure.  Restaurant- Simple, non air-conditioned Fernando's  The blah bread  Grilled prawns with spicy sauce  The sardines served with olive oil and white vinegar with a side of potatos and salad  Har Sa Bay *** Lord Stow's Bakery 1 Rua Da Tassara Coloane Town Square, Macau Tel: +853 882534 Opening hours: 7am-11pm (Thur-Tue) 7an-6pm (Wed) Fernando's 9 Praia de Hac Sa Coloane Island Reversations are not accepted Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Hong Kong Bites- Sweets to remember  Jean Paul Hevin- Shop front  Of macarons, chocolates and sweets Some say that this is a land of good food and incredible shopping experiences. I say it’s true if you know where to look. In the few days in Hong Kong, I managed to accomplish the food itinerary that I have set.
Selection of macarons I only tried the chocolate macaron when I got back to the hotel. It was heavenly. When I went for the Macaron seasonal buffet at Macaron last year, I thought that I was done and over with eating Macarons. I was reminded that I still deeply love this Parisian treat. The chocolate ganache was rich of intense dark chocolate covered with a slightly crisp and slightly chewy meringue disc, it formed the most perfect tea-time treat. I prefer Pierre Herme style of macarons though- they are on the chewier side which I like and I still love the vanilla bean macaron that I ate in Tokyo!
The blue ribbon
 Macarons from Jean-Paul Hevin *** ***  The story behing Tong Shui
 Walnut paste soup with soya beancurd, The Sweet Dynasty*** The Sweet Dynasty G/F., 88 Canton Road, TST, Kowloon, Hong Kong (opposite Marco Polo Prince Hotel) |
||
