-curing cravings-: 2012

Sunday, December 16, 2012

MasterChef: The Professionals (series 5) Finale

I had just watched the finale of MasterChef: The Professionals (Series 5) and I am completely blown away by the talent of the amazing finalists.

When Oli, Keri and Anton introduced the dishes they would be presenting as part of their final shot at the Champion title, I was thinking to myself that I have no choice but to sit on the fence in this one.

I love the detail of thought that had gone into each of their dishes, the boldness not just in stepping up to the game but also well above and beyond the expectations of them, the creativity in coming up with some of the most unimaginable combinations of foods and flavours and the beautiful, beautiful plating.

So pleased with the outcome and I do wish very much to be able to try their cooking. One day.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

My Humble Home

Where East meets West...

Pork leg braised chinese style, atop rice cooked in chicken stock;

mixed greens tossed in wholegrain mustard and honey dressing, served with crackling

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Restaurant Mariette, Paris

Restaurant Mariette is one of the many restaurants on tripadvisor that comes highly recommended.

At the price of about 45 euros/person, I came with expectations adjusted accordingly.

So I had my best escargot in Paris here. I loved the novelty of the concept - an escargot encased in a ravioli. Served in spinach creme, this was escargots at its most natural... element.

Just kidding.

Jokes aside, it tasted pretty good. Ravioli shells were of a consistent thickness, spinach creme was tasty. Amazing how the thin ravioli shells did not break under the weight of one whole escargot.

However, I wasn't particularly impressed with the entree which was a pan-seared mullet served atop artichokes. The fish was not served de-boned and it was a real inconvenience to eat. Nothing about the taste was spectacular enough for me to put that fact aside either. My food companion's salmon fillet entree was a better shot at giving customers their money's worth.

Restaurant Mariette's take of a mille-feuille was interesting, with three choux-like puff pastry piled on top of each other, served with ice cream on the side.

Unfortunately, I was less than impressed to find the ice cream served half-melted, forming a puddle on my plate which I found so unsightly that I could not bring myself to photograph it with the mille-feuille.

I appreciate that the chef came out of the kitchen to make conversation with his guests; the small size of the restaurant combined with the yellow lighting also created a cosy atmosphere. However, such points are secondary. As collaterals to the food, which should have been the main star of the experience, I find that they should not have been at the expense of attention to detail in the food served.

Restaurant Mariette
24 Rue Bosquet
75007 Paris

le Relais de I'Entrecote, Paris

I was served this.

X 2

I wasn't expecting that my entree would be served in 2 portions - I had found that the first round filled me up quite nicely. Nonetheless, the surprise 2nd round was much welcomed, because the highly acclaimed special sauce did work its magic and had left me yearning for more.

le Relais de l'Entrecote

Serving the entree in two portions also ensured that the food was kept warm and the steak, moist.

No effect whatsoever done to the picture above.

Just look at how the meat glistens, and the layered-ness of its texture.

Imagine piercing your fork through it, and you using the knife for assistance in slicing through it but the meat separates ever so obediently at your desire.

Bring it to your mouth and the explosion of flavours coming from the steak juices and the savoury gravy combined is just mmm..

mind-blowing.

le Relais de l'Entrecote

20 rue Saint-Benoit

+33 145 49 1600

Cafe Pouchkine, Paris

Special mention goes to the mille-feuille, which layers of puff pastry had been made thin yet remained beautifully crisp.

Skilful works of art.

Cafe Pouchkine

64 Boulevard Haussmann

75008 Paris, France

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Mannekenpis , Amsterdam

Pancakes! , Amsterdam

Winkel 43 , Amsterdam

apple pie with cream

This is not your conventional British or American Apple Pie; it resembles an apple cake, with chunky, juicy apples encased in a luxuriously rich, buttery cake batter, baked till a golden brown top forms that crumbles at the slightest probe. So tasty.

This probably isn't the healthiest of cakes, but with cakes like this, healthy can wait.

Winkel 43

Noordelmarkt 43,
1015 NA, Amsterdam

Breizh Cafe

Creperie Josselin, Paris

This is one of the much talked about creperies in Paris, Creperie Josselin. Did it live up to its reputation?

I ordered the set lunch, which offered the very decent deal of 10 euros for a savoury crepe, a dessert crepe and a drink.

crepe au jambon et fromage/ crepe with ham and cheese

crepe au caramel au beurre/ crepe with toffee

(I was in luck and got to try two dessert crepes as my lunch partner had ordered something different.)

crepe compote de pommes / crepe with apple compote

I liked the savoury crepe; although the presentation left much to be desired, the combination of cheese and ham went well with the buckwheat-based crepe that had a slightly crisp finish.

The dessert crepes were good; but I found it better when I combined the apple compote with the toffee sauce. On their own, they were somewhat lacking in the oomph factor.

I might have been spoilt rotten by my experience at Breizh Cafe, also a very, very popular creperie in Paris, and also where I had the ultimate gastronomic experience of a dessert crepe thus far. (blog post on that to come)

Nonetheless, I must give credit to Creperie Josselin for offering this very good deal of quality crepes at affordable prices in expensive Paris.

La Creperie de Josselin

67 rue du Montparnasse

Paris, France
01 43 20 93 50

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Les Cocottes, Paris

Les Cocottes is a gem of a find in food capital Paris, where restos are aplenty, many trying to ride on the wave of popularity that Michelin-starred restaurants have brought to the city, but yet fall short somehow.

Les Cocottes is unpretentious. It is to the point. It serves quality without the fuss.

Presented in full honesty of its glory, each savoury course is presented in a little dish called a "cocotte".

vegetable tartare served with hard boiled egg and seafood of squid and crabmeat

The vegetable tartare was sweet and tangy, and I found the firmness of the seafood to complement the finely chopped vegetables well. The hard boiled egg - a nice touch, but the creative culinaire in me (I'ld like to think) can't help but wonder, would the dish have turned out even better if the egg yolk had been kept runny?

pan-fried duck breast with sauteed potatoes

This was the main course and it was amazing.

meat moist beyond our expectations

Cooking duck breast to perfection is not an easy skill to master; a second too long the meat turns tough and chewy. I liked how le chef had browned the duck skin so beautifully perfect, and had kept the meat soft and moist. The potatoes were very tasty too, unsurprising if they had been basked in the duck fat throughout the cooking process. Not the healthiest of dishes, but well worth it when you get a tasty meal like this.

waffle with chantilly and salted caramel

If the Eiffel tower is listed on your Paris travel itinerary, you might want to plan the visit to Les Cocottes on the same day, as they are not far from each other. Otherwise, just visit Les Cocottes anyway!

chocolate tart

There is no need to dress up for the occasion as the restaurant maintains a casual atmosphere. It serves classic french food as it is, without the usual fanfare, hence the very reasonable prices by Parisian standards. Come expecting to dine with others at a communal bar counter, and to feel a bit of the rush of dinner service. Unlike most other restaurants in Paris, Les Cocottes does not take reservations. (Tip: Come early!)

Les Cocottes

125 rue St. Dominique,

75007 Paris

Tel: - reservations not accepted -

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Burger and Lobster, London

Burger? Lobster? Or Lobster Roll?

And?

That is all we have on the food menu. All options for £20.

I'll have the grilled lobster please.

And I'll have the lobster roll. Thank you.

This must be the best deal in London for lobsters. Delish too. And, there was no compromise in quality either. I was half-expecting cray-fish like "lobsters" when I heard the price they were up for, but was very, pleasantly surprised by the good-sized portions they came in.

The natural sweetness of the lobster meat and the gentle elasticity that came with it could only have been evidence of how fresh the catch of the day was.

The grilled lobster was served with melted butter.

Although it was not quite the "Butter Lobster" dish famously sought after in Asian countries, it certainly gave us the option of buttering it to our heart's content.

The lobster roll was no poorer cousin either.

Marinated in a light, but fragrant, Japanese mayonnaise sauce, the texture of the lobster flesh contrasted nicely with the soft brioche roll.

The fries and salad were far from mere plate decor too.

The fries were skinny but crisp to each bite, and the salad provided a nice variety of greens - a nice touch of balance to the gloriously rich meal.

Burger and Lobster
36 Dean Street,
Soho, London
W1D 4PS
Tel: 020 7432 4800