Twin Palates

Taste of Auckland ... the results

2010-11-21T17:59:00.013+11:00

By TP Big Bro

After experiencing the wonders of the Taste of Melbourne, I was excited to once again dig into the culinary goldmine and be dazzled by the gastronomic magic at the Taste of Auckland festival. As someone who is trying to conquer Auckland's Top 50 restaurants, to have the heavy hitters of the local culinary scene concentrated together was a victory in itself. It evoked the feeling of productivity, similar to when Sunday night whizzes by but I've caught up with my mates, hit the town, gone to the gym, done the washing, the errands, the shopping, everything on the to-do list.

Having learnt to dismiss the "go late to miss the crowds and get free stuff" theory after it backfired at Taste of Melbourne, I hit the Sunday 11-4pm session at around 1:30pm. That way, it wouldn't be peak feeding, but there should be enough food to last the day. The theory worked, but to be honest, it was probably more of a "it fitted best in my day" convenience rather than a stress-tested Sun Tzu military strategy.

Unfortunately, after avoiding the first pitfall, I fell for the other trap. Hook, line and sinker. The bank account was shaking it's skinny head, but the full, fat and over-fed belly was having a good ole time. Unlike the Melbourne ticketing currency, the Auckland crowns were like thin poker chips that came in small see-through money bags, and with the Sky City casino standing tall in the backdrop, I quickly got the torn feeling of excitement mixed with knowing I was about to burn some serious cash. After some internal rationalisation and the silent chanting of "it's been a hard year" (that old chestnut!), I have effectively given myself a license to splurge. So with the sun unexpectantly shining, the live music lifting the energetic ambience, I slowly lost myself in the smokiness and smells of the foodie wonderland ...

Similar to Melbourne, I managed to taste 8 dishes in total (6 mains, 1 dessert, and I was so full but still had crowns left that I spent it on a cocktail). So counting down from lowest to highest, here were my findings.

8. Saffron gin cocktail (Cocktail exhibitor)
This was an outstanding cocktail (it would be a top 3 or 4 contender), but as it is a drink I am excluding it. Also, it was at the end of the day, and I couldn't remember what was in it, and didn't take a photo. I actually wanted to spend my last crowns on the Clooney's Lemon & Elderflower Tart, but I was so bursting-at-the-seams full, that I couldn't walk straight let alone eat any more. The tartiness and zing of the lemon would have pressed an eject button in my stomach. I have been foolish in the past, but today I was in control and disciplined. Instead of more dessert, I was intrigued by a cocktail stand, and decided to try their Saffron gin. It was the cool refreshing hit I needed. There was some cherry liquer, but I can't find it listed in the guide.

7. South Island Salmon, smoked scallop, iced fennel, orange & nasturtium (Clooney) - 12 Crowns

The dish sung with freshness. It was clean but slightly bland as if it was missing something. I would however, say it won plate of the day. And by that I mean, literally, plate of the day - it was paper but looked like a food tray with entree cutlery. Extra brownie points for presentation

6. Simon Gault Alaskan King crab & prawn in jalapeno crème fraiche sauce topped with tuna wafer (Euro) - 10 Crowns

I was sold by the name. As in, name of the dish, and name of the restaurant. It was probably the dish I wanted to try the most, just by looking at the program. When I got to the Euro stand, besides the two beautiful young cashiers, it was empty. I was surprised. I was also surprised when the dish came out, as it looked much different to what I imagined. The flavours were good, and it was creamy and rich. By the time I ate it though, I was pretty much overloaded and creamy was the last thing I wanted to taste.

5. Crispy wild boar with heirloom beets, apple & hazlenuts (The Grove) - 12 crowns

This dish made me feel I was eating strange but tasty pork and mushroom balls at a Sunday Yum Cha session. There was a chewy elasticky texture which was actually pleasant, combined with a crispy crumbed texture on the outside. It was different, the flavours married together well at the end, and it made me think "a successful progressive dish".

4. Yellowfin tuna , Salmon and Snapper 'New Style' Sashimi (Soto) - 12 Crowns

In hindsight, I should have asked about the "new style", because I kind of didn't get it (Soto are known for their traditional cooking but with modern presentation). As confused as I was, the combination of flavours was harmonious and beautiful. I felt clean and refreshed after eating it, and just wanted more.

3. Gameford Lodge King Cole Duck Breast, pickled apple, maple & mustard (Clooney) - 12 Crowns

This dish was a mythical creature. It didn't actually register on my hit list after reading the menu, but after speaking to several other foodies, the Clooney Duck was repeated that many times that I marched over to see what all the fuss was about. It didn't disappoint. The duck was flavoursome and beautifully cooked, and combined with the other components of the dish, it finished off spectacularly. Loved how the toasted nuts lifted the dish, and the melting sherbety malto was a good touch that didn't distract the dish.
2. Valrhona chocolate pavé, cookie crumbs and strawberry cream (The Grove) - 8 Crowns

Almost equal first, but a very close second place. One bite and I could tell it would be have been the standout dessert of the festival. Dark, rich, smooth and textured. Ticked all the boxes. The strawberries were a refreshing palate cleanser, allowing continous hits of deep chocolatey goodness. Mmmmmmmm..... give me the recipe.

1. Teriyaki Chicken infused with Manuka honey (Soto) - 12 Crowns

Absolute stand out of the day. One bite, and it was a serious reminder of how chicken should be cooked. "Ten-da, jooci and swet" said the Japanese cashier. He was absolutely, without a doubt, 100% right. It was amazingly tender, packed full of juices and masterfully flavoured. I wanted more, more, more. That's even when I found a long curly hair in it. If it wasn't of the hair, I would have licked the plate. Easily the longest queuing line I saw all day. Also loved how efficient it was, in true Japanese style. When I ordered, they gave me some origami and told me to wait in the barbeque line. The smell made me stand up like a grizzly bear and drool with my claws out. I then exchanged my cute origami for my food. Great system, great dish, great service and dish of the day.
Winning restaurant: Soto Japanese Restaurant
http://www.soto.co.nz
13 St Marys Road
Ponsonby 1011
+64 (9) 360 0021

p.s Yes, the very first picture is heir to the Dilmah fortune.

p.p.s If you have a "taste-of" city event that you love or think is worth the travel, I am more than happy to hear about it

Saké Restaurant & Bar

2010-11-11T00:09:00.009+11:00

by TP Little bro

Some places attract customers by a great menu, other places by great service. This place attracted me by an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Top 50 things every foodie must do

Having recently acquired 1 chef’s hat and sporting an Izakaya setting, I became intrigued and signed up for the signature dishes menu at $88 a head.

Edamame. Points for being the first I’ve seen using sea salt flakes. Nice presentation but because there are flakes, there's an inconsistency in spread over beans, but it's preferred as there’s always a salt hit when you least expect it.

Shumai (chinese inspired steamed prawn dumplings with ponzu dipping sauce). As soon as you lift the lid of the dumpling steamer, it smells authentically chinese. Unlike the traditional chinese dumpling, this one is beautifully wrapped. The firm smooth consistent texture paired with the ponzu dipping sauce, gets this dish a tick of approval.

Panko rice balls (soy bean, bamboo & shiitake mushroom rice balls with wasabi aioli). Deliciously coated in crunchy panko crumbs, first bites are well balanced with the wasabi aioli.

Kingfish Jalapeno (hiramasa kingfish, yuzu soy, thin slices of jalapeno chili and coriander). In each mouth full, I'm given the pleasure of individually tasting each ingredient while simultaneously experiencing syngeries of the flavours working together. It's light, fresh and has two key items which complement the kingfish - a refreshing lemony tang and a thin slice of jalapeno to add just the right amount of spice to elevate the flavour but not overwhelm.

Miso butterfish (sweet miso marinated butterfish grilled and wrapped in bamboo with sweet pickled radish and den miso sauce). It's a well cooked dish, soft enough to break apart easily but hard enough to maintain texture. The deep rich miso sauce complemented the fish well and was interestingly creamier, sweeter and richer than any miso sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Popcorn shrimp (bite sized prawn tempura pieces tossed with a creamy spicy sauce). Delightful, playful pieces of crispy tempura, seasoned well, bringing out the flavour of the prawn with the added the light crunch of the tempura. Very addictive!

Beef teriyaki (grass fed beef sirlion cooked medium rare on sautéed shitake and buckwheat with matsuzaka sauce). It was just like a standard steak but the point of difference was the edamame beans sprinkled throughout dish and the rich, authentically japanese flavour of the matsuzaka sauce.

Buttermilk panna cotta, raspberry jelly, raspberry sauce & toasted coconut.

The smallest dessert I've ever seen on a menu, served in shot glasses, simple but delicious panna cotta went down very quickly with the refreshing lightness and sweetness of the raspberry shining through a pinch of tang and the crisp nutty flavour of the toasted coconut.

Overall, this place was worth the investment. There were quality ingredients, cooked well and elegantly explored the many facets of Japanese fusion cooking. The servings were also good servings with each person at the table feeling happily full at the end.

There’s an certain expectation of going to a hatted restaurant and paying hatted prices, but Sake definitely earns their stripes and easily finds a place in my top 5 japanese restaurants in Sydney.

Saké Restaurant & Bar
12 Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Phone: 9259 5656.
sakerestaurant.com.au

The Cookbook challenge - artisan bread making

2010-10-17T22:08:00.006+11:00

I had every intention of participating in the MFT cookbook challenge.

I guess life and circumstance took hold and now, in another country, I reawake and see that it is week 48 of the challenge, and my grand total stands at one recipe.

To be fair, I have been unofficially competing, that is, I have been digging through my cookbooks and experimenting with new and used recipes. I have even been taking photos. But it always seems to fall over when I have to post. Not sure if it is because I don't have the time, or that I can't even be bothered loading the dishwasher let alone spend time writing up what I've just cooked. Let this post be a sign of the tides changing.

This week's theme is Bread. My favourite baker is Kiwi Dean Brettschneider. I first saw him when I attended his artisan bread making workshop this year, and found him to be a wealth of knowledge, intelligent, creative and a good laugh. His passion and excellence really came through the workshop, and I was really inspired from all his stories. I bought his 2010 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards nominated book, Global Baker and flick through it constantly. It is a well put together book with culture sprinkled throughout, with recipes from classical French recipes to modernised Chinese, along with his worldly spin on food. If I could afford it, I would quit my job and work for him for a year.

The below is my favourite bread recipe, obtained from the workshop, which is a variation from one of the recipes in his book.

Savoury Garden Vegetable and Cheese Plaited Scone Loaf
- makes 2 small plaited loaves or one large plaited loaf (about 8 or so servings)

Filling
150g tasty cheddar cheese, grated
20g parmesan cheese, grated
1 small egg
30g red onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
25g red, 25g green peppers
2 tbs parsley
40g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
40g olives, chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Scone Dough
380g plain flour
20g caster sugar
25g baking powder
good pinch salt
70g butter, softened
1 egg
200ml milk

1 egg wished together with 2 tbs water for egg wash
Additional flour for dusting

Method
I usually cut the vegetables the night before (I usually omit the olives), ready for the next day. I'm fairly flexible with my measurements as I enjoy packing my bread with a lots of ingredients.
- Mix filling together to form a rough spreadable paste.

- Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder
- Add the butter, rubbing into the flour using your finger tips until it's evenly mixed in
- Whisk the milk and egg together, then mix into dry ingredients
- Mix to a soft dough using a wooden spoon
- Tip onto floured bench and knead for 10-20 seconds. Don't over knead or it will become too elastic

- Halve the dough and roll into 2 squares
- Spread the filling evenly, leaving about 1cm free at the bottom edge (I also add tomato or BBQ sauce as I prefer a moist filling)
- Brush the edge with egg wash and roll up tightly into a log
- Make a single lengthways cut down the middle and then plait
- Place on top of baking sheet lined with paper, keeping them well apart to prevent joining
- Brush with egg wash and allow to rest for 10minutes on the bench
- Bake at 190-200 degrees C for approx 30-35min, turning half way through to ensure even colour. Throw in some icecubes for a nice shiny finish
This has become a semi-regular weekend recipe, which I use to accompany an entree or main, and I can also take to work to eat or munch on for breakfast. The worse thing about this is the clean-up :(

Taste of Melbourne... the results

2010-09-09T23:36:00.011+10:00

By TP Little Bro

After buying tickets to Taste of Sydney and having to pull out last minute, I was excited to go to my very first Taste festival and be escorted by the finetuned palate of my big bro.

Not known to be kind on the hip pocket, Taste is a great opportunity to sample culinary creations from some of Melbourne’s top chefs. It takes away the task of having to visit each of their restaurant's individually or spend big each time. All you need to do is rock up to the Royal Exhibition Building and enjoy as many signature dishes as your stomach (or wallet) can handle. If you look at it that way, it’s a relatively cheap investment into working out which fine dining establishments you’d like to visit later on (or take a hot date to impress!).

Arriving midway during the final afternoon session (12pm – 5pm), we naively thought we could enjoy all our favourite dishes without having to fight the lunchtime rush. How wrong we were. A trap for young players – if you arrive after the lunch rush, expect to miss out on the dishes you want to try. Embrasse’s crispy pork belly, Mezzo’s Slow braised pork cheek, The Europeans' Duck tortellini to name a few. Although disappointed to miss out on my pork, I’m sure TP Big Bro was somewhat relieved after his recent forgettable experience with a pig.

The twin palates were put to good use on 8 dishes in total (6 mains, 2 desserts) so counting down from lowest to highest, here were my findings.

8. Wallaby Tataki, ginger, soy, horseradish (Charcoal Lane)

Interesting gamey meat, cooked medium rare, a little chewy but nice flavour.

7. Cured Malborough king salmon, sweet corn, chorizo, kipfler potato (Maze)

The salmon on it’s own was nothing special. Add the rest. Special.

6. John Dory cooked in squid ink served with a burnt carrot puree, beetroot puree and heirloom vegetables (Embrasse)

Don’t be fooled. The dory wasn’t burnt but covered in squid ink. It melted in my mouth and the burnt carrot puree made the dish shine.

5. Eye fillet, potato mash, sauce Bordelaise (The Palace)

Beautifully creamy mash, juicy steak and amazing Bordelaise

4. The Bombe – strawberry sorbet, white chocolate parfait and toasted meringue (Stokehouse)

Wonderful marriage of textures and flavours to produce a top class dessert. Light and creamy. Dense and smooth. Lovely.

3. Hazelnuts & chocolate parfait, forest floor (Embrasse)

Flavour goes a long way. As does creativity. Parfait was a chocoholic’s dream. The refreshing granita with the heavy chocolate forest floor, transformed this dish from a great dessert into an experience.

2. Tuna carpaccio, goats feta, rocket, ginger eschalot dressing (The Palace by Luke Mangan)

Simple ingredients. Complex flavours. Must be tasted to be believed. Seriously.

1. Yellow curry of wagyu beef with cucumber relish (Longrain)

Close to perfect curry. Tender beef marginally balanced with fresh vegies. There was so much flavour in this dish that we nearly started fighting over the last grains of rice.

The wondeful array of food above cost $90 between the two of us. I was still a little hungry at the end but we took care of that by doing a lap of the stalls and indulging in some classics (Green & Blacks chocolate fountain) and some new offerings we'd never heard of before (Nudie’s coconut water).

Overall, it was a day well spent on scouting out what's happening in the world of fine dining. It would have been great to see a couple of 2 or 3 hatters make an appearance (Press Club, Attica, Cutler & Co) but nonetheless, it’s elevated my resolve to visit Embrasse, The Palace and of course, relive the way my taste buds sung at Longrain’s Yellow Curry. Luckily for me, Longrain has a Sydney arm, meaning that memorable event is only a quick phone call away.

Bad food vs nasty food II - the food poisoning review

2010-08-24T21:30:00.007+10:00

Last week I got the dreaded foodie donkey punch to the stomach - food poisoning. I did learn quite a bit, and have decided to wrap up this saga with a review of the foods that helped.

I am currently pretty much back to normal strength, although I haven't fully transitioned back to my regular diet. I have actually stuck to the overly-healthy bland food diet by choice, and have not yet returned to the mountains of butter, meat, cheese and chocolate I normally consume.

I hesitate as last week was absolutely horrendous, a complete write off, both at work and at home, as literally I could do nothing but curl up into a ball in between my frequent visits to the porcelin throne. I went back to work after day 3, and lasted 2 hours. I ended up losing about 4kgs last week over the first four days, hardly eating anything, with even the BRAT food wanting to come back up. While the BRAT diet was gentle and helped me ween back onto solids, it still occasionally didn't sit right in my stomach.

After feeling worse than the bottom remnants in my toilet bowl, feeling dizzy, lifeless and with no energy, I decided I needed to get serious and eat my way back to strength and health. Struggling, I went on my quest to get back to the road to recovery.

Three hours later, I returned home with my treasures:
I planned on making a beef stock and a white chicken stock, purchasing beef bones from the butcher, chicken carcasses, and various stock vegetables and aromatics. I also bought some premium brown chicken stock to use to cook while my stocks were bubbling away - it was $13 a litre, but worth every cent, as it became a magical wonder-elixir that helped me gain my strength back. Other items included, Mizone, miso powder, organic chicken, and pasta.

Things that I felt worked really well:
- The incredible Essential Cuisine chicken stock. I used it as a base to cook rice and I found it made bland rice taste relatively nice, and at one stage it actually tasted quite creamy as though I mixed in an egg yolk. It contained no added salt, sugar, msg, preservatives, artifical flavouring or colouring, which was important to a poisoned individual such as myself, and was made using a "traditional chef's recipe". The ingredients are listed as "Chicken stock derived from roasted chicken and chicken bones 50%, water". Essential Cuisine chicken stock has become a good friend, although potentially it was the warm bland food byproduct that made me feel better.
- my homemade stocks turned out great - and I also used it as a food base once I finished the Essential Cuisine chicken stock. I gradually infused half with a bulb of garlic and used it to make rice with chicken and peas.
- Mizone and ginger tea always made me feel good - better than powerade in my books.
- Toast with plain Vegemite
- Miso soup - went to the most authentic Japanese shop I could find and tried to find the best miso on offer ($9 for a pack of 6). The owner was Japanese without fantastic English, and the miso I got didn't even have English instructions (can someone please help translate - see below). I just added hot water, and it made me feel better, even if I wasn't sure I was drinking it right

Things that I felt didn't work particular well:
- 7up/sprite didn't sit that great
- Salt and vinegar potato chips. Started off well, but was a bad idea. I think it was a bit too oily and upset my stomach. Resist the temptation
- Starchy bananas - let them ripen

The week that was:
Monday - clear fluids
Tuesday - clear fluids, potato chips
Wednesday - clear fluids, BRAT diet
Thursday - Plain toast, chicken stock and rice. Added small slices of chicken and peas to it for dinner
Friday - Baked beans and toast. Chicken and pea rice. Ate out at a Korean restaurant - their beef casserole was amazingly tasty and made me feel fantastic
Saturday - Baked beans and toast. Terikayi chicken udon. Ate out for dinner at reknowned Auckland seafood restaurant Hammerheads. Once in the restaurant, I felt magically transformed back into my food-loving self, so I went all out and decided to test the stomach. At the same time, I was being conservative after having flashbacks of the food poisoning effects.
My selections:
- Seared scallops, crab and snowpea salad, pea puree, fried shallots - $23.00
- Seared game fish, tempura prawn cutlets, orange slices, julienne cucumber, mint, sprouts, shoots, and a honey mustard dressing - $36.00 (tuna)

Side note: Hammerheads is fantastic for seafood, just as everyone says! The tuna looked undercooked but was in fact cooked skilfully as the fish tore tenderly and beautifully. I also thought my mate's Kingfish looked underdone, and as a result expected a chewy texture, but again, it was indeed skilfully cooked, and tasted as a game fish should - delicious and meaty.
Sunday - The stomach was not very happy on Sunday morning, and grumbled in revenge. I proceeded to have a very light breakfast of Vegemite toast. For lunch I had a beautifully fresh vegetarian muffin, which has since then inspired me to recreate it. For afternoon tea, I stopped over for a pie at Angelo's (of the on-sold "The Fridge" and "The Chiller" fame) latest venture, The Food Room in Ponsonby. In my opinion, Angelo maintains his crown of arguably some of Auckland's best pies, and has even started the trend of reversing rising coffee prices, by dropping all of his coffee (which in my humble Melbourne-coffee-snob opinion is fantastic) to $3. Dinner was a variation to Top Chef's Broccoli Coucous, using chicken instead of duck.

I have since eaten chicken and vegetable pasta, vegetarian couscous, along with the standard baked beans/vegemite toast combination. Today marked a milestone with my first coffee since the incident, and after feeling confident of no consequences, I had a full milk protein shake after hitting the gym for the first time in two weeks.

I'm back baby! Happy eating.

Bad food vs nasty food

2010-08-16T18:57:00.008+10:00

I feel like I've been beaten up. My back aches, I'm sore all over, exhausted and I can't eat or drink. Most importantly, my former best mate, Mr Stomach has been recently misbehaving.

A new milestone. Not a good milestone, but a memorable one nonetheless. Last night (and all of today as a matter of fact), I suffered from my first severe bout of food poisoning.

I have been hung over many times this year, and the worst hang over I've ever had doesn't come close to the experience I had last night. I won't go into the gruesome specifics too much, but I will say the culprit was a well known franchise in the Newmarket area.

Sunday night - A dozen pork ribs, a Jack Daniels chocolate pudding and two or so hours later, my stomach complains, and I am disappointed that once again my eyes have been bigger than my stomach.

11pm - About three hours later, I think "I'm never going to be able to go to sleep with this full of a stomach... do some exercise." So I focused my attention on productive domestics, cleaning my kitchen, taking the garbage out and doing some washing. Anything to get myself moving and digesting this heavy load of food cement in my stomach.

12am - Four hours later, I am being entertained by a blog detailing some humourous adventures of cooking every recipe from the The French Laundry Cookbook, the book by three michelin starred Thomas Keller, who’s restaurant now sits at #32 in the best 50 restaurants in the world. The post was about lobster jelly, and half way through it, I felt the urge to throw up. Lucky I made it to the bathroom, as when it came up, it did so with some impressive force.

Over the next 7 hours, I saw my entire dinner come up, to the point where the vomiting was so strong, my stomach muscles were contracting the hardest they've ever worked. I felt like an almost empty toothpaste tube, and my body was trying to squeeze out every last ounce of toothpaste out until there was absolutely nothing left.

I tried every trick I knew of to get myself right. Cold water, warm water, salted coke, manuka 20+ honey, green and ginger tea, aloe vera drink, Mizone sports drink, preserved plums. The problem was I couldn't keep any fluids down - everything that went down, came back up. I was even trying to watch Russell Brand’s Scandalous to make myself laugh and trick my body into forgetting. But I was fighting a losing battle. I just had to simply strap myself in for the bumpy ride.

I will leave out any other details, and paint the picture another way. Through the torturous experience, I did some research and self diagnosis through the reliable Dr Google, and have found others have aptly described their food poisoning experience, so I will quote them verbatim:

- I got food poisoning a few months ago from my favorite local sub shop. I puked, I shat, I cried
- I got some eggs, bacon and a chicken sandwich at a Waffle House last night, and about an hour after I got home I started getting cramps like I had omfg horrible gas. I spent the next hour and a half or so on the toilet feeling like I was going to shit and puke at the same time.
- I had steak and crab legs at some mom and pop shop last night and have been having the worst day ever today.... I WANNA SUE
- Last night I bought some chicken and rice from a local food stall. Around 3:00AM I woke up and was violently sick, vomiting like crazy. Today I feel slightly nauseous, I've got the chills and my whole body is sore.

Now the point of my post - what I learnt from this experience. As foodies, I think it is inevitable to get food poisoning at least once as part of our quest to taste the amazing food this planet has to offer, so hopefully this post can help you survive the horrible experience, although I do not wish it on my worst enemies. It was interesting to know, similar to the "RICE" (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) method to treat an injury, there is a "BRAT" diet to recover from food poisoning.

Note: This is not a medically proven assessment – it is purely based on internet research and going through FP – please consult a doctor if you need medical fact. Also, this only refers to natural foods, rather than medications

Food poisoning - The road to recovery

by TP Big Bro

Basically with food poisoning, there is not much you can do but let it pass. But there is an accepted method of recovery.

The recovery procedure appears to be 24 hours of clear liquids to prevent dehydration and replace electrolytes (eg sodium, potassium, and calcium), that are being depleted through the diarrhea and vomiting. Clear liquids include apple juice, 7up/sprite, Gatorade and ginger drinks to soothe the stomach (flat ginger ale, ginger tea). Avoid caffeinated beverages which are too dehydrating, dairy, carbonated drinks and citrus juices.

You can then progress to the BRAT diet for a couple of days, followed by bland, low fat, non-dairy, easy-to-digest foods like plain chicken, as tolerable. If you advance too quickly, you may aggravate your symptoms, so take it easy. You can then slowly transition back to your normal diet if things are going well, reintroducing spicy or fatty/oily foods with caution.

Recovery food notes:

- Small portions, more often
- BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Apples/Applesauce, Tea/Toast) - these foods are tolerated by the tender gastrointestinal system. No butter
- Some medical researchers recommend a diet that includes complex carbohydrates (e.g rice, wheat, potatoes, bread, and cereal), lean meats, fruit, and vegetables
- Another argument says that fiber is also a complex carbohydrate, and it should be avoided if you have gastroenteritis. So, putting some noodles in your broth will be okay, but avoid cooked vegetables at an early stage, and raw crunchy fruits and vegetables should be avoided at the start
- Chicken broth with noodles/rice/couscous/pasta
- Chinese rice porridge (jook) - Season with soy sauce or salt
- Plain crackers
- Plain baked potato (no sour cream)
- Ginger, garlic
- Miso soup
- Low sodium tomato juice apparently has as many electrolytes as Gatorade
- Avoid fish, milk products, fatty foods and foods with a lot of sugar
- One poster said doctors in India advised them to eat plenty of fresh curd and pineapples

Everyone is different, so we will react differently to different foods. I think the main thing is to listen to your body, be patient and let your body recover. All the best and safe eating!

My step into the world of Macarons - part III

2010-07-04T12:59:00.000+10:00

by TP Big Brother

Attempt number 3 to gain membership into the macaron making club.

Round 1 and Round 2 have been a great learning experience about these mysterious little french cookies, but I have yet to produce a recognisable macaron I am proud of. Yet.

After watching my favourite episodes of Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection, I decided to forego this round, and take a step back in order to go a few forward. So, in the name of research, part III was dedicated to macaron experiments.

After another failed attempt, I did some research to strategize on how grow some feet on my macarons. The two most common reoccuring themes involved the egg whites and the consistency of the mix before piping. I used these as the foundation for my experiment.

A minor tip I picked up in London, was that there are two main types of baking paper, which can produce differing results. It seems like most baking paper I see in the supermarkets in Melbourne are the "silicon" based ones, which is waxy on the touch (in fact, silicon paper can handle temperatures up to 200 degrees celcius - perfect for making caramel tuiles). There is also the greaseproof paper, of tracing paper texture, which can prevent bottoms of cakes from getting soggy. Curious to see if this could spawn some feet, I used this as a third and final variable for my experiment.

TEST CASES
So the aim of this baking round was to see what impact different factors along different stages of the process had on the final macaron product. As a simple experiment, I had 3 test factors:

1. Egg whites
a. Beating to soft to medium peaks
b. Beating to stiff peaks

2. Folding
a. Underfolding (soft fold for a short duration)
b. Overfolding (harsher fold for a longer duration)

3. Baking paper
a. Silicon paper
b. Greaseproof (tracing paper)

RESULTS
Checkpoint 1 - Post piping
- Test case 1 (Egg whites) vs Test case 2 (Folding)
Using two equal batches of egg whites, I whisked away until I achieved soft to medium peaks in one batch and stiff peaks in the other. Then I simply added equal proportions of dry ingredients to each batch and mixed with a spatula with varying intensity and duration, with the aim of eventually ending up with four different batches of macaron mixture.
Using macaron mixture from each of the four different batches, I piped each into groups on the same baking tray. Can you spot which macaron is from which batch?
Now, time for the judges to do their job. Which do you think wins this round?

Judging based on shape, body and most likely to succeed, the stiff peak egg white with under-folded macaron mix proved to be the front runner.

Checkpoint 2 - Post-oven
- Test case 1 (Egg whites) vs Test case 2 (Folding)
Twelve minutes later, the macarons came out of the oven. Fingers crossed, I searched for feet. Unfortunately, yet again, I was left bitter at my lack of ability to grow any feet. But with the task in focus, I consoled the perfectionist in me that this was indeed an experiment, and I was aiming to extract lessons from this batch.

Time for the second round of judging. Which was the best macaron, and which method created it?
I was tempted to say "none" because they were sad little macarons, surely offensive to many, and a crime punishable by the French culinary police. With similar criteria to the previous judging round, being - body, shape and "success of passing as a macaron", the round had to be given to one batch, and in this case, it was again, the stiff peaked under-folded mix.- Test case 3 (Baking paper)
This is a no brainer, so will get straigh to the point. Greaseproof (tracing paper) alone does not work for macarons (perhaps you can try greasing it with butter or oil first). The below pictures should tell you why. Silicon paper is the way to go.
How embarrassing! I again console myself with the thought that this is an experiment. Like the saying goes "an idiot never learns from their mistakes, a smart person learns from their mistakes but a genius learns from the mistakes of others". So I hope you are paying attention!

CONCLUSION
And the winner is ...
1. Egg whites - b. Stiff peaks
2. Folding - a. Underfolding (soft fold for a short duration)
3. Baking paper - a. Silicon paper

I'm still not an expert, but slowly, I'm getting closer to getting my macarons being platable. Watch this space...

Charmy Food Icey Ice Snow Ice

2010-04-26T14:59:00.009+10:00

by TP Little bro

On the prowl for dessert one night, I catch wind of an interesting and unique creation. It's sold at Ajisen Ramen, a national japanese franchise better known for it's ramen, I arrive late but just in time for last orders.

They sell "Charmy Food Icey Ice Snow Ice" touted as "the world best Snow Ice dessert never seen before in Sydney". I think they meant ever seen before in Sydney.

The basic concept is simple. Creating a mixture, freezing it, then putting it through a cute blue penguin machine (pictured below). The penguin shaves the ice in a particular way which works, resulting in light texture and a very creamy taste.

Among the handful of flavours on offer, we choose a large green tea with additional topping of aloe vera pieces. It tastes much better than it looks and sounds. Trust me.

They claim, an average scoop of ice cream has 22.9g of fat and 418.5 kJ compared to an average scoop of snow ice which has 2.8g of fat and 128.5 kJ. A much healthy alternative by the sounds of it.

Gotta love their marketing and cross selling skills on the menu....

"Snow Ice can be enjoyed at any time but the pleasure of tasting Snow Ice is most enhanced after enjoying your favourite Ajisen Ramen meal or other dishes"

Thumbs up for this dessert. Worthwhile to try just for the novelty.

Ajisen Ramen, 85 Liverpool St, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph (02) 9267 8816 (among other locations)

Food pic from NZ

2010-04-06T18:01:00.003+10:00

Today I was introduced to my very first Kiwiberry! As you can see, my friend looks exactly like a kiwi, and in fact tastes exactly like one too, with a slight floral taste, all in the size slightly bigger than an Aussie $2 coin. Now if I can just get my hands on a grape the size of a kiwi.....

------------------------
Edit: Also on my berry wishlist is the South American pineberry, recently stocked by the UK supermarket chain Waitrose. It is said to "combine the shape and texture of a strawberry with a flavour and smell closer to that of a pineapple". The berries were almost extinct at one stage, and now retail for £3.99 for a 125g punnet, thanks to the Dutch. Anyone keen to import to NZ?

Big Bite for Lunch

2010-03-25T23:16:00.016+11:00

By TP Little bro

A new entry to the Twin Palates world is the highly competitive lunchtime menu.

Jumping on board the sandwich/burger trend, I decided to try a sandwich bar called “Big Bite on Pitt” which has received some serious street cred in the lunchtime yuppie crowd. Hearing of it's popularity, we pre empt the lunch time rush and head over early. We arrive around 12.15pm to a line at least 20 people deep.

Fifteen minutes later, we make it to the inner sanctum, a tiny hole in the wall venue which strangely felt reminiscent of the soup kitchen from Seinfield (not sure why given the staff here are warm and friendly).

I heard from fellow connoisseurs that the Chicken Schnitzel and the Grilled Chicken varieties are popular choices but because I love lamb and because it was a ‘special of the day’, I chose to go with the Grilled Lamb Sandwich.

By simply looking around, I knew I was in for something BIG. People were walking out with giant packages of foil and when my order came out, it was so big I felt like cradling it in my arms back to the office (due to limited seating, the small tables out front are pretty much it).

Staff working hard in a sea of giant bread slices and countless kilometres of aluminium foil.

In an attempt to portray just how big it was, I took off my size 40 Oxford shoes (roughly 31cms long) to use as a benchmark.

Grilled chicken sandwich depicted below. I was just too excited and devoured the lamb before remembering to take a picture.

At $9 a pop, Big Bite definitely delivers on both quantity and quality. The sheer size of the bread slices made me a little worried that would be all I would taste. But I was very wrong. It was the exact opposite of a stereotypical bad lunchtime sandwich. It wasn’t too salty, it wasn’t overcooked and the salads didn’t look or taste like anything that would make Gordon Ramsay start cursing profusely. The lamb was delicious – seasoned well, cut into small and manageable bite size pieces with just the right amount of chilli to give it a kick. And the bread added a nice texture, especially when you got to the crunchy crusts. My lunch buddies agreed and judging from the silence when eating followed by a wave of mmmm's and ahhh’s, it was definitely a winner.

Portion wise, half a sandwich should be enough to fill the average Joe. And if you want to line up a quick dinner or afternoon snack, save the other half for later.

Will definitely be returning for more soon.

Big Bite on Pitt
Shop 3, 250 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW
Ph: 02 9283 4700

Good to be home

2010-03-24T16:56:00.004+11:00

Highlight of the 2010 MFWS - Massimo Bottura & Matt Preston

Hello friends,

Spent the past couple of weeks back home in Melbourne. As soon as the wheels landed on the Melbourne tarmac, I had a great sense of feeling it is great to be home.

Food wise, it was fantastic to be home. To provide a summary of my last 2 weeks in Melbourne, I will recollect my trip by order of my top 10 food experiences:

1. Melbourne Food and Wine show masterclass weekend
2. Private room at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen in Melbourne
3. Red Spice Road experience with fantastic curry, good entrees and the lamb shoulder!
4. Banquet at Gingerboy
5. Memorable breakfast at Birdie Num Nums
6. Tjanabi - Indigenous cuisine
7. Kim Chi Lunchbox - surprisingly good and cheap
8. Han Guuk Guan Korean and Chinese restauarant (also happened to be half price BBQ Monday)
9. Los Amates Mexican Kitchen
10. Tied with revamped Oriental Spoon and tapas at One Fitzroy St

I would probably squeeze the dinner party night (Chilli con carne with mango bacon salad, Mary Berry's Chocolate traybake with ganache) and homemade sausage roll night in between #5 and #6

My Melbourne trip was finished off by a lovely young thing with an amazing nose. I arrived in New Zealand, collecting my bags at the airport, when a beagle decided to endlessly jump on me. I began to panic when after a firm and repetitive "put your bag on the ground, put your bag on the ground", the harmless looking mutt decided to sit. Having watched Channel 7's border security, I knew I was likely to be in trouble when an airport hound sat down, as it is a subtle way of the dog indicating he has detected the scent of the substance he is sniffing for. After sniffing around every single inch of my bag, multiple times, I found out it was a meat sniffing dog, and he had detected the chicken curry puffs that were packed for consumption at the Melbourne airport. Good for me my stomach beat the dog to it. When I got the all clear, I packed up my innocent bag, and I discovered the food products I brought back to NZ (like dark brown sugar I can't seem to find anywhere, and various spices and food products - which were all declared thank you) had now picked up a scent which smelt awfully similiar to my late dog's rarely-ever-washed dog bowl in summer. I was strangely angry at the dog, but have now come to the more calm realisation that this beagle was a talented customs official that would have to exercise huge self control in having to do all the ground work of sniffing out meat and not eating it. Well done dog!

More detail to come in upcoming posts, so stay tuned!

Changes to TP

2010-02-02T22:24:00.004+11:00

Hello TP readers,

Sorry for the lack of posting - the year has started very busy, and maintaining a blog means time commitment! As a result, to save both you and I time, I will be presenting a new template for my restaurant reviews, called "Restaurant on a page".

Basically it is inspired by the corporate world - a "one pager" which is given to high level management who don't have the time to get into the details, but allowing them to read a quick summary so they are aware of the scenario.

I've noticed that with the less time I have, when I read other food blogs, I am starting to skim read. To address that, "Restaurant on a page" will be a simple review that shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to read.

It is broken up into 4 headings

1 - BEFORE THE MEAL

2- THE MEAL

3 - THE RATING

4 - THE VERDICT

I hope this will make it a lighter read, and will bring a consistent way of reviewing restaurants. Every now and then, a feature restaurant will be reviewed, which will be a more in depth review. Also, I keep forgetting to bring my camera to take pictures of the food, which makes me not write up a review, so for now, I will just be using my phone camera, which means the photos won't be as good, but the review will be written and posted. Hope you find the changes overall to be an improvement. If not, your feedback is welcomed.

The other change is that TP Big Brother has moved from Melbourne to Auckland. My plan is to discover this new city through its restaurants/food/wine, and to conquer the city by doing the Auckland marathon.

It's good to be back on Twin Palates. Enjoy

- TP Big Bro

Restaurant on a Page - Mai Thai, Auckland

2010-02-02T22:10:00.009+11:00

Mai Thai

Cnr Victoria & Albert Street

Auckland Central

Ph: 09 366 6258

=====BEFORE THE MEAL

I see a place on the corner. Painted outside are words saying the restaurant has won a good food award in 2007. I see the words "famous thai cuisine", so I give it a shot. Once I am seated, I am immediately hit with the reknown good service this place gloats about. I feel comfortable within the authentic Thai setting, with the traditional looking table ware, and thai decor. I want this food to be exceptional so I can write a really good review. I order from the separate "signature dish" menu

=====THE MEAL

Appetiser - Tod man pla - light curry flavoured fish cake - $9.50

The good
- Authentic thai flavour
- Not too oily

The bad
- nothing that special

Main - Gaeng ped yang + rice - roast duck with red curry and thai lychee - $23.50

The good
- Authentic thai flavour
- range of flavour - hot, spicy, salty, sweet (lychee), sour (pineapple)

The bad
- way too salty
- duck quiet chewy (overcooked)

=====THE RATING

5 - Exceptional
4 - Great
3 - Average
2 - Mediocre
1 - Never again

=====THE VERDICT
Worth it / Come again?
A bit pricey for what it was, but food was pretty authentic and the service was excellent. The lady saw that I was reacting to the heat of the curry, and asked if it was too spicy. I said "a little but it's not bad". She then proceed to fill up my glass whenever it was empty (probably had 3 or 4 glasses when eating the curry), and she told me at the end that next time I can ask to make the curry less spicy. I'll be coming back to try other items on the menu

El Bulli closing for 2 years

2010-01-27T09:49:00.002+11:00

No news is good news

I have breaking news. Its bad. The best restaurant in the world is closing for 2 years

My El Bulli post
http://twinpalates.blogspot.com/2009/09/chasing-el-bulli-part-i.html

Read it for yourself
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1956713,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

Molten - New Zealand

2009-12-13T11:00:00.000+11:00

by TP Big Brother

I've been travelling on business for the past couple of weeks, and have been meaning to post for a while now. I was in Auckland last week (currently in coastal Otago), and I have been trying to experience the city through its restaurants. But with so much selection and so little time, I was at odds as to where to start.

On the 3 and a half hour plane trip from Melbourne to Auckland, I strategically planned my time carefully to take advantage of the plane's on demand video. I watched a movie and spent the remaining time selecting New Zealand documentaries, hoping to uncover some hidden gems I could visit and experience.

One particularly good travel show was the New Zealand specific B-guided, hosted by the gorgeous Sierra Reed. Sierra visited a restaurant called Molten, and I decided to write the name down after she described the interesting taste combinations at the restaurant. It was also a recognised restaurant, with a laundry list of awards, including Cuisine magazine's Best Neighbourhood restaurant award.

I managed to get a table on the night I make the reservation. The first thing I notice as I arrive at the restaurant, is that it is a lot smaller than it was on the show.

I am led to a small and intimate side table, right next to the kitchen. I am sitting on a high kitchen table and stool, and I start to get excited. I recall the b-guided special and think that Sierra must have sat on one of these chairs. I look to my left and see the chef in action.

Chef-owner Michael Van de Elzen

I eagerly look at the menu. The waiter explains the starters called the "untouchables". Molten has been operating for around 5 years, and these starters have been so popular, they have been permanently kept on the menu. I order the untouchable Waikanae crab.

Waikanae crab. Spinach & ricotta linguine w pernod cream & crunchy shallots, $20.50

The dish had a very creamy, almost carbonara like taste that was quite subtle. While I couldn't really taste much crab, the dish was flavourful and nicely seasoned.

For the main, I order a salad and the recommended game fish dish.

Red salad. Radicchio, baby red chard, roasted beetroot & a vine tomato $7.50

Game fish with ham risotto $34

The game fish really made the dish. It was an amazingly meaty fish that had a beautiful soft texture. I liked that it was a heavy fish but it had a very delicate flavour that managed to come through, despite the strong flavour of the risotto. The risotto carried a very smoky and salty taste, which reminded me of cheap vacuum packed ham from Woolworths. But the game fish and salad combined captured my tastebuds and overall, I would say it was a successful dish.

At this stage, I was full. I felt slightly underwelmed and decided to look at the dessert menu. Then I saw it.

The famous dessert.

Immediately I forget my bulging stomach and ordered it.

Valrhona chocolate torte. Whisky ice cream, tobacco syrup and raw cocoa runouts $16.50

This was one of the signature dishes of Molten and highlighted the Molten approach to flavour combinations. The tobacco syrup was adored by the chain smoking Anthony Bourdain, who dined at the restaurant on his 2005 NZ tour for his Les Halles Cookbook. The syrup I'm told, is a caramel which is later infused with tobacco leaves. When I tasted it, the syrup was sweet with an almost alcoholic taste, followed by a very light bitter note from the tobacco. The torte was bursting with deep flavour from the dark french chocolate which expanded across a chewy biscuity and melting texture. Too often am I let down by a signature dish, but I can say with full confidence that it truely can be classified as the restaurant's signature dessert. In fact, it was one of the best desserts I've had all year. To finish off the meal with that dessert elevated my Molten dining experience to a new level.

I later had a chat with co-owner Belinda Van de Elzen. Belinda, who happens to be a trained chef, was very lovely, waxing lyrical about the restaurant and the world of food, while viligantly monitoring the front of house. She told me the tobacco syrup was inspired by a recipe she found in Ireland, and that Anthony Bourdain stunk up the restaurant's private room with cigarettes (The NZ government banned confined area smoking years before Australia). I was inspired by her plans for a cooking school, and a restaurant in the country, and after a record $12,000 Friday and 5 years of dedicating everything to the restaurant, she was starting to get tired and worn down. Her passion for good food showed when she not only welcomed me back next time, but she also recommended other good restaurants, such as Sidart.

Highly recommended if you are in Auckland.

Open for Lunch: Tuesday – Saturday from noon. Dinner: Monday – Saturday from 5.30 till late.
422 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland, New Zealand
Ph 09 6387236
Prices are in NZ dollars

Vue de Monde

2009-12-11T20:40:00.030+11:00

by TP Little bro

There’s nothing like the excitement and anticipation in the lead up to something special. This event came in the form of a last minute cancellation which paved the way for a special Twin Palate experience in arguably the best restaurant in Melbourne. Vue de Monde. I need not say more.

From the moment you walk through the door, everything screams out "Three Chefs Hats". The staff are warm, inviting and immaculately dressed, the decor is new age, daring and classy.

I glance around the restaurant while being seated and notice there are two types of tables. A large rectangular table with a generous amount of "arm room" and the much smaller round table for more intimate meals. I am led to the larger table. I feel like royalty.

Having been seduced by all the buzz this place has generated, I buckle in and prepare to have my mind and body wowed by the upcoming gastronomical affair.

Three chef hated restaurants need to bring more than just meals to the table. They need to take an ordinary meal, weave through their own individuality and uniqueness and transform it into a magical experience. One piece of individuality Shannon Bennett has brought to the table is the element of surprise. There are no menus at Vue de Monde. Instead, there are approximately 60 dishes which, depending on how many courses are ordered, are tailored to each table.

The hardest decision you’ll make for the night is picking a number. “Will it be five courses or nine?” the waiter asks. We ponder. The waiter continues in his French accent, “Five courses has no dessert. To experience the full Vue de Monde experience, we recommend nine courses”. TP Big brother’s eyes light up. Without a moment of hesitation, an executive decision has been made. Nine it is. The experience begins…..

The first step is to stimulate the palates. The amuse bouche served is a Confit egg with white asparagus, bread crumbs and a wood sorrel puree. The egg is creamy with a hint of zest and the bread crumbs are the surprise packet of the dish with a flavoursome crunchy texture. My bouche has been amused.

The first course arrives and is being smoked before our eyes. Ocean trout with horseradish and baby beetroot, covered, with a burning truffle to smoke the fish. The trout is rare and combined beetroot, horseradish and the burnt truffle, make for a contemporary French way of eating sashimi.

While eagerly awaiting the next course, a waiter leaves a trail of smoke as he walks past our table holding two large cigars in heavy glass ashtrays. We are immediately intrigued. We discover the fine pieces of culinary artwork are foie gras stuffed “cigars” and quietly hope the dish served to us later in the evening.

The second course arrives. No cigars but a mushroom risotto garnished with the king of all truffles – the rare and highly coveted Alba white truffle, roughly selling for around $12,000 per kg. Putting the price tag of ingredients aside, I hoped the sum of its parts would taste far greater than the market value of the truffles. The first spoonful is intense. The risotto has a wonderfully rich creamy mushroom flavour. The shaved truffles just melt in your mouth and add another level of flavour that only truffles can do. Not a five figure flavour (does such a thing exist?) but pretty darn good and one of my favourite dishes of the night.

Course number three is the dish containing foie gras and unfortunately it’s no cigar. They must have strategically chose another dish to serve us to entice another visit. We are served a terrine of ox, foie gras and Puy lentils served in the shape of cute little cubes with equally cute pillows of crunchy brioche. The three layers of the cube bring out a wide spectrum of flavours which slowly develops, while staying true to the richness and heaviness of the foie gras.

We across where we see a waitress brewing a consommé at the very table the diners are eating from, using an old 1950's coffee percolator. Interesting. Another table is being served their food on a oversized river pebble. The absence of a menu has become one of the highlights of the night.

Course number four showcased four different cooking techniques that produced four different ways of eating tuna. It was Tuna tartare, rillette and seaweed salt, blue fin tuna stock infused with kaffir lime, fennel and tarragon flowers. This plate lacked punch but won technical points for the techniques used.

Next, it was time to take a break and cleanse the palates with some liquid verjus served at - 8°C mixed with a dash of cranberry juice.

After intermission, course five had no numeric symbolism. Three cuts of Western plains pork (tenderloin, rib and my personal favourite, pork belly) with crispy panchetta and flavours of earth. The pork on the bone was so tender, it fell off the bone.

The flow of the dishes was textbook, gradually becoming heavier and richer with each course and avoiding the pitfalls of feeling too full too early. Thank God. If the food was going to be this good, feeling full would be the last thing I would want!

Next up was the Wagyu Beef with Roquefort ravioli, swede, parsley, horseradish purée and beetroot oil. The thin strip of Wagyu was juicy and well cooked. The Roquefort Blue cheese ravioli gave a flavour hit with an instant tang followed by a gradually intensifying flavour. Combining all ingredients together left a lingering flavour on my taste buds that made me want to close my eyes, take a deep breath and savour for as long as I could.

Once we had finished our main courses, we were pleasantly surprised when our waitress offered a tour of the kitchen. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, we were introduced to Flo, a sous chef, who took us on a journey of the fish, meat, cold food and the serving stations. We were even privy to some of their nifty contraptions. One of which is a Japanese refrigeration unit which they stock with bottles of distilled water. The temperature is regulated at a constant minus 8 degrees and to prevent the bottles of water freezing, another part of the machine sends through waves of vibration. Flo then proceeded by taking a ordinary looking bottle of water from the unit, shook it up and the once very liquid water froze into particles of ice.

Returning to our original seats, we received one last palate cleanser before the desserts began to arrive. Berry Zabaglione topped with a frozen kiwi fruit lollipop lightly glazed with chilli. My palate felt refreshed and ready for dessert.

Traditionally, our next course was meant to be a serving of cheese. Wanting to please our sweet tooths (teeth) and given our delightful experience with the Roquefort Blue Cheese in the last main course, we decided to replace the cheese dish with another dessert.

And this paid very big dividends. Our first dessert was nothing short of a treat. The Poached rhubarb with cheesecake mousse and raspberry bubbles. Deconstructed desserts are so interesting as it replaces the conventional way of serving a dish with a contemporary one using all the same ingredients. The cheesecake mousse was smooth and rich. The rhubarb, frozen with liquid nitrogen, was sweet and refreshing. It was just like eating a really tasty cheese cake but so much more fun. Seeing each component of the dish, tasting them individually and all together. I was the chef and the diner all at the same time.

When our dishes were taken away, the waiter mentioned that he had replaced our cheese dish with a Cheese cake. Clever.

Up next was Lemon meringue soufflé. It was light, fluffy, and very tart (just how I like them). Topped with crushed biscuits and with crunchy granules of sugar sprinkled throughout, it was beautifully executed.

Another glance across the room and we spot yet another interesting dish. A couple is being served their dessert - 3 different types of custard served in 3 half egg shells in an egg carton! We are like little boys in a museum and cannot believe the creativity before our eyes.

Our final course for the night was the Michel Bras' classic self-saucing chocolate biscuit with chocolate sauce, milk powder and milk ice cream. Slowly working my way through the crumbling chocolate exterior, I finally break into the inner sanctum and am rewarded with warm chocolate sauce oozing out of the centre. Heavy and richly chocolately, the ice cream plays a great part in mellowing the richness and leaving me wanting more.

With all nine courses cooked, plated and served, TP Big Bro and I do a pretty good job, wiping virtually all of the dishes clean and subtly telling the kitchen to keep up the good work.

Then came the most incredible platter of petit fours I had ever tasted. All of them were amazing, tasting just as good as their pristine appearance may have indicated. From left to right: Blood orange jelly with a touch of sherbet, Vanilla macaron, Toffee & Vanilla Cream, Frozen lychee lollipop, Merange with berry tube.

As a final palate cleanser, we are given "space rocks", which despite their charcoal looking exterior, melt in your mouth and are refreshingly minty.

Five short hours later and with not another diner in sight, the night was officially over. Or was it? After saying goodbye all but one waiter, we made our way to the exit. When suddenly, our waiter who had disappeared, magically reappeared with one final surprise. A breakfast bag containing a small loaf of brioche, chive seeds, 2 eggs, 2 cookies and a small package of loose leaf tea. Our night was complete and armed with our bag of goodies, we walked away feeling like we had dined at a truly deserving 3 Chef Hatted restaurant.

Vue de Monde. 430 Little Collins Street, Melbourn., Ph: (03) 9691 3888

Revisting Ryo's

2009-12-06T11:24:00.006+11:00

by TP Little bro

Ever since writing the last post about Ryo's noodles, I have struggled to get their speciality ramen out of my head. I wanted it everyday, so much so that after I having dinner one night, I was in the area and decided to swing by for a bowl of ramen. Unfortunately, it was 9.15pm and the closed sign was painstakingly on display as if to say "Sorry buddy, you snooze, you lose". The next time became Saturday night where we tried to get in early to avoid disappointment (and the long queues) and thankfully, it was open. After saying I would order something other than ramen in my last post, the thought of the delicious strands of noodles soaking in the pork soup was an offer I couldn't refuse. So I caved and ordered the Soy Sauce Tonkotsu ramen (again). My only saving grace was someone else at the table went off my suggestion to order Miso bolognaise and I also generously shared some of my ramen (easier said than done). This left room to try the two dishes which interested me.

Miso bolognaise ($13)

Ramen covered in a miso bolognaise, shallots and sesame seeds gets your attention because it's a dish you don't see everyday and when you think about, may actually work. And it does. It's just like eating Japan's version of spaghetti bolognaise with less tomato, less spaghetti, more miso and much more yummy noodles. Thumbs up but against the Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen, falls short (it's an unbeatable dish).

Fried chicken ($6)

The flavours are amazing the first time the chicken touches your taste buds. The chicken is crispy and well seasoned on the outside, moist on the inside. But be warned, the fried chicken gets the fantastic crispy texture from deep frying. The consequence? Lots and lots of oil. As mentioned in an earlier post, it doesn't matter where you go but deep fried chicken is best shared between at least 3 people to enjoy the indulgent flavours without the heavy sick feeling of your arteries clogging aftewards.

The two dishes may have been a short detour off course but Mission Accomplished! I managed to try something different. With that out of my system, I'll be happy to order Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen for all future visits. I can die in peace.

Quick Review: Ryo’s Noodles

2009-11-29T12:44:00.016+11:00

by TP Little bro

It gives me great pleasure to reveal my ramen restaurant of choice. Having previously lived around the corner, I frequented this place often, falling in love with its authentic, fast and cheap ramen.

With a mere 5 tables (plus the bar) and a seating capacity of around 25 people, communal dining is the way to deal with the soaring demand for Ryo’s noodles. Especially on cold, wet nights, this adds a homely feel to the meal as you can be seated at a table of four with two other strangers.

Situated in the quieter end of Crows Nest, you can’t miss this place for two main reasons. There are always people lined up outside and its exterior is painted a fluro orange, leaving you wondering if the place is sponsored by ING.

This place exudes its eccentricities, an attribute of Japanese culture that is unashamedly put on show. An old TV playing in the background, a self service water flask, beautiful matching wooden table and bench sets contrasting ordinary tables and chairs. Nothing matches but everything works.

One side of the restaurant has menus plastered in Japanese contrasting the other side which has a large blackboard highlighting the five most popular dishes in English. Having being here multiple times, I can’t go past the number one choice, the Soy Sauce Tonkotsu ramen.

Good ramen will look like two minute Maggi noodles that have been straightened and reinforced with three times the density. This ramen has a strong consistency, perfectly and authentically modelling how ramen should look and taste. The thin strips of pork are well seasoned and cooked til tender.

The main element of the dish, the Tonkotsu (pork) stock is well executed and eventhough slightly on the salty side, gives me “mmmm” syndrome, forcing me to cry out “mmmm” with every delicious mouthful.

Our second choice is a spicier variation of the Soy Sauce Tonkotsu ramen called the Spicy hot Tonkotsu ramen.

I’m the type of person who enjoys trying different dishes, and eventhough I have been here more than you can count on two hands, I just can’t push myself past ordering ramen. It’s too darn good and the reason why I am forced to call this a quick review by only reviewing ramen.

So it came as a surprise to me when I recently read Not Quite Nigellas blog who courageously explored the menu past the ramen. They have miso bolognaise? Spicy chicken wings are on the menu? I love spicy deep fried chicken wings! I was completely unaware they served non ramen dishes. I am like a patriot never wanting to leave my ramen island. Maybe I should try to widen my choices next visit. But dreaming of the yellow strands of ramen swimming in the tasty pork soup, I know it’s going to be a struggle.

Ryo's Noodles. 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest. Ph: (02) 9955 0225
Open 12pm-2pm, 5pm-9pm. Closed Wednesdays.

The Cookbook Challenge is on! Week 1 wrap up

2009-11-22T20:00:00.002+11:00

A clever little concept has formed from some fellow food bloggers to make the most of all the cookbooks in your house. Cook 1 new recipe each week from your library, to a new weekly theme pre-set over the course of the year.

http://myfoodtrail.blogspot.com/2009/11/cookbook-challenge-is-underway.html

With the great vic bike ride coming up, a couple of weeks overseas, and Christmas coming up, it looks like I won't be able to always do the weekly new recipe cookup. I am however, aiming to complete all 52 themes - I just have to knock a few off over the course of each week.

The themes until the end of the year are as follows:
Week 1 Monday 16/11/2009 Citrus
Week 2 Monday 23/11/2009 Indian
Week 3 Monday 30/11/2009 Hor d'oeuvres
Week 4 Monday 7/12/2009 Beans
Week 5 Monday 14/12/2009 Greek
Week 6 Monday 21/12/2009 Christmas
Week 7 Monday 28/12/2009 Soft

Week 1 wrap up - Citrus

Cookbook : French, by Damien Pignolet
Recipe : Serious orange cake
Serves : 8-10 (about 13 people managed to eat my cake)

1 orange (about 150g), washed well and diced, with pips removed
200g sugar
3 x 60g eggs
150g self raising flour, sifted
180g butter, melted and cooled a little
small pinch of salt

Orange syrup
60ml orange juice
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs caster sugar
1-2 tbs Cointreau

1. Preheat the oven at 170 degrees C. Grease and line a 24cm diametre springform cake tin with baking paper

2. I peeled the orange and added the zest into a food processor with the sugar, then whizzed it until it was smooth (I've seen recipes where you don't need to peel). Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions

3. Add the flour and the salt and combine for 30 seconds. With the machine running, add the butter all at once. At this point I considered adding poppy seeds, but added a handful of sultanas to half the mix instead (so half the cake wouldn't have sultanas. A bit weird, but I'm all about catering for the wider palate base)

4. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a bamboo skewer emerges clean and dry

5. In a small saucepan, start the orange syrup by combining the OJ, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the Cointreau to taste and simmer for an additional minute.

6. When ready, leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes. Pierce the cake all over and slowly spoon the syrup over the cake. Leave until completely cool before turning out.

The verdict
Beautifully moist and well received by the work colleagues. Will definately make again - will try next time without peeling the oranges. Cointreau orange sauce was the star of the recipe.

Chasing El Bulli - Part I

2009-11-13T20:00:00.002+11:00

By TP Big Brother

El Bulli needs little introduction. Out of all the great places to eat in this huge planet, it has not only gained the title of world's best restaurant, but it has held it for four years running.

Just like the two million other people who this year joustled for the eight thousand lottery tickets to experience foodie elysium, I want a piece of Ferran's 3 Michelin starred pie.

I write this post to unveil an opportunity to eat at El Bulli, and to capture my own story thus far.

So first things first - the opportunity. I have been pondering whether or not I should share this, to increase my chances (yes, I have applied), but then I thought - may the best person deserve it.

The short story is this - life has opened and closed a couple of doors for Jules, a fellow food blogger at The Stone Soup. As a result, she has a spare seat at (.....wait for it.....) El Bulli.
http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2009/10/help-jules-find-a-date-for-el-bulli/
Hopefully my entry is better than yours. Only joking. Sort of.

To give you some background information, I recently went overseas, with a glimmer of hope to eat at the promised land of El Bulli. Even on my luckiest day, I knew I had the odds against me. I tried to study Ferran's A Day at El Bulli for clues. I hounded the El Bulli cancellation list. I tried for a good 5 weeks in Europe to make my culinary eating dreams come true.

The verdict?

I returned weary and empty handed from my quest for the holy grail.

But being the optimist, I had to settle for any consolation prizes I could gather. While I was unable to beat the odds this time round, my chase for El Bulli gave me some minor flashes of inspiration to whet my appetite. Part I explains:

If I can't get the rockstar, I will settle with the drummer. The drummer in this instance was part of the Adria bloodline - Ferran's very own brother, Albert.

Albert Adria is the pastry chef for El Bulli, and along side his other interests, is his very own restaurant in Barcelona - Inopia.

Inopia
C/ Tamarit 104
08015 Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34 934 245 231
Menu: http://www.barinopia.com/Carta_Inopia.pdf

The rumours were true. It is packed. I arrive around 9:30pm, and put my name on the door. Finally a seat at 10pm. It's beautiful. Cosy buzzing setting, full of life and colour. In a sentence - very cool with a touch of style. The waiters are decked out in Boss for crying out loud! (pat on the back to whoever sealed that sponsorship deal)

I read the menu with joy like I'd found a secret manual of food. In Spanish. Research tells me to choose certain dishes, which I order along with a list of my tapas favourites and some surrounding diner's recommendations

The Highlights
1 - Patatas bravas con salsa mixta (€3,50)
Whenever I eat Spanish food, I loosely use the patatas bravas dish as my litmus test to judge how good the food will be. I was particularly excited as this dish was listed as one of the restaurant's specialities (especialidad). The dish arrived to my huge anticipation. The presentation didn't stand out, but call me crazy, the dish almost glowed with aura. I dug in. The potatoes left off a beautiful crunch noise to reveal a soft fluffy interior. The tomato sauce made the dish with its kick and full depth of flavour, and all together with the mayonaisse harmonised into one of the top 3 patatas bravas I've ever tasted. Order this if you ever come to Barcelona.

2 - Ravas de pollo con patatas (€5,50)
The waiter recommended this dish. There are times when I regret listening to the waiters, but this was definately not one of the those times. These chicken ravas were essentially deep fried battered chicken strips. What made me smile was the concept. Shards of thinly sliced crispy potato coated the outside, and was served with a flavoured mustard. While it wasn't a spectacular dish, it was enjoyable, creative and had the clever texture of soft tender chicken contrasted with a crispy random exterior.

Beautiful texture!

Supporting cast
1 - Ensalada de tomate con cebolla tierna y ventresca de bonito (€9,50)
This dish was beautifully presented - a tomato salad with sweet onion and tuna belly. I never heard of samphire until I used it in a restaurant in London, and I saw some lined across the top of this dish. It provided a nice burst of light saltiness, but even so, I found this dish a tad bland and unexciting. Overall though, it was enjoyable.

2 - Ensaladilla rusa (€3,85)
I ensured I tried as many of the restaurant's signature dishes I could stomach. This was another especialidad. Wonderful play on textures with soft mash, cabbage, capsicum, and crunchy grissini bound together in mayonaisse. The salade russe was propped up with an interesting array of tastes - salty, slightly sweet, some sour and a hint of bitterness. This dish intrigued me but also at times when my palate was used to the taste, made me feel like it was simply just a lazy mash up. Would order again but to share.

3 - Desserts
Flan de huevo de la casa (€2,65) and Tarta de Santiago (elaborada en Inopia) (€3)
I have to admit I was quite full by this stage, and I had already eaten dinner about an hour beforehand. But it was going to take a lot more to stop me from ordering dessert at arguably one of the world's best tapas bars.
The Spanish flan was another especialidad, using house made egg custard. While it wasn't mindblowing, it was a fantasticly light and creamy.
The Santiago tart came with a shot of some sort of almond tasting liquer (which seemed to be common in the tapas bars I went to). It was a good finish to the meal because it wasn't too sweet, and the beautiful crunch then melting texture combined with the bite of the shot left me a very generous man when it came to the tip.
The down side of the experience was missing out on several highly regarded recommendations on the menu. This included the fish sandwich (flauta de sardinillas, “el mejor”) and the pineapple and lime peel dessert (Piña con piel de lima y melaza de caña).

The verdict
For each and every time I am in Barcelona, this has made it as a permanent fixture. I felt a great Spanish spirit and ambience in the bar, and in a sentance, it's just a funky little place with great food. A must visit if you haven't already!

Part I end.

Part II will take a peek at some minor encounters with El Bulli Alumni and El Bulli products. To be continued....

Mentioned in this post

El Bulli Restaurant
Cala Montjoi - 17480 Roses
Tel: +34 972 15 04 57
E-mail: bulli@elbulli.com
Web: http://http://www.elbulli.com/
2009 Season - Open from June 16th to December 20th

Hot tip: I discovered that all reservations are confirmed 10 days in advance. If the moons align with someone cancelling, and you manage to call them after 3pm that day, your chances of success are high. That being said, the days I tried, not surprisingly, there were no cancellations.

The Winner of the 2009 Melb Cup... Laksa

2009-11-08T02:51:00.016+11:00

By TP Little Brother

Unlike the working minority which included TP Big Brother in Victoria, I was in the majority working on Melbourne Cup Day in my state. Sadly, Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday in Victoria only, and for those of us unfortunate enough to work in NSW, today was business as usual.

So what a better way to find my silver lining than in a nice tasty bowl of Laska.... not even a 32 degree day could stop me!

Situated on Hunter St and a stone throw away from my office, Malay Chinese has become a popular lunch destination for many of my colleagues. The difficulty of finding a seat during lunch time is a shining testimony of the quality of the food. Throughout my Laska hunting around the CBD, this place is a gem.

Dining at the tail end of lunch, the service is lightning quick. By the time we ordered and sat down, our Laksa’s were ready 2 minutes later.

Beef Curry Laksa

The taste is a combination of sweet and salty and very authentic. The beef is tender and combined with the noodles, bean shoots, tofu and the key ingredient, the broth, it is a very enjoyable meal.
The spiciness of the curry is mild and bearable. Some of my asian colleagues prefer to add few extra teaspoons of chilli paste but I am satisfied with the level of spice.

Skinless Chicken Curry Laksa

A healthier alternative of the Chicken Curry Laksa, the simplicity of the dish is inter-changeable between meats. Chicken, Skinless Chicken and Prawn are pretty good but Beef would have to be my personal favourite. I have been here many times and this place consistently delivers good Laskas.

Of all of the places I’ve had Laksa in Sydney, this would have to be the winner. And with its large servings starting at $8.20, Malay Chinese delivers quality Laksas at a quality price.

On a side note, as good as the Laksas are, another good reason to drop by is to get a glimpse of the centre piece of the restaurant - the resident fish tank housing a very big goldfish with a very big brain. Must be the mastermind behind the secret Laksa recipes.

Malay Chinese, 1/50-58 Hunter St, Sydney, Ph: (02) 9231 6788

Working on cup day

2009-11-03T20:00:00.006+11:00

by TP Big Brother

I write this on cup day, a Melbourne public holiday I didn't get this year.

Searching for a silver lining, I have found some good out of today. Today I inaugurate another member to my very critical list of favourite caffeine suppliers.

A quick drive from my office is Dukes Coffee Roasters, apparently a new kid in town since July. While I'm not a coffee expert, my job drives me to drink it in excess.

My simple verdict, as an introduction to the newest member of the club:
- a bitey, strong and slightly acidic coffee. To sample more often.

Still unticked on my list is to scope out St Ali Outpost in South Yarra. A couple of weeks ago, went to a seminar by St Ali owner Sal Malatesta, and what a clever to-the-point business man.

My current favourite coffee spots around the office (St Kilda), in no particular order, are:
- Dukes Coffee Roasters - 169 Chapel St, Windsor 3181
- Grocery Bar - 135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda (organic coffee)
- Jasper's coffee in Prahran Market (also in Smith St, Fitzroy)
- Italcaffe coffee - Barista off chapel st (Carlton St)

2nd-tier favourites
- Grinders Coffee - myGoodness cafe on St Kilda road (comes with a free muffin)
- Capri Cafe on Wellington St, St Kilda (GianCarlo coffee)

Additionally, in (around) the city, my favourite places are:
- Cloud 19 (using Grinders coffee), 361 Little Lonsdale Street
- Expresso Bagels, QV building (using Mokador coffee - currently only 1 in Melbourne. TP Little Brother is spoilt with many suppliers up in Sydney)
- Seven Seeds - 114 Berkeley St, Carlton. (below - pic from Sunday)

On a side note, the Mushroom meringue lives on. I decided it was too inspirational and too much of a piece of art for me to eat. It now has a permanent place on my desk until it's hard meringue exterior decides that it can no longer face the harsh recycled building air. Replicating this clever sculpture is on the cards for me. In between trying to figure out these darn macarons! Stay tuned.

Foodie picture of the day

2009-11-02T19:00:00.001+11:00

by TP Big Brother

I wish I had the tenacity to carry my camera everywhere, and the tolerance to put up with the brick in my pocket. Unfortunately I don't have either. But if you can put up with my incredibly horrendous picture quality and photo taking, you might appreciate the following.

So picture this. Morning tea at work. A mushroom on a plate. It looked EXACTLY like a button mushroom - white flesh with a dusted dirt cap and black underside.

When I looked closer, it looked like fake foam mushroom. I picked it up.

The dusted cap was cocoa powder, the black underside was chocolate, and the white button mushroom flesh was a cleverly sculpted meringue.

Strangely, this clever little work of art has made my work-day-on-a-long-weekend a little less painful. Enjoy!

(Again sorry for the picture quality - phone cam was best I could do)

Taste of Shanghai & TP Little bro finally arrives on the scene

2009-10-31T09:27:00.010+11:00

by TP Little brother

My recent explorations have indicated that Ashfield is the dumpling capital of Sydney. I, personally, am a big fan of genuine Chinese cuisine in the form of these little pan fried packets of goodness.

Being in the area, I decided to head to Taste of Shanghai Restaurant, a restaurant that always seems to be teeming with people.

Virtually every meal I’ve had in Ashfield has included at least one serving of dumplings. This meal was no exception. Rather than run with the usual dumplings and xiao long bao combo, we ordered a serving of dumplings and whatever looked interesting or appetising.

Being a predominantly Asian suburb, the waiters in Ashfield have the ability to speak English but tend to default to speaking Mandarin. To practice my “pu tong hua”, I decided to immerse myself in the culture and order in Chinese. I began my order by pointing to the nice glossy picture of Pork dumplings and said “Wo yao zhe ge” (I would like this). With the first order done, the next challenge was ordering the Chilli Bamboo chicken and unfortunately there was no glossy picture in the menu. So in my broken Mandarin, I muttered, “Wo yao ji” (I want chicken). The waitress paused, gave me a confused look and replied in English, “Huh?.... Chilli??”.

I took that as a hint and ordered the rest in English.

The first thing that arrived were the pan fried pork dumplings.

Now, an experienced dumplingtier would know, often through the hard way, that the insides of dumplings are generally burning hot upon serving.

So it's always wise to:

a) Wait a few minutes before eating, which admittedly, can be difficult on an empty stomach OR

b) Strategically applying a series of small bites on the dumpling. This serves 2 purposes. To avoid getting burnt and any reducing soup splashback

Big Al, a seasoned dumpling eater, forgot these facts and in a desperate attempt to satisfy his hunger, eagerly bit into the freshly fried dumpling. The result? A burnt lip and later, the dumpling got a second dose of revenge when Big Al took a bite and it squirted soup all over his white shirt.

My experience was much less painful. The dumplings themselves had a nice crisp skin, which is what you want in the pan fried variety. The skin was also slightly thicker and floury than normal. The need for this became apparent after the first bite when more soup than normal poured out.

A common mistake I encounter when ordering dumplings at any venue, particularly fried ones, is undercooked meat. This place had no such issues as the pork was well cooked and coupled with the soup, was pretty tasty.

The next dish was the “Shui mai”. This was much different to the Cantonese version you get at yum cha (with shrimp, pork and mushrooms) and was basically glutinous rice in an open dumpling.

The presentation was interesting which was what initially drew us to the dish.
The taste however, was nice but lacked any other ingredient besides glutinous rice and dumpling wrap. For the same price, I'd prefer to go with another serve of dumplings.

Our last dish, the one I struggled to order in Chinese, was the Chilli Bamboo chicken, served in a bamboo cone with whole chillis, shallots and peanuts, garnished with sprouts.

If you want to be able to cook one good dish, learn how to season well and deep fry.
As expected, the first bite was fantastic. Salty, crispy, deep fried chicken isn’t the most technical dish and pretty hard to mess up. The second,third and forth pieces were nearly as good but by the time I got to the fifth piece, as expected, I started to feel sick. Probably best to share this one between 3 or 4 people to avoid the sick feeling from eating so much oil.

Overall, the food was pretty good. The only unexpected surprise of the meal was at the end. The bill came up to just over $40. Pretty standard for dinner but a touch expensive for a Chinese meal shared between two.

Taste of Shanghai Restaurant
264 Liverpool Road
Ashfield, NSW, 2131

My step into the world of Macarons - part II

2009-10-22T20:00:00.001+11:00

by TP Big Brother

Let me begin this post by firstly introducing very quickly, Ms Claire Clark (if you don't already know her that is).

Regarded as one of the top three pastry chefs in the world, Claire was noticed by Thomas Keller and offered her a position at his three michelin starred French Laundry, ranking in at #12 in the best 50 restaurants in the world.

Claire's debut book, Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts, is my current favourite dessert recipe book. I used her brownies as my first test when judging the book, and they were described as "the best brownies I've ever tasted" by several critics, including a brownie "specialist". The more I read the book, the more I fall in love with it.

Anyway, after my tragic first attempt at making macarons (round 1), I sought Claire's advice. The initial signs of round two, in the battle of producing something with any sort of semblence to a macaron, looked promising.

Changes from the last failed attempt at the macaron

Added a pinch of creme of tartar as the egg whites were foaming during the beating process, as per Claire Clark's recipe
Folded the dry mix into the egg whites (rather than the other way around - was suggested by the Macaron Caramel Fleur de Sel recipe I experimented with from Chubby Hubby - great post and great recipe!)
Beat the egg whites into a stiff peak rather than a medium peak. Again as mentioned by Claire
Piping not using a plastic bag!

Half time verdict
Round 1
Medium peak eggs

Round 2
Stiff peak eggs

I had a good feeling about this round. I was already visibly seeing signs of improvement, and I was very happy with the promising prospect of strong macarons with delicate feet. I could sniff success.

The final verdict
It was a long 12 minute wait

Round 1

Round 2

With much built up anticipation and expectation, I was quite disappointed. My new batch of macarons were going nowhere - while there was an improvement, unfortunately for the second time, the macarons were feetless, and look nothing like a macaron.

In my bitter disappointment, I asked myself the million dollar question - "Why don't my macarons have feet?". "What am I doing differently from Pierre Hermé, Ladurée, Veronica from kitchenmusing, or Duncan from Syrupandtang? As I pondered, I ate one macaron.

Time went by. As I finished pondering, I realised I ate the entire quantity of macarons. I quickly calculated that I ate 225g+25g sugar from the batter, and 100g from the caramel. That is 350g of sugar, or 70 teaspoons of pure sugar!! I didn't know whether to throw up and hit the gym or pat myself on the back and bask in the achievement. I was slowly sacrificing myself and getting sucked into the cause of the perfect macaron.

TP research and hypothesis - Why macarons have no feet
Apparently the secret lies in stirring the batter to the correct consistency, which the general consensus appears to follow the "flows like magma" description.

Overfolding appears to be a common error which causes little or no feet, and a cracked and tough texture.

Other say underfolding reaps feet which are too big or no feet at all, but I think next time I will be underfolding and seeing how big these feet really are.

The "perfect" texture should also be shiny and glossy. The "peak" on the top of the macaron can also be used as a test. If the peak quickly dissolves, then it is the correct texture. If it stands tall, more folding is required.

It appears the drying process also plays a part in feet development, along with oven temperature, and over beating eggwhites.

It looks like from the above, you have to get every step in the whole recipe right! Any advice/suggestions/corrections most welcome.

Hopefully third time lucky. The saga continues...

Dinner parties

2009-10-19T08:00:00.005+11:00

by TP Big Brother
I've been back from overseas for about a month now, and have since hosted 4 dinner parties. I find them quite labour intensive, but I love the moment when everything is done, and I can breathe a sigh of relief, savour a glass of wine and bask in great company over the fruits of my labour. It's what I really enjoy the most - having people around a table, sharing good food, stories and a few good laughs.

I must admit, being a perfectionist, I do get a little anxious trying to plan a great menu. At chef school, we had a workshop on it, and there are a few basic ground rules.

Basic dinner party menu planning ground rules:
- Avoid using the same ingredients over courses (e.g smoked salmon canapes, followed by a salmon steak main)
- Avoid crossing continents between courses (e.g malay satay starter with new york ribs and tiramisu dessert)
- tailor the courses to your audience (e.g more food for a football team, consider gender mix, wary of allergies)
- vary the components on the plate (e.g colours, textures, flavours). Heston Blumenthal even varies the senses, as seen in his "Sound of the sea" fish pie dish. Heston explains the theory behind it very simply - "We ate an oyster while listening to the sea and it tasted stronger and saltier". Great photos also here.

That being said, I haven't followed all the rules. I'm not yet a Michelin starred chef, so I'm not really interested in complying within a bounds. I'm more concerned I'm giving my guests a good meal and good environment to catchup and socialise. So, without further ado, I present a documented play by play of my last 4 dinner parties in the last month. Enjoy

-----------------------------Menu 1-----------------------------
Starter: Parmesan, crispy bacon and black pepper pastry bread

Main: Vinegar chicken risotto

Dessert: Frozen dark chocolate tart

-----------------------------Menu 2-----------------------------
Starter: Parmesan, crispy bacon and black pepper pastry bread

Main: Organic stuffed English roast chicken, with potatoes en papillote, fondant carrots and asparagus

Dessert: Dark chocolate roulade with hazelnut praline and vanilla bean icecream

-----------------------------Menu 3-----------------------------
Starter: Rocket, parmesan and pomegranate salad with balsamic and crostini

Main: Pork Penang cury (kaeng penang moo) with coconut rice

Dessert: Berry, apple and pear crumble with creme anglaise and homemade vanilla icecream

-----------------------------Menu 4-----------------------------

Starter: Balsamic parmesan cheese twists

Main: Slow roasted lamb shank in cranberry and red wine sauce, with fondant potatoes, carrots and asaparagus

Dessert: Swiss chocolate pecan brownie with home made caramel icecream

My step into the world of macarons - part I

2009-10-08T14:03:00.027+11:00

by TP Big Brother

I think its my turn. I’m starting to develop an unhealthy obsession to the beautiful delicate macaron

After a transcendental experience of a box of Laduree macarons in Lausanne, there has always been a faint pleasant lingering of it in the back of my mouth. Like blood to a vampire.

When I left Switzerland to London, I went to Harrods on a whim, to see if there was any ounce of truth in their bold motto “Omnia, omnibus, ubique – Everything for everyone, everywhere”. After spending £10 on lemon pistachios and cheddar cashews, then £15 on small pieces of every flavour of fudge in the food halls, I realized I hadn’t even started looking for the mighty macarons. That’s when I looked up and saw the pearly white “no photos allowed” gates of Laduree macaron heaven.

“Good ole Mr Al Fayed”, I thought. “Just like France”

£20 later I was in pain, but blissfully buzzing on my sugar high.

“Such a fine delicate little thing of goodness”, I thought. “A true artist piece of work”, as I rotated the macaron into the light, between my fingers like a piece of diamond. I scanned the beautiful feet and basked in the perfectly balanced flavour and texture. It was a beautiful moment

*******************

I have since thought back to that moment many times, and the time finally came when I manned up to pop my macaron making cherry. Last week I gathered my very own blank canvas of ingredients to create a vanilla macaron with salted caramel masterpiece.

The final verdict
The taste was a wonderful sweetness on the bite, with a salty hit that crept up in the end. Other than taste though, the French would have crucified me. What a disaster! My “macaron” barely resembled food let alone art. It was more like salted caramel sandwiched between two thin white Anzac biscuits.

Jokes and laughs aside, I assume this is probably the worst it can get. After a bit of research, and help from Claire Clark, I'm hoping round 2 should be a greatly improved win! To be continued...

Rustic macarons otherwise known as failed feetless crunchy biscuits

8 hours in a kitchen

2009-10-07T20:00:00.013+11:00

By TP Big Brother

Yesterday I spent 8 hours in the kitchen. On a weeknight.

Nothing surprising to those who work in hospitality. I know. But I don't work in hospitality. I am a desk jockey spending the good part of my week working the corporate spanner.

After the day job, I banged out 4 dishes last night for no one in particular. A needy white stock, a vegetarian lentil dish to hit my one a week vegetarian quota, poor feetless macarons and a version of Mary Berry's thai beetroot soup.

I do wonder how I spent that long in a kitchen, but thats me really. Food just takes me on a timeless journey down a path of another world. I have worked the hobs in the London battlefields, where I have been the one shouting "push geezer", but at home, I am within the confines of my very own food hut sanctuary. I guess I'm just suffering from the come down from holidays, which I opted to spend a month at culinary school and work kitchens, as opposed to cruising the Galapogas Islands on a 5 star Catamaran. Food just continues to invade my personal space, and I am beginning to stop resisting.

Yet, I am just another average joe who loves his food, blindly throwing money into the pleasures of all things culinary, then wanting to re-live it with a few taps on the keyboard. But, I hope this blog isn't just another food blog. I don't have the commendable structured-goal-format of cooking every recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook. And my photos certainly are not on par with the likes of the myfoodtrail blog. It's just going to be about simple me and my expanding food world (along with the other Twin Palate galaxy). Fortunately or unfortunately, I have developed a disease which causes me to want to serve, eat, buy and learn about good food. I hope this blog encaptulates that. Enjoy!

Welcome

2009-09-24T15:33:00.002+10:00

From the same egg, two palates were born.

Side by side, two palates, ate the same, dressed the same and were educated the same.

Until one day the two palates were separated.

TP Big Brother stayed in Melbourne, and TP Little Brother sought the greener pastures in Sydney.

We wish to give you the unique insight into our world of Twin Palates. You will get to join our journey on a palate in Sydney and a palate in Melbourne, and on the lucky occasion, Twin Palates will combine and cover both angles on the same meal. Its going to be fun and exciting to share this with you.

Welcome to the world of Twin Palates.