Big Food Small World

Burgin'

2011-11-19T14:31:00.015+09:00

Experiencing the intense need for a huge, gnarly burger,
passionately consuming a burger, or recovering from burger overindulgence.

"Man, I'm burgin"
or
"Oh yeah, I'm burgin!"
or
"Goddamn it, help me, I'm burgin!"

That was the case as we soon as we had hit Melbourne. But not a general call burgin', there was a specific burger at the center of this crave. We had followed with amusement the posturing and cat calling on twitter over who had the right to call their burger the best in Sydney, when it reached flash point a blind tasting had been organized with Rockpool Bar and Grill coming out on top. Now we were within close proximity of the Rockpool bar and Grill located in the Melbourne Casino complex.

We arrived at the front door just as they opened and grabbed a seat at the bar rather than the restaurant side as we just wanted the burger. Having the burger cut in half was no problem, we added a side of fat cut chips as the burger came with none, a side of onion rings and one of the small plates of calamari with romesco. A couple of Aperols for the wait and we were all set.
The calamari arrived fast, with a generous portion of sweet, nutty romesco. The calamari more a spoon to convey the sauce to our mouths than the star of the plate. With the calamari quickly out of the way we waited eagerly for the burger (burgin).

Arriving cut in half and on two plates showed some consideration from the kitchen. The center showing a nicely cooked medium rare with plenty of juiciness. We took our first bites and began the analysis....nah, we ate it, we ate it good. And a mighty fine burger it was! The fat from the minced wagyu veered towards too-much but Zuni's famous courgette pickles helped to draw it back in. The cheese and bacon seemed almost superfluous, nice but not needed.

The fries were true to their word and cut fat, but they paled beside what were possibly the best onion rings I've ever had. Crispy crunchy with a mild onion center. Not so taken with the home-made ketchup not that it was bad, maybe I just like the amplified artificial umami flavor of the commercial varieties.

Was it the best burger I've ever had? Maybe. I'll have to add to the list, up there with the Mcfoie from Tapac 24, Barcalona, the Mckobe from Feugo Negro, San Sebastion, and lets not forget the hand minced wagyu burger with truffles and foie at Brown Sugar in Singapore... top ten at least.

One flaw in the night was the aggressive service with more drinks being offered while our first were still half full and the obvious distain that we were only sharing one burger. Left a slight taint to an amazing burger. (We arrived at 6pm for a little pre-dinner burger, with a booking at MOMO for 9pm).

I would like to come back and dine in the restaurant proper. When I peaked though on the way to our seat the room looked amazing, grand and plush like a old timey clubby steakhouse. A glance over the menu and a walk past the meat dry aging re enforced the desire to return.

Rockpool Bar and Grill

Open; Lunch Sunday to Friday
Dinner 7 Days

Reservations
+61 3 8648 1900

Crown Complex
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank VIC 3006
Australia

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Easy Tiger!

2011-11-07T22:24:00.008+09:00

The power of 3. Jarrod Hudson, Suzanne Tyzack & Simon Hall make a magical team at the funky new space Easy Tiger on Smith Street. We know Jarrod & Suze way back from our years in Sydney where we were introduced to the amazing Giant Steps & Sexton line up from the Yarra as well as the WA Little Creatures Pale Ale. There were many other fun times, doughnuts & laughs along the way. We worked with Jarrod at various large scale catering events, all stinted at Hugos and then I spent time working with him at Dragonfly in Surry Hills. Anyway, back to the beer ..... So, a pint of Little Creatures seemed fitting to kick start our night.

We managed to slip out to the tiny kitchen window to say HI before sitting down for our chefs selection banquet. The kitchen team are humming away, busy before the nights service truly begins, all meticulously checking and stocking up their prep. Oysters are being shucked to order, and I am pleased that they feature on our first plate for the evening - with a little red nam jim that packs a punch and then a watermelon ma hor. Ma hor is a great way to kick the taste buds off on tonights journey, a sweet cube of watermelon topped with a sticky peanut, chicken, pork & prawn paste with fresh coriander and a single slice of red chilli julienne.

The next dish was blow-your-Mr-Sock-off amazing! Jarrod has a phenomenal palate, but also a vivid imagination. This dish showcases everything we love about Jarrod's cooking. Slices of plump kingfish sit on a tarted up white miso paste, with little clouds of crispy rice, slightly pickled cucumber rainbows & wasabi flying fish roe. WOW!

Some little crispy bean curd parcels filled with something which I don't quite remember were a delight. Whatever was inside I can asure you was delicious which was complimented by the black vinegar dipping sauce.

I added a cup of dtom kha gai, 'cause I just love my soups ... This was a fine example of the chicken, coconut & galangal version although I had just one problem with it ... there wasn't enough!

The smoked trout salad is another of my favorites, juicy flakes of smokey ocean trout are delicately resting on a roasted coconut, herb & peanut salad with a sticky palm sugar dressing and a little surprise of popping pomegranate seeds.

Yellow curry of duck is rich yet still remains vibrant with the fresh chilli, baby corn & Thai basil.

A bowl of rice with a son in law egg is just what the curry needs... Son in law eggs fried to a crispy coating with a gooey yolk busting out through to mix with the tamarind & palm sugar dressing & crispy fried shallots is heavenly.

Another little gem appears from the Yarra in the form of a pink moscato. The Innocent Bystander pink bubbles make for 2 very nice glasses of pre-dessert wine.

Dessert comes in the form of monsieur truffe chocolate & pandanus leaf dumplings with melon & salted coconut cream. These are one of my favorite Thai street snacks, but they have certainly been pimped up here at Easy Tiger. The beautiful green dumplings pop with the rich chocolate center and are disguised amongst some perfectly spherical melon balls. The salted coconut cream is elevated by the addition of little basil seeds and some baby leaf basil. We also get a slice of ice-cream slice which has a very tropical feel to it with the passion, coconut & vanilla.

Espresso to finish is served in a beautiful double-walled glass with cubes of pure cane sugar in another little double-walled glass, just so pretty.

A fantastic meal on a beautiful night in Melbourne ... It was all a bit of a blur by the end of the night considering our earlier tipple at Madam Brussels but delightful.

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Easy Tiger
96 Smith St.
Collingwood
VIC Australia 3066
+61 (0)3 9417 2373

Tuesday–Sunday 6pm-late
Sunday night is banquet night

A tipple with the Madame

2011-10-24T20:44:00.007+09:00

After a long day of walking Melbourne's streets we both felt we needed a little break. Being conveniently close to Madame Brussels we find the fairly anonymous little lift and three floors up spill out into the surreal surroundings of the the Madams abode. A brick paved path leads you along between AstroTurf lawns highlighted by pink walls and picket fences.. its Alice in Wonderland meets Wimbledon. We follow the brick path to a table on the outside terrace, looking out over east Melbourne and in the last of the afternoon sun we titter our way through the suggestive menu.

Cocktails come standard sizes as well as jugs for two or four players - we decide on a jug o Gin Garden, with elderflower, apple cucumber and gin.. lots and lots o gin! It's refreshing relaxing and really really good.

As with as tea in the afternoon there should be snacks, and snacks there were. With the arrival of the tea plate it really drove home the feeling one should be holding a croquet mallet, I mean it had a doily and all. Little toasted triangles filled with poached chicken mayo and watercress and baby sausage rolls with accompaniments of Tabasco, tomato sauce, cornichons and a wedge of lemon it was perfect, the world outside of the terrace completely melted away.

The jug o gin went down a little to easily, topped up with a stellar Negroni and possibly the best Bloody Mary ever consumed qued the arrival of the Double smoked ham and Tilsit cheese sandwiches which sent us over the edge and once again a tad tardy for our next appointment.

It seemed quite appropriate to be running down the garden path muttering we're late we're late.

Madame Brussels

Level 3,
59-63 Bourke St,
Melbourne,
Victoria
(03) 9662 2775

OPENING HOURS: 12 noon to 1am every day of the wonderful week!

Bumping into Burch & Purchase, Chapel St Melbourne

2011-10-16T11:58:00.006+09:00

After we were fueled with a morning stop at Lb Cafe we continued our walk up and down Chapel St. Something catches my eye - it wasn't a display window with the latest season skirt on display, it wasn't even a belt or new season accessory ... a window full of delicious looking sweet creations, that's what I'm talking about! We wander on in ...

The shelves are lined with all sorts of little packets, and jars, with the pretty pink labels. You can then walk out the back to the epic wall of spice.

... and even get a glimpse into the kitchen where all the magic happens.

Now, you will be forgiven if you haven't heard of this dynamic team before (as honestly, this was our first encounter with the brand) but since our chance bumping into them we have seen them appear on Masterchef and just generally heard fantastic things about their boundary-pushing sweet style. On any given day you will see the showcase full of delights like lego blocks, clouds & chocolate bars as well as little jars of jams, curds and caramel and of course their celebration cakes and my favorite, their sprinkles. We took a bag of the puffed quinoa and malted orange crumble for our flight later in the week to Royal Mail Hotel and it was divine!

Burch & Purchase Sweet Studio
647 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Melbourne, Australia
Open: 10am~6:30pm Tuesday through Sunday
Closed Monday

T: +61 (0)3 9827 7060

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lb (pound) Cafe, Chapel St Melbourne

2011-10-16T00:05:00.004+09:00

Many many years ago we were those people who got a booking at Flower Drum, and flew from Sydney to Melbourne for a brief 2 night stay with the sole purpose of eating there in its prime. It was amazing. We still to this day talk about the peking duck, quail san choi bow, caramel apples, waiters in their bow ties and of course being lucky enough to tour the kitchen - all those wok burners, oh my! and the smell of the peking ovens in action, just amazing and unforgettable. That was of course many years before our blogging started, so you'll just have to take our word for it!;)

After that amazing dinner, we woke up a little late. We had plans of having breakfast at Pearl, so hitched a tram over that side of town worked out what station to get off and we were there. The place was full of staff, but not a single customer in site. Oh no, was it that awkward in-between-breakfast-and-lunch-time?! We poke our head in the door and a very nice staff member came to greet us. They were booked out for a private function, so there went out brunch plans! He must have seen our dismay, and instructed us the little staff favorite just up the road for awesome coffee and a great breakfast selection. We followed his directions, make a slight detour down Oxford lane and find ourselves at Pound, or Lb as you will see on the widow. All these years back we had a great experience, and on this trip our first morning was to be spent wandering down Chapel St. so Lb for breakfast was a given.

As we are staying at the gorgeous Cullen hotel in Prahan, Lb is closer than we think. Before we can decide whether it's Chap-pel or Sha-pel St we see the familiar glass windows.

We were so in need of our caffeine kick that it was absorbed within seconds of hitting the table. Now, just think of this place as the sort of awesome breakfasts you would like to make at home everyday, but likely won't. The produce is fresh & the combinations classic. Smashed avocado, fresh tomato & goats cheese on toast - yup, that's me!

Kim has a heartier option of chorizo panini with rocket. Oh, the little touches like adding the greens AFTER the panini is toasted - that S*+# is always appreciated!

If you are in Melbourne, or more importantly down the Chapel St end of town, Lb is a perfect morning start or midday break.

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Lb
Shop 5, 566 Chapel Street
South Yarra Melbourne 3141
T: +61 (0)3 9826 1114

Open: Monday to Saturday 7:00am~3:00pm, Sunday 8:00am~3:00 pm

Chasing up lunch at Cumulus Inc. with Degustation at Cutler & Co. - first day in Melbourne

2011-10-02T14:53:00.006+09:00

After our flying visit to Cumulus Inc. and a quick taxi across town we found ourselves standing in front of Cutler & Co. in Fitzroy. I had booked us a table, but upon entering they can't seem to find our reservation. We are asked to take a seat at the bar, and of course oblige. A quick scan of the Aperitif menu and we have a Campari with fresh pink grapefruit juice and an Aperol with fresh blood orange juice on our table.

We are quite happy at the bar while they appear to be sorting out the little mishap with our booking. They are all super-friendly, and in just minutes we are ushered away to a lovely table in the main dining room, a staff member following with a tray and the components of our drinks. We are given menus and the wine list upon sitting ... even though we are still quite full from our very late visit to Cumulus Inc we still decide on the Degustation. Fresh baked, warm bread rolls arrive at the table along with a couple of fresh shucked oysters to kick off the dinner.

Little appetizers just keep on coming, including little toasts with smoked trout & pickled onions, soy roasted pumpkin seeds, marinated olives & a little pot of 'just-like-Mum's' French onion dip with baby radishes. The palate is certainly awakened, and we are ready to eat.

Cured Kingfish with avocado, octopus & pickled cucumber is very clean. The sprinkling of the Japanese-esque furikake seasoning really elevate the subtle flavors.

The Heirloom carrots with shanklish, pistachio & radish is a vibrant & exciting vegetable dish. The creamy shanklish curd cheese is hidden in nice little surprise pockets under the carrots. The pistachios are crushed with some other seasons, like a very mild dukkah spice. The carrots are raw shaves, braised and roasted.

We swap our soup course for the wood grilled lambs tongue, sweetbreads, smoked egg, celeriac & anchovy - and are very glad we did! Very nice combination ...

I was very excited by the sound of this dish. Poached chicken, foie gras parfait, sprouts, quinoa & prune - but was a little disappointed when it arrived. The chicken was fine, but really needed something like a rich foie gras to elevate it - we both found the parfait tasted like a chicken liver pate, and had none of that foie gras richness we were yearning .... the crisp quinoa was the star of that plate for me.

There are several words that will always excite me on a menu... and two of them happen to be Sucking & Pig. Unfortunately, after this dinner, I lost a bit of that excitement:( I don't know if it's the fact that we were one of the last tables eating and the food was a bit rushed, but we have had better suckling pig on the street side in Vietnam and even at yum cha. The meat was dry and the skin lacked any sort of crackle. Which makes me forget anything else about the dish .....

Perhaps the pastry chef wasn't in such a rush to get home, as the next few courses start to make up for it. The first little pre-dessert, crisp tuille cones with a creamy piped apple sorbet nicely washes out the dry pork remains in my mouth.

The dessert of violet ice-cream, chocolate ganache and sour cherry is sophisticated and full of surprises. The sponge cake, the crumbles, the honeycomb like crack and just a really pleasant combination of flavors. A glass of sauternes is the perfect night cap.

It's been a big first day in Melbourne, we've seen & eaten a lot starting off with a Cumulus Inc. and Cutler & Co. double up starts this trip off on a roll.

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Cutler & Co.
55-57 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy Melbourne 3065
T: +61 (0)3 9419 4888

Melbourne; into the excess.

2011-09-07T22:09:00.009+09:00

The best part of a plan-less holiday is the ability to do things on a whim, like jump on a plane head to Melbourne and spend a week or two eating at all the places we had been watching from a far over the last seven years of absence. In keeping with the theme of the trip we decided on a little snack before our fast approaching dinner booking. A quick tram ride across town (trams people, always cool) a few blocks of superb street art and we're out the front of Cumulus inc.

We duck in the door and are surprised to see the place quite full, maybe this is the place for the meal between meals (later on in the week we found out its also the place for real meals as well). A seat is found and we dive into the menu. First sardines, seared and served with caramelized fennel and a sprinkle of orange powder resting on a crispy crispy wafer of toasted bread. I'm a sucker for sardines (for a lot of things when I think about it) and these babies will keep me being a sucker for them.

The next dish of slow cooked octopus with aioli and dehydrated olives is one of the highlights of whole trip. The octopus meltingly soft, the rich aioli just a dab to add a little vroom and the neato trick, the dehydrated olive sits in a puddle of olive oil at first giving the impression of the far more familiar balsamic/oil combo.

The terrine of jellied pork hock and head flecked with herbs and it's mustardy English cream dressing goes superbly with the house bread and is devoured in moments.

The duck, ahhh the duck, ummm yup sorry have a total blank on the duck. Anyone a little help??

We couldn't go past the smoked wagyu tongue (another sucker moment) on it's little toasts with the caper raisin vinaigrette it was every thing it should be. A hint of smoke, soft luxurious meat and a sharp little hit of caper to clean it all up.

By this time we were starting to clock watch, calculating the cross town trip time against further potential dishes. The answer turned out to be just one more. And what a doozy it was!

The rum baba, is it retro, iconic, cool again, ironic, never out of fashion? I don't know but I love a rum baba (I had one one the menu this year with persimmon, yuzu and Okinawan rum). This example arrived one large baba sitting in a pool of anglaise with a bottle of Havana on the side to add as little or as much as we desired. We desired a well soaked baba and soon there was naught but a few crumbs and a faint rummy air as we gathered our things and dashed for the door, our next meal only minutes away.

Cumulus Inc.
45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne

Mon- Fri 7am-11pm
Sat-Sun 8am-11pm

Australian Farmers Market Love

2011-08-27T21:48:00.008+09:00

We were back in Australia this Spring for 8 weeks; the first time since we left nearly 6 years ago that we have spent that amount of time back home. There were so many things we loved about being home, but one of them would have to be the abundance of Farmers Markets. We would go to at least one a week, switching between the Jan Power markets in the City on Wednesdays and the Davies Park markets at West End. The West End markets had a little stall selling a range of cheese & even fresh churned butter. We pick up a log of goat's cheese, and just happen to have some pickled walnuts at home that we picked up on one of our continental food shop missions, and have the making of a wonderful afternoon snack ...

The goat's cheese was divine, crumbly, salty and with robust flavors ... paired perfectly with the pickled walnuts.

What are you doing this weekend? Get on down to your local farmers market and as well as supporting local producers you will be bound to find a trove of seasonal treasures!

the West End Markets
Held every Saturday
6am - 2pm
Davies Park
QLD Australia

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Montague Road West End

Cupcakes with a chaser of chocolate - Max Brenner on the Gold Coast

2011-08-27T21:04:00.004+09:00

So, my darling sister turns 20... one thing that has not changed over the years is her love for chocolate. After a huge dinner the night before, with some delicious cupcakes what better way to follow up the next morning than with chocolate by the bald man. Max Brenner is all about chocolate - the shops walls are lined with all sorts of chocolate mixes, drinks, cups, glassware & sweets with cabinets of hand-made chocolates and then the front counter home to a whole range of chocolate goodies, a warm pot of chocolate for drizzling and a coffee machine used mainly for foaming milk for the various chocolate drinks. The drink menu is a tad daunting, you look above the back wall and the boards are filled with each & every hot or iced chocolate concoction you could imagine - dark chocolate, spiced Mexican chocolate, Danish toffee, marshmallow, coconut chocolate, mint chocolate, hot chocolate with waffle bites & peanut butter iced chockie .... just to name a few! The little sis' goes for a suckao, milk chocolate.

As you can see, one very happy camper! A jug of warm milk and fine milk chocolate buttons sit on a little wooden tray and are added to a little suckao pot, with a tea light candle flickering below. The metal straw has a little spoon on the end, for stirring and collecting all of the melting chocolate. I have the hot chocolate with waffle bites and Mum the Danish toffee chocolate, both divine!

We share a chocolate souffle cake, with chocolate drizzle and vanilla ice cream.

That's definitely our chocolate quota for the day .... now time for a stroll along the coast.

Max Brenner
Gold Coast - Main Beach
Shop 24 Ground Floor, Marina Mirage
74 Seaworld Drive Main Beach QLD 4217
T: +61 7 5591 1588

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Happy 20th Birthday Ally, now let's eat cupcakes...

2011-08-27T20:55:00.005+09:00

While we were home recently my little baby sister turned 20... No longer a teenager! Happy Birthday Ally, so glad that we could be there to celebrate your special day.

We made a feast of a dinner, just what the birthday girl requested; Dad's corned beef with mustard sauce, potato rösti & buttered beans. Yum! We'd arranged some gorgeous cupcakes from The Cupcake Parlor in West End. Gooey chocolate fudge, toblerone topper & fairy floss varieties.

Great evening, great company & delicious cupcakes! Here's to many more happy years ahead....

Adapting to life as an Australian Housewife ..... ah, Risa!

2011-08-16T22:17:00.003+09:00

A shout out to our friends Ross & Risa, who we met in Hokkaido and who did the most awesome trip of Japan in their Delica with a Honda Mini Cub & bed in the back .... got married, and then took off to Australia. We caught up with them while we were back in Oz a few times, but were lucky enough to be invited around for a BBQ at their place. They have a pretty sweet pad in the Valley, with a nice outdoor space that opens up into the eating area. Ross cranked up the BBQ, and Risa had knocked up some true blue Aussie rissoles & even a potato bake.

All was enjoyed in the sunshine, with bread rolls, salad, white wine & even a bit of roo steak! Ross, & Risa adapting to life as an Australian really well, we will be back again next time we're home for another BBQ feast!;)

Yatala Pies, on the Highway, Brisbane, Australia

2011-08-16T21:01:00.003+09:00

Best Pie in Australia ... now that is a huge claim! Growing up in NSW, Robertson Pie Shop was my go-to pie fix growing up. In the last couple of years, on the visits home to family, I have learned of Yatala pies. Yatala pies seems to be known QLD wide, and beyond, as producing some of the best pies in Australia. Yatala pies is over 130 years old, and has grown from a humble little roadside pie shop to a store just off the Gold Coast highway in beautiful landscaped surronds with inside & outside seating areas and a drive through! selling over 3,500 pies a-day. We certainly help boost that number whenever we are home!

It is conveniently located between where Dad's place, and where the rest of the relatives live on the Gold Coast. Pie, chips, gravy & a Bundaberg ginger beer and I am all set.

The pastry at Yatala is hands down some of the best pie pastry in the galaxy. Crumbly, short crust base and a super flaky puff top. The fillings can be a bit hit-and-miss, but on this occasion I try the lamb, mint & peas. Definitely my favorite pie from Yatala to date! It's like a roast dinner, in a pie. There are decent chunks of the roast lamb and plump peas sitting in a minted gravy.

It's also impossible to leave Yatala Pies without some sort of sweet treat for later. When the sister is present, that is guaranteed to be a caramel tart! Today, apricot pie with cream, glistening under a layer of sugar crystals.

Yatala Pies
Exit 38, Yatala North
48 Old Pacific Hwy, Yatala QLD 4207, Australia‎
T: +61 (0) 7 3287 2468‎
Open 7 Days a week, 7.30am~8.30pm

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Fish & Chips at the Fishery, Milton, Brisbane

2011-08-13T22:17:00.009+09:00

I have an issue with cooked fish ... I didn't even eat battered & fried fish as a kid. I ate lots of chips, and pluto pups, and bacon egg rolls, and pineapple fritters. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy eating fish! Mainly raw fish though. It's the texture of cooked fish I generally don't like. Living in Hokkaido for close to 3 years though, I have developed a whole new appreciation for fish .. tsubodai is my favorite thing to get at an Izakaya now - a rich, fatty fish from the Northern seas of Japan that is salted and hung to dry for a day or two before being grilled over charcoal. I even somewhere along the way, in my last couple of visits developed a real liking to battered fish - even when it tastes of more than oil & salt.

Now, we eat a fair bit of fish in Japan, as you would ... but it's the same with beef. We are blessed with some of the most premium beef & seafood products in the world. The quality is gob-smacking, and that's just the stuff in the supermarket! But, like we still often crave for a nice, grilled steak as everything you get in the stores is small portions, usually sliced very thin, and so rich I don't even think eating a 300g steak would be possible without some serious stomach cramps!

Fish is the same, the quality and variety of fish we get at the supermarket exceeds anything I could have dreamed of. But again, because of the quality & just their culture of how they eat, fish is eaten in small amounts, often raw, or grilled bone in, used to flavor stocks or salted & dried. A huge chunk of meaty, white fish coated in a thick batter and fried until golden .... nuh uh, not around here. Even if we are lucky to find seafood other than shrimp tempura'd, the batter is much lighter and the pieces of seafood would be tiny bite sized bits. Which brings me back to Fish & Chips. Something I now crave when heading back home. Sitting outside, by the water, a whole spread of deep-fried goodness with wedges of lemon & a Bundaberg Ginger Beer, bliss!!

The world of twitter introduced me to The Fishery at Milton. This was on our must-eat list. The address is punched into the Tom Tom and before we know it we are headed towards the GBB? "Take the GBB?!" WTF is the GBB? ahhhhhhhhhhh, the Go-Between-Bridge. We put our faith in Tom Toms hands and arrive at a little community shopping village. I imagined it would be by the water? We head inside and place our order.

There's a large menu on the wall, some daily specials, and showcases filled with all sorts of fresh seafood delights. We settle on some fried cod, crumbed whiting & sea scallops, home-made potato scallops & of course chips.

The chips are golden & crunchy, the perfect nest for all of the fresh, delicate seafood on top. The sea scallops were sweet, still translucent in the centre with a golden crumb coating. The whiting was salty & delicious, and the huge battered piece of cod was divine. We had home-made tartare & aioli to dip everything into and both stopped in our tracks with the first bite of potato scallop... Thick cut chunks of potato were coated in a dreamy batter and fried until the color of the sun on a clear Summers day.... Yeah, those little fried potatoes messed with my head.. hot, crispy, salty overload!

This was the first of several fish & chip meals on our visit home, and something I am already missing now we are back in Japan...

The Fishery
6A / 16 Baroona Rd
Milton QLD, Australia 4064

T: +61 (07) 3369 4707
Open Daily, 10am-8pm

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90 years strong ....

2011-08-12T22:16:00.005+09:00

After a brief stopover in Seoul, we find ourselves back in Brisbane on the morning of my Oma's 90th Birthday. A quick freshen up, and we are on the Gold Coast before lunch time. Way back on May 14th, 2011 (was that really nearly 3 months ago??!) my one and only grandparent, Klara Cornelia, or Oma, turned 90. To be there with her to celebrate this milestone, truly a blessing. She has been there for me throughout the years on countless occasions, and spending time with her while we were home and seeing that she still has her sense of humor & cheekiness was extremely refreshing! Lunch is had, and little things that day will stick with me forever. As we all sit down, a casual "What would you like to drink, Oma?" and we are quickly put in our place with a "Well... I haven't even seen the drinks menu yet .." *smile* We all help her navigate her way around the menu a little, as of course the font is quite small. The words Iced .. Coffee .. Ice-cream pass through my lips and her eyes light up. 1 iced-coffee, with ice-cream, for the Birthday girl. She was truly glowing throughout the day, I think a very rare occasion having the family together like this, as well as iced coffee with ice-cream, was probably why.

To be honest, I can't even really remember what we ate, as it certainly was not the thing on my mind this particular day. But, looking over the photos I see the one that we have from lunch was a steak sandwich - toasted white bread, steak, caramelized onions, tomato sauce & even some bacon speared with a toothpick and with a mountain of hot chips. Oh yeah, we are back in Australia !!

Oma, Happy 90th Birthday !! You are an inspiration & aspiration to us all.

Tornado Potato!

2011-08-12T22:08:00.005+09:00

Deep fried & things on a stick... 2 of my favorite food groups! While wandering through Insadong I spotted a Tornado Potato cart. It was a one-man show, taking a raw potato and feeding it through some fancy contraption where he was left with a spiral of starchy potato. One at a time, the whole thing was then carefully threaded onto a wooden stick. And then, the whole thing, stick and all, was placed in a vat of hot oil.

When the golden tornado emerged from the oil, it was left to rest a moment on the tray, before I was faced with the grueling decision of choosing a flavored salt. There was several flavors, but the Chilli and the Cheese flavors were what interested me. A quick dip of one half into the chilli salt, and the other into the cheese salt.

And there we have one stick full of deep fried, salty, crispy goodness from the streets of Seoul.

Bbopgi, honeycomb on a stick! Street food in Seoul

2011-07-29T21:12:00.001+09:00

After a huge bibimbap for lunch, we make our way back to wander the walking street ... and I spot something from a distance. Sugar, on a stick - perfect!

Kids and adults alike are walking around with these things, each etched with a different hand drawn artwork. We make our way over to one of the bustling little street side stalls. They are making giant clumps of honeycomb, and then pressing them flat, piercing them with a stick for convenient eating-while-walking, and then etching the picture into the hot candy.

Apparently the idea is to eat around the shape without it breaking/cracking? I just ate the heck out of that sugar in one swift motion it was so good ... Will give the whole eating around the shape thing a go next time.

Walking the walk, Insadong.

2011-07-29T20:19:00.005+09:00

Insadong is the cultured heart of Seoul with art and antique stores a plenty. On week ends the main street is closed to vehicular traffic and the streets turn into a bit of a flea market. We had all intentions of checking this out, but first off to more important matters such as our breakfast (which was taking place about lunch time (holidays people)) About half way up Insadong gil our rumbling tummies led us down a flight of stairs to the biggest bibimbap we've ever seen, it was just a plastic sample model but at that stage if they had been selling them that size we would have considered.

As the menus arrive so does the banchan, a half a dozen small plates of pickles and salads as well as to thimbles of ginseng rice wine, full of the earthy flavor of the root.

Our bibimbaps arrive not long after, a raw beef one for myself. Served in a huge brass bowl the textural additions of the nuts and seeds is great. I never really had idea about how much they were used in Korean cuisine.

Kat has the house signature, it arrived sizzling away in it's stone bowl, the verdict.... also awesome.

let the mixing begin

The restaurant is located in the basement of a funky building called the Ssamzie building, housing dozens of small arty shops with a long walk way spiraling around each floor until you reach the rooftop gardens where we stopped to snap a few pics of the grazing giraffes a peak down onto the market street below.

The building is full of all sorts of art installations, mobiles of picture frames, art on the walls, giraffes on the roof, funky maps of the area...

Next up sugar madness.

Gogung
Ssamzie building
Insadong gil

Open from 11am - 10pm

So much porky goodness.

2011-07-24T22:19:00.004+09:00

Hong dae, I hadn't thought much about the area at first but this is because we had be visiting in the wrong time zone. Hong dae is most definitely a night time show. As we walked back around the formerly empty streets it was had to remember how it was pre-midday. Crowds of people thronged the streets and alleys delicious smells were every where, music pounded out of clubs, it was fantastic. We stopped for a little appetizer at a busy bbq place picked at random. A plate of meat, wraps, accompaniments and a couple of Cass beers and we're good to go.

We knew we wanted more and traveled a good few feet to get it. As we stepped out of the bbq joint we saw a lot of people enjoying Bossam right next door, with this way up on our must do dishes we took a few steps and sat down again.

A towering plate of pork arrives along with chillies, garlic, kimchi, wraps, saeujeot (pickled fermented shrimp) and a Haejangguk, a murky bowl soup made from ox bones and blood jelly.
the first moments are spent thinking, wow glad we ordered the small size, but then first taste and we know there's no way we won't finish this bad boy.

Grab a little pork add some sweet sweet Korean garlic, chili and a splash of baby pickled shrimp, wrap it all up in a sesame or lettuce leaf and chow down, have a little kimchi to cleanse the palate, totally awesome.

The Haejangguk is a traditional hangover cure so this was a preemptive strike on the following morning. The soup was of the Seoul variety made with a soy bean soup base, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts and plenty of the blood jelly. This sort hangover cure I could get used to.

We sat for a good while, every time a banchan bowl was emptied a refill was quick in coming, and magically the plate of pork disappeared, amazing.

With bellies filled with awesomeness and doing the happy dance of satisfaction we took once more to the streets to watch and join the spectacle that is Hong dae by night.

Parting gratuitous pork shot

Macarons; will they ever stop being so hot right now?

2011-07-12T21:19:00.000+09:00

Taking a look through the basement food courtia of one of the vast department stores we happened across these babies.

Truffle macarons. Awesome!!!

Crisp shell, slightly sweet, then a head full of truffle funk. More addictive than smack. We stopped by on the way back through Seoul and picked up a few more to bring home....half of them never made it out of the country.

Hangry, Hangry, Hangry! and how to cure in just 7 minutes

2011-06-23T20:16:00.000+09:00

Fueled on caffeine from our little morning stop at Coffee Brown we've ended up ... well, actually, I don't quite know where we were. We found a one of the huge Hyundai department stores that housed an impressive basement level wonderland of all-things food, including a macaron shop with flavors like black truffle, gorgonzola, milk & even foie gras (but they were sold out). Of course we get a few for later...

We try to find some noodle place, that supposed to serve the noodles so spicy, that whole chilies make up a large part of this lunch staple. We wander around for hours, well okay, maybe 20 minutes. I get a bit hangry (that's when I get so hungry, that I turn a little grumpy, or angry - which happens after about an hour or two with no food;)) and I totally give up on the noodle idea. We wander some more, now just looking for some more fuel, in the form of solids. We randomly turn up a little alley, and spot this place bursting at the seams with people casually enjoying lunch amongst all the bustle.

Silver extractor pipes seem to be crawling from the roof, the waiters aptly navigating their way around these pipes and stopping by tables armed with shears. We head in, and they clear a table for us just as someone gets up to leave. Something gets babbled away to us, and we just nod. Then the lady points to a menu on the wall..

Hmm, when she comes back we just point at the table next to us, which have something simmering away that smells delicious. She comes back moments later with a few bowls of kimchi - a white cucumber kimchi, an intense chilli & raw squid version and a bunch of sesame leaves rolled in a spicy mixture.

Then a little pot is placed before us, and they walk away. We guess we wait, so sit patiently. A few minutes pass and I just cannot resist lifting the lid for a peak!

It looks good, I see kimchi and some chunks of meat. We still sit patiently ... then a young guy who has been behind the register comes over and tells us we are about to enjoy the "7 minute kimchi stew". Awesome!! He has a pair of shears in his hand, and lifts the lid and starts chopping.

It's a pretty frantic event, the clanging of the shears against the pan and red juice splashing all over the table. What's left are little bite-sized chunks of pork and cabbage kimchi in a thick, spicy broth.

We each get a bowl of hot rice placed in front of us, and a gesture towards the silver tub on the table. The tub is full of big flakes of crispy green seaweed. We pile it on, and top with great big spoonfuls of the kimchi stew.

Wow, hangry what now? I was so content, full & happy for hours after this lunch, which means only 1 thing - I need a little more kimchi stew in my life;)

Coffee Brown, Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea

2011-06-21T20:01:00.003+09:00

Hongdae before noon? Forget it! We got there early, like before 10am early, thinking we would have the whole day wandering around this funky little area close to the Uni. Well, there was a lot of wandering, and peering into windows of little shops & cafes that were not yet open... But then we turn a corner and spot life, a little balcony above us, with wide open windows and a few people looking down onto the bare streets.

Coffee Brown is a little take-away coffee shop downstairs, which has a narrow stairwell leading to the up-stairs open seating area. We perch ourselves at a big wooden table in the window and recline back into the tiny chairs (or perhaps we're quite big in Korea;) and order a few chilled caffeinated beverages. Kim has a shaken black coffee, which comes with a nice layer of frothy crema.

And moi, an iced latte. We sit and watch, but don't see much.. a few delivery trucks and some uni kids. We head off on foot fueled with caffeine, and intend on heading back later in the afternoon.

Jongno Bindaetteok, Seoul, South Korea

2011-06-19T16:18:00.008+09:00

After checking into our Candy Robot room, we had headed over to Gwanghwamun district, starting the evening off at Tosokchon Samgyetang with some ginseng black chicken soup. We then wandered a dozen blocks, looking out for Jongno Bindaetteok; suposedly one of the best Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) in town. We walk past a bustling little shop, the big glass window revealing a large flat grill, filled with pancakes, and crates of the cloudy rice wine, makgeolli, on the sidewalk thinking wow this place is awesome but unable to spot a sign wander on looking for our prey.

We have a bit of trouble seeing, or understanding, the street signs, decide to take a walk around the block, and if we can't seem to find Jongno then we would head back to this little place.

Wandering around the back alleys, we find so many interesting little places, it's a Thursday night, and the streets are bustling. We don't seem to find the Bindaetteok place we are looking for, so make our way back to the one that caught our eye in the beginning. There are groups waiting for seats, and what looks like people waiting for take-aways. We poke our head in, and there is a tiny 2 stools at the end of one table where we are ushered over to by one of the ladies on the floor, who asks if we want beer, why yes of course, and then returns moments later with a large bottle of Cass. The Cass is a pale lager, and super-light. This beer is produced by OB brewery, who brews all of their beers with rice, rather then the Western standard of malted barley.

Only another few moments have passed, and the lady then stops again with little plates filled with kimchi. There's an apple kimchi, the pieces of fruit still crisp, and with a nice, spicy coating. Theres a radish & cucumber kimchi, which is sitting in a very light, vinegar pickle, and lastly, an addictive onion, dried chilli & soy sauce.

The lady asks us "haemul ... gogi?" (seafood .. meat) We order 2 x bindaetteok gogi, or crispy golden pancakes made with fresh ground mung beans & meat. We both look around and are amazed at the variety of people that are eating in this little place ... there are young groups of people, individuals all perched around a communal bench, young kids with their parents and men in suits... oh, and 2 giant, blonde foreigners with a DLSR camera sitting on tiny little stools;) We enjoy observing the magic that all takes place on one giant flat top.

Behind the grill stands an older man, constantly feeding the fresh mung beans through a stone-grinder. The guy on the grill is spinning around and ladelling the fresh beans over into the pancake mix as fast as they are being ground...

Once they work through the backlog of orders, 2 gogi are dropped in front of us. They are a beautiful, golden colour, and have just been roughly chopped to allow for easy eating. (The Korean chopsticks are all beautiful - made of stainless steel, that taper to a pointed end with a flat, rectangular handle that is adorned in beautiful decoration.) As cutlery is placed on the table, the lady grabs a single napkin, and lays a spoon and pair of these chopsticks on that. We observe a lot of people using the chopsticks to move food to their spoon, and then from the spoon to their mouth, so follow suit. The first piece of bindaetteok that reaches our mouth, oh wow. Crispy, with little pieces of the fresh mung bean still recognisable, but the ground pieces giving the whole cake a silky texture. There are chunks of marinated meat, spring onions & kimchi. We play around with the different kimchi combinations, with this crispy pancake my favourite are the onions in soy with dried chilli.

Every table surrounding us, are drinking from these green bottles... We decide to move on from beer, and join them in the drinking of makgeolli. A green pet bottle is plonked on the table, with 2 plastic bowls to drink from. This stuff is cloudy, rice wine (similar to a Japanese amazake) that is quite strong. It's best when cold, so we drink it quite fast, although don't manage to finish the whole bottle...

After we pay, we cross the road on our way home... and notice the huge sign! We found the right place in the end, and were so glad we did.

Then we notice the giant bags of vegetables, ready to be turned into pancake filling and of course kimchi. Seoul ♥

Gwanghwamun
Dangju-dong, Jongno-gu
T: +82 2 737 1857
12noon - 2am

Tosokchon Samgyetang, Gwanghwamun, you said what now???

2011-05-23T12:13:00.008+09:00

Samgyetang; A whole chicken stuffed with sticky rice and all sorts of other goodies, a traditional Korean classic dish that cleverly blends medicine and things that are good for you and things that taste good. Apparently one of the best in Seoul is in Gwanghwamun, a place called Tosokchon Samgyetang....... we can't pronounce any of this but we're gonna give it a go. After a quick slightly hair raising cab to the vicinity a quick orientation, one wrong turn and directions from a jewellery store owner we were there.

Despite the small nondescript shop front the restaurant sprawls back from the entrance with half a dozen rooms off a large cobbled central courtyard with trees and ponds all under the roof.

We're led to a room at the far end, ditch our shoes at the entrance and find a seat at the long communal table. I'm not much of a fan of floor seating (near instant numb limbs) but it's all there is. Finally wedged in we survey the menu, surrounds, table etiquette, the people.. we're complete gawking tourists but this was to be our first meal in Korea, curiosity was great and the expectations were high.

We were here for the braised chicken so one of those was our first choice, we go one step further and order a black skinned chicken stuffed and cooked, we tried to order something else as well but were brusquely rebuffed by the stern waitresses, we guessed they thought we should try one and see if we wanted another, could have been they were sold out or a myriad of other reasons but we couldn't speak to any one and we were happy to sit back and see what happened anyways.

Despite the massive size of the place within seconds we have half a dozen small plates of kimchi's and raw garlic and other accompaniments and moments after that the chicken arrives bubbling away in a cast iron pot, a few pieces of black skin break the murky surface of the broth other than that nothing else is given away as to what inhabits it's depths.

First off a tentative taste of all the sides, the apple kimchi is awesome; chunks of raw apple coated in a spicy puree lightly curing the apple but still leaving a bit of crunch, and the raw garlic is mild and not at all as scary as the prospect of eating raw garlic sounds.

With the tasting out of the way it was chicken time, after a bit of fishing around with our chopsticks we start to pull out pieces of chicken, the hours braising leaves the flesh falling from the bone, but it's when we get to the stuffing that the real action happens.

The rice is unctuous full of flavour from the stock it was cooked in and full of treasures; red dates, gingseng root, walnuts, pinenuts, chestnuts, ginko nuts, sunflower seeds and all sorts of other goodies giving the soft glutinous rice a lovely texture. The broth surrounding the chicken is the best of chicken broths - I wish all medicine could be this good! We spend a good half an hour draining the bowl and leaving nothing but a stripped carcass sitting in the bottom.
The pondering is long and hard about whether or not we should order another chicken but we decide on a wander of the streets to see if we can't turn up another morsel or two.

The plastic tab that is our menu doubles as our bill, the whole experience costing us 20,000 won, or a mere 20 dollars.

on the way out we find a poster displaying the amazing amount of ingredients in the samgyetan.

It is a grand introduction into Korean cuisine.

Tosokchon Samgyetang
Seoul-si Jongno-gu Chebu-dong 85-1

From Korea with Love

2011-05-23T11:30:00.008+09:00

It's going to be hard to write the next few posts with out succumbing to the urge to trundle out a few tired puns so in the best interests of everyone Seoul food, Seoul train, Seoul Sista ahhhhhhhhhaaaaa!!!!!!

Ok Now thats done, yup we went to Seoul. A yell out to the twittersphere and a very brief search on chowhound and we figured we were set. The R Hotel is a little outta the way but with rooms like these how could we not say here, plus taxis are dirt cheap.

The Candy Robot room is a mash of wall-e and sweets with a queens size bed, a large bath that you could watch the huge plazma tv from and two, yes two computer terminals. It was pretty sweet.

R Hotel
121-6 Yeongdeungpodong 1(il)-ga,
Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
T: +82 2 2675 4800

Jun Hom, checking out Pooky's Mum's old restaurant, Koh Samui

2011-05-08T12:37:00.007+09:00

Pooky was one of the delightful Thai girls we were lucky enough to work with at Parrot Cay. Her food, amazing! So, when we met up with Steve & Kannika, also some old friends we had worked with on the island and we were in Koh Samui, we decided to hunt down Pooky's Mum's old restaurant. We knew it was called Jun Hom, and knew it was somewhere along Hat Bang Po. We doubled up on scooters, and rode the ring road up to the top of the island ... It was hot and dusty, and we were going at some speed. We of course drove past it and ended up at Mae Nam beach before heading back and retracing our steps. It took us a while to find, but it is nestled just beside the Coconut Villas, which is a great landmark should we be looking for it again.. We park the scooters and head on in.

It's so green, the entrance surrounded by fresh plants. There is an undercover eating area, but we are very happy to take a seat out on the beach tables, taking our shoes off with the sand between our toes. We order a couple of big beers, which come Thai style with a bucket of ice.

They have a huge menu, and then funnily enough only a couple of pages translated into English, which lists all the usual suspects. We are very lucky to have Kannika with us, who of course spots a whole range of interesting Thai dishes on the Thai menu. We leave the ordering up to her, just expressing our interest to try and true Southern style dishes. The first dish is just that, a dry fried curry with green peppercorns and lots of tumeric with a few slices of cucumber on the side. This is incredible, almost like a Southern style larb, but a bit dryer.

The soup is also stained with the yellow of tumeric, simply filled with chunks of chicken, slices of onion and some fresh coriander.

The next dish, oh my, I can still remember the taste, the texture of the fried lemongrass, and the amazing aroma. A whole fish was firstly marinated in amongst many other things, lemongrass, garlic & fish sauce and then deep-fryed. Then on top of that, a mountain of smashed up lemongrass and garlic had also been fried, the fine strands so aromatic and crispy. We all love this dish so much, and we have nearly devoured the whole thing before anyone notices the little sauce on the side, not that it needed it!

Majority of the Thai population are Buddist, but many of those from the South are Muslim, immigrating to the area from the Indian subcontinent over the last 2 thousand years or so. Therefor the Southern regions of Thailand bear close similarities to Indian food, turmeric permiating a lot of the Southern Cuisine. It's the fresh tumeric root that is used though, with a beautiful gold colour and mild flavor. We see it again used in the Southern style fish curry. Chunks of well browned fish, with a green leaf that is a little bitter swimming in a light coconut and turmeric broth.

Fried crab with egg, pepper and garlic was our last dish of the day. Whole blue crabs smashed up and piled high, the meat sucked from the shell.

A beautiful, beachside location, with some really interesting and delicious Southern Thai dishes to match. A must if you are up the top end of the island.

Jun Hom
Hat Bang Po
Next to the Coconut Villas
Koh Samui, Thailand

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Bee pollen for breakfast, Radiance Restaurant, the Spa Samui

2011-05-08T12:08:00.005+09:00

Bee pollen. These little granules contain a whole range of minerals and vitamins and are high in protein and carbohydrates. Perfect for starting off the day, really. We have now arrived in Koh Samui, and are staying at the Spa Resort on Lamai beach. After 6 weeks of travelling, indulging, heavy eating and drinking, we will be doing a little 5 day detox while we are here. We take a few days to be able to meet up with friends, and not be restricted on what we are eating (or, not eating for that matter..). Think it's a wise choice to at least give the body something vibrant, something healthy, just so it knows what's coming ....

Guy's breakfast at the Radiance restaurant is a bowl of fresh chopped mango & papaya with a Chiang Mai sheeps milk yogurt and bee pollen. It's delicious! The bee pollen really giving the whole dish a nice texture, each little granule popping in the mouth and the sweetness of the fruit being balanced by the rich, luscious yogurt.

Now, let's go eat some fried pork for lunch!

The Spa Resorts Koh Samui
P.O. Box #1, Lamai Beach
Koh Samui, 84310 Suratthani
Thailand
Tel: +66(0)77-230-855

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Chef knows best.

2011-05-08T10:24:00.000+09:00

If you want late night eats in any city the best way to get the good stuff is find the hospitality hang outs.

A couple of our friends having just finished work were heading out for a little something something and we tagged along.... The little something in this case is pig organ soup. It's not much to look at but swimming within it's murky depths is part or parts from every internal piece of the noble pig. With it's fragrant punchy peppery flavor it's a perfect just finished-the-grind late night snack. Looking around a lot of others think so too.

Side it up with a plate of braised pig feet and your good to go.

Ming fa fish ball
5 Chinatown food street
Singapore

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Checking in on an old friend, Tian Tian, Singapore

2011-05-05T19:29:00.003+09:00

On our recent trip back to Singapore, Tian Tian Hainese chicken at Maxwell food centre was on our to-eat list. We had visited previously, and were well impressed with their chicken rice.. the finest example we have found of this classic dish. We wanted to check in on this old friend, the succulent boiled chicken, plump slices sitting on a fragrant rice with a bowl of the peppered cooking broth.

Our friend is doing well, and still as delicious as ever. All washed down with a glass of fresh sugarcane juice from the stall across the way. We will see you both next time we are in Singapore!

Tian Tian Hiananese Chicken Rice
Stall no. 10
Maxwell Food Center
11 S Bridge Road, Singapore 058656

11am - 8pm, closed Monday

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Yan Ting, St Regis, Singapore

2011-05-04T10:36:00.007+09:00

The St Regis on the top of Orchard road is fancy, not your regular fancy but over the top outta this world fancy. We walk into the huge marble lined foyer and wonder if we can really be in the right place. Walked by one doorman to the lift and by a lift attendant to the door of the restaurant it's a far cry from the hawker centres we eat most of our lunch time meals at. We're at Yan Ting, the Regis's Chinese restaurant, rumor on the street is that the restaurant serves some of the best dim sum in town and at very reasonable prices.

As we're seated the customary tea is brought to the table, no chipped rubber capped teapot today though, the teapot is beautiful china inlaid with gold leaf as are the plates and bowls. There's also not the usual procession of trolleys swing past your table by angry old woman ignoring you as you try to order rather a menu to order from and to our surprise the rumors are correct the dim sum is of regular pricing. We rattle off an order and sit back to soak in our opulent surrounding while we wait.

It's not long before the food arrives. Bbq pork pies are one of our yum cha standards and these are exceptional, the pastry crisp and flaky, the pork not too sweet.

The carrot cake is one of my all time favorites, it has no carrots, it's not really a cake and it's all delicious, wok fried with a touch of xo sauce, bean sprouts and garlic sprouts. It has great texture and the kiss of the wok smokiness. Awesome.

Beautiful vegetable dumplings were the next to the table. Cleverly folded to display three small square of different colored peppers. The dumplings were clean and fresh tasting.

Three sui mai with the orange dash of crab roe, plump and firm bursting with sweet pork and crab flavor.

Soup dumplings always present a challenge, I know that they're filled with piping liquid yet I'm always surprised when I burn myself not waiting for the soup to cool a little. This time was no different.

I don't think you can go wrong with black vinegar braised pork belly, sweet sour and unctuous swimming along side shiitake mushrooms and egg.

At yum cha unless you happen to be siting right next to the kitchen by the time the fried goodies get to you they are often soft and not as awesome as the could be. Not this time. Salt and pepper white bait straight from the fryer, paused long enough to get a nice heavy shake of seasoning.Each one a crispy crunchy delight.

I've played around with making steamed pork bun from time to time and the one thing you'll never find in any recipe or that not many people will tell you is the secret to that spectacularly fluffy soft white bun. I don't know if I'm breaking some secret unwritten code here of not but the secret is ammonia. Ammonia was actually one of the first rising agents used by bakers. As long as the bread is not to large the ammonia flavor and smell evaporate during cooking. In the case if the pork bun its what make it so white and fluffy. You can usually buy cooking ammonia in any decent Chinese grocery. But enough history for one day. These buns were good.

To finish up we have our traditional yum cha ender of egg tarts. These were delicious but a touch on the small side. I think we should of had two each.

Yan Ting's dim sum stepped up to the mark giving us as good as we've had anywhere. While the dim sum cost was no more than the usual the twenty dollar bottle of mineral water reminded us of where we were, still you can always just have the bottomless tea, and to sit in such fine surrounds was lovely.

Yan Ting

The St. Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road
Singapore 247911
Phone: (65) 6506 6888

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Killiney Kopitiam, Singapore

2011-05-02T19:27:00.005+09:00

Killiney Kopitiam is serious. It's serious about it's coffee which is a blend of Columbian arabica beans and Indonesian robusta beans. It's also very serious about it's kaya jam, which is made daily in the store. Kaya is as synonymous with Singapore eating, as Killiney Kopitiam is synonymous with Kaya.

This humble little kopitiams beginnings back in 1919 were as a little shop serving well brewed coffee & tea, with charcoal grilled kaya toast. Then a gentlemen by the name of Mr Woon, a regular to the shop, loved it so much he bought it in 1993 and renamed it Killiney Kopitiam. We both start with a kaya and coffee.

The toast is nicely grilled, while still being soft on the inside. The light green kaya is full of coconut flavor and the sweetness being mellowed by the slices of cold butter. The eggs at Killiney are small, and extremely fresh. The eggs come out in their shell with a small bowl to crack them into. There's something quite satisfying of cracking these soft eggs into the bowl, the way they cascade from the shell, with their big, bright orange yolks. We have a little of the dark soy, and some white pepper on top. I like to dip my toast into the egg, then savor any remains with a small spoon (or just order more toast!).

The Killiney menu today has expanded, with a range of local delicacies. We also try the little Nasi Lemak parcels. We see a stream of these going out the door with take-away coffees, what an awesome fast-food breakfast. Little banana leaf parcels filled with aromatic steamed coconut rice, dried fishies and sambal.

We also try the chicken curry with French bread. This is an old breakfast classic, that Mr Woon is trying to revive. Chunks of bone-in chicken leg are simmered in a rich curry broth, with some potatoes adding a nice bit of body. There is then some crusty French bread on the side, which we just tear off and dip into the broth. Definitely not a light start to the day, but a damn fine start!

We finish off with a couple of iced-milo drinks. Light and frothy, over loads of ice. Seems to ease the tummy just nicely ...

Killiney Kopi Tiam
67 Killiney Road
Singapore 239525
T: 6734 9648

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Worlds apart; Kway Teow at Zion Road, Singapore

2011-05-02T15:40:00.004+09:00

So, our Spring holiday last year started with 5 weeks of travels around Spain and Morocco. This was the first time we had done any extensive traveling around Europe, and the food and culture was infectious. The casual, relaxed days that revolve around eating and drinking and of course the afternoon Siesta...

It was then we find ourselves in Singapore for a few days before heading to Thailand. Immediately upon arrival it is clear we are Worlds apart. There are a lot more buildings, tall ones and it seems quite sterile (especially after Morocco). The humidity hangs in the air. The taxi driver speaks English, la. And we are ready for some Hawker Food. We make our way to the Zion Road Riverside Food Centre. It's so different to what we have been doing for the past 5 weeks ... Plastic tables, open air space, fans spinning around and a little more urgency here.

It's certainly not a long, relaxed lunch with alcohol and coffee. It's a quick plate of noodles. Kway Teow noodles, from stall no. 18 to be precise.

We also have a plate of stir-fried greens, which are the most vibrant green we've seen in a while. The noodles have pieces of fish cake, clams, beansprouts and egg in a rich brown sauce while still remaining somewhat light. The greens simply dressed with oyster sauce.

Now, it may be jetlag, but we're off for a Siesta;)

Zion Riverside Food Centre Stall no. 18
70 Zion Rd
S247792 Singapore
12-3pm and 6:30-11pm
Closed alternate Mondays

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La Granja and Xurreria, Barcelona Spain

2011-05-02T14:50:00.004+09:00

Our first visit to Barcelona we had some trouble finding authentic churros. We had read a great little piece on Barcelona Food Girl but after wandering up and down the little Banys Nous several times, it was clear both places were taking an Easter break. On our return, we are eager to hunt them down ... The Banys Nous was then alive, and all the shops were open. We first spotted the Xurreria with piles of fried goodness in the window.

So the deal is, you buy a paper bag full of churros, which are sold by weight. A few euros gets us enough for 2. Then you head next door into La Granja, or the Milk Bar, where they are more-than happy for you to bring in your churros and open on the table. They have an extensive drink menu, so there is bound to be something for everyone. Coffees, liquers, tisanes, tea and of course the hot chocolates.

We both choose a Xocolata Picant. It is thick, rich and spiced with chili and cinamon. We dip the churros into our cups, the sugar that has been sprinkled on the giving a beautiful contrast against the lick of heat from the chili's...

The tiled walls, bright paint, marble tabletops and friendly staff make this a place we could easily spend a lot of time. It might just be a good thing they were closed for the Easter holidays...

Banys Nous
Carrer dels Banys Nous, 3
08002 Barcelona, Spain
933 437 994

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Holy mushrooms, breakfast at Kiosko Universal, La Boqueria Barcelona

2011-05-02T14:14:00.005+09:00

Holy mushrooms, this lone platter of giant mushrooms on the counter at Kiosko Universal made our decision of breakfast on this morning an easy one.

We'll have those, sautéed, with a few eggs. Oh sure, throw some fried potatoes in there too!

All we need is a few slices of pan con tomate which are sitting on the counter and we are good to go.

Not a bad choice at all for a quick breakfast before taking to the streets, it's on the top end of the boqueria a few blocks over from Pinotxo bar.

Mercat Sant Josep, PUESTO 691
08002 Barcelona, Spain
933 178 286

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Espai Sucre Dessert Restaurant, Barcelona Spain

2011-05-02T13:13:00.005+09:00

Espai Sucre is the work of partners Jordi Butrón and Xano Saguer. They opened in 2000 with the proclaim of being the "only Dessert restaurant in the World". 11 years on, I am still not aware of any other sole dessert restaurants of this caliber. They also provide a consulting service, as well as a range of pastry school classes. We didn't make a booking, but arrive around 9pm. They are very happy to accommodate us, and lead us through the small dining room in the front, past the kitchen, to a small area at the back seating only 6-10 people.

We get a nice little seat with a view of the kitchen. Giant mirrors line the ceiling, so you can see the whole process of each little intricate sweet bite being made. There is a range of menus to choose from, and we go with one of the Chocolate Menu's and one of the Little Dessert Menu's.

The Chocolate menu included 3 desserts & petit fors for 37.5€. There's the option to take matching sweet wines with each course, 4€ for 1 pairing, and 10€ for 3 pairings. Of course we take 3... The first chocolate course is Chocolate with vinegar, strawberries, mint and pepper. There was a mint foam, and hints of pepper in the chocolate wafer, and the strawberry ice was amazing.

The next on the Chocolate menu was truffle mushroom, butter, hazelnut and cocoa. This swayed on both sides of savory and sweet, with a rich earthiness from the combination of butter, hazelnuts and truffle. I could eat this for breakfast ....

The last of the chocolate courses, before petit fors of course, was the Chocolate energy bar, pumpernickel ice-cream, Tanzanie 75% and basil. The bar is made with the Tanzanie 75% covuture chocolate harvested exclusively in Tanzania. It is a blend of Criollo and Forastero beans, which produces a chocolate with spicy & fruit characteristics that is both intense and subtle at the same time. The pumpernickel ice-cream mellows the whole dish, and there is no doubt that we got a boost of energy from this one (although that may just be all of the sugar!).

The second menu we have chosen is the Littler Dessert Menu. This also has 3 courses, with petit fors, and is just 30€. We take another 3 wine pairings with this menu for the additional 10€ as well. The little menu starts off with "Ginger Ale", cucumber, pineapple and tarragon sherbet. The ginger ale is an intense foam sitting in the base of the bowl, there are cucumber and mint rolls and then the sherbet which is elevated with the addition of tarragon.

"Idiazábal" cake with cherry, beet and black beer. Idiazábal is a Basque cheese from the mountains in Spain, made from ewe's milk. The cheese was earthy, and the texture soft like pillows. The cherry and beet in the form of an ice, was sweet and tart and the black beer gave a pleasant, almost dark chocolate like bitterness to the dish.

Hm, I wonder who was doing bacon ice-cream first? We try a bread pudding, bacon ice-cream and pineapple. It's a wonderful finish to a well rounded sweet sensation. The crisp piece of bread really adding to the whole experience of the pudding. The bacon ice-cream was awesome! I could eat that stuff on toast. This dish though, really favored eating each component as a whole, with each part enhancing the other.

The little petit fors selection is delivered to the table on a very cool welded metal stand (Dad, take note;) we may want some of these made some day!) with a couple of little frozen shots. There were cake pops, chocolate florentine, chocolate truffles, short bread, fruit jubes and some cinnamon and almond cookies.

An espresso is the perfect end to our dessert feast. (Dad, also take note of the little welded sugar-compartment box in the background, this too is awesome).

Now, how many occasions after a wonderful meal have you just been dying to go somewhere with an impressive dessert menu and some nice digestifs and coffee? It happens to us a lot ... I think more people around the world should embrace the whole Dessert Restaurant thing. We for one would support that movement!

Espai Sucre
C/ PRINCESA, 53
08003 Barcelona, Spain
T: 932 681 630

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Cal Pep, Barcelona Spain

2011-05-02T13:12:00.011+09:00

Cal Pep the ultra popular restaurant on the edge of Barri Gotic is highly spoken of, so highly spoken of that the twenty seats in front of the open kitchen fill up within an instant of the doors opening.

One night we joined the que of people that wound it's way out the door, it was not long before we were half way through the line and the line was twice as long as when we had started. Soon we are seated right behind Pep in his trademark purple glasses.

Quickly we have a few snacks on the go and get a couple of cerveza y limón (beer with lemon) which is on draft.

The staple of pan con tomate is probably the most disappointing example we've had in Spain. Soft and under flavored it just wasn't all it could be.

Deep fried llengeta, a tiny inch long fish are deftly dusted with flour before a flash in the fryer and into a basket to drain, then onto a plate before a soft fried egg is slid on top, the last step is to smash the egg through the fish coating them in yolky goodness. Delicious.

Crumbed and deep fried calamari are ok, neither here nor there and a tad oily.

Padron peppers deep fried and served with Spanish flake salt are awesome as always.

Our tuna tartar tastes fine it's just a little gray suggesting that is was cut a while before serving.

With the miss rate higher than the hit we decide not to order any more and take our leave. It's not that anything was bad just not great either especially for the price which is not cheap, maybe the hype has outgrown Cal pep or perhaps we were just there on a off night.
I'm glad we went to see for ourselves though.

Cal Pep
Placa de les olles,
number 8
08003 BARCELONA

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El Xampanyet, Barcelona Spain

2011-05-02T12:44:00.004+09:00

El Xampanyet, the sparkling wine bar. It's on a pebbled lane way in the Barceloneta area. We are lucky to squeeze ourselves in the front door past all of the people, and are happy to join the crowds standing and mingling with everyone so close. The bar has been run by the same family since the 1930's, and we manage to catch the attention of one of these long serving staff members.

In beautiful Catalan, we are offered a whole range of, you guessed it, sparkling wine. We start with a glass of Catalan Cava.

There is a younger girl behind the counter nimbly dealing with tiny little anchovies. The little fish have been pickled whole, and she is splitting them open, pulling out the middle bones, and drizzling with olive oil. We must have these!

One more glass of a different cava before we hit the road ... there is so much to see.

El Xampanyet
Montcada, 22
08003 Barcelona, Spain
933 197 003

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Have you had your dose today? of Happy Pills

2011-05-02T12:08:00.005+09:00

We all have occasions where we could use, or do with passing on, a few happy pills. Thankfully, there is now a sweets pharmacy in Barcelona doing just that;) We spotted the Happy Pills store with it's slick and clean entrance, and simple pink sign. It was busy ...

They have a range of pre-made pill packs, but upon spotting the little custom counter, we went nuts. You pick the little jar, even choosing what happy message you would like to leave.

Then it's like going crazy in a candy store (okay, it is going crazy in a candy store!) and we take our little vessels and fill them with a range of different colored & flavoured treats.

These make a perfect gift, but I'd be kidding myself if I didn't say I needed them occasionally ;)

Happy Pills, S.L
C/ Argenteria, 70
08003 Barcelona, Spain
932 956 842

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Hearty brunch at Pinotxo Bar, Barcelona

2011-05-02T11:53:00.004+09:00

It was hard to say goodbye to Barcelona on our last trip ... especially when the La Boqueria and it's range of brunch offers was so close to where we were staying. Our final farewell to our Boqueria brunches was an epic feast at Pinotxo bar. Of course, a beer and a glass of cava along with a plate of their incredible garbanzo. The chickpeas are braised with pieces of sausage, other meats, onion & herbs and have a mist of balsamic sprayed over them before being handed to us over the counter.

The braised pig cheek was exceptional on this visit. The unctuous chunks of fatty meat, glistening in a rich red sauce with a chunk of bread for mopping up all the juices.

Butifarra was one amazing breakfast sausage. Pork, herbs and spice in a hefty sized home-made sausage, with a few green leaves on the side misted with the balsamic.

We also indulge in a few little jamón croquettes.

Juanito then tells us that the caramel flan has just set, and that it would be a perfect end to our decadant brunch ... Well, how cold you disagree with that??

Pinotxo bar, how we miss you!

La Boqueria
La Rambla, 91
Barcelona, Spain 08001
Ciutat Vella
T: +34 93 317 17 31
6am-4pm Monday to Saturday

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Hot diggity in El Ravel Barcelona

2011-05-01T18:39:00.007+09:00

Wandering through the back streets of El Ravel the graffiti is pretty sweet. A lot of places have works that match the business inside. The dog is hot stopped us in our tracks with the art on its wall, and then since we were here we thought we might as well stop for a little something something.

Inside there is more of the execellent art work, a giant bear a various other animals are caught mid dog scarf.

The menu is hot dogs (well duh), there's a menu of suggestions but you are also free to mix and match.

A dog with crispy onions and cheese sauce as well as a dog with bacon two types of cheese sauce and crispy onions are quickly whipped up and slotted into a custom dog rest on the counter. We join the animals in quickly scarfing down our dogs.

The little hole-in-the-wall shop is busy .. there's a constant stream of dogs heading over the counter while we are there. I know if I lived/worked/hung out/took 30 minutes out of my way detours just to get around here I'd be a regular.

The dog is hot

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Inopia over 2 nights, Barcelona Spain

2011-04-29T00:21:00.007+09:00

Unfortunately, Inopia has recently closed .. Albert and his brother Ferran seem to have another interesting tapas bar project in the works, which I am sure will be as exciting as what we thought Inopia was. The 2 meals we had there on our last visit to Spain, eating our way almost through the entire menu including specials, was just too good not to share!

Inopia was a must on our Barcelona-eats list. A tapas bar owned by Albert Adria, the brother of Ferran from El Bulli. He has published a book, Natura, and is famed for his amazing pastry work done at El Bulli. We had scribbled the address down on a scrap of paper, and jump in a taxi .... We get dropped off reasonably close, but it was actually quite hard to find. 20 minutes later we spot the quaint little bar. It's just opened, and already the door area is roped off & there's a doorman with a clipboard. It's then we know these tapas must be serious!

We get past the doorman, and are ushered to a pair of stools at one of the oddly shaped benches. It's bright, with exposed fluorescent light tubes. The white tiles that line the walls are scribbled with autographs from celebrities and chefs, with polaroids tacked to the wall as well. There are glasses filled with fresh herbs on the counters. Baskets of fresh vegetables. Fake flowers. Marble countertops. Specials scrawled on blackboards. Pictures hanging from the ceiling. It is actually a lot to take in ...

We comb the menu, including the specials on the blackboards, and just start firing away dishes. The first to arrive is the Russian Salad (it's everywhere in Barcelona!). The potatoes coated in a rich mayonnaise, with some tuna, roasted pepper & capers is a small oval dish spiked with a few bread sticks.

Dried tuna with salted almonds comes out and initially I think this is the salt cured dry aged beef. It's so dark, the sliced looking like a cured meat. It's salty and dry, but still with enough of the fish oils to make it succulent. The salted, blanched almonds add texture and depth.

Next is the salt cured dry aged beef. The slices are about the same size as the tuna, but the fat marbling is definitely visible.

Tinned mussels. Divine. The tinned seafood in Spain is caught in it's prime, and packaged and processed to contain as much of the flavor as possible. These mussels have been sitting under a spicy oil, and were full of flavor.

We then have a few little toasts, the first; white anchovy with tomato seeds, and the second; salmon, cream cheese and honey.

Chicken chupa chups appear on today specials and are a must for us. The little chicken drumettes have a super crispy coating and are golden in colour, with a very spicy red sauce. Even the golden / red colour reminds me of a chupa chup!

The patatas bravas are a fine example of this staple, the rustic cutting of the potatoes adding an interesting element, and both the sauces were divine. (They even sold the red sauce in jars when we were there).

Chicken Pintxo comes out on a very very long stick. The thin pieces of chicken threaded onto the long stick, and one end sitting on a slice of baguette.

The mini burger is just that, mini - I knew we should have ordered 2. The little bun has black & white sesame seeds, a juicy little beef patty, pickles and cheese.

Fried eggplant with sweet molasses are little triangles of the crumbed and fried eggplant with the sweet drizzle. A nice sweet and savory combination, perfect to lead us into the cheese course ....

Ah, the cheese course. A whole wheel of soft, baked, mild white cheese coated in a truffle honey. Oh .. My.

Caramel vodka comes with a super crispy tuille straw - one you can eat afterwards.

And such a simple, home-style dessert. Pears poached in red wine, served in a bag with the spice & wine swimming amongst the tender chunks of pear.

On our first visit, we manage to spot Albert sitting and chatting to group of people. We just start talking to our waiter when we pay the bill and ask if there was any chance to have a photo with him... He ducks over and asks Albert, who graciously comes over and introduces himself, talks with us about our Spain travels and living in Japan, and is happy to have his photo with us. Very cool!

Our second visit at least we don't waste time trying to find it. We get out of the cab, and head straight to the little roped off tapas bar. It's already full, we actually have to wait about 15 minutes for a few chairs to free up. This time we are seated right in the open window, which is lovely. Also looking straight into one part of the little open kitchen and having a very nice barman to talk to. Glasses of sparkling rose and lardo on toast kicks off meal no. 2.

Tomato salad with onions and tuna belly is divine. The tuna is so succulent and salty, and the tomatoes plump and fresh with no skins. The little tresses of pickled onion sprout out of the top and look oh-so cute, but also add a very much needed kick of acidity that harmonises the whole dish.

Ah, chicken coated in Xips. Xips are a Spanish potato chip cooked in olive oil that we had enjoyed on a few occasions (I took some on the flight to Singapore). The chicken tenders were coated in the smashed Xips, giving the tender meat a shattering coating. A yellow honey & mustard aioli on the side for dipping.

Bombas were little fried, meat and cheese filled balls, with aioli and bravas sauce.

Boiled Iberian shoulder ham is served a little wooden board, drizzled with good olive oil and sprinkled with paprika.

Seared and marinated tuna with a roast tomato sauce and baby leaves is robust and filling.

We sample 2 varieties of anchovies; the pickled white anchovies and plump San Fillipo anchovies.

In a food coma at this state, I know we had another of the caramel vodka, but there was also another alcoholic concoction.

The first dessert for the evening was fresh sliced pineapple with a thick molasses. The tartness of the pineapple and the rich sweetness of the molasses a perfect match.

The last dish to complete our epic, 2 part feast at the late Inopia was candied strawberries with chardonnay vinegar.

We feel lucky that we were able to experience Inopia before it closed, and will be definitely keep an eye out for what the brothers are up to in the future ....

Can Ravell, Barcelona Spain

2011-04-28T22:54:00.007+09:00

We stumbled across Can Ravell when surfing the interwebs for Barcelona eats, instantly attracted to the fried Calaf eggs with grilled fresh foie and fried potatoes. The promotion this month was buy one portion and get two portions. Sounds like a good idea to me.

When we first arrived in Barcelona Can Ravell was closed for Easter.. luckily for us it was open second time around. This small grocer opened in 1929 and soon after began cooking some of their own produce in a small restaurant up stairs. A little while after that we came for lunch.

The small stores shelves are overflowing with all sorts of amazing produce we could have easily stocked up on months worth of supplies but we resist temptation and ask for the restaurant which is not easily seen.

Asking was the trick, we are led into the back of the store, then into and through the kitchen to a staircase that then leads upstairs to the dining room.

We were only thinking of the foie but as we eyed the menu there were so many seasonal specials and dishes we had to rethink our position and in the end we opt for the tapas sampler menu. First up seven starter tapas;

Smoked sardines with onions and olives; brined and lightly smoked with a burst of raw onion and a good splash of olive oil.

The White asparagus was huge, I can't get over the monster size of the asparagus favored in Spain. It had been expertly canned and served simply with a dollop of good mayonnaise.

We still got our foie fix with the sheets of seasoned foie

Plus four small plates consisting of confit tuna belly topped with roasted peppers, the ever present Russian salad, small cuttlefish in their own ink, and tiny cockles from Rias Gallegas.

None of these seemed particularly small so our eyes opened wide when seven large tapas were then whipped in front of us.

The days rice - a calamari and ink risotto, Chick peas with slices of fat spicy chorizo, lentils braised with pork double chin (wow!), onion soup served in wine glasses, creamy jamon croquettes , a granitated cannelloni filled with cheese and veal,and two fat grilled scallops topped with a slice of nutty fried garlic.

We were now glad we didn't add the foie dishes as a supplement to lunch, although tempting.

The end of the meal came in four parts. A drained yogurt with a berry sauce, creme Catalan, a fat slice of panatone French toast and a fruit and almond paste.

Finished off with an espresso it was a pretty awesome grocery store lunch. We wandered back down through the kitchen with a big thanks to the chefs and back into the store. Adding the foie with egg as well as the cow hamburger to our considerable next time list.

Can Ravel
Carrer Arago 313

Barcelona, Spain
ph 93 457 51 14

tues - wed 10am-9pm
thurs-sat 10am-10pm
sun 10am-4pm
mon off

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Mid-day Moo Menu at the Omm, Barcelona Spain

2011-04-28T21:26:00.007+09:00

Moo Restaurant in the Omm hotel, something a little bit fancy. This 1 Michelin star Gastronomic Restaurant offers a range of tasting menus, but the Mid-day Moo at 45€ is unbeatable! We are super eager, and arrive a little early. We are taken through to the Moovida lounge and offered a drink ... well, it's 11:40am, don't mind if we do. I have a Cava cocktail, & Kim a Hendricks tonic concoction. A little plate of crisps is placed on the table, and disappears in no time.

The mid-day menu menu starts with a progression of appetisers. The first amuse bouche include a mushroom cream, truffled cookie, cheese gougeres and nut bread.

Rabbit with orange & red shiso is the next thing to excite our palate. A little brick of tender, white rabbit meat, with an intense orange reduction, lightly blanched Spring vegetables and baby shiso leaf. There is also a fluff with all the same flavours.

Truffle rock ... arrives to the table and looks amazing. There's a flick of bronze paint, and a black 'rock' sitting on some shining little pebbles.

After we look at it in awe for a while, it is gently cracked open with a fork. It's a very light candy coating, painted with truffle, with a salty, decadent and unctuous cream contained inside. As pleasing on the palate as it was intriguing on the eye.

Foie = ♥. Foie with strawberries is all about textures... There is a smooth foie mousse on the bottom, but with a chunk of fresh foie on top. Strawberries come in the form of jelly, fresh & flakes of the dried fruit. Cracked pepper and a few borage flowers complete the dish.

The next bowl reminds me of a record .... no tunes to be spun, just our taste buds out of control again! Razor clam meat, pork, fresh green baby broad beans, fresh herbs & a bread crisp.

The plate of salt cod is possibly the finest example of this fish we tried in Spain (and we ate a fair bit of it!). The fish was so moist and silky, but still with the salty taste-of-the-sea. The smoked rice, oh wow. So .. much .. flavour! A simple sprinkling again of the little flowers, and a few chive batons finish this delightful fish dish off.

Ah, things served on a piece of slate are just so cool ... A piece of seared white fish with Spring greens. The Spring greens are so vibrant, and again all about the textures. There is a green pea flan, pieces of raw green apple, snow pea shoots and fresh peas and beans.

The food just keeps on coming, which we certainly aren't complaining about, especially when it's suckling pig. A slab of pig, with an earth-shattering crackle and some fresh green leaves.

The dessert is a beautiful ice bowl filled with deep, red fruits. There are some pieces of cake, and a goat's milk ice-cream and a red-berry perfume is poured at the table.

The mid-day Moo menu included mineral water, a glass of wine, and coffee which is accompanied by a little plate of petit fors.

.... and just when we think this amazing, 1 Michelin star lunch extravaganza is over, our server appears back at the table with a box of handmade chocolates. We pick 2 of each, of course;)

This lunch was amazing, if we had more time, or even 1 free night, for the rest of our stay, we would have loved to get back there for dinner.

Hotel Omm
Rosselló 265
08008 Barcelona, Spain
T: +34 93 445 40 00

Monday to Saturday 1:30-4pm and 8:30-11pm
Closed In August

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Comerç 24, Barcelona

2011-04-28T20:22:00.004+09:00

We were back in Barcelona, and having much better luck this time around with restaurants actually being open. When we were here earlier on our trip, a lot of places were closed for Easter. We are lucky to get a booking at Comerç 24, with only the late sitting of 9pm available. The place feels quite industrial, with cement & dark colors with splashes of yellow. We are ushered to our table and offered aperitifs. Within moments a basket of bread is places on the table. The bread is crusty and a little warm, but the exciting news is a little wooden vessel filled with 4 different types of Spanish olive oil. They are all explained to us, their difference in age, harvest time, and also olive variety. The little dish is filled with just enough to try, before switching to the next. We try to pick a favorite, but that are all extraordinarily good and each expressing their own unique characteristics.

Comerc is the older, more classy sister of Tapaç24. It's sophisticated while still being edgy, and you can definitely see the influence and inspiration from Carles Abellan's time at the famed El Bulli. Gold dusted macadamias? Just a little something the whet the appetite, is next to reach the table. They are sitting in a little sardine tin along with a matching tin with plump green olives filled with anchovy.

Some tiny sweet shrimp are perched in a little bowl, with a tart accompaniment underneath and some little pearls on top.

Oysters are sitting on ice, and topped with a beetroot foam and red shiso.

The Summer broth is just beautiful. Beautiful to look, and also packed full of flavour. It's a dashi broth, full of Summer vegetables & forage flowers, with the most vibrant colours.

Anchovy with orange and herbs, sounded so simple and something that could have been found on a few other tapas menu's around the place .... but oh my, the fresh anchovies, the herbs disguised in a crispy breadcrumb, the fresh herbs, and the Summer oranges. Divine!

Tuna Pizza also featured on our menu, and we were intrigued. Of course we are familiar with Nobu's idea of a tuna pizza so were interested to see what they would do with it here ... A perfect crisp-bread, slices of fresh raw tuna, sliced spring onions, radish and a tangy lemon dressing.

Salt cod with artichoke ice-cream. The salt cod, I can't really remember much about it, except I remember loving the artichoke ice-cream. There was also a salt cod cream, a caramel & toasted pine nuts in with this frozen addition to the dish.

There were several more savoury courses on our menu, including a "yaki soba" of razor clams. We noticed a lot of Japanese ingredients being used here, with the familiar flavours of where we now call home. We finish our savoury courses with a beautiful grilled beef. It's on a sesame paste, with fresh snow peas & shoots and accompanied by a rich, sesame dipping sauce.

There's a little intermission of Spanish cheeses. Each one coming with a well thought out accompaniment and a basket full of crisp bread.

The pre-dessert looks like a Raw-foodies breakfast! A shot of juice, bright green & red, as well as a fruit sorbet with more green, and fresh fruit.

The dessert then comes in a checkerboard, feauturing the chocolate with olive oil and sea salt we had previously tried, and loved, at Tapaç24. as well as a pineapple & lime dessert.

We are offered tea or coffee to finish and I choose tea. A small tin of each loose leaf tea is then bought over to the table on tray, each one explained, and then offered to smell. Such a hard decision, I opt for a green & citrus infusion. Another little tray is then bought to the table with a pot of warm, not boiling, water as well at a tea cup, tea pot & strained. It is left to infuse for a few minutes when the waiter returns to serve the tea with a plate of petit fors.

The little matcha chocolate block is too cute, and there is more of the gold dust over chocolate.

A great building, with some inventive & delicious tapas. Not somewhere you would want to eat everyday, but definitely worth a visit if you have some time in Barcelona.

Carrer Comerç 24
08003 Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34933192102

Tuesday-Saturday 1:30-3:30pm & 8:30-11pm

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Taberna La Montera, Grenada Spain

2011-04-27T17:03:00.006+09:00

We tripped upon Taberna La Montera early in the evening, and the place was full of families, with children in prams, and the slightly bigger kids running around between the stools & tables, and the parents all mingling as part of one big community. We slide on in and generally perched by the bar, or if there was a table and a few stools left, would settle there. As Grenada is in the heart of Andalucia, bull fighting is kind-of a big deal around here ... This bar displays all sorts of memorabilia from famous matches, upcoming schedules, photos, and even a few hanging bulls heads - this is how we somehow end up calling this place the Toro Bar for the rest of our visit ....

Loving the whole order a drink, get a free tapas thing they have going on in Grenada. As we also love the wine & lemon soda concoction of the region. 2 x Tinto de Verana, which come in bowl-size wine glasses filled with ice, and a complimentary plate of paella.

We order a plate of the simply described chorizo, chili & fried potatoes. It comes out just so, the chorizo is more a heavily spiced mince, with the paprika and spice you'd expect, but in little bite sized pieces. Sitting to the side is a mountain of fried potato squares, a few blistered & glistening green chili's and a fried egg. It was delicious, I would be happy eating this plate at any time of day and feel it would make a fine weekend breakfast.

Next drink, and next tapas. This time, a plate of vinegary fish that has been fried in a light coating, with some crisp iceberg lettuce dressed with lemon and good olive oil to the side.

More pork, with more potatoes arrives. It's skewered pieces of tender pork, which have been wrapped in smoked bacon (score!) before being cooked on large metal skewers. More of the fried potatoes, and some fried chilis complete the plate.

One last drink before we move on. This time the tapas is a little chicken curry, which is full of spice, and has a chunk of bread on one end for mopping up the juice, but also a pile of lightly salted potato crisps, which seem to work really well with the softness of the chicken meat.

We were very pleased to spot this little place, and quite enjoyed just sitting there and watching the local community gather before heading off for their nightly activities.

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Sky filled with Jamón

2011-04-27T16:54:00.005+09:00

Ah, a magical place. I would want mine to be filled with candy, and bacon! with soft, pillowy clouds to rest on. the air would be fresh, the colours vibrant.

Oh, and if the sky was filled with Jamón, that would also be perfect (as long as they were within reach ;)).

Taberna de Jam, Grenada Spain - and again ...

2011-04-19T21:10:00.004+09:00

It was hard to stay away ... Firstly because it was just across the street from our hotel, secondly because the food really was that good. It was a great place to start the evening off, we could gather together over a few drinks, a few tapas, and set out for the rest of the evening. They have an impressive jamón menu, with majority of the listing perched up on the counter. The top rating jamón was the Joselito. The Joselito is an acorn fed Iberico ham. The meat is a rosy pink, with streaks of fat marbled through each piece. Watching the meat sliced from the leg with a long knife, we are very impressed by the skill, and also the care taken. As a small piece is sliced off, it is draped on the plate, with the next slice laying directly beside it. It's as if the leg is coming back to life on the plate, with each piece carefully put together like a puzzle.

It's smooth and delicate, and almost sweet to begin. It's then you get a hit of salt and the creaminess of fat, which really elevates this jamón experience to another level.

Bite-sized little toasts topped with pate & apple puree arrive next. These little morsels pack a load of flavour all in one bite.

The same apple puree appears on our next dish, but merely adds a sweetness to the dish, and it does not feel at all like we are eating the same component. Toasted bread, apple puree, a blood sausage and raisin mix with a fresh herb oil. A little bit messy to eat, but very tasty.

We are discussing the rest of the evenings plans, over a few drinks, with good food & great company. One last little steak sandwich on toasted bread with baby leaves before we head out into the night ....

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Froz-yo - frozen yogurt on the streets of Grenada

2011-04-19T16:41:00.004+09:00

Ice-cream, win. Yogurt, win. Frozen yogurt with sauces, toppings, fruit & nuts, oh-so much win!

It was nearly a year ago that we enjoyed these little yogurt treats, and I can't remember the details except that mine had nutella ;) and nuts and Kim's was fresh berries. I can remember that they were mighty delicious though!

Not sure what it was called, or where exactly it was, but if you stumble across some futuristic, silver, froz-yo parlour you should definitely head on in for a yogurty treat!

Bella y la Bestia Cafe & Tapas Bar, Grenada Spain

2011-04-19T15:44:00.008+09:00

It was a particularly festive time when we were in Grenada. We were wandering around on a Saturday morning, and must have passed at least 4 different groups of girls on what definitely appeared to be a Hen's outing, starting quite early in the morning. We turn a corner, and there are people spilling out onto the streets, streamers, loud voices, and a whole lot of commotion inside. We brave the crowds through the door and manage to perch ourselves at the bar that runs the length of the room.

Behind there bar there are a few bar tenders at one end, and a tiny little kitchen set up at the other (where we managed to perch) with one lady just banging out tapas like a machine. With each drink ordered a yell comes from the bar to the lady in the kitchen, stating how many people, and what tapas plate they are up to. We constantly hear calls, with numbers flying everywhere, and it makes us dizzy. The lady on the pans though is not in the least bit fussed, putting up plates and shouting for runners. Each plate is completely different, all with some form of sandwich or roll usually, with different salads, condiments & breads.

We order 2 beers, and our first complimenting tapas plate is a small bagel brushed with oil and grilled, and filled with a generous amount of sliced jamón with chopped parsley on top. There is then a mountain of pasta salad with a Mary Rose dressing and crispy fried chips with mayo & ketchup.

This little tapa was a meal in itself.. And we later find out that the Bella y la Bestia Cafe & Tapas bar has a few other outlets under their wing, including an incredible looking fish restaurant & bar. Oh well, next time we are in Grenada ...

C/Carcel Baja 14, Grenada, Spain

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Whitebait and Beer for Breakfast, Fogon de Galicia, Grenada Spain

2011-04-05T22:28:00.005+09:00

The tapas start early in Grenada. Well, early enough when you wake up at 10:30am ;) It's our first morning, and we initially venture out with a coffee and pastry in mind to start the day. We didn't have much luck finding anything of the sort .... We did notice a bunch of people drinking beer and eating a range of fried seafood delights at Fogon de Galacia while we were wandering around though. We end up tracing back down the little alley way, very pleased to start our day with 2 little Caña, or small sized beer and a plate of crispy fried whitebait with fresh lemon.

Taberna de Jam, Grenada Spain - our first taste ...

2011-04-05T20:36:00.012+09:00

After almost 2 weeks in Morocco, we found ourself back in Spain. We flew into Madrid and then took a bus ride several hours through the hills of olive trees and arrived in Grenada. It was warm, we were tired & hungry. We drop our bags at the wonderful Carlos V hotel, which was a recommendation from Io & H, and take a shower. All refreshed, we venture outside to see what's on offer. We step out of the hotel and there is a small park lined with orange trees, all blossoming. We both stop and take in the incredible smell ........ Then like a gleaming light in the not-so-distance we see Taberna de Jam. It's already bustling with people so we head on over.

Now we had heard about Grenada being one of the few places that still offer a free tapa with every drink purchase, but for our first taste of this was pleasantly surprised. We ordered 2 of the Andalucian Tinto de Verano which are a refreshing mix of red wine and a sparkling lemon soda. The accompanying complimentary tapa is a little sandwich, on a little olive oil bread with slices of Jamón and a handful of potato crisps.

We then order a few little dishes from the menu, the first up, an Andalucian cold soup, salmorejo. It is thick & rich, with boiled egg & Jamón and a slice of toasted bread.

Then is a little brioche bun, with sliced Jamón, fried potatoes and a little quails egg. If I could have that sort of brioche bun each day for breakfast I would be one happy girl .... well, anytime of day in-fact.

Well, it was time to move on and discover some more of this little town, but we were very happy to have this as our local.

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Dar Yacout, Marrakech

2011-04-03T18:35:00.005+09:00

For our last night in Marrakech, we take our wonderful Riad owners advice and have booked a table at Yacout. We were even lucky to get a reservation with only a few days notice .... This is where anyone-who-is-anyone must dine while in Marrakech, well so we hear. Having played host to a string of celebrities, royalty and presidents from all over the world. We head down to the Kasbah gate in search of some means of transport to take us well within the realm of the Medina. It just so happens that a horse cart pulls up beside us. We check that he knows where it is, which of course he does. We hop into the back seat, which is surprisingly comfortable. The sun is setting, and the lights over the city are so pretty.

It takes about 20 minutes, darting through busy evening traffic, but having plenty of time to take it all in.

We are taken through winding, pebbled walkways of the medina, barely wide enough for the cart. We all of a sudden stop, when it gets really narrow, and way to busy for us to continue. The driver calls over a couple of young boys, and mutters a few words. We work out that these kids are going to lead us the remainder of the way .... We dart in and out of lanes, being just dark enough to be a little unsettling as you can't really see to far ahead, but we turn one last corner and we are there. We give the kids a few dollars, and thank them for their trouble.

Dar Yacout is quite grand. We walk through some large doors before being greeted by a team of staff, and quickly ushered up to the roof for an aperitif. We look down over the pool, and outside dining area on one side, and then an expansive view of the old city contained within the medina, and the bustle of the new city in the distance.

This is one of very few places that serves alcohol in Morocco. This is also the first time in our 11 day trip that we have any, so decide on a simple aperitif of white wine. It comes served in a beautiful goblet, with a bowl of green sultanas and some lightly toasted almonds.

We are then taken down to our table, and offered local Spring water as well as a selection of wines. We choose a Moroccan Rose. It was light, crisp and a beautiful rose color with the crystal glasses glistening under the dim light.

The usual Moroccan salad component of the meal arrives promptly. Little plates of spiced olives, carrot & orange salad, roasted garlic eggplant, zalouk, artichokes & little crispy pastries. These are all devoured with the infinite supply of soft bread.

These beautifully adorned vessels then arrive and rest beside the table.

The first unveiling reveals the oh-to-familiar chicken, preserved lemon & olive tagine. Shockingly, it is a whole chicken! just for the two of us ... we know there is more food to come, so despite it being delicious have to refrain from eating too much.

There is then a tagine of lamb with fresh peas. A massive portion again, we don't even get half way through it ....

Cous-cous with 7 vegetables is a fine example of this preparation, and a very welcome accompaniment to the lamb tagine.

We see a sweet pastilla placed down on the table beside us while we are finishing our main. They are as shocked as we seem with the sheer size, barely managing to get through a 1/4 of it. We wonder what happens with all of the remaining food .... as grand as each of the dishes seem, receiving whole chickens, or giant pastilla, we could have easily had 2 very hungry guests with us and no extra food. As soon as we indicate defeat against the lamb & cous-cous, it is whisked away. Moments later our table is graced with one giant pastilla.

It is absolutely delicious, layers of crisp, flaky pastry with toasted almonds and sweet milk. We manage one slice each, before a pot of mint tea and a tower of fresh baked sweets and cookies completely wipe us out. Oh .. so .. full!

An absolutely amazing setting, the pre-dinner drinks in the upstairs bar with a view of the city a highlight. The food was nice, but next time we will be sure to enjoy it with a few more people ....

Cone of Chips; street-food in Marrakech

2011-04-03T18:16:00.004+09:00

Way back last Spring on our holiday in Morocco, we were slightly startled when we went to withdraw money from Kim's bank account, and it wouldn't work! Then we tried mine, and my debit card had somehow long expired for my Australian bank account, without us realizing .... Herein lies the importance of traveling with various forms of currency. We of course had our credit cards to get us through, and always have some travelers cheques. We were then hustling around trying to find a currency exchange or bank that accepted travelers cheques (harder than you think in Morocco).

Time was ticking .... We needed some cash for small, daily transactions. We were running from bank to bank, trying to find one that would cash American Express cheques. When suddenly there was a major distraction,

A little street-side cart, with a small light dangling overhead and a whole glass cabinet full of fried potatoes. Thin, crisp, golden potatoes. We scrounge together a few coins, for this brief moment not worrying about tomorrow, or money for a cab home.. The crisps are simply scooped up in a simple paper cone... still warm, glistening in the afternoon sun with little diamonds of salt reflecting in the light.

..... now, back to finding a bank.

Café d'épices, Marrakech

2011-03-27T21:18:00.004+09:00

During our time in Morocco, we did not miss or even notice the lack of alcohol. At a few of the bigger establishments, you were able to get a Casablanca beer or a very limited selection of wine. One beverage that we were both very pleased to have reasonably available was coffee. Beautifully roasted beans, some brewed in a pot and others through more modern espresso machines ... We found one little place in the square where we were stopping by for our Café d'épices fix. The beans are roasted and blended with a range of spice, including cinnamon & cardamon.

Rich, toasty flavors from the beans, with delicate undertones from the spice. A great boost to get you through the rest of the day.

Tanjia

2011-03-27T13:59:00.005+09:00

Tanjia is both the name of the dish as well as the dish it is cooked in. A tall clay urn that is filled with all sorts of goodies and baked slowly in coals. We had been told that traditionally this was a beggars dish, the beggar collecting whatever people would give, in the urn then leaving it in the coals of the fires used to heat the water of the traditional baths until it had all been cooked to a melting softness.

Nowadays it's also considered a bit of a bachelors dish as well, perhaps due to it's low maintenance and degree of skill required. Being a traditional dish of Marrakech we had been keeping and eye out for any sign of the tanjia. We finally find a small shop with a dozen urns of various sizes lined up out the front. Sealed with paper they must have been put into the coals in the early morning to be ready for midday.

We take a sit and order a tanjia for two, the proprietor reaches into his brick oven and pulls out a tanjia.

It's brought to the table before being unsealed and turned over into a clay plate. The billowing steams brings mouth watering smells, spices, herbs, and the lamb, so meltingly soft it's falling from the bone.

With another couple of the ubiquitous flat breads we're ready to go. The lamb fat has rendered out of the meat making it sticky soft and so rich. We scoop up the juices with the bread and suck the marrow from the bones. Leaving a clean plate and even cleaner bones when we've finished.

Next to us a Morrocan family have ordered the head. It's withdrawn from the urn before being split in two, revealing the creamy brain. We might need a few more people to tackle that one.
I recommend you keep an eye out for the tanjia as it makes a great change from the sometimes endless parade of tagine and cous cous.

Marrakech Tagine

2011-03-23T14:31:00.008+09:00

So we were on our way to lunch. Meeting with I and H and they're LATE.... I guess It's understandable y'know being in a strange town in a strange country and all. On the plus side it gave us time to read the menu of our chosen dining venue and watch the type of clients who were dining there. In this case it was tourist groups and it dawned on us maybe this wasn't the type of place we wanted to be eating. So we started to scout around within minutes we found what we were looking for, an alley with a line of tagines up against the wall a steady steam of these were being picked up and carried off for delivery lunches.

Basic math; Busy with locals = good food. So when I and H arrive we veto our current plans and head down the alley. It's a simple affair, a dozen tagines sitting over glowing coals, a choice of chicken or lamb, with or without bread. You order a tagine it is whipped off the coals and placed in front of you. Another is then made by the hugely funny teen assistant (swimming in his butchers coat that he'll grow into in about twenty years) and replaced on the coals. The teen asks if we're American, to which we reply "no", his answer of "good" earns him a clip around the ears.

A lift of the lid reveals potatoes, carrots, peas, tomato and herbs plus your protein of choice it's fragrant and simple....simply delicious.

We have no trouble finishing our portions, but in case you can't you just save half of your bread and it's split open, stuffed with the remainder of your tagine and wrapped for a later snack.

We eat there several times in our stay, each time the various locals eating there greet us with a nod that seems to say "I see your not eating at the tourist trap next door....well done". If you seem to be coming back often enough you are invited to pre-order for the next day, with a seafood or special vegetable tagine on that menu. Maybe next time.

Marrakech Night Markets, stall no. 32

2011-01-13T17:16:00.003+09:00

When we see our delightful host at breakfast the next morning, we are quick to tell him how very much we enjoyed dinner at no. 14. We also told him about our discovery of the Moroccan viagra, to which he found very funny ;) We spoke about our plans for the day, which inevitably would lead back to the night markets ... Stall no. 32 was another of his recommendations. Grilled sausages and other meats .... He warned us that there was a delightful chopped up mix of insides, that was super delicious and full of charcoal, but also advises we probably won't like that ... all the more reason we want to try it!

As the sun goes down, we head back to the night markets armed with the no. 32. We arrive a little early and all the stalls are still setting up. We grab a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and just perch to watch the scrambling before dinner.

As the food stalls come to life, we spot to corner that just has smoke billowing above and smells of grilling meats.

We order some bread & grilled meguez to start. The bread is placed on the paper in front of us, again our only implement for eating with this evening, other than our nimble fingers of course. A little dish of fresh tomato sauce that is packed full of fresh herbs, cummin & pepper accompanies the bread. There are hundreds of little merguez sizzling away on the grill, popping and twisting in anticipation. A completely random number is just scooped up onto a little stainless plate and set before us.

We sit enjoying our sausages, mopping up all of the rich red fat that is on the bottom of the plate with our bread. We're not quite sure what this chopped insides thing is so we are on the watch. We see a wrapped parcel reset on a silver tray and placed directly into the coals. When it comes out, the parcel is pierced and out explodes this chopped mess. We grab a grill boys attention and proclaim our need for one of these plates .... We see a little parcel come out, and be placed into the charcoal. Yay, just for us. It arrives and the smell is intoxicating. Herbs, spice, meat, offal, charcoal. We have managed to save enough bread to mop this chopped mess up, delicious with a splash of their home made tomato sauce.

Now that has certainly whet the appetite, time to find dinner.

Moroccan Viagra

2011-01-13T16:14:00.005+09:00

We are on our way back home after a delightful meal at stall no. 14 where we notice a few little carts on the outskirts of the square that are just flooded with men hovering at the counter, drinking this deep red elixir and eating some sort of paste. We are intrigued, so head on over ... Looks like the father is cheif elixir man, but he has his son there helping him out who speaks a little English. We enquire and at first he giggles. He then tells us that this tea is made up of a very special mix filled with herbs, spice and things like ginseng & gurana. Then there is the paste, which is also full of spices and other things.

We each order a tea, and choose to share 2 of the plates of spice paste. The tea is strong of ginger aroma and taste, and another 50 or so things that you can taste, but can't identify. The paste, wow, is like eating a spoonful of raw spice that is also sickly sweet with some sort of dark sugar.

The young guy, still giggling, then tells us that all the men stop by these stalls on their way home, as this is a form of natural viagra.

Well, wandering home we do all get some sort of buzz .... the true effects felt later ;)

Marrakech Night Markets, stall no. 14

2011-01-13T15:08:00.006+09:00

We had a close call at the Fez train station with Io & H unable to find their passports the morning we are departing for Marrakech ... So with taxi's back to the riad, and turning the room upside down, all 4 of us are now in possession of travel documents and manage to board our train in the nick of time. It's a hot day, the train winding through little villages with children playing, sheep running free and so much trash on the outskirts of each town. We keep ourselves amused with some interesting conversation, some amazing pomegranite juice & chicken sandwiches on board the train as well as sneaking in a little nap. Before we know it, hours have passed and we arrive in Marrakech. We are greeted at the train station and transported to our Riad Dar Tasnime. Now after any amount of travelling, there are 2 things very high on the priority list; shower & eat. We are taken up to our suite which smells of orange blossom, and is the warm welcoming color of terracotta with rich fabrics and open doors sprawling out over the courtyard.

Ah, I could just collapse on the bed and be done with day. *"~Focus, shower & eat. So back on track we ask our delightful host if he has any dinner recommendations or suggestions at the night markets. Immediately we start talking about what food we will find down there, what food we had been enjoying in Fes, our time in Morocco, our home and it's food in Japan .... Our host then shares one of his little secrets, a bustling little stall amongst the 100 or so open-aired kitchens that serves up some incredible fried fish & seafood with salads and bread. We make our way towards the Jemaa El Fna square, which is the largest outdoor souk (market) in Morocco. It's just on sunset, and there are performers, snake charmers, henna artists, games & live music. The outside of the square in lined with carts selling fresh squeezed juice and all sorts of dried fruits, and then east side which is full of these little outdoor stalls setting up for tonight's dinner.

As we first enter the markets, we pass through a gathering of stalls all selling steamed snails. We then enter the mayhem, stalls with printed fancy menus, displays on ice of giant shiskebabs and mock terrines, and young boys who will say or do just about anything to have you come and eat at their stall "Stall no. 7 will send you to heaven" We are determined to find this stall no. 14 but there is absolutely no system with these numbers. We turn a corner and notice a tiny little stand, full of locals, chowing down on all sorts of delicious looking treats. And then we spot the no. 14 sign. Ahah, perfect. No young boys drawing you in, no menu, no food on display, except for the piles of fried fish that are getting distributed as fast as they can be cooked ....

A spot is cleared for us, and paper placemats plonked in front of us topped with a bread roll & a plate of chips. Then little dishes of a fresh tomato sauce, and a plate of smashed up & seasoned fried eggplant. No cutlery is provided, the tools of choice here are your fingers as well as the bread to scoop up any sauces.

Thankful for Ioanna's ability with the French language we just start ordering ... Fried chunk of fish, sitting on a plastic plate with a single fried chili & a wedge of lemon. The exterior was so crispy yet encased the most tender & moist fish flesh imaginable.

Fried calamari rings set a new standard for these fried favorites. The coating was seasoned so well, yet had no overpowering flavors. A good squeeze of lemon was all they needed, tasting fresh like the ocean.

Then we had some MFF, Moroccan Fried Fish. Bite sized pieces of coated fish, yum yum!

We see a tray of little whiting fish come out of the fryer, and rely on the old point & nod trick. We finish with these little fishies, this time with a squeeze of fresh lime.

We are quick to vacate our precious seats, as there is still a que of people waiting for their chance at a seat. There a little sink where you wash your hands, before being handed a sheet of placemat paper to dry them. We then pay the very modest bill coming in at around 12€ per / person.

Getting a glimpse of the little mobile kitchen as we leave is quite a site ... vats of scalding hot oil balance on rickety legged tables, makeshift sinks / benches and storage are showing ware from daily assembling and disassembling. But the fresh ingredients and team work shines.

We know we will be paying at least another visit to no. 14 on this trip .... Now, back to the Riad to collapse in bed.

A little cabinet draws us in ....

2011-01-06T17:24:00.004+09:00

We were wandering through the Medina of Fes ... All 9,000 of the little lanes & alleyways, that are mostly unmarked, hold some kinds of treasure. Sometime turning the corner you find pots of snails simmering away in a salted broth, other times a whole street lined with hand-made silk buttons, then there's the fresh nougat on carts, the bags of spices, and the hand-made pastries. One turn we made led us down a narrow path and we found a little cabinet sitting out the front that immediately drew both of our attention. It was filled with a range of meats & little sausages with some crusty baguette style breads and some pita style pockets.

We were both immediately intrigued, and with our interest are warmly welcomed inside. Kim chooses the little sausage, which they warn us are very spicy - perfect! and has them on a crusty roll with chili sauce & pickles and it comes wrapped in paper with a generous serve of hand cut chips.

My version is sans bread roll, and just a selection of grilled random meats with a few green olives and a handful of chips. There's mayonnasie & a light tomato & chili sauce on the side.

All washed down with some almost-salty Arabic Coca-Cola and we are set to tackle the Fes Medina once again.

Thami's, Fes Medina

2011-01-06T13:03:00.005+09:00

Thami's is probably one of the worst kept secrets in Fes. Since the secret is so badly kept there's no harm in us telling a few more people right. From the blue gate you take a right and there under a magnificent spreading mulberry tree is Thami's. A couple of tables and chairs tucked into the top of one of the Medina's busiest thoroughfares it's not only a great place for eating but life watching as well.

As soon as you approach a friendly gentleman (Thami it turns out) will dart out and hand you his card. Not that it was needed, we were here for you Thami. Luckily there was no wait for one for the three tables and it was not long before the most delicious tagine of kefta and eggs was in front of us. Apart from the awesomeness that was the tagine, it was so nice to be eating something that wasn't same same tourist aimed salads and lamb/chicken tagines.

Quick to follow was a hearty bowl of Harria the staple Moroccan breakfast soup, braised lentils in a rich sauce with plenty of bread to mop up all the juices.

With a couple of orange juices and a healthy dose of passing life it's not a bad way to start the day (as long as your day starts around midday), or take respite from the heat and dust in the afternoon.

under the mulberry tree

Thami's
Bou Jeloud, 50 Serrajine
The Medina, Fes, Morocco
070 640 130

Hands on Cooking Class, fescooking.com

2010-11-29T12:41:00.007+09:00

We shopped around a little to try and find the most authentic, one-on-one cooking class that we could in Fes. We wanted to go to the markets, shop for ingredients, and then return to a working Riad to cook up some tasty treats. A few e-mails were exchanged and we had booked in to meet Lahcen at the Bab Boujloud, or blue gate which is a monumental entrance to the old Fes Medina.

It was originally supposed to be just Kim & myself, but a lovely couple from Portland Oregon had apparently showed up the day before and not managed to meet up with Lahcen, so they joined in on our class. The 5 of us then wandered around the Medina and decided what to cook ... We spot some plastic containers which are filled with chickpeas, that have conveniently been soaked overnight already, and are ready to use. We buy some of these for our Harira, which is a Moroccan tomato & chickpea soup.

The Lahcen selects a range of fresh vegetables and herbs which will be used throughout our menu.

We spot a stall full of dates, and think it would be fantastic to do a dessert with these. Our dessert will be a coconut and date roll, so we select a big plump date full of flavor.

We pick up a few other things, including a fresh chicken, fresh artichokes, oranges and cous cous before we head back to the Riad to start cooking. There are 3 Fatima's already starting on the days prep for the guests staying in the Riad. We join them for some bread making ....

Before we know it we are at home in this quaint little kitchen, chopping, peeling, slicing & dicing our way through the preparation. We have all the ingredients ready for our first dish, the Harira soup.

We press all of the pulp from the tomatoes and then simmer the skins with herbs to make a stock, which will be the base for the Harira.

Kim gets on peeling some artichokes with Fatima for our next dish.

We then prepare some pretty little date balls. Some rolled in coconut, the other in toasted sesame seeds. These are then baked on a buttered tray before being left to cool ...

I found out this day why cous-cous tastes so damn good in Morocco! The cous-cous has handfuls of salt and a very generous amount of olive oil in which it is marinated in before being steamed .... mmm, salt

We then get set to make the most challenging dish of the day, pastilla.

A spiced chicken mixture is layered with a slightly sweet almond mix and wrapped up in big sheets of pastry that have been brushed with melted butter. Once the piece is complete, it goes into the oven to be baked.

Everything is on the stove, bubbling away. We are lucky enough to be sent upstairs to sit at the table while the Fatima's plate our lunch for us.

First up, Harira soup. So hearty with a great richness. The chickpeas have broken down and thickened up the soap, which is rich & intense and so full of flavor. Some freshly chopped herbs really liven it up.

When we try this next dish I think we are all glad that Kim had chosen artichokes at the markets. They have been simmered in orange juice with a little garlic and have the wonderful aroma of orange blossom.

Pastilla = deliciously ugly! The pastry so flaky is shatters when you penetrate it - the fillings exploding from both sides ... a little messy, but oh so deliclious!

The Fatima's were having cous-cous for lunch, so were kind enough to show us the ropes ... We also enjoyed cous-cous with 7 vegetables along with our lunch spread. A broth simmering below with herbs & tomato and then the 7 vegetables are added at different times to ensure even cooking. The cous-cous sits above in an open topped device, all those lovely vegetable flavors steaming through each grain.

Dessert arrives, our little date balls. The coconut & sesame seeds are golden and add a nice crunch to the sticky sweet date mixture. Some orange segments and a dusting of cinnamon almost complete the meal ...

Ah, a cup of Moroccan mint tea and we are happy as can be.

We thoroughly recommend spending a day with fescooking.com if you are in Fes at any time ... I think cooks and foodies of all levels will get something out of spending a day with Lahcen & the team back at their working Riad ... and just think of all that delicious food you get to enjoy!

Fes et Gestes, the Medina

2010-11-28T17:13:00.005+09:00

Our first day in Fes and we venture in to explore the Medina. Our traveling companions Io & H have done the same. We make plans to meet at their Riad late afternoon before heading out for dinner. Kim and I freshen up after our long, hot & dusty day and make our way over to Riad Ghita where Io & H are staying. We are immediately seated in the lobby area and receive a pot of tea. This one has the sugar on the side which you can add to taste and extra fresh mint in the glass. A couple of cookies to the side as well.

We then speak with the owner of the Riad who says Io & H have just wandered out to find Fes et Gestes and suss it out. We figure after our tea that we too would head out in search ... They give us vague directions at the Riad, but within 2 turns we are completely lost. We know kind of it's where-abouts so flag down the Moroccan equivalent of a tuk-tuk; a tiny little truck with an open back space where you sit on the floor. We do our best to describe to the driver where we are headed. He seems to understand, so off we go.

We drive around some bendy roads, chug along up some steep hills and then all of a sudden seem to be heading back towards the fountain & the blue gate, which is where we are staying and not at all near where we are meant to be. We bang on the window to signal him to stop, and hop out while we still know where we are. We head off again on foot, stopping at several shops along the way for directions. We finally make it to where we think we should be and find nothing that is resembling a little quaint tea garden with restaurant. The sun is coming down, and the streets are getting dark ... the Fes Medina is scary at the best of time. Not a horror-movie scary but a overwhelming lack of orientation & unfamiliarity scary. We are about to head back and spot a tiny little sign with a very cursive script that looks like it must say Fes Et Gestes. Yay! We push through the gate and it is indeed a gorgeous little garden.

No sign of the others .... The owner is French, so we head off to ask her if she has seen Io & H. I figure if a tall blonde Canadian girl with a Japanese husband had at all swung by today she might recognize them. Nope, no sign of them. We figure we should wait anyway ... We have a fresh orange juice with a cookie and pick up someones WiFi (in the middle of the Fes Media none-the-less, tres cool!) and send them a quick note that we have made it, and will wait for them there.

We sink into the big armchairs in the library and read through some interesting literature. It must have been a good hour or so later they arrive ... and oh, the stories. They of course got lost, had to pay some young kids to get them back to the hotel, before setting out again on foot (?!) and eventually paying some other kids to take them here. They look exhausted, and hungry, so we head straight to the dining room. 2 large bottles of sparkling mineral water and the meal begins ... An array of Moroccan salads; cucumber with a honey dressing, carrots with orange blossom, shredded cabbage with a mustard dressing, smoked eggplant, roasted zucchini & tomato zalouk, red beets, lentils & more.

The salads are accompanied by a big bowl of bread, with the delicious crunch of the corn meal coating the whole thing. The 2 tagines on offer tonight are both made with turkey, which was quite interesting. The first one with zucchini & onion, the vegetables breaking down into an almost-sauce and keeping the bird so succulent & juicy. The second was turkey with almonds and prunes, the crunch of the nuts and the intense sweetness of the prunes are a great match! Both tagines look a little ugly, but taste great! A bowl of plain cous-cous accompanies the main.

We each get out own little silver tray with a tea pot, sugar jar, cookie & tea cup to finish.

It's been a long day full of adventures in the Fes Medina, but the memories will last a lifetime.

Fes et Gestes
Open every day of the week except Wednesday, from 12pm to 9:30pm
39 Arsat El Hamoumi
Ziat, 30200 FES MEDINA
T: 212 (0) 535 63 85 32

And so it goes ...

2010-11-23T21:03:00.003+09:00

Moroccan salads, tagine, cous-cous. Now don't get me wrong, I love all of these things !! But the one thing we found in Morocco, well Fes & Marakech anyway - was that these are indeed staples. Sure, some are better then others, some more inventive and others just using pristine ingredients. Our first day in Morocco we are wandering around the Medina with our guide who is a bit of a character ... he even stopped randomly at some temple and started chanting & singing.

We then just ended up at some little dining room in the middle of nowhere, after winding down & through all sorts of lanes & alleyways. As we were seated at the table, ahhh, a selection of Moroccan salads. Big green olives in a spice & lemon mixture, braised lentils, carrot & orange salad, roast pumpkin, zucchini, salted black olives & a green & red cabbage salad.

Then the tagine. Today's variety a rich and scrumptious mix of lamb, prunes, apricots & almonds.

And finally, the cous-cous with seven vegetables. The cous cous is light and fluffy, with the vibrant flavor of salt & olive oils. THe vegetables are perched on top, rustically cut and so full of flavor. A few chickpeas are scattered around and there are sweet raisins on top.

I bet you can't guess what we ended up having for dinner?! ;)

Snapshots from the Medina

2010-11-22T21:26:00.007+09:00

The largest car free urban space in the world, over two hundred thousand people living in in a nine thousand street labyrinth. From the moment you step beyond one of the guardian gates of the Fez Medina you're senses are under constant assault it's an instant love or hate affair.

This a few foodies eye snapshots from within the walls.

A camel butchery. Easily identified by the head hanging on a butchers hook in the front of the shop. We never actually tried any camel while we were there ... Well none that we are aware of ;)

Fresh goats cheese wrapped in palm fonds. As good as any goats cheese we have tried anywhere.

Unbaked bread loaves being carried to a communal oven. With most houses not having a oven, families sent their daily bread to the community oven each morning to be baked.

Freshest meat you can get. You just pick out the bird of your choice, go do a little other shopping for ten minutes, when you return a cleaned carcass is wrapped waiting and still warm.....

Politest cat in the world sat like this patiently for the whole time. We watched, and every so often it was rewarded with a small morsel of off cut.

One of the sense assaults. Around every corner spice shops with barrels of raw spices some ground to order others already ground and ready to go.

Ras el hanout waiting to be ground.

An assortment of spices

All spices weighed on old brass scales, and wrapped into little paper packets. My luggage was hand checked every time going through customs for the rest of our trip, with dozens of small packets full of powder showing up on the x rays.

Baskets of live snails sat on many corners some ominously close to large steaming pots for a quick street snack.

Huge bundles of fresh mint and chamomile just waiting to be made into tea.

This is just a tiny glimpse of what there is to see within the Medina. There is more than you can ever hope to remember, photograph or see.

p.s. for us it was instant love.

Checking in & checking out our first taste of Morocco

2010-11-22T15:13:00.005+09:00

Ah, there really is nothing like a long, warm shower after your travels. The day had been long, and we had journeyed on everything from train, petit taxi and ocean liner inter-country ferry. Down in the lobby of Riad Fes Yamanda we are offered some mint tea and little cookies on arrival, this I could really get used to. Then we were asked if we would like to eat in the Riad tonight - it sounded perfect, not having to venture far on our first night. We came down just after 7pm, and were ushered into a little room, with a table set just for the 2 of us.

We start the meal as you do in Morocco, with a selection of little salads. There were a few little crisp pastries that were filled with a spiced vegetable mix, a Zucchini Zalouk which is cooked with onions, tomato & spice, carrots with orange & orange blossom water and a smokey eggplant. All delicious!

A basket of Moroccan bread is placed on the table which acts as a perfect eating implement to just scoop the salads up. The bread is still warm, has a nice touch of salt and light as air with a very generous coating of yellow corn meal which gives a great crunch.

We share 2 mains, the first a classic Chicken Tagine with olives and preserved lemon. As the lid is lifted, a subtle aroma fills the air - spice, the smell of roasted chicken but most prominent the salt and citrus smell of the preserved lemon.

The pastilla is a flaky pastry that is said to have originated around Fes, so it was no surprise we also chose that. This was a great introduction ... although traditionally made with pigeon, this version is made with chicken, almonds, egg & spice all filled in a light flaky pastry. A dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon give this a perfect savory and sweet combination.

Dessert is a plate of sliced apples in a rich orange reduction that seems to have a smidgen of saffron. Toasted almonds add a nice bit of crunch.

Ah, the mint tea. This stuff is amazing. Gunpowder tea with so much fresh mint it's almost busting the side of the teapot, and a few cubes of sugar. It's poured from great height to aerate and mix the tea. Some little cookies on the side as well.

What a lovely first dinner in Morocco. We are heading to bed early as we are meeting with a guide at 8:30am to venture into the craziness that is the Fes Medina.

Morocc and roll

2010-11-21T16:36:00.010+09:00

Surprisingly enough, the 45 minute ferry ride which takes you from Tarifa, the tip of Spain, to Tangier, the top of Morocco, was actually the easiest part of our trip. Immigration is done aboard the boat (which we found out as we disembarked, so had to run back onto the ferry and get our stamps) and money exchange is also done on board. We get off and are overwhelmed by the sea of taxi drivers ... there are little petite taxis, which certainly would not carry the 4 of us including H & Io as well as our luggage so negotiating a Grand Taxi is in order. We settle on 20€ to the train station. We could have of course spent 20 minutes negotiating our way down, but it's 5€ each which is still pretty damn cheap! The ride is scary ... we all have white knuckles by the end of the trip but we do make it in once piece. It's quite early, and we have an hour before the first train. The station is just beautiful, there's even WiFi ...

We check our mail, and have a quick snack before boarding the train. The little counter is bustling with people, we start the day with a couple of pastilla - crispy pastry filled with a spiced chicken and slightly sweet nut mix. I have a can of Hawaii, which is a fruit & coconut fizzy drink that is not to sweet.

We arrive at the platform a few minutes early and are ready for our journey to Fes.

The train journey was pleasant, we did of course splurge on a first class air-conditioned cabin. There was a little food cart that just went up and down the isles, which had drinks, snacks, yoghurt, delicious pomegranite juice & bread rolls filled with spicy roast chicken & garlic sauce which kept us amused for the train ride. The scenery went from picturesque to grotesque - quaint little villages with children kicking soccer balls, filled with beautiful colors & intricately designed buildings but on the outskirts just piles of garbage. Garbage that was decomposing in the sun, ferral goat's & dogs picking through the trash. Until you hit the next quaint little village ...

We arrive in Fes mid-afternoon, and are greeted by a member of staff who has come from our Riad to meet us at the train station. We say goodbye to Io & H for the day, with plans to meet them tomorrow afternoon after our solo adventures in the medina. We pile into a little petit taxi with our guide, and head to the Riad. We are welcomed into Riad Fes Yamanda as it is our own palace for the coming days ....

Upstairs to freshen up, we know we won't be going far tonight.

Beach lunch, Barbate, Spain

2010-11-21T14:02:00.005+09:00

The Southern coastline of Spain is breathtaking. Crystal clear water, pure white sand and rocky foreshores with some interesting flora. Wandering along the beach in Barbate is so peaceful. We pass one couple on their push bikes in the whole time we are there - as we are navigating over to a small area of asphalt before climbing up to the lighthouse.

On our walk back along the beach, we see a little side road which looks promising to find a quick lunch. We find a little stone house, which looks promising.

We make our way in, it's quite dark and beautifully cool under the clay roof. There's a small menu in chalk scribbled behind the bar. They have a few little tapas and then a small selection of daily sandwiches. Manchego is ordered along with our drinks at the bar counter and we take a seat. Our ice cold beers and a little plate of Manchego arrives moments later. Several slices of the rich cheese are on a little plate with a good handful of little bread sticks. Yum!

A little plate of pork lomo also arrives with the cheese. Cured, salty pork with a deep red spice coating also with a good handful of the little bread sticks.

After a perfect little start to our beachside lunch, we both have ordered the pork with paprika butter roll. Crunchy bread roll filled with a shredded pork mixture that is bound with an intense paprika butter. mmmmm

Now we certainly have energy to walk all the way back to the other side of the beach and get back in the car to rush home and enjoy our siesta.

Cervecería Marisquería, Cadiz, Spain

2010-11-02T20:38:00.005+09:00

With only 1 night in Cadiz, we were determined to find some Spanish seafood delights. Io, H, Kim & I set out for the main part of town. Wandering along the coastline, the Moroccan influence was evident in the buildings, and we realize that we really are quite close to the African countryside.

We wandered around for what seemed like hours ... the quaint little streets were lacking much action, let alone the promise of delicious coastal treats.

Kim spots some stools down a little alley so we head on down. Ahah, this place is full of families enjoying a late lunch, young couples having a beer on the street and everything in between. We approach the little window facing the street and order some beers.

There's a menu etched in tiles just by the window, so we just start picking some things. First up, potatoes & aioli. Chunks of steamed potatoes are mixed with a pungent garlic mayonnaise, so creamy with a good hit of lemon and finished with some fresh chopped herbs.

Next up, the Russian Salad. They love this dish in Spain, we seen it on almost every menu! Potatoes smashed up with olives, boiled eggs & mayonnaise. The Spanish version also has the addition of tuna. Little domes of salad sit perched on the plate and are blanketed in another layer of the rich mayonnaise.

Now for the seafood ... Fried baby squid, wow! These little Puntillitas even sound beautiful in Spanish. The plate arrives and we realize just how baby these little squid are. I think there are hundreds, in a light seasoned flour which have been fried to golden perfection and are served with a big wedge of lemon. Each little squid would only be the size of my thumbnail, but as you bite into them the flavor, oh my - the ink sack explodes and fills the mouth with a salty sea fresh flavor. Amazing!

We each have our own croquette, it was as pretty as could be, perfectly fried with a cascading mayonnasie & rich tomato sauce topping with a few little potato fries on the side. I can't remember what was inside the croquette, but I do remember it tasted incredible.

We order some tuna lomo, not to sure what to expect. What comes out, chunks of vinegar brined tuna that have been crumbed and fried. Quite unusual, but the more I ate it the more I liked it ....

It may have taken a while to find something to eat in Cadiz, but what we stumbled across was a true gem!

Cervecería - Marisquería Aurelio
Calle Zorrilla, 1
Cádiz, Cádiz 11004
España

Hittin' the road with Churros & Chocolate

2010-11-02T14:04:00.004+09:00

Churros & chocolate are a bit of a breakfast staple all around Spain. Changing ever-so-slightly as we move through each region. The thinner, traditional churro was served when we were in Zaragoza although the thick spiral ones also made a breif appearance. The Churros in Sevilla are called Calentitos. They are the thick churro that is cooked in a spiral. When they are removed from the hot oil it is quite a spectacle.

We have arranged to meet our good friends Io & H early on this morning, we are driving down to Cadiz. Our contribution to the road trip is a cup of hot chocolate for each of us, and a giant bag of churros. When we order she just asks how many ...... 4 hot chocolate and then the bag of churros is enough for 4. It certainly is generous!

Even with the stop for road trip snacks, we manage to arrive a little early to our meeting place. The smell of the hot chocolates, the sugar, the warm bag sitting in my hands. It's too much. We are waiting a while, as we are sure Io & H are having some navigation troubles .............. We sample a few while they are hot .... and just can't help ourselves.

Lucky their appetites aren't quite as big as ours, they will never know how generous the initial portion was.

Bodega Santa Cruz, Sevilla

2010-11-02T11:32:00.006+09:00

Ah, Sevilla ... Wandering the streets the scent of orange blossom fills the air. We spot hordes of people moving around the streets with these little striped cushions wandering where they are going, or where they have been. A little investigation reveals the annual Bull Fighting festivities have just begun. As I am sure the streets of Sevilla are generally buzzing year round, there is just something magical about being there at this time ....

It's mid morning and after starting the day with a coffee and pastry, we are certainly ready for our next snack. We turn a corner and see people spilling out into the street, a drink in one hand, a small plate in the other. We find an entrance, the place is packed ... just as we make our way up to the counter, a small space clears allowing us to perch there.

We point at a few things on the bar which are handed to us along with our beer. Green olives, the marinade showing it's Moorish influence as we've moved south, full of paprika, cumin and even a little preserved lemon. Fried squid sitting on a little shredded lettuce with some baby bread sticks and a tortilla sandwich - 2 wedges of potato tortilla are sandwiching a tuna and mayonnaise mix again with the little bread sticks on the side.

Bocadillo's, or little sandwiches, are making their way under the grill as fast as they can be toasted and then handed out to an eager customer. We signal our interest, and within moments have one of these little round sandwiches in front of us. We're not even to sure what was inside, but there was meat, smoked paprika and lots of butter.

After wandering through the city for a few hours we have again built up an appetite. Nothing tickles our fancy enough that we have stumbled across, so we make our way back across town to Las Columnas. (Despite Bodega Santa Cruz being painted on the walls, It's known by the locals as Las Coumnas. I figure 2 visits in one day we are entitled to call it by the latter). We are lucky enough to perch ourselves at the bar this time, our server recognizing us straight away. 2 damn lemon are placed in front of us along with some boquerones fritos. Fired baby anchovies, eaten whole, in a light crumb crust with the little bread sticks.

Potatoes aioli are simply boiled potatoes coated in a pungent garlic aioli. A little chopped fresh parsley adds some life.

Champignon con jamon arrive in a little terra cotta dish. The smell is intoxicating, the combination of the earthy mushrooms, the smokey jamon, good olive oil and a touch of garlic. Crusty baguette is perfect for mopping up all of the flavored olive oil.

The last, slightly sweet, dish of the day was fired aubergine with honey. Crispy discs of eggplant are coated in a light crumb and fried to a golden crisp. A light drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of salt is a harmonious balance of sweet and salty.

Now, back into the crowds to enjoy this beautiful city ....

Bodega Santa Cruz
(aka Las Columnas)
c/ Rodrigo Caro 1
Sevilla, Andalucia, Spain

Bistrot Guggenheim, Bilbao

2010-11-01T20:16:00.005+09:00

We caught the tram over to the Guggenheim Museum, which is a little oasis on the edge of the river with green grassy knolls laced with daisies lined with students, families & groups of friends taking in the morning sun.

Admittedly, the art that drew us to the museum wasn't Jeff Koons’s Puppy .. although the discovery of this beautiful piece was a delight on a glorious sunny day. The giant puppy towering into the sky, embezzled with all sorts of bright flowers ...

Nor was it the works of Anselm Kiefer, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, James Rosenquist, Clyfford Still, Cy Twombly, or Andy Warhol. It wasn't even Richard Serra's sculptures that had as anticipating this visit .... Local artists Eduardo Chillida, Cristina Iglesias, Juan Muñoz, Jorge Oteiza, Antonio Saura, and Antoni Tàpies weren't enough to draw us in, but the culinary art, tasty creativity & edible sculptures of Josean Martínez Alija is what brings us to the Museum.

Of course we do go into the museum, and spend a few hours wandering around and appreciating some of the pieces. The works of Anish Kapoor, which were a limited show at Bilbao, were amazing. Giant tubs of red wax in various forms, and all sorts of artwork & sculptures that changed over time. But back to my favorite sort of art, the stuff that sits in glasses, or on ceramic ... that is appreciated with the use of a silver implement and excites all of the senses.

Restaurante Guggenheim the Gastronomic Restaurante & the Bistrot on premise. We are taking up the unbeatable 18€ set course lunch at the Bistot today - 3 courses with red wine, mineral water & bread. The menu is announced at the table along with the arrival of the amuse buche, a refreshing tomato & watermelon gazpacho.

There are several options for each course. Lighter appetizer options excited us, so much foie, jamon & fried foods were taking their toll. I start with a bulgur wheat. It was amazing! So much flavor, brunoise of vegetables throughout, with a vibrant & viscous sauce coating each grain.

Kim chooses the mange tout with potatoes. Perfectly plump mange tout still with a nice bite sit above chunks of potato floating in an intense green broth with a dusting of paprika.

Pork meatballs with curry sauce are rich and robust. The meatballs are juicy and exploding with flavor - herbs, seasoning, onion and vegetables. They are sitting in light curry broth, which is delightful mopped up with the crusty bread.

The prized work of the day is the little chicken wings. Deboned and pan fried until golden, they are sitting on a polenta spiked with black olives and a little of the pan juices. It's so nice to see the humble little chicken wing take centre stage, and really deliver on flavor. Yum!

A duo of cakes completes a delightful lunch. The pear and vanilla cake still warm, with a pear & vanilla puree and chocolate sorbet.

Rice cake with cinnamon ice-cream arrives at the table, it's a little bit abstract art and a whole lot of yummy. Light cubes of rice-pudding like cake with a rich cinnamon ice-cream.

It certainly beats the expensive sandwiches & average museum meals I remember from my childhood.

Restaurante Guggenheim Bilbao
Avda. Abandoibarra nº 2
48001 Bilbao, Vizcaya
T +34 944 239 333
F +34 944 242 560
E info@restauranteguggenheim.com

Nothing to do?? Bitoque.

2010-11-01T18:51:00.006+09:00

It was with great sadness that we jumped on a bus and moved on from the gastronomic heaven that is San Sebastian. But with Bilbao only a few hours away we had in high hopes for the town which sports the world renown Guggenheim museum as well as rumor the food rivaled that of it's more famous neighbor.

Unfortunately it seemed that this may only be the case part time. Bar after bar we visited only to find intriguing menus with Friday / Saturday across the front. There were plenty of standards available but the good stuff was tantalising just out of reach. With a sinking feeling we made our way out of the meandering streets of the old town and into the new. Our last ditch shot at finding a diamond.... and what a diamond we found.

Bitoque is young, jumping and everything good about old school pintxos bars while giving you everything that's good about modern Spanish cooking, and cooking that's good all through the week. The foods that follow are not a single night but an amalgamation of three nights work, not for lack of trying to find something else. Each night we set out to find a recommended place or just have look and see what we could find but each night we ended up back at Bitoque for some comfort for our disappointment.

Creamy potato and olive oil croquettes.

Crispy fried cheese salad with fruit gummies; warm gooey cheesy goodness, balsamic dressed salad leaves and qunice jellies all in just the right size portion for something so rich.

Patatas bravas; crispy potatos, spicy tomato. The only other place we had bravas cooked with as much care as here was Albert Adrias Inopia in Barcelona. Somthing so simple needs extra care to be good.

Salad of baby scallops and prawns; nothing was jump out amazing here, just a good salad.

Squid sausage; not really understanding all the menu but also wanting to try all of it we were presented with an inky black sausage of squid. After our intial "ok then" we gave it a try and were suprised at its deliciousness. The accopmaning creamy mash really made it.

A beet risotto is barbie pink, sweet and earthy, a puddle of melted mascarpone enrichens.

Foie with grilled asparagus and crouton.

Baby squid; more of the tinyest squidlings you'd ever see sitting atop finger size cylinders of pasta all masked with a jet blak ink sauce.

Beef cheek; a small nugget of unctious beef sat in a puddle of creamy mash. Comfort food at it's finest.

Costilla; this word we knew. A slab of pork rib meat braised to falling apart, green apple puree and a touch of jus. Tasty tasty tasty.

Pancetta con pina, ha we knew this one too and who doesn't like the retro stylings of a ham and pineapple pizza? In this case no pizza but a good whack of pancetta and a pool of pineapple puree to throw you back to childhood.

And with that we had tried it all, The menu from A to Y. ..... Z? Well ok we did manage a little something sweet once or twice.

The chocolate browine with caramel ice cream was divine, but the inverse cheesecake was the one to steal the show. The rich silky smooth spoonful of slightly citrusy cheesecake scattered with cookie base crumbs. So hard to not order another three or four.

With so much to do during the day Bilbao we're so glad Bitoque was there to get us through the nights otherwise Bilbao may not have been even woth a mention. Still from the teaser menus we saw of the weekends offerings we'll come back one day and give it another shot.

BITOQUE ORIGINAL
+34 944418830
Calle Rodriguez Arias 32
48011 Bilbao-Bizkaia

Mr & Mrs ....

2010-10-24T19:09:00.006+09:00

Well, after more than 7 years together with travels around the world & back again, we tied the knot in Las Vegas on October 11th 2010. An amazing few days together .. we were in a 8 car accident on the E 15 expressway in our taxi on our first day ... funny enough on the way to pick out the above dress & tux which we were 3 hours late to our appointment at Tux One. It was a wedding that was organized in about 10 days, but the 2 of us had a delightful day. My shoes were purchased the morning of, on my way to hair & make-up at Colors with a Bouchon coffee & pain au chocolate in tow. We had a garden ceremony in the Venetian hotel 3:30 pm followed by an hour of photography with the Venetian photographer.

The day continued with another 3 hours of buzzing around the city with the delightful Mindy Bean with photo's at the Las Vegas sign, downtown and at dusk along the strip. We then slipped into something a little more comfortable and were chauffeured over to the MGM grand for a 9 pm reservation at Joël Robuchon. It was indeed an intimate Wedding Reception Dinner, the 2 of us enjoying 4.5 hours of extreme indulgence with the 16 course tasting menu ... topped off with cocktails to start, bubbles, then wine matched with every other course.

We look forward to our life ahead and all that it brings, which is bound to be lots of travel, fun times and big food ....

Transmission will resume shortly ...

2010-10-07T21:56:00.007+09:00

Sorry for the interruption in your usual broadcast. Kat and Kim are technically getting hitched.

By tomorrow afternoon we'll be in the City of Sin and two days after that we'll be Mr and Mrs till-death-do-us-part. Dinner that night booked at the three Michelin star Joël Robuchon plus who knows what else? There's a galaxy of big name chefs in Vegas these days and all the other shenanigans Vegas has to offer as well.

Anyways we'll be back bigger and brighter shortly ... Seeya soon !!

Arzak

2010-10-05T21:28:00.009+09:00

When we decided we would be going to Spain we knew we would have to go to at least one of the many 3 star restaurants on offer. A decision was made to book one in advance and play the rest by ear. So where was it to be - choices, choices, so many choices. In the end after many recommendations we decided on the worlds No. 9 Restaurant, Arzak. We were so excited as we rode through the streets of San Sebastian, what we see, eat, experience, like two giddy school kids.

From the exterior Arzak is a simple red brick building with nothing given away as we pull to the curb a doorman steps out open the door and welcoming us in.

We step into a small bar and are offered an aperitif here or we could be seated. We chose the seated option. A wall slides open to reveal the modern dining room, a complete contrast to the simply decorated bar. The concrete walls set with imprints of cutlery, sleek white table clothes, funky cutlery and pencil drawn menus. Sweet

As far as we're concerned there's no other option as far as ordering goes, it's degustation all the way. We take a look over the menu eyeing whats on offer and hoping the ones that catch our eye are on the course menu today.

So when the waiter took our order and then offered 3-4 options on nearly every course there was much awe and amazement. We were both going to get all the things we wanted. With the food out of the way the sommelier stopped by to see what we would like to drink .. we asked if we could get a matching wine course and were told while they did not have a wine course they would be more than happy to match wines to our meal. Would we like international, or Spanish. We went for the Spanish and were again delighted to see we each received different wine for each course.

As we sipped our cava several amuse bouche were delivered to the table. Strawberries with fresh cheese curd and pickled white anchovies. Fried rockfish pudding wrapped in crispy noodles. Tempura of blood pudding. Red bean soup with apple and warm jellied mushroom with corn powder. All inventive little bites of deliciousness giving us a hint of the joys to follow.

Manazanas asadas con aceite de fois.
Caramelized apple with foie and citrus confetti; Four discs of caramelized apple sat in a row, domes of seared foie atop each, individual sacs of orange and grapefruit brought gasps of how pretty and man that would take a lot of time to prep.

Patata, bogavante y copaiba
Lobster and potato; Poached lobster and and spherical ball of red pepper inside a puffed potato wafer sitting in a pool of sauce made from the Brazilian copaiba tree. The lobster was tender and sweet and the wafer started off with a crunch then dissolved away to nothing - clever.

Menhir de ostras
Oysters menhir; When I see the word menhir I think of Obelix the menhir delivery man in the Asterix books. The oysters arrived with a small menhir of puffed beet and confit potato stacked beside the oysters which had been sauteed to give then a nice crust. Perhaps the oysters were from Brittany giving them the Gaulic reference??

Huevo con temblor de tierra
Tremors of the earth; This was a dish we had heard much about and wanted to try - a slow cooked egg with sun dried tomato and black olive crumbs. The warm egg yolk mixed with the savoury flavours, a fancy comfort food.

Rape marea baja
Monkfish at lowtide; When this dish came out we were both stunned it was so visually perfect. The description in the menu was spot on, a piece of beautifully cooked monkfish sat in the wave wash of low tide right there on my plate and it was all edible, from the nori flavored seashells to the red pepper balls, tempura seaweed and liqueur jelly star fish. As well as looking like life it sacrificed no flavor at all. Beautiful and delicious!

Lubina
Seabass with spinach, walnuts and garlic; Playfulness jumped off the plate with a nothing is as it seems presentation. The garlic cloves were made of spinach, the walnuts of paprika and the sauce a velvety smooth garlic, the walnuts coming on the side as a glassy wafer.

Pichon con Chia
Pigeon with chia seed; The pigeon breast was cooked a perfect med rare and served with one of the birds favourite snack the chia seed. The seed came in the form of a cracker as well as chia spheres filled with broth. Along side a small bowl of the confit leg and micro greens.

Cordero con bizcocho de algas
Lamb; While the lamb was expertly cooked the dish itself was just as you saw it, perhaps it paled only when presented alongside the other dishes of kitchen wizardry we had already been given.

With the last of our savoury plates cleared it was time for a little something sweet. When making our menu choices we were asked if we like chocolate, sure why not. Based on that vague answer our desert menu was planned.

Sopa y chocolate entre vinedos
Soup and chocolate between the vineyards; Warm liquid chocolate spheres swimming in a strawberry soup with a scoop of basil ice cream.

Chocolate y cristales de colores
Chocolate with coloured glass; Small dabs of chocolate mousse paired with puffed wafers of different flavours, cinnamon, rosemary and red cabbage. Alongside a chocolate herb ice cream.

Dulce lunatico
Sweet Moon??; It sure looked like the moons surface. A grey salty sweet powder made up the surface with thickened red wine filled craters, and moon rocks of liquid orange juice encased in caramel.

Hidromiel y fractal fluido
Mead with fractured fluid; This was a desert in several parts. First lemon curd encased in chocolate shell, alongside a yogurt ice cream and finally bowl of clear liquid is presented before a small jug of red liquid is poured into the center of it. The red raced through the clear spreading out like a coral through the bowl. Tre cool.

With coffee came petite fors. A plate of chocolates, jellies, wafers and more. Just a little something to ease the coffee along.

Throughout the meal Juan Mari had come out several times to personally see if all was well. As we were leaving his daughter Elana was waiting to say goodbye, a fantastic personal touch to the meal, it really made you feel welcome.

As we said goodbye I glanced at my watch for the first time that afternoon and was surprised to find that 5 hours had passed effortlessly and un-noticed.

We had heard so many good and many so so stories about Arzak before we arrived, but we experienced nothing but excellence. The service was warm ,welcoming and professional, the food perfectly prepared, imaginative and exciting.

Arzak
273 Avenida Alcalde Elosegui
20015 Donostia/San Sebastian
Phone: +34 943 278 465