A First Trip into Europe: London

17 May ~ 31 May 2011

When I was younger, whenever someone says "why not go Europe for a holiday?", I would feel a pang of fear and apprehension. Don't know why but I had always have the idea that Europe was a dangerous place. The people are so big and athletic that I can never hope to outrun them (if they try to rob me that is). Their many national languages (and accents) are so different from mine that even though if it is English, I can never hope to understand them. Their culture is so opposite with my Asian roots that when I say I'm in a foreign country, I mean a 100% foreign. Scary. Or is it?

Heidi. You bloody idiot. You don't know what you have been missing.

Europe is a wonderful place.
For food, for sights, for art and music, for its culture, for its people.

I am already planning a second trip back, next year perhaps?

This trip began with my first week in London. Traveling companions: my mum and my college friend A.

We went to bed the moment we arrived in London on a Tuesday evening, tried to sleep off the 7 hour time difference, and get our bodies adjusted to London time. It seemed to work for me for I woke up the next morning feeling very fresh and eager for breakfast.

Patisserie Valerie at Oxford Circus for breakfast. London morning is cold. Brr.

Latte. I had to find out if London has coffee the same way as Sydney does. Answer is yes, but Sydney does it a lot better.

Wow, even in a common chain patisserie they serve you Lescure butter? (Little did I know I would be eating a variety of excellent butter in days to come.)

Eggs Benedict. The eggs were really huge and round, like a pair of b-cup breasts..

Croque Monsieur, first of the many more to come.

First stop: National Gallery. Did I mention most art galleries in London have no entrance fee?

View from the National Gallery. Off we go to gaze at Rubens, Rembrant, Monet, Van Gogh and Cezanne.

A and I.

Next, shopping at Soho! My mum's favourite past-time. My favourite time is lunch time, which brings us to White Horse, a recommendation by a sales assistant when I asked for the best fish and chips in the area.

Fish and chips + Beer = Pub food.

Fish and chips as it is with a bit of pea mash on the side. Condiments include your regular tomato ketchup, malt vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper.

More shopping till our feet command us to stop at this quaint teahouse in a small shopping square.

We got a very good Chai latte, orange white tea and a slice of homemade orange almond cake.

That concludes our first day in London, for we were too full after high-tea for dinner, so we returned to our hotel for an early night.

End.

The Plain

It was a two foodies' mission to have an early morning breakfast at The Plain; Heidi & Ja. As early as 7:15am, even before The Plain officially open its doors...

When I first heard of The Plain, I never would have thought it would be so near to my workplace; a literally five minute walk away. You see, even though I pass it everyday (it is on the way to the parking lots), I hardly recognise it as a cafe. You would think it belonged to Chan & Goh solicitors or Swiss Capital Group; that is an office, from the lack of signage and the dark exterior. It was only on a Sunday morning, when I was later to work than usual that I saw a long line of people queuing up for coffee that I realised that was the cafe that everyone was talking about. Hence, when Ja from Thailand dropped into town, I knew I had to try it with her.

50 Craig Road.

The Plain serves superb Australian gourmet coffee, simple yet tasty sandwiches and home-made pastries, in a minimalistic setting with the occasional gorgeous vases of flowers.

Large communal table

Private dining

Financier- I was told these yummy-looking butter cakes were made by the owner's sister-in-law.

Superb...

Latte (Heidi)

Skinny Cappuccino (Ja)

Salami with chilli jam Ciabatta sandwich- I like, though I think it can do with a bit more chilli jam.

End.

Waku Ghin

Hi there. It's been a while since my last post. Yes, I have been busy, having just entered the kitchen full-time since my one year hiatus of studying then doing management in the office. (As much as I like sitting in front of the computer, and smiling and talking to customers, I prefer the kitchen. Anytime. Even though it can be really tiring.) Therefore YAY! to me. I have finally worked my way into the kitchen.

Before I get carried away on how wonderful my kitchen life is, I must share this particular dinner with you. It's Waku Ghin.

In case if you don't know, Waku Ghin is a Japanese-Australian-French, weighing more on Japanese, fusion restaurant, opened by celebrity chef Tetsuya Wakuda. "This first-class restaurant features a sake bar and caviar lounge, as well as an impressive, arcing display of the 3,000-bottle wine collection. A choice of intimate, private dining rooms, afford small parties the privilege of watching skilled chefs prepare food in front of them on steel cooking plates." It is located in Marina Bay Sands, on the second level of the casino building. (best to go a little earlier before your reserved time; it takes a bit of a trick to find your way up)

I am no stranger to Chef Tetsuya's style of cuisine, having eaten the degustation course at Tetsuya in Sydney and have liked it tremendously. Therefore, I was really looking forward to Waku Ghin.

The occasion was my dear mother's birthday.

There. That is my mum. She refuses to let me disclose her real age. Not even here. Well, definitely not here. Can you guess her age?

At the waiting lounge.

Ja and Kimmy (first and second from the right), my Le Cordon Bleu classmates (also two of my closest friends) who were visiting me, came to join us for this joyous occasion. Ja, of Beansprout Cafe, was one of my dining companions at Tetsuya. Kimmy, my bench mate in class, actually works in Tetsuya.
You can totally tell this is going to be fun.

And so, we were ushered into a long teppanyaki room where our grand degustation dinner was served.

In chronological order:

Entrées

Flan of Oyster with Bacon and Spinach

My Favourite! To me, this soft chawanmushi coupled with a single cooked oyster and flavourful spinach and bacon pesto is perfect. The oyster is so skillfully cooked that even when warm to touch, still retains the texture that of a raw oyster.


Marinated Botan Ebi with Sea Urchin and Oscietre Caviar

My second favourite! A sea-urchin bowl of ocean richness swimming in the delicate flavours of umami. However, it got too rich for me towards the end. Alas! If only I had a bit of Japanese rice to go with, it would have been a perfect dish!

Grilled Anago with Foie Gras and Confit of Zucchini

Mains (prepared in front of us)

Tasmanian Abalone with Polenta, Tomato and Garlic Cream
These abalones (a type of marine snail) were very much alive and moving when presented to us. Then Chef Cory (our main chef for the night) went ahead to pan-fry them.

Braised Canadian Lobster with Tarragon

Like a reduced lobster bisque with an obscene amount of lobster meat, this dish was a wee bit overwhelming for me; there was too much salt in it. But man, the lobsters were succulent.

Charcoal Grilled Duck with Potato

Crisp duck skin with tender meat. Potato that has such fine texture that it gave way into mash the moment you chew on it.

Australian Blackmore Wagyu Roll with Wasabi, Citrus Soy Sauce and Grated Radish

Due to the radiation fears caused by the March 11 Japan earthquake, Waku Ghin switched their Japanese wagyu to an Australian variety, which was a little disappointing. I was so looking forward that awesome melt-in-your-mouth sensation! Nevertheless, the Blackmore was equally good though lacking that silky finish that you get from Japanese wagyu.

Condiments of sliced spring onion, crispy garlic slices and freshly grated wasabi.

By the way, you are free to ask the chef as many questions as you wish; like what kind of olive oil they use; why do you have to melt the butter first.. etc.

For example, I was intrigued by the wasabi grater that Chef Cory was using to grate our wasabi for the wagyu beef. The grater was very fine spikes and looked almost smooth. And most interestingly, the grated wasabi could come off the grater easily without leaving much stain on the grater. So I asked: what sort of grater is that? Turned out that it is a traditional sharkskin wasabi grater.

Consomme with Rice and Hirame

Palate cleanser

Gyokuro 玉露

A type of fine and very expensive tea from Japan that is grown under the shade rather than in full sun. Chef Cory explained that this tea requires a low brewing temperature of about 40℃, any higher it would release too much catechins and would result in a bitter taste.

The Gyokuro tastes like a salty seaweed broth with a sweet aftertaste. I like.

With Ja and Kimmy in the toilet. ha-ha.

Before dessert, we were given a VIP treatment- a kitchen tour (both inner and stage kitchens), courtesy of Kimmy since she is the pastry chef at Tetsuya.

Desserts

Granita of Grapefruit with Chartreuse Jelly

Dark Chocolate Mousse with raspberry compote.

Petit Fours

With Chef Cory

The bill which is 2.5 times of my salary.

Farewell shot of the staff of Waku Ghin.

End.

Wild Honey

I get it now. Writing about food and posting it on the web, is like sharing with a massive platform of people what is delicious, where to find it, so that others may share the same joy you experienced.

Ever since I was a kid I have been told, as you might have been as well, to eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for dinner. I totally agree with the breakfast part. In fact, I may even go so far to say that you may eat like a greedy pig for all three meals as long as you have a balanced diet and lots of exercise. I'm still working on the "lots of exercise". The only exercise I'm getting these days seems to be working my fingers, either on the piano or on the computer keyboard. I eat like a greedy pig.

This greedy pig has found another fabulous breakfast place to feast in. It is called Wild Honey.

Brief description of Wild Honey (in my own words):
Wild Honey is an all-day breakfast-serving bistro, doing a variety of Australian-style breakfast inspired by countries around the world. The servings are huge, but you can probably finish it on your own because they are that delicious. Their prices reflects the high quality produce that they use, which I don't mind occasionally paying for. Located at #03-02, Mandarin Gallery, along Orchard Road.


Vietnamese Pork Sandwich - Pulled roasted shoulder of pork, vietnamese prosciutto and pork sausage with marinated vegetables on toasted ciabatta


Californian - Eggs softly scrambled with tofu, yellow and red peppers, fresh herbs on char-grilled ciabatta

English - The classic full breakfast; creamy scrambled eggs, pork sausage, sauteed mushrooms, dad's baked beans, bacon and vine ripened tomato with toasted brioche

Creamy scrambled eggs, two thick slices of Brioche toasted, vine-ripened tomatoes.

Sweet Morning - French toast of Brioche and mango, vanilla mascarpone, berry compote and honey.

Sweet morning was fantastically good. I love the marriage of roasted mango, thick brioche toast and warm honey.

Coffee, I remember, was good, strong and aromatic.

I think most importantly I ended this meal with a smile on my face for the food was delightful and the company (my family with Kim and Angel) was appreciative. What more can I ask for?

- End -

A Different Take on Things

A new skin, a new start. A different take on things now.

I have been told that I have been wasting time, digging a hole with a little spade in the desert instead of searching for the oasis. I will stop that now. Wasting time that is. (And sorry if I had wasted your time with mine)

I shall be brave. I shall be generous. I shall be patient.

A new chapter starts now.

I believe I had not properly explained what happened in the past year. On how I came to own a very cool patisserie with a very cool Chef Y. It is quite a miracle. I never would have thought Chef Y, a master chef from Japan, would actually agree to a partnership with his apprentice, a Singaporean girl who was barely 21 at that time. ME! Wow. I'm greatly honored. Still am.

What happened was.

I returned to Singapore, having freshly graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, to find work, and I found it at G. Patisserie where I met Chef Y. I had a merry time there for 3 months, learning to bake commercially while learning to joke professionally as well. Then the time came when I had to return to Le Cordon Bleu to complete my management course. I was so afraid then that I would loose this second family that I had grown so close to, and that includes Chef Y's wife and Chef Y's two other apprentices, Chef W and AJ.

Hence, I asked the question. It was not easy. I had to ask many times. There was a language barrier. (Me no speak Japanese, he no speak English) There was the financial security issue. (I am very fortunate to have a rich and very giving mother) Mostly importantly, whether or not I was a compatible partner. (GP was a terrible experience for Chef Y) I waited three months.

In the end, Chef Y said yes. Therefore we now own this very cool patisserie on a hill.

Three cheers!

- End