Spaghetti Pomodoro

It's always the simplest dishes that are easiest to mess up. I make this a lot, but tonight I took a risk and it paid off. That risk is to use a lot more EVOO than I have in the past. This creates a fresh yet intense sauce. Please don't waste your time with this dish unless you have tinned San Marzano tomatoes (Solania a good brand).

250 gr or half pack of spaghetti (Di Cecco or better)

400 gr tin (full weight vs drained weight) San Marzano tomatoes

1/3 cup of EVOO

maldon sea salt

bay leaf

half onion

2 cloves of garlic

2-3 tblsp of butter

parmesan

1. slice garlic and half onion face down, saute in EVOO along with the bay leaf
2. add tomatoes, crush while they are cooking; given the amount of olive oil in the pan, you must stir frequently so that it is well distributed in the sauce
3. season with sea salt and ground pepper
4. cook pasta al dente, drain, add to pan with sauce; add butter and keep stirring for about a minute (adjust timing so that it is still al dente after this stage)
5. serve with grated parmesan

New York Observations

Just a little bit of time to do some sampling....

• Four Seasons: one of the most elegant dining rooms in the world, shame about the food! What happened?
• Degustation: thanks Lousana and Matt for dinner; quality food for tasting bar of 16 seats; highlights were skate in pea broth, octopus & avocado, rabbit three ways.
• Momofuku (Ssam Bar): finally we meet; highlights included the steamed pork buns with hoisin sauce; fried baby artichokes, pickled jerusalem artichokes with grated bottarga and pistachio cream; washed down with a creamy Fitz root beer from Montana. Lots of things I would have loved to sample, including a pork shoulder steak with golden raisin & miso.
• Hecho e Dumbo: nice interior design, pretty pine & cement floors; trying to do authentic Mexican but tastes more like a Tex-Mex cook trying to do authentic Mexican.

Auvergnate Salad Wrap

Literally an inspiration at midnight, this the longest night of the year.

crisp, bibb lettuce leaves (on the large side)

walnuts, shelled & crumbled

roquefort

best quality lardons

chopped chives

home-made croutons

dijon vinaigrette using walnut oil

S&P

1. sautee the lardons; when they put off some fat add croutons and let brown
2. make vinaigrette
3. when ready to serve, separate walnuts, roquefort, bacon & croutons, chives in separate dishes
4. hold lettuce in one hand, spoon each of the ingredients onto the lettuce, season & fold
5. dip into vinaigrette and munch away!

Whatever Cobb Salad

Came out surprisingly delicious, taking whatever from the fridge. Knowing what NOT to take from the fridge if of course key! In this case, I abstained from including tomatoes and tuna. Went down a treat with some kiwi pinot noir.

small boiled potatoes, quartered

boiled haricots verts

boiled courgettes, sliced

ripe avocado, cubed

bacon, fried & chopped

roast chicken, chopped

baby watercress

rucola

cheddar cheese, cubed

thinly sliced fennel salad (marinated in EVOO, lemon, S&P)

vinaigrette: cider & white balsamic vinegar, dijon, EVOO & S&P

1. for presentation, put ingredients on platter, one lined up after the other; make sure ingredients stay separated from each other
2. bring large stainless steel bowl to table, dump the platter ingredients into bowl along with vinaigrette and mix
3. season & serve

Gunther's Caviar Capellini

A refreshing, chilled pasta dish from Gunther's in Singapore. The chef, Gunther Hubrechsen, very kindly supplied the recipe to his signature dish which has been the talk of the town. Gunther went as far as giving me what he thinks is the best dried konbu for this recipe.

225 gr capellini

truffle oil

caviar

dried konbu

chives

S&P

sherry vinegar

ice water

1. prepare a cold bowl by putting a small bowl into a bigger bowl of ice, keep in fridge until needed
2. chop konbu very finely
3. chop chives
4. boil pasta 3.5 minutes; drain and DRY pasta well, put into the chilled bowl
5. mix pasta with truffle oil, chives, konbu, S&P, vinegar and a tsp of chilled water (a bit more if necessary) so that everything emulsified nicely and you have a slippery and silky pasta
6. add a dollop of caviar and serve

Hong Kong Observations

World class food in Hong Kong, no doubts here.

• Fook Lam Moon: the Wan Chai branch is best; perfectly possible to have an affordable meal here if you pass up on the shark fin soup, abalone and bird's nest; I was advised to go with the Famous Crispy Chicken which I wholeheartedly recommend, amazingly succulent char siu pork (hate to talk in superlatives, but I think probably the best I've ever had), amaranth & garlic, and something I will return for: the Steamed Brown Sugar Sponge Cake!
• Yung Kee: pretty much synonymous with Hong Kong and a must visit despite being a tourist magnet; the fried tofu I had seemed lightly caramelized with hints of cinnamon (I would go back for this!); the sauteed prawn and chili also perfectly satisfied my light appetite.
• Cova Milano: a branch of the Milano restaurant in Pacific Place; didn't dine but a pasta dish caught my eye on their menu: a yummy sounding spaghettini cacio pepe with fresh sausage.
• The Pawn: nice old fashioned watering hole in Wan Chai; lots of Gwailos.
• Maxim's Palace: I can't think of a better place for dim sum for Sunday brunch, delivered to you by trolley the good old fashioned way (err, except for the video screen depicting the dish on the trolley!). Best to avoid the soda, grape and yoghurt drink.
• Bo Innovation: Chinese cuisine of the molecular sort; no chance to visit, but taking note.
• Sevva: chill-out rooftop bar; why aren't there more of these in HK?

Singapore Observations

Tiong Bahru hawker center remains my first stop for a fast-disappearing, Saint Jack-era Singapore, but managed to venture out for some Western food as well.

• Tiong Bahru hawker center: highlights include roast pork from Roasted Pig Specialist (stall 02-38) and fluffy pancakes from Mian Jian Kueh (stall 02-34).
• Gunther's Modern French Cuisine: the very pleasant Belgian chef Gunther Hubrechsen who went out of his way to make me happy; at the outset of the meal, one is greeted with a titillating display of the the day's specials on a silver tray; for me this included a whole Sri Lankan crab, sea urchins, a rump of beef, the finest Australian haricots verts and some super fresh mangosteen; specialities of the house--which you undoubtedly get if you choose the carte blanche or the chef's free reign menu-- include the cold angel hair pasta with konbu and truffle jus topped with Ossetra caviar (full of umami goodness), roasted rack of black pig served with a date sauce, and a fine apple millefeuille topped with candied almonds.
• Iggy's: apparently this should be the first stop on any foodie's Singapore map; next time. Also noticing that it comes in 45th place on S. Pelligrino World's Best Restaurants.

Beijing Observations

Excellent, excellent food to be had in the capital. Thankfully, because that's about all there is to be had in the capital.

• Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant: wood mushroom-stuffed candied cherry tomato; braised aubergine with star anise; Peking duck done their especially lean way ("retaining only 17% fat compared to other restaurants' 47%") with unusual condiments including pickled ginger and turnip, garlic paste in addition to the usual scallions, cucumber and brown sauce; a creamy strawberry sorbet and the most amazing fresh, plump and juicy lychees I've ever had; questionnaire supplied post meal asking for faves and flops resulted in an immediate query on why I hadn't like the green soda that came with the peas and ham appetizer, to which I replied, "tasted like mouthwash!"
• Made in China: not the most authentic place to have a meal--being in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt--but nevertheless on the local foodie circuit for its atmospheric open kitchen and specialty of the house: beggar's chicken; Peking duck good but not at the Da Dong level; most memorable dish was the one Geoff and his wife chose, deep fried whole fish with a spicy red sauce.
• Whampoa Club: this was a business lunch but probably better at night given the basement theatrics; I asked for the chef specialties which were black pepper beef and tea-smoked tofu.
• Lan Club: a Philippe Stark-designed restaurant; once you get over the latter, a good meal is possible here; especially memorable where the giant pork meatballs in special spicy sauce.

Today's Lunch

Lunch at mamie-nona's, actually yesterday. Good feedback all around, especially from mamie-nona!

• radish, butter & sel de guerande
• fried courgette, Napolitano-style
• mussel & parmesan spaghetti
• courgette, mint & mozzarella risotto
• cumin & marjoram burgers
• red endive & avocado vinaigrette
• watermelon