Tuna Conserva

Rather than spend loads for a little jar of premium Mediterranean tuna in olive oil, I'd rather just make some with the abundance of fresh and delicious Filipino tuna we have in HK.

2 lbs fresh tuna
8 cups EVOO
2 tblsp maldon sea salt
2 tblsp black peppercorns
2 fresh bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced thinly

1. put all the ingredients except the tuna in a 6-8 quart sauce pot
2. bring to a low simmer over medium heat and cook until the onions and fennel are tender
3. carefully place the tuna in the pot and cook for 5 minutes
4. remove from the heat, cover halfway with a lid and let sit until cool to the touch, about 2 hours
5. remove the tuna and pull it apart into medium-size chunks

Como Coke

Fun stuff from the bar at Phuket's Como Shambala. Muddled up tom yom spices with a coke!

half bottle coca-cola (preferably organic)
2 stalks lemongrass
2-3 lime leaves
1 galangal, chopped roughly
2 tblsp lime juice
1 tblsp syrup (optional)

1. muddle up all ingredients
2. mix in a shaker with ice
3. add contents into a glass, fill halfway
4. top off with coke 

The San Francisco List

Lots of ground to cover in this truly American city.

• El Farolito: taqueria on grungy Mission Street, for pitch-perfect taco carnets
• Rich Table: innovative comfort food in Hayes Valley, for a Dirty Hippie (mousse of buttermilk, wheatgrass, sprouts and seeds, and sardine chips), chicken lasagna (hmmm)
• Blue Bottle Coffee: fresh coffee, but long lines at the Ferry Building
• State Bird Provisions: much in demand table, serves modern dim sum, specialty of lemony, deep-fried quail on Fillmore Street
• Central Kitchen: quintessential Northern Cali with an Italian twist
• Park Tavern: warm and lively atmosphere, trendy crowd, fresh from the market menu in North Beach; the Washington Square Cocktail (Limoncello, Aperol, ginger and prosecco) sounds intriguing, as does poulet noir served with truffles
• Craftsman & Wolves: nice patisserie on Valencia Street
• Benu: Keller disciple Corey Lee making tasty and inventive food, tasting menu only on Hawthorne Street

Bloom's Choc Chip Cookies

Seems like a good recipe. I've always strived to make a chewy and gooey chocolate chip cookie but harder than it seems. From Bloom in Hong Kong.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup bittersweet chocolate
2 cups white chocolate chunks
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups macadamia nuts
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

• preheat oven to 170*C
• chop macadamia nuts into quarters and break chocolate bar into small pieces
• in a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars with a wooden spoon until creamy
• in a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, desiccated coconut and salt
• add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until smooth
• incorporate the flour mixture, then add chocolate and white chocolate pieces and nuts, mix venly
• on a baking sheet smeared with butter, roll the dough to the size of a Swiss roll and refrigerate for at least 30 mins (or up to 24 hrs) until firm.
• cut the dough into 1/2 inch slices
• on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, bake the cookies for 10 minutes until golden brown around the edges but soft on top
• plate the cookies and serve with strawberries, raspberries and freshly whipped cream

The Singapore List

A few things to keep in mind next time in Singapore.

• Burnt Ends: BBQ with a twist
• Esquina: Jason Atherton in Chinatown
• Lucha Loco: authentic taqueria including Baja-style fish tacos
• Luke's: romantic French in Chinatown
• Les Amis: still going strong, with ex Joel Robuchon now at the stove
• Catalunya: ex-Adria team doing their thing

Tonight's Dinner

A great birthday dinner kicking off at La Cabane, then Yardbird and Ronin. Lots of tasty treats consumed, accompanied by a very special sake: Fukucho by Daiginjo 2005. Happy birthday to me!

• half-dozen Shigoku oysters (Washington state) with ume 
• two Hotate scallops with salt & pepper
• 1 Hamaguri clam & sake
• tomato salad with black vinegar
• celtuce, carrot & daikon
• grilled maitake, cucumber & myoga
• cobia, smoked eggplant puree, shichimi
• sawara, mentaiko, ume
• tiger prawns & spring bamboo shoots

The Auckland List

In case I make it there anytime soon. Things to do according to Jessica McCormack a London-based, NZ-born jeweler with a shop in Mayfair.

• Ponsonby Central: markets, restaurants
• Little Bird Organics: good healthy breakfast
• Glengarry wine shop: in Ponsonby, Stolen Kiss rose (small production only)
• Farro Fresh: cheese
• Auckland Fish  Market: Freemans Bay
• Meola Kitchen: good coffee, near ocean
• Hopkinson Mossman: good gallery
• Melanie Roger: good gallery (landscape photography by Derek Henderson)
• The French Cafe: local, seasonal produce, oysters