Sean's Potatoes

From the chef at Sean's Panorama in Bondi, truly one of my favorite places in Sydney to which I return repeatedly. There was a crispy-soft texture to these potatoes which I'd love to eat regularly. It struck me when talking to the chef that this place has so much in common with the Anchor & Hope in London, where people's interest and love for food is written on their sleeve.

baby waxy potatoes, preferably the longer ones
EVOO
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
garlic and herbs optional

1. cut potatoes in half lengthways
2. put in salted water and bring to a boil
3. let boil 5 minutes, drain and let cook
4. drag a fork through the flesh a couple of times
5. oil a baking pan, place potatoes face down and season
6. roast for half hour depending on size, etc of potatoes
7. when done, remove potatoes from stove and let cool to room temperature
8. return to oven and roast another 10-15 minutes or until golden

Sydney Observations

Top of the pops from our visitt, another confirmation of the high standard of food in this town. In order of preference. Only made it to the first five, but the others seem to have a buzz right now.

• Cafe Paci: Ex-Marque Finnish chef Pasi Petanen and Hungarian maitre d' have created a pop-up restaurant until January 2015. Truly high level cooking and service. Memorable stuff included mud crab, pomelo, dill and vadouvan; shredded duck, smoked kohlrabi with cider vinegar; cabbage, anchovy, parsley and parmesan (my favorite as it tasted like a pasta-less pesto pasta, with cabbage acting as the "spaghetti vehicle" for other ingredients); photatoe, the chef's take on a Vietnamese Pho; carrot, yoghurt, licorice (Australia Traveller's dish of the year); 6) rye ice cream, apple, white beer, cocoa and malt (so elegant); pork and fennel (a pork rind, dipped in chocolate with fennel seeds…loved it).
• Izakaya Fujiyama: an enjoyable evening solo dining at the counter interacting with the sushi chef. Highlights included bonito Tosazukuri, lime miso kingfish & corn chips, grilled octopus & grapefruit confit. 
• Yellow: expertly prepared food from the people at Bentleys.
• The Apollo: lovely modern Greek food with a nice vibe indeed, perfect for a Sunday lunch made more interesting by our super cool tattooed French surfer waiter. Our dessert was the best sweet thing I've eaten in a long time, their Avgolemeno pie in a beautiful India-made, ice-cold dish. 
• Chocho-san: spanner crab on toasted bun, eggplant miso dip, hokkaido scallops with corn cream & shaved house-dried bonito, mussels & kimchi
• Esters: Wood-fired treats.
• Movida: The offshoot of the popular Melbourne Spanish. 
• 121 BC: Italian casual, just like the one here in HK.
• 4 Fourteen: wishing I had gone as this is the sister restaurant of my favorite gastropub, the Four in Hand.
• Monopole: Mediterranean, home-cured meats. 
• Ko &amp: Co. Korea & Mexican fusion.

Michelle's Fruit Salad

Thanks to my wife for putting this together this morning. Our new official house fruit salad.

2 ripe bananas sliced in thin rounds
1/2 pineapple (Philippine or Hawaiian) or equivalent in slices - cut into bite size wedges
2 ripe mangos (Philippine or Thai) peeled and cut into bite size cubes
handful of blueberries
handful of green seedless grapes
squeeze of lemon
1TBS of black chia seeds
small pot of vanilla yoghurt

1. combine all fruit in a large bowl
2. add yoghurt, toss until well mixed

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