Christopher Haatuft

thanks, thats a great! I'll tell her to check it out.

c'mon people? no good cheap places to eat in Bordeaux?

My girlfriend just moved to Bordeaux and is wanting recommendations on cheap and good places to eat. What are your best student-budget picks?

I agree! I was there earlier this week, and it was a great place for beer. I also had some mussles that were good.

I also eat there last thursday, so Ill comment on your comments ;P Though I tasted the salt in the truffle, I found it to be right on the edge of saltiness. As a one-biter, I thought it was og, but if it had been a soup, it might have been to much. I thought it worked, though. The monkfish, on the other hand, was mayby my favorite dish of the night. I did not find this oversalted the least. Mayby Im not very sensitive to salt? Oh, and the green apple shot is pure genious! I do however agree some on the Kobe. I like the idea of encapsulating smoke like they do, but for me, I d rather have the meat "pure". The smoke flavored the meat pretty strongly, something I would not expect someone to do to this quality of meat. I was, of course, out of this world and also one of my favorite courses. I have to mention that I am very impressed by how well executed the whole meal. The pasing of the courses, the amount, the wines, amount of bread...Everything. The staff was always attentive, and knew most of my questions about the food. But I wonder why they choose to pair the duck with the Gruner Veltliner. I didnt get that, but Im no expert either.

A friend of mine is going to Sicily with some friends and asked me to ask here about recommendations. They are staying in Taormina, but are more than willing to travel somewhere worthwhile. Any restaurants that are worth checking out, as well as winemakers that take guests? I guess general Sicily advice applies here as well. They are leaving in the middle of July and will be staying for two weeks.

as a foreigner, you need proof of insurance to travel i believe, so that covers you. i had to jump through numerous hoops and sign many waivers each time i staged in france... ← well, thing is, Im not a foreigner. I have an american passport, but I have never lived nor worked in the US before....

Good question! I am doing a stage in Chicago in about two weeks time, and I am wondering the same thing.

Very interesting! Thank you for taking the time to write about your project.

wow, 10 times more expensive. the vinalla on ebay is the tahitian variety from Papau New Ginea, I believe. Luis ← yeah, thats how I reacted...mayby I shall moonlite as a vanilla-pusher...

interesting question. on the same note, I was wondering if any proffesional chefs can comment on the cheap tahitian vanilla on eBay compared to the stuff you get from your local wholeseller. here in Norway, the regular stuff is almost ten times as expensive...

disheartning

Or mayby they could stick one of these under the table and time it with the serving?

oh, btw, good luck! hehe, youll love it!!! Come to think of it, I would recommend going through the online courses here on this forum. If you read closely, you can learn alot.

Has anyone mentioned a notepad and inkpen? Everytime you learn a new recipe, write it down on your notepad. And I wouldnt spend money on expencive knifes. Get cheap ones the first time around and when you know what you like and which ones you use a lot, then later buy spend money on them.

Well, the Copenhagen list looks like the one Id pick, Stockholm- Id definatly go to Fredsgatan 12, but where did you get that list of Oslo restaurants? I have never eaten at any of them, but D/s Lousie has an exellent location if you like busy, trendy places for peoplewatching. It has also gotten good reviews lately. Oslo Spiseforretning serves norwegian food done well. Also got a decent review lately. Why Babette's Gjestehus? If I were to pick three places to eat in Oslo there would be little doubt on the top two; Bagatelle and Restaurant Oscarsgate. The first has had two stars for longer than any restaurant in Scandinavia and is without doubt considered Norways (and mayby Scandinavias?) best. Classical french food with pristine norwegian ingredients. Second places is a new place that is more avant-garde and is aiming high. Each plate is supposed to be of competition quality and very unique. For my third meal, I might want to try Statholdergaarden or mayby Oro. But I have to say I havent eaten at any of these places

Sounds really good! Those experiences is what makes Spain such a great place to travel.

Well, thank you Nicolai, for intelligent answers. This is consistent to what Ive read earlier, but I guess I was hoping that someone would mention one standout place that is better than all others. The reason Im asking is that after a couple of months staging in the US andEngland Im looking for work. I have free accomodation in Dubai, but I do not want to move donw there if I cant find work a a place that is extremely good.

Ok, to put it like this; What kitchen is held with the highest reverence within the business in Dubai? What restaurants stand out when it comes to consistent quality, innovative cooking and good vibe in the kitchen? Is there one restaurant all cooks in Dubai would want to work in?

I was wondering if there is one restaurant that stands out as in a league of its own in Dubai?

Bergen! Forget Latin! You have the wonderful seafood at the restaurants along the harbor--and those cocked-hatted wooden houses climbing up the hill like SF's Telegraph Hill used to be. ← True, Bergen is a beutiful town. But Im seriously considering moving and continuing my culinary career elsewhere as there is almost no fresh fish to be had here. Its a shame and a disgrace. The freshest fish one can get here is farmed and the worlds best cod is always approx 5 days old. But the houses are great!

Another good way to cook it is to poach it in a good olive oil with robust herbs and garlic. Cod is good in a brandade, but I like retaining the flaky qualities of the fish. Brandade is for the leftovers, or mayby better, the belly and tail. Also, try poaching the jaw-muscles in a court boullion. And for the experimental, there i a tiny muscle attached to the fin right down from the head, pull the skin of and pickle it.

Old nordic food is nothing spectacular in the comparison to french, italian, mexican etc, but we have a tradition of superior ingredients. Our seas has some of the best fish, our game is fantastic and our vegetables are getting there. By new nordiv cuisine, I think what people are trying to convey is that we dont have to look to Italy, Thailand or France for ingredients and inspiration. We just have to open our eyes and use the stuff that surrounds us. It also has to do with trying to develop a sustainable agriculture based not on what the goverments wants us to grow and eat, but what consumers what. Therefor the big challange is to find alternatives to traditional products such as balsamic vineagar, foie gras and chorizo. Can we create a totally unique cuisine solely on the stuff we find here in the north? I think restaurants such as Noma in Copenhagen and På Høyden in Bergen are on the right way.

thanks guys!