Edward Quinn

Fusion is Confusion... This in itself has become an outrageously overused cliche. How many people have said those exact words over the years? Good grief, Ducasse? You think that was a bold new statement? Food is food and good is good. Will you tell the three star chef in Paris who serves langoustines with curry sauce and a sesame tuille that his dish is actually no good as it crosses too many cultural boundaries? What about Mr Ducasse and his highly respectful renditions of `curry sauce'? Do you think you'd like to sit down and discuss with Pierre Gagnaire why he's on the wrong track by utilizing ingredients from different cultures in the same dish? How many food cultures are created from the combination of different races? Malaysia, Singapore? Bad food is Bad food. Anne Sophie Pic said `Everything goes with everything', it just depends on the talent of the chef to get the right balance and combinations. Don't blame the dish/genre/style, blame the chef.

Advice update. Young Chefs. If you are lucky enough to become successful. Do not leave the stove! Do not write books, Do not make television or open new ventures! You must sacrifice your well being for your craft! You must remain poor and tired for the sake of the diners!! And watch your creativity soar!

asparagus, egg, toast and herbs ... yeah, horrendous.

Thanks very much for answering my questions guys, nice one! I'll be sure to deliver a report if I get in!

I was hoping to dine at Per Se at the start of September,(2nd-4th), but have missed the 2 month mark to make a reservation! Does anyone know if there's any chance of phoning up on the day to check for cancellations? I guess there's a waiting list? Any advice would be appreciated.

In an earlier post, I did point out that Robin's `Perfect Scrambled Eggs with beetroot foam' featured in the November issue is almost identical to a dish featured on the Juniper Restaurant's Website (Juniper is a one michelin star restaurant in the U.K). I noticed this in Decemember and although it annoyed me greatly, I decided not to mention it on egullet as I thought, `hopefully karma will sort this out ...

www.juniper-restaurant.co.uk/recipes_text.asp This may only be relevant to Australian egullet participants, but, you will find the dish located at this site, `perfect scrambled eggs with beetroot foam' by chef Paul Kitching, is also presented (almost exactly) by Robin Wickens in the November 2005 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller. I cannot guarentee whom copyed who, but there is little evidence in favour of Chef Robin. This is a very unfortunate set of circumstances and as much as I believe this is very wrong and unethical. I cannot condone any nastiness directed at Chef Robin. This forum should not be used as a platform to direct your wrath.

Good grief, much as I love talking in circles, (obviously no attempt at humour), I was simply trying to introduce a new spin on the conversation. None of you had actually mentioned the study of the molecular composition of ingredients, as practised by Heston Bluthmenthal (Fat Duck, U.K). He has established new and somewhat strange sounding flavour marriages to the world through this practise and some of those marriages are being reproduced and experimented with elsewhere in the world. I do not find the term `molecular gastronomy' overly appealing, but in the case of the Fat Duck, it does have a trace of relevence and in twenty years time when we're still discussing this period of gastronomy, maybe that `erroneous' label will provide a reference point.

It is quite impressive though, that no matter how derisively the term is spoken of, that everyone can still manage to produce lists of restaurants that aren't practising that particular cuisine.

Sorry to butt in from Aussie, but I'm not sure that molecular gastronomy always has a great deal to do with the use of chemicals in food? Rather the molecular `study' of ingredients, in order to establish similarities between their structures. Thus creating a scientific approach to flavour marriages, as opposed to purely being creative. I use Heston Blumenthal, as an example in his discovery of the similar properties of white chocolate and caviar in order to create a new dish. I agree that simply recreating dishes based on `new flavour marriages ' established as a result of molecular study, does not warrant the term, `molecular gastronomy'. I hope this adds a new angle to the interpretation!!

Getting slightly off the Fenix subject, but ... Was wondering if anyone else felt that there is a `fast/junk food' danger to some aspects of modern food? In particular, ironic and deconstructed style dishes. I'm a great fan of modern food and am in no way a strict traditionalist, but it stikes me that some dishes these days are appealing more to the ìnstant gratification'part of our taste buds. Much in the way that junk food, chips, lollies etc do. I guess I just feel that we may be drifting away from the true nature of food and heading more towards creating taste sensations through the use of heavy sweet v.s salty combinations that the inner child of our palate so desires! Didn't that just sound like a big w**k, oh well, it's off my chest now.

yeah, sorry. That was in melbourne!

hi there, Had a few entrees at the Court House Hotel today, beautiful chewy bread, just warm and fresh, followed by; tuna carpaccio, crab rillettes and vegetables a la'grecque terrine of duck, quail and new potato with red-wine poached pear ham mousse with riesling and cornichon jelly All of the dishes were balanced using sweet/acidic garnishes and were quite fresh and light going. The tuna was probably the most successful combination. The terrine was lovely but was perhaps a little under-seasoned when it was tasted with the sweet pears and their reduced poaching liquor. The Ham mousse was served as two quenelles, a round of the jelly and a cheese wafer (type thing). I enjoyed the mousse very much as well as the wafer, but the jelly didn't work with me. It didn't seem to have much textural or flavour-contrasting relevance to the mousse. I probably would have preferred a few cornichons! The tuna was simple and well done. Tuna carpaccio, quenelles of crab rillette and a small amount of peppers and red onion a la greque. Well balanced, simple stuff. Hope I'm not sounding too picky, because I enjoyed all the dishes very much and it was great to be able to sample food of this calibre in such an informal and cosy environment. (I ate in the main bar). As this is my first post, I really want to express my thoughts but don't wish to appear unnecessarily critical! I will definitely be returning for a more serious eating at a later date. Cheers!