stereoboard
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Posts posted by stereoboard
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Ok so the trip is going great so far, didnt make the stage at El Poblet but had two dinners there, the 2009 menu is probably the best food Ive eaten in Spain so far, (celler can Roca tonight), Mugaritz, arzak and Berasategui all solid, for me a toss up between Arzak and Berasategui, I loved both meals, Mugaritz was good though, one or two things I didnt really get but extremely good, Made it to Hotel Ferrero by Paco Morales, great service and fantastic food, amazing hotel too, blew me away, Just been to Barcelona for a day, been to Bubo(great) , La Boqueria (so much to take in, smells, colours, taste, Superb) also made it to Mon St Benet, Alicia and lunch at Jordi Cruz's L'Angle which is also so good, I love his food, so clean. So Roca, Espai Sucre, Balaguer, and Duytsche to go then heading back to NZ, Anyone know where I can buy quality chefs wear in Barcelona or Girona? NZ has a shortage of chefs white that are comfortable, still selling stone age thick high starched jackets and hate em!!!
Reviews on my blog, Its been an Awesome trip!!
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hey Aidan
I will try and get up to see you there, On quite a tight schedule but will see what i can make happen,
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I hope it is, I have 7 days work stage planned in the kitchen there in October, I can look at Quiquedacosta.com , also
Is this place still going? What on earth does their website mean? -
I tried already and they are not printing anymore
Have you tried contacting the restaurant? They (or someone there) may have copies lying around to sell. -
Still on the search for Rene Redzepi's, Noma cookbook, Does anyone out there have two and wants to sell one? or wants to sell me the one they have?
would love to have a copy, but its gone out of print,
hope someone can help
Cheers
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Your post has got me so Excited, heading over there from NZ in September, wasnt going to go to Extebarri but will now, as will as the others, counting the days!!!
Got back from Spain last night, having done Arzak, Mugaritz, and Extebarri.I found Extebarri to be the most special of the three, especially just taking in the scenery after our long lunch. The mountains surrounding Axpe are breathtaking. The smoked butter, smoked caviar, goose barnacles, and smoked oysters were out of this world. My husband said, "it smells like going camping" and was reminded of his boyhood vacations. We put ourselves in the hands of the kitchen, who, tried to kill us with kindness (who served us a large steak as the last course). I thought I might faint from happiness during the smoked caviar course. What they are doing is so unique, can you even find a similar restaurant elsewhere?
Arzak was also very good but not as daring as Mugaritz. Service was pleasant but a little harried due to a very large party that included rowdy children. Long pauses between the two dessert courses and also the petit fours. Getting to meet the father/daughter duo is nice, however. I was a little turned off by all the smoking towards the end, as the 4-top next to us chain-smoked cigars after their meals were done (we are not used to dining in smoky environments after living in CA and NYC).
But overall the food spoke to me a little bit more (foie on figs, poached egg on tomato soil, expertly cooked pigeon, perfect amuse, and the chocolate in strawberry broth dessert). The kitchen at Arzak seemed a bit more consistent while the concepts weren't as overtly clever as Mugaritz'. Slightly more satisfying but less memorable.
Mugaritz was also excellent but quite different. The food is very good, and playful, but there were some courses that did nothing for me (marigold soup was too bitter, kind of meh on the salsify, crab dish wasn't exciting). However, the overall experience put it over the top (atmosphere, service, facilities). A tour of the kitchen (I think they do this for every diner). Relaxing with coffee in the sunny terrace after lunch. Short walk through their herb/fruit/flower gardens. An extra dessert they sent out as a mystery, as they wanted us to guess what the ingredients were. I wondered out loud how long they would let us linger, as we were there for nearly 5 hours. Incredible, as a whole.
We had the Naturan menu and agree that the carpaccio and sole were spectacular (the sole reminded me of our last meal at Le Bernardin in NYC, the dish wouldn't have been out of place there). I also was pleased all four desserts we had - the "red fruits" salad, clashing contrasts, hazelnuts/vanilla/fern, and the mystery dessert ("raisin of the earth"). Surprisingly, didn't think the veal was notable aside from the preparation. I found it a little on the bland side. But everything else made up for it.
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awesome thanks guys,
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Heh, I dont think thats exactly how i will word it, but thanks for your input. maybe 'Rooibos tea custard with mango and lime jelly, dehydrated yoghurt cake, Milk sorbet, Pinenuts and coriander'. but if you can think of something better i would love to know.
Ive always used the low axyl Gellan for fluid gels and its always been Kelcogel thats been on the label. I practiced with water to see what works best and makes good fluid gels or jelly films, or cubes so i didnt waste any ingredients. from there i checked the tables of what works and doesn't work well with the Hydrocolloid on
http://www.hawkinswatts.com/documents/hydr..._properties.pdf and go from there, sadly this table doesnt include gellan but im sure you can find one that does.
Thanks, but I asked because I wanted to experiment with the fluid gels from The Big Fat Duck Cookbook, which specifically asks for Gellan F. I don't know if Gellan 'naturally' comes in two different forms or it's exclusive to Kelcogel (from Le Sanctuaire).Nice dish BTW, would be a good joke to put it on a menu in a restuarant.
DESSERTS
"cannelloni style rooibos tea mousse wrapped in mango lime and vanilla gellan gum made jelly"
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So I have my trip to Spain booked, my restaurants are reserved and my stages are sorted out, transport is pretty much done also, ( thanks for the advice egullet people)
Now for the local info, Where can I find the local food markets that the chefs head to ? I will be in San Sabastian, Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Denia, and Girona, If you could tell me of any food markets in the areas, I would be greatful.
hope you guys can help
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I still love the lobsters of my home town and surrounding islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland,
Now living in NZ i find the crayfish a poor second,
It's still lobster season in Gabarus and Forchou . I am on my way home tonight. My dad has 14 market size lobsters cooked and waiting for our arrival. Came out of the water at 2 o'clock. I can't wait!!! -
The Texturas Gellan is the one that forms a firmer gel more suitable for films, I use it with a mix of Agar for a wrapping for a cannelloni style rooibos tea mousse wrapped in mango lime and vanilla gellan gum made jelly. can share the recipe for you to try if you like, pictures on my blog also,
hope it helps
I was wondering if the gellan from Texturas is the exact same thing as Gellan F or a mix of Gellan F and Gellan LT100. I can buy the Texturas one near my home, so it's easier (and cheaper) to get than online.The annoying thing is that the Texturas packages do not state what the content is exactly, so it's always a guess what's in them (or is there somewhere info on the content)?
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ok, well my trip is planned out, Im arriving in Madrid on the 28th of September after a mammoth flight from NZ, heading straight to lunch at Sergio Arola Gastro, then hopefully La terraza casino(el bulli's place in madrid i have been informed), then in the morning I have a trip to San Sabastian where I will attend Mugaritz berasatgui, and Arzak and have a couple of days to relax or hopefully attain a stage in one of the said restaurants.
After 6 days in San Sabastian I head to Alicante for Torreblanca and on to Denia where i have organised a stage and then lunch at El Poblet, I will spend 7 days there. after this I head up to Mon St Benet where I will eat at Jordi Cruz L'angle, Hopefully I can get a look around Alicia, then I head to Barcelona to spend a day there and look around Bubo patiseree, Oriol Balaguer and have tapas at Inopia, maybe hopefully get to meet Adria, fingers crossed,
After that I head to Girona to El Celler Can Roca for Dinner and spend the next day in the kitchen, hopefully the next two days but i will have to ask about the second day, feel so priviliged to be let in to see the inner workings, then after Girona I head back to Barcelona to eat at Espai Sucre, Moo and maybe Abac. and a trip to Yann Duytsche hopefully
Then I return to NZ ,
Sad I didnt get a booking for Bulli but if anyone needs a right arm I will swap mine for your booking
or if anyone needs a person to make up a table pm me. Dreaming? most probably but i will be calling them every day i am in spain to try and get a table. even to sit out side on a crate would do:)Thanks everyone for there help and advice,
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Just started tasting menu of desserts at the restaurant with immediate sales, 5 course menu and can be wine matched, good feedback. buts a little more pressure on in service but is good:)
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I plan on having a couple of menus, maybe a small classic menu then something more like the stuff you see on my blog, just a little more upscale.
Hello.Just out of curiosity, would anyone here come to a restaurant just for a dessert tasting menu, I am planning on putting a 5 or 6 course menu on the menu and would love to hear what people think, also dessert restaurants. would you come to a dessert restaurant after your meal in another establishment?
just in the early business planning stages of dessert restaurant, just want to hear a broad view on it.
thanks guys:)
I grew up in Peru, my Dad use to take us to dessert only places all the time, these are places that have been open for decades, and not in just one city but through out the country. so this is a concept that works. a dessert only restaurant is also in my to do list. what kind of desserts are you thinking of?
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http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com
http://www.mlaiskonis.typepad.com/
are my favourites and are great for inspiration
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I keep hoping i will stumble across it someday in a second hand shop maybe, any idea when the new noma book comes out?
Good luck with the Noma book. I've been searching for that one intermittently for a while now, to no avail. If I find two copies, I'll let you know where - right after I snatch up the first one for myself!
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does anyone know of any real chef shops for equipment etc in MAdrid or Barcelona, or anywhere else in spain?
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Food costs here are actually quite reasonable if you follow the season, Im a big believer in using fresh produce from my local suppliers whom I get really cheap top quality product of, which saves me going to the large fruit and veg purveyor, I have someone for my Citrus, another supplier for berries, apples I can pick from a tree, milk cream and butter have become a bit more expensive, The food cost is not a high worry for me at the moment as the I get reports for the restaurant I am working at as PAstry Chef at the moment and my food cost is spot on, actually very low, much lower than 28% which is great. and the sales are flowing through well too. Sourcing is something I spend alot of time on, even driving into the countryside( half an hour away) gets you amazing cheap produce, As far as staffing, I would be running it with my partner as the host and 3 in the kitchen.
I do get paid very well in terms of New Zealand wages but that would be scaled back for my own business obviously and the others will be juniors whom I can mould into what I want from a pastry chef.
As far as whats on offer from the venue my considerations are to run very casual through the day with bakery products from early from the Baker I mentioned, (upscale cafe) through to dessert restaurant in the evening a couple of hours closed between 4 and 7 reopening and running as the dessert restaurant serving cocktails, awesome wine, coffee etc.
Thanks for all the opinions given, they are all great and just.
As regards to making stuff and freezing it, I prefer to work Fresh, stuff doesnt sit around long enough, maybe 2 days to 3 days maximum, recipes are scaled down and often I make products for lunch service then have to make more for evening. Its extensive labour but the quality shines through
It's an appealing concept, but food and labour costs (especially in New Zealand) would kill you.Pastry in a restaurant setting is not much of a money maker, and there's very little savings on labour when you scale up production, unlike the savoury side of the kitchen. ie: braising 40 lamb shanks does not take twice as long as braising 20, but baking and finishing 10 cakes takes twice as long as 5. Pastry chefs where I am from command top dollar, as they are few and far between.
I doubt many restaurant pastry departments make enough to justify their existence and rely on other departments for subsidy.
Freshness is also something to consider, especially when you start getting into multi-course small tasting portions. You'd have to be doing some decent volume to maintain product quality, or be willing to swallow a lot of waste. As soon as product quality starts to dip, people won't come back.
-- Matt.
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Look for the Champginon Sauvage Dessert Book called. Dessert. by David Matthais Everitt, It has some great flavour combinations as well as some more unusual stuff from a super talented chef,
and Natura from Albert Adria for the more off the wall stuff, Its Beautiful
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I have a super talented french trained japanese baker working with me who i am hoping to get to come and work with me too to have a small bakery attached, his work is awesome
Finale in Boston is a small chain (3-4 or so) and is mostly desserthttp://www.finaledesserts.com/
I don't think they do courses, but they do have a few items ($30 or so) that have 7-8 things on the plate and are meant for sharing. They also have a few sandwiches/pizza and little things like that. But mostly desserts. They also have take out bakery.
Location for the main branch is key - it's in the theater district, so people go after they go to the shows. Same for the second branch - it's in Harvard square where there's lot of (rich) students on dates looking for this kind of thing.
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its advertised on the bulli website as reopened on 1st may last time i looked
Not 100% sure, but I believe Benazuza is closed for good. -
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Thank you Thank you Thank you, just noma to go then
Abebooks has a copy for $68. -
Thanks for all the views, a real mix, I would be aiming for the casual to slightly more upscale but not so far as to say you can only come in if your well dressed. for sure. keep the comments coming, thanks guys.
Chefs tour of Spain
in Spain & Portugal: Dining
Posted
Ok so the trip is going great so far, didnt make the stage at El Poblet but had two dinners there, the 2009 menu is probably the best food Ive eaten in Spain so far, (celler can Roca tonight), Mugaritz, arzak and Berasategui all solid, for me a toss up between Arzak and Berasategui, I loved both meals, Mugaritz was good though, one or two things I didnt really get but extremely good, Made it to Hotel Ferrero by Paco Morales, great service and fantastic food, amazing hotel too, blew me away, Just been to Barcelona for a day, been to Bubo(great) , La Boqueria (so much to take in, smells, colours, taste, Superb) also made it to Mon St Benet, Alicia and lunch at Jordi Cruz's L'Angle which is also so good, I love his food, so clean. So Roca, Espai Sucre, Balaguer, and Duytsche to go then heading back to NZ, Anyone know where I can buy quality chefs wear in Barcelona or Girona? NZ has a shortage of chefs white that are comfortable, still selling stone age thick high starched jackets and hate em!!!
Reviews on my blog, Its been an Awesome trip!!
Oh Yeah and Sergi Arola in Madrid too, Great restaurant , fun food,