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Dinner 2016 (Part 4)


BonVivant

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Five years ago, I visited the nearby provincial capital, Nanning and had an interesting meal in a restaurant called Ubud. I reviewed very it favourably here.

 

So when I heard of an identically named restaurant here in town, I had to check it out. The menu contains similar dishes but there the similarity ends. I suspect they have just copied the name and some of the menu - either that or their standards have slipped dramatically.

 

My partner and I had:

 

IMG_0779.jpg

 

This was described on the menu in both Chinese and English as "Avocado Salad Vegetables". There may have been an avocado in the neighbourhood sometime, but there was certainly none in the salad. It was 90% lettuce and cabbage decorated with a few bits of chopped carrot and halved cherry tomatoes. All dressed with Kewpie mayonnaise. In desperate need of seasoning. I'm sure there wasn't a grain of salt in there.

Then:

 

IMG_0781.jpg

 

"Chicken Curry with Coconut". Vaguely Thai. Vaguely SE Asian. Vaguely chicken. It was 98% sweet curried potato. Garnished with a few scraps of chicken. Total rip-off dish.

Their menu states that the images provided are "for reference only". Unfortunately, they refer to totally different dishes! This wasn't even the same colour as the "reference".

And bizarrely, it came with two slices of stale bread spread with  - well I hate to think what it was spread with. Certainly nothing that had ever met a cow or even a field. Industrial effluent.

Then:

IMG_0786.jpg

 

"Spicy Seafood". Two shrimp. Some crab legs and a lot of lotus root, wood ear mushrooms and unidentifiable vegetation. It wasn't bad. Could have been a lot better.

 

IMG_0791.jpg

 

This was the best dish I ate in the original place in 2011. "Beef with Mango". Unfortunately, whoever cooked this had only ever seen pictures of the original. The original was spicy and sweet and sour in perfect balance. This was like mango jam. Nothing sour and again totally unseasoned. A great disappointment.

 

Finally, "Steamed Scallops with Garlic"

 

IMG_0784.jpg

 

Actually, not very garlicky. Steamed scallops with vermicelli would be closer. But they were fine. Yet, I could have bought them round the corner for half the price.

Despite the disappointment with the food, I had lovely evening with lovely company. It was a birthday celebration or as the local cake shop has it "Brithday"

 

IMG_0796.jpg

 

Despite my notorious aversion to all things sweet, this was actually the best thing I ate all evening. The cake was moist and chocolately and the fruit on top was fresh.

Happy Brithday!

Edited by liuzhou
typos (log)
  • Like 14

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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16 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Five years ago, I visited the nearby provincial capital, Nanning and had an interesting meal in a restaurant called Ubud. I reviewed very it favourably here.

 

So when I heard of an identically named restaurant here in town, I had to check it out. The menu contains similar dishes but there the similarity ends. I suspect they have just copied the name and some of the menu - either that or their standards have slipped dramatically.

 

My partner and I had:

 

IMG_0779.jpg

 

This was described on the menu in both Chinese and English as "Avocado Salad Vegetables". There may have been an avocado in the neighbourhood sometime, but there was certainly none in the salad. It was 90% lettuce and cabbage decorated with a few bits of chopped carrot and halved cherry tomatoes. All dressed with Kewpie mayonnaise. In desperate need of seasoning. I'm sure there wasn't a grain of salt in there.

Then:

 

IMG_0781.jpg

 

"Chicken Curry with Coconut". Vaguely Thai. Vaguely SE Asian. Vaguely chicken. It was 98% sweet curried potato. Garnished with a few scraps of chicken. Total rip-off dish.

Their menu states that the images provided are "for reference only". Unfortunately, they refer to totally different dishes! This wasn't even teh same colour as the "reference".

And bizarrely, it came with two slices of stale bread spread with  - well I hate to think what it was spread with. Certainly nothing that had ever met a cow or even a field. Industrial effluent.

Then:

IMG_0786.jpg

 

"Spicy Seafood". Two shrimp. Some crab legs and a lot of lotus root, wood ear mushrooms and unidentifiable vegetation. It wasn't bad. Could have been a lot better.

 

IMG_0791.jpg

 

This was the best dish I ate in the original place in 2011. "Beef with Mango". Unfortunately, whoever cooked this had only ever seen pictures of the original. The original was spicy and sweet and sour in perfect balance. This was like mango jam. Nothing sour and again totally unseasoned. A great disappointment.

 

Finally, "Steamed Scallops with Garlic"

 

IMG_0784.jpg

 

Actually, not very garlicky. Steamed scallops with vermicelli would be closer. But they were fine. Yet, I could have bought them round the corner for half the price.

Despite the disappointment with the food, I had lovely evening with lovely company. It was a birthday celebration or as the local cake shop has it "Brithday"

 

IMG_0796.jpg

 

Despite my notorious aversion to all things sweet, this was actually the best thing I ate all evening. THe cake was moist and chocolately and the fruit on top was fresh.

Happy Brithday!

"Despite the disappointment with the food, I had lovely evening with lovely company."  And that says it all. 

  • Like 9

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

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who knows tarhana? I did not! I do have this dear friend from Turkey, who loves to bring me things he thinks  I don't know. However, I turned this into a risotto like dish with braised beef. I will try to do it this summer by myself, its so good!

IMG_1842.JPG

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@ninagluck

 

 What an interesting ingredient.   It is certainly new to me.  

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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On 17/05/2016 at 0:30 AM, Okanagancook said:

Crunchy, fatty, porkie bits nestled in little pillows!....

 

Thank you, OC! Give it a go someday. Look up "Gua Bao".

-------------------------

Simple dinner today: Uruguayan tenderloin. Mostly just slicing, shaving, and assembling.

 

Sharp mustard cress provides a taste contrast

iFGGTyc.jpg

 

First 4 chive flowers from the garden

5Zcb9Du.jpg

 

Left out egg yolk on purpose

RFbm8jO.jpg

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Patagonian toothfish ("Chilean Sea Bass") steamed Cantonese-style.

DSCN9359b_600.jpg

A 1.5 lb fillet cut into two (the other half kept), the half-piece split into two and the larger piece slit in the middle. Dressed w/ ginger, scallions, rice bran oil, salt; then simply steamed till just done (It takes just a few scant minutes). The fish pieces were retrieved (all other solids & liquids discarded), plated, dressed w/ fresh scallions & ginger & a sauce of hot rice bran oil quenched w/ a mixture of (double-fermented soy sauce, water, rock sugar, ground white pepper, good Shaohsing wine) poured over.

 

Stir-fried lettuces w/ garlic and quenched w/ a sauce.

DSCN9366b_600.jpg

Green romaine [Silverthorn Farm], red romaine & green leaf [both Van Antwerp Farm], hot oil, garlic; quench w/ a mixture of (oyster sauce, hon-mirin, sesame oil, dash of fish sauce, water).

 

Eaten with several bowls of white rice.

 

On the way there:

DSCN9353a-54a_combA_600.jpg

 

Fish almost all gone...

DSCN9375a_400.jpg

 

And afterwards, fresh longans.

DSCN9379a_600.jpg

No, I didn't eat all of them. :-) 

 

 

 

Edited by huiray (log)
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15 hours ago, liuzhou said:

So when I heard of an identically named restaurant here in town, I had to check it out. The menu contains similar dishes but there the similarity ends. I suspect they have just copied the name and some of the menu - either that or their standards have slipped dramatically.

 

Sadly, I have learned that it is the same company. They have expanded their business from one restaurant to eight and apparently thrown all standards out the window. Shame.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Two Indian style curries, over basmati rice with nigella seeds and yogurt.

The first one in peas and courgette in tomato sauce with carrot, onion, many spices with notable anise & fennel note.

Second is cauliflower and chickpeas with browned onion. Again, many spices, but notable fenugreek, turmeric and cumin note.

20160520_150130.jpg20160520_143905.jpg20160520_145837.jpg

 

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~ Shai N.

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image.jpeg

 

 For various reasons it has been many days since I had what I consider a normal (for me) evening meal.  This addressed the problem!  Duck breast, sautéed tomatoes and snap peas and a piece of bread used to wipe out the pan in which the tomatoes and peas cooked.  

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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4 hours ago, mm84321 said:

Quite a mushroom..

Screen_shot_2016_05_21_at_8_30_10_AM.png

 

 

Curious about its provenance...?  Oregon, Italy, elsewhere?

 

For those who are interested: Oregon spring boletes are acknowledged nowadays as a separate species, Boletus rex-veris.  The traditionally-thought-of porcini mushrooms are Boletus edulis.

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1 hour ago, huiray said:

 

Curious about its provenance...?  Oregon, Italy, elsewhere?

 

For those who are interested: Oregon spring boletes are acknowledged nowadays as a separate species, Boletus rex-veris.  The traditionally-thought-of porcini mushrooms are Boletus edulis.

Yes, Oregon.

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image.jpeg

 

Easy to make, easy to eat and easy on the pocket book. Onion, cabbage and bacon sauté. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Last night:

DSCN9383a_600.jpg

Chicken wings w/ Caribbean Jerk dressing; from Keystone Sports Review (go to page 4), w/ the celery & carrots plus the very good in-house blue cheese "sauce" they make.  Plus fried rice – from 2-day-old rice, a Black Silkie chicken egg, scallions, julienned ginger.

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Steamed snow crab is becoming a favorite. The recent "buy 4 pounds and get a dollar a pound off" at Stop & Shop is a curse and a blessing, depending on how you look at it. I think it was the latter, last night.

HC

IMG_0817.JPG

 

IMG_0820.JPG

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Here is tonight's starter.

 

Fresh (live*) shrimp stir fried with sea salt, Sichuan pepper, lime zest and chili flakes. Served with more lime.

 

IMG_0878.jpg

 

The main course was pork with fermented black beans which I have posted here at least once before, so won't bore you with again. Not that it wasn't good!

*I had an amusing few minutes scrabbling around the kitchen trying to retrieve the more energetic shrimp which sensibly jumped out the wok the second they felt the heat!

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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