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The WGF in Bangkok


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Thanks, Shelby!

The icewines are fun, I must say. The sparkling version they'd trucked along this time was particularly nice with the dessert, but then I'm a sucker for bubbles.

Okay, I'd better get focused or I'll still be writing this when the next WGF starts up.

Cheers,

Peter

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You’ll appreciate, at this point, with the wines from lunch, the whisky tasting, the chardonnays , pinot noirs, and then the icewines, that we were all feeling pretty cheerful.

What, I wondered, would be the wisest course for the rest of the evening? Some writing and sleep sounded sensible.

With that conservative sentiment cast into the cement like mix of my mind, I knew it would take a particularly malicious spirit to swerve me off the path of righteousness.

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I hadn't counted on running into the physical manifestation of Loki just outside my door.

Next: A Hard Left Turn Off the Highway of Propriety

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September 26 – The Calm Before the Gala

I’m weak. I admit it.

Siggi and a bundle of Black Death, the noise coming up from Aqua, and the prospect of crickets.

How could I say no to crickets?

It was a good night. Which means I came back with my wallet and all of my teeth. No bugs, unfortunately, but a good time of talking (or listening in), some lounging on the outside cushions at Tapas, and then navigating taxis to the after hour joints (why do people assume I know where I’m going?). We ended up back in the lobby of the Four Seasons around 5 a.m. , with me sharing a bit of Siggi’s penne pasta (which, as I recall, had a particularly nice bite to it). I managed to wear only the most minimal amount of the pasta.

It was Friday, and this was the Gala. That meant there would be no lunch time activities, which was all for the best.

First, I had some time with Malcolm, the F&B for the hotel.

Obviously, with Thai Air pulling their sponsorship at the last minute, this had been a rather “challenging” WGF, to put it lightly.

As you’d expect, I was slightly concerned a few weeks back when I’d first heard of the possibility that there might not be a WGF this year. Not only did it threaten to leave a major hole in my social calendar, but I’d also arranged for Clark to come out for this, and the disappointment on his part wasn’t something I wanted to contemplate.

But, with a fair bit of hard work, they’d pulled it off. Unfortunately, Carmen Ramirez wasn’t able to come, but that was more a matter of her health, rather than of sponsorship. If I had any regrets about the Fest this year, it was that I wouldn’t be able to do the class with her, as the plan had been for her to go over moles, which is something I’d love to be able to do better.

In the end, there were seven chefs, which actually helped out the hotel a bit. With six dinners, the hotel could rotate through the restaurants, freeing up two for the regular trade while engaging the other two. From past years of eavesdropping in the Club, there have been more than a few times when guests of the hotel have either had to make do with room service, or else go elsewhere as the WGF dinners were tying everything up.

On the less nerve-wracking side, the renovations of the ballroom had finished satisfactorily. This meant that the back wall had been pushed back, and the capacity had gone up the bit more. Without a major reworking of the kitchens, they’re probably at the right capacity now, and the seating for the Gala looked to be opened up a bit more, making it easier to shmooze about the tables.

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Outside, they’d extended decking outside of the reception hall, again relieving some of the crowding, and they’d beefed up the air conditioning. This last enhancement would be a big help for me, as I’d made it a point to have to know the coolest spots in the hall from past years of basting in my tux.

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I left Malcolm to the demands of colour-coordinating the hall, and headed back for the room. I needed to collect the horde and get them over to Sukhumvit for lunch and a massage.

Myself, I don’t care much for massage. Paying for a beating just doesn’t seem cost-effective from my point of view. But my point of view appears to be a solitary one.

My friend, M, had earlier recommended Lavana, and Yoonhi and Clark had been racking up their massages – Clark’s goal in life to get enough workovers to qualify for a free one. Seeing as she’s even more of a hedonist than I, I thought it wise to take her advice. Lavana had taken over the old Ministry of Sound building, on soi 12, so it seemed most sensible to hit up Cabbages & Condoms for a bite before dropping off the troops. C&C’s reliable, and I like their purple things. I was craving Thai food, and this was an opportunity to take care of that itch.

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For some odd reason, I was more in the mood for a coconut than beer.

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The “purple things” (chaw muang) are back to purple again. They’d done a spell at being more blue for a while, but it was good to see a return to the old colour. Fried garlic and fried dough, with the filling of ground meat and herbs. I know some folks don’t like them as much here, but I’m always partial to first impressions.

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Another reason for coming to C&C is that I know we can do a meal that won’t leave Clark and Serena in pain. Neither does too well with over-the-top burn, and so options like this soft pork and bamboo soup work well for their lunch.

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And the crispy duck salad is an easy thing to pick through, removing the chilis before eating.

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We also ordered some fried sausage, which came wrapped in sheets of vegetable protein. All of the appeal of spam, but with a bit more flavour.

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For a fish, we ordered the deep-fried bass with green mango sauce. And I had a dry curry of softsheel crab brought over (but toned down a bit).

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And, as a finish, meek rob, which is one of those things I just don’t do at home (Yoonhi has some concerns about me and deep frying).

Yoonhi and Clark headed into the spa, and Serena and I meandered back down the soi to the Skytrain.

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We stopped along the side to get a bit of grilled pork to tide us over to the end of the soi. Lots of fat and bits of meat wedged into a split of bamboo is a hard thing to turn down (although Serena only took a small bite).

Back at the hotel, I forced the girl to go for a swim with me, and then I finally nodded off.

Napping is a bad thing. I always wake up feeling worse than when I’d gone down. You have that cottony, shattered feeling in your mouth to go with the grogginess and grit in your eyes.

The only thing to do in such a case is to have a glass of wine.

Being so far behind in my writing, I haven’t been keeping up with the bite-by-bite commentary from the Club. That’s a shame, as the food up there is always a treat. I used to worry about these happy little bites getting in the way of my appetite, but, with years of training literally under my belt, I can now afford to indulge in the late afternoon.

It was to be a continuation of Thai treats, with The Spice Market providing the appetizers.

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The Thai equivalent of a tuna fish sandwich. Tuna salad with ginger and lime served atop a crisp rice cracker.

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Some hor mok talay, steamed seafood mousse with shavings of kaffir lime leaf and coconut cream providing a resting place for the chili and coriander.

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Some mieng kham, my favourite finger food. Although I do think that having it prepped like this takes away some of the joy that comes from putting your own together.

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Sai eua – my favourite sausages from the North.

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Sticky rice, mango, and coconut cream.

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And these little sweets to finish, mock fruits made from bean dough (I think).

Add in a few glasses of the Chilean chardonnay they have up here, and I was just about ready for the big event.

Yoonhi and Clark were back from their beating, and so all we were left with was the detail of feeding The Girl.

You’ve probably wondered about what Serena’s been doing these past few nights. She joined us for Glen’s dinner when Clark was feeling under the weather, but her interest (and appetite) hardly justified the ticket price for the meals.

So, Serena was spending her evenings with her manga, books, and cartoons, and luxuriating in her private meals from the room service menu.

As expected, the Four Seasons does a very good kid’s menu for the type of kids who like that sort of thing – that “sort of thing” being dishes like mac&cheese, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and the like.

Serena likes that sort of thing.

She’d worked through most of the meal, so this evening it was to be a simple hot dog, the sausages made by the Four Seasons.

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She was quite happy with this, but I’d rather be eating what I was going to be eating.

Next: The Gala

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Peter,

I'm glad you're getting back to the reporting. Your writing and photography are always colourful, entertaining, informative - well worth waiting for.

Thanks for taking the time. :smile:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

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September 26, 2008 – The Gala

Sometimes you just need an excuse to dress up.

The Wine

Prosecco, Fabiano Castello, Brut, Italy

Sileni Cellar Selection, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2007

Wolf Blass, President Selection, Chardonnay, Australia 2006

Kim Crawford Merlot, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2005

Le Clos Jordanne ‘Le Clos Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Canada 2005

Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG Riserva Italy 2001

Chateau Angelus, 1er Grand Cru Class, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France 2001

The Yamazaki, Single Malt Whisky, 10 years

The Menu

Siggi Hall

Icelandic Canapes

Glen Ballis

Russian Style Crab Pot-Stickers, Shiso Sabayon

Celina Tio

Crispy Loup de Mer

Vegetable Bayaldi and Herb Vinaigrette

Maurizio Quaranta

Risotto con Zucca, Tuma di Murazzano e Tartufo ner0

Risotto with Pumpkin, ‘Tuma Murazzano Cheese’ and Black Truffles

Michael Ginor

Roasted Squab and Parsnip Mousseline

Foie Gras Cream, Squab Jus and Hibiscus Air

Jeffrey Jake

Citrus- Porcini Dusted Venison

Farro, Wild Mushroom, Toasted Pine Nuts, Dried Cherry Port Syrup

Michael Laiskonis

Soft Chocolate Ganache, Flourless Chocolate Cake,

Cocoa Pearl, ‘Faux’ Palm Sugar Meringue, Pistachio Powder

There are three distinct groups of people at the WGF every year. There are the hard core foodies, the people at the classes taking notes, their cameras set on macro, and hanging on every word. This also includes a certain amount of the press. A lot of these are people whom I see every year here, and with whom I’ve enjoyed a large number of good meals at other venues.

Then there’s the dinner crowd, who are there for the wines and the food, usually coming in the company of their friends for an evening out. This group breaks up into more foodies; friends of the wine suppliers or others in the trade; and people who just like a good meal.

And then there’s the Gala. As a charity event, sponsored by Her Royal Highness, Princess Soamsowali, there’s another set of people here altogether, with very little cross over from the other events. It is, perhaps, more of an event than a meal.

I generalize, of course. I generally do. But it’s interesting how things break into the different strata. I fall into the “strictly tourist” grouping, which doesn’t have a particularly large membership.

I should mention the charity, though. One of Her Highness’ many good works is the “Save a Child’s Life from AIDS Project”, which is under the auspices of the Thai Red Cross. The focus of the charity is on prevention of mother to child transmission, and has been ongoing work for over a decade now.

Back to the stratification thing; perhaps this, in part, explains why so much of the meal was a reprise of the other dinners. With what is mostly a brand new audience, you could redo a number of items, without fear of being caught “wearing the same dress twice” (we guys can get away with that).

And the menu did work well. As opposed to last year’s meat overload (lamb followed by pot roast, followed by wagyu sirloin and brisket), the plan looked reasonably well harmonized. Maybe a little short, with really just five courses to work around, compared to last year’s eight (I can’t really call canapés and petit fours “courses”, no matter how good they are).

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And Siggi’s canapés were good. That salmon with a vodka marinade was back, and there were a number of other items which made a nice backdrop to the Prosecco (okay, I admit it. I lack a 3rd hand for taking notes while standing around drinking and eating).

The change in the ballroom was noticeable. It was much easier navigating our way to our table, and once there it didn’t feel as hemmed in as it had last year. It’s still a lot of cutlery and stemware on the table, but that’s not something I mind too much, given the balance of stimulation it provides.

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Our first course was a rerun of Glen’s potsticker. Russian Style Crab Pot-Stickers, Shiso Sabayon.

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Just as good as at the dinner two nights before, and not substantially different. What did make a difference were the wines, both the prosecco, that we were finishing off (waste not, say I), and the Sileni Cellar Selection, Sauvignon Blanc, which did very well against this.

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The La Fleur, as a red, had been a pleasant pairing, but the Marlborough Sileni was a better choice.

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Celina had something different on offer; a very nice piece of loup de mer (which was also the nickname for Admiral Tom Cochrane, the model for Horatio Hornblower), a seabass. This had been properly crisped on the skin, and then the meat was kept just moist enough. The seabass had run afoul (no, wait, that would require a chicken) on an outcrop of vegetables, reefed about by some spottings of the herb vinaigrette.

An excellent piece of fish, and a nice transition from the crab potstickers. The wines were a little out of synch, but I didn’t mind, as it was nice seeing how the fish worked with both the sauvignon blanc and the chardonnay that appeared part way through.

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The Kim Crawford merlot was specific to this meal, and it was one that Clark in particular had been looking forward to. I’m not that used to Kiwi reds, beyond the pinot noirs, and this was a very pleasant merlot from Hawke’s Bay.

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The risotto I was a bit disappointed in. The grains were not quite cooked to where I would want them to be, and it felt “rushed”. Still, it’s nice to have a large amount of truffles to stick my nose into…..

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Yes, I know it’s the pigeon I had on Tuesday, but I still like it. This was a bit more on the rare side, so I was much happier. The hibiscus air was a bit messier than in Michael’s dinner, but there was more of it, so who am I to complain?

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The pinot noir (I think) came out about this time, and was perfectly serviceable with the squab. I was left wondering how Canada could produce such a wine (self criticism is a vice common to Canadians and the Cultural Revolution. It’s just we do voluntarily.)

At this point we were, if my muddle mind and disjointed notes are correct, still on the Clos Jordanne, I was expecting the Montepulciano and the Angelus to show up at any moment.

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The reason for this was that, with the venison before me on bed of farro – an awned wheat of Italy, the food of the legions – I was slavering for the wines.

That’s not a pretty sight, trust me.

I’m very, very fond of game. And this was nice venison. Give me the opportunity to eat Bambi’s mother, and I’m right in there. (“Oh, dear!”, you say?) Good mushroom tone from the porcinis, and the grain gives a good chew under the meat.

I was looking forward to Jeff’s dinner. I wish he’d done this in the class.

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The wines did turn up, and both were excellent with the meat. They were also excellent for sitting about and drinking as we entered the final stages of the evening.

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Michael Laiskonis’ dessert was, as we would expect, beautiful. How do you go about giving the impression of speed to a dessert? Add a skid mark, say I (actually, it was one of Clark’s friends looking at the posted photo who said that). Soft chocolate, and pistachios. Some good red wine to offset that, and I was happy.

More pours of the three reds and I was even happier.

This state of euphoria is, of course, when you want to have an auction. It went well this year, with active bidding providing a reasonable sum for the Princess’ charity. The last few years have been very active in the bidding, and I’ve learned to console myself with limited takings. I remember that one time, coming home from Bangkok muttering my mantra….”Yoonhi’s going to kill me. Yoonhi’s going to kill me.” Luckily, I have a very understanding wife.

The chef’s came out to take their bows. It’s always good to see them together after this meal, and to see them still smiling.

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I really wish my other shot, of the entire staff, had come out. The chefs are the talent upon whom we focus, but their assistants are the names we’ll be seeing in the future (we hope) and there’s a wealth of talent there in the making (but I may be biased, having drank far too much with Ryan and Bjorn). Plusthere are the Four Seasons’ chefs, who are working just as hard in this effort, without the praise they should be getting – Satoshi, Stephane, Anchalee, Danilo, and, of course, Nicholas Schneller.

But, I’m sidetracking again.

Away from the table for a few moments, I returned to find them pouring the Yamazaki.

It was pleasant, after so many months away from Japanese spirits, to see this. You can picture my solemnity.

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And Stephane’s petit fours arrived (I may be making an assumption here, as they could also have been Michael’s).

Obviously, petit fours call for more whiskey.

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Strangely, I wasn’t the last man out of the ballroom this year. It must be the good influence of my wife. Tumbler of Yamazaki firmly clenched in my fist, we parted from our friends, and retired for the remainder of the evening.

(“You wanted to go out to Tokyo Joe’s!” accuses the wife).

A good Gala. A well balanced, if restrained menu. By “restrained” I consider it a well-orchestrated meal, as opposed to some of the years when it’s been a series of solos. There’s good to be said of both approaches, as the solos tend to be way over the top, and appeal to my baser, more hedonistic nature. But that isn’t perhaps, what fine cuisine is really about. Bacchanals - yes,; fine cuisine – no.

I’m good with either.

What did I do with the rest of that whiskey?

Next: Glen again

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Nice tux!

Don't leave home without it. You never know when you'll need one.

Hibiscus air........does it taste strongly of the flower?

It didn't carry a lot of the flavour, but more of the smell (at least, that's how it came through my wine sotted brain).

We eat Bambi at least three times a week--and it's almost time to re-stock the freezer again.  Hunting season is almost upon us!

I'm stocking up when I get back to Vancouver. One meal we did in Cairo consisted of Bambi, Bullwinkle, and Yogi. The bear, in particular, is something I've lusted after, as it was taken by arrow in the midst of blueberry season......

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September 27 – My Name Is Glen

For some reason, this class before the WGF started up. Asian food in Moscow. When I’d been there a couple of years back (and that’s another thing on my plate that’s slipped away without my writing) that wasn’t a variant of cuisine high on my list.

Everything’s a matter of timing.

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I checked out the back of the Gaggenau front while Glen was going over his ingredients with someone who appeared to be from the press.

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“What is that?”

“Oh, that’s just glucose.”

“?”

“Glucose….a sugar syrup…”

“?”

“……”

“Oh! You mean gluKOSe!”

You say tomato, I say tomato.

Nedal’nij Vostok (not-so-far East) opened about half a year after I was there. Glen’s not cooking Russian food (“But I like to eat it”) but is playing instead from his background in SouthEast Asia (he’d worked at the Banyan Tree), Oz, and East Asia (Shanghai). Add to that the large Korean contingent in Moscow (“There’s a huge Korean community” The Koreans control the sushi bars. The Japanese brought them in. The Japanese didn’t stick around, but the Koreans stayed on. But I forgot to check if they were North or South) and very, very nice ingredients from the East coast (he got to talking about the Kamchatka crabs – all meat – and I was having flashbacks to the crabs on the East coast of Korea). He’s has a pretty good playground to frolic in.

Oh, and money. They’ve got money. That’s a good thing iin Russia (okay, it’s a good thing just about anywhere). The restaurant is part of the Arkady Novikov’s empire. This includes Vogue Café (who almost showed up at the WGF last year), China Club (which has been around quite some time by Moscow standards), and Vanil, just down around the corner from our friends’ place.

Novikov is a story in his own right, but I’ll set that aside for now. You can check out the stuff on .

group's web page It’s a good read, with plenty of room between the lines, I should think, given the clientele I’ve seen at Vanil. He’s one of those people I’d like to meet someday, as there is a good tale to tell there.

Glen started the class of with the Scorched Tuna Tataki with Braised Sticky Pork Salad.

I’d admired this the salad the other day, seeing in it a lot of som tam with some neat dressing-up ideas. Som tam. Piece of cake, right?

I don’t think even the past pastry classes have been this involved. I don’t usually do this, but let me stick in my notes for this segment.

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It’s not a pretty sight. Good thing they don’t uncork the wines until later, otherwise I’d never make sense of this.

Ingredients

Tuna (middle lone/fresh) 80 g

Peanut oil 5 ml

Salt 1 gm

Sancho (Japanese) pepper 0.5 gm

Pork

Pork neck, cut into cubes 50 gm

Chicken bouillon 500 ml

Shallots 20 gm

Coriander roots 10 gm

Light soy sauce 10 ml

Red chili 1 gm (this won’t do)

Dressing

Red chili 1 gm (yup, we’ll crank this up)

Garlic 1 gm

Palm Sugar 5 gm

Tomato concasse 10 gm

Green beans 20 gm

Tamarind juice 5 gm

Lime Juice 1 gm

Sticky Sauce

GluKOSe 10 gm

Star anise 1 pc

Cinnamon 1 pc

Pork floss or

Malay flossed chicken 5 gm

Olive oil (Salgagno EV) 10 ml

1 Like me, Glen likes pork neck. It’s a great piece of meat, with enough fat to keep it juicy, but not so much that it distracts from the business of eating pig meat. This’ll be braised down to release the fat in the meat, giving you that solid mouth-greasing that you know you want.

“Knock off a few big pieces.” Take a slab, and then dissect it into cubes and drop these into a bowl.

Then hit it with the soy sauce. He’s using light soy to avoid having too much salt in there so the flavour isn’t drawn out. Add some coarse red chili (and more than that measly little 1 gm up there. His Moscow clients don’t do well with chili). Add the shallot, and the chopped coriander root. Give it a good mix, and then let it marinate for a day.

Okay. We didn’t have a day. But we worked through the material. The nice thing of demo classes over hands-on classes is that you don’t have to live in real time.

2 We’ve magically progressed a day in the life. We’d take the pork out of the fridge, strain it (reserve the sauce), and then deep fry the pork until golden. He goes between 180 and 200 C for the fry as a middle ground. As a personal preference, he really likes braising in oil.

After it’s fried, put it back in the sauce, and put it on the stove top. Add the chicken stock, and boil until it’s tender enough to break up with your fingers. It should be pink in the middle, but SOFT. Once you’ve got it there, remove it from the stove and let it cool in the bouillon. If you put it in the fridge it’ll form a gel, trapping all of the gelatinous fat, which is where the flavour is. So don’t cool it down too fast, too cold.

There, that’s step 1, which took up 2/3 of my first sheet of paper.

3 Next, it’s time for Charlie the Tuna. “I want to get my tuna right”.

Of the four sections: the loin, the chutoro, the middle loin, and the belly, he wants to use the middle loin for this. There’s enough fat in the pork to go around, so this cut of tuna will tip the balance away from fat overload (is there such a thing?).

A bit of seasoning with coarse salt and the sansho pepper, and then roll and press it in order to hold the sansho.

Now, to begin, have an ice bath ready. Then use some peanut oil in the pan to get a hot shimmer going, then give the fish a searing to. Shock it in the ice bath to stop the cooking, and you should have the outside long section seared, but the edges raw. In fact, almost all of it should be raw. This’ll go well with the long slow cook on the pork.

4 Time to make the syrup. Take the glucose (I’m through having fun with the accent thing), anise, and cinnamon stick, and put these in a pot and warm them slightly, then rest to allow the spices to infuse. If this comes off too thick, just water it down. It should have the consistency of a sticky honey, but with the licorice aroma of the anise and the cinnamon dusty feel in there.

5 Make the dressing Thai style, with some tomato in it. The Russians, as we said, don’t like things too burning hot, but their tastes are changing, becoming more international.

We put in the palm sugar, some garlic (not too much), the tomato, the tamarind juice, nam pla (salt), and some lime to sour it up against the sweetness of the palm sugar. Pretty standard.

He peels and juliennes his papaya, without pounding it, retaining more of the crispness. I’m fond of this, rather than beating it to death, and it’ll avoid working the spices in too much for his clientelle. This’ll rest in a bowl of ice water to stay sharp and draw away a bit of the sourness.

6 Beans. The green beans we have for this are a little sweet. They get a few minutes blanch to cook, and then an ice water shock to stop them and keep them pretty looking and firm.

He used the same pot to blanch the tomatos, giving them a quick criss-cross with the blade first to ease the skinning. These were then denuded, and the flesh cut away from the seeds. We’ll just use the meaty part for the salad.

7 The peanuts, green beans, and the tomato flesh all go together. Then add the papaya and beans.

8 Remember how frying is good? We’re going to deep fry the pork again to get it crips and warm. Then it goes in the salad. We’ll drizzle on the syrup with a spoon, and follow that with some lemon juice. Then, a bit different, he uses the olive oil as a finishing touch on the pork. The salvageno he’s using isn’t as green as some oils, with a bit of mellow sweetness to it.

9 And then the plating.

Cut the tuna, losing the end pieces….okay, I’d eat these. After cutting, stack these. Don’ get fancy and go for a sashimi cut, you’re looking for a simple rectangle.

Then dress the salad mix. Not a lot, just enough to coat the salad. Add a few more fresh peanuts for crunch.

Top the salad with the sticky pork, and then finish that with the pork or chicken fluff and a sprinkling of chili.

You can then finish this with a bit more of the dressing or a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Bang a bit of salt on the tuna, and torture a lime over top of it for just a bit of a squeeze.

Finally, for the pyro in all of us, take a blowtorch to the bisected lime and blast the top. Don’t cook the lime through, though. You just want that caramelized surface to squeeze the juice through., sweetening it slightly.

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And there you go. The first dish of the class.

As a heartbreaking aside, caviar has pretty much disappeared from the market for the last 6 months. And here I’d been recommending that folks just drop by Azbuka Vakoosa (or however you spell it) and just pick up a kilo or two to eat at home. Darn!

The Seared Scallops, Green Apple, with Horseradish and Beetroot Salad with Lobster Oil was a little misleading in the title, as the beet root was off, but we’d work around this.

Ingredients

Scallops (fresh/large) 80 g

NedalnyVostok special marinade 10 g

Sea salt 1 g

Black pepper, freshly ground 1 g

Green apple 20 g

Horseradish 20 g

Beetroot (boiled) 20 g (which we don’t have today)

Edamame beans 10 g

Baby beetroot leaves 10 g

Microgreens 5 g (you want herby and peppery)

Nedalny Vostok Shiso dressing 5 ml

Lobster oil 5 ml

Black sesame seeds 1 g

Compared to the elaborate set up of the last dish, this is a piece of bivalve. “More like a short order. Not much touching up. You can do whatever herbs you like .”

First, we grab our handy bottle of lobster oil, which Glen has brought with him. “Wait just a second!”, goes the audience.

To make the lobster oil, in Oz you’d use the the bones/carapace. Give it a wash, then a low roast, like a meringue. It’ll go red and white as it dehydrates. Put some EVOO inside, and cook some more, and squash it down from time to time. Give this about 6 to 7 hours as a slow dry. Then let it sit 1 or 2 days, and then strain it and keep it in the fridge. That’d be Down Under. In his kitchen he makes more of a shell oil, using not just the lobster bits, but also crabs and prawns.

Next is the ponzu sauce. Either use the 100% citrus version, or you can make a soy based one with soy, mirin, orange, lemon, and about three days of your life. “Just buy it.”

We take two pleasantly plump scallops and very lightly season them. Then, in a pan with just a little oil, we cook them just enough to bring up some colour. They should still be lukewarm, as you want to taste what you eat, with the scallops giving up their juices with the bite. Coat them with the lobster oil and ponzu sauce.

For the mysterious NedalnyVostok dressing, we take glucose, chili, ginger, garlic, some white Japanese garlic (which has its own particularly soft flavour), and some coriander root. Work this all up, and then dress the scallop.

Turning our attention to the land side, we julienne some green apple, looking for a bit of sourness in the apples we use – and likewise shred up the horseradish. If you’re doing things in advance, then set the julienned apples aside in ice water with lemon juice to stop the browning. But really, you want to do this dish in small batches, working quickly to retain the colour.

If we had the beetroot, we’d be in for a long cook. Let it boil for about 3 hours, until you can pass a skewer through it. Then pull it out and let it rest until cool in water so it doesn’t bleed all over the place. “If you give a beet root to a chef who’s not used to working with them, it’ll bleed.” Once it’s ready, just dice.

The Russians are used to beets. Saranwrap is the answer to its stain factore. Glen has a small army of vegetable cleaning ladies, all “this high and this wide. All with plastic down.”

Now, take the apple and a bit of the horseradish (and don’t give in to temptation and use wasabi. You don’t want that much rough pepperiness), add a bit of EVOO, some pepper and salt, a dash of lemon juice, and then mix it all together to bind.

Remove the beans from the edamame’s casing.

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For the plating, put down our scallops. Place the diced beet root and edamame beans on the periphery, then put the apple on top of the scallops, and top it with the microgreens. Hit it with a bit more ponzu, and drizzle some lobster oil about (just a touch, as it can overpower the scallops if you go overboard).

Next, Ginger Panna Cotta, with Ruby Grapefruit & Anise Parfait.

Ingredients – for 10 servings

Panacotta

Cream 33% 500 ml

Sugar 45 g

Gelatine 6 g

Ginger (fresh/grated) 50 g

Grape fruit (champagne) 50 g

Pepper Jelly

water 200 ml

Vanilla bean ½

Sugar 30 g

Black pepper 5 g

Gelatine 5 g

Anise Parfait

Sugar 100 g

Water 100 ml

Egg yolk 4

Sambuca whie 30 g

Lemon juice ½ g

Gelatine 3 g

Cream 300 ml

Pistachio Emulsion

Cream 200 ml

Pistachio paste 20 g

Sugar 8 g

Milk 15 ml

Glucose 20 g

Star fruit chips 1 g

Sugared pistachio nuts 5 g

For this, Glen sits back and gives Kobayashi Katsuhiko the stage. “Koba” (as Glen calls him) is the pastry chef, and has been with Glen now for some 15 years through different postings. Koba doesn’t say that much, but Glen’s Australian, so he can talk for two. (I’ll catch a beating for that some day, I know).

Whle Koba sets up, Glen gives a nod to the hotel. He’s done a lot of hotel opening around the world, and a lot of demonstrations and promotional meals, and with the Four Seasons, as he says “we don’t have to think, we just show up and cook. Their pastry chef has been here working for 2 days in advance for us.” Plus, he’s very happy with the quality of the ingredients they have, with 8 gm of truffles going out on the risotto last night.

In Moscow at the restaurant, Glen changes the menu three times a year, working with a freedom of choice in the focus of his meals – the last time it was a mix of Japan, London, Singapore, and Russian dishes. It’s a successful formula, with a queue from 6 pm to 1 am every day, the kitchen doing up to 300 covers at a time, and averaging 600 a night.

Supporting this, he has 100 chefs in the kitchen, working full days, 2 days on, 2 days off. This is the old school part of Russia, the “system” that you see in the government, and in the catering business. It’s an interesting contrast, he says, and I believe him.

Koba now has the cream in a cold pan with the 45 gm of sugar. This comes to a “small rollick”, and then he adds the fresh ginger and turns it off, allowing the ginger to infuse for 5 minutes. After that it’s strained into a cold bowl and that bowl goes into an ice bath, turning and spooning the infused cream as it cools. Once it’s at temperature, add the gelatine and allow a slight bloom, and allow to thicken, then put it in the serving bowl to set. This should all be done the day before.

Then clean the grapefruit, taking away the pith and membrane, peeling it down, then putting the knife inside the ssegment and running it down, taking away just the meat. Layer this flesh on top of the panna cotta, cover the top, and put it back in the fridge.

“We haven’t chosen the easiest bowl to work with.”

Next, we do the pepper jelly. For this we use the vanilla to sweeten. The water goes in the pan with the sugar. We scrape our vanilla out of the pod, and then bring to a boil, dissolving the sugar. Keep sharp, and move this around so it doesn’t catch, as you want to reduce this down to a golden colour.

Once you’ve hit gold, remove it from the heat and add the pepper. Then let it cool for five minutes, and then strain it off in a fine mesh cloth. Then take this and bag it again, hanging it in the fridge overnight to strain again. You want to be very pure with this.

The next day, warm it up, and add the gelatin. Then cool it down again.

Pour the cooled gel over the grape fruit, and then put it back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Now for the Anise parfait. For this, he has a collection of molds that look either like oversized suppositories or else something from Madonna’s wardrobe.

Prewhip the cream, as you’ll need it later.

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With the sugar and water we make a syrup, getting the drizzle up to 150 C.

The egg yolks go in the blender for a whip. The blender here doesn’t quite reach the bottom of the bowl, so Glen lifts it up for Koba. Then we add the syrup to cook the eggs, slowly drizzling it in, forsaking the whip so we don’t sray everything everywhere, getting a sabayon.

Warm water and sambuca are usesd to break the gelatin down for the 10 portions.

Meanwhile, the sabayon is still warm (but not hot). Add in the sambuca and whisk by hand.

From the side, take that pre whipped cream and spoon it into the sabayon, getting about 1/3 in whisked in first, and then add in the rest. The result is a sabayon with a mousse feel. Pour this into the molds, and let it freeze for about 8 hours.

Take the pistachio paste and spoon in the sugar, cream, and milk, and then whip this up to get the mix to break the pistachio paste.

The parfait done, it sits on top of the panna cotta and grapefruit in the bowl. Drizzle the pistachio paste about, and sprinkle on a few (6) grilled pistachio nuts for effect.

“At this point, the parfait is done. But a pastry chef’s brain isn’t stable….except for desserts.” So Koba continues to work.

On a sheet topped with grease proof paper, he puts down a metal ring and adds the glucose, hand sprinkling some sugar. This goes into the oven for about 5 minutes at 170 C to get a brittle sugar wafer.

At some point in the past, he’s taken the star fruit (shaved fine) , dipped them in syrup, and let them sit in the oven for four hours to dry out.

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Then the wafer goes on top, and the star fruit goes on top of that.

You need to learn to take advantage of other people’s obsessions, say I.

The wines and dishes we’d done earlier. But, knowing what had gone into the work, it was fun eating them again, picking out the details in the dishes.

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I do like the Thai-Chinese mix of the pork salad, and I’ll be doing that at home at some time. Plus, the use of the fluffed Chinese meat (either pork or chicken) makes good sense in a salad.

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I picked apart the salad accompanying the scallops with a bit more attention this time. With green apples and Japanese ingredients, this would be fairly straightforward for when I’m in Vancouver next.

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And the dessert is just insane enough for me to give it a shot one of these weekends (once I get out from under this writing and video work).

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This was the end of the cooking classes, so I went back and poked around the Gaggenau gear some more. The monkey-king ring for the IM unit was there, but I was really keen on the fridge. Some of the new apartments being built are coming with Gaggenau kitchens preinstalled.

First, if you like hinges, this is the fridge for you. Opening the door was like working with armoured Mercedes doors. If I ever need cover, I’m hiding behind this fridge.

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Second, I don’t know if it’s specific to Glen and Koba, but it was good to see that the primary function of a fridge was being met – keep the beer cold.

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Next – A Tea Intersection

Note: edited to add in the two pages of notes. I had them on another machine. I shouldn't try to walk and chew gum at the same time, obviously.

Edited by Peter Green (log)
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September 27 – Lobbying for Tea

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Leaving the class (after policing up the last of the Angelus) we spied from the balcony upon the happy crowd working over Michael Laiskonis’ selection of treats in the lobby.

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I do confess that I’ve never really understood “tea”, at least not as a topic of reverence as it appears to be in Victoria, with a strictures regarding the use of cucumber sandwiches and scones. What was an early dinner (and there’s another term open for definition) could also be the equivalent of a coffee break in some cultures.

So, is it a snack? Is it a meal? Is it a simple break in the afternoon routine to allow one to load up on caffeine and socialize a bit? Does it require pearls and fashionable frocks, or can one make do as per the characters in Orwell’s Down And Out In Paris and London (from which I decided it’s a lot more fun to be down and out in Paris).

I’d tried the tea service before, but that was ages back, perhaps WGF5 or 4. At that time it was a proper service of tea with a tier of cookies and light snacks. I can’t say it did much for me.

This was more to my liking, and is how the tea service has been the last few years, a wanton overload of snacks and desserts, showcasing the very considerable talents of the visiting (and resident) pastry chefs.

Michael Laiskonis gives heart to those of us without formal training, having learned his trade by working at a friend’s bakery while at college. From there he’s moved up through the ranks, arriving at Le Bernardin in 2004. Of course, you could take that heart away by considering that there’s a lot of natural talent in the equation as well, especially considering the awards that Michael has taken over the last several years (James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef 2007 being one of the latest).

Ellen has already written up the review, seeing as I didn't do any of the eating here, so I’ll just limit myself to a few bits of food porn (beyond the shots she’s already posted).

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I’m soft for berries, I do admit.

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This shot shows off the roasted shrimp with mango and curry on the left, the skewered pink flesh in a white bubble bath of foam; and the prosciutto wrapped figs; both of which Ellen showed on her table. And that smoked salmon croque monsieur is back there, too.

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I contented myself with a simple breeze-through. I didn’t have the appetite to gorge myself to the degree that this required. Instead I took the opportunity to visit with my other friends dotted about the lobby, happily tasting their way through the selection.

It was a pity to pass up on this, but I suppose it just indicates that I need more training in gluttony.

Next: Pre dinner nibbles

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September 27 – Lounging

After a swim and a bit of a nap, I was coasting into the later afternoon. With the lounge buffet open, I stopped by to graze on the offerings.

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It was Biscotti doing the service today, and I had a glass of the chardonnay and some of the carpaccio with olive oil.

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A bit of parma ham (with more olive oil).

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And a seafood cocktail.

Things had gone well, so far. The chefs were working out well, and they were also having a lot of fun, too. Both Michael and Glen had their sons along on the trip, and perhaps that leant itself to the feeling of overall harmony.

Just one of those happy moments when things all seem to be on track, and going well. I was eating well. I was drinking well. My family was happy, my friends were happy, and the financial markets were treating us all well……..

What could go wrong? It’s not like the world’s economy would collapse or anything? Right?

Next: California Dreaming

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September 27 – Jeffrey Jake

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The last few dinners of this WGF are something of a trade off. In the past, with more chefs, I’d been tortured, having to limit my exposure to some to only their classes, or even just the one dish at the Gala.

But this year I was able to cover all of their dinners, and most of the classes, missing only the evening classes (which meant I missed Michael and Maurizio’s demonstrations).

The trade off isn’t that bad, though. What I was missing out on was the surprise. In its place, I had the chance to revisit some of the dishes I’d already enjoyed.

So, with Jeffrey’s dinner, there was no pressure. We could sit back in Madison, enjoy the atmosphere, and slowly work our way through the food and wine. Sort of why I like Bangkok, actually.

I socialized a bit up front, meeting up with Jeff Cook again. He’s representing Kendall-Jackson here through Wine Estates International. I’d first met Jeff ages ago, when he’d been representing the Mondavis, up until that line passed on (which becomes wrapped up in the tale of Constellation and so Vincor).

We were starting with their chardonnay, the Kendall-Jackson, Vintner’s Reserve 2006. An easy thing to drink, especially when I’m with people I know.

Poached Lobster and Califlower Flan,

Diced Lobster, Sweet Carrot Brunoise, Chervil Vinaigrette and Osetra Caviar

Kendall-Jackson, Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007

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This was a dish I hadn’t seen before. A pleasant presentation of crustacean. Okay, with caviar on top, you know I’m going to find it pleasant. I nibbled at first at the eggs, getting that taste back inside my palate. I wish my photos were better, as this was a very pretty dish. There were notes in here that I remembered from the French laundry, the combination of cauliflower and caviar.

The sauvignon blance did alright with this, but I actually preferred the chardonnay. Yes, I’m a heathen. Clark preferred the SB with this.

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French Beans, ,Summer Squash, and Rocket Salad,

Thyme, Cracked Szechuan Pepper and St. Helena Extra Virgin Lemon Olive Oil

Kendall-Jackson, Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon Chardonnay 2006

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The salad had changed. Now there was a rich sauce of the pumpking pooling beneath the beans and rocket, whereas the class had been a more austere product. The sauce changed it quite a bit, giving a lot more body.

But the beans were still beautiful, and it still had that funky Sichuan pepper numbing I love so much. We’d moved back to the chardonnay, but it’s hard to match a wine with novocaine.

Grape Leaf Wrapped Turbot

Baby Fennel, Micro Beet Tops, Fennel Jus

Byron, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir 2004

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You know my feelings about the fennel and fish in grape leaf. A beautiful presentation, and an interesting combination, but if you asked me about my preferences for fish, I’d take Celina’s from the night before. But that’s just my taste. Plenty of the others at the table loved this.

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The wine was a nice choice, I must say. KJ bought up this winery back in 2006, and it’s a very good pinot noir.

We do seem to be drinking a lot of pinot noir this WGF. I don’t care what people say, I blame that movie.

{b]Critrus-Porcini Dusted Venison

Farro, Wild Mushroom, Toasted Pine Nuts, Dried Cherry Port Syrup

Kendall-Jackson, Grand Reserve Merlot 2005

This was the dish I was waiting for. That combination of game carefully handled, with the underlying grain that was making me think a trip to Italy is way overdue.

For a picture of this, go back to the Gala. What I had on my camera won’t do justice to this, so I won’t even try.

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Tie that in with a very solid Napa Merlot, and I was happy. I was looking around for anyone flagging at my table, but my family knows better than to leave their meals untended around me.

Sweet Goat Cheese Napoleon

Crisp Oatmeal Wafers, Pistachio Ice Cream, Spicy Plum Sauce

Atalon, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

The dessert was much more enjoyable with more time to linger over it. And, as a not-to-sweet cheese-based finish, it went well with the cab. We chatted amicably with Jeffrey. He’d shaken the trans-Pacific cobwebs off and was in good form for sitting around with a pack of lushes like us.

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The petit fours closed out the evening, and I had some more of the Atalon poured to tide us over.

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Next – Sunday Bloody (Mary) Sunday

Edited by Peter Green (log)
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September 28 – The Ultimate Day

As you’ve noticed, I’m weak. Susceptible to peer pressure. I was fully given over to the idea of having a quiet morning. I’d already done the brunch with Ellen earlier in the week, so I didn’t see the need to do it again.

You know what happened.

A pushover for a bloody mary, that’s me.

Really, it was the opportunity to take someone through their first proper brunch again. In this case Clark.

I’ve done my own shots of brunch too many times to repeat, especially within one week. I’ll leave the view here to Clark’s eye, and use just his shots.

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For instance, I’m blind to the shwarma stand. The Middle Eastern section just never draws a glance from me. Who knows what I’m missing?

gallery_22892_6224_7749.jpgAnd when I’m around the cold seafood, I’m fixated on the oysters, generally paying little attention to the prawns, crawfish, and stacoza (“baby” lobsters).

But we did share a common regard for the meats, something I wouldn’t have dared to consider a year ago, given how they fill you up.

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Man, that pork roast was good.

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Stuff on sticks is still a treat (and I won’t pass up on the sai krok).

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And while I admire the styling of the ice service for the fish eggs, I’m not that keen on anything other than oscetra (at least…preferably sevruga), and ikura should really be from BC for my tastes.

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But we both agreed that foie gras is a good thing. The prospect of gorging on the emgorged is morbidly appealing to me.

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It was a pleasant surprise to see the bar stocked with a different variety. Vincor was out in force, and was representing their range of South African (Kumala), Kiwis (Kim Crawford), the States (La Terre) and Aussies (Stanley, from West Oz). I believe they own Hardy’s, too, which is one I see upstairs in the club quite often. Good luck to them. The world needs more wine.

And desserts.

We were seeing more of Michael’s work here, I believe. Cakes and tarts and all sorts of pretty things.

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I recognized this slab of goodness from the lobby the other day. Chocolate (Chocolate Sponge, Feuilletine, Dark Chocolate Glaçage)

And there’s Coconut (Chestnut Biscuit, Lemon Cream, Meringue) back there to the left.

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I did give in and have some crepes to keep the others company (you can tell from the lack of focus that this shot is mine).

Peer pressure. What can you do.

Next: A Mere Truffle

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September 28 – The Italian Job

I’d seen little of Maurizio Quaranta during the earlier part of the week as he was one of the few whose cooking class I couldn’t cover. Maurizio had been on one of the evening slots, and, at least for me, school hours don’t extend into the night.

And so this was my one chance to see what this Michelin starred chef (and his second, Marco Peri) would have up his sleeves (or in his pockets, as when Vivalda showed up with those white truffles). Maurizio is another chef from the North, from Piedmonte, an area whose food I’m growing very fond of. He had taken his stars at Locanda del Pilone, near Alba, his second restaurant, the first being Locanda dell’Angelo near Cuneo, his hometown (or close enough). He’ll open a new restaurant, La Speranza, in October (so it should be out there now).

Biscotti, of course, would be the venue. And we had the honour of HRH Soamsawali taking part.

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But, back to the business of eating.

Ellen joined us, as did M. This was our finale for the week, and it’s good to have friends at a finale.

After a bit of a chat at the entrance, I opted to clear the traffic-way and made it to our table. We’d been drinking Bisol Crede Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, DOC 2007 at this point, letting the small, crisp bubbles get our appetites rejuvenated.

And they needed a little rejuvenation. One of my reasons for skipping the brunch on the last Sunday is that it can take the edge off of your hunger. But, that does allow you the opportunity to display a bit more decorum, rather than falling upon everything ravenous.

Or, you can just drink more.

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On the table was a pretty little piece of bread, golden in the soft light, with a gallant bulb of roasted garlic supporting its right side, epaulets of rosemary adorning it’s coat of brown.

Sorry, I just had to write that.

Terrina di trota salmonata in foglia di verza e ctronetter

Salmon Trout Terrine wrapped in Savoy Cabbage, Lemon Dressing

Garofoli Podium Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore 2006

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A very fishy terrine, as you’d expect. The mousse of the trout against the chunks of salmon. The cabbage is wrapped about , like a bobble of seaweed in the lowering tide.

Savarin di meanzane e scamorza affumicata con pomodoro fresco e basilico

Tian of Eggplant, “Scamorza” Cheese, Fresh Tomato Basil

Umerto Cesari ‘Liano’

Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicone IGT 2005

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The eggplant was a proud affait, the flesh of the aubergine half sliced and fried, the other half diced and sautéed. The scamorza’s been worked into this, and then the mound baked. It’s atop a crimson mound of fresh tomatoes that smell like there’s a good bit of basil in there. Put a feather of basil in it’s cap, and you’ve got something that’ll plug that bit of hunger that might’ve been looming.

Very pretty, and I’m fond of eggplant. It's probably Freudian. Most things are.

There's a thought. Is thinking of Freud actually Freudian?

Scamorza I had to look up. An Italian cow’s milk cheese, it’s a close friend of mozzarella, another strangled cheese.

Of the wine, it was fair enough. I was more amused that a Rubicone would be a cross, but nobody appreciated my humour.

Risotto con zucca, tuma di Murazzano e Tartufo nero

Risotto with Pumpkin, A”Tuma Murazzano Cheese”, Black Truffle

Mantellassi Le Sentinelle Morellino di Scansano DOC Riserva 2004

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The risotto had changed from the Gala. For starters, I found the rice a little more evenly cooked, which was a good thing. The truffles, of course, take our attention, but I was a little disappointed that the pumpkin wasn’t as prominent as it had been the other night. And the demi-glac that had dressed it up a bit was more restrained.

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The contortions of a truffe can keep me (and my nose) mesmerized for ages. Yoonhi, however, who has to clean the ones we get here of sand (the dessert truffles lack the aroma and earthiness of European truffles, but have their own uses and charms) can only swear and curse over their subductive lifestyle.

Again, I had to look up the cheese. This one is sheep’s milk, the production of which is generally credited with pulling the Pecora delle Langhe (Langhe Sheep) from the brink of extinction.

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The Sentinelle I enjoyed, and happily left my nose in the glass for a while as it opened up. Then I’d put my nose in the truffles. Then back in the wine.

My family and friends tolerate me well.

Grivedi stracotta con pure all’erba cipolina e croccante di polenta

Short Rib Eye Patties, Baked Polenta, Chives Mashed Potatoes

Villa Girardi Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico DOC 2004

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I was slowing down by this point. The rib eye was pleasant enough, although I would’ve liked more blood to my meat, but polenta and mashed potatoes did seem a bit heavy on the starch.

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But if you consider the meat as simply an accompaniment to the amarone, then there’s hardly a thing to worry about in the world, is there?

Semifreddo di torrone con cioccoliato fuso

Parfait Touron of Alba, Warm Chocolate

Dessert managed to get past us without a photograph, I’m afraid. We were all in a fairly good mood by this point, the amarone having come back for another visit. As I recall (fuzzily), it was a nice sweet thing, with honey and chocolate in there.

A well balanced meal, and a good finish. Nothing too flashy (well, outside of that mound of truffles), but a very solid combination of good wines and straightforward Italian cooking. I was content.

The Royals left at an appropriate time, and we then considered our exit strategy. I felt this should include another pour of the amarone, and the Sentinelle.

Glasses topped up, we retired for the evening.

Next: While Rome Burns

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November 13, 2008

We were done.

The dinners, the classes, the tastings.

We were done.

And so, like a mirror from which the fog has lifted, we now had a chance to reflect (ouch, sorry for that).

What did we take from this year’s fest?

In terms of dishes, I’ll be making Celina’s mushroom stack at home, and I’ll follow Jeffrey’s lead and be using my Sichuan peppercorns with rocket and other combinations in salads. Glen’s use of Chinese fluffy pork on som tam opens up a whole new set of things I can do to confuse my friends back here at home. Sigi’s work is something I’ll be looking at in Vancouver as I have access to more shellfish. Michael’s tartare pushed me to the point where I’m going to have to do this at home (I’m just going to have to source some foie gras, now that Geant has dropped the ball). Maurizio has broken me out of my Sichuan eggplant rut, and I’ll see what else I can accomplish. And I liked the desserts that I’d had, where ice creams had been used that were specifically not sweet, drawing attention to the other aspects of the dish.

Laurence Civil had a good comment (he often does). “We’ll be seeing less of an emphasis on ‘named’ ingredients, while concentrating on the flavours.” Part of this had come from Celina, with her plans for her new restaurant. She would look to the dishes she had been doing at the American, but at a far lower cost (and this decision made before the economic collapse that we are currently enjoying). Another part of this came from Jeffrey and Maurizio’s approaches to local, very fresh ingredients.

But at the same time, we had Glen Ballis, reveling in the material that he could bring to his restaurant from across the breadth of the ex-Soviet empire. (And Glen revels well).

The timing of the WGF had been, well, precipitous. The financial meltdown felt like a thing of overnight, but had been creeping upon us like a cat in the dark. When Thai Air pulled their sponsorship at the 11th hour, it had seemed like there would be no Fest this year. But, with a lot of hard work the Four Seasons still pulled it all together. Still, with the F1 drawing away a certain amount of the heavies from the Gala, it was still “a close-run thing.”

So, is there still room for what some are referring to as “culinary elitism” in Bangkok? I, of course, hope so. I think the market is a bit less crowded now. The Epicurean business at the Dome didn’t come up this year (no billion baht dinner to top the million), and Gourmet Asia, after the 2007 attempt featuring Santi Santamaria and others, didn’t stage a repeat. While I’d love to immerse myself in a string of these events, I always worry that the market will self-destruct if worked too mercilessly.

And that financial element was all the buzz. I hope that Bangkok, having come through the 97 crash (and learned their lessons there) may weather the coming storm with relative aplomb (as opposed to now-bankrupt Iceland – poor Sigi). But, in a country where the major income earner is exports (sorry, Tourism, but it’s true), things could go sideways quite quickly. As others have said, are the days (or nights) of Le Normandie packed out with the beautiful rich coming to an end (or a hiatus)?

I refuse to give in to pessimism. At least, not while I’m sober. Next year the plan is for metrification, and I have full faith that it’ll come about.

“Metrification?” you say?

I’ll hope for 10s next year. And I’ll add more decimal based facts as we get closer to the date.

gallery_22892_6224_14154.jpg

Next - ………...

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Peter, memorable journal, hope there's more on the horizon (or even slightly below)....if you have to fly there CX could do with the pax (or cargo) revenue :)

I've been wondering if I could get a deal by sending my stomach as freight.

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  • 4 months later...

I'd been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks, having permission from the Four Seasons to let out some of the news.

It's not yet the complete line-up, but that should be settled soon.

So, here's the (almost) sneak preview for 2009

THE 10th ANNUAL WORLD GOURMET FESTIVAL

AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL BANGKOK

In association with Travel + Leisure South East Asia

Bangkok, March 2009: The 10th Annual World Gourmet Festival will take place 05-11 October 2009 at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and promises to be the biggest and best yet.

Since its inception ten years ago, the World Gourmet Festival has grown in prominence to feature an extraordinary line up of some of the world’s best chefs from all continents. Several food festivals are hosted throughout the world, however, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is the only hotel to bring award winning Master Chefs under one roof for a week long celebration of outstanding food, superb wines and to share tips and information on how to create award-winning cuisine. The full line up of chefs will be announced in March.

Already confirmed to participate are:

David Kinch, Manresa Restaurant (2* Michelin), Los Gatos, California USA

David Thompson, Nahm Thai Restaurant (1* Michelin), London, UK

Christine Manfield, Universal Café, Sydney, Australia

Mohammed Fedal, Dar Moha, Marrakesh, Morocco

Roberta Sudbrack, Roberta Sudbrack restaurant, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Luke Dale-Roberts, La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa

Fulvio Siccardi, Ristorante Conti Roero (1* Michelin), Monticello d’Alba, Italy

Francois Payard, Payard Pastry, New York, USA

Michael Ginor, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, USA

10th World Gourmet Festival/2

The final line-up will be revealed in March 2009. The event is coordinated and overseen by Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok Executive Chef Nicolas Schneller and Shintaro Chef, Satoshi Sawada and Biscotti Chef, Danilo Aiassa.

Each chef will host two evenings in one of the hotel’s restaurants; and a cooking demonstration either for lunch or dinner. You may catch them all at one time at the seven-course Gala dinner on Saturday, 10th October 2009.

So, you know where I'll be in October :biggrin:

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  • 4 months later...

Okay, the schedule is firming up, and official advertising is almost underway.

From the last posting the following are still on:

David Kinch, Manresa Restaurant, Los Gatos, California USA

David Thompson, Nahm Thai Restaurant, London, UK

Christine Manfield, Universal Café, Sydney, Australia

Mohammed Fedal, Dar Moha, Marrakesh, Morocco

Luke Dale-Roberts, La Colombe, Cape Town, South Africa

Fulvio Siccardi, Ristorante Conti Roero, Monticello d’Alba, Italy

Francois Payard, Payard Pastry, New York, USA

Michael Ginor, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, USA

To that list, we can now add:

Graham Elliot Bowles from Graham Elliot in Chicago

Carla Pernambuco from Carlota in Sao Paulo

Kazumi Sawada from Banreki-Ryukodo in Tokyo (1* Michelin)

There'll also be two market tours, one with David Thompson, and the other with Michael. The only down side on these is a 7:00 a.m. startup. I don't know if I can get up two days running at 7:00 a.m.

As with previous years, the WGF will be supporting the Save A Child's Life From Aids charity, sponsored by the Thai Red Cross and HRH Princess Soamsawali.

I should have the wines and sake details soon.

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  • 1 month later...

One change to the list....

Carla Pernambuco from Carlota in Sao Paulo has opted out, and Paola Carosella from Arturito in Sao Paulo has stepped in.

She'll be working with Bodega Catena Zapata from Argentina, so I'm definitely going to be there. The chance of a good Malbec always makes me bare my canines.

The wine tasting is going to be Chateau Le Pin.

For the sake to go with Sawada's meal, I have this:

SHIRATAKI JUNMAI DAIGINJO JOZEN MIZUNOGOTOSHI SAKE

SHIRATAKI JUNMAIGINJO JUKUSEI NO JOZEN MIZUNOGOTOSHI SAKE

SHIRATAKI JUNMAIGINJO JOZEN MIZUNOGOTOSHI SAKE

ICHINOKURA TOKUBETSUJUNMAI SHORAI SAKE

ICHINOKURA HONJOZO MUKANSA CHOKARAKUCHI SAKE

ICHINOKURA HIMEZEN SWEET SAKE

I'm getting rather excited.

Edited by Peter Green (log)
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It's coming into the last half of day two, and I've barely put a dent in the David Thompson write-up.

But, I strive to catch up, accompanied by a cab sauvignon and some very nicely spiced rolls from Shintaro (the restaurants take terms providing the appetizers for the exec club here). Rona, you would be particularly happy with the tempura'd tuna rolls (yes fry=good). Plus, when the Thai call something spicey, it is spicey.

I jump ahead a bit here, but I wanted to mention that I'll be doing a tour of Or Tor Kor market tomorrow morning with David Thompson. This is a good opportunity if anyone has questions they would like to pose. Let me know by tomorrow morning, and I'll try to get us some answers.

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