Archivi categoria: Food

Food

SPLENDIDO Magazin, the Food Magazin!

Galleria 14/09/2020 Donatella

“Focus on your true strength and find a niche. Don’t do it for the fame or your ego but for the matter. Convey value, ideally timeless value. Know what you’re writing about and don’t ever be seduced to become superficial or careless because the internet is quick and trashy. Be tyrannical when it comes to detail. And then: keep posting.”

Splendido Magazine, why did you start?!

Mercedes is mainly a writer, Juri is mainly a photographer. But for Splendido we switch roles all the time – sometimes Mercedes is behind the camera and Juri writes, and the next day it is the other way around. We are used to working together for years now and thats because we got to know each other while working together as freelancers for newspapers and magazines. But Juri started the blog that later became Splendido on his own at first, that was in 2015. He has always been a great cook and just started writing down what he was cooking. Since Mercedes loves cooking too and we both enjoyed cooking and eating together from the moment we first met, she got envious of his blog pretty quickly and was allowed to join. Eventually we decided to focus our magazine on Italian cuisine. Not only because it is the one cooking style we prefer and always come back to. Also it is a food culture with an almost infinite amount of local traditions, recipes and specialties to explore. Plus we have an apartment in Lombardy, Northern Italy, where we live up to about six months a year and travel a lot throughout Italy to learn more about Italian food and to find great spots to eat and shop local specialties. Pretty quickly we saw the interest for the blog grow bigger and decided to professionalize it.

How did you start and what kind of work/preparation behind Splendido?

After we decided to professionalize Splendido in 2017, we hired an agency to help us with the visual concept and the programming of a website that resembles no longer a blog but a profound magazine with a look and feel that fitted our needs and intentions. The new website went online in the end of 2018 and immediately it was well worth the hard work and money that went into it. The website is growing steadily since and by now it really became a job rather than being a nice hobby. We put a lot of work into the content of our website and work constantly on growing our audience. But it is still worth every minute of it, because a) we get to cook, eat and travel a lot and b) there is no better feeling in the world than being a creator and work on the behalf of your own business.

What’s so special in it?

A lot of people tell us they love not only our photos and recipes, but especially our writing. We try to write from a very personal perspective and we don’t just give instructions on how to cook something but always tell a little back story about a recipe too. Be it some witty or funny thought about life and cooking or some interesting fact about Italian food. Also we rarely give exact quantities in a recipe but rather encourage the reader to trust his own gut and develop his own sense and intuition for tasting and quantities.

We love the Italian principle of „quanto basta“, which means: no one can tell you how much of an ingredient you really need because you have to feel and taste for yourself whether its enough salt / flour / egg for your taste and also for the circumstances you’re working in.

How do you get inspired?

We travel a lot, read a lot, talk to people. Especially while on the road and when eating out in restaurants or visiting farmers. One of our favorite things to do is also to go for huge walks in a city like for example Milan and look at every single restaurant menu in the streets. Thats when we always come up with new recipe ideas or simply ideas for new combinations of ingredients. But inspiration can really hit you anywhere. We just launched our fashion collection (shop.splendido-magazin.de, we also ship to Italy), and therefore we collected photographs of Italian typography in the streets which we now worked with to design T-Shirts and Caps.

Where does your passion come from?

Good question. I guess we have both always loved food, loved Italy, loved traveling and look at the world and learn about traditions, cultures, design and daily human life in general, but also loved being artists and follow our talents in the fields of writing and photography. We have always been searching for some platform to combine all of these things in a fruitful and focused way so that it could also become an independent business and source of income for us.

Difficulties you had to face and goals.

The goal is definitely to grow and to be able to keep exploring Italy as well as our own capacities. We have a lot of plans for the future, our fashion collection was only the beginning.

Suggestions/advices to someone who wants to start a blog?

Focus on your true strength and find a niche. Don’t do it for the fame or your ego but for the matter. Convey value, ideally timeless value. Know what you’re writing about and don’t ever be seduced to become superficial or careless because the internet is quick and trashy. Be tyrannical when it comes to detail. And then: keep posting.

Projects for the future?

Many.

Follow Mercedes and Juri here but also in FB and Instagram

Food

OLIVOCRACY

Galleria 24/04/2020 Donatella

“The big love we have for both Italy and the UK shaped our biggest dream and gave us the motivation to turn it into reality: offer our British friends the possibility to taste the real Italian excellences at home and experience Italy like a local on a holiday to remember.”

Daniele & Eleonora grew up in a small city in the centre of Italy, in an area called Umbria, well known for its peculiar medieval hamlets, its hilly landscape covered by vineyards and olive groves and its delicious food. A place away from the buzz of the big cities where you can savour the pleasures of a slow paced lifestyle and experience a deep connection to nature and tradition.
They have known each other forever but then they met again in London 10 years ago, where Daniele had moved for work and Eleonora was on holiday… “And here we are! The big love we have for both Italy and the UK shaped our biggest dream and gave us the motivation to turn it into reality: offer our British friends the possibility to taste the real Italian excellences at home and experience Italy like a local on a holiday to remember.”

When did you start the Olivocracy project?
We started Olivocracy four years ago, with a range of organic and biodynamic single estate extra virgin olive oils from Italian small producers and then we added Magna Mater, a range of biodynamic condiments: balsamic vinegars, apple cider vinegar, white condiment and Saba that is cooked grape must. Single estate in most cases or single origin. Mostly, pillars of traditional Italian cuisine.
We work with organic and biodynamic small to medium scale producers as they are more connected to the agronomic heritage and the rhythm of mother Nature. Two of our extra virgin olive oils come from a FAO GIAHS, a Globally Important Agronomic Heritage System, “outstanding landscapes of aesthetic beauty that combine agricultural biodiversity, resilient ecosystem and a valuable cultural heritage”.
For us there cannot be excellence without sustainability, for two main reasons: first, we believe that in a product that is considered excellent there should be no undesired substances. Second and not less important, one of the points that make a product excellent, together with an amazing sensory and chemical profile, is the impact it has on the environment.

We believe that farming can have a positive impact on the environment if farmers work in harmony with Nature, nurture biodiversity and prioritize revitalization of the soil.
We support short supply chain and maximum traceability, products straight from the farm to our customers, certified, tested in a lab and with no additives whatsoever.

Where does your passion come from?
A few factors came together: our love for Italy and London, our deep connection to nature and to tradition, a strong will to stand up for more environmentally friendly practices and a passion for discovering niche, outstanding products. We love networking, we love collaborating with like-minded people, we love waking up in the morning with a sense of scope and feeling that we are part of a constantly growing movement of people thinking and acting differently.

Difficulties.
Doing everything by ourselves, learning things we had never done before and not all listed in the famous 20% of the Pareto Principle :D, starting a business without external funds, a highly competitive market, make audience understand the real value of our products, the fact that we pay the producers more than fairly and how much this affects the final price.
However, every difficult step, led us here and we are learning a lot about business, our sector and about ourselves, as individuals, as professionals and as a couple working together. It just feels great and all this resonates so much with what we are and our values that even in the most challenging days, we know where we want to go and who we want to be.

Your goals.
Our goal is doing something we love which makes us grow as both professionals and individuals while having a positive impact on the society. Offering people the option of shopping with an eye (or both) to the environment, to their health and to real quality. Keep on learning, evolving and expanding. Having a great work-life balance and a job that is also a passion that fulfills us and gives us energy to invest with people we love. Stay present to ourselves and in connection with nature.

Be the best version of ourselves and a source of good energy for people we meet!

Advices to someone who wants to start a business.
Find out what your mission and your core values are and live accordingly. Everything will be much easier and enjoyable. Be humble and see a teacher in everyone and every situation, but at the same time be self-confident and trust your ability to do well what you already know and to learn what you don’t. Network with genuine interest with like-minded people and welcome debate. Keep on learning, reading, watching videos, listening to people, feeding your brain and soul. Try not to let the business take over your personal life, find time for yourself, meditate, exercise, do yoga or whatever you like to take care of yourself and stay healthy. Find time for your loved ones, love and life are a great source of energy and inspiration.

Projects for the future.
At some point, we would love to be flexible between London and Italy, so to have more time to enjoy our families and the Mediterranean weather that we love so much! Widen the range of products and the circle of people we collaborate with. Create more and more synergies with other sectors of sustainable manufacture. Work on connected projects. Being able to delegate and allocate our working time to that aforementioned 20% of things that we really love doing.

Our mantra
Be the change you want to see in the world.
We don’t inherit the world from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
Keep calm… and call Batman!

Website

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Donatella

Food

The five best vegan restaurants in the world

Galleria 22/11/2019 Donatella

Some people say it’s impossible to make a list of the five best anything in the world, but I think they’re just not decisive enough. Food is subjective and can be so personal, but I would bet good money that this list is fairly exhaustive.

Sometimes when travelling it can be easy to slip into bad food habits, because it is so much easier to find something that will just fill you up, rather than nourish your soul. I’ve compiled this list of restaurants that offer healthy, beautiful food that is not just something to fill your belly, but also give you an experience, and help you feel more ready to face your next adventure.

Madame K’s (Melbourne, Australia)

Madame K’s is somewhat of a hidden gem, not because people don’t know about it, but because it has the slight misfortune of being opposite another vegan restaurant which is more popular, WHATEVER IT’S CALLED. I’m not sure why it’s more popular, but I suspect it may have something to do with the slightly more comprehensive menu, and the fact that it’s just a little bit cooler. Madame K’s is a fairly traditional Thai restaurant with the most delicious tofu I’ve ever had. I’ve never had a bad dish in there. If I were to give any tips on what to have it would be to start with the satay with roti – I have never had better roti anywhere.

Dirt Candy (New York, USA)

Dirt Candy is something as unusual as a vegan restaurant with a set menu. Located on the lower east side of New York, it looks fairly unassuming from the outside, and when coming in you are faced with a choice of either six or nine dishes. These are changed on a seasonal basis, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. Even if the food wasn’t amazing I would still put them on this list because it is so delightful to see that fine dining is waking up to plant based food, but luckily the food is all good enough that I don’t even have to fib to put them on the list.

Lao Wai (Stockholm, Sweden)

Lao Wai is a Chinese all vegan restaurant in Stockholm. It is fairly small and booking is recommended as it books out quickly, even on a random Tuesday night (as I had the misfortune of discovering the last time I went there). The food is simple and delicious, with many unique flavours that you don’t find easily in other restaurants – they make great use of Thai basil, for example. I would recommend going for dinner as the lunch is fairly uninspired (rolling two week menu with one dish per day, so if you happen to not like the dish of the day you’re out of luck), but if you do get a seat for dinner it is divine.

The Butcher’s Daughter (New York, USA)

This restaurant is mostly on this list for their fantastic spaghetti squash with tempeh. I still dream of this dish. I’m slightly worried that when I go back it will turn out to not be as amazing as I remembered it, but until then I live in hope. The Butcher’s Daughter do both breakfast, lunch and dinner very well, which seems slightly unusual – it seems most restaurants fall down on at least one of them. Well worth a visit.

Manna (London, UK)

Manna is a cozy, comfortable restaurant that offers all the dishes you remember from your childhood (and a few you don’t!), but vegan, and frequently updated to be better, fresher, more interesting. They’ve been in Primrose Hill for over 50 years, and it’s clear that they’ve been refining the menu consistently over that time.

Written by: Amanda Gun

Food

Jennifer Massier, the emotional Chef

Galleria 06/01/2019 Donatella

Smiling and spontaneous, Jennifer Massier has thrilled him -Massimo Bottura- with her dish taking home the podium in the competition “The chefs of tomorrow”. Her energy exploded when she was announced as a winner and we could not let this girl run out of talent and inspiration.

Would you tell us more about you, your background and when did your passion for cooking start?

Chef has always been my dream job, but as God always guides us humans, the path did not go straight, but in retrospect, it all had its good meaning, because I still needed the school of Jesus here for my healthy development. I first trained at McDonald’s, but I always enjoyed cooking at home and especially sauces have always been great fun because I think a good sauce makes a good cook. Yes, and then, through divine guidance, I landed at the Posthotel of Alexander Herrmann, just over a year ago, where I was now able to find the best job in the world. At that time, I started as a kitchen helper, but Tobias Bätz, my Headchef, quickly saw my passion for cooking, and helped me find a way to cook my apprenticeship. About the training I had the opportunity to win the second competition of the Jeunes Restaurateurs in cooperation with the European Authentic Pleasure 🙂

DE. Würdest Du uns mehr über dich erzählen, deinen Hintergrund und wann deine Leidenschaft fürs Kochen begonnen hat?

Köchin war eigentlich schon immer mein Traumberuf, aber wie Gott uns Menschen da immer so führt, ging der Weg nicht direkt, aber es hatte im Nachhinein alles seinen guten Sinn, denn ich brauchte die Schule Jesu bis hier her zu meiner gesunden Entwicklung noch. Ich habe erst eine Ausbildung bei McDonald’s gemacht, aber ich habe immer super gerne Zuhause gekocht und besonders Soßen haben mir schon immer super viel Spaß gemacht, weil ich finde, eine gute Soße macht einen guten Koch aus. Ja und dann bin ich durch göttliche Führung vor etwas mehr wie einem Jahr im Posthotel von Alexander Herrmann gelandet, wo ich jetzt den besten Arbeitsplatz der Welt finden durfte. Damals habe ich als Küchenhilfe gestartet, aber Tobias Bätz, mein Küchenchef hat sehr schnell meine Leidenschaft für’s Kochen gesehen und hat mir einen Weg gebahnt die Ausbildung zu Köchin zu machen. Über die Ausbildung hatte ich dann auch die Möglichkeit jetzt schon den zweiten Wettbewerb der Jeunes Restaurateurs in Kooperation mit der European Authentic Pleasure zu gewinnen 🙂

At what point you thought you wanted to participate to this contest, in Italy?

I first participated in a competition from the Jeunes Restaurateurs in cooperation with the European Authentic Pleasure in Germany and the first prize was the trip to Italy and participation in the competition in Modena from the European Authentic Pleasure and from the start I had an extreme joy for the competition and, of course, Massimo Bottura. He is a great role model for me and the idea of meeting him was so incredible, but cooking for him is of course much more!

DE. Wann hast Du entschieden, an diesem Wettbewerb in Italien teilzunehmen?

Ich habe zuerst an einem Wettbewerb der Jeunes Restaurateurs in Kooperation mit der European Authentic Pleasure in Deutschland teilgenommen und der erste Preis war die Reise nach Italien und die Teilnahme am Wettbewerb in Modena von European Authentic Pleasure und ich hatte von Anfang an extreme Lust auf den Wettbewerb und natürlich für Massimo Bottura zu kochen. Er ist ein großes Vorbild für mich und die Vorstellung Ihn zu treffen war so unglaublich, aber für ihn zu kochen natürlich noch viel mehr!

What’s your favorite food, the one that most represent you?

I have many favorite foods, but if I had to choose one, it would be spinach and potatoes.

DE. Dein Lieblingsgericht?

Ich habe viele Lieblingslebensmittel, aber wenn ich mich auf eines festlegen müsste, dann wäre es Spinat und Kartoffeln.

Zampone and Cotechino! Was it a challenge to integrate this typical Italian (from Modena) food into your recipe?

No, it was not very difficult to find a recipe for the Zampone! I love to work creatively, so I quickly found the right recipe where the Zampone also worked great.

DE. Zampone und Cotechino! War es eine Herausforderung, dieses typisch italienische Essen in deinem Rezept zu integrieren?

Nein sehr schwer war es nicht ein Rezept für die Zampone zu finden! Ich liebe es kreativ zu arbeiten und so habe ich sehr schnell das passende Rezept gefunden, wo die Zampone sich auch super integriert hat.

Jennifer Massier was chosen by Massimo Bottura. What is your feeling about Mr. Bottura and how this will  impact on your career or studies?

Yes Mr Bottura is a very great man and I had a very close relationship with him in the competition, which put a lot of pressure on me. He confirmed myself to be on the right track. And he called my dish very emotional, which is avery big compliment to me as I cook very emotionally and he tasted it out, which is just great!

DE. Jennifer Massier wurde von Massimo Bottura ausgewählt. Was ist Ihre Meinung zu Herr Bottura und wie wirkt sich dies auf Deine Karriere oder Dein Studium aus?

Ja Herr Bottura ist ein ganz toller Mann und ich hatte an dem Wettbewerb ein sehr vertrautes Verhältnis zu ihm, was mir ganz viel Druck genommen hat. Es hat mich selbst bestätigt, auf dem richtigen Weg zu sein. Und er hat mein Gericht als sehr emotional bezeichnet, was für mich ein sehr großes Kompliment ist, da ich sehr emotional koche und das er das raus geschmeckt hat, was einfach großartig!

Where do you see yourself in two years ?

In two years, my apprenticeship is over and I wish to be a cook who breaks culinary rules, who creatively cooks creatively with passion and love.

DE. Wo siehst du dich in zwei Jahren?

In zwei Jahren ist meine Lehre vorbei und ich wünsche mir, eine Köchin zu sein, die kulinarische Regeln bricht, die ungezwungen kreativ kocht mit viel Leidenschaft und Liebe.

Thanks Jennifer, we wish you all the best for your sparkling career and we’re sure you will be that kind of Chef!

Food

LA VENTANA (TAPAS 26)

Galleria 13/05/2018 Donatella

In the lush heart of Singapore, a little masterpiece of European and Asian fusion cuisine began in June 2015.

La Ventana is not only a restaurant, but a destination. The end point between two countries in a meal, surrounded by a lush garden in a timeless colonial building.

At the helm of this wonderful balance of flavours is Chef Tony Valero. After his training and fame obtained in Costa Brava, driven by his thirst for knowledge, Valero heads to El Viajante in London and subsequently to the Moo, Omm Hotel in Barcelona.

Inspired by the Globetrotters met during his path, a new ambition of bringing his passion into the World and the World into his passions settles in his mind. After Europe, a call to the East was inevitable. The road heads up with the executive head chef role at the search and interpretation of a modern reconstruction of Spanish cuisine, with fresh and local ingredients, in a latino-oriental mix which turns out magical. Now, after the successful experience in Malaysia at The Internmark and the Coquo, in Kuala Lumpur, the arrival at La Ventana, where Tony’s mission continues with Spanish and Asian’s influences in a caliente equilibrium zen.

Beauty and flavor in dishes and location, where the search for perfection emerges.

So, if your path brings you to Singapore, stop and rediscover, with a delightful delicacy, the world on a plate.

La Ventana was recently rebranded Tapas 26 with a new look and new website www.tapas26.com.sg Address: 26a Dempsey Rd, Singapore 247695 – Phone: +65 6479 0100

Food

Dodging Bullets: 3 tips for handling negative reviews

Immagine 04/03/2018 Donatella

Article written by Lyn Siew

A chef-friend of mine recently opened his first cafe, and sent me this message:

“Hi, Lyn, all is well until we received a 1* rating on Facebook on our kitchen inefficiency during our opening day. Must admit, it hurts. Read another a few days later, said our food wasn’t good enough. How can I not take it personally? It hurts me as it has brought my entire ratings down.” Surely it does. If you ever take anything or anybody seriously, surely any downside will hurt.

There is so much to learn from diners’ feedbacks that I have often joked about publishing online reviews into a retrospective print.

I have received everything from semi death threats, as astonishing as the ugliness of my outlet that my interior designer ought to be shot, that our food is so subpar to a food cart that it’s surprisingly that we are still in business, to ridiculing the lack of English proficiency from my team, to the threat of reporting my business to the ministry of trade due to not meeting a customer’s fine dining expectations.

As a restaurant owner, I can wholehearted admit that we are not perfect. We fucked up. I can also wholeheartedly apologize for being an utter failure for not meeting your expectations. I should shoot myself. I hear your anguish and I am truly sorry. Emotions aside, a business still runs as a business. We can only learn, improve and take the positive out of any situation no matter how catastrophic. Here are my tips for handling negative reviews:

Not everyone is your customer

Rule numero uno in Hospitality? Please everyone. A restaupreneur mentor who operates a successful chain in London often reminded me that pleasing every Tom, Dick and Harry is for the weak; simple because it is IMPOSSIBILE. We are a society of diversity – every individual is built on different tastes, preferences and expectations. We would be Gods if we could win every heart!

Hence, know your demographic. Who do you want in your restaurant? Target those. If you are operating a vegetarian eatery, keep the vegetarians happy. Don’t run after Bangers and Mash fanatics. It’s really that simple.

No one is perfect

We live in a democratic cyber age whereby anyone, with or without merit, are able to label themselves as food critics. There are those kind ones who care about humanity, and will provide your business with constructive feedbacks in confidence. Tip: Restaurateurs tend take these more seriously than a crazy public rant, and will provide you with compensation if necessary because we are truly appreciative towards your empathy and sanity.

As much as an imperfect restaurant can learn from constructive criticisms in their strive for perfection, let’s face it, there will always be trolls. Trolls who are little obsessed with a singular bad dining experience that they would take time to troll, and troll, and troll until they are heard. They will get all their friends to write you bad reviews. Just like a bad breakup, you kind of wish that they would just move on. And then there are also competitors who will disguise themselves as Micky, Goofy and a Babushka to take you down. These are the real creeps.

Show that you are making progress

I call this passive reactionary action. No matter your haters, there is nothing more annoying than shouting out to the world that you do take your work seriously by constantly innovating and progressing. I believe in the laws of the world, that if we subscribe to a simple law of hard work by focussing on the right criticisms, you will succeed. Believe in your product. Take the positive from the negative. Unless it’s the Michelin or World’s Top 50, don’t be consumed by social media ratings.

And when you succeed, there will be envy. And when there is envy, there will be competition.

We can’t make everyone love us. Even religions can’t, so don’t take heart. Learn. You may think: How are such pissy remarks even fair towards your team who have worked blood, sweat and tears over long hours? There are so many of us out there, working our arses off because we truly need the jobs to pay our bills – just to be trashed.

The restaurant business is not merely a job. This is a lifestyle. And it’s real, bad ass one.

Based in Kuala Lumpur and having previously lived and worked across 8 countries, Lyn Siew is the owner of an award winning Contemporary Chinese Hybrid Restaurant, Ruyi & Lyn, and a Western eatery Monte’s by the Red Herring. She is currently incubating a local startup project for culinary students, and building an online platform for the global food community. Relationship status? Married to food and champagne.
Follow her daily eating and drinking adventures on Instagram!

Food

Managing a restaurant. Of love and business.

Galleria 16/01/2018 Donatella

I have recently written here about how food evokes nostalgia, and how nostalgia evokes emotions. When we ingest food ( and drinks!), we are literally putting sources into our bodies. Hence, you can regard food (and drinks!) as a core energy fuel. My preferred fuel sources are vintage champagnes, Belgian fires, mayonnaise and battered fried chicken as my cheat accomplices behind my commitment to MyFitness App. These bad boys don’t zap my energy low – rather they inject me with happiness and the friendlier side of me…

What are yours? I am a staunch believer in pairing good food with good drinks in evoking happy emotions.

HOW TO LEAD A TEAM. An outstanding team management strategy is your key in the restaurant business.

Recently I have been working with my bar team in creating a fun pairing of cocktails and bites. I won’t bother going into detail into what the cocktail above comprises of, but all I can say is that it is pretty, tasty and fun. How do you feel just by looking at it? I feel happy because I am proud of my team’s creation. Every effort that goes into creating food and drinks excites me.

WHAT MAKES A BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL. Sheer hard work. Passion. And creativity.

By nature I am not a chef, food stylist nor a mixologist – but from a bystander’s point of view, I’d like to provide opportunities for those who persevere in this industry. The food business is currently hingeing on a self prolific destiny through celebrity chefs, restaurateurs and media personalities as marketing ploys. Recently I have come across dire cases of personal branding which I think is utterly poorly distasteful.

We are not eating Gordon Ramsay. We are eating food. There is one simple philosophy whereby if food is good, people will come back for it. Emotions through ingestion should govern our basic laws of nature and desire. I shouldn’t think returning customers should repeatedly pacify a person who c conceived, invested nor backed a shitty restaurant. Sadly, in our deteriorating national economy, I have seen cases whereby even when the food sucks, there will always be suckers. Restaurants that thrive for every other reason but the food. The socialist in me screams unfair for those who persevered hard in this industry.

STARTING A RESTAURANT IS HARD. To start a successful restaurant is even harder.

Admittedly the food industry is one of the toughest – the turnover rate of failing businesses is amongst the highest within the retail, hospitality and service sectors. You may have come across this fundamental business mantra: the more aggressive you are, the more successful you are. But can aggression sustain the culinary word?

All we need is a little humanity back in the food industry. Despite the integration of technology into fast food chains, restaurant businesses are still driven by a living team consisting of manpower which makes things work by creating, innovating and strategizing. Without humans, there would be no emotions fed into the foods we create.

I love to believe in people. And I’d love them to believe in me, too.

While managing a restaurant, let’s not forget that the culinary world will always be driven by humans, not machine.

Lyn Siew

ruyi@orientalrestaurants.com.my

Food

Behind Taste and Michelin

04/10/2017 Donatella

A friend from high society once joked (or rather, jeered):

“Lyn, you are a restaurateur, but you seem to have not visited many Michelin stars restaurants! ha ha ha! How can you even define good food?”

Ha ha ha, indeed. When I was much younger, my dad used to take me to a roadside stall in a dodgy part of Kuala Lumpur to buy these crispy wontons from an elderly man who fries them from a beat up gas stove by the street, come rain come shine. 20 years later to today, the elderly man, if not more elderly, still fries the same wontons amidst the rising shadows of a metropolis.

Dad said, “These are the last surviving wontons”.

As humble as they look, they may arguably be the best wontons in the world.

We may never replicate the full recipe. And perhaps, they may be worthy of a Michelin star dish. Same goes to the millions of hawker stalls in the world and the billions of home cooks. And your grandma’s recipes may be worthy of a Michelin.

My first Michelin dining experience was Alain Ducasse in Paris when I was 18. I remembered that though the dishes were intricate, it was unbearingly long winded and so overwhelmingly posh that I was unable to gulp water for fear of turning heads. It was so prosecuting that I thought if I had dropped a fork I would be kicked out.

Naturally, I am not the posh sort.

2 hours later, I wolfed down 20 bbq chicken drumlets from Quick. I was very happy!

Growing up I pretty much ate at home, The Ship, hawker stores and Chinese restaurants. I consumed mostly trash, instant noodles and frozen foods from Sainsbury’s in my rebellious teens. My 20s comprises of mostly alcohol and salads as I fought my weight gain. Fine dining leaked into my early 30s given that I had acquired some spending power. As I moved into the restaurant business, I widened my horizons to eat almost everything to remain in competition: street food, Haggis, wet market sushi, milkshakes from a cow, Joel Robuchon you name it.

Two weeks ago, I visited Ultraviolet by Paul Pairret in Shanghai. Using multi sensory technology on a ten seater table – we were served 20 meticulous courses fit for an emperor. I enjoyed every second of its complexity. Out of the plethora of tastes, I identified tinges of the hawker store wonton which is barely 1 euro out of this 600 euro Michelin star meal.

Just like fine wine, vintages grow in complexity. Whatever we eat, taste incubates into a greater prism of our consumption psychology as we grow older and sideways. If you had grown up purely on fine dining, you may never identify with nor appreciate the basic culinary building blocks of cooking. That molecular dish you had just raved on? It stemmed from a chef’s grandmother’s simple recipe.

No matter what you eat, be it in a Michelin star restaurant or at home – taste nostalgia should evoke priceless, happy memories.

Food is meant to be enjoyed. And the more you eat, the more you discover.

Taste is subjective, and good taste is often, acquired.

———————————-

Lyn Siew

Food

VIVID VEGETARIANISM

14/08/2017 Donatella

What’s insatiable about being in the restaurant business is…

That you work with food and that you are surrounded by food. Everywhere there’s food. Chefs shower me with food. Friends spoil me with food. My Asian family forces me with food. I make a living from food. There’s no escape from food.

Such a gruesome first world problem that one must never, ever take for granted!

As food is so vastly available I have NO self control when it comes to bingeing. I have a personal record of consuming 25 KFC chicken pieces in one seating and I can scoop mayonnaise and eat it like ice cream. I am also not very discerning when it comes to anything that is deep fried, oh lord.

Hence the 4-letter “D” word does not exist in my vocab.

For health reasons and in a lame attempt to limit all that borderless gluttony – I commit to a 50% vegetarian and meatless diet plan once a month. I explored the vegetarian market in the UK as healthy eating is relatively on the global trend. My findings? Vegetarianism or being Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian if you permit yourself with the consumption of dairy products… can be fun!

Vegetables look pretty… and tasty!

Natural and raw ingredients are very colourful – imagine a rainbow of capsicums, aubergine, plant sourced sauces, beetroot, tomatoes, basil leaves – this is a food porn aesthetics dream! Here is a plate I gorged from a healthy buffet at ETHOS consisting of a glorious scotch egg (for those lacto-ovos), humus, sweet potato chips, mint cauliflower, grilled chilli egg plant and guacamole. Screw the Michelins, this is gloriously tasty and filing as HEAVEN.

Vegetables are filling… without the carbs and guilt!

Like me, if you have a metabolism of a cow – rule out rice and pasta because carbs are essentially sugar. Many forms of root based vegetables such as aubergines provide an excellent source of fibre without leaving you with indigestion and an awful dis-humanitarian guilt of slaughter. If those cold leafy salads leave you hungry – replace them with grilled broccoli or cauliflower, they can fill you up so you will not snack later in the day. Should you need one: honey roasted cashews is a hero’s source of energy and is mega addictive.

The delicious options are endless: think sweet and sour carrot tempura, cauliflower cheese bake, creamed spinach, miso eggplants, onion bhajis in chutney, avocado and garlic dips… And these bizarre flour-less cakes are available from hipster cafes. If you are still hungry at this point, you must be kidding me.

Some restaurants do them… very right

In my opinion and to non-vegans, raw foods can be awful – plant based ingredients are mostly uncooked and the end result is often a deconstructed mess. Though there are incredible exceptions – Wild Food Cafe does an excellent pizza which tastes like pizza but looks nothing like pizza. This is the kind of dish that screams WOW and one that you will never forget – because you don’t really know what you have really eaten.

To top it off – there’s very little oil and fat in the vegetarian diet. Unfortunately carbs are present – but essentially your body requires fuel to burn, so be kind. I attempted a protein-only diet once in my early 20s and I ended up with constipation, weight gain and lethargy – hence instead of feeling sexy, literally I felt like a stuffed sausage.

Having said it all, let’s be mystified by the laws of nature: Elephants are vegetarians. Cheetahs are carnivores. Who’s leaner?

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Lyn Siew

Food

HELLO AND HESTON

12/07/2017 Donatella

As an entry level restaurateur of 3 years, I love to eat.

By introduction, I work to eat. I live to eat. I eat to eat.

And that brings me much satisfaction till the next meal. My largest pet peeve is a dissatisfactory, half boiled concoction of ambitious/ amateur hipster recipes – very much manifested within the fast “increasing” (but slow progressing) food and beverage industry. Most of the time, your grandmother’s recipe of pasta bolognese is the real deal; rather than the complicated molecular concoction comprising of a multitude of foreign ingredients sous-vide by a grumpy chef. I once came across a strange combination of obese miyazaki beef slabs, foie gras, sea urchin, caviar to top of bowl of rice and labelling it as a cholesterol bowl – hence the Asian internet goes crazy. Just like having too much of something good at once, when you smash a multitude of tasty elements together – births contradiction.

Greasy and Gross. Blasphemy! Leave the poor sea urchin alone.

Sometimes we need a nudge as to, whether, what we put into our mouth is truly delicious? Or are we swayed by Instagram aesthetics – the unwritten rule that one must order, photograph and post up a pretty dish to show our friends we have been there done that. As a restaurateur working with food day and night – psychology affects our choices and consumption.

Taste, I believe, is innate. Alternatively, one can be educated into an acquired taste and appreciation.

Believe me, and I can vouch for this – good food is worth eating.

My column will feature a particular “Star Dish” every posting – foods that I stumble upon and why I think it may be worth contributing to your waistline. In theory, good food should not make you fat. Sometimes you should avoid that pretentious “fusion” maki just because a skinny blogger was paid to say so. Settle for curiosity, low expectation and satisfaction.

By the way, I pay for my own meals.

As a bombastic opening, my first “Star Dish” is none other than Heston’s iconic “Meat Fruit” at The Dinner in Crown Towers, Melbourne. This is basically a smooth chicken liver pate guised in a form of a peach, with a gelatin coat. It is cheeky, fun and makes a good conversational topic to ease a disastrous date. If your date continues to decline thereafter and you need to diffuse time in between courses, engage into a chat with the friendly manager because service at this place is simply top-notch.

Foodies and Fat Duck fans would be familiar with Heston Blumenthal’s psychotic, science driven food preps – I watched him on the Masterchef Australia Finals whereby he challenged the 2 finalists to recreate a complicated dessert with lots of scientific hullabaloo. I would pee in my pants if I had to cook in lab method – but I am also in awe, because he does create some really, beautiful dishes.

You can try this at his London flagship too.

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Déshabillé Magazine

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Some people say it’s impossible to make a list of the five best anything in the world, but I think they’re just not decisive enough. Food is subjective and can be so personal, but I would bet good money that this list is fairly exhaustive.