Archivi tag: food blog

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

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

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

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.

———————————-

Déshabillé Magazine

Archivi tag: food blog

The five best vegan restaurants in the world

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.