A Few of My Favourite Things !

 

Okay, I’m still catching up on our holiday adventures!

Instead of busying ourselves with tours of galleries and museums and visiting the Top 10 sites listed in guide books, this time we defiantly struck out in search of new foods to try instead. We visited La Maison du Chocolat, Laduree and Pierre Herme and tasted their intricately-decorated pastries for the first time.

Of the pastries, my personal favourite was probably the Plaisir Sucre for two reasons. One, the sensational chocolatiness minus any cloying sweetness. Two, the construction, as well as the differing textures, of the layers which consisted of a hazelnut dacquoise base topped with a milk chocolate spread, dark chocolate ganache and thin dark chocolate sheet twice over, whipped chocolate cream and finally another thin dark chocolate sheet. Maybe one day I will feel brave enough to try making it at home, as Keiko has done. The Surprise Yu dessert, stewed and raw apples with yuzu with yuzu cream enclosed in meringue and wrapped in orange cellophane, is also pictured here (back) but this really was not to my liking. The other pastry worth mentioning is the Isphahan (not pictured but you can see what it looks like here) from Laduree, fresh raspberries and lychee and rose-flavoured cream sandwiched between pink meringues – unusual and summery flavours.

Of course, we also had to try the much-heard of macarons. We picked a number of flavours from both Pierre Herme and Jean Paul Hevin, but our favourite by far was caramel à la fleur de sel (A: “I would go back to Paris just for these!”). Fortunately, A had the forethought to ask for two of these! The most unusual and strongest flavour was truffe blanche et noisette. Although the earthiness of the truffle flavour was certainly unusual and unexpected in a macaron, it did not prevent us from enjoying it.

This post has been a LONG time coming! I’ve been busy with work and also lazy about posting about our dinner here because these photos do not do any justice at all to the food. Let me quickly add that this is not a reflection on my photography skills although I have a long way to go in this department, but rather a problem with taking photos at close range with a disposable camera.

So, why was I using a disposable camera in the first place? Well, during one of our outings in Prague, we pulled out our compact digital to take a photo of ourselves in the snow. It was very chilly, and I can now tell you from experience that it is difficult to handle a camera when your hands are enveloped in thick, warm woolly gloves. It’s easy to have the camera suddenly slip from your hands to hit the hard, icy ground and become damaged…and for you to have to purchase a disposable camera so that you can continue taking photos on your trip…

We arrived in Paris from Strasbourg at around 6:00pm and immediately proceeded to promenade down the Champs Elysee, enjoying the ambience of this romantic city once again. After strolling around for about an hour, we started to look for a place to eat. We wandered over the Pont Royal to St Germain des Pres in search of dinner, but being Christmas night there were few people on the streets and fewer places that appeared to be open. We walked down a rather deserted Rue de Bac past one or two brightly-lit bistros that were silently waiting to be filled. As we turned onto Bd St Germain, we spotted red and white lettering on a black sign that read ‘L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon’. We crossed the road, not knowing whether we needed a reservation or even if they were serving meals that night, however we were quickly and warmly welcomed into the cosy restaurant to sit at the bar facing the open kitchen. We ordered a couple of degustation-sized meals and although the photos are not in focus, the food was certainly our main focus that evening:

La lisette sur une tarte fine au parmesan

La sardine au confit de tomates

La chataigne en fin veloute au fumet

La langoustine en ravioli truffe, au chou

L’agneau de lait en cotelette au thym

Le chevreuil, mignonette a l’aigre doux

Our waitress was most agreeable in helping us to make our choices (and relaxed about me taking photos of food & kitchen) and kept a close eye on our progress to ensure that each serving came out immediately after the previous one had been cleared. They didn’t rush our meal at any stage, but the pace at which the next dish was served was such that we wished there was more breathing space between. Our dishes were as good as you would expect from any top restaurant, but the goat was a real stand out for me as 1. it’s not something that I would normally have and 2. it was so tender and rich that it reminded me of liver, almost. This was closely followed by the langoustine ravioli and the anchovy tart.

PS – A big hello to David & Mark from the Orange County if you are reading this!

Here is what I did this morning – the Sussan 10km Fun Run! I was pretty chuffed to (a) complete the whole 10k without stopping to walk; and (b) come in at just over 54min. Although my husband often questions why they would name events like these ‘fun runs’, I have to say that it really was fun to be running on such a beautiful sunshiny morning along the St Kilda foreshore and look out onto the blue, blue waters. So, how was your morning?

After completing the event, we headed to Baker D. Chirico, an artisan bakery on Fitzroy Street, to pick up a loaf. There are many delicious-looking treats just waiting to be had: lemon creme brulee, strawberry custard tarts, almond biscuits, baby meringues, little flourless chocolate cakes. We left with a loaf of rye bread and a slice of pear custard tart for my hubby, who sat reading patiently while waiting for me to complete the run. The loaf was just out of the oven, and we waited (im)patiently for it to cool before cutting some slices to have with lunch. Mmmmm, talk about yummy bread – so moist and fragrant.

Ed and Sarah above

Some guy and Jamie below

This post is a little tardy given that our Melbourne Food Blogger dinner was held the Wednesday before last, but better late than never, right? Anyway, Ed and Sarah had already posted about the night so it wasn’t like anyone was really waiting for this post to be posted, but I thought I’d load up the photos that I took on the night anyway cos they turned out pretty well.

Suckling pig (above) and chinese broccoli, aka kailan (below) from the Supper Inn – always a great place to stop by for a late supper (or at any time, really!).

We had an early Christmas office function at Chilli Padi tonight and were treated to a specially organised degustation menu. The chef who helped organise the menu, Li, was delightful to deal with and the wait staff, although a little awkard at times, were generally quite competent. The night was very warm and humid and the seating a little too close for comfort. It would have been better if they had provided a little more breathing room between tables and between people at the same table given that the room was not air conditioned.

The table had been laid with white table cloths and napkins, and a touch of festivity was added with the presence of ‘Noel’ candles and some bonbons that we had brought along. Although the setting was lovely and the staff attentive, the food was a little hit and miss.

Unagi seaweed and Mirin Oyster Shot

Chilli Soft Shell Crab on Baguette:

Lobster with Scallion and Ginger on Crispy Noodles:

The lobster was tough and noodles too dry. I much prefer the traditional version of this dish.

Fish with Ulam Sweet Chilli Sauce and Rice

The fish was too dry for my taste although the others found it okay.

Beef Rendang with Crispy Roti Fingers and Tomato Sambal:

The rendang had a great flavour but the beef was not as tender as I had hoped and the roti fingers were dry, not fluffy. I didn’t see any tomato sambal.

Twice-cooked Duck with Plum and Cranberry Salad and Shitake Mash:

I had been really looking forward to this dish but unfortunately the duck was rather bland and not falling off the bone as I had hoped it would be. The salad was really tasty though and the mash was more-ish.

Cold Berry Soup with Fruit Cubes and speckled caviar pearls and truffle wonton:

This was a lovely refreshing end to dinner. The caviar pearls turned out to be just sago, despite the exotic sounding description. I enjoyed this dessert very much after the meal.

I also baked Pierre Herme‘s Faubourg Pave (baked in a round tin) to serve as part of the meal. This is one RICH dessert! He suggests using Valrhona Manjari (bittersweet) and Jivara (milk) for the ganache but I had used the Callebaut that was in my pantry instead. My goodness – what flavour! Also, I marinated the apricots with szechuan as well as black pepper. Mmmmm…

Although I wouldn’t be tempted to try the degustation menu again anytime soon, I would come back to check out the hawker-style dishes that they serve at Chilli Malam. It looks like a great place to sit down with a group of close friends for a late meal.