Archive for August, 2011

Suzanne Pirret, Heston Blumenthal – London

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

pleasure-is-all-mine-suzanne-pirretSuzanne Pirret is an American now living in London, and the bio in her cookbook states that she is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater Institute at Harvard, an “award-winning voice-over artist”, and “a graduate of the Cordon Bleu, beginning in Paris and and ending in London.” She has also claimed to have worked for Jamie Oliver as a pastry chef at his restaurant Fifteen in London. Last but certainly not least, she is currently dating Heston Blumenthal (Fat Duck & Dinner) who reportedly, even though troubles had been brewing for awhile, has left his wife for her. Pirret wrote the following words for the London Evening Standard’s ES Magazine: “Images of food and sex have become one long billboard of licking, sucking, dripping and drooling. Food porn is ubiquitous… Food and sex. Two of my favourite things,  and the most powerful of all human drives. Best one after the other in either order, I’m not picky.”

She is also a cookbook author — see her 2009 The Pleasure Is All Mine: Selfish Food for Modern Life that includes advice on dinner guests, how to get a reservation, and modern etiquette. The back cover has a quote from Bobby Flay: “I couldn’t put this book down!  Everyone will be begging to be a guest or even a dishwasher in Suzanne Pirret’s kitchen after reading and cooking from The Pleasure Is All Mine. She’s infectious!” (Is this the only recommendation she could find to put on her back cover? Oh well, I suppose it’s fitting.) This is comparable to an expensive pictorial magazine selling its back cover space to Timex instead of Piaget. However, it must be taken into consideration that it is a “bargain book” and can be found at Amazon selling for $10.

Following is what appears to be a promotional video for her book, released on YouTube. Although, it mentions “as seen on” The Huffington Post?

Video Link – The Pleasure Is All Mine – Suzanne Pirret:

The Pleasure Is All Mine

Embattled Chef Gordon Ramsey’s Newly Opened Montreal Restaurant Evacuated – Montreal

Monday, August 15th, 2011

GordonRamsay

Laurier Gordon Ramsey, was evacuated due to a sprinkler system malfunction a few hours into the opening night of his new restaurant in Montreal. The restaurant was a well known, former landmark called Rotisserie Laurier. The newly designed space sustained little damage due to the incident and Ramsay, who is also known for his foul-mouth while appearing on cooking shows, instead offered apologies to patrons who were inconvenienced.

Banana Peels Filter Polluted Water; Avoid Artificially Ripened Bananas Using Carbide – Brazil

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

banana

small logo RDCCulinary Tidbits . . . A Brazilian researcher, Gustavo Castro from São Paulo State University, has found that banana peels can take heavy metals out of polluted water. They tested them on water polluted with copper and lead from Brazil’s Paraná River and the peels performed as well or better than other filtering agents such as silica or carbon. In addition, they could be used up to 11 times before they gave up as purifiers. However, keep in mind that they will not eliminate bacteria from water!

Also, avoid artificially ripened bananas using Carbide. Here is the way that you can tell: Bananas which are ripened naturally are dark yellow and there are small black spots here and there on the bananas and the stalks are black, while those that are forced ripe with Carbide are lemon yellow and their stalks are green and are clear yellow without any black spots. Carbide is a chemical that if mixed with water, emits heat and bananas that are dipped in this mixture ripen artificially.

PeraMakan Restaurant, Nonya/Peranakan – Singapore

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Peramakan-restaurantimage credit: Peramakan

The legendary Nonya & Baba, located on River Valley Road, which used to be my favorite Peranakan restaurant in Singapore when I was living there is now sadly, gone.
They used to prepare signature dishes included Ayam Buah Keluak (which can take up to a week to prepare the nuts) and Itek Tim a soup with an interesting blend of duck and salted vegetables.
Now, I believe, PeraMakan is probably the best for this type of cooking in Singapore, although undoubtedly, their are many choices.

Level 3, Keppel Club
10 Bukit Chermin Road
Singapore 109918
(5 minutes drive from Vivo City/HarbourFront)
Tel. 65 63772829
Fax. 65 62727585
Email: kelvinlee@peramakan.com
Open daily, including Sundays and public holidays for lunch and dinner.
Lunch: 11:30 am to 3:00 pm (last order: 2:30 pm)
Dinner: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm (last order: 9:30 pm)

For Enquiries: Call 65 63772829
Desmond Leong, Operations Manager
Tony Tan, Operations Executive
or email to enquiries@peramakan.com

We cater to vegetarians and customers with dietary requirements. Please call ahead to order your food

Cuisine: Traditional & Contemporary Peranakan
Price: Average $22 to $28 per head
Dress Code: Business, Smart Casual
Reservations: Required on PH and weekends
Restaurant Capacity: 130 guests
Patio Capacity: 80 – 100 guests

Ample parking lots at covered multi-storey car park or on white lots at Club House. many.

Ah Heng Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee – Singapore

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Ah Heng Curry ChickenAh Heng Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee
Hong Lim Food Centre #02-58/59
Blk 531A Upper Cross Street
Hong Lim Food Centre
Singapore 051531

After renovations were completed Ah Heng is back to its original location in Hong Lim Food Centre, after a year at its temporary outdoor location at Hong Lim Green. Famous for their chicken curry with Hokkien noodles, poached chicken, boiled potatoes and taupe (beancurd puffs).

Nest at Le Fenix Novotel – Bangkok

Thursday, August 11th, 2011
Fenix
Le Fenix Hotel Bangkok
566 Ploenchit Road,
Lumpini, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0)2 305 4000
Tel: +66(0) 2305 6000
Fax: +66(0) 2305 6001
E-mail H7176@accor.com
Website: www.novotelbangkokploenchit.com
The Nest Rooftop
Hours of Operation:18:00- 02:00
Nest 1-1Nest is perched on the roof surrounded by the cityscape

Nest rooftop lounge, located in the contemporary Novotel Fenix Hotel off of Ploenchit Road on Soi 11, with Q Bar and Bed Supper Club in close proximity. It is popular with both hotel guests and a trendy crowd of locals, alternatively the hotel bar Flow has an interesting array of drinks on its menu. Nest is one of the most recent rooftop venues to emerge on the Bangkok scene, it is an open-air space that takes up the roof of the Hotel Fenix with a retractable cover to enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view of the city literally surrounding you, with part of the space devoted to sandy surfaces, beach chairs and chaise lounges. Guests can sit back on couches or the nest-style wicker beds and enjoy a variety of drinks and cocktails.

I ordered a Batida de limão Leblon made with Cachaça and lime (named after a beach suburb close to Cococabana where I stayed with friends at one time). It is the best rendition I have tasted outside of Rio on one visit, and suffered on another try.

Nest 2

Nest 3The sand-beach area “take your shoes off and relax”.  Smoking is allowed at Nest!

Nest 5

Nest5-5

Catalana, Tapas & Wine – Bangkok

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Catalana, Bangkok

Mixx Disco – Bangkok

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

Mixx Disco

Mixx Disco

973 Phloen Chit Road
Basement of Intercontinental Hotel, D Floor
Bangkok 10330
President Tower Arcade
Chitlom Station
Next to Gaysorn Plaza Shopping Mall

Mixx Disco is probably a better choice for this basement location in the Intercontinental Hotel, which due to the poor exhaust system installed at the location was ill-suited for what once was a true Brazilian churrascaria with flaming beef that caused a great deal of smoke problems. Now, the system most likely updated, is quite fine for the throbbing crowd of dancers who do their thing until the late hours or should I say, the early hours of the morning. One of the rooms allows smoking too.

Mixx Disco Intercontinental Hotel

View the Mixx Video on YouTube below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nqo-PFS4hQ

Le Chene French Restaurant – Los Angeles

Sunday, August 7th, 2011

Le Chene

Le Chene French Cuisine

‪12625 Sierra Highway‬
‪Santa Clarita, CA 91390‬
‪Tel. (661) 251-4315‬
lechene.com‬‎

Le Chene’s (The Oaks) cooking is, and has always been, very consistent over the many years I have been driving to this lovely French country “Auberge”, owned by Chef Juan Alonso. It is always a pleasure to re-visit classic favorites such as: (Starters) Shrimp Monegasque, Tongue Vinaigrette, Artichoke Vinaigrette, and Mushroom Salad (Mains) Veal Forestiere, Calf’s Liver Bercy, Rabbit with Mustard Sauce, and Sandabs Meuniere (Desserts) Profiteroles Au Chocolate, Poire Belle Helene, Tarte Tatin, and Peach Melba.

Le Chene has an underground natural cellar housing more than 32,000 bottles and has consecutively won the Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence for many years.

Dining Room overlooks a beautiful gardenYou will not find “frou-frou” designs swirled onto the plates or precariously constructed food towers here,  just well-arranged dishes containing Juan’s fine quintessential cooking.

Shrimp Monegasque

The climate in Mint Canyon near Agua Dulce is warm during the day but cools off at night due to the breeze blowing up the canyon and is well suited for growing wine grapes, although when Juan first started to plant them, he was warned that it would not be successful. He has proved that these critics were wrong, and is presently growing Grenache, Sirah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Alvarino and other varietals.

I tasted a wide variety of the wines, which they produce at their various properties during a long, leisurely lunch on my most recent visit last May, and all of them were pleasant and easy to drink. I could not complain about any of the bottles I tasted, and that is what drinking wine on a Sunday afternoon is all about, and the reason I took so few photographs, as I was having too good of a time!

Garden at Le CheneThe garden where many weddings have taken place under the arborPicking blood orangesPictured above: Juan and my daughter picking citrus fruit at his home

Blood OrangesBlood oranges growing very well on his beautiful property nestled in the hills overlooking the vineyards on one side and the canyon on the other

Papaya – Health Benefits, of this Lucious Tropical Fruit

Friday, August 5th, 2011

papaya tree

Health Benefits of Papaya (Carica papaya, papaw, or pawpaw) The papaya is a large tree-like plant, with flowers similar in shape to the flowers of the Plumeria. It is indigenous to the tropics of the Americas, and was first cultivated in Mexico.

Including the delicious taste, papaya offers countless health benefits:

* Contains the enzyme papain that aids digestion
* Contains antioxidents, soluble high fiber content and vitamin C, A and E
* Rich source of beta carotene, folates, vitamin B, flavonoids, potassium, magnesium, and pantothenic acid
* This amalgamation of nutrients helps in improving cardiovascular health and can also help prevent cancers
* The fruit is low in sugar and therefore is tolerated by diabetics
* Regular consumption of papaya can help in the prevention of diabetes and atherosclerosis
* Papayas contain a high concentration of provitamin A carotenoid phytonutrients. These are very powerful antioxidants and are very good source of vitamins A, C, and E. All of these vitamins act as antioxidants and are able to rid the body of free radicals to prevent cancer
* The antioxidants also prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. This is important, as the cholesterol if it becomes oxidized, may begin to stick to the walls of arteries, making them smaller and causing hypertension. Cholesterol can form plaques in the blood vessels causing blood clots to form or forming arterial blockages themselves
* The fiber present in papayas can help bind the toxins that cause cancer
* In the colon, these toxins help in keeping the cancer causing toxins at bay
* The other nutrients contained in papaya are also known to reduce the risk of cancers, especially that of colon cancer
* These are good at reducing both external and internal inflammation
* In diseases which are worsened due to inflammation, like asthma, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis, the papaya fruit can be really beneficial
* Papaya will relieve nausea and motion sickness
* Macular degeneration is a natural degenerative disease that can be prevented by consuming at least three servings of papaya every day

Tropical Papaya

Follow these links for more information:

http://www.healthnfitnesscare.com/health-benefits-of-papayas.html

http://www.elements4health.com/papaya.html

http://healthbenefits-of.org/2011/06/the-health-benefits-of-papaya.html

http://genuineaid.com/2009/02/27/papaya-fruit-nutrients-and-benefits/

A link to the book, “The Medicine Tree” follows:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0846451999?ie=UTF8&tag=healtproduand-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0846451999

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