Christmas this year is very special, we’re in Tuscany, with the sheer purpose of doing something different. No parents ( with exception of Alice ), no carp, no dumb Polish television, no cakes in huge variety. Just awesome Italian food every day. Alice and Ken took us all to a Christmas lunch today, menu, as displayed by Moka, 5 hours at the table…. Very enjoyable though. And great food. Pasta dishes as usual won my biggest approval, followed by a great chocolate fondant- served with unnecessary custard, but still great.
One of the most awesome dishes from work, seabass carpaccio with ponzu, truffle salsa and fresh summer truffles. So good, we gladly give the customers spoons to finish off the sauce.
A couple of pictures from the food training session at work the other day.
Wagyu tataki, beef so tender it melts in the mouth, rare, chargrilled- which gives it slightly bitter, wonderful flavour on the edges. Served with ponzu sauce. Yuuuuum.
Chilli garlic shrimps, chargrilled again and marinated in chilli garlic paste, the coriander and sesame oil give the flavour another dimension. I couldn’t get enough!!!!
Dinings is a place that looks like a bunker, it’s tiny, 11 tables downstairs, 6 at the sushi bar, tiny kitchen, everything is tiny. But the food……my God. It felt like coming home, although I didn’t come for dinner ( damn! ) but for a trial. Surely thanks to the Chefs’ training at Nobu the food looked incredible and smelled just like heaven. Even the smell of hot sake, of which I’ve never been a fan was pleasant. The smokey kitchen when tobanyaki was getting prepared- down the memory lane. But most of all the sushi. According to Fuku san, whom I’ve known from Ubon, I’ve done a good job last night, so I was pleasantly surprised with 2 small boxes of sushi to take home with me. The smell of this beautifully flavoured rice was killing me on the train back home. There was also a salad, green salad they serve with some chilli dressing with tempura prawns as big as a small fist, the image of it is still in my head.
Well, whether I’ve done well enough to get the job I will find out when they call me.
Ken took us out last night, we went to the place we’ve been to before and I remembered it from its awesome creme brulee. Pub grub, said Alice, but I thought it was much more than that. Tonight I tried venison for the first time ever. LOVED IT! It was a grilled steak, served with roasted parsnips and carrots, some dauphinoise spuds and jus, very rich, but not overpowering. Gamey, tasty, tons of flavour. Lost my venison virginity.
We spent last weekend in Normandy with Moka and Ivan. On Mont St Michel we tried the omelettes the island is famous for- the most expensive lunch in my life, but hey-
It looks enormous, but it was light and fluffy, with lovely salty fried ham served on the side. Great stuff!
The day after Ivan had a seafood platter for lunch;
That was refreshing change after the horribly overcooked shrimps we came across the night before.
