Vodka Orange Ice Lolly

garnished with mint leaves and Bing cherries

It is 27 degrees in London. It's like seeing Rosol beating Nadal at Wimbledon this year. Unbelievable. A month ago, if you had told anyone that we would be experiencing these kinds of temperatures, they would think you were crazy.

But yes! It is absolutely gorgeous and what better way to welcome the fashionably late English summer than to make cocktail ice lollies. I came across the idea after seeing an article in the Metro a few weeks ago. It was only until I was being slowly tortured (by studying the civil litigation rules ... Lord have mercy) that I decided to give myself a break and create some alcoholic reward.

 

I raided our ever-expanding alcohol storage facility (we really do need a room for the alcohol in our house) and found some Absolut Vodka to mix with the orange juice. In our garden, Mama Wong grows all sorts of staple herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, basel, bay leaf tree ....) and more exotic ones used for Vietnamese dishes. I picked some fresh mint to decorate my ice lollies and selected some incredibly sweet Bing cherries for taste. The cherries will also add this wonderful peachy-pink colour to the ice lolly.

I carefully placed the mint leaves and sliced segments of cherry into the mould. I then mixed the orange juice with vodka. Although you may want to be generous with the alcohol, if you have too much, the lollies will not freeze properly. Slush-puppies are not the desired product.

After ensuring the mould was full, I placed it in our huge freezer over-night ... and voilà! Here is the final product!! The perfect summer indulgence.

 

Lobster Roll at Burger & Lobster

There is no better advertisement for a restaurant than word-of-mouth. I kept hearing about Burger & Lobster (B&L) from different people - friends, family and random people on the train home. Being the naturally curious food enthusiast that I am, I met Tiffany (the real foodie and a culinary star at Marcus Wareing!) for lunch. 

Situated in Mayfair, B&L opens its doors at noon and by 12:40, the place is usually packed. No reservations, customers are seated on a first-come, first-served basis (very Meatliquor-esque).

There is no food menu. For £20, you are given the choice of either a burger, lobster or lobster roll. Everything comes with a side of fries and salad. We both chose the lobster roll, which was good - fresh lobster meat, mayonnaise, green onion, herbs and some lemon juice. Was B&L overhyped? Probably. But for £20, it's pretty decent and unique in London. Tiffany and I asked to see the lobsters and the waitress took us downstairs to view the goods. B&L's lobsters are all sourced from Canada.

What I really liked was their vanilla cheesecake. It comes in a paper cup, the kind you get when you go the theatre and order extortionately expensive ice-cream. Holy Shamoley. I loved it. I think it was even better than the one at Belvedere. 

http://burgerandlobster.com/

29 Clarges Street, Mayfair

Deadly but Delicious Dessert at Bar Boulud

Croustillant Trois Chocolats (a.k.a Tonka Bean Dessert)

After spending a terrifying fifteen minutes on the district line surrounded by Chelsea FC supporters (I did actually watch the game in some father-daughter bonding time... and Ramires and Drogba were excellent), I was relieved to finally reach the urban brasserie that is Bar Boulud. 

Situated in the 'basement' of the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, Bar Boulud is the sleek offspring of the famous New York-based French chef, Daniel Boulud. I remember going to Boulud's Beijing outpost (Maison Boulud) two years ago, but that was disappointing ... and very expensive. Luckily for its cousin, Bar Boulud is a reliable place for eager foodies.The gourmet burgers such as the 'Frenchie' with confit pork belly, rocket, dijon tomato compote, morbier cheese on a peppered bun is great. My friends had the 'Yankee' grilled beef burger with iceberg lettuce, tomato pickle and sweet onion on a sesame bun. The 'Yankee' was tasty but perhaps a bit on the small side, especially for hungry Old Harrovians. I had the whole roasted lemon sole with brown butter and lemon, that was not so great.

The 'Yankee' Beef Burger

My friend, in a moment of genius, ordered a memorable seafood salad complete with prawns, mussels and clams on a bed of asparagus and other tasty greens. But! It was the aioli that came with it that had us addicted. Yes, I would go back to Bar Boulud just to dip my bread into that wonderful white sauce. 

Seafood Salade with Aioli

The Croustillant trois choclats is a miniature architectural wonder. Tuile, a thin almond-based French cookie, is curled around milk and dark chocolate crémeux. Crémeux (creamy) is the lovechild of creme anglaise and chocolate. Tonka bean ice cream is placed on top with a curl of chocolate as a garnish. My other friend queried what exactly a tonka bean was. According to our waiter, the tonka bean originates from South America which has so many different flavours it could be described as having a taste complex. Some have suggested it has aromas of almond, cherry, vanilla and cinnamon. After some quick google-ing, I discovered that tonka beans are a major source of a chemical called coumarin. Coumarin is actually considered illegal in the US due to some unfortunate side-effects to the human liver. Apparently, you would need to eat about 30 entire tonka beans before you reach toxic levels but I am certain that the ice cream had nowhere near that amount. In the event that you do collapse for whatever reason, you will be comforted to know that your last meal involved one of the most elegantly made haute-desserts in town.

Website: http://www.danielnyc.com/barbouludLondon.html#barboulud_menu
Telephone:  +44 (0)20 7201 3899


Address: Bar Boulud London, 66 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LA.

Paris - La Belle Cuisine

The Frenchy Salade

In four days, I fell in love with the city all over again. It was probably a combination of seeing family and friends, Ai Wei Wei's amazing exhibition at the Jeu de Paume; presidential election fever; the red Louis Vuitton summer dress and of course, the food.

The photo above depicts a truly marvellous salad; it tastes even better than it looks! My friend, Thomas, took me to 'Yuppies Cafe' on 13 rue Montenotte. Toasted almonds are sprinkled on the parma ham. Camembert is half-melted in the oven and placed on top of brown bread. The salad consisted of warmed greens, tomatoes and roasted baby potatoes. Simplicity at it's best!

Phở - Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

Vietnamese food in Paris is legendary. In 2006, it was estimated that 250,000 Vietnamese people are living in France. The sheer number of Vietnamese living in Paris combined with high-quality French ingredients has allowed this particular Asian food to flourish in the European capital. A few years ago, I travelled to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city with Mama Wong. We were slightly disappointed with the quality of beef served at most of the restaurants. The cattle raised in Vietnam are fed on poorer foodstuff compared to their European and American cousins, leading to a poorer quality of meat.

If you are looking for Vietnamese food in Paris, you must go to 'Le Kok' on 129 Avenue de Choisy. We went with my uncle and my lovely cousin, Alexia. In addition to the Pho, they will also give you the some of the bones with beef and tendons separately - dipped in the oyster and chilli sauce with a squeeze of lemon juice .... it was superb!

     

Now for some sweet things. Our family friend, Vannessa, took me to the Jewish Quarter in Paris. Rue des Rosiers (street of the rosebushes) is situated in the 4th arrondissement of Paris and is also known as the 'Pletzl' (little place in Yiddish). I love this place for their independent labels and boutique eateries. Most of the shops here are also open on Sundays.

Vanessa bought some pastéis de nata (Portuguese egg tart pastry) from Comme à Lisbonne on 37 rue du Roi de Sicile. These babies were amazing!? The warm thin crust is perfectly crispy and the rich egg custard is lightly dusted with cinnamon. (I am smiling as I type this).

Pastéis de nata

After a hard day's shopping on Avenue de Montaigne (where I tried on this killer Christian Dior dress), we had dinner at Little Italy on 92 Rue Montorgueil. The tables are close together but the food is excellent! Good, large, fuss-free portions of Italian cooking. I had the ravioli with wild mushrooms. Creamy and rich, the dish was wonderful. (The waiters here are also quite cute ... hehe)

Little Italy

One place we did try to go to was Derrière on 69 rue des Gravilliers. Unfortunately, they were fully booked. Opened in 2008, Derrière is a 'concept-dining' venue which resembles someone's large apartment. Customers can choose where to sit - be it the dining room, salon, bedroom or boudoir. Serving simple French food, Derrière has a large following ... I will remember to book in advance the next time (+ 33 1 44 61 91 95/info@derriere-resto.com)!

Slow Roasted Beef Rib Joint

There is something magnificent about roast beef. The moment the beef is brought to the table, conversation comes to a hush and everyone's gaze is fixed on the wonderful meat and the ritual carving. Roast beef has a sense of occasion about it and your guests will feel incredibly special if they are served this for lunch or dinner. 

Today, we roasted a 3kg extra matured Scotch Beef rib joint. At our house, we like our beef medium-rare because it is just the perfect balance of flavour and tenderness.

 

(1) Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C

(2) Thinly trim off the top surface of the fat.

We do this because the we find that the fat surface can feel slimy and it will have been handled by a few people. 

 

(3) Season the beef using pepper, salt and half a clove of pressed garlic. Thoroughly rub all the ingredients into the meat.

 

(4) Place the beef on a high-heat pan and sear the meat on all sides for a few minutes. Searing will enhance the flavour of the meat.

(5) Place the meat into the oven and let it roast for approximately 1h30m. To test the meat, pinch a lean surface; if the flesh springs back readily, it is rare; if less resilient, it is medium rare; if firm, the beef is well done. Alternatively, you could insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat (keep the tip away from bone and fat). According to most experts, beef is rare at 60 °C, medium at 70 °C and well done at 75 °C. 

 

(6) After removing the beef from the oven, let the meat rest for 15-20 minutes. We do this because it lets the temperature equalise throughout the bulk and it allows the tissues to relax and reabsorb their juices. The internal temperature will rise as much as 2 to 3 °C while the meat rests, so remove the meat from the oven while it is still slightly underdone. Pour off the fat from the pan and make a gravy by seasoning the remaining juices. 

 

(7) The easiest way to carve the beef is to slice the meat vertically, steadying it with the carving fork. Try not to pierce the meat too deep with the fork otherwise it will spoil its appearance and release the precious juices. Let each slice fall free as you cut it.