Blog - Flying Fourchette

Teakha, Hong Kong

April 21, 2013

Hong Kong’s frenetic pace is legendary and what attracts people to its energy packed city center, though there are days where all you want to do is get away from it all really. Besides jumping in a cab to a nearby beach or hike in the Northern Territories, I recently found a true oasis a few steps away from busy Hollywood Road – Teakha.

Located a few steps back from Tai Ping Shan Street in the increasingly hip ‘PoHo’ neighborhood of Sheung Wan, Teakha seems right at home in the middle of all the cool galleries and design shops that have been popping up there recently. Like any other oasis, it’s not that easy to find (it’s surrounded by garages and tucked away from the street) but the search will be well worth it once you find that gem which will make you feel like you stumbled into a whole new world.

The tiny and cosy teahouse and bakery sits only about 10 people inside with a family style communal table and extra outdoor seating overspills in the back alley which was totally full when I visited on a sunny Sunday afternoon. No panic, just go in to soak in the Etsy-esque atmosphere with its hanging lights made of Mason jars and artistic display of vintage tea kettles, take a whiff of freshly baked pastries, and order you tea or coffee to go so you can wander around this incredibly peaceful neighborhood. Just being here triggers a feel-good factor where patience and contemplation of the finer things around you are all that matters…

Their products are sourced mainly from within Asia, using organic whenever possible and teas and coffees are made to order. The Thai Iced Tea I had is a classic and incredibly good, especially on a hot day.

They have a cake menu that changes daily – on my visit it was Osmanthus and Okinawa Black Sugar Chiffon Cake.

Other baked items include a selection of scones – not your typical ones, they’re a bit more crumbly then what you’d find in England but their perfect size and interesting flavors (figs, ginger, pineapple & honeycomb, apple & cinnamon) make them an ideal accompaniment for whichever beverage you’ll choose.

Whether you enjoy the breeze at an outside table or take your cup for a stroll, it could hardly be a more perfect afternoon. Besides the joy of having found a secret hideout place (doesn’t look so secret on busy weekend afternoons!), you’ll probably forget for a while that you’re in Hong Kong just like I did…and that’s a good thing. When you’ve had enough of this tranquil state, you’re always only a few minutes walk from Soho or whichever spot you’ll pick to get back to reality.

Teakha

Shop B, 18 Tai Ping Shan Street,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

T: 28589185

London Restaurants

Corner Room, London

April 16, 2013

In a corner of an ultra hip hotel somewhere in East London is hiding a treasure of culinary prowess so brilliant I still feel astounded by the discovery. Aptly named the Corner Room, the little-known sister restaurant to acclaimed Michelin-starred Viajante packs so much behind its tucked away location and informal ambiance that anyone would find the trek to Bethnal Green anything but a nuisance for a chance to eat in the diminutive space.

The beautifully renovated Edwardian building makes for a stunning entrance and the walk up to the first floor where the restaurant is waiting offers ample opportunity to soak up the old town hall’s refined decor, a mix of glamour with marble floors, wood panels and vintage and modern art pieces. The restaurant itself is a simple and warm room, adorned with a modern industrial decor mixed with vintage furniture – very light feel to give place to what really strikes here i.e. the food!

This is where the Corner Room truly unleashes its magic – not only is every dish on the short menu a true work of art since it comes from the same kitchen as its sister’s fine dining downstairs (and the culinary genius that is chef Nuno Mendes) but also a ridiculous bargain for such creative and flawlessly executed combinations. Most dishes are below the £13 mark (just unreal) and a killer deal is to be had for lunch with their 3 courses menu for a mere £23.

Another great reason to go for lunch is that it’s the only time the restaurant accepts reservations – yes, just as with every hot eatery in town you’ll have to wait in the evenings to snag one of the rare seats. Just about everything we had was mind blowing and to think that we saved our wallets from a costly and long tasting menu at Viajante downstairs for what really felt like a Michelin meal is the greatest feeling for any food lover out there. Go…now!

Sea bass ceviche, tangerine & carrot

Aged pumpkin with port, stracchiatella & sage

Hanger steak, swede with mustard & ricotta

Iberico pork with winter relish & sourdough

Iberico pork for those who don’t know is simply marvelous… it has to be served rare as a good steak would, something I had never seen with pork, and it truly has an amazing, butter-like taste. A must order on the menu for sure.

Corner Room

8 Patriot Square

London

E2 9NF

Tel: 0207 871 0460

map

1 Comment

Appetizer Main course Recipes

Foie Gras and Smoked Duck Salad

April 11, 2013

One should never need an excuse to eat foie gras, or so I was telling myself recently while buying half a fresh lobe at a fancy grocery store for my very own guilty pleasure. Never mind the expense, the grin on my face as I was contemplating the many ways it would make it down to my belly was enough to justify the impulse purchase (and it wouldn’t be the first time!).

Foie gras is one of the rare ingredients that I find almost impossible to ruin. No matter how it is done (pan fried, torchon, pâté, etc.) its richness will make you drool and eclipse anything else on the menu that night. I do have a preference though for its simpler preparation and tend to favor eating it raw to get the purest and cleanest flavor which is why I chose to make this fabulous salad.

Not only is it hearty and one of the most delectable salad you could dream of this early Spring, it’s also to me a vivid memory of many sunset dinners in the south of France with my girlfriends, particularly in the Dordogne region where foie gras, duck and truffles abound. Nothing can beat those traditional southwestern French flavors when you get a big mouthful of foie gras, walnuts, Perigord black truffles and smoky duck breast – indulgence at its best! While they’re not the easiest to find this side of the Atlantic, it’s totally worth seeking them out at your specialist French groceries, though I won’t blame you if all you really want is the foie gras over a simple slice of lightly toasted bread…that’s how the rest of my fresh lobe ended!

Foie Gras and Smoked Duck Salad

Adapted from La cuisine du Périgord

Active and total time: 20 minutes

Makes 4 servings

300g mixed salad

180g smoked duck breast (or smoked duck magret)

120g foie gras

20g truffles

50ml Armagnac

24 whole walnuts

A handful of cherry tomatoes

1 shallot

5 tablespoons walnut oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

A few chives, chopped

1 stem of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Picked leaves from 2-3 thyme stems

Salt and Pepper to taste

4 slices of bread

Thinly slice the truffles and poach them in a small saucepan with the Armagnac for a few minutes. Set aside.

For the dressing, mix in a small bowl the mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, shallot, parsley, chives, and thyme. Slowly add the walnut oil until well mixed and homogeneous.

Rinse and dry the salad mix. Divide it between four salad plates and drizzle with a bit of the dressing. Keep the rest of the dressing in a saucer. Garnish each plate with a slice of foie gras (tip: run your knife under hot water to help with slicing thinly the foie gras), a few slices of thinly sliced smoked duck breast or magret and a few slices of truffles, drained.

Decorate with a few walnuts and cherry tomatoes sliced in half.

Toast the bread, cut each slice in half and place around each plate. Serve immediately with the rest of the dressing.

[print_link]

1 Comment

New York Restaurants

Takashi, New York

April 6, 2013

Attention all meat lovers out there, there’s more than steak houses to get your carnivorous fix and I might have just found my favorite place for when the craving strikes. Like a lot of people these days I really try to limit my red meat consumption for now obvious health and environmental reasons, which means that when I decide to treat myself I want something beyond good. I want the utmost quality and freshness and a cooking so perfect the one bite will render me speechless for a few delectable seconds… and this is exactly what I got at Takashi in the West Village.

A Japanese-Korean BBQ, Takashi takes the nose-to-tail eating trend very seriously and offers adventurous eaters an unbelievably good occasion to ingest every single piece of the cow, from heart to tongue, balls to tendons, eye to stomach and everything in between. The not-so-daring types will also find plenty to love with exquisite cuts of skirt, ribeye, shoulder and belly, all sourced from small farms that sustainably raise their cattle…and you can taste it! It would be hard to find a fresher way to eat your meat too as here it’s ‘cook-your-own’ as often seen at Korean BBQs around town.

First you’ll nibble on some complimentary plates of kimchi and cabbage salad dressed with miso while perusing the menu and deciding on how crazy you’ll go tonight. It helps to look at the walls then which are adorned with cutesy cartoons of beef cuts and innards. When you order, you’ll be asked if you’d like your beef either marinated in Takashi’s special soy-based sauce, or a simple mix of sesame oil, lemon and salt – I went with the latter.

We started off with their most popular appetizer, Niku-Uni, a raw stack of nori (dried seaweed,) fresh shiso leaf,and chuck flap topped with sea urchin. A show-stopper though I found the shiso leaf and sea urchin to be a bit overpowering, hiding the taste of the meat altogether.

Right after the black exhaust hood above our table was lowered, and the tabletop electric grill switched on, ready to receive our chosen cuts. Each comes with precise instructions on cooking time (like 45 seconds on each side!) and you’ll soon see everyone with their iPhones out, timer in hand, happily counting the time before they can bite into some of the most delicious beef morsels I’ve ever had… We played it real safe for our first visit (I know, shame on me!) and now I’m dying to go back and try the more obscure side of the menu.

Shio-Tan (Tongue)

Tsurami (Cheeks)

Harami (Outside Skirt)

They only have one dessert but it’s a perfect ending to the amazing meal we just had – homemade Madagascar Vanilla soft-serve ice cream topped with Hoji syrup… how can you not love that!

Takashi

456 Hudson St

New York, NY

T: (212) 414-2929

map

Dessert Recipes

Peanut Butter and Bacon Truffles

March 31, 2013

Easter has arrived with his fluffy bunnies and chocolate temptations and like every year the sweet displays just don’t do it for me – overly sugary, processed, and not enough real cocoa taste. True that for a chocoholic like myself, this time of year could hardly change my consumption habits (would be unwise to increase my daily dose!) though I would take the occasion to make a batch myself, a luxury I very rarely indulge in.

I’ve always had a soft spot for anything ‘sweet and salty’ and have consumed numerous takes on the divine combo of peanut butter and chocolate, always a favourite whether it’s Reese or a fancier maker. As I was flipping through an old edition of Saveur magazine looking for inspiration, they jumped right at me, these ‘crazy sounding yet amazing looking’ Peanut Butter and Bacon Truffles – that was it! No need to elaborate on the ‘everything tastes better with bacon’ saying, I just had to make them and knew this was going to be one hell of a tasty trio (it was!). Adding bacon to sweet stuff and chocolate is no longer revolutionary as many have ‘been there done that’ (Vosges Chocolate has a collection of it) but it was certainly quite innovative in my kitchen.

Truffles take a bit of time to make with all the different cooling steps but this is still a pretty simple and easy recipe which anyone could do at home. You’ll feel like popping one into your mouth even before the chocolate has covered them as they just look too tempting. If you ever had doubts up until this point about the affinity between chocolate, peanut butter, and bacon, I guarantee they’ll be erased in a split of a second once you’ve taken your first bite of this crunchy truffle, marrying perfectly the already sublime mix of peanut butter and chocolate with a subtle hint of bacony goodness… Serve a few over Easter Brunch and you’ll most probably have just started a new yearly tradition.

Peanut Butter and Bacon Truffles

Recipe from Saveur Magazine

Active time: 45 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

Makes 15-20 truffles

6 strips very crisp, cooked bacon, well drained
1/2 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
4 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
8 oz. (1 1/4 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup quality unsweetened cocoa powder

Put bacon, peanuts, and sugar into a food processor and pulse until mixture is ground to a medium-fine texture.

Transfer bacon-peanut mixture to a small bowl, add peanut butter, and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill peanut butter mixture in the refrigerator until firm.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper and set aside. Roll peanut butter mixture in 1″ balls and put them on the prepared cookie sheet. Drape plastic wrap over peanut butter balls and chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl set over a small pot of simmering water over medium-low heat, stirring often, until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to let chocolate cool until warm. Sift cocoa into another bowl and set aside.

Working with a few of the peanut butter balls at a time, roll them in the melted chocolate, coating them evenly. Transfer truffles to bowl of cocoa powder, dredging truffles completely.

Truffles will keep at room temperature in an airtight container with some additional cocoa for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before serving.