Hi guys!!!
Welcome back!!! I hope the rainy weather hasn't upset your Monday too much. We have entered the last week of November and once again, like the past weeks, we woke up to receive raindrops on a Monday. It's uncanny, really, how a Sunday can be gloriously sunny and a Monday so gray and blue. Still, the day has permitted me to complete a list of tasks that I've been putting off.
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| Gonna miss these lovely autumn colors... December arrives soon |
I found myself quite melancholic and sad last week, as I gave notice to my agency that I would be vacating the property next month. I am truly sad, knowing my time here in London is quickly coming to an end. It seems I just arrived a month ago. I've grown accustomed to my cozy flat, my neighbors, the hustle and bustle and noisy locals on those crazy weekends. It's as if I haven't lived anywhere else in years. But no need to feel sad...at least I try to tell myself. We have much to celebrate and look forward too.
This past week was very busy!!! Monday evening I joined friends for a farewell dinner at a small italian restaurant in South Kensington (Cacciari's) as a great friend moves to Paris at the end of the month. We wish you the best of luck Mara!!! You'll be missed :(. Tuesday evening I joined another dinner in a small Persian restaurant near Edgware Road. Great food and amazing prices!!! The starter alone could have been enough, but the lamb was so good, I couldn't stop. I needed a tea before bed.
So going back to the kitchens, last week was our very last week of practicals. Apart from the assessments we shall face later on this week, we will no longer be cooking in there. Ok, so the sadness continues. My apologies. It's hard not to feel a bit melancholic. To add another dose of sadness, the school waved goodbye to one of the very best teachers we've had as he embarked on a quest to open a new school in Turkey!!! We wish him the very best of luck in his future endeavors. We'll miss you Chef Christophe.
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| Chef Christophe et les schtroumpfs |
Anyhow, we continued our work with chocolate, making a chocolate box and a chocolate train!!! It was a short, but good practice, as this Thursday we face our Chocolate Work Assessment, which includes making another chocolate box and a set of 12 identical truffles. I've mentioned before how much I dislike working with chocolate and to be truly honest, I cannot wait for Thursday to come. Wish us luck!!!
Last week, started off with a technical class, during which we were given a breakdown of how our assessments this week would be. Everything seems pretty straightforward, but we'll see how it goes. The following day we started with our chocolate box and had a practice round on the truffles we are to make during the exam. In short words, it was an interesting practical. I had a general idea of how I wanted my box to look like. Due to my annoying habit of just diving into whatever I'm doing and not giving it a second thought, I ended up having a mirror problem with the base and the lid of my box. In the end, it ended up looking like a fish, but the chef was pleased and even said I should consider sticking to the design for the assessment. He also said I should add height to the structure as it seemed a bit flat. We are to use 5 different techniques when making the box and I ticked them all off making my box. So if I do stick to the design, I may pass. The truffles on the other hand were a major disaster. I have no idea what I did wrong with the ganache as it didn't want to set, which was essential to properly seal the truffles. I ended up with a few good ones, some okay ones and ones the chef said were catastrophic. I laughed. You couldn't help but to, as they were truly a disaster. But I managed to make them okay once, and I trust my skills will allow me to do so again on Thursday.
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| It was meant to be a teardrop, but the result is still nice :) |
Thursday morning we got to class, ready to begin our work on the chocolate train. This workshop was divided into two separate days and we made all the preparations on the day, simply to show up on Friday to assemble it. It took a bit longer to make it all, but we managed. After class, we headed to a small restaurant nearby and had a great chicken pie with peas and mash. It was absolutely amazing!!! Since I've been here, I haven't had many traditional British dishes, as I find most of their food a bit bland, but this was delicious!!! Because it was Thanksgiving, I was in a cheerful mood and I got chocolates for everyone. I am not American, but I did grow up celebrating the holiday and I love it!!! So, a belated Thanksgiving to you all. Our dinner that night was cancelled due to unforeseen events but it has been rescheduled for this week. I am making an apple strudel and I hope I manage to roll it properly :).
I still had a lovely dinner. It was a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but it was good nonetheless. I joined some of my friends and we headed to Bubbledogs. The restaurant opened not long ago, and we've been trying to get in several times. We managed, after queuing for at least an hour in the cold...yeah, trust me it wasn't easy. The place offers gourmet hotdogs and champagne. It was an intriguing experience. We ordered a bottle of champagne and I had a BLT hotdog: bacon wrapped with caramelized lettuce and truffle mayo. It was really good!!! I was very tired and only ate one. My friends, each had two or three, and we had sweet potato fries and tots on the side. Can you say yummy?
Oh yes!!!
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| A BLT dog with some bubbly on the side |
Check it out:
BUBBLEDOGS
70 Charlotte St
W1T 4QG
020 7637 7770
With groggy eyes, I woke up on Friday to finish off our week. The kitchen was busy and loud with chatter as we assembled our creations. The train was made up using egg shell molds, resting atop a chocolate bar. The result was quite lovely. With a small roof, a door, windows, wheels and a chimney, they looked cartoonish. Most of us added eyes. I added cotton to the chimney to add the sense of steam coming out. Soon class was finished, after a session of photos, we left our last practical with happy and melancholic faces. The day wasn't over, so we headed for a quick lunch to East Street (we love it, remember) and I ordered the Daging Lembu Goreng this time (rump steak strips, with ginger, fresh shallots and an oyster sauce.) Excellent choice!!! Try it out sometime.
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| My version of the Hogwarts Express hehehe |
We headed back to school for our final wine lecture. We tried a series of sweet fortified wines and assessed food pairings with some canapés provided by the production kitchen in school. Some of them were really good, whereas other pairings did not work at all. I found it fascinating to know that a sweet wine really compliments a sweet dessert. It's just about finding a balance. I would have never thought of adding a sweet drink to an already sweet dessert. The result is interesting.
And speaking of wine, Saturday night, I hosted a wine night/potluck dinner. We had an incredibly, amazing time. Bruschetta, cheese, crackers, white wine sangria, wine, brigadeiros, lolly cakes, sugar cookies, garlic and onion bread, and even butter I-LOVE-YOU chicken, the night turned out spectacularly fun. So the food combination sounds funny, and I haven't included all of it, but it was great. We then headed out to my favorite pub here and Camden and the fun continued. It was a memorable night. I didn't appreciate the cleaning the following morning, but it was well worth it.
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| The beginning of a memorable night |
I spent half of my Sunday in bed, the other half cleaning. After mass in the evening, we headed to a Thai restaurant I'd heard about before. One of us had already been there and vouched for the food. I have such a passion for great food and I wasn't disappointed. The restaurant's called Patara. We ordered mixed dumplings as appetizers, which were scrumptious and so well presented. My main dish was Gang Ped Nua (red coconut curry of tender beef fillet, Thai eggplant and sweet basil). WOW!!! I didn't join the dinner conversation...I was engrossed in my plate. Hehehehe, I know...I just love food!!!
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| Great choice Gis!!! |
Check it out:
PATARA
15 Greek St
W1D 4DP
020 7437 1071
We all headed home and I stayed up till midnight on a Christmas movie marathon...well, if two counts as a marathon. I didn't even finish How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I was falling asleep. The busy Monday chatter woke me up from my calm sleep. I guess I finally caught up with my rest. I ran my errands and tied loose ends. One of my very best friends is coming to London this evening and she has no idea I'll be greeting her with a sign at the airport. So don't tell!!! :)
Anyways, I hope you all had a fun weekend and are ready to see November off with a smile as December greets us this coming Saturday!!!
Until next time.
xx
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