Judging three-star restaurants is a funny business. Do you go in and just sit and wait to be wowed? Or do you work backwards, clipping points back from a perfect score and see who’s left at the end? Whichever way you choose to look at things, Pier comes up trumps. Speaking personally, I visited every three-star restaurant in Australia this year, and as good as each of them was, the meals at Pier, our Restaurant of the Year award-winner, in association with Electrolux, were the ones that really stood out. They were just flawless.
The pioneering approach to procuring, handling and cooking seafood is still there, still very unusual even on a world stage, still its big hook and still the foundation of the restaurant’s appeal. This is a restaurant that takes such care with its seafood that you can tell the kitchen thinks it’s a sin to cook it at all, and when they do, they have the waiters encourage diners to start on a fillet’s thin end so that by the time they cut into it, the thick end has reached the perfect just-set texture as the residual heat warms it through. Better still, this is the kind of restaurant where a suggestion like that can be made to diners without it seeming either pompous or ridiculous. No mean feat.
It’s the best place to eat seafood in Australia, but it’s no longer just a fish restaurant. Like New York’s Le Bernadin, Pier both defines and transcends the genre. When did Pier begin to outgrow the label? Perhaps it was the appearance of the Robuchon-inspired Tasting Room at the entrance in 2005. It showcased Greg Doyle and Grant King’s versatility and progressive interests while underscoring longer-term strengths such as presentation and restraint. It has also exposed many more people to Katrina Kanetani’s desserts (the Tasting Room’s honeydew melon soup, with its frogspawn-like drape of basil seeds, borders on the sublime), which are among the nation’s very finest, and now recognised as one of the restaurant’s key strengths. The scope of her interests is impressive. There are few pastry chefs who have plum wine, sumac, tamarind, Pernod, olive oil and tahini alongside the cream, sugar, butter, chocolate and fruit as they work, and fewer still who pull it off.
Pier has taken it up a notch, there’s no doubting it. The floor team, led by service veteran Nick Allchurch, is a very smooth bunch indeed, informed, poised and efficient, but not averse to a smile or a laugh. There’s much to like on the wine list, a document which seems to be improving, and its service is sound.
A glance over the pages of the Pier cookbook, which hits the shelves later this year, reveals a core repertoire that Greg Doyle and past chefs have chiselled to near-perfection over the years, as well as some bright new thinking and fresh interest. Salad of raw kingfish with foie gras mousse, the modern classic salmon ‘pastrami’, a Spanish-inflected salt cod with mojama and almond crunch, a play of earthy tastes and salt tang in confit Murray cod with radishes, baby beetroot and smoked prawn butter are joined by Kanetani’s inspired, highly sculptural cumquat pain perdu with orange blossom panna cotta and mandarin sorbet, quince and chestnut tart with chestnut ice-cream, and warm pomegranate sangria with poached fruit and honey ice-cream.
It’s been 16 years since the restaurant opened, and far from slowing, it seems as if Pier is picking up speed. And yes, amidst the steak fervour gripping the rest of the nation, they still cook a damned fine piece of fish.
Walk around Marais. Visit Muji and Izrael spice shop. Karl buys pepper. Walk across Pont Neuf. Get caught in a rain shower! Escape into cafe. Not feeling the vibe and leave.
Walk to Rue Bonaparte to Ladureehttp://www.laduree.fr/ for Omelette aux Morelles and a glass of Cote du Rhone.
1830 Say good-bye to K & K as they leave to get ready for dinner.
Return to Laduree and buy 6 macaroons. Go to tabac to get packet of Gitanes.
Enjoying the beautiful Paris night. Walk around St. Germain des Pres, visit St Sulpice, then to the hotel. Stopped and bought soap, water, snacks and fruit along the way.
Back at Hotel Atlantique, changed shirt and walked to Cafe Fleur des Pasteur for a glass of Merlot.
2230 Return to Hotel, shower, and watch the Chelsea vs Liverpool game.
Thur 1 May 2008
08:00 Walk to Hotel Mayet to meet K&K. Buy Lily's of the Valley for Katrina.
0900 Grant arrives at Hotel. K&K and I have a coffee while Grant gets ready. Return to hotel and have breakfast.
Walk around Marais and shop. Find flower tea cup set and silver ring. Also plastic poppy plate. Walk to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon for lunch. http://www.joel-robuchon.com/
1230-1500 Eat.Talk.Drink. Beautiful.
Walk around Rue Bonaparte and surrounds. Buy Lily of the Valley for 2 euro for me. Find restaurant for more wine and food. Shop for postcards and plaque: Chien Gentile Maitre Lunatique
Walk back to Hotel Mayet.
2300 Taxi back to Hotel Atlantique. Argue with driver.
Fri 2 May 2008
0830 Have breakfast and check out of Hotel Atlantique. Go to Hotel Mayet to drop off luggage and have breakfast with K&K and Grant. Buy baquette on the way.
Pier by Greg Doyle, Grant King and Katrina Kanetani is one of three finalists in the Chefs & Restaurants Category in the 2008 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards. This is incredible international recognition for this stunning book.
The winners will be announced during the 2008 IACP Awards Ceremony on 18 April in New Orleans, USA. For more information, go to www.iacp.com/.
4 FAT cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped rough)
White wine
2 handfuls (or more) of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
Capers
1 lemon
Unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper chicken. Heat olive oil (however much you want—3-4 T is good). Add a small knob of butter if you want more flavor. Toss in garlic and cook for about a minute. Add chicken, skin side down, and fry until slightly browned and skin is a bit crisp. Turn chicken over and cook the other side. While chicken is cooking, add a slosh of white wine. Add juice of half a lemon, more if you want a really lemony flavor. Toss in the tomatoes and a few spoonfuls of capers. If you like, add an additional knob butter for more flavor and let simmer for a few minutes. Make sure chicken is cooked through. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the butter, lemon, & caper sauce.
While in Mykonos last week, my friend and I ordered the lamb special of the day at a small taverna. I cut into what we believe were sheep testicles. We ate half of it and gave some of it to the cat. When we asked the cook, an elderly Greek woman what we ate, she just kept saying, "Lamb. Very fresh."
0730 - Caught the train from Victoria Station to Gatwick
1040 - easyJet flight 703 to Edinburgh delayed by about one hour
1300 - Finally arrive in Edinburgh. Grabbed my suitcase from baggage reclaim and met Garry and Judy Jantzen, Bryan's Uncle and Aunt. They drive me back to their place at 70 South Gyle Wynd and we have a nice meal of tomato and cheese sandwiches and shortcake with strawberies and cream.
1600 - No 22 bus to Princes Street. We walk up The Mound and to the Royal Mile for a bit of window shopping.
1300-1530 - Walked by Dynamic World, viewed the exhibit, "Amazing Rare Things" at the Queen's Gallery and toured the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Stepped in to the Scottish Parliament Building and continued up the Royal Mile.
1530-1700 - Toured The People's Story Museum, bought a scarf from Ragamuffin, had a pint at The Scotsman pub, visited the Thistle Chapel at St. Giles Cathedral
0930-1630 - No 22 bus to Princes Street. Walked into Jenner's Department Store then strolled through Princes Garden/The Mound. Popped into the Scottish National Gallery and then toured the Tartan Weaving Centre before taking a photo of Edinburgh Castle. Walked to The Writers Museum and was told that it was closed because of a power failure (darn!). Walked to the Museum of Scotland and spent a couple of hours there. Had lunch in the cafe and then walked to see the statue of Greyfriars Bobby and walk through Greyfriars Kirk. Did some shopping at Grassmarket, walked up Victoria Street, visited the Lothian and Borders Police Information Centre then hopped on the No 36 bus to Holyrood Park.
1630-1915 - Climbed to the summit of Arthur's Seat and took in the view of the city below. Beautiful! Once back down, walked through Holyrood Park and back up the Royal Mile, down to Princes Street and briefly along George Street before catching the No 22 bus back to South Gyle.
Wednesday 6 June 2007
Garry and Judy took half a day off from work to drive me to the old cotton mill town of New Lanark www.newlanark.org to tour through this World Heritage Site, walk along the River Clyde and see the Falls of Clyde.From there we drove through the town of Linton and stopped briefly to buy strawberries. On the way home, we had dinner at Garry and Judy's favorite pub, The Steading.
Harissa Skillet Chicken (thrown together by Ramen Girl)
8 chicken thighs, skinned
1-2 large onions, sliced
2 capsicums (one red, one green), sliced
2 corgettes, quartered lengthwise and cubed
1 can plum tomatoes, with juice
4-5 T Harissa (depending on the degree of spicyness)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in frying pan. Brown chicken thighs. Remove from pan and set aside.
In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add Harissa and fry about 2 minutes. Add onions and fry until almost tender. Add capsicums and fry an additional 5 minutes or so. Add the plum tomatoes with juice. If tomatoes are large, mash them up a bit and break them apart. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chicken and corgettes. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Arrived at Ataturk Airport at 12:50 via BA 678 from London Heathrow. After purchasing our visa, clearing customs, and reclaiming our luggage, we jumped in to a Taksi to the Conrad Hotel. After checking-in and admiring our view of the Bosphorous from our balcony, it was time to hit the road. Since it was getting late in the afternoon, the hotel concierge suggested we take a Taksi to Sultanahmet to see the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii). From there we walked to Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya) and then wandered along Yerebatan Caddesi where we stumbled upon the Cagaloglu Baths (Cagaloglu Hamami). From there we made our way down Ankara Caddesi to Eminonu Ferry Terminal and then continued along Kennedy Caddesi, making our way along Seraglio Point before returning to Eminonu to sample the local food, buy pirated CDs from a vendor, and enjoy Efes beer and live music under the Galata Bridge. Before returning to the hotel, we walked across the Galata Bridge to Karakoy, wandered through a local fish market, admired the view of the mosques at night in the Bazaar Quarter, and then did a little food shopping at Namli.
Turkish delights consumed:
Sesame-covered simit (a crisp, ring-shaped savoury bread)
Roasted chestnuts
Cheese-flavored crisps
Tart green plums purchased from a street vendor
Grilled mackerel (uskumru) sandwich with salade and tomato
Stuffed baked potato
Efes Pilsen
DAY TWO: Spices from a short man, the Bosphorous, Istiklal Caddesi and a taste of Yeni Raki
Bryan and I got up bright and early, and after having breakfast walked down Barbaros Bulvari to Besiktas Iskelesi (Besiktas Ferry Terminal) to catch the ferry to Eminonu. We realized we got on the wrong ferry and ended up in Uskudar and had to buy another jeton (token) and get on the correct ferry to Eminonu. After arriving in Eminonu, we walked through part of the Spice Bazaar where I bought cheese and jewel-size hard candies. Next I bought sweet and spicy chili paste, lemon salt, and strands of dried okra from Ibo Bulut, who claims to be the shortest spice merchant in Istanbul, at Inanc Baharat(Tahmis Sok. No 35/37, Eminonu, Istanbul Tel 0212 520 60 84). Then it was time for a taste of Turkish coffee from Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (http://www.mehmetefendi.com/index.html).
It was now time to hop onboard the boat that would take us up the Bosphorous. This turned out to be two hours of beauty, fun, maritime action, and stunning views of the coastline and its landmarks. At the end of th tour, we got off at Eminonu and walked straight back to the Spice Bazaar. I found a beautiful pair of turquoise and old, red velvet earrings set in gold-plated silver along with a gold-plated Ottoman-style medallion hung on a braided, turquoise blue silk cord from GNHN47 (Misir Carsisi No 47, Eminonu, Istanbul Tel: 0212 522 38 40). Exiting the Spice Bazaar, we hopped into a taksi to Beyoglu and got off near Galata Tower and then walked to Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu's main street. About a third of the way up the street, we were lured by the sound of Turkish music into Mavi Muzik & Gumus & Bujiteri (Aktarhan Istiklal Cad. No 364 Beyoglu, Istanbul Tel 0212 292 73 72) where we bought three CDs. Then we popped into Barcelona Cafe & Patisserie for some Turkish coffe, apple tea and sweets. Our stomachs satisfied, we continued along until we reached Taksim Square (Taksim Meydani) where we hopped on the nostalgic tram (Nostaljik Tramway) for the 1 km ride back to Tunel. Somehow, we ended up wandering back towards Taksim Square in an unsuccessful attempt to find Cukurcuma, a charming old quarter of Beyoglu. Since it was getting close to dinner time, we decided to head to 5. Kat Cafe Bar Restaurant where we enjoyed Yeni Raki at the bar overlooking the Bosphorous before sitting down to a lovely meal of fried halloumi, falafel, roast lamb with Turkish vegetables and bulgar pilaf and a bottle of 2004 DLC Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, Doluca. http://www.5kat.com/
Turkish Delights consumed:
Eski Kasar - sheeps milk cheese
Ayran - salty liquid yoghurt drink
more Simit
Pastirma - Turkish-style pastrami
Pistachio chocolate cake, cherry cake, turkish coffee and apple tea
Yeni Raki - "lions milk" a clear, anise-flavored spirit which turns cloudy when water is added.
DAY THREE: Sickness, civil unrest, and the search for suzani
Woke up feverish with a sore throat and slight chills. Stayed in bed until about noon time and then headed out to the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi)in search of suzani, embroidered hangings or coverings. I tried catching a ferry from Besiktas but the terminal was closed because there had been public protests and riots taking place at Taksim Square. Thousands of Polis in riot gear were everywhere. As I rode in a taksi towards the Bazaar Quarter, I saw groups of police, police vehicles, and tanks at various locations. One group of police was holding down a protestor, by keeping his head on the asphalt. When I got to the Grand Bazaar, I decided to focus on suzani and only suzani. In my search, I got dragged in to a carpet showroom and after insisting with the owner that I was not interested in carpets but was instead looking for suzani, he took me to see Gokhan Kehribar, owner of Ottoman Accessorize (Sandal Bedesten Bati Kapisi No 10, Kapalcarsi, Istanbul Tel: 0212 527 16 24). After two hours of looking through his collection, drinking tea, and bargaining, I walked away with my suzani. By that time, I was tired but unfortunately, after having finished my business with Gokhan, Ilyas, the carpet owner who took me to Gokhan's stall, came to find me and took me back to his shop, Kemal Erol. http://www.kemalerol.com/index.html There I had to spend another hour convincing him I was not interested in any of his carpets while he pulled out carpet, after carpet, after kilim, after kilim. Finally, I told him it was not my day for carpets and that we would have to part as friends. He shook my hand, gave me his card, and told me to stop by the next time I was in Istanbul.
DAY FOUR: Last minute shopping and a traditional Turkish Bath
Still had my cold. Bryan left at 8:45 to catch a plane to Adana. I was determined to not leave Istanbul without visiting a turkish bath so after packing my things, I caught a bus from Besiktas to Eminonu, walked to the Spice Bazaar to buy more Turkish coffee and some tea glasses and then made my way to Cagaloglu Baths (Cagaloglu Hamami) http://www.cagalogluhamami.com.tr/. I chose the Complete Bath Service which included a scrubbing and massage. First I as led to the camekan (entrance hall) where bathers can change in cubicles. Once undressed and wrapped in a pestemal (cloth), I was directed to enter the hararet (hot room), the main room of the Turkish bath. Here you are allowed to stay and sweat and steam for as long as you like. After sitting, steaming, and pouring warm water over myself with a few other naked women, my bather arrived and directed me to the marble plinth (gobek tasi) at the center of the hot room and this is where I was scrubbed with a kese (soapy mitt), and then bathed and massaged with more soap before being rinsed and then seated for a hair shampoo and face washing. Absolutely invigorating! After all this, you can stay and steam some more or change and relax with a cup of tea. I shared a cup of tea with Ellen, a young photographer/artist from Hong Kong who is living in Tokyo and traveling while creating her art. We struck up a conversation after she pointed out that we were both wearing Crocs. By the time I got back to the hotel, I had 30 minutes to pack-up the remainder of my things, check-out, and catch a taksi to the airport.
Now, all I want to do is return to Turkey to experience and learn more about this fascinating country, its people and its culture.
Pasta with Porcini & Chestnut Mushrooms (thrown together by Ramen Girl)
INGREDIENTS:
Dried porcini mushrooms (fresh if you have them)
Brown Chestnut mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, sliced
Chives (dried or fresh)
Olive oil
Butter
Vermouth
Sea Salt
Spaghetti
Fresh Parmeggiano Reggiano
METHOD:
Rehydrate dried porcini by pouring boiling water over it and leaving it to soak in a bowl for about 15 minutes. Remove porcini and squeeze out water. Set aside.
Slice chestnut mushrooms.
While spaghetti is cooking:
In a pan, heat olive oil and a little butter. Saute garlic. Do not brown. Add chestnut mushrooms until cooked through and tender. Heat a little more olive oil and butter and add porcini and chives. When cooked, add a couple splashes (or three or four) of Vermouth for flavor. Salt to taste. Remove cooked spaghetti from pot and add to mushroom mix. Toss and add more olive oil if desired. Serve with fresh parmesan.
Whenever I needed to seek medical attention from a specialist in the United States, I would:
1. peruse the list of participating physicians in the directory provided by my health insurance company,
2. choose one,
3. call their office, and
4. schedule an appointment.
Pretty simple.
Now that I am living in the UK, when I need the services of a specialist doctor, I have to:
1. make an appointment with my GP
2. discuss my problem and at times try to convince them that I need to seek advice from a specialist.
3. If I am successful in getting my GP to agree with me, I then have to wait for him to choose a specialist in private practice that he thinks would be suitable for me.
4. My GP's Secretary must then write a formal letter to the Secretary of the Specialist Doctor explaining the referral.
5. Once the letter is sent, we wait to see if my referral will be approved.
6. If approved, I have to wait to receive a formal letter in the post from the Secretary of the Specialist Doctor telling me my request for referral has been approved and I can now call for an appointment.
7. Call the Specialist Doctor and hope to get an appointment in a reasonable amount of time.
Whew!
It's no wonder why more and more people from the UK are traveling to other countries to seek medical care and service.
Well, today we finally received the tagines and other pottery pieces we purchased while in Fes. After splashing out a decent sum to purchase them (no real bargain here because all of the prices were fixed), we were slapped with an additional 300 GBP for miscellaneous fees including VAT, customs charges, and handling. Oy-vay! No Moroccan bargain here.
Flew to San Francisco on 18 November to spend a few days with our friend Barbara. Had a great time eating carnitas burritos from Barb's neighborhood Mexican market and tacos from La Taqueria on Mission Street. I'd forgotten how delicious real carnitas could taste and for a fraction of what it costs to get it in London. Had a chance to visit with Bryan's brother Kevin and visited the new Ferry Building where we had lunch at the Slanted Door before walking to Fisherman's Wharf and then back to Pier 39. Tourists, tourists everywhere. Yuck! That night, we had dinner with Barb at Zuni Cafe where Barb and I enjoyed a platter of raw oysters. The following day we played tourist and visited Sausalito, Tiburon, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, Golden Gate Park, and The Cliff House. The next morning we were off to Seattle, arriving at SeaTac around 10:30 AM. From there we took a shuttle to Boeing Field to catch a 9-seater plane to Port Angeles. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Bryan's mother Lin and her husband Vello. The next few days were spent catching up with Bryan's family, Uncle Pete, Darren, Nicole, and Aiden. Thanksgiving Day was spent relaxing before tucking into the traditional turkey dinner. Larry, Jane and Laura Stevenson joined the family for dinner and we all enjoyed ourselves and stuffed our bellies until we couldn't eat another mouthful.
Trip to Morocco (Fes, Atlas Mountains, Marrakech): 27 October - 6 November 2006
Our flight to Fes was smooth and uneventful. We were met at the airport by Ahmed, our guide and Hakim, our driver. From the airport, we drove through part of the Ville Nouvelle (the New City) to Fes el Bali. Upon arrival, we were met by a porter from our Riad and escorted through the medina to Dar el Ghalia, located in the Ras Jnane district of the medina. We were greeted and given mint tea before being shown to our room. After getting settled, we had dinner in the restaurant, Dar Tajine, one of the better known restaurants in Fes specializing in Moroccan home-style cooking. We enjoyed lamb tagine with prunes, lamb tagine with aubergines, and couscous with seven vegetables. It was delicious! the next morning after breakfast, we were met by Ahmed and Hakim and set out to explore the city. We started our day in the Mellah or Jewish section of the city and visited the Palais Royal. From there, we went to Borj Sud (Southern Fortress) where we were able to view the whole of Fes el Bali. Next we were taken to the pottery section of the city to observe potters and tile cutters at work. After spending time browsing through the selection of tagines, we decided on two, one for cooking and one for serving. Next, it was time to enter the medina. The medina is nothing like I’ve ever seen or experienced ever before. The Fes medina is a maze of winding alley ways and passages that are shared by both people and donkeys. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is being preserved by funding from agencies like the IMF and the World Bank. The souks are amazing, full of all sorts of wonders from fruits and vegetables, pastries, meats/poultry/fish, preserved meats, women preparing flat bread, jewelry, textiles, candles, metalwork, leather goods, and much more. Having Ahmed as a guide was helpful in keeping faux guides from approaching and badgering us. He also pointed out all sorts of places of interest, and was an unlimited source of knowledge. Shopping can be exhausting because haggling is expected and the only way to get a good deal. It got pretty stressful when we were looking at carpets. We haggled hard and were able to get the dealer to drop his price by around 55% of his starting offer but it was exhausting. We came away with three carpets and are still hoping we didn’t get ripped off.
Each morning at dawn we woke by hearing the call to prayer broadcast from the local mosques. It is a sound that would come to define much of our Moroccan experience.
Our second day in Fes begain with a trip to the tanneries where we were able to observe men preparing and dyng animal hide which would eventually be turned into all sorts of leather goods. The preparation is still done using age old methods which include soaking the skins in pigeon dung and natural dyes. It is smelly and dangerous work. We spent the rest of the day further exploring the medina and souks and at night had a lovely dinner at La Maison Bleue where we were treated to a four-course Moroccan meal while listening to traditional Oud music.
The following day we had a 9 hour car ride to the town of Ouirgane. After a long day of travel, we arrived at Domaine de La Rosarie, a resort located at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains. It is very quiet and relaxing with beautiful rose gardens, lush green foliage, swimming pools and lounge chairs. Great for Bryan but after the first day, I started going a little stir-crazy from a lack of things to do. The highlight of our time there was a 4-hour hike we took into the mountains with our guide, Mohammed, where we had a chance to walk amongst some of the Berbere villages. We got to meet some of the local people and even had an opportunity to have tea and freshly baked bread dipped in argan oil at one of the homes near the top of the mountain. Most of their homes are still constructed by packing mud to make the walls, topping them off with oleander leaves to prevent disintegration. Berbere women meet daily at the local wells to collect water for cooking and cleaning.
From Ourgaine, it was a 90-minute drive to Marrakech. Marrakech was bustling. Western influence is more apparent there and much of the city was overflowing with tourists. The medina and souks were still interesting but much more tourist oriented than Fes and lacked much of the character of many of the Fes souks. The heart of the city is Djemma el Fnaa, the square that really comes alive with performers, snake charmers, fortune tellers, henna artists, and food stalls at dusk. There is always s
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