SOBE WFF 2016-Croquette & Champagne - Taste Curator

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SOBE WFF 2016-Croquette & Champagne

Jun 09. 2016

TC2016 Lan

fare0120@live.com

Miami Swim Show 2016

WFF 2016 -Croquette & Champagne – Miami, FL

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Perfect Instagram moment: when you went out to dinner and wore something that totally complimented your surroundings. Can anyone guess which restaurant’s entrance I was standing at, in Bangkok?

Weather like this calls for comforting food like this: brown rice celery porridge made with chicken broth, served with roasted bone marrow for the rich taste and health benefits. So yummy #riceporridge #riceporidge #roastedbonemarrow #ricesoup #porridge #porridgebowl #celeryporridge #vietnamesechef #homechef #popupchef

Tofu can be so delicious, not to mention nutritious, when cooked a certain way. This prawn & pork stuffed tofu will turn a tofu lover out of any skeptic. I used soft tofu, stuffed it with herbs & shallot marinated ground pork, topped with a butterflied prawn, lightly dredged before frying, then garnished with scallion in truffle oil yuzu soy that is so well seasoned that it also acts as a dipping sauce. A winner every time! #shrimptofu #tofudish #tofudishes #friedtofu #deepfriedtofu

My take on Thai’s staple dish, pad kra pao but made with ground lamb, with fried quail egg and garnished with sriracha powder, Hawaii black salt, pink pepperberry, and rice cracker #padkrapao #thaifood #padgrapao #thaifusion #thaifusionfood

I have been on the quest for the perfect spoon for my “spherification explosion” ever since I started doing my VIGLO (Vietnamese with global influences) popup dinners three years ago. @chefferran.adria first introduced this spherification technique at his restaurant, @el_bulli_ in Spain, where he formed olive liquid into spheres with very thin membranes that burst in your mouth. It’s a result from the reaction between sodium alginate and calcium. I have never had the honor of tasting El Bulli’s famous spoonful before it closed, but I have tasted @chefjoseandres ‘ version of liquid olive and @gaggan_anand ‘s yogurt explosion, and was blown away by both. Nowadays many high end restaurants have their own versions of spherification explosions (swipe left for a plethora of examples). The dish (or rather spoonful) is so memorable that I want the right serving spoon for it. The task is harder than I thought. Every time I traveled, I was always on the lookout for that special spherification spoon. Aesthetic wise, it has to be beautiful and unique. Image wise, it has to be modern (even better with a touch of Asian but can’t look too traditional). And logistically, it can’t tilt when sitting on a flat surface (like many spoons do). So it’s been a challenge to find that perfect spoon.
Then it’s the challenge of what I want my spherification explosion to be. I want it to taste incredible and is a perfect representation of my cuisine. For the longest time, I have decided that I would do a Vietnamese coffee explosion. But after seeing that it’s been done at @NénRestaurant in DaNang, Vietnam, whose chef Summer Le did a beautiful & delicious job with it, so now I want to go back to the drawing board to create something else. Maybe I need to decide on the right serving spoon first, and hopefully it would inspire me to come up with what to serve. Sounds crazy but my mind sometimes work that way, because I cook with all senses, not just taste. So far, I have collected 14 spoons that I have been picking up from all over the world. Which one(s) is (are) your faves and why (if there’s any particular reason)? Or feel free to send me any ideas of your own. Thanks

Just been inspired to cook Indian food lately. My first time making roasted okra rubbed in bhindi masala topped with rice poha crumbs turned out delicious. Also made corn poha crusted fried shrimp. Poha is dry flat rice sold in Indian grocery stores everywhere, yet I only knew about it when I staged at Gaggan’s Progressive Indian restaurant. We Vietnamese have been using the same dry flat rice in our cooking for centuries- with white, yellow and young green rice- called cốm, which is the same thing as poha. It’s fascinating to see so many similar ingredients & dishes around the world that are under different names and are cooked differently in different countries.

To me food has to taste freaking good. Period. But having eaten many Michelin starred meals, I sometimes I let myself get swept away by all the other stuff (presentation, plating, decors, atmosphere, customer service, wines, etc.) while the food itself took a back seat. However, once in a while, I would be blown away by an exceptional dish but at a cheap greasy spoon place that took me by surprise. This happened to me last night when we went to this hole in the wall Chinese restaurant in Houston named Spicy Hunan (don’t let the cheesy name fool ya), and had this noodle dish that was highly recommended by my brother- sweet potato noodles with cabbage. So simple yet so good, full of umami. We were looking at each other thinking “wow”. They might as well call it #cracknoodle (hey, if pastry chef Christina Tossi can call one of her desserts ‘crack pie’..). And their #eggplant #greenbeans were super delicious too. As a #chef, this place inspires me to focus on making #food that taste great first and foremost. It deserves at least a #jamesbeardaward in my opinion. #houstoneats #goodeatshouston #bestnoodle #bestnoodles #asianfood

There is one place I always have to go whenever I’m in Houston: 100% Taquito, a hole in the wall kind of place that has the best Chicharrón. Omg, they come out still sizzling from the hot oil, crackling & delicious, to be dipped in yummy guac. Their tacos are pretty good too. #taco #chicharon #chicharones #houstoneats #houstonfood #houstonfoodies

Appetizers before dinner: homemade fried shrimp tempura in flat green rice “cốm” crust; shrimp & mango salsa and paprika & cheese toasted chips #homesnacks #appetizers #appetizersfordinner #mangosalsa #friedshrimp

These hard-to-find fresh blue foot chantrell mushrooms and hedgehog mushrooms are pricey for a reason. They have deep flavors and delicious when roasted- perfect for my linguini with mushroom velouté, truffle butter, pancetta, and ground lamb, garnished with rice cracker. #truecooks #instachefs #chefsofinstagram #homechef #homechefs #popupchef #jaxchef #jaxchefs #jacksonvillechefs #jacksonvillechef #gourmetchef #gourmetchefs #tastecurator #thetastecurator #chantrelles #chantrelle #hedgehogmushroom #hedgehogmushrooms #pancetta #linguini

Served #puchka for the first time with roasted miso lamb persillade coated with puff green rice crumbs. My guests had puchka for the first time and loved it. It’s one of my favorite dishes at restaurant #Gaggan in Bangkok, where fois gras mousse and brain horse radish are piped inside. My version has fois gras mousse too but combined with garlic ube mashed potato, and garnished with a butter fried sage. Thanks #gaggan for the inspiration #foisgras #persillade #greenrice #truecooks #instachefs #chefsofinstagram #homechef #homechefs #popupchef #asianchef #asianchefs #vietnamesechef #vietchef #jaxchef #jaxchefs #jacksonvillechefs #jacksonvillechef #gourmetchef #gourmetchefs #asianchef #asianchefs #tastecurator #thetastecurator

This is the easiest baguette recipe that even a child could make. And it comes out so good, crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Nothing better than to make baguette dough and let it rise overnight so in the morning when you bake it, your family would wake up to fresh, delicious homemade bread. And the smell... if I could bottle the smell of freshly baked bread, I would sell it as a home scent. Recipe: Mix 2 tsp of salt & 2 cups of water together in a big bowl. Then sprinkle 2 tsp of active dry yeast (don’t stir, let the yeast float on top). Slowly pour in 2 cups of all purpose flour into the bowl and use a spatula to mix everything together until well mixed (about 1-2 minutes). Then pour in another 2 cups of flour. Use the palm of your hand to fold and press the dough a few times to mix for a few more minutes (don’t over mix and no need to knead). Cover bowl with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let it rise for at least 5 hours or up to 24 hours. It should rise to almost twice its size. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F at 15 minutes to make sure it’s super hot. Place at the bottom of oven a small oven-safe bowl of water. Shape your baguette into 4 loaves. Your dough will be slightly wet, which is the secret to this recipe so don’t put too much flour on it when you shape it, just a little on the outside is good. Put them on a baking tray. Try to find a perforated tray with holes so your bread would get more crusty on the outside. Throw 5 splashes of water into the hot oven (you will hear a sizzle sound) before placing your bread tray in the oven. Bake at 450 for 5 min and turn it down to 425 and continue to bake for 20-25 minutes. Once you have mastered this recipe, be creative and add other flavors to your bread, such as brush butter or olive oil & minced garlic on top. I did mine with matcha for a subtle green tea flavor. Stuff sage, cheese, bacon, or chocolate and banana. Let me know how this recipe works out for you #homemadebread #homemadebreads #homemadebaguette #homemadebaguettes #smellofbread #bread #makingbread #breadandcheese #breadrecipe #breadrecipes #baguetterecipe #pastrychef #pastrychefs

Some of the highlights of my stagier at Gaggan’s include working side by side with some of the most talented chefs and stages with brilliant minds, from all corners of the world. Another highlight was when we got to party with Gaggan and his team, and see everyone letting their hair down having a good time at a party that Gaggan hosted.

Just like everything in life, what you get out of depends on what you put into it. I pushed myself for me, but it was nice when others recognized it. On my last day when we said goodbye to each other, Gaggan’s head chef Rydo (who will be taking over Gaggan’s once the restaurant is closed and Gaggan moves to Japan in about 1 1/2 year. That’s chef Rydo in this pic) made me all choke up when he said to me “You have a lot of heart and a lot of passion, thank you Mimi.” No, thank YOU head chef Rydo @rydoanton89, sous chef Joao @pjoao20, Radek @so_not_rad, @gaggan_anand and everyone of his team, and all the stages who shared this unforgettable journey with me. Happy thanksgiving! #stagier #stagiere #stagière

I chose Gaggan’s for my stagier because I was in awe of what #Gaggan (who doesn’t like to be called chef) has done to Indian food, and I aspire to do the same for Vietnamese food. I will always remember our conversation in which Gaggan told me that he felt Vietnamese food was one of the most underrated cuisines in the world. Damn right, chef! (I mean, Gaggan). Bangkok is a city that grows on you. I will miss my cheap foot massages (that had become my frequent indulgences), the incredible street foods, the best food halls in the world, Chang beer, and even the crazy motorbike rides which I was hanging on for dear life. And of course, I will miss the friendships and the bond I have developed and intend to keep.
Maybe others see this as a standard, industry practice, but it was a life-changing experience for me, which I choose to take with me all the positivity and apply them to my advantage. My advice to future stages is to grind with the same work ethic as if they were in charge. And to remind them that stages are at the bottom of the totem pole, even lower than dishwashers. We better shed our arrogance and embrace humility. Stages are not there to show off (well, except towards the end when we get a chance to do a “try out” to showcase our cooking skills), or to disrupt the process with our suggestions (no matter how great we think our ideas are). We are there to learn and help out, through the daily tasks and mise-en-place. #stagier #stagiere #stagière

Today is Thanksgiving, a time of gratitude, so I want to use this opportunity to express my thanks to @gaggan_anand for giving me a two-months stagier scholarship at his # 1 Asia restaurant in the world (#Worlds50Best), #Gaggan in Bangkok- which I just completed. As I’m sitting at home finally have time to reflect, let me be frank. I have never been so constantly tired in my life, and there were times that the challenges gave me doubts about my own abilities as a chef. The first two weeks were the hardest, as I was trying to get used to the long hours, laborious work, adapting to a new culture, and humbling myself while taking orders from a much younger staff talking down to me as if I was 12 (but I think that for some, because of limited English rather than on purpose). Eventually, I got used to the routine of waking up at 5:30am to come to work super early to challenge myself to finish all the mise-en-place way early, without compromising on quality, to be able to take on more tasks each day. I succeeded in some stations, but not in all. I am grateful for all the lessons, recipes, and opportunities to roll up my sleeves and put my hands into the dirt to sow the seeds. I feel overwhelmed with emotions whenever I think about all the highs and lows, the camaraderie around me, the funny (and sometimes outrageous) stories we shared while doing our mise, when we ate our daily family meals together, or when chefs passed restaurant bites for me to taste.

Staging is hard work everywhere you go; you could either complain or be grateful for the positivity. I choose the latter because having climbed the corporate ladder and ran my own marketing company for decades, I am perhaps a bit more realistic than most younger stages, as I am grateful for having finally allowed myself to follow my true passion- to introduce my Vietnamese culture through my food and elevate its cuisine to the status that it deserves- through my VIGLO (Vietnamese with global influences) popup dinners. #stagier #stagiere #stagière

After the last entree, we were truly stuffed, as these courses were not the usual bite sized typically seen on tasting menus, but each was a generous portion. However, as soon as the sight of our desserts arrived, our stomaches suddenly had more room. I have always admired chefs who could master the art of soufflé, with its temperament nature, but pâtissier @jordan_pilarski sure got our respect with his mini soufflé trio of a dark chocolate one, a honey & lime one, and vanilla bean anglaise one, served with a quenelle of roasted strawberry ice cream. If that wasn’t enough, another dessert was brought out, a decadent chocolate ganache that was incredibly creamy and sinfully delicious, served with caramel popcorn, salted caramel ice cream, and dehydrated chocolate mousse. Oh my! Thank you Salt @chefricklaughlin and pastry chef @jordan_pilarski for my husband’s unforgettable bday dinner, where the food, desserts, wines, presentation, service, and atmosphere were top notched. We even received a little souvenir at the end, a cute little salt box to remember the experience. #saltritzcarlton

3rd course of chef Laughlin’s spectacular tasting menu was Labelle Farm fois gras, caramel apple, onion relish, peanuts, and berry consommé. My only wish was that the fois gras piece was bigger. But then again, perhaps it’s better for us to have this ultra rich & indulgence dish in moderation. This 4th course was actually not a part of the four-course tasting menu, but @chefricklaughlin added as an extra treat for us, and what a treat it was. Chilean sea bass, charred octopus, bok choy, shiitake, coconut broth, and bamboo rice I have used bamboo rice before in my cooking and was delighted to find another chef in Jax using it, as its fragrant and flavor is more superior than other rice. Unfortunately again, I forgot to take a pic of this dish, which could be a sign that we were having too much fun to remember to document our meal sometimes. Our 5th course entree was the chef’s own incredible version of steak & egg: with thin slices of raw beef tenderloin for us to sear on a hot 250 Million year old Himalayan salt block, grilled lobster, and fried quail eggs on a cute mini cast iron pan. Everything tasted great and the presentation was on point, combining a striking balance between form and function. Bravo @chefricklaughlin. Kudos also to our sommelier as we also had wine pairing and wine complimented each dish very well. #saltritzcarlton #chefricklaughlin

After hearing so many great things about Ritz Carlton’s Salt restaurant, and after seeing @chefricklaughlin’s impressive food pix on his IG, I decided to book a table for my husband’s bday. What a wonderful gastronomy experience it was, and Salt is now one of our fave restaurants in Jacksonville. Staying true to its name, 3 varieties of salt were brought out shortly after we sat down: Smoked fleur de salt, citrus salt, and cypress
volcanic salt flakes, for us to enjoy with warm bread and butter. Our 1st course from our four-course tasting menu was
Kampachi salad (like ceviche) with compressed water melon, avocado purée, pineapple tomatillo, and the yellow paper thin crispy looking things are breadfruit crisps. Never even heard of breadfruit before, but was told it’s a family of grapefruit. Tasted and looked like dehydrated cassava chips, light and yummy. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pic for this dish :(. 2nd course was their signature dish, a delicious and beautiful presentation of prawns, grits, green tomato marmalade, goat cheese, and balsamic. Chef de cuisine Rick Laughlin did a brilliant homage to our city’s shrimp and grits. #saltritzcarlton #chefricklaughlin

Sometimes the simplest food is the most delish: roasted oyster mushroom with white wine mushroom emulsion, fried julienne leeks. Condiments: sriracha powder, truffle salt, chocolate salt, crispy garlic. (Thanks @perseny for the salt variety inspiration). #truecooks #instachefs #chefsofinstagram #homechef #homechefs #popupchef #gourmetchef #gourmetchefs #asianchef #asianchefs #highendchefs #oystermushrooms #oystermushrooms #gourmetsalt #gourmetsalts #friedleeks #veganfood #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarianfood #deliciousvegetarian #deliciousvegetarianfood #gourmetvegetarian #thetastecurator #tastecurator

Sometimes you just want some home down comfort food, like these Vietnamese braised pork ribs. Although it contains 17 ingredients to marinate, but is really easy to make and always delicious #vietcooking #vietcook #vietchef #vietnamesecooking #vietnamesechef #jaxchef #jaxchefs #jacksonvillechefs #jacksonvillechef #homechef #homechefs #popupchef #gourmetchef #gourmetchefs #asianchef #asianchefs #vietnamesechef #vietnamesechefs #tastecurator #thetastecurator #braisedshortribs #shortribs #comfortfood #comfortfoods

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