Le Perolles P.A. Ayer

Starter: Pumkin soup, creme fraiche, bacon, foie gras gele and foie gras feuillantine (delicious)

Yes yes, It's just another tease... but it takes time to write these things ok? I gotta pour over my notes, remember what I ate.. yada yada yada. Hayley and I got to go to this INCREDIBLE one michelin star in Fribourg, the next town over. Le Perolles is one of the two michelin restaurants in Fribourg Simple decor- very modern and very reasonably priced. The food was fabulous.. which will be discussed in further blogs.. in the mean time. Just a little teaser.




and of course the cheese trolley. Ok So I said that Steireck has a pretty crazy cheese trolley.. but this one.. was AMAZING. really. I would go back just for the cheese....

Le Perolles
BD de Perolles 18a
1700 Fribourg
Tel:41.026.347.40.30
ayeramey@leperolles.ch
Ferme le dimanche et lundi

Ca Matilde: Ristorante Locanda

I know I owe you guys about four michelin reviews... but ok.. I owe you guys one more. I had the enormous pleasure of going to Cinque Terra to visit my foodie, amazing, fun, intelligent friend John who lives in Lerici Italy (well temporarily). Although we didn't make it to the Agritourismo that we so desperately wanted to, we did make it to Ca Matilde: Ristorante Locanda, 1 Michelin star. Located in the middle of no where in Rubbianino - Quattro Castella- Reggio Emilia (past Parma) in an old house, we were expecting a rustic italian dining experience. Instead what we got was an incredible, rustic- with definite innovative ideas (especially in the dessert department!) meal.

The review will go up sooner or later. In the meantime, here are some pictures to drool over.


Parma Ham.. ham ham ham!


The cheese plate, Parmigiano-Reggiano!!!! Deliciouso!!!


and of course, no meal of mine is complete without a bottle of bubbly- Prosecco in this case.

Ca Matilde
Ristorante Locanda
Via della Polita 14,
42020 Loc. Rubbianino
Quattro Castella (Reggio Emilia)
Telefono 0522.889560
Cell. 339.7874556

St. Marcellin

Continuing on with my Michelin cheese board obsession, I had a beautiful cheese plate from the Meierei of Steirereck im Stadtpark in Vienna Austria as my fourth course from the insanely packed cheese trolley. I chose again, super runny (as usual)! My favorite cheese was the creamy gooey St. Marcellin accompanied by the home made farmers bread from the bread trolley (yes they are REALLY into trolley's in Vienna).. they also have a champagne trolley , herb trolley, and sweet liquor trolley....


Saint Marcelin is produced in the Rhone Alps region of South Eastern France in the town of Isere. A soft creamy cheese cows milk cheese composed of 50% fat, St. Marcellin has a nutty, mushroomy aroma. Usually packed in small terra cota pots to handle the creaminess, they lose their creaminess with age- and should be consumed young and tender. Much like Vacherin Mont D'Or AOC, it is believed that the cheese was originally made from goat's milk but converted to cow milk at one point in time.

Creamy, nutty , complex, rich- the rind again wonderful. It is said that the cheese should be chewed to help release its full flavor.

Two thumbs up. St. Marcellin now added to the cheese repertoire.

Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOC

Okok, so yes, I am in the land of fromage et chocolate.. and yes, I'm beginning to love ALL of it. Well maybe not the calories.. the cheese at least.. One cheese that I have been dying to try is Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOC. For me, and anyone who knows me, I am all about the goat, sheep, stinky moldy cheese OR the super runny, you know your stomach is so gonna churn later but it's gonna be so silky smooth on your tongue rich and creamy cheeses and worth all the pain cheeses.

Collecting my 7th michelin star dining experience since moving to Suisse two weeks ago at Le Perolles in Fribourg, Hayley and I added on a cheese course to our lunch sampler. I opted for a plate full of goat and sheep cheeses and an added Vacherin Mont-d'Or selection.

Vacherin Mont-d'Or (not to be confused with Vacherin Fribourgeois, which is our local AOC cheese)originates in the Valee de Joux in Jura- Canton de Vaud.It's believed that Vacherin is actually of French origin, made from goat's milk. The story goes that there was a shortage of goat's milk and thus cow's milk was used in its place. A relatively watery cheese, within every 100g, about 25% of it is fat, 55% water.

There are a couple of distinct characteristics to Vacherin:
1. the wooden pine container (band)that it's kept in (it's a super runny cheese, needs the support)
2. the orangy, yellow crust of the cheese with its soft dimples and folds of the soft cheese below.
3.There is often a white moldy fur that grows on the surface of the tangy, crusty goodness of the cheese.

I have to admit that I was hoping for something a little more pungent. The cheese is sweet, slightly tangy but not overpowering in flavor- in fact, none of the cheese I had on my plate had the punch that I had been hoping for (I love it when your nose tingles from the tanginess of the cheese). A great cheese to accompany fruits- it won't overpower the sweet/tartness of the fruit but will complement it quite well.

My favorite- favorite part of the cheese was the gritty, slightly crunchy crust layer of the cheese.. all this cheese talk in the morning is making me hungry! Must go to my local latterie today and pick up some cheese!

Jaune, Rouge, Orange et Vert

One thing that San Diego doesn't have that this wonderful little Swiss village does is- SEASONS! Since I do not have a car (thank god to that!), taking public transport through the lush, green fields now spotted with yellows, reds, and oranges (yes along with the black and white of bessies) is always a soothing site.


My runs in the forest have become that much more enjoyable as the flutter of leaves surround me as the find their new home on the forest floor. There's something graceful and magical about the way a leaf twirls, pirouetting it's way, floating softly to the awaiting bed of leaves below.
The crisp crunch of leaves below my shoes, the occasional mud pile that you sink into. It's Autumn- it's here.. and it's wonderful. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Le Perolles- 1 Michelin Star, Fribourg

So.. I guess this blog is a dual post. The first thing I should do is apologize for not writing sooner. With all the traveling, school work and turning into an asian popsicle as the weather has take a turn for the worst, I haven't gone to think about what to do next.
Haley and I decided to take a mini Vacay - to Fribourg- yes it's only 30 minutes away and I already go there at least once a week but.. after starving a whole week on dorm food, blowing our entire week's budget on what would have been dorm food on a Michelin experience seemed quite fitting.
The second part of my post is to introduce a new series of photos that I will be taking- food art- the art of what's left on the plate after someone has consumed what they like, dislike and don't want to consume any more of.

Keep posted.. I promise ill get around to all those michelin reviews sooner or later...

Comfort Food

All feeling a bit down that the weather has taken a sudden change for the FREEZING cold, I decided to bring a little bit of home to Bulle. Britt and I had been dying for some good ol, Californian mexican food! Seeing that I hadn't cooked for months... it was nice to get back into the kitchen to make some comfort food...
The result: Chicken burritos, Guacamole, Salsa (with tons of Cilantro of course!) and great company with my girlfriends...

I miss my mexican food! The only thing that was missing was a nice huge tall glass of Horchata...


So instead, I had a nice glass of 10 year old, Tawny Port from Porto courtesy of my friend Nuno, who just so happens to be from Porto! This is his favorite vintage port.

Thank you Nuno!

Spikey Foods

I just realized.. I love food that is protected by spikes! It's probably because I think the hidden treasure inside is worth all that protection..

Chestnuts or marrons here where I live in Switzerland of the sweet variety (only found here in Europe) grow on deciduous trees and come to harvest in the Autumn time. The chestnut is actually not a nut but a fruit- with the burrs of the outside turning yellow and splitting open to release the fruit when ripe.

The creamy, white flesh of the chestnut has to be cooked (most often roasted street side and served in a bag) to soften but has an incredible sweet nutty flavor. One of my mortal sins!

For those of you who know me well, y'all know that my other temptation (besides ice cream) is... Uni! or Sea Urchin. Sorry for not having a picture.. but I don't have on of my own to display. I was just sooooo enthralled by this realization today that I felt compelled to write about it- even without the photo.

Sea Urchins are purple (sometimes brown, green, olive or red but the ones I like to EAT or purple) and considered Echinozoa's with their hard outer shell and globular shape and spikes covering their body. A very distinct flavor, Uni is not for everyone. Essentially eating the 5 perfect tongues of orangy creamy roe- it has a very fishy, distinct sea water taste, and if good uni, very sweet. Although it is mainly synonymous with Japanese food, it is also eaten in many part of the Mediterranean, made into a "cebiche" type concoction in Chile and in part so New Zealand.

Nowadays the best Uni comes from Japan. Small, beautiful tongues of Uni, packed with sweetness and flavor. I pity those who feel the need to cook it- as the slimy creaminess is part of the appeal. Most places in the US have Uni that is farm raised from Santa Barabara (yes and giving me easy access to it at all time whilst in California)

Sweet, delicious and creamy... just like the marron. I see a trend here!

My Favorite Sushi restaurant in San Diego is Zenbu a swanky, upscale small sushi eatery- priding themselves on the freshest sushi. The lounge is good too with great cocktails although the bartender will no longer make Mojito's since it clogs up the dishwasher. The lounge a couple doors down is a great alternative if the actual restaurant is packed. ALWAYS SIT AT THE SUSHI BAR. the sushi chef's take their jobs VERY seriously... and you get your food a lot faster that way ( The service is usually REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD at the tables... a waitress once tried to charge us for Toro when it was clearly just Maguro.. do you KNOW who your messing with missy when it comes to sushi????). If you sit at a table, you will have to wait for them to go out and catch the fish and probably eat your fingers before that point in time...

Zenbu has some definite highlights:
If available: Toro (DUH!)
If still available: Zenbu has a huge live tank in their kitchen- where they have live uni (sea urchin) and live amaebi (sweet shrimp) all taken live out of the tank a la minute and still moving when served to you.
Also quite good are their Tuna tots (not on the menu) with wasabi mayo
AND... although I would never ever ever admit this again- they do have some good rolls- Particularly the Wind-And-Sea (banana and eel- sweetness of the banana compliments the eel very well) and a roll with hamachi and pears (which they no longer have on the menu).

All this sushi speak is making me crave sushi! For those of you "advanced" sushi-ites like myself- don't get irritated by the incompetent scantily clad beach girls who mmmm and aww at california rolls and won't try anything raw.. TRUST me... there are a lot of them there. Enjoy your sushi because it is WONDERFUL.

Zenbu
7660 Faye Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
Tel: 858.454.4540
Hours: Sunday- Weds 5pm - 10:30 pm
Thursday- Saturday 5pm - 1:30 Am

It's Marron Time!

After a strenuous two weeks in Financial Accounting, the girls and I couldn't wait to take our road trip to Lugano, located in the Canton of Ticino in the southern, east region on Switzerland. Bordering Italy, Lugano is the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. The weekend coincided with the Autumn festival where chestnut (marron) season is just beginning.

One of the most pleasant surprises was that the headquarters for Münger a Panetteria, Pasticceria, & a Confetteria that has been around since 1923 was around the corner from our hotel in Paradiso. On our morning jaunt down to the lakeside, we stopped in to see what delectable delights the Panetteria ( bread shop), Pasticceria ( Pastry shop) & Confetteria ( Chocolate/ sweet shop) - Yes this one was ALL three combined into one.. had to offer.

It is gooseberry season as well as chestnut season in Switzerland. I was tempted to buy a whole bunch of these chocolate covered gooseberries along with the dark chocolate marron.. but was good and restrained myself.

Münger is really famous for their chestnut based treats around this time. The thing that most people get is the Panettone, a chestnut bread that looks like a giant muffin. The bread only lasts a day or two (well of course!) so I opted for the Marronitorte - something that was gonna last us a day or two for our stay in Praha (prague)

Münger's Marronitorte was a great treat for Cza and I. It wasn't too sweet, with the crust crispy but the torte itself very very moist. The torte had chunks of sweet chestnuts ( not marron glace) that lent texture to the soft moistness of the torte. It was delicious- with Cza and I having to do everything we could not to finish it on the first night.

Some more noteworthy chestnut treats for the season (from Münger as well) are the Vermicelles (chestnut puree of a a cream custard, topped with heavy cream) , Castagne E Panna - or in French Marron Glace- chestnuts macerated in sugar and liquor and lastly the Torta Pane- a chestnut cake with pinenuts- more like a cornbread sort of texture.

Did I mention that I LOVE chestnuts???

Münger

Three locations in Lugano:

Laboratorio Negozio + Tea Room

Via Geretta 7

6900 Paradiso - Lugano

Tel: 091-985-69-40

walk in bakery, pastry shop and chocolate shop

In the heart of Old Town shopping district:

Negozio + Tea Room

Via Luvini 4

6900 Lugano

Tel: 091-985-69-43

Negozio

Lungolago Motto

6815 Melide

Tel: 091-649-74-14

Lever Du Soleil

Cutting my trip to London short one day, I came back to watch the sunrise over Moléson Summit for the last time this year. We drove up to Moléson village and took the Funicular halfway up, then the cable car the rest of the way up. It had been pouring the previous days before- but I was excited knowing that the cumulous clouds would help give depth to this spectacular event.

Much like in Canton de Vaud - in Cully (studying in style post), there is a triangular view point indicator on the Sommet de Moléson. It's a bit of a hike from the cable car and main lodge but worth the view!
I somehow convinced my roomate to wake up at an ungodly hour after having to pick me up from Lausanne the night before (seriously, I got in at 8:30- the next available train to Fribourg was at midnight, then I would have to take the bus and get back at 2am) and wake up at 5 am to accompany me to see the sunrise in the freezing cold mountain top. I also need to thank her for being so tall and thus making such a slender, beautiful model for my photographs of the sunrise.

From my understanding, they only do this a few times a year starting in Spring/ Summer and extending through Autumn. You can check with the Moléson website to see what's going in the town and the summit. They post dates, hours and prices for the lever du soleil- so check back in the spring when the mountain isn't so cold and more feasible to watch the sunrise.

4 Michelin stars, 1 week

Preview on some restaurants I visited this week...

Motto De Gallo, 1 Michelin Star, Lugano, Switzerland, Executive Chef: Jose De La Iglesa



Mraz & Sohn, 1 Michelin Star, Wien, Osterreich, Executive Chef: Markus Mraz


Steirereck im Stadtpark, 2 Michelin Star, Wien, Austria, Executive Chef: Heinz Reitbauer


Motto De Gallo
Via Bicentenario 16
CH-6807 Taverne
Ticino
Tel:0041-919452871

Mraz & Sohn
Wallensteinstrasse 59
1200 Wien
Osterreich
Tel:00431-3304594

Steirereck im Stadtpark
Am Heumarkt 2A
im Stadtpark
A-1030 Wien
Osterreich
Tel:0043-17133168

Brazilian Donut: Sonhos or Bolas de Berlim

So these aren't from any special famous place. In fact- I had the hardest time finding these suckers. Evidently, even though they are the Brasilian version of a Donut... people don't eat them very often. I asked about 5 people where to find Sonhos or Bolas de Berlim and the response was " I don't know".

We happened to have them for breakfast at our hotel in Iguazu Falls.
Sonhos are " Little dreams" that are actually Portuguese in origin (yes yes, I will be looking for them when I go to Portugal). They are usually filled with goiabada or guava jelly.. these guys were alright.. a little too doughy and dense.. but still the Brasilian donut experience!

Picarones- Peruvian Donuts

On my ever quest to try every donut in every country, the peruvian version is the Picarones. Marita took me to Panchita (world reknown Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio's Steakhouse) in her home town of Mira Flores, Lima, Peru to get one of these tasty fried pumpkin dough morsels.

Picarones are made from a yeast sweet potato dough flavored with cinnamon and anise, allowed to rise much like the traditional american donut. It is fried and served with a syrup made from chancaca.

We caught the restaurant in between service and were taken to the back kitchen where they demonstrated not only how the dough was made but fried off the crispy on the outside, moist on the inside flavorful rings of dough that I would consume a few minutes later.



The flavor in the dough make the Picarones more interesting than the american donut. The only problem is that it doesn't get the same yeasty, fluffy consistency that - ok well no one but Stan's can achieve that but you get my picture.

Still very worth it and a two thumbs up to Picarones from Panchita.

Panchita
Avenue Dos de Mayo 298
Miraflores 242-5957, Lima , Peru
Tel: 40 40 41 37

Pisco Sour

I quickly learned that the national drink of Peru is the Pisco sour. Quite frankly, I think that this should be more then a national drink- it should be one of their national dishes.

Using egg whites to create frothiness(how did american mixologists only discover this in the last 5 years?), Pisco sours are a great aperitif.. or after aperitif, or through the meal, or after the meal or just about any time of the day drink. The gorgeous concoction in this photo was at La Rosa Nautica. Since people on my dad's tours don't really drink.. I had.. one, two, three, four.. oh wait.. FIVE of these puppies during lunch. Each one, equally as delicious as the one before.

Frozen Pisco sour with Pisco soaked raisins and a shot of frozen Pisco sour at the gorgeous, green, ultra luxury Sumaq Machu Picchu hotel in Machu Picchu- with menu design by world renown Peruvian Chef Rafael Piqueras.

Pisco is an a liquor distilled from grapes and is the national bitter or liquor of Peru. It is said to have originated from the region of Pisqu back in Inca times with the word having Quechuan roots. It is said that Pisco gained popularity when imports of alcohol were banned in Peru and Chile to eliminate competition for locally grown liquors. Pisco, the harder liquor in comparison to wine became the liquor of choice.

There are a few levels of Pisco that should be noted:

Pure: made from one variety of grape.. no blending allowed! usually used are Quebranta Mollar or Common Black varietals.

Aromatic : Muscat or Muscat varietal grapes. Only one varietal again.

Mosto Verde : Made from partially fermented must (the leftover skin bits from the first pressing of wine). Must be distilled before fermentation process turns everything into sugar.

Alcholado : blended grapes

All pisco is to be aged three months. There are differences between Chilean and Peruvian Pisco. Seeing that I've never had Chilean Pisco, Peruvian tastes like heaven to me!

Real Maize and Cebiche

Corn nowadays has been so genetically altered, it looks nothing like the thumb size, triangular Zea Mays that originated out of South America. Nowadays we are use to seeing perfectly neat pinky size rows of corn. The truth is, Zea Mays was not in perfect rows. In fact, original Zea Mays only had maybe 10 kernels on each stalk. One of the few places to still find beautiful un-adultered Zea Mays is in the Sacred Valley of Peru. A typical train snack, boiled Zea Mays, the size of your thumb can be bought for roughly 30 cents.

The starchy, meaty kernels, plucked off one by one, sweet & delicious make an incredible snack. The kernels, succulent and meaty- yes actually meaty in texture.. incredible!

The national dish of Peru is Cebiche. Cebiche is using the acid from limes to cause a chemical reaction "cooking" the protein. Cebiche can be made with all types of seafood and even some meat proteins. One of the most famous places to eat Cebiche is La Rosa Nautica. An instituion in Lima, La Rosa Nautica has been around since 1983, located on the amazing coastline of Mira Flores, Lima, built on the old pier 4- La Rosa Nautica is the place to be seen - and to watch surfers and enjoy a precisely, peruvian meal made from only the freshest and most local ( in fact La Rosa Nautica has their own farm!) produce coming only from Peru.

I was lucky enough to meet Chef De Cuisine Enrique Blondet who also gave me a kitchen tour- although churning out amazing amounts of covers, by utilizing only the freshest ingredients, produces a meal combined with the setting that anyone visiting Lima for the first time will enjoy. I had two plates of his Cebiche ( I was allergic to the Paella.. sooo Cebiche was my only option) in which he used local Zea Mays to add a different dimension of texture to the spicy, tangy Cebiche.

La Rosa Nautica

Espigon 4 Circuito De Playas

Lima 18, Peru

Tel: 511-445-0149

Feijoada

I know this post is really late but.. I promised to get around to my South American adventure sooner or later right?

When in Brasil, one of the MUST dishes to eat (other then the masses of Brazilian BBQ that you will eat until you vomit and sweat meat..) is Feijoada.

Feijoada is a stew of beans, pork fat and whatever else you wanna chuck in there- brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. Ironically, Feijao means.. well beans.

It's rumored that the Africans brought Feijoada with them after the Portuguese gave them the cheapest remnants of food they could find- beans and pork fat. Being as resourceful as they could, the only thing that could be done with the beans was to soak them for extended periods of time to soften them and get the toxins out, and then proceed to slowly simmer them with some tasty pork fat and whatever else they could get their hands on. The dish turned out to be delicious and now is considered to be a national dish. It's a MUST try dish when visiting Rio De Janeiro!

Need one of these in Bulle...

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a weakness of ice cream and any variable of ice cream thereof. This includes (of course) ice cream itself, gelato, shaved ice, soft serve and frozen yogurt (and ice cream cakes, ice cream bars etc etc... why don't I have diabetes already)

Why yes, it is getting cold in Switzerland right now.. but I have been CRAVING for some Yogurtland. Self serve, frozen yogurt, usually about 10 flavors, add on your topics and pay per ounce! Voila!! I had this EVERYDAY for about 2 weeks before moving to Switzerland hoping to quench my craving for it... Someone send me some Fro-Yo yo!

My FAVORITE restaurant

Can you blame a girl for wanting simple, traditional, really well cooked food? St. JOHN has never disappointed me. Small tapas style plates, beautifully executed dishes. The food is not fussy- it's just TASTY. We frequent the Spitafields location for its more casual atmosphere. The menu is split up into times- when the food will be ready. Main entrees usually are ready around 1, small plates around noon. Pay special attention to the chalkboard where specials are written. Once they are gone, THEY ARE GONE!
My favorite dish was the Black Pudding with prunes and bacon. The residual sauce was sopped up with St. John's fresh baked bread. The prunes, bacon and perfectly seasoned blood cake was so rich, so full of flavor- I realized how depressed I was to have to go back to Switzerland that day.
The Beet Salad with Goat Curd and Sorrel- classic flavors, light refreshing and of course seasoned well.

English tomatoes, Lovage and shallots. The marinated tomaotes with the shallots and freshness of the lovage made for an irresistible first plate. The tomatoes sweetness were enhanced by the lovage and marinated shallots. So simple yet so good. This is what food is SUPPOSE to be.
Deep had been talking about this one for ages! Foie Gras and Duck Liver toast, cornichons and sea salt. Rich, creamy.. who doesn't like Foie Gras?? Calories?? BRING IT ON. I ate ALL OF IT.

Dessert commenced with a Brown Bread Ice Cream. A creamy creme anglais base, slightly nutty with chunks of Brown bread spread throughout. I thought it would be interesting- the hardness of the crusty bread and the creamyness of the ice cream. I couldn't stop myself.. This was incredible!
Rice pudding with strawberry jam and a hunka butter. The Strawberry jam lent sweetness, the rice pudding creamy.

And of course, half a dozen freshly baked, just came out of the oven, crusty on the outside, moist on the inside St John's Madelines. No meal is every complete at St. JOHN without them.

St. JOHN has never disappointed me. From the bread to the small plates and of course the desserts ( here is a secret, their desserts are better then the main courses so SAVE ROOM FOR IT!!)

If you only have time for one meal in London, this is hand down, the one to go to.

St. JOHN Bread & Wine Spitafields
Reservations HIGHLY recommended
94-95 Commercial Street
London E16LZ
Tel: 0272510848

Bratwurst, Bier & Rosti.. How much more Swiss can we get?

On a short excursion day to Bern, we stopped into Bim Grosi for some quick lunch grub. The first must was the Gurten Bier- the local beer of Bern (Wabern). Fruity, light, not quite a heffe, it was just what was needed after a long morning of exploring the old town. Founded in 1864 by Johann Juker from Bollingen.
For my main meal, I had Rösti , a traditional swiss-german glorified spiced hashbrown (sorry Chef Waffler, I know it takes A LOT longer then hashbrowns and it's caramelized throughout the whole thing but.. it is still a hashbrown....) It is traditional to the Canton of Bern as well and considered the national dish of Switzerand (that and Fondue, Moite moite and Raclette. Usually with the glorified hashbrown, Rösti can also have bacons, onions, apples, cheese and a variety of herbs mixed into it.

With the Rösti was an Emmenthaler Bratwurst mit a caramelized onion sauce. I have to admit, the swiss know their charcuterie here. There have been countless times where I have had a bland, unseasoned sausages in the states... so far, the Swiss have not failed to dissapoint in the Bratwurst department.

The restaurant itself is a cute, one off restaurant off the main Martgasse plaza just down the street from the Bundeshaus. On Saturdays, there is a huge farmers market in the Martgasse plaza with regional purveyors displaying a bevy of cheese, meats and veggies. Prices are reasonable- decent local food- nothing fancy but will do!

Bim Grosi

Martgasse 69

3011 Bern, Switzerland

Tel: 0041313050888

Ladies Who Lunch

I was fortunate enough to be able to go back to my old kitchen to have lunch. Starting with some bubbly in the Fumoir room, the atmosphere was relaxing (ok maybe a bit pretentious.. it is Gordon Ramsay @ Claridges after all darling!) leisurely lunch.

After being greeted by some more Ayala, Brut Majeur, NV, Britt and I settled on our menu.
Then the non stop food ensued for the next 4 hours. First up were canapes with truffled cream cheese and taramasalata. After that came special canapes- truffled asparagus balls, quail eggs on mini potato pancakes and courgette rolls. The caramelized onion bread and olive bread after that and then finally the amuse! Pumpkin soup with sour cream foam and BACON!
I opted for the hot smoked Cornish mackerel, baby gem,white grape and caper dressing. The smoked mackerel was just smoked (not overcooked like I've seen done soooo many times last year...)
Britt went for the salad of marinated Enligsh tomatoes, goat's cheese cream, fennel beignets, Noir de Bigorre Ham. She said that it was absolutely delicious (why yes, the food is SEASONED well for a change.. unlike what we get back in Bulle... )

We were then treated to Roasted Scottish Scallops, Panch Phoran Shallots with a sweetcorn veloute (Courtesy of Tucker's hot starter section.. you did good Tuckers)

For the main, both of us had the Sauteed fillets of Rye Bay Plaice, Razor Clams, pickled baby carrots, coriander veloute ( not shown, picture was blurry.. hey I was on my 4th glass of creamy champagne.. can you blame a girl???) Rouge picked out beautiful pieces of Plaice for us- the texture light and flakey, delicate and gorgeous with the coriander veloute.

We then got to take a little breather with a kitchen tour.

Upon returning, we were greated with New Season English Strawberry Bavarois, olive oil and black pepper ice cream- light, not too heavy and LOVED the black pepper ice cream.
Britt opted for the English plum tart, mirabelle and lemon ice cream
While chocolate loving me, went for the Bitter Chocolate Parfait, pink grapefruit sorbet. The best part was the crumb on the bottom of the parfait. The tartness of the grapefruit went beautifully with the bitterness of the chocolate.

We finished off with tiramsu and brandy truffles petite fours

and, another kitchen tour ( and of course I finally got to see Pete!)

It was a wonderful afternoon, beautifully executed food. Thank you so much!!

Gordon Ramsay @ Claridges

Reservations Mandatory

Best Deal in London: 3 course set lunch

40 Brook Street
London W1K 4HR
Tel: 02074990099
reservations@gordonramsay.com