Caramelized potatoes

Caramelized potatoes

Belgos East

We went to eat mussels in a nothing-to-do afternoon.

My glass of white wine, Crane Lake Sauvignon Blanc 2006.

The fries and bread. The little pots are chicken liver spread (brown) and butter (yellow).
I love thick fries so let fredda finish most of the bread, which was crunchy on the crust and soft inside.

Fresh steamed mussels in provencale style.
The sauce was cooked with tomato, olives, garlic and thyme, with hefty amount of white wine. It was so tasty that I drank the sauce like soup! The mussels were soft and fat as it was the best season.

The whole pot of mussels in provencale style.

Fresh steamed mussels in Marienere style.
The sauce was a white wine cream, which is one of the most traditional sauce for cooking mussels in Belgium. The sauce contained juice of mussels, so it was sweet and carried the taste of seawater. We greedily dipped our remaining bread in this cream sauce!

The big black pot of mussels in Marienere style.

Belgos East, Oxford House, Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

小墨魚 baby cuttlefish

剛剛釣到上岸的小墨魚。

新鮮的小墨魚其實不用劏, 連外皮亦不用撕去, 用水洗乾淨就好。
就這樣清蒸, 原隻放入口就可以。因為夠新鮮, 小墨魚的墨囊帶海水味及鮮味, 可一併吃下。
醬汁方面, 我蘸了點在九龍城新三陽南貨買的極品蝦子醬油作綴。

Gravlax with orange salad

Normally I do not eat raw salmon, but Gravlax is an exception.

Gravlax is a signature dish in Northern European cuisine. It refers to fresh salmon preserved in the traditional method, using heavy salt, sugar and dill to cover the salmon, and then bury it in dry sand to ferment and cure for some time.

Gravlax with orange salad
(orange is not visible in this pic!!! LOL~)

I just learnt how to make Gravlax last week. It's easy. This method helps to remove the moisture in salmon, and thus the taste of fat and oil inside the fish become prominent. The texture also changed. It becomes more delicate and soft. The dill, sugar and grated orange and lemon peels make the Gravlax tastes clean and refreshing.

Fettuccine and mushrooms in cream sauce

I cooked the mushrooms with a bit of oil only, in a way like roasting the mushrooms on the pan. And I consider this is the best way to cook mushrooms (if, on pans) because it can effectively enhance the unique fragrance of the mushrooms.

Fettuccine and mushrooms in cream sauce

In the cream sauce, I added flakes of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a dash of butter. I also intentionally made the sauce thicker so that sauce can stick to, and cover the pasta and mushrooms thoroughly.

大阪日本料理

是從小時候就訂下的情意結。那時候家裡環境不好, 記得有次經過這家名叫"大阪日本料理"的餐廳, 想吃卻沒有錢。長大了有錢就去光顧一下, 幸好它還沒有關門大吉, 而且口味正宗又好吃。以下是兩次光顧時點的食物。

先來一點溫熱的清酒。

松前漬
再來一點前菜伴酒。

醃漬生蠔
肥美的厚岸牡蠣, 以帶柚子味的酸汁稍為醃漬, 配上蔥花、辣蘿蔔蓉及青檸, 非常對味。比較諸西式吃法, 這日式醃漬法又好像腥味較少, 亦較易入口, 最合我這種好生冷腥味的人。

燒秋刀魚(前)、帶子壽司(後)
見餐牌上有當造的秋刀魚, 就立即叫一條燒的來吃。魚油豐富得在咬下去就滲出來。店家亦保留了魚內臟, 一併燒來奉客。友人不欣賞魚內臟, 就由我來幹掉它好了。魚內臟夾帶魚油、甘苦和甜味, 有種獨特的滋味。但最大的敗筆是魚內臟近魚頭處竟黏著一堆魚鱗, 怕是店家清理功夫做的不好, 再好吃亦覺得掃興。

帶子壽司則有驚喜。帶子是用上新鮮貨, 夠爽甜; 而飯糰竟搓的不錯。

合鴨煮

鯛魚粥
日式的粥煮得較稀。因下了木魚湯、昆布、魚清湯等材料, 粥底非常鮮甜。

豬肉清湯火鍋
豬肉是用上鹿兒島的黑豚。

配上醬油、辣蘿蔔蓉、蔥花 (切得太粗了)、白蘿蔔蓉。

還有大量的蔬菜和粉絲, 非常飽肚。

豚角煮
每次到居酒屋都必點的。甜和鹹平衡的剛好, 醬汁上的油脂都去得清光。豬肉上雖然帶著大片脂肪, 但不覺肥膩, 只覺添上另一層肉香。
又, 我認為豚角煮是受了中菜的東坡肉影響, 或由此演變而來。容後查證。

大阪日本料理, 尖沙咀亞士厘道14號亞士厘大廈

Café Causette

Had an afternoon tea after eating at 蓮香樓. Originally we were heading to L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, but we have been there too oftenly, so we finally selected Café Causette for our afternoon tea.

The interior. Classy and elegant.

Mixed berries cream cake.
Meltingly soft cream crust was soft as snow flakes, rich in the taste of milk, and there were refreshing mixed berries. A well-balanced combination.

Blue mountain coffee with a small piece of almond cookie.
There was a layer of aromatic crema floating on the coffee which was nicely cooked. The cookie was unexpectedly delicious! Wanted to buy a bag of it and enjoy it at home~

Earl grey tea.
Rich in the pleasant scent of bergamot.

Rasberry mousse cake

The best thing was, we met the easter bunny at the cafe and took photos with it~

Café Causette, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong

佐藤錦櫻桃

在高島屋買來幾盒山形県産的佐藤錦櫻桃。
佐藤錦櫻桃的果肉爽口, 果核不太大, 皮薄多汁, 清甜而不帶半點酸味, 吃後又不會在口腔留下一陣奇怪的粗糙感覺。而且它像寶石一般的顏色, 十分討人喜歡。

因為櫻桃脆弱, 不能直接受冷, 所以我把櫻桃的枝梗全去掉, 然後用冰鎮凍來吃。

それいゆ らこんて

到和歌山旅行。預訂房間時選了晚餐, 是会席料理"熊野水軍コース"。

会席料理常被誤為懷石料理。簡單來說, 懷石料理的風格比較簡單樸實, 由最先奉上的飯、汁、向付至最後的菓子, 總共有八道﹔而会席料理, 顧名思義, 是請客宴會時奉上的菜餚。雖然会席料理是源自懷石料理, 然而它用料和風格則是豪華多彩。由第一道向付至最後的菓子, 可達十至十二道, 而且兩者菜式的鋪排亦不盡相同。

這個会席料理"熊野水軍コース"用的材料都是以紀州 (即和歌山一帶) 的特產, 例如勝浦的鮪魚, 紀州梅和蜜柑, 鯛魚及特色漬物。紀伊一帶本是漁村, 漁民慣常用鹽、酒保存及醃漬海產和其他食物, , 加上食材本身的海水味, 長久下來令該地的菜式味道較鹹。

(左) 酢物︰勝浦直送　鮪叩きカルパッチョ
(右) 食前酒︰梅酒

餐前先來杯以紀州梅釀的梅酒開胃。第一道酢物, 以勝浦產的鮪魚, 加上溫泉蛋及梅酢, 馬上就引得食慾大振。鮪魚的軟滑令我印象深刻。

(前) あ凌ぎ︰
秋刀魚棒寿し

(後) 六品盛　旬菜︰
鯨羹胡麻豆腐、赤烏賊塩辛
数の子土佐漬け、菜種芥子和え
うつば南蠻漬け、秋刀魚昆布卷
炙り太刀魚の長芋みなべ和え

這兩道六品盛及棒寿し多以紀州地道風格醃漬、調理, 嗜鹹嗜腥如我, 當然喜歡。原條赤烏賊塩辛和秋刀魚棒寿し鹹得來仍然甘鮮, 令我忍不住買了一些回家。

二色鍋︰ 海鮮鍋、和牛しゃぶ鍋

我喜歡將和牛烚得半熟, 這樣就能同時吃到豐富的肉汁, 半軟的脂肪, 而牛肉香亦剛好引出。蘸上醬油及白蘿蔔蓉或辣蘿蔔蓉, 或帶酸胡麻醬, 已是很美味。

黑潮の幸 (造り)︰
五種盛り　寒鰤 (左)、いか(前中)、本鮪 (右)、ぼたんえび(中中)、天然鯛 (後中)

在漁港附近吃到的海產當然是新鮮貨色。鮪魚刺身跟第一道酢物中的, 食味又不同: 這刺身爽口和甜一點。寒鰤、鯛魚、魷魚和牡丹蝦亦全都鮮美可口。

焼物︰はた甜麵醬炒め

貫徹紀州當地的烹調風格, 這道炒海斑的味道非常濃烈。

油物︰天婦羅色々　海老み揚げ、丸十、青唐、岩塩

蓋物︰地魚荒煮風

最好吃的是時令的竹筍, 長得胖又嫩, 更吸飽了煮汁。魚皮亦爽滑。

椀物︰清白豆腐　鯛葛打ち　蔓菜　口柚子

(左) 食事︰炊きたて　こしひかり
(右前) 漬物︰紀州三種盛り
(右後) 留椀︰水雲賽の目玉子豆腐

米飯用上新澙県漁沼產的越光米, 簡單的漬物就能將飯香帶出。

(右前、右) 水菓子︰季節の水菓子　葡萄、キーウィ、蜜柑
(左、後中) 甘味︰白良浜で砂遊び　ケーキ

我最喜歡那個"白良浜で砂遊び", 意即"在白良浜上玩沙"。白良浜是當地最漂亮的沙灘, 沙子又白又幼, 用上白砂糖來襯托那塊造型可愛的小餅兒, 來表達在白良浜遊玩的情景, 真是很好看又貼切!

それいゆ　らこんて, 白浜御苑, 和歌山県西牟婁郡白浜町1011

白灼八爪魚

捎來了一隻五斤重的大八爪魚。
八爪魚分兩種, 一般在吉之島、百佳買到的那種, 從橫切面可見到肉質較結實, 其實較適合煮湯。當刺身吃的話, 無論切得怎麼薄, 也是嚼不動; 另一種叫"沙追", 肉質柔軟, 最大分別是橫切下去, 可見到內裡是軟心的。

新鮮而完整時的樣子。
是次只切了其中一條爪, 其他部份留待後用。可見爪上仍有很多附著的黏膜, 其中會帶著些很幼的泥沙。
處理時洗去表面的黏液, 而黏膜在八爪魚未煮熟時難以清理, 留著至煮熟後才去掉。
以薑片及蔥下鍋, 用來辟腥。灼至僅熟就好。
橫切下可看到肉質是的軟心。
用刀切去八爪魚表面黏膜、吸盤和部份硬皮, 然後切片。
因為八爪魚仍帶強烈的海水氣味, 在蘸醬方面不宜用鹹味的調味料。是次我用的是柚子醋、蔥末及辣蘿蔔蓉。