France: Nice, Bordeaux and Brittany

Here are some of food photos I collected in my magical summer around Europe.

Summer is the season for strawberries and these from Carrefour as as great as any.

Tomatoes from the Troyes Market - incredibly sweet, juicy and delicate. One of the best tasting things I ever put in my mouth.

Boudin Noir also from the market. It looks quite scary but trust me it's delicious when fried crispy and accompanied with caramelized apples and mashed potatoes. Though I cannot imagine myself tucking into one that is boiled.

We missed out on trying the Soupe de Poission in Marseilles so I followed a Chowhound recommendation to Chez Acchiardo in Nice. The fish soup was awesome - murky and deep brown but bursting with the essence of the sea. Rub a raw garlic over croutons and smear on some rouille and it all comes together vecry nicely.

Nice looked like a nice city to explore if the crowds thinned out a little. I would like to return in future.

One city that I wouldn't return in Bordeaux. Yes, the Place des Quinconces was breathtakingly beautiful at sunset but rest of the city was mind-numbingly boring.

Anyhow the other highlight of Bordeaux was the famous l'Entrecôte chain. My steak, requested saignant, was done perfectly rare and very tender. The lengendary sauce was addictive and the fries hot, crispy and free-flowing. This took care of my steak-frites craving. The picture below shows half of one's steak, the other half is kept warm on a heated platter.

The final stop before returning to Paris is the picturesque coast of Brittany. We visited Saint-Malo, Mont Saint Michel and the fishing village of Cancale. We had the obligatory one dozen oysters at the market. They tasted fine but were a little flabby at this time of the year. Summer is not the time for oysters.

While not the prime time for oysters, summer is definitely the prime time for lobsters! Not wanting to risk paying high prices to dine on inferior produce, I bought the lobster from Vivers de Cancale who supplies Roellinger's les Maison de Bricourt. At any rate, these lobsters are sweet sweet sweet! It needs no sauce for the tomalley (liver) is so creamy you use it as a dip. Just reminiscing it makes me salivate!

Paris: Chez l'Ami Jean - Round 2

After my first meal at Chez l’Ami Jean 2 months earlier which left me pining for more, I returned for a second round on the last leg of my epic trip before flying home. With Max and Jia Le held up at the airport, our dining party was reduced to a man date between Desmond and me. C’est dommage!

This time, I was determined to have the complete Carte Blanche instead of the reduced menu we had last time. Walking in for the dead last seating at 9.30pm, and we were starving and ready.

We began with a mushroom soup – an intense earthy stock was enriched minimally with cream then frothed - quite similar in mouthfeel to the fish bisque we had previously. Bits of crisp bacon and fresh peas provided crunchiness and truffle oil upped the aroma factor, lifting an often abused classic preparation to the echelons of fine dining.

The next course was a repeat of the last meal – a clay crock of baby scallops steamed in its own juices with butter and plenty of chives. The scallops themselves were frankly quite bland and mild. The best part of dish was the sweet broth collected at the bottom of the crock which I liberally soaked up with bread. I was therefore quite mad when the crock was abruptly removed while I was floundering in my head to find the French to ask the waitress to leave it there!

Any remnants of displeasure vanished when the second fish course arrived. A whole tail of Brittany lobster braised in butter paired with a wedge of caramelized peach. The firmness and sweetness of the blue Homard lobster is far superior to the “live” lobsters we get imported here in Singapore. The fruity peach and briny lobster would have been brilliantly paired with a slice of foie gras. I would attempt that soon!

Through the night, we saw many tables end their savoury courses with a generous but manageable half rack of lamb. We were expecting the same as we watched the action in the kitchen when from the corner of my eye I spotted a massive Cote de Boeuf being brought out. Instinctively, I craned by neck to search for the lucky quartet it was heading for only to have my vision suddenly all blocked out by a crusty slab of ribeye. Queried by our Audrey Tatou lookalike waitress, “Ça va?”, we could only nod dumbly in speechless shock. Yes, that 1 kilogramme Wagyu ribeye steak was for us to share. Quickly, it was whisked away, carved and returned on a bed of sautéed Girolles and braised baby turnips then sprinkled with parsley breadcrumbs. The steak was seared rare (we were not asked for our preferences). It was quite tasty, almost bordering on sweet and rich without being overly fatty - I guess that the beef came from a hybrid Wagyu cow. The use of breadcrumbs here was a genius touch. When coupled with the beef, it somehow gave the illusion of a more substantial and crunchy outer crust. There was enough for 3 servings each as well as the bone in a doggy bag. 

Just as we felt ready to die from a burst stomach, Chez l’Ami Jean’s famous rice pudding was served. Much have been written on this dessert and it was truly as good as people claim. To quote FoodSnob, “A big, big bowl of pearly white rice pudding (also like grandmother made) with swirls of confiture de lait... The riz was velvety and smooth; strong enough to hold a wooden spoon upright, but not sticky. The bomba rice – a Valencian, premium-quality short grain, quite starchy and considered the best sort for paella – was an inspired choice. The fat grains were firm and distinct, but had just started to melt around the edges, exaggerating the riz au lait’s creaminess… easily the best rice pudding I have ever eaten.” We barely made a dent in the huge bowl.

We were also served 2 mini-desserts – a chocolate mousse with cinnamon cracker as well as a bowl of marinated persimmons.

In all, the execution at Chez l’Ami Jean was flawless and its serving more than generous but it would not be unfair to say that the Carte Blanche was rather safe and conventional. Perhaps we arrived too late for dinner and ingredients were running low and/or they deliberately do a less adventurous menu for international tourists. To illustrate what Chef Jégo is capable of, take a look at Barbara Austin’s review on her blog – veal and salmon, foie gras and cod, lobster and boudin noir etc. When I return I have to find a way to convey my willingness to try their more creative offerings.

Paris: Chez l'Ami Jean

Here's some pictures from Chez l'Ami Jean. It was an overall excellent experience with both the food and service. I am not going to write about it now as I am hoping for a second meal in July to make a better assessment.

A Teaser

Just to torture some of my readers (you know who you are!). Here's a teaser of what to look out for in about 2.5 months during my trip:

Asador Etxebarri - Mecca of grilling perfection. My entire schedule was planned around this lunch. Read more at Yaokui.

Chez l'Ami Jean - Recommended by Gastroville as well. How can I go wrong? Read more at Hungry in Bangkok.

Pizzeria Sorbillo - We only have time for one (or two if we rush) pizza in Naples. I hope this is a right choice. Read more at Scattidigusto. Use Google Translate!

La Cuchera de San Telmo - Best Pintxos on Earth? Read more at Dudes on Food.

and many many more!

Dusting Away the Cobwebs

Ah I’ve been too busy to work on this blog on mine. Taking 3 Physics and 1 French module was a bad idea. Especially the French! Still, it’s not completely due to tedious academic work that I’ve been neglecting my virtual presence – I’m also hammering out my vacation details this summer. Yes, I am Europe bound!

Anyway, it doesn’t mean that when my blogging stop, my cooking halts too. I always say I am a foodie first, then trailing far behind, a photographer and then a blogger. Here’s a duo of my effort in the past months. In case you are wondering why deep-fried themes seem to cluster together, it’s called oil recycling.

I made a second attempt at fish and chips with some appreciable improvements. Instead of depending on an oil thermometer, I winged the oil temperature and did not too badly. I got the blanching of the fries spot on but I think my deep frying temperature was a tad too high. Still, I suspect that it’s not completely because of the temperature that my fries turned out more brunette than blond. I think that the residual sugar in the potato is browning prematurely. Perhaps they needed a more thorough rinsing. For the fish, I used the same batter but this time I employed the Japanese tempura trick of sprinkling more batter on the fish after dropping it in the oil.


The next preparation is unabashedly lifted from the menu of the Parisian 3-star restaurant Ledoyen. I read about it on Gastroville and Food Snob and even though it’s simple prawn ball, I am strangely attracted to it. And boy, when I tried to replicate it, I found that there’s nothing simple about it at all. First, I tried substituting the pastry with shredded wanton skins. Fail. Next, I used spring roll sheets. It was passable, but only just. I finally gave in and used phyllo pastry and shredded it filament thin. Success! The filling was a whole tiger prawn as well as some minced prawns to give it shape.


Though impressive looking, I found these prawns inferior in taste and texture to smaller deep sea prawns. It is ‘garnished’ with a grilled half of another prawn. The saucing component was what perplexed me. I thought it was some sort of foam that’s not accessible to a home kitchen until I chanced across La Recette du Jour with its recipe for a Lemon and Olive Oil Mousse dessert. Obviously I couldn’t replicate exactly the recipe but only draw inspiration to come up with a savoury version of it. With all 3 elements in hand, the constellations aligned and there you have it, a 3-star dish.

The Black Sheep Cafe

The Black Sheep Café is a little gem that used to be tucked away in an idyllic corner of Seletar which was great since it was a 2 minutes drive from my place. My brother used to be a regular and I tagged along occasionally but when they moved to Mayo Street, our visits came to a halt. Fast forward a couple of years and I thought it would be nice to drop by.

Chef Ratha still operates a one man show in the kitchen, but this time with a lot more space than his old restaurant. The menu is still pretty much unchanged, sporting well-loved classics like the baked brie and duck confit.

We started by sharing a Baked Brie crusted with pistachio and citrus fruit compote. As usual, the cheese failed to hold its structural integrity (as far as I remember, there was only once when I had this dish at the old place did the cheese maintained its shape). That’s not important, however. The sweet-sour compote offsets the creamy melting cheese to make a very nice appetiser.


Evelyn had the Duck Confit with Apple Rosti. Duck confit can get cloyingly oily and taste preserved but one can tell that this version was made only recently and skilfully fried to rid it of excess oil. The tangy mango relish pairs well with the duck leg and especially well with the crisp skin. I always liked the Apple Rosti but this time I found it slightly limp – perhaps too little oil in the pan.


My snapper came quite awhile later. The thick piece was seared and then finished in the oven in a text-book demonstration of how it’s supposed to be done. The flesh retained its firm texture, juicy interior and most importantly, tasted properly of sea fish.


Desserts were Ratha’s ever present Flourless Chocolate Tart and a Kahlua Soufflé. Both were excellent but a special mention goes out to the soufflé as the most spectacular one I have ever seen.



The Black Sheep Café is highly recommended if you can spare a couple of hours for a meal. Costs about S$50 a person for 3 courses + wine.

Beef Cheek Bourguignon

I realized all my posts so far have a Japanese theme. Here's a change of flavour with an old French classic. While traditional recipes call for cuts like shoulder, I think that the cheek is the most superior of stewing meats with a good proportion of fat, collagen and muscle.

The trick with Bourguignon is that it is easy to get something cloyingly sweet. Use less vegetable and instead of only wine, I used half wine and half stock for the braising liquid. Aromatics came from a bouquet garni, clove and star anise.



Couldn’t resist showing off the Ichimonji TKC Gyuto which I sharpened with a convex bevel.


The braising liquid and vegetables were blended, strained and then mounted with butter for the sauce.