Samuelinthekitchen's Profile
Quick trip to Brisbane
funnily enough there really is a fabulous place very close by. Griffith Nathan Campus has a restaurant called G's which is just spectacular. Also, nearby Sunnybank has a MASSIVE Chinese population and some of the finest Asian restaurants in Australia, well worth a visit.
Do you keep the paper or plastic covers on your cook books?
in fact i take the food stains on the pages containing my most beloved recipes as a badge of honour.
Some places in Brixton Village market, London
Not to be too mean, but i wasn't sorry to hear of GB's demise. I liked it for a while and then met the owner. Not such a nice chap
Moving to London - Where to live for a die-hard foodie?
Ottolenghi is great. In Islington, for food shopping, I also love Olga's Stores, just a really cracking deli.
Moving to London - Where to live for a die-hard foodie?
Brixton, there's a great thread on here about it,http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/698606.
I'm a diehard Sth Londoner though, currently cooling my heels in Aus for a bit of work.
Mayonnaise with an Immersion Blender
never used egg white, never broken a mayonaise. I've got a jar sitting in mum's fridge that's been there for an age.
I'm not taking issue, I'm just not sure where that comes from?
Brisbane this Sunday night
Bar Alto at the Powerhouse will give you a nice Sunday night meal.
Things Overheard That Make You Smile...
at a dinner party, ex-boyfriend's boss '(Ex-boyfriend's name), you never said Samuel was such an amazing cook."
I was a popular chap that night.
10 minute meals
ah, med student, totally get it. My best friend is doing her Oncology spealisation. She's lucky if she has a spare 10 minutes a month. Good luck. Also, if you practise and practise until you've got it nailed and can move quickly, you can get a pasta a la carbonara out in about 10.
10 minute meals
I can understand being time poor. But why ten minutes? I'm just curious? Wouldn't you be better off setting aside 30 or 40 minutes and do just a touch of prep? That way you can use some better ingredients and produce some really terrific results and if you're out of practise, opening a few tins and using precut veges isn't likely to return your kitchen confidence.
To be honest, the limit on the dishes you can do in under ten minutes is pretty massive. Make a sanwich, make a salad with package mix or shuck a dozen oysters and slice a lemon would be getting close to the limit.... The only cooked dish I would think to make to satisfy such a rigorous rule would be eggs, scrambled, fried or an omlette.
Is this for a book or a blog or a challenge or something? Not having a dig at all, just curious why this particularly stringent rule?
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
I've never tried freezing pastes, but my spidey sense always told me it wouldn't be a success.
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
it was amazing. Here's an extract of a review I sent to a friend.
We started with those stunning amuse bouches of
chilli jam on fruit. I then had, and I'm sure you'll remember this,
those coconut cupcakes with red curry duck. Followed by a char grilled
rice noodle dish with sprouting broccoli and chicken. It was just
extraordinary, the noodles were somehow both comfortably soft and a
bit toothsome. There isn't a concept of al dente in SE Asian cooking,
but thats what this was. Spiced very very well with a heat that
bloomed on the palate rather than scorch.
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
Totally just nick it. I recommend making the chilli jam from it, just an absolutely wonderful condiment. If it's Thai Food, there is a Thai sausage you smoke in coconut in a wok (of course you can also grill it) that is just absolutely amazing. If it's Thai Street Food the sir fried beef with holy basil is fab.
Some places in Brixton Village market, London
the salad was peas, pea shoots, broad beans and mint and was the absolute star of the show, just stunning. The chops are actually lamp, and if i were honest, cut maybe a little thick for my tastes, but still very very good. The Kernel Brewery is in Bermondsy and if they're putting out beer of this quality, consistently then my gosh they have a future! http://londonist.com/2010/11/london_beer_quest_kernel_brewery_be.php . My friend had the pie so i can't really speak to it other than to say he enjoyed it enormously.
The rhubarb crumble was gorgeous with clotted cream.
Some places in Brixton Village market, London
probably of interest to no one, but I've put my dinner at Cornercopia last night on Flickr. The meal was superb. The real thrill for me was the Kernel Porter Ale, what a treat!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scgwalker/sets/72157626279647513/
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
oh I'm thrilled it worked out for you. Thank you so much for your kind words, really brightened my morning. Fittingly, I'm now off to lunch at David Thompson's restaurant in London. Thrilled, and thanks again!
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
yeah, I've heard that many times. I'd point out that many Italians use store bought pasta, doesn't mean that it's not worth learning to make handmade pasta or that the difference in the final product won't be noticeable.
Handmade paste is an extremely fresh product, full of volatile oils and aromatics. Inevitably, no matter how good the process is, you will lose a lot of that subtleness and delicacy when you process it for jarring.
That said, I would no more prepare a fresh paste for a Wednesday night stir fry than I would hand roll pasta for a Thursday night carbonara. If I was having friends for dinner or felt a cooking jag coming on on a Saturday afternoon though, then no question it would be a freshly made paste.
Different uses, but the jar is reserved for when I don't have time for the fresh.
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
Very happy to help. You're actually cooking my single favourite recipe in all of his books. Those little bits of pork over a papaya salad wrapped in a lettuce leaf cup is proof of the existence of a divine benevolent being. Simply amazing.
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
room temperature - unless you're drying it for hours at a time - then the fridge. That candied look is the one you're looking for. Once it has that, you're good to go
Can you recommend a Thai cookbook, given these proclivities?
pretty much there, but put them on a rack over the cookie sheet so all sides have an airflow to dry them. LOVE that pork neck.
If you get the energy, the chilli jam in the book goes extremely well with them also.
Looking for great pubs with great pub food in London.
Hipsters can't get enough of their Belgium ever since Denmark went all mainstream.
Looking for great pubs with great pub food in London.
also - may want to search the UK boards for reccs, it's easily one of the most common questions asked by people visiting. Might get some good tips.
cheese tasting near historic areas
What a delightfully idiosyncratic question. Neal's Yard Borough would be my thinking as there also many other excellent cheese merchants in the market, as well as many other spectacular food stalls.
From there it is a nice walk across the river to Monument, a really excellent and interesting but overlooked tourist attraction designed by Christopher Wren near St Paul's. Climbing it inside is really fun and the view is spectacular.
Did you know that Monument is the largest free standing stone pillar in the world and its height is the radius of the great fire of London? Fascinating thing, Monument.
the lowly meatloaf sandwich
You are far from alone. I almost make meatloaf just to have meatloaf sandwiches these days!
Healthy foods you crave
seaweed of all kinds. As soon as that craving hits there's nothing else that'll satisfy.
What food do you love on its own but detest when mixed with something else?
Love pinenuts, olive oil, basil an parmesan but can not abide pesto. I'm a riddle even to myself.
Great value Michelin Starred restaurant in London- suggestions here
what a fabulous description of what sounds to be a seriously memorable meal. Do you know if the du jour menu is a permanent fixture or a current special?
Some places in Brixton Village market, London
more generally, it's sadly the one thing Brixton has little of. A few good and fun cocktail bars down there would really round the place off nicely.
Great value Michelin Starred restaurant in London- suggestions here
Totally - Nahm is one of my fave restaurant experiences I've ever had. You're absolutely right about the fact that it is palace food executed with a deft and sophisticated touch. Palace food isn't as well understood as street food and not as widely available outside Thailand so it is often surprising to people who consider themselves to be knoweldgeable of the cuisine. There used to be a street food restaurant attached as well called Sails, but I have no idea what happened to that.
The fact that it lost its star actually leads me to further my doubts about the Michelin guide than doubt the quality of Nahm.
I think a part of this is that David Thompson isn't just a particularly gifted chef, he is one of the world's most knowledgeable people on Thai food cultures and pathways as well as Thai culture. This shows in anything he does, be it his restaurants (his closure Darley Street Thai in Sydney is still keenly lamented) or his incredible books thai Food and Thai Street Food, which are more immersion courses than cook books.
Just out of curiosity has anyone been to Nahm Bangkok? I've heard wonderful things also.
-----
Nahm
Halkin St, London, England SW1X 7, GB
