dragonball

I first had xiao long bao as a kid and have always loved how the juices inside these dumplings burst through with the first bite - spilling hot liquid down my chin.

I've since perfected the art of eating these dumplings - usually with a porcelain spoon and ensuring I engulf them in one bite - juices and all in my mouth and not on my shirt.

There are usually two versions of this Shanghai-nese dumplings - traditional pork or crabmeat. I have no preference for either and would usually order both - given the option.

Due to the lack of a Chinese community in the Czech Republic, finding quality Chinese food from home has proven quite a challenge. Many of the Cinska restaurants here are run by Vietnamese who have no idea what real authentic Chinese cuisine is. As a result, the local Czechs have been exposed to poor quality, MSG-laden faux-Chinese food and are really none the wiser.

When The Prague Post recently reviewed a Chinese Restaurant serving xiao long bao, we were naturally curious. So we went, and we tried. Turns out the owner was from a province near Shanghai and spoke mandarin. In what broken mandarin I could muster, we managed to order two portions of pork dumplings.

I can't say it was the best xiao long bao I've ever had. In fact, they were probably the worst I've had. The skin which should usually be paper thin was quite thick however the pork inside was quite flavoursome and similar to what it should usually taste like. That said though, I'm not sure I will be returning in a hurry.

xiao long bao with vinegar

guo ji
kyjevská 12, prague, 160 00

+420 728 675 228

white gold

It's no secret that white truffles are rare and highly prized by chefs and foodies all around the world. But what would possess anyone to pay thousands of Euros for what is essentially just a mushroom?

Shave them on risotto, eggs or mashed potatoes, the simpler the dish, the better it is to enhance the essence of the white truffle. There is no disputing the unique aroma of the Tartufi Bianchi.

We went in search of these decadent, super expensive mushrooms over a December weekend in Piedmont, Northern Italy, where these truffles are found amongst the countryside in and around the towns of Asti and Alba.

A random Google search and several emails later, we found ourselves in the town of Monchiero - just 30 minutes south of Alba at a nondescript bed and breakfast. I was sceptical at first. The hunt had cost us only 50 Euros for the both of us, whereas many others were charging well over 150 Euros for the same privilege. But my expectations were low. At worse, it was a very expensive excursion to walk someone's dog on some random land.

There were five of us in total on the walk/hunt including the 'hunter' Giovanni. Unfortunately for us, Giovanni spoke not a word of English and us not a word of Italian, save for a few obligatory greetings and pleasantries. Thankfully, the other couple on the walk were kind enough to translate in their broken english.

The hunt was on! Jolly, our truffle dog, led the charge. We donned our wellies, canes in hand and began the steep descent behind the bed and breakfast. 30 minutes in, thorns in my back, thorns on my hands and struggling to navigate the muddy and steep terrain, I was losing hope. Surely by now, we should have found something. Each time Jolly raced ahead and circled another patch of ivy we got excited, only to be disappointed each time.

At last about an hour into the walk, we finally struck gold. White gold. And boy was it a great find! The aroma from the freshly dug white truffle was amazing and unlike anything I have ever smelt. I've smelt black truffles at the delis and restaurants in London and also in Prague but due to the travelling times, they were never as pungent. Fortunately, it was not 50 Euros down the drain but no, we were not allowed to keep the find!

español fiesta - segunda parte

Twelve whole hours after our mega feast at Tickets, we hopped on a train and headed one and a half hours north of Barcelona, to a town called Girona. This small town in the Catalonian region housed our next meal in our three day español fiesta.

El Celler de can Roca was started up back in 1986 by three brothers - Joan, Josep and Jordi. Today, it is recognised as the second best restaurant in the world - second only to the famed Noma in Copenhagen.

To say that the meal was a gastronomical fanfare would have been a gross understatement. My friends and I have dined at many Michelin starred and Michelin quality restaurants during our time and we all agreed that El Celler is amongst the best that we've had. That saying, we have yet to dined at Noma nor the previous world's number one - El Bulli (now closed).

We opted for a tasting lunch instead of dinner - mainly because we knew the experience would probably last us in the vicinity of some 4 hours and trying to make our way back to our hotel after a 4 hour dinner would no doubt prove challenging when intoxicated.

The restaurant itself is set in a nondescript residential area of Girona, flanked by ordinary looking apartment buildings. One may question its location - why would a world number two restaurant and a three Michelin starred restaurant be located in such a place? But we must remember that El Celler was not always a Michelin starred restaurant (it gained its third star in 2009) and began its humble beginnings many moons before it gained its super star status.
Nonetheless, the food was phenomenal. I've been complaining lately to my husband that we have sampled our fair share of Michelin starred/molecular gastronomy in the last four years and the more we eat, the more discerning we have become. To the point where some of these so called Michelin starred restaurants of late no longer create the sensation they once did when we first started our quest for brilliant cooking. So to dine at El Celler and be blown away by the tastes and sights of the food, has somewhat renewed my interest for food on a whole other level.

our olive tree

caramelised olive

It was a sunny day when we turned up so we opted to have the amuse bouche in the garden fronting the restaurant. Shortly after we settled comfortably into our loungers, an olive tree was presented to us. On closer inspection, it was no ordinary olive tree but rather edible treats made to appear like real olives, suspended on hooks and attached to the branches of the tree.

We ate an obscene amount of food that day. It was along the lines of 8 amuse bouches, some 11 'mini' mains and 3 desserts followed by 3 sets of petit fours. 

I could probably go on for several pages about the food, but instead, I always prefer to let the pictures do the talking.

campari bombón

foie gras & figs

foie gras & figs [up close]

anchovy bones

anchovy bones [up close]

mushroom (truffle) bombón

mushroom (truffle) bombón [up close]

ring calamar adaptation

zucchini omelette

truffled brioche

green salad: avocado, lime, melon, cucumber, chartreuse, 

sorrel, green shiso, tarragon, rocket, oxalis, eucalyptus, 

olive sorbet & olive oil

oyster with Palo Cortado - white & black garlic

cherry soup with muscovado-smoked eel, bitter almonds
and ginger ice-cream

charcoal-grilled king prawn, king prawn sand, ink rocks,
fried legs, head juice & king prawn essence

charcoal-grilled sole meuniére, milk skin,
black butter, lemon & capers

sole skin with flowers & citrus peel

braised salt-cod tripe, salt cod foam, olive oil soup,
shallots, honey, thyme, & chilli pepper. vegetable contrast

iberian suckling pig with riesling - mango & summer truffle
terrine, beet, garlic, orange concentrate & saffron pistil

red mullet, stuffed with red mullet pâté & aniseed flavoured
herb, orange & saffron gnocchi

steak tartare with mustard ice-cream - 5
segments comprised of 1) spiced tomato,
caper & lemon compote; 2) hazelnut praline;
3) béarnaise sauce; 4) oloroso-sherry raisin,
chive butter; 5) sichuan pepper, pimenton de
la vera (D.O), smoked paprika & curry. Served
with small scoops of mustard ice-cream,
mustard leaves, baby onions with vinegar

lamb with charcoal-grilled sweet pepper & tomato

wood pigeon liver with onion, caramelised hazelnuts with
curry, juniper berries, orange skin & herbs

lemon cloud

milk caramel, sheep's milk ice-cream, sheep's milk curd
cheese foam, sheep's milk yoghurt & milk cloud

vanilla, liquorice, caramel & black olive

vanilla, liquorice, caramel & black olive

petit fours: assortment of fresh fruit

petit fours: assortment of marshmallows & jellies

petit fours: assortment of hand made chocolates

We spent in the vicinity of  €180 per person that afternoon which comprised of food, wine and service. It was not a cheap lunch, however I have previously paid more for a less than stellar experience elsewhere and would happily spend that money again at El Celler. This time I'll make sure to take the hubby along, who unfortunately, was stuck at work while my friends and I gorged our way through Spain.


el celler de can roca
can sunyer 48, girona, 17007
tel: +34 972 222 157
http://www.cellercanroca.com/PORTADA/intro.htm

español fiesta - una parte

We ate.
And then we ate.
And then we ate some more. 


That pretty much summed up my trip to Barcelona with the girls back in September.

We must have taken the term 'food coma' to the next level because I don't think we even surfaced for one moment to take a breathe amongst all the food we ate. If you saw us, you would have been disgusted. I think the people that sat around us were disgusted. Hell, even the waiters were disgusted, but we were in food heaven, and didn't care what people thought.

Red carpet event
Six hours after our touchdown into Barcelona, we eagerly checked into our first food destination - "TICKETS". 
For those who have tried for years to get a reservation at El Bulli, only to face rejection each time, dining at Tickets is probably the closest one would ever get to dining at a Ferran Adria restaurant (well for us anyways).

My first impressions of the tapas-styled restaurant was that of a circus, theatre and fun fair rolled into one. There was a maître d' in a top hat that greeted diners at the door and food stations littered across the restaurant - each specialised in putting together a select few dishes from the menu. Many of the dishes were mini 'explosions' in our mouths, however it was agreed amongst the group that perhaps there were one too many 'explosions' and after a while this gimmick actually lost its appeal.

watermelon impregnated with sangria

marinated olives - gordal or verdial

gran reserva iberian ham

crystal bread with tomato spread

pescaito frito with galician seaweed powder

jamon de toro

quail eggs nest with almogrote's migas

mini air-bags stuffed with manchego cheese

majado of avocado with spicy cod loin

tomato 'steak tartar'

oyster with oriental vinegar and salmon roe

oyster with iberian ham consommé & sherry 
air

anchovies marinated in lime and chilli

avocado galician crab cannelloni - sour cream/light
romesco sauce

razor clams, ginger sauce, cayenne pepper
& lemon air

fried calamare andalusian style with lemon
mayo

iberian ham air baguette

confit potatoes with pork rib sauce and iberian boiled ham

liquid ravioli with payoyo cheese 

marinated salmon with truffled honey &
yoghurt

boiled prawns with seaweed mayo

white chocolate & black sesame lava rock

coffee & cocoa meringue with chocolate ice cream &
passionfruit

cold-hot chocolate fritters

almond tepid cake

chocolate & hazelnut cake - tribute to Antoni Escriba

26 dishes later (yep count them 26! I did say we were gluttons), we finally closed off the night (much to the delight of our waiter Alex) by ordering ice-cream which came complete with an ice-cream cart, ice-cream boy and bell.

Dining at Tickets is an experience that everyone should enjoy at least once. It actually makes you feel like a kid again and is a fun place to go with a group of your closest friends. 


tickets
avinguda paral-lel 164, 08015, Barcelona
http://www.ticketsbar.es/en