Sweet sat

After a turbulent week here comes my fave time - weekend w u. It's unfortunate I could only half surprise u at paddington. ;( but I love making dinner for u n this time I experimented crab ravioli n herb crusted baked haddock w leek n exotic mushrooms. I love our new Xmas decors they look v nice n simple :)

It's the last wkend in oct n the weather s amazing. Getting excited about the Xmas carols n cirque at royal Albert hall! The walk at Hyde park was lovely I enjoyed the scenic autumn trees all in diff colors blended into a harmony. A splash of golden orange mixed w crimson red maple leaves n backed up by the forever green pine. The trip to whole food was nice too. I jus love shopping w u.. I lov spending time w u even If u snore... Hehe

It's nice we caught up w em n al over dinner at cafe des Amis. I'm proud to b urs ;) I hope yer not going to hv a headache w all those red.

Now it's time for bed I love u xxxx

when an imperfectioner is a perfectionist.

thoughts of the day

my patience is running out - that is, if i ever had any

Michelin Guide GB & Ireland 2011

All GB & Irish chefs could finally breathe last Thurs following the announcement of the 2011 Michelin results. Hearing the verdict some might want an appeal some shed a tear or two for the victory. I've never been a massive fan for this world-acclaimed gastronomy bible. it does garauntee good food (generally speaking) but never promise you a good lunch or dinner. it's often biased to award restaurants with perfect ambience and presentation of the dish but forget about the essence of what makes up a good meal. it's the atmosphere and company and conversation. i've had a lot of michelin 3 stars dinners at home or elsewhere which're much cheaper in price. indeed a lot of 'dai pai don' (market stalls) in HK are truly heaven. you don't have to worry about etiquette nor being too loud nor dropping a fork or something. i also like street food in evening markets. the lil couple behind the counter caught you unexpectedly with their grilled octopus fishball or homemade sweet soup. sometimes you just dont need the very refined lemon sorbet to clear your palete.

anyways back to the point skimming through the list i'm a lil surprise our dear old friend Mr. Blanc didn't make the 3stars, whereas the below were awarded 1 star(!?):

1. Hakkasan - this's just an upgrade of Wagamama with super loud music!

2. St. John (Clerkenwell) - I feel that they deserve a 2 star. I love their thriving and simple menu they made me love chards and mallard and bone marrow smoothing over watercress and toast!

3. Galvin at Windows (Hilton, Mayfair) - ng lar hai r!? their food/ service dont even value 5quids of my money!

4. Sketch (Mayfair) - clearly this one little sparkling star is given for their decoration.. and that's it.

5. Arbutus (Soho) - it's a very good value restaurant but a star is a bit exaggerated. i still remember their fish stew was way too salty..

6. Yauatcha (Soho) - I do love their cocktail menu, but im not so sure about 1star..
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Despite the much hyped star-star-star glamour, i personally reckon all chefs who've worked hard last year and tried to design an interesting menu to give a hearty smile to customers should be recognised. it's tough to work in the kitchen and all the interaction/ connection with their clients is through the little dish. they are behind the scene protege and i surely think their dedication should be praised - the same for your wife who makes dinner at home for the bossy mister!

The Booking Office at St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel

The heritaged chamber has finally been renovated to the grand Renaissance at St. Pancras. I've witnessed the whole project from start to finish :) We used to be able to steal a little peek from our Judd St. mansion of the top of the red bricked building. To compliment a special week after tedious negotiation, we headed to the Booking Office for a hearty English dinner.

Having arrived a lil early we first had a cocktail at the foyer. To my disappointment the cocktail list was a little uninnovative... We settled for the pineapple long drink with rum with raspberry and mint. It's served in the traditional 1/2 pint silver mug which I decided it's best for prisoners... It's actually better to have your drinks served at the foyer than in the main bar as it gets soooo packed during happy hour! We were moved to the table in the main dining area BUT my back was facing the other entrance which they should've used double doors and that means i's froze most of the time.

The menu was simple and short serving traditional English food. I must say i'd do a better job in interior design... hmmm.... we tried the duck/pistachio terrine and butternut squash soup for starters. i was amused that they didnt give us starter cutleries... and my plate was placed the wrong direction..!!!! the terrine was nice and firmly held with a bit of crunchy bite of nuts. the gooseberry chutney was too sharp to mr. whitley's palete though. he enjoyed his soup just a bit too big in portion and i felt it could have been a bit more salty and creamy. the bread was to perfection though!

the mains came swiftly. the piping hot chicken mushroom pie looked yummmmm! it reminded me of my childhood! my mom'd get me mini chicken mushroom pies for tea :) the puff pastry was very light and fluffy! and the white sauce was delicious whilst the chicken wasn't overcooked! my sea bass was a bit boring though. esp they gave me lots of beans and potato which i hate... im glad the mixed greens were not heavily dressed and it's v fresh. =]

overall the service's not what you'd expect in a hotel restaurant but i do love the atmosphere in particular with the live band music! you can also watch other diners savouring over Eton mess.

thank you for the treat i love you.

p.s. my new objective this year is to source new ingredients to pair and perfect my sauce.