After yesterdays split shift – which was basically a full on 16 hour day with a break for coffee – I was on early shift today which meant back in the kitchen at 08.30am when I had slept little due to writing blogs ( whose fault ?) and basically being a bit hyper !
I half expected to happen what did happen and I was back on Mains being given the repetitive prep work which I now know and love. First up, cutting salted, and today, also unsalted butter, (excitement there) into cubes – take a box of 5kg of butter, unwrap each pack and cut it into 6 identical cubes, placing them into a 4 litre size plastic box. I tried to entertain myself by cutting up the whole box and placing them one by one on top of each other so that I eventually had what resembled a huge brick wall of butter. I commented to Paul (who was looking after me today) what song this reminded him of ? He looked at me as if I was mental, and when I commented Pink Floyd “Another brick in the wall” he just gave a tiny smile and turned away……teacher leave them chefs alone !
Probably in an attempt to humour me Paul thought it would be a good idea now to prepare the shallots for the crispy onions and I was the ideal candidate for peeling a whole bag of them and slicing them on the mandolin. As my good friend Cathy often says – what could possibly go wrong ?
I managed to get through 10 without incident and thought all was going well, number 11 involved the top of one nail – no blood – and the top and cuticle of another being painfully “mandolined” off, one going under the nail into very tender skin. Was anybody looking ? Had anyone seen more of my blood being spilt on the green chopping board ? Quickly I made a strategic exit and went to find a plaster and glove and returned jovially continuing. But in pain. Glove needed changing 3 times due to blood flow, but we soldier on …..
I also needed to check all garnish levels and replenish them for service, so this involved cutting up Lemon and Lime Wedges, Tomatoes,Red Onions etc and finding new bags of Tartar Sauce.
By now it was already breakfast time so after a quick sausage, black pudding and egg sandwich we returned to our tasks leading up to the “ Pass” that I would be on again. I have not used that phrase here before, but basically “The Pass” is the long flat surface where dishes are plated and picked up by the waiting staff. There is someone in charge of the pass to oversee things and then people like me on the pass preparing the correct size plates, the quantity of plates for each serving tray, side plates, sauce jugs, and preparing and placing correct garnishes etc whether they be side salads or simply lemon wedges, parsley and tartar sauce on the plate before it leaves the Pass to the customer.
Art on a plate !
A typical side Dish (prepared by me) – Thai Salad to go with the Green Cod or Hake coconut Milk Curry.(NB – space for rice bowl )
As mentioned before it is a quality control exercise too, and even the restaurant Boss Stephane spent some time with me on the Pass today and actually rejected one Lobster Thermidor ( which I don’t think I would have been brave enough to do !). Some orders came in very late during lunch service so that the last Lunch plates did not leave the Pass until almost 16.00 when we were already cleaning down.
By then Paul had got bored and had started searing beef cheeks before they are braised in red wine etc for around 5 hours. I took a picture simply because it’s rare to see meat as opposed to fish being prepared !
These are huge and if you are hungry in the restaurant and like meat I recommend them!
Today not much else to report.
Tomorrow is my final day and I fear it could be a bit “Groundhog” day as on the same shift with Mains again. I cannot complain about working alongside Stephane and experiencing the workings of the Kitchen, but on the other hand it is a Cookery Work Experience without cooking ?
I will reassess tomorrow after it’s all finished and after some proper rest. Let’s hope tomorrow I do not lose a hand or suffer a worse injury, as one by one my fingers and thumbs are gradually becoming useless – you can imagine the pain every time Lemon or Lime Juice penetrates them !
Oh the joys of cheffing !
Terry you have my sympathy – it’s painful to get lemon juice on the cut!
Looking forward to reading about tomorrow shift and see if you can do it without a plastic glove and a bluey!
Hi Terry looks like you are having a fine old time. Even though youve lost your digits. It looks like hard word, but I know you
are enjoying the experience Hope you’re last day goes well, and you meet the man himself Hope to hear from you soon
Dad