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Food Styling – I can style a Tomato !

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Last night I attended what was the 5th evening of a separate Course I am participating in at Leiths which is devoted to Food Styling.

I do not really have any intentions of becoming a Stylist per se, but was hopeful it would assist me with overall food presentation on a plate. To be candid it is really focused on Food Styling,and the content is fairly sparse even on this subject, but I am learning a few things – like how to mix Marmite,washing up liquid and water together to “paint” meat to give it that just cooked/juicy look that appears in many advertisements or recipe books ! That was a surprise for me ! You basically undercook meat to style it and use the above process to get the desired effect.

Anyway last night was about Styling a simple salad for our first real attempt at doing something completely by ourself and were asked to bring in our cameras and an idea as to how our salad would look.

My effort is above which actually I am rather pleased with. It looks something like the image I had decided upon and uses a background prop as provided by our teacher Jane. I thought this background would work best with a dark plate and would highlight the red, green and yellow of the Tomatoes – which I think it did. After trying out a view different angles I decided a “helicopter” view was the best angle, notwithstanding the fact it compacts the image and you lose any perceived height.

The image was created by standing on a chair near a window to capture as much natural light as possible and was taken by boosting up the ISO to 640 due to the lighting conditions and that I had no access to a tripod. It was f4.50 at 1/40sec. There is no filter, photoshopping,post editing etc. Would have been easier with  tripod but you have to deal with what you have !

Lets see if I can foodstyle a Potato next !

If I wanted to try to improve and edit/boost the colours, then maybe this could be the result ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Dory with Crab,Asparagus, Wilted Spinach and Wild Garlic

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This is not exactly my recipe but made by me without having any recipe. I had seen it prepared at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow whilst working in the kitchens there but never had the chance to cook it ! When I returned home I tried preparing it for myself, and so now will claim it – but with a polite nod to Padstow!

Portions – 2

Time – 20-25 Minutes in all,  Cook is only 10 minutes.

Ingredients 

  • 2 John Dory Fillets (Unless you fancy filleting them yourself!)
  • 100g Fresh White Crab meat
  • 6 Asparagus Spears
  • Bunch of Spinach
  • Bunch of Wild Garlic Leaves
  • 6-8 Shavings of Fresh Parmesan
  • Clarified Butter/Ghee or if unavailable just use Olive or Vegetable Oil (or the 2 combined)
  • Salt and ground Black Pepper

                                                                Beautiful Spinach and Wild Garlic 

  1. Set the oven at 120C/100 Fan/Gas mark 1/2
  2. Trim the Asparagus by cutting off the root end and then cut off the heads, and if thick, slice the remainder of the body in two lengthways.
  3. Put on a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and have some iced water ready in a bowl to blanch and refresh. When the water is boiling put in the asparagus for around 2 minutes(depending on thickness) and then immediately plunge into the ice water. This will stop the cooking process and also retain the vibrant green colour.
  4. Now trim the Spinach leaves by breaking off the stalks and cut off the stems of the wild garlic. Wash them in a bowl of water, agitate gently to wash off the dirt, and get them as dry as possible by using a salad spinner if you have one. Set aside.
  5. Lay the crab meat on a baking tray. Take the asparagus out of the ice water and lay this on the same tray.
  6. Peel a few ribbons of Parmesan and set aside.
  7. Put a frying pan (large enough to take both Dory Fillets) on Medium/High heat and add the clarified butter or Ghee (or Veg/ Olive Oil if using). Once the pan is hot, salt the Dory Fillets on the Skin side and lay them in the pan gently pushing them down with your fingers to give a good contact between skin/ pan and to stop them curling or rising up. Ensure the pan is not so hot so that the skin starts to scorch/burn,  but you want to achieve a golden crisp skin. Leave the Fillets frying in the pan for approx 3/5 minutes (depending on size/thickness) regulating the heat if too hot or if the skin starts to burn. By checking the underside using a palette knife you should be able to determine if the skin is crisp and golden. Place a job of butter into the pan and flip the fish over, salt/pepper on the skin side and turn the heat down a little. Fry the fish for a minute or two more (depending on thickness) whilst at the same time basting it with the butter regularly. When the fish is done (Should be starting to flake and be opaque – not translucent), set aside on a warmed plate.
  8. Whilst the fish is frying place a wok/ large High sided Frying Pan on a high heat with a nob of clarified butter/ ghee,  once steaming hot place the Spinach/Garlic leaves into the pan, give a quick twist of Salt and Black Pepper and gently stir around from time ( I prefer to use tongs to do this).
  9. Whilst both of these pans are on, place the tray with Crab and Asparagus into the oven for a couple of minutes to warm through the crab and bring the asparagus back up to temperature.
  10. The  Spinach/garlic should only need 2/3 minutes to wilt down and soon as it does take out of the pan with tongs and place inside a folded j cloth, or between a couple of sheets of kitchen paper,  and gently press down to compact a little and squeeze out any liquid.
  11. By now your fish and crab and asparagus should all be ready.
  12. Assembly – use the j cloth or kitchen paper to roll the spinach a little so that it is shaped evenly about 3-4 cm across and the length of the circumference of your plate, place into the centre of the plate. Scatter the crab along the length of the spinach. Lay the asparagus tips in criss cross fashion over the crab along the length of the spinach. Scatter the shaved Parmesan on top and finally lay the Dory on top of this. Drizzle a little olive oil on top if so desired.

There you have  it – a Rick Stein inspired dish with a recipe not be found elsewhere on the internet !

 

 

 

If I knew you were coming I would have baked a cake …..

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so I did … and here is my Easter Cake !

This is not going on my recipe page as it is not one of my own originals but from Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr- Ellison, who, amongst other publications, write a page in the ES magazine. So I followed their recipe for White Chicolate, Almond and Raspberry Fudge cake and did my own egg and raspberry decoration.

Its an easy flourless cake but their article/ recipe suggested a 30-40 minute bake, whereas mine took over an hour ! Don’t know why but after it cooled down the taste was just great – even my wife is eating it and she does not do cakes ! She likes the nuttiness of the almonds and the hidden fresh raspberries that are baked inside the cake. I can provide the recipe if anyone interested but as I have said it is stolen from the eager bakers named above.

Hope you all enjoying the Easter break !

 

 

 

My Fat Chips are too Fat and my Thin Chips are too Thin – W T F !

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Last day at The Seafood Restaurant and as you may have read from my last post I felt there could be a little Deja Vu going on.

Upon my 08.30 arrival I was indeed assigned to halving and juicing a box of Limes, grating a block of Parmesan and mandolining a load more shallots ! However punk rock Johnny (who I was partnering ) gave me a sharper mandolin and advised me to only cut one end of the shallot, so that I had something to hold on to, and to throw away the end as soon as it became awkward. Sage advice that I did not receive yesterday and which saved me from further injury today.

Then suddenly excitement- breakfast were in trouble and needed 2 pineapples being diced and 2 bags of oranges to be segmented ! Just the job for an aspiring chef like me, so I was given the responsibility to assist – indeed the breakfast front of house were very grateful for my quick action in this respect. Nice to be appreciated !

Being Good Friday the restaurant was to be very busy with 142 for lunch – a figure that exceeded the previous days dinner numbers and more than twice of any lunch time slot this week. Stephane went on the Pass for lunch and in fact did the same at breakfast – I never did see him actually cook !?

As a lot of families were in with children we were receiving many Fish and Chip orders so actually I was assigned to Limerick Steve responsible for deep frying duties and we were ensuring these items reached The Pass on time. This at least got me involved in some tasks I had not seen before – like coating Prawns ( that I had prepared Wednesday) in batter and then a mixture of desiccated coconut and Panko breadcrumbs for a deep fried starter and also nappe a load of Whiting in a similar manner for one of the Fish and Chip meals on offer at lunchtime. Also seeing how these are deep fried and probed for the correct temperature like all other fish before it gets to The Pass.

I also got involved in peeling and chipping potatoes- excitement levels up another notch – and asked to block each potato to create 4 Fat chips and use the off cuts to produce thin chips. Whatever else could not be used was to go Mash. I was left to my own devices for a while and when Steve got back he exclaimed that my fat chips were way too big and my thin chips too thin – all useable but consistency is King and mine were not consistent with his. Oh well another job I will not be securing on a permanent basis !

Before ending my shift I was also asked to “Brunoise” a load of Carrots, Celery, Leek And Onion for another large pot cook. My colleagues at Leiths school will be amused by this as we just love a “fine dice” and in pretty large quantities so you can imagine the fun I was having !

 

 

 

 

To brunoise or not to brunoise that is the question …..

I finished my last task and went around the kitchen thanking everybody for their patience and the time spent with me and went off in search of Stephane and AJ to do the same. Had a quick debrief with both and they in turn thanked me for my assistance during the week. I did explain to them it was interesting to see the workings of a professional kitchen at first hand, but that the week had not quite been what I was expecting as it was 5 days work experience without actually cooking. Again they explained their situation in that this is how they provide work experience and that they felt it was the most valuable assistance they can provide a student.

What were the main things I learnt from my experience?

– Firstly that team work is invaluable in the kitchen environment and that everybody relys on their first shout to be actioned immediately – You need to be paying attention to every chefs call at all times

– An essential part of a chefs day is spent prepping for the following days to always have a back up in the fridge/storeroom so that you never run out of anything

– Cleanliness is sacrosanct and attention to issues like nut allergies likewise. ( we had one order come through with this highlighted and I had been adding the peanuts to the Thai salad so of course had to wash my hands thoroughly before even setting out the plates for this order and not use any utensils used for other services)

– Although not mentioned before, Labelling and dating all food with a future use by date is also imperative

– It’s very hard work in the kitchen and most of the Guys in the Seafood Restaurant do more than their allotted hours for little reward, but they such pride in their work and do not want to let each other down.

Of course I have nothing to compare it to Kitchen Wise, but I would not be surprised if many other kitchens have similar environments.

My Experience was over and I decided to drive home that evening rather than stay another day as I was concerned the Easter traffic could be even worse on a Saturday. I left Padstow in beautiful sunshine and within 15 miles the rain started, in Somerset I drove through a 15 minute snowstorm!!! and the rest of the journey to London was undertaken in torrential rain. However managed it in just under 5 hours,  and at last I was back to my own bed after an unforgettable and unusual week.

But am I better cook ???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Ainsworth at Number 6, Padstow

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With an evening free and by myself in Padstow I thought it would be a great opportunity to visit the little Fishing Villages only Michelin Starred Restaurant.

Whilst Padstow really has become Padstein with Ricks Restaurants, Cafes,Patisserie, School, Shop , Pub – the list goes on, one would have thought it brave for some interloper to take him on at his own game – especially some oik from Southampton !

Paul though has tremendous pedigree having worked with Gary Rhodes for 2 years in 1998 at The Square, and subsequently having stints with Gordon Ramsey at his eponymous Royal Hospital Road Restaurant, Petrus with Marcus Waring, and then at the Berkeley Hotel alongside Marcus. After being invited down to Padstow to work as Head Chef at No 6 the opportunity came to take over the business, which alongside his wife, they have run from 2010.Like Rick that have branched out to take over Rojano – a high class Pizza and Pasta Restaurant by the Harbour and to also set up a small hotel. Number 6 is situated in a small townhouse a stones throw from the Harbour and next to another Rick Stein venture. However Paul’s cooking and style sets itself quite apart from any of Ricks businesses and it appears that This town is big enough for the 2 of them.

The room itself has recently been renovated and there is now a large window on one wall giving an excellent view into the compact kitchen.

 

No shirking we can all see you !

 

Online the restaurant had suggested they were full so I paid them a visit at 5 to surprise their staff dinner and asked if it was possible for an early table for one. They could not have been more helpful even though I was disturbing what was probably a rare break for them, and the lovely Anna offered me a table at 6.15, or if it’s for one “ basically any time you wish for” How accommodating is that ?

A quick schlep home and change ( well Anna had to see me spruced up ?) and then I returned to see the restaurant now ready for its evening clientele. I was shown to a table directly looking at the kitchen and offered a newspaper all presumably to offset the fact that I was dining alone. Little did they know I would  be taking notes, photographing everything and dropping my phone into my main meal.

A cocktail and drinks menu was quickly offered and Very clean cut, well suited and helpful Gentleman came up for a chat  – again probably thinking who this sad Gentleman was having dinner alone. As soon as he established I was doing work experience at Steins he became very animated and promised me a good evening – er ? Careful now.

So I ordered a Cornwall G and T Margarita not quite knowing why – I think due to being in confusion at that point. It came up strong and citrusy and not bad at all, however I was still pondering why I had ordered it. Calm down and concentrate ! Let’s look at the Food Menu to get grounded !

Well 5 starters / 5 mains and 5 Desserts. I like that- not too confusing but enough variety to suit even the most awkward or obnoxious Diners.

Actually I almost wanted everything listed. Quite telling that it was almost “ Anti Fish” so you could feel that it was waving a nonchalant stick at Rick almost teasing him with its meat themed menu. Only the catch of the Day on the Mains could be seen to be competitively going up against the Steinmeister.

Having been in a Seafood Restaurant kitchen for the past 4 days I was happy to go Carnivorous and therefore opted for Pigs Head Fritter with roast Onion, Coxs Pippin Apple and smoked eel. Other starters involved all the rabbit ( a terrine that I was promised really involving all body parts)  a smoked haddock Quiche Lorraine and Jacobs Ragu Bolognese – which I am assuming was connected to Jacobs ladder, another meat cut.

Before my starter a Porthilly Oyster – caught just over the road I was  advised – came up as a pre starter with a smoked cods roe mayonnaise.

Great presentation – don’t swallow whole !

It had been deep fried in breadcrumbs and reminded you that you should actually eat Oysters in 2 or 3 bites and chew rather than swallow whole. Well actually you couldn’t with this one but it made you think about the next one that you potentially could.

This Oyster had real flavour and bite to it, and whilst not as sea salty as a raw one, was very satisfying coupled with the Mayo, and the breadcrumbs gave the silky oyster texture an extra oomph !

To my actual first course as ordered. These bloody free bits and pieces always get you confused as to where you are especially if you opt for the tasting menu ( nothing to do with being at Number 6)   – after 8 small dishes – what do you mean now we start our Tasting menu ? I am ready to go home already. Apologies , little uncalled for rant there.

Ok back on planet earth. Starter. Pigs Head Fritter. A lovely slab/block of Fritter with nice little cubes of apples on top and a tiny piece of something I presume to be eel sitting on an onion.

Fantastically presented dish.

I cannot recall but I have eaten a similar pigs head Fritter before, not that it should take anything away from this one. Apple with pork, a bit of fatty eel and an onion that tasted meaty too all on one plate, it worked very well. I thought there was meat involved in the onion itself, when questioned the Waitress advised that maybe the onion was not just cooked in red wine but a mixture of red wine and meat stock. Anyway the onion was a star here very meltingly soft, meaty and adding a perfect combination to the Fritter.

Oh forgot the Bread And butter bit ! It was Explained beautifully by Becky another very helpful waitress all of whom seemed to know the workings of the kitchen and food they were serving as well as the chefs that had cooked it. This is a massive plus for me. So Salted butters and a caramelised butter – very nutty on the palate – and complimenting the fantastic Organic Brown Sourdough bread which I learnt had been cooked for an hour at very high Temperature to achieve a special hard crust but a very soft inside – bit like me ?

Mains – my order was Hogget with red garlic ketchup cucumber and sweetbread fricasee . Hogget is not a so well known or offered piece of meat –  a sheep is called a hogget after it is one year old) but a piece o& meat that should have a great depth of flavour I& prepared correctly. Other mains included the aforementioned catch the day ( Monkfish) ,  chicken Tornedos Rossini and  a Soy glazed duck. Minimum Mains price £31. Others up to £45.

My main came looking like a little Chocolate Fondant and first impressions were  not good. On the side my fricasee did not look beautiful but I was full of confidence due to my love of sweetbreads!

.Inside the little pudding shaped Fondant were lots of small cubes of Hogget but also something crunchy? When I emptied the contents of the side dish to my main plate not only did I find sweetbread but Burnt celeriac and some other part of the lamb/sheep. Could it be tongue ? Yes. All together this was a great combination with what I found out to be lambs belly crisped up like bacon (waitress speak not mine)providing a wonderful texture to the soft and sweet sweetbreads with the earthy taste of the cubed Hogget and some lovely little lambs tongue to set it off. What did not look so pretty delivered a punch.

becky informed me the tongue was her highlight of the dish and she was not far wrong. She then  offered me Dessert advising this would be an even greater highlight. I explained that Dessert was usually my least favourite part of a meal so she determined to change my mind. She insisted I should look no further than the Bread And Butter pudding with Pedro Ximenez and roast vanilla Ice Cream accredited to Gary Rhodes 1998 in the menu – which I thought was a lovely touch to Mr. Ainsworths mentor.

Best Dessert in the World .
Ask Becky !

She also offered a sweet wine to go with it upon which I took up her offer ashy now so seemed to be very much in her hands. It was a recommended Muscat at £17 a glass but I do not recall all the details. Anyway the dessert itself was spectacular and maybe was not far from being one of the best desserts in the world.

Large cubes of softly steeped bread swimming in a sweet vanilla custard – Creme Anglais –  surrounded by little individual sultanas and raisons topped by the wonderful ice cream. I wanted a raisin with every mouthful and I think I got one. I believe this is a classic Gary Rhodes recipe with the original just missing the Ice Cream.

I forgot to report about Wine – being alone I did not want to drink a bottle to myself so what this restaurant offers is a Coravin whereby wine can be poured from a bottle without removing the cork so that you can enjoy just a glass of something special. This was the perfect opportunity to employ that so I went for a glass of Aloxe Corton Domaine Maillard Pere et  fils burgundy. The menu said 2013 but they poured me a 2014. The first on offer was good but on realising her mistake the waitress bought a 2014 as well which I preferred. Strawberry hints and good body and finish. £26 a glass but something which would have been  a real treat to have by the bottle. Not aware of many restaurants offering this service ?

The staff in this restaurant went out of the way to look after me and demonstrated an excellent knowledge of the dishes they were serving. I am struggling to decide if the restaurant deserves the top rating criteria or not. There are clear nods to the style of Rhodes and Waring in the preparation and presentation of the food and it is accomplished – is it modern/ trendy – No, but faultless.

I think I may already need to widen my parameters of scoring for restaurants as 5 Pans do not necessarily cover the subtleties of the restaurant environment currently. For now

Food – Very Hot Pan 

Service – Blazingly Hot Pan 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mandolin – What could possibly go wrong !

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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 !

Seacho -Physco Killer !

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Today, not only did I do my first Split Shift in the restaurant,  but I also became a cold blooded murderer of both Lobsters and Crabs ! More later – read on !

A split shift at Steins is a start at approx 08.30am , an hours break at 16.30 ( well it was for me today), and then back on to end of service- being 22.30 for me tonight. That’s a long day and many of the chefs at the restaurant did that today and live with this style of work week in, week out. Not only that but many did not take a break at all, other than maybe stopping for a 10 minute breakfast and then 20 minutes at 17.30 for staff early dinner. Some were there before me and were still cleaning down when I left – hats off to them. These peeps work very hard.

I had been advised I would be on Mains again today but I went “rogue” and started chatting to the 2 guys on “Larder” and got working with them up until my break at 14.30. This section is mainly dealing with Seafood – Crustaceans, BiValves, Cephalopods etc. Just as I arrived the mornings Lobster catch appeared and the first job was dividing them into various trays dependant upon size and weight, so I assisted here. Then it came to the kill and I had my first experience of plunging a large knife to the back of the head and then cutting down the head in the claw direction. Thereafter 5 went for a boiling water plunge for 12 minutes to be utilised at the lunch service.

About to meet their maker …..

Next it was to the crabs and I was shown the precise point – a small triangle  in the centre of their underside where again a large sharp knife had to be driven down hard so that the crab would cease to be , expired and gone to meet its maker, an Ex – Crab (apologies Monty Python) . 5 crabs expired in such a way under the guidance of my Leiths Blue Blade!

5 “Ex”Crabs

 

 

Up next I was presented with a huge box of Prawns which needed peeling leaving on their tails, and then deveining. I do this at home when we buy prawns but not in the quantity we had here so this job took some time to complete even if I am a little experienced in the task. They were then sent over to become Deep Fried Coconut prawns as a starter on the menu.

This was non stop fun and as soon as I finished the Prawns I was told to open 2 large boxes which contained 60 Scallops in their shells. My task was to sort out 20 of the best looking with corals and send these to the bar for sashimi and then shuck the remaining 40 for other purposes.

So I went :

 

From this…..

To this …..

to this !!!

 

and basically the cleanest way to get them from the shell is to use a spoon not a knife !

 

 

 

My morning was flying by and my next task was Squid. These had been pretty much prepped so they just needed the body to be sliced open, the membrane scrapped off and then scored in criss cross fashion before being cut in thick slices which are used to pan fry and then to be added to the Thai Green Curry as a Main. We had done this at Leiths but with a baby squid, but the principle was the same, just a much larger scale.

I then cut up loads of Seabass and cod into 50g chunks and put them into small pots ready to be thrown into the curry – I think, by now I was a little lost !

Finally I made a surprise discovery. Not all fish arrive fully prepped. There are 3 types that the restaurant still clean and fillet themselves, namely- Salmon,Tuna and John Dory. We had 2 boxes of John Dory arrived and Tom – who was in charge of Larder – asked me if I wanted to have a go at filleting them. Of course I did but watched the expert first and he advised they were tricky because their central spine does not go in a straight line but a wavy line : his advice was – Don’t saw and be confident with your knife !

Before and after Pics :

When Tom saw my first attempt I was really chuffed when he said that it was pretty good and he had seen a lot worse in the restaurant!

My fish filleting practice and my special knife (which I took along ) had not been in vain ! By the way I did not do all the fillets above as Tom was a little quicker than me but I managed about 6/7.

My experience on Larder was great and just what I had come to the restaurant for, so I am really thankful to Tom and Johnny for allowing me to get my hands dirty in all areas today.

After my break I was back on Mains and performing my usual task of plating up and being in charge of garnishes and salads in the evening. The only real difference was that again I was working with a different team of people and also a new job – before the service began I was given the glorious task of finding 2 enormous boxes of spinach and asked to rip off the stalks and wash them all before spin drying them in an industrial style hand driven drier. This took an hour or so but somebody’s got to do it !

 

I don’t even really like spinach …..

Today was my favourite day to date and even though it was quite tiring being on a split shift I got to know more and more of the team – even those on pastry – Stewart and Paige – and the crew seems a really happy team, working really well together with excellent communication. This came shining through today as only one shout from one end of the kitchen is required for another end to respond,  and each individual trusts their counterpart to react quickly and efficiently or the service and plating would be disrupted to a catastrophic level. It is real teamwork and without it the kitchen simply could not work.

In the meantime I hope those crabs and lobsters are forgiving of my murderous actions earlier today, but their lives were not wasted, especially the lobsters, earning RS £ 66 per head !

Back on earlies tomorrow ! For now to bed ! (After I finish the glass of red by my side ! )

 

 

 

Mains Away !

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“Mains Away” is the shout we hear when the starters have been finished and we need to finalise the cook on the main course that we have started to prepare or part cooked.

Tonight we served 104 covers and this was a lot more hectic than the previous days lunch.

I had been told to arrive at 16.00 for a late shift that could end at 23.00 or later depending on service. Upon arrival I was again involved in prepping for the Mains Section  – cubing 10 Kg of salted and unsalted butter to be used in the pan frying of fish etc. I was also told I would be in charge of the garnishing area for the evening so I had to ensure all items such as Lemon and Lime slices, Chillis, Red Onions, Parsley, Tomatoes and Micro Herbs were all present and correct, in adequate proportions, and already sliced/ diced etc so that we would not run out during service, as during that time there would be no opportunity to start replenishing.

Initially I was  teamed up with Johnny who would be on the fish Preparation that evening – an avid punk rock fan ! More music discussions ensued ! He was in the process of making a meatloaf ? I then established that was for the staff early dinner that took place at 17.30 just before the restaurant would open its doors for the evening service. Also on offer, spaghetti and fish cakes- all good stuff. Not good stuff was me carefully sharpening my knives – hey that would impress them – and then nicking my other thumb during my first butter cubing job. Another plaster and another glove – thank god I only have 2 thumbs and tomorrow I can start on my other fingers !

After dinner there was a quick reshuffle as one of the evening chefs (Ben) was not coming in and therefore I would be plating up with AJ all evening and be in charge of garnishes etc.

AJ had been with Stephane to Leiths for our Demo and therefore we already knew each other and in fact he is a Leiths alumni too !

AJ – the Man – Stephane’s side kick !

I spoke to AJ about what usually Work Experience Guys and gals get to do during their stay at the restaurant  ? He explained that they do not allow the actual cooking of the Fish and the best experience they can give them is exactly what I was doing : plating up during busy services to see how a Commercial kitchen operates. In fact he would not be cooking at all in the evening – his task would be to ensure the plates leave the kitchen in an acceptable way – Quality Control !

So for me assisting the number 2 in the kitchen in what he saw was the most important job there should not be sniffed at. Another example of how precious they are about their fish prep is Lucas who was working with us on sauces tonight as part of Mains. He was allowed to poach the Lobster for the Thermidor but was not allowed near the fish frying/ roasting/ grilling etc. He has been at the restaurant for 4 months And appeared very competent, so my chances after 24 hours were slim indeed !

What was good for me was that AJ tried to give me as much autonomy as possible and taught me to look at the tickets in front of me as they moved from the cooking area to the plating area to be ahead of the game and start preparing in advance IE my Thai Salad to go with the Green Fish Curry, my Tom/Onion, White Wine Vinegar, micro coriander and Kombutcha Spice way ahead so that when the Seabass Pollichathu arrived at the service area the garnishes were already there.

At the beginning this was relatively straightforward and I only had 1 or 2 tickets in front of me, however by about 20.00 we had maybe 8-10 tickets up, and around 15 plates on massive serving trays in front of us and then it was a little frantic. EG :  AJ  “ 2 Thai Salads now !!!  “ me “Coming up “ of course not even having started them. AJ “ Rondelles !!!” me – why is he talking French to me and I don’t even know what a Rondelle is ! Ah, Thin lemon slices with no pith to go on the Dover Sole – now I know ! Where are the f**king Lemons !

Further issues encountered involved running out of tomato’s , running around the stores only to resort to expensive heritage Toms as the restaurant literally had no Toms ! Running out of Micro Coriander, AJ insisting we serve without,  but me rummaging through the stores upstairs and finding some ! Pride in my plating !

I was also plating many dishes from scratch especially becoming a master of the John Dory with Crab, Wilted Spinach, Wild Garlic, Asparagus and Parmesan shavings. This is new and the most popular dish in the restaurant presently. I stupidly did not take a photo of this lovely dish – will have to post one tomorrow !

In substitute thereof here are a couple of shots of the fish in the refrigerated drawers all ready for their cook – as explained yesterday, all arrives ready to go and they jump straight from the drawer to the pan or hot plate.

John Dory and Ray/Skate ready to go

Hake Cod with Prawns and Squid ready for the Thai Green Curry

One interesting thing of note – when quiet on Monday lunch all fish were prepared in frying pans with clarified butter. On a busy evening service all fish prepared on a hot plate with oil !  Much more room on a large hot plate and many fish can be prepared at the same time. (  NB Clarified butter is very expensive albeit gives a better colour/finish to the fish)

By 20.00 we also had run out of Dover Sole as everyone was ordering it and there became a difficult discussion between the Manager of front of House and AJ as to which tables would have the last few Dover’s . Certain clientele were sacrosanct and had to have what they had ordered – other clients unfortunately had to order again – most going for the John Dory ! Not all Diners are equal but John Dory is King !

AJ actually allowed me to leave at 22.00 as service had finished and I am on earlier tomorrow so no late night for me . A little hectic but a good evening. I do not think I will be getting the experience I had hoped for but to have the opportunity to work with people like AJ in such an iconic Restaurant is a blessing.

Hail John Dory !  Mains away !!!

The ugliest fish that you must learn to love !

 

 

 

 

 

First Day at the Seafood Restaurant

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First things first – I walked down to the restaurant at 08.00am this morning from my Airbnb small apartment conveniently located only 10 minutes walk away. Before going into the restaurant I looked across the Harbour and the beauty of the morning grabbed me and said – photograph me !

So (only from a mobile phone) but this was what greeted me :

Good Morning Padstow !

I had met the Head Chef at the Seafood Restaurant Mr.Stephane Delourme when he visited Leiths with his sidekick AJ to give the students a Demo about the wonderful food they were producing in Padstow.

Stephane joined the restaurant in 1998 and is passionate about Fish and Seafood. He was the first to welcome me at 08.30am on my first exciting but nervy day, knowing my shift was to go through to 16.00.

Stephane gave me a whistle stop tour of the kitchens, showed me where to change and then set me up on “Mains” to be Matts sidekick for the day. Matts job was to prep as many things as possible before we would be “all systems go” for the lunch service, which he advised we would need to start to prepare for at around 11.00.

So I was tasked with various random jobs

How many ?

– like halving and juicing a box of Limes

– Helping to prepare butter for a huge pot of 10 kilos of clarified butter :

later to learn almost everything here is pan fried in clarified butter

– bashing up peanuts to run through a Thai salad

– Cleaning and paring a box of Purple Sprouting Broccoli

then blanching and refreshing them in Ice Water

These are all 250g blocks !

– Grating a huge block of Parmesan – brilliant I grated off the top of my thumb and was bleeding all over the cheese and that was in my first half an hour – how to impress and win friends ! Needed a plaster and Glove after that !

– also preparing a huge stockpot of Fishstock

!

A sea of stock !

Thereafter there was a quick break for all the chefs to have a bite to eat from the breakfast leftovers from the restaurant – Yum, scrambled Egg, Sausage, and Mushrooms on Toast – before starting in earnest again.

After clearing down we prepared all the work surfaces with various chopping boards and set up all of the required garnishes so that we could react as quickly as possible to the orders that were about to come through. We were on Mains so as the first Orders started coming through this alerted us to what the main course would be whilst the guys on the Starter section started their cook.

Matt would basically find the ordered fish , which would be in a Refridgerated drawer below our workbench, throw in some clarified butter to a pan, get it really hot,  and put the required fish in skin side down and sear this whilst pressing it down with fingers only. The pan has to really hot as none of the pans are Non Stick – most appear to have seen better days- and if not hot enough the skin sticks to the pan and you lose it. Not a good look for the fish !  Then the fish would be out on a small metal tray in a rack awaiting another electronic message to come through advising “ Mains away”. Only then would he continue with the cook , usually back in the pan , more butter and depending on the fish and the size of the cut it would be held over the Hob up high or under the grill to finish off. Rarely in the oven. Always with a Thermometer to check the internal Temp : 50- 55c on the Bone.

To be honest I was not entrusted with the fish cooking and there is no filleting required as all Fish come in prepared : filleted, cleaned, gutted ,scaled and portioned. Quality of each and every piece is A1.

During service I was rather utilised to plate up – when the fish is ready and the assorted Veg and/ or Sauce prepared it is all brought to the service area in its respective pan and someone needs to plate up.

So Ben and I were on this – Ben was the chef preparing all of the Sashami at the bar yesterday and therefore we both recognised each other immediately. Ben is 18 !!! And has just discovered Oasis – he had not heard of them until last week so we were being serenaded to Wonderwall – I told him I saw them at their peak when I was 20 and I could see him doing the Maths in his head 😂

Plating up ! John Dory with Lentils

Anyway Ben is pretty awesome – as is Matt, especially on the Turbot – and we were soon plating up everything that was coming our way. It was a very quiet Lunch Session and the guys were even bored, I was told it would be a lot more frantic at the Dinner service that I would be on tomorrow 16.00 to 23.00.

After service and a clean down I then helped Ben with the Seabass Pollichathu. Matt had already briefly fried off the bass and we needed to lay out 15 Banana Leafs, put the Masala on top followed by fish, marinade into the belly and then more Masala and Chilli plus Curry Leaves on top before rolling together and pinning them closed with cocktail sticks. Here they are finished and raring to go into the ovens for tonight’s service.

What’s inside your Banana 🍌 leaf ?

All in all it was an interesting first day especially seeing how a professional kitchen is run. I was not asked to do anything too demanding and would love to have got my hands a bit dirtier and been allowed to cook some of the fish. I appreciate these are expensive items and they cannot be f**ked up on the way to the customer but I hope to be given a chance to show a little of what I can do tomorrow – even if I have a Ben or Matt angel on my shoulder ensuring I do not ruin a beautiful piece of expensive Fish !

The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

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Empty Bar – not a regular occurrence

Before working in the Kitchen for a week on my work experience – and being Johnny no mates in Padstow on a Sunday evening – I thought it would be a smashing idea to experience the restaurant from the Customer side. Upon arrival, and the restaurant having knowledge of my position, I was placed on a table looking directly at the central Bar area where, I was told, I would have the opportunity to watch the Chef at work.

I am not too accustomed to dining alone but from time I do find myself in the position where, if I do not, I am left with visiting the big Yellow Arch or going hungry. So in such circumstances Dinner alone is on the menu.

Summery Grapefruit ad Tonic – oh and a splash of Gin

First a drink – I did not want to order a bottle of wine for One as I don’t do single glasses of wine so I decided to peruse the Cocktail list. I like a G & T now and again so went for a Rick Stein special of Gin with a Fennel and Aniseed taste which came with a slice of Grapefruit inside – beautifully refreshing and the aniseed appealing to my senses.

The menu is quite extensive but not for Carnivores with only a Lamb Rack on offer for anyone not fancying something that swims. Starters range in the £15 area with Mains mostly in the £20’s but some exceeding this by leaps and bounds – Turbot with Hollandaise ( a RS classic) at £45 and the infamous Lobster Thermidor at £66 a head – Yep £60 pp – a lot of money down here in Padstow ! ( or only £60 if you go for a small one !)

How Many Eggs – answers on a postcard please !

Thereafter I am offered 2 types of bread – Walnut and Soda – nothing too special here and an Amuse Bouche of a little shell containing mashed potato, a little Hake and a topping of Caviar – a very exotic ( Caviar😉👍) and delicate dish. Good start – let’s aim to impress !

OK – the main deal – The Food !

I ordered a starter of Fillets of Hake Veloute which my very helpful Waiter suggested was new but the best Starter on the Menu. Well after a short wait this beautifully plated dish arrived and I must say it was astounding ! I simply did not want it to finish. The Hake was soft and breaking up under my fork – poached ? – and it was coupled with wafer thin slices of apple which helped cut through the Veloute with a nicely balanced acidity However what was outrageously wonderful was that with some mouthfuls you encountered Pink Peppercorns, Dill, and, surprisingly, Chopped Dates and Raisons. ( Where has Rick been on his latest travels ?) These were little gems of heaven when coupled with the rest of the dish and one of the best things I have eaten in a while.

My little plate of Heaven !

I had ordered the classic Turbot – really pushing the Village boat out – as my main course but whilst awaiting it a further starter arrived? I was guessing my presence had been recognised by the kitchen and I was getting special treatment – NO, NO – alright YES YES  !

What turns up as a surprise second starter are Fillets of Cornish Gurnard with Char Grilled Baby Leeks, Soft boiled egg, Mustard Vinagrette And Parmesan Shavings. A lot going on here and ingredients I never would imagine should be occupying the same plate but it works ! (Especially when it’s free !)

Too much going on – NO !

If there were to be one complaint on this dish I would have hoped for a little more mustard Vinagrette – it was hardly discernible, but when it was, you wanted more of it !

Now to the The Turbot ! It’s billed as Roast Troncon of Wild Turbot with hollandaise Sauce. Apparently People come from around the World to experience this dish and you could almost believe it. It’s classic, it’s served on the bone and if it was ever taken off the menu there could be riots down here on the Harbour.

Its accompanied with minted Cornish Potato’s And Hispi  Cabbage with Onion Confit and Chives. It’s a tremendous threesome that works like a dream. Every mouthful of Sweet buttery fish should be coupled with a dash of the Hollandaise and you will smile with every forkful – is that a word ? The Hispi cabbage – on almost every menu these days- has been shredded rather than quartered or halved as you often see and oozes with butter and chives, again very calorific – butter everywhere !

World Famous Troncon

Troncon apparently translates as Section in French so I can understand why they use the Gallic version !

Dessert – I was already full after 3 courses but felt I had to indulge further to be able to review at least 1 dessert.

I ordered a Mexican Rice Pudding with Honeycomb simply because of my weakness for Honeycomb. I was told it would be served at room temperature and with sliced mango and a few spices. Other temptations on the Dessert Menu included classics such as Choc Fondant,  Apple Tart and Vanilla Ice Cream and Pear Tarte Tatin with Choccy Ice Cream.

My Mexican Rice Pudding was simple enough but also rewarding with the Scattered Honeycomb.

Hey Gringo – I am Not just rice but Mexican Rice !

This is a Restaurant that really knows what it is doing and showcases Fish and Crustaceans in a spectacular, even if sometimes a simple and classic way. The menu is often tweaked with a new dish appearing following on from Ricks travels and TV shows/ Books etc. One of the latest was my wonderful starter, and another popular dish new to the menu is the Sea Bass Pollichathu – a whole fish baked in a banana skin with a Masala Sauce – a recipe originating from Kerela.

It does not command a Michelin Star and I don’t know what Mr.Stein thinks about that business but if it were in London I would guess it would have been awarded one years ago. It is Fish fine dining in terms of taste but the atmosphere itself was very casual and not imposing or stuffy in any way.

You need to go – if not for splashing out on the Turbot – for my Hake starter !

Rating – BLAZINGLY HOTPAN

SERVICE  – VERY HOT PAN ( took ages to get my bill as they had forgot ! ) 

NB ( I did pay for my meal in full but received an extra starter for free)