LEITHS LIFE

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 ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 ???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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!

 

 

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 :

 

 

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 !

 

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” 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 !

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.

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 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 :

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

– 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

– 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

!

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 😂

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.

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 !