Nouvelle Lunch at TTHTI

Finally I've made my way to TTHTI to try their Nouvelle Lunch. I'm so glad I did. The prices are incredible for the quality of ingredients used in the food, and it's great to support the students, the upcoming chefs and other staff members. I've been wanting to try their food for a while but never seemed to make the time. Now that I have, I have more confidence in the quality of education at the institute as the students seemed to put together quite the feast.

First course at lunch: pressed foie gras with sauternes, rose & hibiscus gelée
and walnut brioche.

Second course: shrimp sachet in saffron broth.

Third course: oven roasted red fish with "eggplant caviar".

Fourth course: smoked scallops, pickled grilled mushrooms, black bean salsa,
chili cumin oil and orange-carrot reduction.

Fifth course: ravioli of chicken and foie gras, sautéed onions with tarragon
and thyme meat jus.

Second option - Beef roulade stuffed with mushrooms and bell peppers,
red onion and zucchini chips with puree of provision medley.

Last course/dessert! White chocolate lace poached pears, amaretto jelly in
phyllo pastry and burnt orange grand marnier parfait with cardamom sugar
and dill sponge with fruit compote.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the palate cleanser, and by the time I remembered, I was almost done. Those ginger-brandy snaps were so good.

Watermelon sorbet and ginger-brandy snaps.

I have minor criticisms but nothing worth mentioning. What's worth mentioning is that the food, service and entire experience was wonderful and I definitely think any and everyone should give it a try. The kitchen is usually well prepared to meet special dietary needs as well. I'll definitely be visiting in the near future.

Potato Leek Soup

Finally I got around to trying my very first (and the very first) recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. I did mention a while back that my sister had bought this wonderful book for me as a present. I read quite a bit of it, bookmarked a few recipes and then decided to try one. Naturally, the first recipe of the book is the one I chose. Simple and light, yet flavourful and satisfying. I was quite surprised that such few ingredients could be transformed so well.

Potato-Leek Soup (Potage Parmentier)
from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child

• 1 lb. peeled potatoes, sliced or diced
• 1 lb. leeks (or yellow onions), thinly sliced
• 2 qts. water
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 4-6 Tbsp. heavy cream or 2 to 3 Tbsp. butter
• Parsley or Chives for garnish

Simmer water, salt and vegetables together, partially covered for 40 to 50 minutes until vegetables are tender. Using an immersion blender (or a food processor when the soup has cooled a bit), blend soup until smooth. Just before serving, reheat soup to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in soft butter or cream. Top with garnish and serve!

What an incredibly simple recipe, for such sophisticated results. It was definitely a success and I look forward to trying more recipes from this book, and to continue reading and learning.

What I love about this book is the detail in the recipes. She ensures that you understand what you are doing, to produce almost foolproof results. The writing is comprehensive but not overwhelming, and you feel like you are being taught by someone who truly loves food. Thus far, I recommend the book if only for the writing, but I will continue to test more recipes and share some of them along the way.

Bon Appetit! :)

Dim Sum at Sing Ho

Trinidad is known for having a lot of public holidays. Trinis love any excuse to celebrate, and I am no different. Today is Labour Day in Trinidad.

Labour Day in Trinidad and Tobago is held annually on June 19th, the anniversary of the day of protest in 1937.  This effectively led to the recognition of the modern trade union movement.
Although some Trinbagonians actively take part in small local celebrations, many simply take the day as an extra day for recreational and leisure activities. (source)

I celebrated my day off by having a delightful Dim Sum at Sing Ho Restaurant in Long Circular Mall, Maraval/St.James, Trinidad. Dim Sum is a Cantonese tradition of drinking tea and eating a variety of "hors d'oeuvres". When I visited Canada, I enjoyed Dim Sum numerous times with my cousins. However, it's more difficult to find Dim Sum, especially good ones, in Trinidad. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I dined at Sing Ho with my siblings this morning, feasting on dumplings, buns, tarts and more. Since they do not have a large crowd, they have no carts throughout the restaurant, as is the norm. They instead let you order and bring the dishes to your table. This was convenient in a different way since we could see all the available items and choose what we wanted all at once. After enjoying our meal, we decided to make it a tradition of our own and try to go at least once a month. We will definitely be trying some more Dim Sum locations around Trinidad as well. You'll be the first to hear about it! :)

GIROPizza, Trinidad

Authentic, brick-oven pizza has recently been becoming more popular in Trinidad and now we're at it again! Though we all can't forget our chains such as Mario's, Pizza Hut and Dominoes, with places like Buzo, La Cantina and Bacco serving up piping hot, thin crust brick oven pizza (made in 5 minutes), who can resist? Now we've got another small but lovely restaurant in a convenient location for those of us with a hankering for pizza and can't make it to POS or South.

GIROPizza is a small take-away only restaurant located at 94, Ramsaran St, Chaguanas. When I saw the (very few) raving reviews, I just had to try it! The ingredients are great, lots of options are available and the service is impeccable. They also have two sizes so if you're solo or eating with friends, you have options!

I'm surprised more people have not yet tried this pizza but it might be due to a few (disputable) factors. It's take-away only as the shop is quite small and only has enough space for the kitchen. While I agree that sitting and having the pizza as it comes out of the oven is always better, it doesn't change the fact that I really enjoyed it regardless. I had two slices in the car and another later on, each of those being quite good. I must admit that I preferred it hot though. The location might be a bit discouraging also because the address of "Edinburgh" is unfamiliar and may seem hard to find. It's not! The main road parallel to the north-bound side of the highway is a straight road and it's just on that road - no side streets, turn-offs or anything! So, why not try it or even call for delivery, you just might enjoy it. Update*** Giropizza has moved to Ramsaran Street, Chaguanas and now has a bigger, easier to find location.

Panna Cotta

The Gavia: mozzarella, tomato sauce, olives, goats' cheese, bruschetta.

Growing in New Orleans

New Orleans... what a blast! I had so many good times in the four short days I visited. I stayed in my first hostel and it was a positive, enlightening experience. I definitely made a good choice by staying at the Auberge NOLA hostel. It felt like I was visiting friends. There were always someone around ready to go out and have fun but also there was a lot of room if you wanted to be in solitude as well. As soon as I settled down into my bunk, I found friends. I spent a few nights out in the town until late night/early morning, something I definitely don't do in Trinidad. And guess what? I had the time of my life. There's something about being in a new place with new people that makes you feel free, comfortable and completely You. It's part of the reason I love traveling... I have always been shy, always fearful of being judged and as a result, restricting myself from doing a lot of things. My few travels thus far have helped me be a bit more confident and I am eager and excited to continue my journey.

Bourbon Street

NOLA streetcar!

Crawfish Boil!

Little street parade.

Gumbo

Sampler: jambalaya, red beans & rice,
fried chicken and shrimp creole.

Half and half: crawfish etouffee and fried crawfish.
Loved this dish!

Oysters, of course!

Fabulous bookshop!

Went a little crazy in the bookshop.

Fabulous shrimp and grits.

The last few pictures below is of an event that takes place called "Happy Thursdays", obviously on Thursdays. Hundreds of strangers hop on their bikes, dressed with as much colourful lights as you mind can imagine and ride through the city with music and drinks and just a whole lot of fun. I had forgotten how exhilarating riding a bike was... but doing it with hundreds of strangers on a beautiful night in New Orleans, now that is an experience! If you are in New Orleans, please make the time to do this. I guarantee you will not regret it!

In New Orleans, there is always something happening 24/7. I arrived on a Monday and there was so much to do, it's incredible. Live music, food, art... anything you want, they've got! I definitely enjoyed my time there and would love to return some day.