Food Porn for the Bookworm

October 14, 2011 1 Comment

“Time spent reading is time well spent” or so I will begin to always say. Not those purple paperbacks or self-help books so frequently seen cluttering bookshelves these days, I’m talking about books that really add to (and refresh) the fountain of knowledge we’ve collected over the years.

When I can tear myself away from the Larousse Gastronomique, I’m studying Sarah Labensky’s On Cooking. Reluctantly I’ll peruse my copies of Gordon Ramsay’s World Kitchen and A Chef for all Seasons before diving headfirst into my own copy of Heston Blumenthal’s Big Fat Duck Cookbook. But the true gems in my collection are Herve This’ Molecular Gastronomy,  Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking, and Niki Segnit’s Flavor Thesaurus. The first four are valuable for picking up technique and learning classic recipes. The last four are a boon to anyone looking to experiment with flavors once the fundamentals are well understood.

A friend of mine recently sent me a link to another great tool – I’m going to print this out as a huge poster and put it on the wall of my test kitchen. Check out “Taste Buds: Complementary Flavors“.

Enjoy, and keep on truckin’

7 minutes, boiled.

Filed under I wish I had said it, No Food, Just Thought Tagged with , , , ,

Essence, Mohandessin

March 27, 2011 6 Comments

<Original article over at Cairo360>

I’ve been on a bit of an Subcontinental food buzz recently; and an invitation to take AmounsBouche back to Essence Barbecue in Mohandessin was one i could not resist. We both love Massala at the Karvin Hotel, but being bound to the island of Zamalek and its immediate vicinity, we were pleased to finally have an alternative to the horrendous Nawab when the curry bug bites.

Nothing has changed from my previous review – the Pakoras are still among the best things I have ever eaten; pungently spiced with an impossibly light and airy texture and the potato samosas are little potato curry flavor grenades. We did not like the meat samosas, which had a strong lamb flavor, but were bland otherwise.

The kitchen clearly enjoys the process of creation, even going so far as to add a little black salt to the lemonade we ordered. It was a nice flourish, i thought, but it should have been announced to prepare us for the added twist. It was sent back in favor of the more boring ‘regular’ lemonade (but they did add a tinsel umbrella…) Probably more successful is their new Lunch menu, offering both vegetarian and carnivorous options for a flat price of EGP50. Included are four courses, and it can be ordered, and indeed is designed for, takeaway.

The service is still as fresh faced as ever, and the head waiter is more comfortable and familiar with all the items on the menu. We didn’t get a chance to meet the Chef this time, but if you take my word for it, she won’t be leaving cairo anytime soon.

Cooking time: 5 minutes

 

Filed under cairo food, egypt food, In the Press, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Review - 4 Stars, The Best In Cairo

NHCIA Test Kitchen: Mushroom Risotto

February 21, 2011 5 Comments

My mother hates risotto. “Gloopy, overcooked rice” is what she calls it and, if you’ve only ever had risotto in faux-Italian restaurants, that would be an apt description. Most people (and unfortunately, expert cooks) tend to think that a risotto should be thick and pasty, thick enough to be piled into a mold and hold its shape. Yet others believe that a risotto should be finished with heavy cream, turning their risotto into rice swimming in an Alfredo sauce. Both results are equally unappetizing and ruin the good name of risottos everywhere. Read more of this post

Filed under NHCIA Test Kitchen, The Best In Cairo

2010 – a great year

December 31, 2010 1 Comment

We’re in the waning hours of what has proven to be a phenomenal year. I turned 30, ditched a career that I felt was going nowhere, and reinvented myself as a full-time professional cook. I’ve put my money where my mouth is, and so far, everyone who’s eaten my food has been very happy.

I sharpened my teeth, so to speak at the Cellar Door Bistro, from July to the end of November this year, and starting 1st of December, I took over as the new Executive Chef of the Cairo Jazz Club (and beyond? :D ). It’s been a tough month, retraining and reconditioning talented cooks who have been in a creative rut for the better part of a decade, and who’ve accrued years of bad habits (no color on sauteed mushrooms?!). I’m building the kitchen slowly but surely, instilling a sense of pride in every single plate of food we send out; I’ve even tossed out the microwave!

I hope I’ll see more of you guys come in for an early dinner at the jazz club, when the lighting is right and the sound levels allow you to hear the crunch of the triple cooked fries (ala Heston Blumenthal) in your mouth.

Stay sweet.

Cooking Time: None.

Filed under No Food, Just Thought Tagged with ,

The Art of the Review

December 7, 2010 3 Comments

It is often said that “context is everything”. Those three words carry even more wight when writing a review; everything must be judged according to its own merit *and* it’s perceived aspirations. This ends up causing quite a bit of confusion, because inevitably a street side sandwich stand will get the same number of “stars” as a fine dining establishment. It is important to remember that these are not in competition with each other – they are in different weight classes, and naturally, cater to different tastes and aspire to be different things; one wants a Michelin star, the other, simply wants to feed people.
Read more of this post

Filed under cairo food, egypt food, No Food, Just Thought

Economic and Racial profiling for the dine-out crowd

November 8, 2010 2 Comments

Did you know IKEA will be opening in Cairo soon? Yeah, I’m excited about it too. Not just because of the affordable foldable Scandinavian designs, but also because of the Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam served at the IKEA café (swallow your disdain; the combination of sweet with the tart and savory is a gastronomic experience).

Excited as I may be, it is nonetheless an excitement tempered by trepidation. You see there is a most regrettable practice in Egypt – Cairo in particular – regarding restaurants/cafes: The Minimum Charge. Initially intended as a way to improve the bottom line for the restaurant owner, the “Minimum Charge” now seems to be used as a screening filter for the clientele. The mechanics of the scheme are very simple: demand a high enough “minimum charge” and the lesser fortunate “B and C classes” will not come. This is economic profiling in action – your value as a customer is directly proportional to the fatness of your wallet. Read more of this post

Filed under cairo food, egypt food, No Food, Just Thought, Verbal Diarrhea

Meshmesheya Tent, Fairmont Heliopolis

September 19, 2010 1 Comment

It’s been a few weeks since this was relevant; the Meshmesheya Tent at the Fairmont Heliopolis is a seasonal offering existing only within the confines of Ramadan. The experience, however, warrants this review.

In true 1980s hotel fashion, the poolside at the Fairmont Heliopolis has both the atmosphere and cuisine of something we’ve seen before in movies from a bygone age. At the time of the review, the Meshmesheya tent was not crowded; it was barely 30% full, but granted it was a Monday evening. Not that it could ever be filled; the tent is enormous, easily capable of seating hundreds of people. Large free standing outdoor air conditioners line the perimeter and alternate with 42 inch LCD screen televisions letting the patrons know what programs their missing, although it’s not like you could enjoy the fantabulous shisha, sit on the blue faux-velvet couches and actually hear the TVs. The sound of the nearby live entertainment, provided by a very 1980’s zaftig female performer is both visually and aurally distracting. But maybe that’s the point.

Right at the door, we were greeted by the picture of exasperation and poster child for unwelcoming service. Dressed in a Moroccan Dishdasha and an Egyptian Scowl, the hostess escorted us to a low table with couches with an excellent view of both the impotent Televisions and the virility enhancing entertainment. A few seconds later, the head waiter arrived to ask if we planned on eating now or later; the answer to which was a resounding and –by necessity – loud “Yes”. 5 minutes later, a basket of some of the best Egyptian baladi bread this side of the year 2000. There it sat, lonely and purposeless for another 10 minutes, whereupon a flurry of waiter activity deposited every single item on the set menu on the table at once. There was no timing of courses, no structure to our dining experience. What this inevitably meant was that our foul and omelet went unappetizingly cold as we plowed through everything else on the table.

The quantity and array of food served is very nice, but one could not escape the feeling that we had stepped into a wedding reception from a movie in 1989, complete with rowdy children dressed in tuxedos. The flavors were nothing spectacular and, in the case of the Sujuq and deserts, far less than spectacular. The only true enjoyment was derived from the shisha, which at 30LE, is still pretty steep.

Meshmesheya also serves Fitar; but the set menus are the same: A meatless Set Menu will cost EGP140 (excl Sales and Luxury taxes and Service Charge) and the same menu with an added plate of Mix Grill will cost 240 LE (excl taxes and Charges).

Cooking Time: 30 minutes.

Filed under cairo food, egypt food, Restaurant Review

Richoux, City Stars and Mohandessin

July 18, 2010 3 Comments

One of my favorite eateries here in Cairo; the standards have been consistently excellent for the past 2 years. Check out the review over at Cairo 360.com

Peace out.

Filed under In the Press, Restaurant Review - 4 Stars

Holy Chutney, Batman!

July 8, 2010 2 Comments

Yikes!

The last time I posted was almost 6 weeks ago – and even that was barely a post; more like a compendium of links to stuff I’ve written for the good folks over at Cairo 360. But I haven’t been lazy; just insanely busy. Busy doing what? you ask. Well, my knee jerk answer to that question would be “None of your bidniss”, but then again, I’m making it your business by writing this post, right?

So what have I been doing? Writing more and more articles for cairo 360, eating well, and compiling a list of the recipes I used for the dishes photographed on the facebook page. Soon, you will have all of my secrets; but like a well fed golden goose; I keep on laying great tasting eggs. Err… maybe not the best analogy, but you get it.

More recently, I’ve been lucky enough to work with Ayman Samir, chef/owner of The Cellar Door bistro in Maadi. There are some very exciting developments, and the chance to create a new menu with an experienced professional first hand is something I’ve been dying to do for a few years now. Conflict of interest aside, I’d highly recommend a visit to the restaurant, if only to sample the sublime tuna carpaccio and the duck confit tagliatelle. Otherwise, order something from the specials menu, which brings classical, clean flavors to new heights.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking of starting the fast food fast anew; the only exception to this year’s fast will be the omission of Subway and Doner Mania from the list of culprits to avoid. It’s not like I eat there everyday, anyways.

Keep it tight, and stay tuned.

Cooking Time: 3 minutes

Filed under No Food, Just Thought, Verbal Diarrhea Tagged with

Foodie’s Guides

May 25, 2010 8 Comments

For the past month or so, I’ve been writing feature articles for Cairo 360 and even a few reviews. For convenience, the links are listed after the jump.

One of the toughest things about writing these guides is the word limit. Like any well-run publication, adherence to word limits borders on fanaticism; a necessary evil I’m afraid. Otherwise, pages will be truncated and look horrible. The word limit necessitates that I miss a few outlets and even a few districts of Cairo to stay within the limits. The good news is that there will be at least one more follow up for each guide coming in the next couple of months (Carpal tunnel and Editorial Favors willing).

I remember when getting peanut butter was akin to searching for the Golden Fleece, but now the heretofore unfulfilled demand for better quality and wider variety of foodstuffs is being met by large chains and smaller, specialty shops around the capital. The flipside is that by definition, prestige ingredients are not cheap. Unless you possess Croesus’ wealth, having porcini mushroom omelets for breakfast should not be how you live your life. Lest I be accused of living in a bubble and encouraging greed, I want to go on record and fully explain that not all things we eat need to cost an arm and a leg; so plan your shopping lists accordingly.

Now that’s out of the way, click on “Read more” to get to the links.

5 minutes, Deep fried.

Read more of this post

Filed under In the Press Tagged with ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.