OLO Restaurant, January 2011 Finland.

During my stage at Chez Domenique restaurant in Helsinki, i went for lunch at OLO restaurant with my friend and former head chef Filip and his lovely wife Linda who is working there.
They had been more then generous and kind during my stay at there house and we enjoy`d a lovely lunch at this place.
Good taste, a bit of twist`s here and there, and just solid good combinations.
In the next michelin guide OLO got back there star they had lost earlyer.

Here is the menu we went thrue.

Selleriac variation, confit egg joke, hazelnuts. lovely starter, and classic cominations. good textures. would have like`d the joke a bit less cooked though.





Pork Riletter, apples and nuts, and consomme. again comfertable taste and taxtures..

Monkfish, gnochi, provencàle garnisg and jùs. Nice but nothing really crazy.

Lamb in two way`s fennel and salsafy`s. this was the only dish that lacked tase. As far as braised dishes, I expect a good kick in the bollocks, this however did not gie me that. a bit bland.

Creme brùlle, mareng and citrus. lovely fresh but still hearty dessert.

Filip had the Chokolat dessert instead, looked quit good.

Deffently a place i would visit again if in Helsinki.
good service, wine and food for the price.

Thanks again Linda and Filip!

Pescatore restaurant Spring 2010, Cristchurch NZ.

Being in NZ with my friend Niels who did his overseas study in Auckland, we ended in Christchurch after a wonderfull month, of driving round this lovely country.
We had a great month with a good mix of nature, good food, wine trails, adrenalin experience and of course heavy drinking, so we wanted to end it with a great meal.
After a bit of research, we landed on Pescatore restaurant.
A nice setting of the restaurant, view to a park (after the parking lot though), but nice and bright with loads of big windows.
Before we went in, the waiter served us a shot of rasberry tasting cleanser from a sifon bottle.
A nice start.
The meal was not the best we have had.
ï did seem like the kitchen was trying to get molecular cooking technics, into the menu but most of it was unsuccesfull.
The wine`s on the other hans was surprisingly good, comparred to the wines we had earlyer on a winetrip in the Queenstown area.
I did later on at my stage at Quay in Sydney, hear from one of the Kiwi chefs, that the restaurant did good traditional french food before, but changed the concept, and he left for the same reasons i mentioned. a good example of the molecular, has to make sence and contribute something to the dish.
Actually the only really good dish, was the dehydrated salmon salad starter.
Fun and really tasty.

Apetizer tuna tatar.

Nice way to serve the bread.

Dehydrated salmon salad starter, with goats cheese cream.

French onion soup, crisp parmasan, parmasan air and raw qail`s egg. An good example of the idea not working, the soup was pored table side, wich meant, soggy parmasan chip, air gone, and the qail egg did nothing. so in the end a normal onion soup.

The rosè "insedent"

Raw venison, rhubarb, beet, brioche and mustard. nice dish.

Smoke bell.

Scallop, fennel, chorizo, mango and burnt fennel pure. Actually the mango, scallop and chorizo works quit well together.



Hare, parsnip carrot, wonton with rilette, and pure of a traditional Kiwi veggy, kinda taste like yams. pretty good main, but the foam does nothing for the dish.



blue cheese, apple, selleri broken gel (tasteless) but a really good broken gel from raisins.

Sharp, classic, fresh rasberry soufle. maby they should stick to the classics.

Dark chocolat dessert, milk icecream. actually a pretty bland dessert. The fondant was overcooked, the chokolat gel tasted wierd (chemical like)


All in all not the best meal, but the price for this kind of food is nothing compared to Denmark, and we got loads of wine and a good night from it.
Think NZ deffently have some more to offer on the food side.
Ill be back!

Trio 2010 Svensk perfektion.

Snack: torske skind og fennikelmayo

 I foråret 2010 tog an kammerat og jeg fra KBH til malmø for at spise på den (nu lukkede) Trio.
Jeg havde fra min gamle køkkenchef, hørt om stedet da en af hans tidligere ansatte, var den ene af de tre gutter der ejede restauranten.
De tre skallede gutter (den ene mere gal at se på end den anden), havde lavet noget meget specielt.
En aften hvor alt var perfekt ned til mindste detalje, især vin og mad sammensætningen var, over noget jeg nogensinde har prøvet før.







Rå rejer, 3 slags rogn, youghurt is og sprøde rejer.

 Forretten var frisk og salt. ren i smagen og en god start på aftenen.

Makrel, grøn rabarber, tang og østersemulsion

Perfekt makrel, sprødtskind men stadig rå i teksturen, igen ren smag.

Vegetar retten: sprød salat, stegte kartofler, løg og urter. 

 Bedste vegetarret jeg har fået indtil videre, duften var virkelig appetitvækkende

jomfruhummer, marvpulver og lun hybenjuice

 Den mest specielle ret men også mest interresante, kombinationen var noget helt nyt, og marvpulveret fik den i forvejen lune hybenjuice til at emulgere i munden, og var lige så lækker som den var enkel.

æg 63,5 asparges, flæskesvær og røget æggehvideskum

 Ikke så meget at sige, lækker ret, flot håndværk og en matchene overgæret fransk cider, (duftede af rådden æg) og underligt nok fungerede det helt vildt godt. Provokerende.

Kalv, beder og raps blomster

 Mest enkle kødhovedret jeg har fået, men med så intense smage og en dejlig cremet rødbede gele manglede værken sauce eller andre ting.

havtorn sorbet, brunet smør emulsion, hasselnødder og skovsyre.

 friskt, fedt og syrligt, perfekt balance. Bedste dessert jeg har fået.

fåremælksmousse, granulat af solbær og rugbrød, stikkelsbær gele

I forhold til den andre retter en lidt tam afslutning, men stadig meget velsmagende og enkelt.


Candyfloss med sødskærm.

 Altid sjovt, med candyfloss. lakrids tonerne knækkede sødmen ret godt.


Alt i alt, perfekt aften, gode vin match, behageligt korrekt tempo, dejlig service og på det tidspunkt en del billigere end på top steder i kbh. pga. kronens forskel.
Desværre nåede jeg ikke derud igen før de lukkede.

Asian street food and highlights.

Allright, so this is a looooooooong subject and, a thing that i did enjoy like crazy, in some of the lovely country`s i was in.
But here, are some of the high lights in the different places.


Thailand:

Well bangkok is deffently the mother of street food.
There everything to get here, but deffently the thai sausages, are some of the best sausages you will fint.
Dont miss out on shrimpcakes, with whole tiny shrimps, battered and deep fried with chilisauce.
The endless variation of meat`s on skewers, (the ass of the chicken is some of the best).
Bananapancakes, sold on the streets are also very interresting, thin, crispy and not to sweet, drizzled with kondenced milk and cashews are the best.

Cambodia.
Fresh spring rolles, tuff in the good way ricepaiper, with various stuffings, vegetarian ore filled with meat`s ore seafood.
In Seam Reap I found this old guy serving theese fried savory ricecakes, with a spinach tasting filling.
Pretty good, but the real gold here, was the perfect combination of 3 condiments, that ballanced out perfectly, savory, rich, spicy and sweet in a perfect balance.
Snacking on sugarcane also became a favorite.
And dont miss out on amok, fish ore meats cooked in coconuts, with different types of spices.

Vietnam.

PHO, first thing I ate coming to saigon, perfect balanced beef based soup, with a subtle background taste of fish sauce and cinnamon (cassia bark). I went all in and got with braised beef, raw and meatballs is the soup.
Noodles, veggie`s and round 8 different condiments, to finish of the soup yourself, and a plate of differerent herb`s is served with this delicius classic from the vietnamese kitchen.

BÛN CHâ:
This northern specialty based on grilled pork and meatballs, are served with thin cold noodles, and a quite sweet broth, and again, loads of fresh herbs and green`s.

Both dishes are best found on the streets, with little vendor`s only doing one dish.
Sitting on kindergarden chairs, on small small tables, slurping in the noodles with locals, is a great experience.

Wonton`s in hoi an:
Known to have some of the best local food in vietnam, Hoi An had some good stuff.
Wontons, cau lau (broth, dense noodles, herbs and dough fritters) and white rose (chopped shrimp dumbling). are some of the specialty`s.

Also seafood in vietnams coastal villages are among the best.
Whole baby chargrilled babyshark was amazing, but stay away from the seasnails and konkyla`s, with tuff flesh and muddy taste, it wasn`t a hit.

Malaysia:
Pork buns. you get im all over the place, steamed dough filled with sweet reed bean paste, steamed minched pork ore braised glaced pork.
Try the glaced one`s, they are a perfect snack.

Rôti:
Indian style bread, with a special sauce. Oily but GREAT.

Congee:
you get it all over asia, but this breakfeast dish, is a riceporidge, the one i got here was made with pork, scallions and crispy garlic.

Borneo:
Well not a big streetfood scene here, but if in Kuching, go to the other side of the river, with the little boats, costing next to nothing. There`s a muslim food court here, and one of the guy`s are doing the most AMAZING sting ray.
cooked on a plancha, on a bananaleafe, and with a lit on, this steam, frie kind of method made a succulent, moist and delicius end result. topped with a veggie sauce made this one of my asian favorite places to eat.
I got it 3 times, and took everyone i meet on my way there.
Also laksa should be tasted.

Singapore:
Well endless good food, this is the city to eat as I did mention early in this blog.

Philipines:
Having been in some of the most amazing food coyntry`s in asia, the philipines did let me down a bit.
Other country`s are little meat, loads of veggie`s, here it seemed to be the other way around.
But but but, if you find yourself in cebu city, get your little backpacking ass to the chain (and yes I said chain) called CNT Lechon.
You`l find them in some of the big shoppingmall`s.
Having missed out to day`s in a row (cause it was sold out every time) i got my ass down there early in the morning.
Served with a bit of chili soy, and if you want sticky rice, you dig in with a plastic glove.
Melting in your mouth, this crumbling, crackling meat and skin of a suckling spitroasted pig, is beyond anything ive ever had. JUST GO THERE, but 500 grams of pork for breaky, was maby a bit to much, but you wont be sorry.
BEST PORK IN THE WORLD

Sissig:
National dish, simple as hell.
Chopped up boiled pork head, served on a sizzling platte, making the buttom layer crisp, leaving the top moist and greasy. and topped with a cracked egg.
Onions and other lovely things are hiding, give it a stir to cook the egg, and your golden.

quail egg:
Costing next to nothing, boiled still hot quails egg`s with a bit of salt, is a normal street snack here.
Also deepfried and battered are pretty good, but make sure theyre strait from the grease ore it`s not that good.

Pork intestine:
poached and deep fried, my friend leslie introduced me to this lovable goodness on my first meal in manila.
crispy, greasy and kind of meaty, served with vinigar and shallots, this was a surprise, and very very good.
Serve that to your mates, with beer and football and you got yourself a good night.
you get them grilled aswell, but that gives a more chevy result

.
Japan:
Well no street snacks, but well Ramen and sushi were some of the best things I had in this lovely country, eating raw octupus, squid guts, raw abelone (better cooked) and uni sushi are among some of the very different things i got here.
It did seem like they went a bit overboard on the wasabi to me some places, killing some off the lovely flavours off the often very sweet fish.
raw sardine sushi was introduced to me by a local, he said it was his favorite, and it was amazing, with a strong flavour, but not to fishy, it was some of the best sushi I have ever had.
Unfortunally, fugu was not in season, then i where there.
You gotta go in the cold months,
Shabu Shabu, is a kind of social fondu, made of to broths, loads of veggie`s you cook yourself, and thinly sliced meats. and off course, noodle`s.
Going with a bunch of CS`rs this was a perfect evening. eat and drink (from the whole card) for 90 minutes at a price around 250 Dkr. for Tokyo that is a cheap and cosy way of eating.


So all in all.
GO TO ASIA

Wierd stuff in SE asia. BUGS!

From Grashoppers, unhatchet something somethings, thumb size beatles, to whole frogs, wasps and tarantulas.
Asia got it all in the bug category, heres a bit of what I got into.

Likes

Crickets:
Crunchy, salty and like allot of the bugs, tasted like chicken skin.

Grashoppers:
Bassicly the same as crickets.

Black Wasps:
Agan same actually, kinda hollow insides.

Whole Dried and deepfried frog:
Texture like beef jerkey, taste like chickenskin.

Dislikes

Flour maggits:
Tasted like, well flour in your mouth, and with lack of texture.

Big thumbsize, what looked like dungbeatle:
Parfumy, in a wierd lemony"lime way, and with allot of oil and meat, this was allright, but not exactly a likeable thing.

Tarantulas:
The legs like the frogs, starts like chickenskin, ends like jerkey, but the body itself is something different.
Spongy, parfumy, and semi crispy, this was just a wierd texture and taste that i can`t descripe.
Not a fan, but hey I can cross it of the list, and its a Local thing:)






Tarantula in Phnom Penh



Wierd stuff in SE asia. DURIAN!

Durian sold on the streets of hanoi.

This will be an never ending subject, but i gotta start somewhere.

The Durian, the emperor of Asian fruits apperently.
The outside looks mostly like a old old torture tool.
Spiky and green brownish, this surfuce looks like a warning sign, and maby (for some people) thats the way you should see it.

Ever since hearing about this fruit, I have wanted to dig in, and see what all the fuss is about.
Smelling it from miles away on my second night in bangkok, i got it from a little fruit vendor.
Together with a fellow traveller, we got into it.

Creamy as Creme Fraice, ore an over ripe avokado, and slightly sweet yellow meat is what hits your tastebuds, and your nose gets raw onions, and a mix of feet thats been walking round in moonboots and wollen socks on a hot bangkok day, and sunday morning after a REALLY hard night out of pup golf with your mates, doing the full 18 "holes".
But if you can get over the smell, youll be allright, this fruit is quite good, and worthly of it`s fuss.
I wouldnt crave it, but ill deffently not pass on it, getting the chance again.
Later on durian/coconut caramel, actually turned out to be allright:)

The Flesh

Not aloved in skytrains.

Sweet, savory, spicy, balanced, and just damn delecius.

Sup Talang.

This dish, deserves a little saying here.
Travelling SE Asia earlyer this year, this meal was one of the memorable one`s.
Being a dish that is created of the meltingpot culture in Singapore (think its half malay, half indian this one), you had allot of different flavours going on.
Since seeing god old bourdain eating this on no reservation, ive wanted to mess myself up in this stuff.

I went with a couchsurfer, friendly enough to show me, the hawker stall with this type of food.
Sitting down after ordering, first thing i notice, is the "blod spatter" on the wall, from people dropping the screamingly red bones, in to the lovely sauce. "dont wear a white shirt"

Anyway, they arrive simmered muttonbones, in a "screaming" heavenly sauce, a bit of cabbage and baguettes.
As ive done my homework, I ask for a straw to suck out the marrow.
Dropping happened a couple of times, but it is part of the experience.
the balance of the sauce, and the perfect thickness makes the dish, it was out of this world.
If you ever get around to Singapore, ask around for this dish.

Also, get to china town, from the square with the temple, take the first escalator at the hawkercenter up to the food court, and go to the first juice/shake shop you see.
A little lady and a guy with glasses are the owners, buy a guyabana juice, and just feel the happyness.
This is by far the king of juices, creamy, sour, refreching and sweet at the same time.
Sugarcane juice is a nice way to start your day asswell.

Basicly everything you eat in this city, will make you happy, from hotpots, dosais, and porkbuns, to some of the delecius soups found in the Chinatown area.
Ohh and its on my trip, the cheapest place for mangosteen, maby i was just lucky to be in peak season.

Any foodie ore chef with interrest in asian cooking, released in this city, will find paradise in a shoppingmall city.

Ill be back!

Nose to tail restaurant.

Alright so this will be the first blog text ill make.
Yesterday a good friend of mine "leslie" and me went to "nose to tail" restaurant in the meet packing district in Downtown copenhagen.
Leslie is deffently a foodie, and that is one of the things, that brought us together when i meet her in the philipines earlyer this year.
Cause of her doing a euro trip, and being here in Copenhagen, my mind came to the pretty new nose to tail restaurant.

The koncept is simple.
Happy animals, everything is used, and as garnish, mostly øko veggies from small farmers nearby.
There is also a fish of the day and a small card with snacky kinda things.
Everything is served quite rustickly and in good ambiance, in a cool, cosy basement restaurant.

Being in a snacky mood, we went for a board of danish chacutterie, and cheeses, chickenliver mousse with what was suppose to be portgel, but was quite liquidy (only bad thing in everything we got) but still alright.
Crudite of veggies from Søren (a danish famous farmer) all in a light vinagrette that did the veggies justice.
Two kinds of breads "sourdought and fennel" with whipped butter and count fat "traiditional crispy porks fat"
On the bord 4 types of cheese, house pickled cornichons, cured ham, and sausages, and the riette of pork cheeks and duck.
All really lovely.
2 øko beers from Thy and water all came out to round 260 kr.
Not to bad for a cosy place like this, with nice ambiance and good produce.

Unfortunally they had a suplier problem that day, so there was no bonemarrow, and a couple of other stuff, but that happends.

All in all this is deffently a place, i can see myself ass a regular at.
Good place before a night out with the fair beer prices, and fernet for 10 kr. a shot:)

ill be back