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The Food Network
- Thread starter Mandieta6
- Start date
Sir Didier Drogba
Head Official
He was a by all accounts remarkable chef who was like mpw in many ways and also got Michelin starred in his 20s, brother of aa Gill (Britains greatest food critic) but the he got into trouble for going too crazy and hitting his ex wife, went to prison where the guards let him do drugs in exchange for cooking for them, got out, got into more trouble, told his brother he was going to 'disappear' and then was never heard of again dead or alive ( this is about 20 years ago now I think)
Speaking of fine meals, we ate at a really nice restaurant in the Hunter Valley (wine growing region) last night. It was a PERFECT example of simple food done well.Sir Didier Drogba;3803618 said:
I had pork belly entree, and a labna stuffed chicken as main. Jules had leek and potato soup as entree and Napolitano Gnocchi as a main.
Every single dish was amazing. I love pork belly, and eat it everywhere, and this pork belly was so simple, yet sooo good. It was perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, served in a really light jus or consume (essentially I'm not sure if the meat juices were used as the base) that complimented the meat perfectly. Jules' soup was AMAZING. I fancy myself as a good soup cook, and leek and potato is reasonably simple to make nice...But this was amazing. It was savoury, without being overly salty, and the leek really came through without adding too much of that onion-sweetness. We were both bamboozled as we both love food and cooking and just didn't understand how such simple food could taste so much better than we'd had it elsewhere or made it ourselves.
It continued with the mains, though after the entrees we weren't as blown away - we were expecting it a little.
Point is, it was a PERFECT example of getting a few flavours that really compliment each other and just doing then perfectly. Treating the food with respect, cooking it properly, seasoning it properly, adding only ingredients that add to the dish etc.
As you say, there is a time and place for complex dishes, but what I would say is there is never a need for complexity for the sake of complexity. Some dishes are complicated to make, that's a fact. You can't recreate everything in a simple way. But there is a lot to say for getting good quality complimentary ingredients and treating them with respect - cooking them properly, seasoning them properly and not hiding them behind a load of other flavours which don't need to be there.
Back to the brother-in-law's "more is more" cooking, a perfect example of this was at Christmas we were at his place and he made a roast dinner (turkey and veggies etc). He made a gravy with drippings and it was really good. Then he decided that he had mushrooms he'd add to the gravy. Then he added a dash of cream. The sauce was ok. I love mushrooms, and I love creamy mushroom gravy - but his gravy was good before he added them. And it was good as a gravy. Adding the mushrooms confused the flavours (and if you're making a mushroom sauce you sauté the mushrooms in the pan first and then deglaze etc). The cream was also completely unnecessary in a gravy (especially one that was already well balanced) and I think was only added because it often goes well in mushroom sauces.
It reminds me of those people that get pizza and put EVERYTHING they like on it - rather than a few nice ingredients that compliment each other. Having seven different meats, extra cheese, onion, capsicum etc etc all jammed on the pizza ends up just tasting like oily, salty meat.
Sir Didier Drogba
Head Official
Personally I would be very dubious about ordering either pork belly (cheap cut which restaurants have conspired to make 'in vogue' in order to save themselves money) or chicken (which restaurants put on the menu for the one and only purpose of appeasing the 'unadventurous' person in the dining group) at an expensive restaurant.
But yeah, I dig your general point, I was probably like your brother 3-4 years ago.
But yeah, I dig your general point, I was probably like your brother 3-4 years ago.
chygry;3803815 said:
I get nervous whenever any place calls themself "Asian" or "Middle Eastern" or anything like that.
If they don't call themself "Indian" or "Nepalese" I find they're generally not great. They try to do loads of cuisines rather than mastering one.
But I won't judge. Never eaten there and never will.
Sir Didier Drogba;3803721 said:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pork Belly.
It is one of the "new age" cuts, a bit like Lamb Shanks etc. But Pork Belly is soooo good when done well. And Belly of pork has always been a good cut when cooked right. Pork is one of the few meats where the fat is delicious when in equal quantity to the meat, and belly is such a good, tender cute with loads fat and perfect crackling.
And I think what you're saying is exactly my point. Good food isn't necessarily about having the most expensive ingredients. It's about making the most of what you have.
In any case, I completely disagree with you on pork belly - and I think you're being a typical hipster and disliking it simply because it's popular. Good pork belly is an amazing cut, and when cooked right there isn't a better part of the pig. For years we were very naive about meat and wanted these lean cuts, and charged more for them - because we thought it was all about meat. Now people are starting to appreciate how key fat, sinews etc can be to meat when cooked well. A braised beef cheek is MUCH more tasty than nearly any other part of beef braised (just as an example). Pork belly though, doesn't even have sinew. Just meat, fat, and crackling. And unworked meat - meaning tender, juicy etc. What's not to like?
And I also disagree with your comments on chicken. Chicken is on the menu at decent restaurants for exactly your reasoning. At good restaurants though, the chef puts nothing on there that he doesn't want to be on there. I would suggest any restaurant putting a token dish on the menu isn't nearly as fine dining as you've suggested. I rarely order chicken - and the fact this was a supreme (meaning mostly breast) worried me too. But the waiter recommended it (esp. as I was drinking white wine) and explained how the labna stuffing kept if very moist and flavoursome. They were spot on. As it was fine dining, It was also not over cooked breast - which 90% of restaurants do. People are paranoid about chicken being at all raw, so they tend to overcook. This was perfect, still juicy and the labna stuffing adding a depth of flavour without complicating it.
I must say, I find it funny that you don't order chicken because you think it's too boring - but then don't eat things like pork belly, as they're simply "in vogue". You can't have it both ways. Do you like the old, never fail dishes, or do you like the popular, in-vogue dishes? Or are you simply an old fashioned pompous Englishman who thinks if it's not duck l'orange or lobster thermidor it's not good? Fancy ingredients have their place, but there is a reason why plenty of really good chefs are using ingredients which you would likely consider "in vogue". I've never met anybody, who likes pork, who hasn't found pork belly absolutely delicious.
EDIT: Oh, and in Asian (as in what Australians call Asian - Chinese, Japanese etc) cuisine, Pork Belly has been a highly regarded cut for years, and still is. In fact, it's really only the Anglo nations (UK, USA, Aus etc) which ever saw it as a really cheap "off cut". Americans used it as their bacon (and in my eyes streaky bacon is MUCH better than Middle rashers that Australians and Brits use due to the extra fat). Poms and Aussies used it in things like sausages - because they went through the phase of "less fat is better" (often preferring the most tender, low fat cuts, but the least flavoursome). Popular isn't always bad Hipster Hamilton. In fact, things are often popular for good reason.
yoyo913;3803730 said:
Should post the site too
I was inspired by the soup Jules had on the weekend (plus the rainy weather) and made a big pot of leek and potato soup. I think I needed to add more onion and garlic (I used LOADS of leek - but the flavour hasn't come through enough, and a bit of onion often helps with that). I used celery to add that awesome winter soup flavour that it adds to soups and stews too, but I possibly used too much (I like it, but Jules isn't big on celery and things it's too dominating). But it's still good. Can't wait to have a big bowl with a crusty roll in front of some TV tonight with the rain pounding down outside
Yep. That often happens from these places that call themselves "Asian" or "European" or "South American" etc.yoyo913;3803862 said:
If you're that broad, and try to cover all bases, chances are the dishes you're doing aren't anything you're particularly proud of.
Asian (both sub-continent and east Asian) restaurants seem to do this much more than other cultures. I think it's because westerners confuse these cuisines, and so expect to be able to get Thai or Malaysian dishes at a Chinese restaurant, or Sri Lankan dishes at a North Indian/Bengal etc restaurant.
I always find it funny when a Korean Barbecue place sells Sushi. Or even a Chinese restaurant sells Sushi etc.
The restaurant I went to on Saturday night had 5 mains, 4 entrees, 3 starters (breads etc), and 3 desserts (this is actually another reason why i disagree with Sir_Didier_Drogba regarding the chicken - there is no way in a place like this, the chef would "waste" a place on his menu for a dish he didn't want to be there - nor would he risk his reputation with a dish he didn't believe in).
No..don't think I willchygry;3803870 said:
Your recommendation doesn't really sell it to me. You've never mentioned food previously, you've never spoken about your love for quality food, or what you like about it etc. So I'm not sure what is really to trust about your recommendation.
Though I'm sure this place is better than Shifty's tinned corn and tuna in the microwave recipe (I think that's what it was) from earlier
I'm usually quite good at recommendtions. Trust me! You've got the way of words that's for sure. Made me laugh not in a bad way since all in all you're my main man.
Sir Didier Drogba
Head Official
I'm on my phone so I can't reply to the longer points Alex made right now but I do need to mention that I have been to Asian chef and it is absolutely terrible. Being British I get curry cravings and I attempted to satisfy them there, but it is unbelievably bad.
Sir Didier Drogba
Head Official
You are so, so stupid. Like i would order something wrong in a curry house. I have been there more than once, eaten from both the Indian and Chinese menus (and the fact it offers both is a really bad sign) and it has been bad every time. Yes Britain still has some growing up to do in terms of food but one thing we get right is curry, and Estonia hasn't even been born yet
Indian, fish n chips, steak and ale pies and a Sunday roast are the foods I would trust a food loving Brit's taste on.Sir Didier Drogba;3803947 said:
I put in the "food loving" part because there were regulars at my old pub in London who ate the pub grub every day and I'm sure they'd not know good food compared to run of the mill pub grub.
I'm confident of Sir_Didier_Drogba says their curries are crap, their curries are crap.