what are you eating today?

[Hocus Pocus]

Yeah, in most first world countries, if there is no tipping, it's because the server/bartender is making a fair wage, from what I've heard.

[ninetynine]

[JohannesDeSilentio]

Yeah, in most first world countries, if there is no tipping, it's because the server/bartender is making a fair wage, from what I've heard.

Absolutely not true; chefs, waiters, kitchen porters etc are all generally pretty poorly paid anywhere in the world (except Norway apparently), it's just that in countries with greater welfare provision they don't suffer so much for being poorly paid, and therefore don't rely on tips to supplement their income so they can afford, I dunno, healthcare?

Anyway, couple of plates from Hedone, absolutely amazing new opening in London. This will have a star within the year, and rise to two pretty swiftly.

Berkswell sable, blackcurrent powder

Slow poached hen's egg, girolles, white peach, wild rocket

Chocolate bar

wish I had more photos, was too busy eating, these were three of about 10 courses in total

[Gecko]

What are the prices like at Hedone? Looks great, will try and go when I'm back home. Also in my experience standard tip, even for many 'pros' who eat out constantly is 10% in the UK

[jigsaw]

oohhh fuck!!!

[JohannesDeSilentio]

What are the prices like at Hedone? Looks great, will try and go when I'm back home. Also in my experience standard tip, even for many 'pros' who eat out constantly is 10% in the UK

It rater depends. If I go to some of my favorite divey ethnic joints, the kind of place where they cover your table in incredible food, treat you with enormous generosity, and no matter how much you eat or drink it never seems to rise above 15 a head - these places I tip 20-30%

Mid price independent places, somewhere like Koya, Anchor & Hope where the service is always excellent without being formal, and the food stunning without being fussy, I usually tip 20%, or buy a round for all the staff, whichever seems more appropriate. Spuntino, where I rarely eat cos I'm not crazy about the food, but I often drink, I'm more likely to buy a round for the staff at midnight than leave a tip. They prefer this.

High end, you normally have 12.5% tacked on, which at baller prices is normally sufficient. If I'm drinking amazing wine I'll offer a glass to the head chef, the sommelier, my waiter maybe, depends who \i've made friends with if any, if not all.

Hedone isn't cheap: think it was £70 for 6 courses (+canape, amuse & petit four) but the quality is so dazzling, and while it's not going to be a dull parade of michelin bait (lobster, foie, caviar, truffle etc.) some of those things will appear, alongside more humble produce elevated through sheer quality, a mindblowing piece of mackerel for instance, or a piece of barbary duck, flown in from the best butcher in paris. A couple more pics, one from my meal, one from a friend's meal:

the aforementioned duck and lobster sauce:

pigeon:

[thomas_collins]

Thanks, I needed a new desktop wallpaper.

[dismalfuture]

Dinner the other night, L'Effervescence in Nishi Azabu. Awesome restaurant, all the plates were great, chef was an awesome guy and visited at the end.

He didn't attend culinary school, went to work at a restaurant in Hokkaido using vegetables, ended up working at the Fat Duck, came back and opened this restaurant of his last fall, so it hasn't been open a year yet. I suspect that it will receive two Michelin stars the next time around, it's definitely a Tokyo two-star for sure.

The theme was bubbles and youth, a few of the dishes were inspired by his memories, a few things probably inspired by his time at the Fat Duck, and then a few French-Japanese type plates. Some highlights:

Slate platter, with a printed message card, and then this red box on top, and the waiter puts his hand on top of the box real quick to make sure it's hot.

The message says something about a fond childhood memory of his, biting into a piping hot apple pie (says nothing of McDonald's, but implies it) - with his signature at the bottom. This was the second plate and it really just lightened the mood so nicely. Later on the chef said 'yeah I know, that dish wasn't really French food, but whatever'

The pie itself was a nice flaky pastry filled with apples, guinea fowl, and foie gras.

Ayu, with watermelon and basil, cucumber, and bitter ayu gut sauce - beautiful combination. If you can, you guys should try making this at home, really flavorful combo, pure summer dish.

His specialty - a kabu turnip that had been roasted (very slowly) for 4 hours, and then browned in a skillet. The turnip retained a crisp texture, and a piquant turnip flavor - the roasting just brought out more sweetness and gave it warmth. With parsley sauce, dried jamon, and brioche. Also great.

Taiwanese tea, 'left and right' - in this cup of tea, there was two temperatures - on the left side of the cup, it was piping hot, and on the right side, it was cold. When drinking it, you got two distinctive sensations from this one glass of tea, going down the gullet at the same time, left and right. Not much to look at, but incredible.

Lamb sirloin with a raisin chutney and a fourme d'ambert sauce - the cheese sauce made this incredible, had this really bitter cheese rind taste - went with the lamb and the raisins beautifully.

because it's Japan, he gives you a choice of cheese or vegetables, that's really all it says on the menu, I went with the latter and ended up getting a salad that must've had like 20 things in it.

lots of dessert, this was called 'Desire of destruction' (again, the kid theme here) - a chocolate shell with Miyazaki mango (these are like $150 at the supermarket, each) summer truffles, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, and then there was a ring of clove powder around the outside, representing an eclipse.

Last dessert plate was these little apple looking things that turned out to be gently dyed lychees, some candied rhubarb that was incredible, and then hollow chocolate lollipops filled with a Pop Rocks-like candy, yet another youth memory reference. Don't like desserts in general but these were all great.

drank these with dinner:

Had a smoke in the front lounge after dinner and he had LC1's and 3's out there, with Barcelona chairs. Fun waiting room.

Really great restaurant, I can't wait to go back again.

[dismalfuture]

Got drunk on the free flow champagne at the hotel and then ended up going to Ginza to eat some yakitori one night for light snacks. When I eat yakitori I actually just like eating the vegetables, not really into the chicken butts, oysters, hearts, etc. I like chicken livers but forgot to get them this time. I eat too much chicken at home, I guess.

A5 Kobe - this stick alone was half of the bill. Kinda dumb but I felt like doing it since I was on vacation.

even more veggies (I wasn't kidding, I really like the vegetables at these places)

Had drank like two bottles of champagne, had like 4 beers at the yakitori place, but we were in Ginza so I felt like seeking out the Ginza store of that bar that I go to all the time in Seoul. Really dingy little boozehound place, it was awesome. I don't know if my girlfriend liked it that much because of the atmosphere but the drinks were incredible. Bartender was this old workhorse guy, barely talked, didn't smile, but his motions were exacting and his recipes were great.

My lady ordered a Mimosa, here are the steps he did to make this drink:

1. Get glass out, put ice in, use the soda gun to fill it up all the way, stir, let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2. Pour everything out once the glass is cold and sweating.

3. Champagne and OJ.

4. Couple drops of Grand Marnier

5. take a 1-inch strip of orange zest, twist it over the glass, discard

6. take another 1 inch strip of orange zest, twist over the glass, use flame torch to hit it up for about 5 seconds. discard.

Final result; a Mimosa that just burst with orange flavor and aroma under your nose.

[JohannesDeSilentio]

that looks like some serious cooking right there dis. Was just looking at some of those photos on FB wondering where it was! The Ayu with a bitter sauce made of it's liver (i'm guessing? the digestive tract would be too much no? what's it's diet otherwise?) has given me some ideas.

Sorry my pictures of the pigeon and duck turned out so big, I've no idea why

[JohannesDeSilentio]

no chicken oysters? duck hearts? best bits man, that's why they call em sot-l'y-laisse...

the one competent yakitori joint over here does chicken neck skewers which are banging

[dismalfuture]

Had a 5 course tempura lunch, kinda boring, but my first dish was great - tomato tofu in tomato juice, yuba, a little broiled piece of pork belly, and shiso flowers.

David Chang has a story in the Momofuku cookbook about how he is really proud of his silk tofu, cherry tomato, and chiffonade of shiso in soy dressing dish - Jean-Georges told him it's the best thing he makes. In reality though, that Momofuku dish is something you'd get at a cheap ass izakaya in Shinjuku where you each pay like 1999 yen and get unlimited food and drink for 2 hours, a place where really young college students would go.

This tomato tofu dish though, now this thing was really great; it's also on a Caprese tip but just so much better thought out - tomato flavor, tofu texture to represent a cheese-like consistency, and then yuba, like a cheese skin, and then the shiso buds really popped with shiso flavor, as an analog to basil. The little bit of pork belly wasn't so necessary but was welcome, as it put a little fat into the dish.

[dismalfuture]

that looks like some serious cooking right there dis. Was just looking at some of those photos on FB wondering where it was! The Ayu with a bitter sauce made of it's liver (i'm guessing? the digestive tract would be too much no? what's it's diet otherwise?) has given me some ideas.

Sorry my pictures of the pigeon and duck turned out so big, I've no idea why

really one of the best dining experiences I've ever had, and it'll be hard to top as well. You should really try that grilled ayu/watermelon/basil one.

Forgot to post this plate, it was yet another great plate at that place. Raw foie, on corn bread, roasted corn, figs.

[JohannesDeSilentio]

Had the foie been salted at all? Can firm it up slightly to give it a few hours of salt cure and obviously helps with the richness. I haven't tried Ayu, it's atlantic cousin the smelt doesn't have particularly sweet flesh, which I imagine must relate to either warmer water or different diet. I like the idea of the demonstrative flavours of sweet flesh, basil, watermelon and then a dap of fish offal funk.

Chang's a funny one - he profoundly gets food, and is clearly a great talent spotter and team builder. As for the technical skill of his kitchens, well, I haven't been to Ko, but since he does so little cooking himself it's hard to make a comparison of a dish he's appropriated and put on the menu with the original. I don't think anyone should be making claims for him as one of the world's great cooks, just a great chef, in the true french sense.

[i wear shooes]

chocolate cake and a glass of cold milk = awesome breakfast.

[youonlyliveonce]

home made california rolls

last week

porto's

[DaBestSpoona]

Chang's a funny one - he profoundly gets food, and is clearly a great talent spotter and team builder. As for the technical skill of his kitchens, well, I haven't been to Ko, but since he does so little cooking himself it's hard to make a comparison of a dish he's appropriated and put on the menu with the original. I don't think anyone should be making claims for him as one of the world's great cooks, just a great chef, in the true french sense.

I went to Ko when it first opened and was not impressed at all. If you have done fine dining in Tokyo, Barcelona, or Paris you will not be impressed. Am I supposed to be impressed by a piece of freshly fried pork rinds with a sprinkle of the cheapest quality s&b brand shichimi? I remember one dish that made me and my lady laugh, it was kimchi consomme, with oyster. Basically it tasted like clarified left over kimchi hotpot broth and a raw oyster, it probably was too.

[dismalfuture]

This was the rest of that tempura meal I had that started with the tomato tofu, it was a bunch of small plates.

eggplant

Bit of everything plate - uni on yuba if I recall, an ayu, a conch, asparagus, unagi, and then these two smoked edamame that had this great almondine flavor.

broth and vegetables

pork, sashimi, gourd, a little tempura

duck, chicken and some really sticky minced yama imo, yuba, and then a shot of edamame foam

tempura, chose to go with all vegetables as that was what I was feeling for lunch- the corn and the yellow date tomatoes were awesome. The tsukemono came with these huge chunked gari, and they were amazing. A little yukari on the rice was delicious.

Miyazaki mango, on a molasses jelly topped soy milk pudding.

Good lunch, was about $50 a head.

[dismalfuture]

Teppanyaki lunch at Roppongi Hills - boring, but solid food I guess.

boring wafu green salad

whitefish and scallops steamed in egg custard, with mozzarella cheese, topped in a tomato sauce

Teppan version of butterfish in papillote; truffle and soy sauce. Lots of shaved onions under the fish, red pepper, and some awesome broad beans. Don't even like fish that much but this was nice.

this was the cooking paper:

filets, some sort of special salt from Japan

dry curry rice, was too full to even really begin this, wasn't that great anyway

weekday lunch kind of dessert

Also about fifty bucks a head, lots of food obviously.

[dismalfuture]

Cold somen lunch at the Intercontinental

[dismalfuture]

Yesterday I was carrying like 3 duffle bags around Daikanyama before going to the restaurant, was sweating pools, was hungry and just wanted some food and my girlfriend was being pretty short tempered - went into the first place I saw, thought it was just some generic Youshoku-ya in Daikanyama on the main street. Turned out it was Ogawaken, a famous restaurant. Been a family restaurant for over 100 years. Completely empty at 1pm, but they had like 12 guys working in this enormous, spotless open kitchen, and the old man (Ogawa himself) was barking orders at everybody with his arms crossed. Looked like a very romanticized version of a French kitchen. Restaurant was incredibly stuffy, should probably check your sense of humor at the door.

(not my pictures) Had a green salad and chicken curry rice, she had a belgian endive salad and an omurice (homemade ketchup, the works). My salad was just 30 or so small leafs of iceberg impeccably dressed in a white vinaigrette, all placed exactingly in a bowl. A little clump of shiso chiffonade on top, that was it. It was great, I'd eat that salad with every meal.

Curry rice looked like this:

They have a wagyu beef stew on their menu, it's like $80 a plate. Did not order, obviously. Like I said, you really should not have a sense of humor if eating here. Looks like this

[JohannesDeSilentio]

Am I supposed to be impressed by a piece of freshly fried pork rinds with a sprinkle of the cheapest quality s&b brand shichimi? I remember one dish that made me and my lady laugh, it was kimchi consomme, with oyster. Basically it tasted like clarified left over kimchi hotpot broth and a raw oyster, it probably was too.

Basically this. Had dinner some years back with Chang at Ssam bar (pre Ko days) in the company of some other london people, St John crew etc, he was busting out the big guns obviously, but while he was cool guy and all and the food was undeniably delish, it was pretty trashy - everything was a big old umami grease bomb. We were drinking heavily so it was all appropriate, but it wasn't serious food, if that makes sense. Basically despite how hard everyone makes it look it's pretty fucking easy to make a delicious burger, but a kimchi consomme takes some chops.

[Layne]

Pho to go. The broth was heating up when I took this.

[jl3969]

i appreciate the knowledge being dropped re: high end food, but that level of cooking treats food a little too precious for me.

have a reservation for bo ssam on 15th so im excited to see if Chang's food is worth the hype. on sales rep dime too!

[chantheman]

umami burger

[dismalfuture]

i appreciate the knowledge being dropped re: high end food, but that level of cooking treats food a little too precious for me.

have a reservation for bo ssam on 15th so im excited to see if Chang's food is worth the hype. on sales rep dime too!

The first comment is reminiscent of the kinds of things the insecure guys in high school say about wearing nice clothes - "bro your jeans are too slim and gay looking, i'll stick with my Hollister and Abercrombie bro' - what is so precious about putting a few simple things on a plate, and enjoying the flavors of them in spaced courses? It's not the hardest thing to really understand, nor should it be for anything but enjoyment. Don't always need to destroy your guts to have a good food experience, on the contrary really.

The momofuku bossam thing, eh. I am beginning to think that David Chang is an elaborate joke.

[DaBestSpoona]

I like to mix it up, destroy my guys one day and have 22 light single bite courses another. Keeps my body on its toes.

Dismal which tempura place was that? Was it a kaiseki place? Noticed alot of variety in the courses. All the tempura places I've been to serve course after course of tempura for lunch, like veg, then fish, then herbs, then ten don or ten cha.

[Epoc]

Bar food at Lamplighter to watch UFC.

[dismalfuture]

I like to mix it up, destroy my guys one day and have 22 light single bite courses another. Keeps my body on its toes.

Dismal which tempura place was that? Was it a kaiseki place? Noticed alot of variety in the courses. All the tempura places I've been to serve course after course of tempura for lunch, like veg, then fish, then herbs, then ten don or ten cha.

It was just the Japanese restaurant at the Conrad where we stayed. Woke up late and it was 1:50 by the time we got downstairs, so we figured we'd stay in the building and get a lunch special. I didn't go in there expressly to get tempura, just chose a course on the menu. Was solid though, as you'd expect from that level of hotel-y Japanese food.

Hadn't eaten as much Japanese food in Japan for a long time and so I remembered again that when it comes to Japanese food in America/most anywhere else vs Japanese food in Japan, it's just those tiny little things that elevate the real deal to heights that the foreign places don't do - the little bit of yukari on the rice, the great fish, the little fingernail sized fleck of sudachi rind that lingers at the bottom of a broth, the different flavored salts and all the different little things you load up into your dipping sauces, little garnishes that pop with flavor like those shiso buds, all the baby vegetables that are amazing, etc, etc. I love yuba too, hard to really find outside of Japan.

[poly800rock]

Pho to go. The broth was heating up when I took this.

why only thit tai?

man, i get everything but tripe these days. I've also begun noticing only the better places have really good and soft tendon. The older I get, the actual texture of the soup plays a huge role in determining if it's good or bad.