School is here!

It will be the first day of class in a few hours. I shall come armed with a pen, a red notebook, a camera, dinner, and a few jitters.

New addiction: Eng Bee Tin tikoy and hopia

My fondness for Eng Bee Tin's products have prompted me to make regular pilgrimages to their store in Waltermart Makati, which unfortunately does not always stock all of their goodies.

I only buy their ube/pastillas hopia, which has a yin-yang-esque stuffing of purple yam (ube) and pastillas (a sweet made out of milk and sugar stirred continuously over a fire until it sets into a firm, putty-like consistency), and their buko pandan tikoy (a glutinous rice cake of Chinese origin). The latter was not available the last time I went, so I tried the plain one, which wasn't too bad. I have also bought the strawberry tikoy on other occasions, but found it a bit bland.

Today's Specials

The day's food articles that caught my fancy:


The Eggbeater blog and Serious Eats dish out some advice on working in a restaurant or professional kitchen.

Get the padre some whimsical food-themed ties for Father's Day.

Today's Specials

The day's food articles that caught my fancy:


Cookpad, Japan's biggest site-sharing recipe, is listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange next month.

The 10 most creative people in food, according to Fast Company.

Today's Specials

The day's food articles that caught my fancy:*


* Slate's food issue satisfies on many levels as it looks at the challenges faced by industrial food giants, the existentialism of cooking, cookbooks that are more than just about cooking, lard's limelight moment, a review of a cookbook that specifies only ratios in its measurements, and a writing grant that also funds foodies.

* Naturally aged garlic, or black garlic, is the new "it" ingredient among America's chefs.

Food quote of the week

Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it.
-Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

Today's Specials

The day's food articles that caught my fancy:

Grant Achatz, the chef of molecular gastronomy outpost Alinea, is shopping around for publishers of what could be the world's first gastronomical-oncological coffeetable book, where radiological scans become the inspiration for new concoctions. Achatz is recovering from cancer of the tongue.

All kinds of British foods are getting the gourmet treatment, from ice creams to beer.

I want to work here!

I've decided to compile a list of establishments that offer good career prospects for newly minted chefs. These are places that foster excellence in the art of making food, and while you might want to strike me down for having the temerity to think that great chefs like Hélène Darroze or Thomas Keller might accept little old me into their kitchens, this list at least gives me something to aspire to.

Asitane
Istanbul
Owner: Mr. Batur Durmay
Specialty: Mediterranean
www.asitanerestaurant.com

Bebek Balikci
Istanbul
Chef-owner: Ertugrul Karabulut
Specialty: Fish, mezze
Review:
www.bebekbalikci.net

Borsa
Harbiye, Turkey
Tel: 212-232 4201/02
Fax: 212-232 5856
www.borsarestaurant.com

Camino
Oakland, California
Chef: Russell Moore
www.caminorestaurant.com

Caprice
Hong Kong
www.fourseasons.com/caprice

Chez Panisse
Berkeley, California
Chef: Alice Waters
www.chezpanisse.com

Coi
San Francisco, California
Chef: Daniel Patterson
www.coirestaurant.com

Eleven Madison Park
New York
Executive Chef: Daniel Humm
Tel: (212) 889-0905
www.elevenmadisonpark.com
Reviews: A Daring Rise to the Top

Els Tallers
Managers: Pau Escriu, Anaïs Chauveau
www.siuranella.com

French Laundry
Napa Valley, California
Chef: Thomas Keller
www.frenchlaundry.com

Island Tang
Central, Hong Kong
Owner: David Tang
www.islandtang.com

Le Caprice
St James’s, London
Director: Jesus Adorno
www.le-caprice.co.uk

Lung King Heen
Central, Hong Kong
Specialty: Cantonese
www.fourseasons.com

Mikla
Istanbul
Owner: Ms. Ece Aksoy
www.themarmarahotels.com

Per Se
New York
Chef: Thomas Keller
www.perseny.com

Sunset Grill & Bar
Istanbul
Owner: Baris Tansever
www.sunsetgrillbar.com

Swissôtel Bosphorus
Istanbul
General manager: Gerhard Struger
Specialty: Continental
www.swissotel.com

Taillevent
Paris
www.taillevent.com

Tierra Brindisa
Specialty: Spanish, tapas
www.tierrabrindisa.com

Vetri
Chef-owner: Marc Vetri
Specialty: Italian
www.vetriristorante.com

Today's Specials

The day's food articles that caught my fancy:


* Researchers are working with chef Heston Blumenthal to see how words can be used to improve the dining experience.

* By keeping chefs' knives sharp, Nella Cutlery delivers an invaluable service to 21,000 restaurants in the UK.

* Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio intends to use the 20 restaurants he owns around the world to turn ceviche into the next sushi.

* More readin' to fill you up, or make you ravenous: The Times Online lists its 50 favorite food blogs.

Today's Specials

The day's food articles that caught my fancy:

* Gourmet writer and former restaurant chef Robert Pincus picks out the knives he'll pack while on vacation

* The Gross-Food Movement raises a "middle finger" to healthy eating types.

* Istanbul's working-class eateries reflect the city's cosmopolitan, multicultural history.

* A Filipino-American in search of his culinary heritage rhapsodizes about Filipino spicy vinegar.

* Read this primer on molecular gastronomy, including a pronunciation guide, so you don't embarrass yourself at dinner.

The long wait for the first day of culinary school

I went to school yesterday to submit my medical certificate, and found out that the start of the term has been moved back a week further to June 30 because GCHA is renovating its facilities. I have never been this excited to go to school. Cooking will keep me sane as I navigate my soul-deadening day job.

So. It's 28 days, 13 hours and 50 minutes til I get that balm for my rapidly fraying sanity. Meanwhile, the admissions director has dangled a carrot - he says there is a surprise for students.

Food quote of the week

To eat is to exist; to dine is to live.
-Gene Gonzalez, Filipino chef, restaurateur and teacher