DOUBLE NEGATIVES REVISITED

Our CE ... "Crook Extraordinaire" ... was played like a dough in a toy set by the other CE ... "Cunning Extraordinaire" ... at a recent meeting on the painful subject matter that put a spear into the heart of Hong Kong.  I do not believe for a minute that our not-so-competent CE has either the gut, or the skills, to handle his counterpart and Next Magazine ran a hilarious cartoon that says it all.

CE #1 was crammed in a small sofa with his subservient yes-men, delivering his signature verbal diarrhea as captioned, while CE #2 replied ...

"Really? From memory I never said I should take you seriously!"  I cannot say Aquino is not good!

QUOTABLE QUOTES

This is a good one for all ages ... right on the money, in fact!

"If you are Depressed, you are living in the Past.
If you are Anxious, you are living in the Future.
If you are at Peace, you are living in the Present."

COME ROAST THE CHICKS!

Tucked away between Queen's Road Central & Jervois Street, next to a quaint set of stairs on Hillier Street is La Rotisserie ... where chicks, honest to goodness French chicks, are roasted.


The sales pitch is imported French poultry, not the Bresse variety but nonetheless finger-licking-good. These are Picalou chicks roasted in a rotisserie in all her glory front and center, the costliest investment no doubt, the raison d'etre. Our eldest, Terri, introduced us to this newcomer. La Rotisserie is a genuine article where their products resemble what you might expect from the back alleys of Paris ... juicy flesh, crispy skin, with perfect seasoning. 'No chicken is good chicken without salt' ... my cooking school speak. To press the point, they even co-market with Le Creuset, the 'Mother' of cast iron cookware, which they use to prepare the classic trimmings.

The high end pitch, however, jives well with the affordable prices. 1/4 chick is $50, 1/2 $90 and a whole chick $150 ... and to target business from neighboring offices the Set Lunch of 1/4 chick, a side dish, plus choice of homemade soup or ice-tea is only $68.

All products are home made and MSG free.  Value-for-Money here, so, hurry up!

LA ROTISSERIE ... FB : facebook/larotisseriehk
GF Manhattan Avenue, 255 Queen's Road Central (entrance on Hillier Street) - 2324 1898          

PLATING

The debate on presentation (or plating if you are in the company of chefs) is ongoing. There are still die-hard foodies who insist the proof of the pudding can only be in the eating, and nothing else. I am squarely on the other side of the argument, brainwashed by the Chinese culinary wisdom of fine balance between ... Color, loosely translated as presentation; Fragrance, another form of presentation, to do with the olfactory vs the visual function, and lastly; Taste.

Leading the herd in terms of French biased contemporary cuisine, in my humble opinion, is AMBER at the Landmark Mandarin under 2-Michelin Star Chef Richard Ekkebus. The vibrant art piece on the left is a cold appetizer of Scandinavian herring, and on the right an avant garde interpretation of frog legs.

Plating plays a key role in modern cooking, period.  Why ... because it makes the pudding taste better than just a pudding, that is why.  I rest my case!              

RITA @ TKT

Dora and I are truly blessed since the arrival of Rita 8-years ago, our gifted 'Domestic Goddess' who redefined eating at home for us. We cannot be more spoiled to have our favorite comfort foods served comfortably at the comforts of our dining table or even in front of the TV sometimes ... disrespectful to Rita and the fruits of her labor. Since my retirement Rita and I have put the mission of TKT (Test Kitchen at Tang) into practice, creating TKT Signatures ... a handful of top hits, some may-be's and God only knows how many miserable failures.  It is not the end product but the process itself, the joy that comes with serving willing guineas pigs, the praises and of course the critiques that make our day.

After the luxuries of two back-to-back $$$$$ dinners within the week, we spiraled back to planet earth. Not to be outdone Rita produced the following last night :

*  mix sautee of brunoised fresh and preserved vegetables
*  kai-lan in finely chopped ginger and oyster sauce
*  braised soft-boned ribs with carrots and turnips
*  egg roll stuffed with tiny 'white-rice-fish', an old fashioned classic
*  plain congee with julienne of Boston lettuce

It is so good to be home, thanks Chef Rita!