FANCY THIS?

This is one of the crown jewels at The Atlantic .... it is a crayfish, not a lobster, as it does not have claws. Caught in waters near Stanley Tasmania, King Island, I am told these giants weigh 3-4 kilograms. It says MP in the menu ie Market Price. Half of a 1.7 kg crayfish will set you back A$300 or US$315 or HK$2,460 and if you are not sure the 'poor man's version' at 1.1 kg is 'only' A$210 .... do not forget the 10% service charge on top of that. That said, it carries enormous appeal, be it in wood fire grilled mode, or poached and served on a cold platter with its crustacean cousins. An unstoppable 'head turner' they are, when paraded around the dining room. Regrettably, the closest I could get to one was helping the section head in charge of cold seafood appetizers last night, when he single-handedly prepared 30 (!!) yes 30 platters of Tassie Crayfish, Spanner Crabs, Tiger Prawns, Oysters, Clams etc etc ... when John Galbraith coined the term conscipuous consumption at Harvard I do not think he had these babies in mind, not in his wildest dreams!

ACCIDENTAL JUNIOR COMMIS

Wikipedia defines Commis as : " .... a basic chef in larger kitchens who work under a Chef de Partie to learn about the stations and operations, he or she may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training". Well, yours truly is at best a Junior Commis, and for that matter an Accidental Junior Commis who has the good fortune of landing at the right place, at the right time.

It was accidental when Donovan and I walked into each other's lives 7 years ago, it was also accidental 7 years hence when we meet again in Melbourne at his rated 'Talk-of-the-Town' restaurant. What is not accidental is the fond friendship and trust developed between us over the same period. The past 3 days at The Atlantic was an absolute eye opener for this 'wannabe' cook (not chef) who finds cooking for 12 at home a challenge. What rubbish! I feel so humbled, and terribly small now. It is amazing to watch the pace, the stamina, the team work, the dynamics and of course the sporadic temper flares. Here I am with the Boss, all smiles and relaxed at the end of lunch service, around 330pm today. I call this 'the eye of the storm' before the full fury of dinner traffic hits again 2 hours later. I am quietly preparing myself for 'baptism of fire' this weekend when 400+ are expected. By Sunday I hope to emerge a better kitchen hand than I am today.

PIECE de RESISTANCE

This is it .... with the gospel according to Donovan Cooke all over it. The showpiece, the best part of a meal, the ultimate Piece de Resistance! On the menu it simply says Warm Salad of Smoked Eel, but it has to be one of the tastiest that I have tasted from the maestro's kitchen. This dish is the end result of simple, top quality ingredients, prepared simply to the highest standards, nothing more.

Smoked Eel / Hand Picked Frisee / Smoked Bacon Bits / Garlic Croutons plus 2 other 'killer' items t0 bring the salad to dizzying heights at the palate pleaser charts. (1) a slowed cooked 60C free range runny egg and (2) a dressing made from smoked bacon fat, egg yolk, Dijon & Pommery mustard, sherry vinegar, prepared like a home made bacon flavored mayonnaise. To garnish, a pinch of Black Rock Salt Flakes. Yes, you can do this at home and once you did, you will never look back. I had this baby for lunch, and I can still taste it hours later!

KITCHEN ORGANIZATION

Apparently serving its maximum capacity ie 300 during the week, and on busy weekends, up to 400 a night is 'normal' at The Atlantic. I was in total disbelief when Donovan first shared those mind boggling numbers with me. How does his team, or any team, manage? I saw how it was done, for 280+ last night and began to get a feel of the dynamics. When I worked with Donovan at the Derby rarely would we get 100, and 80 was considered a heavy night. Granted the menu is different, being not at the top end of fine-dining, nonetheless the dishes still require a myriad of ingredients and detailed preparation. A big dose of 'mise en place' I guess ie 'putting in place' in French or, as the CIA interprets it, 'everything in place' before service. Donovan is seen here with his Head Chef Alex ... the Soul of the Kitchen and his Alter Ego at work.

Here is how the team is organized, a headcount of 16-18 to provide daily lunch & dinner service.  A normal work day would start at 9am, and it seldom finishes before 11pm, even worse on weekends.  Just imagine 14-hour on your feet, at a tight station, 6 days a week?

Chefs : Executive Chef / Head Chef / Sous Chef
Heads of Units : Hot Appetizers / Cold Appetizers / Larder / Grill / Veggie 
Oyster Bar / Salads / Garnish /  Desserts

Welcome to the world of any leading rated restaurant, anywhere, life is not exactly a bowl of chocolates!?

1ST ATLANTIC ENCOUNTER

I joined the boys and girls at The Atlantic for my first dinner service last night. It was a blissful 6 hours, I felt totally blessed to be able to rejoin my Mentor Chef Donovan and his team, some were my TAs (Teaching/Tutorial Assistants) when they were at the Derby back in Hong Kong. To the devouted it was 'a born again expereince'. At the end of a sweaty but spiritually invigorating watch that made almost 300 diners happy I received my reward. A succulent crayfish which must still be swimming in Western Australian waters when I was on CX135 to Melbourne .... roasted to perfection, it was presented on a bed of crispy veggies, with fried sweetbread, and topped with a sauce of double chicken stock, mussels stock, shallott and Noilly Prat. Hong Kong can continue to claim sophistication on the food front but one simply cannot get the same quality of super freshness at home. I cannot wait for more of such encounters. I have 10 more days so, eat your hearts out. WOW factor? Fortissimo Maximo!

OCEAN-TO-PLATE PHILOSOPHY

This is the display window of The Atlantic which features freshly caught gems of the sea, from left to right .... Blue Eye, Yellow Fin Tuna, Hapuka and Snappers .... It is an impressive display, in a cold room over crushed ice, but not for very long as the business traffic calls for them to be served within a couple of days. On the wall of the Chef's Office at The Atlantic is a prominent piece of paper with the word 'Sustainability' in block capital. It is not rocket science, it is motherhood, it is easy to understand but the key is, the management is mindful which is the right place to start. I thought I would share the essential bits on my blog.

Do you know 80% of the world's fish stock is over-fished or fished to its limit? The Atlantic prides itself of practicing the Ocean-to-Plate Philosophy which means ' ... the restuarant does not rely on any one type of fish, the menu is so flexible it changes daily depending on what is caught the day before and what is the freshest available'. The chef responsible for fish is instructed 'to check with the supplier at the crack of dawn, everyday'.

The following questions will be asked :

* is the species overfished
* how was it caught, or was it framed
* any collateral damage to the environment, and to other marine wildlife
* was it a deep sea (takes much longer to recover) slow growing or long lived species
* or it is a species of local origin which is not always sustainable

Then there is what I would call 'The Atlantic Motto' which makes good sense :

* we accept responsibility for the part we play
* our buying habit now can shape the future
* fish stock we chose today directly affects the health of our oceans tomorrow

THE ATLANTIC

Located on the Esplanande of the Crown Casino complex in Melbourne The Atlantic has been the 'Talk-of-the-Town' since its opening last year. It is the largest restaurant on the strip and has a wonderful set up of main dining, tasteful private rooms, oyster bar, and in the basement a cool and exclusive hideaway for parties. On the food front Chef Donovan Cooke's return to his second home, Melbourne, where he was Chef of the Year twice before his shourn at the Derby in Hong Kong, has created quite a stir. His name, along with the restaurant, have splattered the life style and eating pages of the media. Built for 300-cover, code for maximum number of guests in restaurant lingo, it is an ambitious project not only for Melbourne but the Aussie food scene in general.

My 2011 plan was to attend cooking school in Barcelona, to learn the art of Tapas but due to scheduling and language (almost exclusively taught in Spanish) hiccups it did not happen. Out of the blue this unique opportunity emerged ie spend 2-weeks with my Mentor to see how he tames this 'beast'. It took me 1-second to say yes, only fools would refuse. The in-vitro experience, seeing how things work and of course not work, up close, in real time is, something a commis like me ... lowest life in a profesional kitchen ... can only dream of. Donovan is not just the professional who wears the hat of my Mentor who taught me cooking, he inspired me to the extent I started my schooling plans. It is karma for us to meet and to become close friends. Cooking is only a set of skills but to pursue one's passion, to live one's dreams, to appreciate the hardships in climbing the culinary ladder, to respect those who are climbing it, and most importantly, to understand humble beginnings and of course, stay humble .... the list is long and Donovan taught me a lot across the board. He is no doubt 'daman' who changed me. My retirement life is at its fullest, even fuller than my work life I dare say, in no small part because of Donovan Cooke. Thank you Chef!

CLASSIC 'YANG-ZHOU' FRIED RICE

My late Grandfather taught my late Father, who in turn taught me the art of identiyfing a 'well done' Yang-Zhou Fried Rice. You take a single chopstick and run it from the top of the plate or bowl, all the way to the bottom. Once you hit bottom you push the rice aside and look for traces of oil. If you find oil, it fails the test. If there is no oil you check if the rice kernels are coated evenly. If not, it fails but if it does, you look for that shine (from evenly coated oil) .... simple enough?  Dad also said the ingredients must be sauteed in separate batches ie char sui, prawns, minced ginger, sweet preserved trunips, scrambled eggs before they get anywhere near the rice for the final toss.  Lastly, fold in a generous garnish of freshly chopped spring onions, including the white bits to yield fragance and color contrasts.  Voila!

BTW Dad never cooked a single thing in his life, but advice on how classic Cantonese dishes are to be prepared and to be served, a la Guangzhou style in the 30s-40s, he taught me volumes. I miss him. 

TIRAMISU CHEESECAKE

Tiramisu is an all time favorite. Cheese Cake is an all time classic. What about a hybrid? Tiramisu-Cheesecake is the answer. I was given this recipe by another foodie who excels in the space I panic ... patisserie. It is simple, doable and adorable. I like to share it.

16 Savoiardi Biscuits - 500 gm Cream Cheese - 250 gm Mascapone - 125 gm Castor Sugar
20 gm Plain Dark Chocolate - 3 Eggs
2 tablespoons Marsala - 4 tablespoons Cold Espresso Coffee

* spray cake tin with oil, then line with non-stick baking paper
* arrange biscuits to line base, sugar side up, brush with cold Espresso
* whisk cream cheese, Mascapone, eggs, sugar, Marsala until smooth
* pour over biscuits, smooth out surface, grate dark chocolate over
* preheat oven to 140C, bake cake x 1 hour till firm
* leave to cool, chill x 1 hour before service
* serve over vanilla custard cream, garnish with mixed berries
* recipe can serve 8-12

For Chocolate Cheesecake fold in melted plain dark chocolate, about 125 gm, into cheese mixture.

CHEF CHAM @ TRC

For Members of the HKJC there is this little gem which, to all of us at Club FED (Friends for Epicurean Dining) is really the 'Crown Jewel' these days. TRC, short for The Racing Club, was created to attract keen 2nd generation race goers who have to turn in their membership cards on reaching 21. TRC aims to recruit them as 'Members in Waiting', so to speak. The very special purpose-built venue at the Happy Valley Racecourse, right over the finish, has made Full Members envious. A subsequent decision was made to open this facility to all members on non-racing days and this is when the rubber hits the road on the dining front.

Chef Cham Leong was Sous Chef to Chef Donovan Cooke at the Derby who was called to duty when TRC opened, as Head Chef. Instead of giving this fine avenue the promotional pitch I suggest you book a table and try for yourself. His Tasting Menu is the best way to go, his artistry is unmistaken, his quality is as high as it gets, and his interpretation of fusion is just, plain cool.

Look! Paper thin abalone presented in its own juice and a light Japanese dressing ....