Made in China

So was in Beijing in September and well we had to do the sites... I mean the restaurant sites !!! hahaha so here is Made in China in the Grand Hyatt...

The menu... where have I heard this phrase before??? hahaha

Pickled cabbage... lets get started

Spinach with sesame seeds and sesame sauce... really good

Beijing style chicken, boiled and served with spicy sauce, lovely

Fried and sauteed aubergine with chilli... 

Peking duck, or should really say Beijing duck.. they come they carve we eat!!! 

What can I say...

The duck with cucumber , leeks, hou-sin sauce and something I had not seen sugar to add to the pancakes.... 

Black cod sauteed with whole fresh garlic

Lamb with cumin, I think this is like a mongolian lamb dish... very nice reminded me of Marrakech

Sauteed green beens with pork... yummy... I´ll eat my greens this way any day !!

Pork dumpling... not bad, we later went to an even better dumpling place... should be they only serve dumplings... but these were not bad either

Stir fried pancakes with noodles, egg and a lot of other ingredients... reminded me of Pad Thai...

Dessert for 4 poeple... yummy all very yummy... 

Tapas in Malaga Take 1

After some time away, busy with work and traveling have just remembered that I have not posted in a while. So here is a little taste of tapas in Malaga... 

First stop La Cosmopolita http://www.lacosmopolita.com/index.php new place just opened about 6 months ago. Nice little tin with some great crisps, just what you want on a warm summer/autumn evening

The picos and the bread... good stuff... always nice to munch on...

Croquetas de cecina with almond alioli... these were really good, the cecina came out nice and rich and with the almond alioli great contrast... off to the next place...

Alumbre... just opened this summer in Malaga just off Calle Marques de Larios ...  terraza nice !!

This was suggested to us by the waitress it is their signature dish... Tiramisu Foie... very very interesting...  so this is the breakdown... cookie base, foie gras goats cheese mousse and moscatel gelatin ontop... my suggestion and this is only an opinion... take the foie out of the dish and you have a great cheese cake... keep the foie gras with the toast bread and you have two great dishes... together, well????!!!!???? 

This was a dish that was interesting and wanted to try as well... tataki of salmon, the salmon was very good but the seaweed underneath was way way to seasoned with soy sauce... the salmon really really good, I am a big fan to salmon tataki!!

So this is now the big trend in all the tapas bars... you have to have a burger... so we had the burger... it was ok, not bad, almost classic in its design but with Iberico pork... 

This was fun... on the left watermelon ganite with mint and on the right chocolate in textures... I know what you are thinking and I was thinking the same thing when the waitress suggested the watermelon granite... I was like well... but and this is the funny thing I would normally say that the chocolate dessert was better, but in this case the watermelon kicked its ass. Great combination of actual watermelon chunks, watermelon granite and mint, refreshing and really good. The chocolate dessert was good too... white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate cream and chocolate chunks... good, but the watermelon was better

Cute way of presenting the bill... keep a lid on it ;)

Well this was the first part... next up Lamoraga tapas bar !!! Yummy !!! 

Mexico and mexican food

Was in Mexico, in Guanajuato and had a very interest time with the food. Unfortunately could not remember the names of the different dishes I tried. Here is a compilation of the different dishes. For those of you out there who can identify them please feel free to contact me and we can fill in the blanks!

When in doubt look for Pollo Feliz, great bbq chicken take care with the grilled jalapeño peppers. Service with a smile and the chicken succulent and tende

When in mexico, you have to have guacamole, the first time I have had guacamole that had the flavor of the avocado and not drowned with lemon juice.... spicy just right with the totopos

Nacho with queso.... yummy

Las Mercedes Comida Mexicana Artesanal: http://www.guanajuatoesparati.com/lasmercedes great restaurant in the hills of Guanajuato. The restaurant is just like eating the a family house and the service and food is wonderful

Grilled Nopales with cheese... is what I can remember

Flautas... I cant remember what they where of.... please help if someone knows

Queso fundido, if I´m not mistaken its with queso fresco, this was great warm cheese in oil with chile pasillas and crusty bread

Chicharon... speciality of the region crispy ask for the roasted chipotle sauce to dip in

Chicken with a mole sauce, wonderful depth of flavor with the chiles, chocolate and cinnamon

You cannot be in Guanajuato and not have tacos from the taco stands... will not be able to tell you which is which as we tried all 11 types they had... yes if you look closely you will see 11 different tacos. I know there was Tacos al pastor, tacos minero and 9 other types. The best thing aside from the flavors of the tacos is seeing them made in front of you. The synchronized movements of the chefs as they prepare tacos for the people around the stall. 

In a restaurant calle Real de La Esperanza another restaurant in the hills of Guanajuato this one is in an old Church... very interesting sites. Caesar salad.. had to try one made in Mexico as it was invented in Mexico... Tijuana... and a very reliable source tells me so where the Margaritas...

This is Cecina which is beef ham... a little surprise for us as we expected Cecina like in Spain, the fried version here was interesting. Reminded me of the Beef Bacon you can get in Malaysia for breakfast. 

Great big chuleton, 500gr steak... wanted to try the local beef... how local was not sure. Not bad at all

A lovely view of Guanajuato... from the hills over looking the city...

For the mornings when you need to prepare for a busy day... huevos rotos... tortilla with fired egg, ham and cheese... sets you up for the day !!

El Viajante

It would have been a little better if I had found the entrance to the restaurant first instead of having to go through the whole hotel to get there. Though I have to say that the Town Hall Hotel was very interesting and going through the lobby all the way to the restaurant which is at the far end you get to see some turn of the century items that where really worth seeing. http://www.viajante.co.uk/index.html

The first set of amuse bouche, left to right: Thai explosion II, air dried duck ham, Paprika brioche with whipped pig fat, smoked enoki mushrooms with lardo and dashi

Mushroom consome

Fresh cheese with peas and flowers: very interesting textures and flavors the peas where raw and gave off a great pungent flavor that worked well with the fresh cheese

One of the most interesting dishes I have had: Tuna Bone marrow with rice stock and kombo... it almost tasted like congee with tuna but different textures. 

Charred marinated mackerel with cured lemon and sorrel.  The sorrel helped to bring out the flavor of the mackerel and the acidic lemon cut through the oiliness of the fish that was part raw.

White, green and wild asparagus with milk skin. The texture of the milk skin have a different edge to the dish.  

Brill with daikon and red currants. This was the dish that I did not enjoy as much as the others as I found that the daikon over powered the brill, that was cooked perfectly. The acidity of the red currants where a great touch though... not sure about the daikon... too strong in my humble palettes opinion.

This dish wowed me! Confit salmon, fried aubergine and braised skin, this was finished with a dashi. It was an explosion of umami flavout and the texture of the salmon was perfect. Never had poached salmon skin on purpose this was great too.

Cod tripe with onion and crispy potatoes. Textural explosion: gelatinous tripe with a salty twang, creamy and sweet caramelized onions and crispy fried potatoes. 

Bone marrow with onion and beef consome. One word yummy!!!

Duck heart, duck tongue with mushroom floss and spiced broth. Never had duck tongue or heart and the flavor was very good, texture a little chewy but its as expected since it is tongue !! haha the Morrel mushroom and the mushroom floss gave a rich earthy flavor.

Pork secretos with hot potato gel and cereals. This dish evoked a very interesting reaction because it reminded me of  braised pork with rice. 

Frozen Maple with shiso and green apple. Great palette cleanser

White chocolate with grapefruit and lemon: the dish had some smoked merangues as well that gave a very interesting smoky taste to the dessert

Pickled and raw cucumber with milk sorbet: freshness in a bowl

The chocolates where interesting just what you need after all this food. A good dose of chocolate !!