30 Tuesday Oct 2012
Posted in Gastronomy, Japan - Tokyo
Tags
Abalone, creative Japanese cuisine, 龍吟, Foodie, Gastronomy, HaoKouFu, Michelin 3 stars, Michelin Guide, RyuGin, Seiji Yamamoto, www.cathyho.com, 山本征治
Soft “Simmered Abalone” and “Blue Crab” with “Wakame Seaweed and Apple Vinegar Jelly”
08 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in France - Paris, Gastronomy
Tags
Adeline Grattard, Best restaurant near Les Halles, Cathy Ho, Chinese Cuisine in Paris, Chinese-French Fusion Cuisine, Female chef, Foodie, Gastronomy, HaoKouFu, Michelin 1 star, Michelin Guide, Michelin Star, Paris, Paris 75001, Tea in Paris, Yam'Tcha
Yam’Tcha
Adeline Grattard worked at the kitchen.
Before owning her restaurant Yam’Tcha, Adeline Grattard had her training at the Hotel Sribe (during Yannick Alleno’s era) and then l’Astrance (Pascal Barbot). The later which influenced her cuisine and skills deeply. After l’Astrance, she went to Hong Kong to learn Chinese cuisine. She worked at BO Innovation (Michelin 2 stars restaurant in Hong Kong) around 2 years. By all these experiences, she’s absolutely well trained in both Chinese and French cuisines. Every time I dined there, I was surprised how much she has sharpened her cooking skills again. Her husband, Chi Wah, masters the tea, which is essential to the spirit of “Yam’Tcha” (Yam’Tcha means drink tea in Chinese). He goes to China frequently in order to source the best tea to match Adeline’s cuisine. Here, you can experience the most inspiring example of the “marriage” of the food & tea.
If you asked me where to have the best Chinese food in Paris, I’ll tell you – “ Yam’Tcha”. Although it might not be that authentic as the Chinese food you would have in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, it’s definitely worth to go.
Chef: Adeline Grattard
Add:
4 rue Sauval, 75001 Paris, FRANCE
Tel: + +33 1 40 26 08 07
Closed Monday and Tuesday
To see more photos I took at Yam’Tcha – Please check my Flickr album- Yam’Tcha Nov. 11, 2011.
Tea - The must company for Adeline's cuisine
Green Amuse Bouche
Foie gras - Bulots - Choucroute au vin jaune chinois.
Turbot de ligne au riz noir
Champagne is also a very good company for Adeline's cuisine. 
Volaille
Dessert
To see more photos I took at Yam’Tcha – Please check my Flickr album- Yam’Tcha Nov. 11, 2011.
27 Saturday Aug 2011
Posted in France - Paris, Gastronomy
Tags
Alain Passard, Arpege, Gastronomy, l'Arpege, Michelin 3 stars, Michelin Guide, Michelin Star, Paris
The new page of my gastronomic journey in Q3 was started at l’Arpège yesterday, a Michelin 3 star restaurant led by Alain Passard. Alain has been considered one of the greatest chefs in France since the late 20th century. There are 2 persons who I would like to highlight here, because of them, I got the chance to know about l’Arpège and Alain. The first person is FoodSnob (foodsnobblog.wordpress.com) who told me again and again how he fell in love with l’Arpège. The other one is Dr. FC (restaurantaddict.blogspot.com), definitely one of the most knowledgeable gourmets (but very low-profile) I’ve ever met so far.
I believe it’s not difficult at all to find out more information about either l’Arpège or Alain Passard via the powerful Google. Then, I’ll pass this task to it.
The images will talk. So, please enjoy the photo show as follows -
The aperitif - Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut
The Radis
2009 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kreutles
The gaspacho
L'Amuse-bouche - The little vegetable delight
L'Amuse-Bouche - The little vegetable delight
La Gratinée d'oignons avec des citrons confits
The green salad of cucumber & melon
The sea bass carpaccio
The haricot, white peach, and basil mousse
The tagliatelles
The tomato cubes with honey sauce
The exquisite vegetables raviolis
The transparent "gnocchis" made by tomato cubes wrapped with sliced cucumbers
The tomato salad with the raspberry sauce
Nothing more than a decoration...
A smart knife stand
Le homard des îles Chausey - The lobster from the island Chausey
Le homard des îles Chausey - The lobster from the island Chausey
L'agneau - the lamb
2007 Domaine Jean Foillard - Morgon "Côte du Py"
La tarte feuilletée aux pêches et dragées - The peach pie
Les petits fours chez Arpège
l’Arpège (map)
84, rue de Varenne
75007 Paris
Tel: +33 (0) 1 47 05 09 06
Fax: +33 (0) 1 44 18 98 39
E: arpege.passard@wanadoo.fr
www.alain-passard.com
06 Sunday Sep 2009
Posted in Bistros, France - Paris, Gastronomy
Tags
Alain Ducasse, Aux Lyonnais, Benoit, Bib Gourmand, bistro, Bistrot, Chez l'Ami Jean, Daniel Rose, Food, Gastronomy, Itineraire, J'Go, La Regalade, Le Timbre, Les Fines Gueules, map, Michelin Guide, Papilles, Paris, Ribouldinque, Spring, The best Bistros in Paris, where to eat in Paris, Yam'Tcha
Here, I’ve listed 11 bistros I like very much in Paris. I tended to make the info brief rather than detailed, for those people who need a quick review. I’ve also uploaded a lot of photos to my Flickr albums which might be helpful as a reference.
Price range -
Lunch set – 30€ to 40€
Dinner – 30€ to 60€
Les Fines Gueules
Check my report about Les Fines Gueules.
Hours: Open 7 days for lunch and dinner. Bar hour till late night.
Address: 43 Rue Croix des Petits Champs, Paris 75001 (Map)
Metro: Palais Royal, Bourse, Sentier, or Pyramide
Tel : +33 1 42 61 35 41
Flickr Photo Set
Yam'Tcha
Just started in this year, Yam’Tcha has been a big hit in Paris. Every gourmand friend of mine is talking about it. I went it once this summer and found it intriguing. The female chef Adeline Grattard has an impressive resume: worked with Yannick Alléeno at the Hotel and Pascal Barbot at L’Astrance-l’Astrance in Paris and then spent 2 years working in Hong Kong, including at the restaurant BO. IMO, her cuisine is full of Asian touch, the presentation is very French however. Please make a reservation as early as possible.
Open Hours: Wednesdays to Sundays
Add: 4 rue Sauval, Paris 75001 (Map)
Metro: Louvre Rivoli
Tel: +33 1 40 26 08 07
Flickr Photo Set
Benoit
Founded in 1912, Benoit has kept its well-known traditional cuisine well till now. It’s a bistro very comfortable and very Parisian. Benoit has been acquired by Alain Ducasse Group in 2005 from the ex-proprietor Petit family. It’s a Michelin one star restaurant, but the price is pretty fair – lunch set costs 38€ and a la carte at dinner costs around 60€. Delicious food and cheerful ambiance.
Open Hours: Mondays to Sundays. Annual closed: July 26th to August 25th and Feburary 25th to March 2nd.
Add: 20, Rue St-Martin, Paris 75004 (Map)
Metro: Chatelet or Hotel de Ville
Tel: +33 1 42 72 25 76
Flickr Photo Set
http://www.esprit-bistrot.com/
Ribouldingue
The owner Nadège Varigny had worked with Yves Camdeborde for around 10 years before. It’s a place for those who love offals (les abats): Instines, tripe, cheeks, tongues, kidneys, and the rest. The wine list is a very brief but well selected one. The food is hearty and yummy.
Open Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays. Annual closed: From Aug 9 to Aug 31 and December 27th to January 4th.
Add: 10 Rue St-Julien le Pauvre, Paris 75005 (Map)
Metro: Saint-Michel, Cluny La Sorbonne, or Maubert Mutualite
Tel: +33 1 46 33 98 80
Flickr Photo Set
Itineraires
The chef Sylvain Sendrais is from the famous bistro le Temps en Temps. The interior deco is very modern and bright. The service is inviting and friendly. The food here is delicious and contemporary. Of course, make sure that you book a table in advance.
Open Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays. Annual closed: From Aug 4 to Aug. 25 and December 20th to 29th.
Add: 5, Rue de Pontoise, Paris 75005 (Map)
Metro: Maubert Mutualite
Tel: +33 1 46 33 60 11
Flickr Photo Set
14 Friday Aug 2009
Posted in France - Laguiole, Gastronomy, Wine
Tags
Michelin Guide, Henri Jayer, 1989 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee Cros-Parantoux, Cros-Parantoux, Vosne-Romanee, Jayer, Papa Jayer, Bras, Michel Bras, Sebatian Bras, Laguiole, Sergio Calderon, fine wine, Wine, Burgundy, Burgundy red, Michelin 3 stars
1989 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee "Cros-Parantoux"
Tasted: June 28, 2009 *****
The chef sommelier Sergio Calderonof Michel Bras made a key chain for me by this cork.
26 Wednesday Nov 2008
Posted in Gastronomy, Japan - Tokyo
An inspiring and fantastic dining experience in Tokyo – RyuGin
RyuGin, a restaurant renowned for creative Japanese cuisine, is hidden in the very modern and chic Roppongi area. The chef Yamamoto Seiji (山本征治) used to work under the very famous chef Koyama Hirohisa (小山裕久) at Aoyagi (青柳) for 11 years. When he was 33 years old, he started his own restaurant RyuGin in December 2003. It’s rated as a 2-star restaurant by the first issue of Michelin Guide – Tokyo 2008. Yamamoto was invited to the 2007 Madrid Fusion and presented a dish called “Silkscreen of Squid Ink with Squid Carpaccio” which earned an ovation at the event. Indeed, Yamamoto is a super star in Japanese cuisine nowadays.
The dining space of RyuGin is pretty small. The main space could host about 20 guests only, but with a private room, it can host up to about 26 seats. I was lucky to get a seat because I called to make a reservation just 2 days ahead, but I was requested to arrive at the restaurant at 18h, otherwise, there’d be no tables available until 22h. I knew it’s very difficult to get a table there, so, I told the person that it was fine for me to be there at 18h.
2 choices of Champagne by the glass
On that day, I was the first guest to arrive at the restaurant. The sommelier (who was also the person to serve me) told me it would be okay to take a few pictures of the restaurant since no other guests were there yet. I was glad that the sommelier spoke English fluently. He told me that he went to Australia to take a sommelier course before, so there was no problem to communicate with him in English at all. Obviously, we have a shared interest – wine. Soon, we started a cheerful conversation. By his recommendation, I ordered the Gastronomy B set (which cost 26,250 yen, about US$250) which focuses on Yamamoto’s signature dishes.
After having the seasonal amuse bouche, I asked the sommelier what kind of whites they provided by the glass. He soon brought 4 whites to my table. Normally, I would choose the wine by myself, but in this case – I didn’t know how this “creative Japanese cuisine” would be, so I preferred to consult the sommelier. Satisfyingly, he gave me this answer – “How about this – I’ll pour some of each wine for you, so you can try the different combinations with different dishes.” How could I reject this offer?!
When the first dish came, I was still on my Champagne Henriot. Then the 2nd dish – Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine served with sesame cream came, the waiter suggested another wine which didn’t appear in those 4 white flight when he just showed me. It’s a 2005 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurztraminer VT, what a brilliant suggestion. “Le mariage” of the wine and food was very harmonious. The bouquet of this Gewurz was dazzlingly aromatic. I just couldn’t stop myself taking a deep breath of this wine…
Assorted Sashimi - RyuGin Style
The sommelier was indeed helpful and friendly. He patiently explained every dish to me. When the “Assorted Sashimi – RyuGin Style” was served, the chef Yamamoto himself even came to pour the soy sauce for me as well as presented his greetings. Quelle surprise!
When I dined at some Michelin 2-star or 3-star restaurants in Paris, I sometimes found some dishes were not executed perfectly which usually made me feel a bit disappointed. But at RyuGin, I would say – every dish just and simply blew me away. I didn’t find anything over-cooked or not executed properly. Plus, the ingredients were top quality and the service was inviting with a “Japanese” sincere touch. Instead of “words”, maybe the pictures posted here would tell better by themselves. You would understand what RyuGin is likely to be.
The selections for food & wine pairing
Winewise -
Champagne Henriot “Souverain”
2005 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurztraminer VT
2003 Chateau Villa Bel-Air, Graves
2006 Koshu Cuvee Denis Dubourdieu (Made in Japan and by original Japnese grape variety)
2006 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Blanc
2003 Domaine Jayer-Gilles Bourgogne Hauts Cotes de Beaune
2006 Chateau Mercian Nagano Merlot (Japanese wine)
1999 Louis Jador “Ladoix”
1998 Chateau Batailley, Pauillac
Japanse Sake “天明 Tenmei” 純米吟釀 Junmai-Ginjo
Gastronomy B set
1) Amuse bouche – Ichiban Dash soup (Traditional clear broth) with puree of 5 varieties of wild mushrooms.
2) Deep fried seaweed, stuffed with sea urchin
3) Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine served with sesame cream. (The foie gras is from Landes)
Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine served with sesame cream
4) Blue swimming crab and Shanghai crab topped with chrysanthemum gelee
Blue swimming crab and Shanghai crab topped with chrysanthemum gelee
5) “RyuGin’s house special – Contrasted of two abalone pieces cooked differently, steamed for 10 hours and the other in Shabushabu.” – The more transparent one on the right side is cooked by “shabushabu” way.
RyuGin's house special - Contrasted of two abalone pieces cooked differently, steamed for 10 hours and the other in Shabushabu
6) “Assorted sashimi – RyuGin Style” – There are 2 pieces for each kind of fish. For the first piece of each fish, the chef recommended me to eat with the sauce placed next to it. Then eat the 2nd piece with wasabi and dip a bit soy sauce.
7) Egg pudding, made with Hamo’s bone stock, flavored of autumn
8 ) Char grilled natural large eel with aroma of Japanese peppers
9) “Chef’s specialty – Grilled baby pigeon with autumn truffles” – the baby pigeon was only 28 days old! The meat is so tender… It’s grilled perfectly. The autumn truffle is very aromatic which tells the quality.
10) “Chef’s rice dish of the day” – The fish on the top is from Hokkaido, but I forgot the name of it…
11) Fresh compote of pear and small grapes with plum wine soda gelee
12) Caramel ice cream with Wasanbon sugar served with grated milk curd” – Wasanbon sugar is considered the best sugar in Japan. I really like the flavor of grated milk curd.
13) Baked chestnut cake served on full-moon presentation – very traditional Japanese dessert. Interesting presentation.
I posted this experience sharing on a gourmet forum called OAD (Opinionated About Dining), and I sent e-mail to RyuGin and told them I did that. A couple days ago, I received e-mail from Ryu-Gin, and I’m so grateful for that. Here’s the e-mail from Ryu-Gin -
Dear Ms. Ho,
Thank you for sending the URL for your photographs.
We have not heard of OAD website, and could you tell us the URL?
We assume it’s like Chowhound or EGullet and your word of mouth certainly help
s us as we are a tiny restaurant and don’t have the capacity for PR.
Recently, we started the online booking for overseas. Hopefully the guests wil
l feel more convenient to reserve a table whenever they want to from anywhere
in the world.
http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com/en/reserve/
We hope to see you again on your next visit to Tokyo.
Sincerely,
RyuGin Administration
