So you've probably signed up for all those deal sites that give you 50% off on something. I was wowed when I downloaded the mobile app Scoutmob and saw 100% off Pho Ga from Turtle Tower!!! Here's the catch though- you have to download the app first and hit the 'get the deal' button once you're at the resto. Hurry now since the deal expires end of this month.
P.S. I was not paid to advertise any of the above mentioned businesses and have not yet claimed my free pho. I've never been to Turtle Tower before.
No, not Zara the retail store! There is a Cuban restaurant called Zara tucked in the northern part of Gran Via, Madrid. I first read about this in the in flight magazine while on the plane on my way to Madrid and decided it to be my first lunch spot.
I arrived at 1 pm- obviously an "early" lunch time for the Spaniards since I was their first customer of the day. I was greeted with red checkered tablecloth and an over eager waiter who tried his best explaining to me in English what they had in their la carta. Happy to leave Zara 15 euros poorer.
I arrived at 1 pm- obviously an "early" lunch time for the Spaniards since I was their first customer of the day. I was greeted with red checkered tablecloth and an over eager waiter who tried his best explaining to me in English what they had in their la carta. Happy to leave Zara 15 euros poorer.
yes white rice for my Asian diet and fried chicken |
fish soup with an unexpected salted fish |
Whoever knew that Boston has a burgeoning wine industry. Sure enough, the wineries are not as big as those in Napa- we even saw an operation right inside a basement of a house! If Napa is full of grapes, Boston is full of apple vineyards! That's why you can find more sweet wines and iced wines in the suburbs. Most of them only have limited distribution channels in the U.S.
Some examples:
Some examples:
Still River Winery- produced in a basement of a house |
Nashoba- great sweet wines with blueberries |
Westport Rivers- has an old jeep in the front yard |
Inspiration to many
If Steve Jobs is to consumers technology while Lee Kuan Yew is to politics, Ferran Adria is to the food industry. I just listed three people who I admire the most and want to meet. Ok, fine- I'll be meeting Steve on the other side, and I'm still working on meeting Lee.
No wonder he even has Steve's way of presenting. No text, just pictures- no death by powerpoint. Through a simple yet provoking slideshow, Ferran explained how they create molecular gastronomy from emulsification to threading. These include making foie gras noodles, "paper" wrapped in fish bones and fruit puree shaped in actual fruits. Whew! Sounds intriguing, right? Can you match them below?
It was no surprise that during Ferran's Q&A with the publisher of the new El Bulli book, The Family Meal, (sorry didn't catch her name) he was asked that with the death of Steve what would Ferran like to have in his obituary. Two words I took away from his answer are creativity and passion.
The brother I've seen
All throughout the presentation, Ferran mentioned his brother, Albert, who also runs a few tapas restaurants in Barcelona. I'm fortunate to have been able to dine at Albert's Inopia before it became Taperia Lolita. There was a long line outside for the tapas!
Ferran also showed a slideshow of Albert's Natura style of desserts. Amazing art pieces! This is what I aspire to be as a food stylist.
Tidbit: Never knew that Ferran is a comedian. He kept on cracking jokes the whole night :)
Go to Part 1 here.
If Steve Jobs is to consumers technology while Lee Kuan Yew is to politics, Ferran Adria is to the food industry. I just listed three people who I admire the most and want to meet. Ok, fine- I'll be meeting Steve on the other side, and I'm still working on meeting Lee.
No wonder he even has Steve's way of presenting. No text, just pictures- no death by powerpoint. Through a simple yet provoking slideshow, Ferran explained how they create molecular gastronomy from emulsification to threading. These include making foie gras noodles, "paper" wrapped in fish bones and fruit puree shaped in actual fruits. Whew! Sounds intriguing, right? Can you match them below?
It was no surprise that during Ferran's Q&A with the publisher of the new El Bulli book, The Family Meal, (sorry didn't catch her name) he was asked that with the death of Steve what would Ferran like to have in his obituary. Two words I took away from his answer are creativity and passion.
The brother I've seen
All throughout the presentation, Ferran mentioned his brother, Albert, who also runs a few tapas restaurants in Barcelona. I'm fortunate to have been able to dine at Albert's Inopia before it became Taperia Lolita. There was a long line outside for the tapas!
Inopia circa 2010- Russian Salad |
Tidbit: Never knew that Ferran is a comedian. He kept on cracking jokes the whole night :)
Go to Part 1 here.
What a way to cap off a trip from Spain but a meeting with the great El Bulli chef/owner Ferran Adria in the sold out Castro Theatre on a Monday night. No doubt that every chef in town was there to see Ferran. My sister had to gush for a split second at a Food Network celebrity chef who I failed to recognize under dim lights (!!).
With an interpreter by his side, Ferran started off by pointing out the top three cities he loves- (1) Barcelona where he currently resides, (2) Sydney, and (3) San Francisco - uproar here, of course. He then described his concept of creativity. Relive the first 10 minutes below: (Turn up your volume and apologies for the small video)
The almost two-hour talk led to some pictures showing how Ferran and his team come up with molecular gastronomy (more about this on Part 2 of the post). He also shared what they are currently cooking up in El Bulli after the restaurant closed earlier this year through a video.
Ironically for my marketing class in bschool, our final exam was the El Bulli case- how to transform the business after years of being on the top. Now that the "last supper" can never be had, we have to wait until 2014 to see its transformation into a think tank of sustainability and creativity. Watch it for yourself:
After the video, Ferran announced a case competition about sourcing funds and marketing for El Bulli Foundation for MBA candidates in LBS, HBS, Berkeley, Colombia and ESADE. He capped it off by saying that MBA students should be working on current cases rather than always pondering about old cases (slap on the face for those bschool profs who don't care about updating their materials and still using 19forgotten case studies!).
It is apparent that Ferran's team is business savvy partnering up with big corporate names and MBA schools. A recipe for success in the restaurant industry- culinary chops AND business skills.
Stay tuned for Part 2...
With an interpreter by his side, Ferran started off by pointing out the top three cities he loves- (1) Barcelona where he currently resides, (2) Sydney, and (3) San Francisco - uproar here, of course. He then described his concept of creativity. Relive the first 10 minutes below: (Turn up your volume and apologies for the small video)
Part 1 & 2
The almost two-hour talk led to some pictures showing how Ferran and his team come up with molecular gastronomy (more about this on Part 2 of the post). He also shared what they are currently cooking up in El Bulli after the restaurant closed earlier this year through a video.
Ironically for my marketing class in bschool, our final exam was the El Bulli case- how to transform the business after years of being on the top. Now that the "last supper" can never be had, we have to wait until 2014 to see its transformation into a think tank of sustainability and creativity. Watch it for yourself:
After the video, Ferran announced a case competition about sourcing funds and marketing for El Bulli Foundation for MBA candidates in LBS, HBS, Berkeley, Colombia and ESADE. He capped it off by saying that MBA students should be working on current cases rather than always pondering about old cases (slap on the face for those bschool profs who don't care about updating their materials and still using 19forgotten case studies!).
It is apparent that Ferran's team is business savvy partnering up with big corporate names and MBA schools. A recipe for success in the restaurant industry- culinary chops AND business skills.
Stay tuned for Part 2...
Created by: Infographic World
Told ya to keep eating seafood in Boston. There were 16 types of oysters to choose from at Island Creek, and we finally settled on four types that the waiter recommended all from different places in the US. Never knew one could get many types of oysters in America.
Apologies for the blogging hiatus since I've been traveling without the trusty Mac.
I'll leave you with a sneak peak of one of the best tapas places in Barcelona, Tapac 24. More to come once I get reunited with my hibernating mac.