Gastronomic (Mis)Adventures : August 2015

Move over all ye food delivery services, there is a new company in town. Mise, short for Mise en place, a French culinary phrase that means 'putting in place', recently launched in San Francisco. Delivery is still limited to Saturdays with orders due on or before Thursday of the same week.

For some like yours truly, Saturday deliveries can be challenging since I'm usually out and about, but to my surprise, I woke up with a text from Mise that my delivery was already waiting for me right outside my doorstep at 8 am. I was in the nick of time because unfortunately, the ziploc bag, which stored the block of ice, was leaking.

The contents of my Saturday delivery: Apple tarte, ahi tuna and a flan minus the pack of ice.

Plan accordingly.
Raw fish needs to be eaten within 36 hours. That fateful weekend, I ate out for Saturday lunch and dinner and wasn't able to read the packaging instructions until Sunday noon. Particularly for the 1 pound tuna tartare, I could only eat a quarter and then had to frantically think of how to store the leftovers. I hate throwing away food. Good food, at that. Chef Ray answered my question on Instagram, but I ended up stir frying the rest and mixing it with quinoa. Tada, tuna quinoa salad!

Flavorful Chef Ray Seranno's ahi tuna tartare with a hint of sesame. This is not meant to be consumed alone. I suggest you bring it to a party or serve it to 3 to 4 hungry folks as appetizer.

Be creative.
Similar to other food delivery services, it's up to you (and I) to be creative in plating desserts. Growing up in the Philippines, I am picky of my leche flans and have also concocted several in my home. The flan from Flan Flan Ta-Tas hits the right spot since it's not super sweet and jiggly enough without being too dense. Just the way I like it. I just wished that the desserts came out on a beautifully plated dish.

My favorite from my Mise grub.

I received the apple tarte tatin as a freebie, but since I'm not a fan of cooked apples (I like them fresh), I didn't really enjoy this dessert as much even after heating it for 40 seconds in the microwave. It was also not packaged well since the container was sticky from the caramel. I appreciate the thought though. Thank you, Mise.

Salads, anyone?
With the once a week delivery from Mise, take note that fresh greens/salads are currently not offered. Ordering those dishes that would last for the next few days in your refrigerator is the way to go on Eatmise.com. All dishes are made by professional chefs so expect food from Mise to be well-seasoned and flavorful.

Disclaimer: Team Mise gave me a $20 credit to try their service.

Sizzling SF Street Food Festival 2015

I Scream Ice Cream!

Gastronomic Travels: Wedgewood, Edinburgh 2 of 4

My second pitstop in my 48 hours in Edinburgh took me to the award-winning Wedgewood the Restaurant on Royal Mile. Don't be fooled by the unassuming front facade because a lunch at this establishment can take a good hour or so to get through a 2-course meal prepared with seasonal Scottish produce. I was also grateful that I was able to stay away from the non-stop rain, which I gathered is a typical summer for this town. Ugh.

When I was young, I was fond of crunchy icing that usually came in a long stick. I didn't know what it was called then. At the Wedgewood, I finally found it again. I gleefully ate it like my 5-year old self and also discovered the sweet cicely, an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Apiaceae according to Wikipedia.

Sweet cicely will be on the coffetable book

I learn a lot of new things, especially local ingredients, when I travel, don't you? The reason why I launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund the research of my first coffeetable book about exotic, healthy foods you've probably never heard of. I'd greatly appreciate it if you can support me here.

Sweet cicely ice cream, chocolate malt and pistachio

Coley, anyone?

Another educational moment was trying my first coley, a fish similar to cod. If I had a blind taste-test, I wouldn't be able to figure out the difference between a coley and a cod. Both have a soft texture. I would have preferred to get more meatier langoustines in my dish, but the light flavors blended well enough.

Pan roasted coley, langoustine and clam bisque, sea vegetables, baby potatoes

Perfect lunch stop while preparing for my onward journey to the Carlton Hill.

What's a hairy coo?
Since we are on the topic of education, the other reason why I ventured out to this part of the world is to see hairy coos, a fancier name for Scottish cattles, up close and personal besides from the Scottish gastronomic fare. And boy, did I get my wish granted coupled with a hairy coo's horn slapping my dearest cheekbones. Thou shall not selfie with a hairy coo! Lesson learned. Til the next (mis)adventure!