Tuesday, June 9, 2009

White Beans Salad - فاصوليا متبلة


This is a very easy salad to prepare. This kind of vegetarian food is called 'ate3 or aateh' in Lebanon, meaning without meat and in oil. It is very delicious when served with pita bread, green onions on the side and radishes. For a quick serve I used a can, but you can soak beans overnight and cook them then prepare the salad. I used fresh cilantro because I am huge fan of fresh cilantro, but a lot of people use parsley.

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) of cooked white beans (washed and drained)
1 small onions chopped (or green onions/scallions)
1 crushed clove of garlic
1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
Juice of one lemon
Some olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl, add the garlic, lemon juice and drizzle some olive oil, then add the beans, onions and cilantro or parsley. Mix them all together and voila!
You can adjust the lemon juice and olive oil to taste too.

The new Aureole

June 9

Restaurateur Charlie Palmer is in town, and he took the opportunity to provide a preview of his new flagship for local media.
As I mentioned when reporting on my most recent "hard hat" preview party (so named because the places are still under construction), at the much ballyhooed DBGB, it’s smart to give media a preview, because it makes us feel closer to the project.
The new Aureole is very much in line with what fine dining restaurants are doing in New York these days. I’d show you a picture, but I have no confidence in my ability to do justice to interiors with my inferior photography. The folks at eater.com took nice shots, if you’re curious.
Instead I have a couple of artist’s renderings, the first is a view from 42nd St. The second is from Anita's Way, which is the little alley next to Aureole, before Broadway.
Anyway, as I was saying, Aureole is doing what a lot of fine dining restaurants are doing these days — diversifying.
As Charlie Palmer said (after asking me where my hard hat was) the new Aureole has three dimensions: a bar, a bar-lounge area and a fine dining room. In addition, it has a private room that seats 60 and can hold 100 people for cocktails or whatever.
The restaurant, which is starting preview parties with actual food next week (we just got a glass of Champagne, and a bag of milk chocolate-covered toffee from pastry chef Jennifer Yee), has three menus: one of bar snacks, a bar menu that will basically be American brasserie food (this is a fairly new term, but it’s becoming popular; Michael Symon said something similar about the food at his new restaurant, Bar Symon, in the Cleveland suburb of Avon Lake), and a fine dining menu for the dining room, which will be an old-school prix-fixe affair at dinner. The bar and the dining room will have the same menu at lunch, and it will be à la carte, although a prix-fixe option will be available in the dining room.
In that second picture you can see that one of the design features is what they’re calling the “wine mezzanine,” which will house 3,500 of the restaurant’s 15,000 bottles — mostly French and Californian — including 100 varieties for less than $100.
The art hasn’t been installed yet, but Charlie said they’re computer enhanced images by designer Adam Tihany’s son, Bram Tihany. “This art was developed over many, many bottles of Champagne,” he assured us.
The kitchen is freakin’ huge. The picture with Jennifer Yee in the middle, a cook kind of in front of her, Charlie on the right and a bunch of media types on the left, is in the pastry kitchen. The savory kitchen is around the corner. All told, it’s three to four times the size of the old Aureole’s kitchen.
Today was the first day they had gas, so executive chef Chris Lee and his crew were starting to practice and tweak their dishes. I asked Chris how the food here would be different from his last job, at Gilt, and he said it would be pretty much the same — seasonally driven modern American.
Charlie praised Chris’s knowledge of modern kitchen technology and the fact that he doesn’t use it "to the point where it’s foolish.”
They hope to be taking paying customers by the last week of June or first week of July. Some parties are already booked for late July, and a grand opening party and fundraiser for Citymeals on Wheels will be held after Labor Day.
Commenting on the restaurant’s three dimensions, Charlie said he wasn’t looking for new customers, but for the same customers to use the restaurant on different occasions.
Aureole and its PR machine say the restaurant is in Bryant Park, but it’s quite near the corner of 42nd and Broadway, meaning it’s also in Times Square and will almost definitely have a robust pre-theater crowd. That, as Charlie said, will be a learning experience.
Management was nice enough to share with us some very early draft menus that should in no way be considered a reliable source of information on what actually will be served in the restaurant.
Here they are:

Bar Room Dinner Menu

1st Course

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Canadian Lobster / Avocado / Baby Basils

Foie Gras Torchon
Wild Strawberries / Anise Hyssop / Pistachio / Brioche

Diver Sea Scallop “Sandwich”
Sugar Snap Peas / Passion Fruit / Chives

Crispy Soft Shell Blue Crab
Belgium Endive / Granny Smith Apple / Sauce Rémoulade

Pasta Garganelli
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes / Fresh Mozzarella / Prosciutto di Parma

Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare
Diakon Radish / Nori Toast Points / Miso Sake Dressing

“House Made” Charcuterie
Onion Marmalade / Pickle Vegetables / Country Bread

Farmed Baby Green Salad
Blue Cheese / Summer Vegetables / White Balsamic Dressing

2nd Course

“Aureole” Grilled Burger
Smoked bacon, Vermont White Cheddar, Creamy Pickled Ramp Dressing

Wild Striped Bass
White Asparagus / Smoked Yellow Tomato / Watermelon

Free Range Chicken
Black Beluga Lentils / Baby Romaine / Smoked Ham Hock / Chicken Jus

Scottish Organic Salmon
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes / Fava Beans / Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Whole Roasted Branzini
Artichokes / Capers / Black Olive / Piquillo Peppers / Anchovies

Berkshire Pork Chop
Porcini Mushrooms / Summer Squash / Peaches / Picked Ramp Pork Jus

West Coast Halibut
Sweet Yellow Corn / Potato Gnocchi / Sugar Snap Peas / Basil Pesto

NY Strip Loin
Green Asparagus / Potato Puree / Tarragon Mustard Beef Jus

Dining Room Dinner menu:

1st Course

Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare
Daikon Radish, Nori Toast Points, Aji Amarillo, Miso Sake Dressing

Artichoke Ravioli
Louisiana Crayfish, Black Olive Oil, Andouille Sausage, White Wine Caper Sauce

Diver Sea Scallop “Sandwich”
Seared Foie Gras, Sugar Snap Peas, Passion Fruit, Chives

Japanese Madai Snapper Ceviche
Summer Melons, Hearts of Peach Palm, Cucumber, Avocado, Prosciutto di Parma

Crispy Soft Shell Blue Crab
Belgium Endive, Granny Smith Apple, Smoked Paprika, “Sauce Rémoulade”

Local Heirloom Tomatoes
Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Cheese Gelato, Haricot Vert, Petite Lettuces, Pine Nut Crumble

Grilled Foie Gras
Maine Blueberries, Corn Bread, Pickled Jalapenos, Macadamia Nuts

Chilled Sweet Yellow Corn Soup
American Caviar, Vidalia Onions, Lemon Citrus, Ancho Chile Oil

2nd Course

Crispy Black Sea Bass
French White Asparagus, Smoked Yellow Tomato, Endive, Watermelon, Basil Vinaigrette

West Coast Halibut
Smoked Bacon, Baby Leeks, Haricot Vert, Preserve Lemon, Razor Clam Broth

Olive Oil Poach Alaskan King Salmon
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Quinoa, Watercress, Fava Beans, Warm Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Canadian Lobster Tail vs. Berkshire Pork Belly
Summer Squash, Porcini Mushrooms, Cape Goose Berries, Jura Wine, Almond Emulsion

Label Rouge Poularde
Sweet Yellow Corn, Black Beluga Lentils, Baby Romaine, Smoked ham Hock, Foie Gras Jus

Veal Tenderloin and Sweetbreads
Wild Asparagus, Charred Onion, Georgia Peaches, Pickled Ramps, Lovage Veal Jus

21 Day Aged Beef Rib Eye
Chanterelle Mushrooms, Green Asparagus, Potato Puree, Tarragon Mustard Beef Jus

Australian Rack of Lamb
English Peas & Carrots, Cipollini Onions, Medjool Dates, Almonds, Vadouvan Devonshire Cream

As for pastry, Jennifer, like Chris, comes from Gilt where she worked at Gilt under executive pastry chef David Carmichael. She now has her own chocolate room and will be making her own ice cream.

Bread’s being made in-house, too, according to Chris.

Fit over fat?


I'd like to discuss the below excerpts from a Forbes article by Lacey Rose and Leah Hoffmann, as I strongly agree with the underlying health claims within.

"Joanne Ikeda, a nutritionist at the University of California at Berkeley, 'It's not about how we can help people lose weight; it's about how we can help them be healthier.' Despite popular diets' one-size-fits-all claims, she says there is not one single way to be healthy."

"Lean unfit people actually had a higher risk of death than the 'overfat' physically fit people," says Dr. Andrew Jackson, professor at the University of Houston and one of the study's authors."

In today's society we peg people as skinny (healthy) and overweight/fat (unhealthy), and this generalization is certainly incorrect in many, many instances. American's, as we well know, are under an immense amount of pressure to achieve and maintain a thin, attractive appearance...but health goes far beyond aesthetic preferences and social acceptance. While I took slight offense to my husband regarding my body as that of a "softball player" while out on a hike recently...I simply picked up my pace as if to say, "what's your point?!". And for the record, it's a hockey player's body, my dear.

I am not suggesting that 500-lb Smack-Jack is at a significantly lower risk of Metabolic Syndrome [1] because he swims laps five times a week...absolutely not. However, a shout-out goes out to all you adults who maintain a weight within or close to within BMI suggestive guidelines [2] while maintaining an active lifestyle (moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 30 consecutive minutes most days of the week). Lighten up about the scale already and rejoice in knowing your next workout, and every workout, is duly noted by each and every of the billions and trillions of cells involved in your overall health and well-being.

[1] Metabolic Syndrome is defined as a group of metabolic risk factors: central/abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension, prothrombotic state, and/or a pro-inflammatory state (source: American Heart Association).

[2] A BMI (body mass index) between 18.5 and 24.9 is classified as "normal", a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is classified as "overweight", and a BMI over 30 is classified as "obese". To find out your BMI, click here.

went to malacca last night

why all of sudden, i went to malacca?

6th june 2009.
went to the clinic early in the morning 4 the everyday-appointment-with-the-Dr.
Dr itu suda risaw amat. sbb sudah hampir 5 hari telinge sy x ok.
pain killer + antibiotic suda dinaikkan dose nye. and still telinge sy sakit skit2.
Dr ckp sepatutnya da totally healed. she wrote a letter, 4 me to refer to a specialist.

7th june 2009
went to ampang pu3. but unfortunately, 1 of the Dr away 4 holiday.
and the other 1, out 4 an operation. soooo... they asked me to come the next day.
so, decided to meet specialist mate hari itu. haih~
check mate, and ade test2 jgk, n flush mate. *1st time dgr flush mate*
ingt...utk toilet je? hurm... sakit skit je. tp jap je. eyes. better~

abah called his friend, as an ENT [ears . nose . throat] specialist. but.
he's also away 4 holiday. and, abah called a Dr at Terendak, Malacca.
and. tomorrow [8th june] is his last day at the clinic b4 he, too, away 4 holiday.

sesudah maghrib, kami sekeluarga pon bergerak ke Melaka.
i SMSed zaid when i arrived Melaka, asking him so much bout MITC & UTEM.
and talked bout his sweetheart & shahli as well. sleep, and wait 4 the next day.

8th june 2009
so here i am in malacca. woke up early. waited for my turn for almost 3 hours...
and met that-so-kerek Dr. grrr...i'm hoping to see my Mc Dreamy a.s.a.p.
yesss, somewhere in my dream~ *i love u so much mc dreamy!!!*

tibe saat yg paling menggerunkan. jmpe Dr...
duduk d kerusi hitam yg berkilat itu. scoping d telinge.
bkn 1st time camera msk telinge sy. *muke xleh blaaa*. cuci telinga.
and ambil ujian ape tah yg ade kuar graf2 utk telinge...
so far, its getting a lottttttttt way better. alhamdulilah~

lunch. pakcing. round2 area melaka kejappp je.
blk kl. sampai kl almost 6pm just now.

the so-called hosp... mama & abah

love this kind of classic building.

seronok. 1 of the main attraction here.

souvenir gallery as well.

eat eat eat!!!


and thats how everything happened. =]



raja sehari di kuala selangor


6th june 2009 - mereka bernikah...
7th june 2009 - mereka bersanding...

dearest my waed,
a lot of wishes. but most of all...
semoga berjaya & bahagia di dunia & akhirat bersama suami tersayang.
semoga kekal hingga ke syurga nanti... insya allah. amin~~~
hurm... time tgk waed bersanding. sy nak nangis time ambik pics die.
utk ape? dan kenape? sbb die kwn sy... die da jumpa jodoh die.
n terase kehilangan kot? idk... time die bertunang pon sy camtuh.
waed... selamat menghadapi dunia baru. =]

so manyyyy pics. since sgt, amat bnyk photographer. hoho.
and semuaaaa cantik2 hari ni. ske tgk. sy je cam...pacat. pucat~
well. here's some.

pengantin tgk persembahan silat.

mempelai 2 sejoli sejala

cantik...

ske ske ske!!!


waed... even die tataw. sy syg die. sbb die kwn sy...
and. sy rushing blk dr kelantan a.s.a.p sbb nak dtg majlis die...
walaupun sgt leteyh + x de mood sbb sakit telinge, tp sumenye ok.
deep down inside... i do really hope u're always happy. =]



Alpha of my Saigon Life


It's been a while and I know I owe everyone some stories about my Saigon life. After a month of being here, I think I already gauge some of my emotional concerns. First of all I want to tell you guys that I am truly happy where I am now. Although it's not easy as the days passed by, I am surviving and now I am glad to tell that I survived my one month. Everyday is an adventure filled day---I don't know what's going to happen, it did surprise me in a good way and some in a bad way. But I don't want to spoil everything, let me start telling the good things first.

When I landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport around 8:30 am Saigon time, I didn't feel that I am a stranger. Everyday here is like a week of my life in Manila. Every week is like a month, so now I feel like I'm already here for four months. Things are happening so quick. No time to waste. To summarize my four weeks, lemme count the good points why I love Saigon.



On my first day of work, my colleagues invited me for a coffee nearby. One of the guys gave me a ride using his motorbike going to the coffee shop. I braved and enjoyed that risky moment. Quickly a week after, the guy I rode with toured around and introduced me to his architect friend who owns a gallery or somehow she calls it an artist den. My colleague also bought me a helmet so that next time if I'll ride a motorbike taxi, I have my own. Since that day I only rode a motorbike taxi twice. It's quite expensive so I'd rather have an aircon cab than have myself exposed on dusty wind and get perspired. Speaking of perspiration, I rarely get perspired because I live in Phu My Hung. It's an outskirt from District 1 where all the busy motorbikes and a typical city set up but not too cosmopolitan as Makati. I love Phu My Hung because it's like a huge Salcedo Village in Makati where clusters of townhouses, condos and flats are situated. Mostly Koreans, Filipinos, Chinese and other expat nationalities reside in this area. From my place I usually ride the coaster bus everyday from Phu My Hung to Dong Khoi and from there I will ride a cab going to the office. It will take me 45 minutes to 1 hour to get there due to traffic. Living quite far from the office is actually a theraphy on my part. Strange at first but it's very rewarding when the bus finally enters the Phu My Hung area. It's like an escape from the busy city of Saigon. The only catch here, I should wake up early and be on time for the bus. Because if I miss the bus the next one will arrive an hour after. Precision is the discipline game. That's what I am learning so far.

All photos were taken by Vinh Tran Quang

There are few malls in the city and none of them are as big as any of our SM supermalls. Movie houses? I think they have 3 good ones which are very similar to our Makati's finest. In fact I was able to watch "Angels & Demons" in one of those cinemas. By the way, I like that movie so much. When it comes to food, I terribly like their food. Tons of restaurants to dine, not just authentic Vietnamese food but of all sorts. Surprisingly, there are Jollibee food chains around the city. I haven't tried it though. I think the locals love Jollibee here but not as much as Lotteria. Maybe appreciate is the right word than love. Speaking of love, I love going to groceries and supermarkets here. I enjoy it and I cook as often as I used to. Here in Vietnam they also love to eat fruits---so now, I find myself eating fruits very often. When I was in Manila I rarely eat fruit. I think I gained a few pounds already not just because of eating a lot but sleeping a lot too. Haha! Proof to that: my waist expanded and my double chin is coming out already. Is it good or bad?

Over-all, I'm loving it here. This is what I tell to all the people I chat from Manila. Well this is it for now. Actually, I still have more stories to tell but lemme find good visuals for that.

'Til my next narration...

hugs,
joanie xxx