Archive for category Photography
Macaroons in Paris
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Patisserie, Photography on November 2, 2011
Before I start, I am going to say that this is by no means an exhaustive list of the best macaroons in Paris. The main reason is that I am not yet diabetic. Also, I do not make them. That out of the way, macaroons are freaking delicious when they are done well. Have 2 at a time (better, share 4 with a friend). Try them from the most well known shops and eat them within a few hours after buying them to avoid drying or damage. Get common flavours (to compared between shops) and interesting flavours to open your mind. I have realized that there is a spectrum of density for the shell and the filling that can all be great – it’s personal preference really. The 3 most important aspects for me are:
- Texture of the shell is airy and not dried up
- Flavour is prominent and not artificial
- Macaroons are invariably sweet, but there is a balance still. Too sweet then you can’t taste the flavour. Balance please.
Here are a few of the best shops and simple gorgeous. I will add more. Sorry, I can’t take these back to Australia.
Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki - macaroons on the wall decoration
Aoki - here you can find Japanese flavours such as various teas, yuzu and sesame
Laduree - very famous and for a good reason. If I was to pick one shop for macaroons then this is it.
Their salted caramel macaroon (not pictured) is a must try. Though the filling is thicker and denser than their other flavours, it is an explosion of salted caramel
Patisserie Pain de Sucre
Patisserie Pain de Sucre - more on the denser side. They have an espelette/saffron flavour.
Looks good and will not disappoint
Weiss - a chocolate company. Very genuine flavours. I am pretty sure it was the best pistachio I have had so far.
Café Pouchkine - originating from Russia, brings a new range of flavours and textures with very refined techniques. Here are double flavoured macaroon shells.
Shira Nui – A photographic journey through sushi art
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, Restaurant on August 7, 2011
There are certain experiences that are just worth documenting. In my opinion, the best nigiri sushi in Melbourne comes from Shiranui. The unassuming shop front with the noren (door curtain) and the simple, lightly coloured wooden interior and shushi counter does nothing to detract from the experience. You can simply avoid the rest of the world and your neighbours. It’s all about you, chesf Hiro-san and the nigiri sushi. The chef and his gentle, yet efficient stroke of the fish. The sharp and decisive movements of the knife. The gentle rocking of the body as his hand rapidly twists and turns a thumb-sized volume of rice. The “no soy” and “with soy” orders. The quiet mumbles between him, his wife and his assistant chef.
It’s not tea that he drinks from the cup during service.
One day Hiro will no longer be there. I think he is truly forming each nigiri with passion and love for the art.
Chef Hiro-san
Clockwise from top left: starter usually with pickled vegetables and fish, dory?, pickled mackerel, salmon
An audience, chef Hiro-san and his assistant
Beef, ark shell, tuna, salmon belly
The king fish belly (below, top right) is my favorite. Never walk away from this place without eating this. You may as well not bothered to make a reservation in the first place!
? Chu-toro, king fish belly (F*@$en the best), oysters, sesame crème brûlée
"unknown fire"
Myrtleford Butter Club (cardiology appointment)
Posted by tzuyen in Food, Photography on April 17, 2011
This will be my downfall. A friend of mine gave me a stick of this from Leo’s Fine Food in Kew a few weeks ago. It’s so delicate, light and the taste more complex and will elevate warm bread into another level. Commercial butter in Australia contains about 16-18% water and the rest mainly fat. Cultured butter contains a variable water content. European butters typically less (14%) which is good for browning butter.
But the main difference is the flavour. Butter is traditionally made from the cream that settles on top of fresh milk. After a few days, naturally occurring bacteria in the milk and air slightly ferment the cream and turns it into crème fraiche. The flavour comes from the fermentation process, just like cheese. The crème fraiche is then churned to separate the butterfat from buttermilk (mainly water). Over-whip cream from the supermarket and the yellow-ish substance is essentially butter.
So really, they are about to start a Butter Club. The proverb on the packaging reads “Eat butter first, and eat it last, and live till a hundred years be past”. Hmmm.
Details
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, cafe on February 13, 2011
Spot-fires of ideas can brew from here, in South Melbourne
Picture cafe
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, cafe on December 28, 2010
Love cafes, wood, glass and just the general feeling of goodness. Needless to say, good coffee is important. According to a comedian I heard on TV yesterday, having kids late is not good because we forget what kids enjoy. She said “look at a cafe with mums with their young kids. Have you heard the f@cking screaming they do?”
A Bottle of Milk, Lorne.
Summer (spring), winter is back
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, cafe on September 28, 2010
Best Sunday for a long time. Warm(ish), 20 degrees, clear skies, no work and fresh vomit from patient yesterday well cleaned. Early afternoon at Dead Man Espresso with “Thomas Keller’s BLT“. The deconstructed sandwhich consists of soft, white bread that is well buttered and evenly toasted (? fried). The filling is roasted pork with crackling and spinach puree. On the side is a mini-latte glass of tomato gazpacho. A mixed leafy salad included. Love the pork. It’s a brilliant idea but didn’t work for me on the whole. The gazpacho could do with more flavour. I’d rather have a super ripe slice of tomato. The spinach puree…was supposed to be more of a rocket puree. But really good idea to incorporate fresh take on the all-so-common eggy breakfast. And well done for using really fresh salad leaves (they are growing their own herbs).
"Thomas Keller's BLT" from Dead Man Espresso
Take note…pork belly is as common as the Synesso in Melbourne now.
After lunch and a great coffee, we headed to Port Melbourne Beach and felt…cold! It reminded me when I was in Norway after a few months of below zero temperature. A sunny day, warm (relative) and the entire student village was outside on the lawn receiving their yearly dose of vitamin D with the famous engangsgrill. We went to a small island off the city center for a BBQ and realized it was really ‘only’ 12 degrees.
Summer at Port Melbourne was a bit early
I still love the cold.
Barossa Valley
Posted by tzuyang in Photography, Travel on September 5, 2010
Weekend of 21-22 August was Barossa Valley’s Gourmet festival where all the wineries had food and open themselves to tasting. Signs of spring were evident in the “weed” of bright yellow flowers.
A moment in the fog
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, Travel on August 16, 2010
Kiritappu Wetlands, Hokkaido, Japan
Yep, these are wild irises and Hemerocallis middendorffi (yellow). To give you an idea how dense the irises were in some places here is another photo taken a few hundred meters away. It is difficult to make the irises show well in this photo since the green and purple are both quite dark. It’s either close up and beautiful flowers or wide angle but not much contrast.
Irises
Not about food – sea gulls
Posted by tzuyen in Photography, Travel on April 23, 2010
I couldn’t be bothered changing my lens that afternoon. The 50 mm 1.8 works wonders but taking ‘domesticated’ sea gulls is still very difficult. I laid prone for a good while.
