Day 1: ESCF-Ferrandi

Today was orientation day.

Went up to the school this morning to be greeted with croissants, cafe, tea and juice. I also met the people in my program, a diverse bunch, each presenting themselves - no one from Hong Kong sadly. We're 24 in total and will be divided in 2 groups, A and B and under the supervision of either Sebastien Massard or Stephane Gabrielly, two well renowned chefs in their field with a lot of experience to absorb from - I can't wait to work with either of them, we will know which group we will be in tomorrow!

We were given a tour of the school, and it is quite large, with 1-2 kitchens we will work in during the week and one larger one when we will prepare lunch and dinner service. It also houses the Prepa program (Those who already have culinary degrees, and a Superieure program of 3 years), it also provides services to those in crafts industry and restaurant management among others. I guess it specializes in a lot of areas as it is part of the French Chamber of Commerce.
I probably will get lost in the beginning with all the back stairways and front stairways to choose from, but I'm sure I'll be getting the hang of it!

We were then escorted to the large cafeteria for lunch, reminded me of my school in Hong Kong (Lycee Francais) with the trays that you hold and the different meals to choose from and we sat in one long table, with maybe around 36 seats + professors and staff (including those in the Pastry program, perhaps around 12 as well) and a Kir :) I turned a little red but not enough to show haha.

After that, we were given an introduction to the course, what to expect, what the schedule will be like, etc...It will be very intense, I expected it to be but I guess I just feel the need to reiterate on it. It is only 5 months, so it makes sense. Every week or so, we change themes; in the beginning it's cutting, vegetables, stocks and soups, then gradually towards sauces (we have to know the mother sauces, I think there are 4 in total), hors d'oeuvres, chicken (there's not just 1 chicken but a diverse bunch from the cheapest to the most expensive!), meats (including veal, lamb, suckling pig - yum!...my all-time favorite), fish. Every week or so, we have a pastry class and we can bring home the goodies! :) We also have "boulangerie" (bread making and viennoiserie) every other week, history of french food (knowing where food comes from and why it's named or made that way), french lessons (which I hope I can get exempt from!) and probably one of my favorites (wine/cheese classes - to know how to pair a certain wine to the particular meal). Every week is different so I can't give you guys a  fixed schedule, since it varies. But once we start doing lunch and dinner services (at the end of september), the hours will be more intense, especially at dinner service which can end around 10 - 11 pm! Other than that, every friday (if not every other), we do a regional menu (we cook the meal of a particular region/province of France whether it is Alsace, Rhone-Alps, Provence, etc...) and then our group sits down together for a big lunch (Massard says no breakfast!) which includes an amuse-bouse, appetizer, meat dish, fish dish, dessert and coffee/tea...for this 'challenge', we work in pairs and produce a dish for 6-8 people whether we are in charge of appetizer, main or dessert.

We also go on field trips, there will be one to the Champagne region, one to RUNGIS, the world's biggest food market (i think) where we can identify produce, how to pick them and even a local competition!, and at the end of the program, in January, a 3 day excursion (unfortunately the location is kept secret until the end)

We also talked about internships (stage) from February onwards from 3-6 months (we can do 1 for 6 months, or 2, both 3 months each). I'm very interested in either hotel restaurants or Michelin restaurants (which I'm sure others are too) but the food and beverage industry in hotels appeal to me the most, so depending on my progress, I will be recommended a certain 'stage' (with the approval of my supervisor of course). Am excited to see what I succeed/fail in (even Massard said people will succeed - beginner's luck haha. and some will fail but we all learn from it and it's definitely part of the process! That definitely makes me feel at ease!)

Tomorrow morning, we all meet to fit our chef uniform including hat, jacket, pants, apron, shoes and towel/cloth but also our knife set (just like in Top Chef)....apparently we have to lock it for security reasons in the French metro...but hopefully I will be able to leave in the locker as I'm sure it will be heavy carrying around 20 or so knives! Also, no earrings, no watch, only wedding rings....will have to take off my thread bracelets as they are flammable... too bad! Will definitely post of pic of the school and the uniform tomorrow, was too excited/scared today to even think!

To be honest, I didn't even do much today but sit and listen to the presentation - can you imagine when I'll be standing all day and cooking for 8 hours? EXCITEMENT :) Can't wait!

Am already in the school pattern, it's 7.50 pm and I'm just so tired...off to bed (after I finish my glass of rose of course)...tonight not a big meal, just beef carpaccio that I picked up at the supermarket, surprisingly good, perhaps something I should keep getting when I come back from school and don't even feel like cooking!

I just realized I've been rambling, but wanted to give you a clear image of what was going on, what is going to happen, etc...especially for those interested in the program (I remember when I was searching for some personal experiences on blogs and found them to be quite minimal).

It's definitely going to be an experience, with a lot of back and feet aching (anyone offers free massage?) but I know I will learn a lot, it's definitely an experience of a lifetime, something I've been waiting for for a very long time and I welcome it with open arms!

Bonne Nuit!

A New Chapter

Tomorrow, will be the first page of a new chapter in my life.
I'm feeling all kinds of emotions right now: excitement, happiness, fear, worry (what if I fail?!) - everything!

Though tomorrow is just orientation, I'll be meeting my fellow students in the program so I cannot wait to share my experience at ESCF with them!

I will try to update this blog and share with you all of what I will experience, but I know this is will be tough and I'll probably be super tired, but I will try my best!

In the meantime, last night I had dinner with my godmother and we went to a neighborhood restaurant that we both love, Le Bistro de La Muette. The restaurant renovated itself to a modern brasserie and re-opened its doors in 2007 to serve French cuisine (what else?).

The fixed menu is a bit pricey compared to other restaurants (38 Euros), BUT it's for aperitif, appetizer, main dish, dessert, coffee/tea AND a bottle of wine of your choice (among a list). That's a pretty good deal as normally a fixed price dinner costs around 24 Euros and you may want a bottle of wine anyways.

Entree: guacamole tartare with fresh shrimp (though I was not a fan of the passionfruit cream on the left)

Plat: Monkfish with potatoes (I love monkfish because it's a fish you have to work on to eat it)

Dessert: Forest Fruit Sherbet

My godmother's tarte aux pommes avec glace vanille was DELICIOUS...a definite house specialty

Bistro de La Muette

10 Chaussée de la Muette

Paris 75016

A Meaty Weekend (continued)

Today was a beautiful day in Paris and I decided to rent a velib (part of the public bicycle rental scheme in the city) and bike down to Concorde and le Jardin des Tuileries. As I parked my bike, I realized how close I was to the Place du Marché Saint-Honoré. It used to be an Old Market but now hosts a modern glass building sitting in the middle of this big square surrounded by local restaurants with some trendy international shops (Marc Jacobs) while mingling with your local fruit and vegetable store, butcher, etc...


I went to a restaurant I tend to go with my parents called Cuisine et Confidences. It is always packed during the weekly lunch hour. They have, by far the best steak tartare and carpaccio (yes in one dish!) served with olive and red pepper tapenades (this dish cost 14 Euros and it's worth it since the Carpaccio costs 12 Euros and the Steak Tartare alone costs 13 Euros...so why not have the best of both?). 

Steak tartare and Beef Carpaccio with a Mesclun salad and Parmesan cheese

The fun part about this restaurant is that you can literally 'spray' olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto your dish. But sometimes this task can be tedious as, for some people like myself, i like a lot of both and you continuously have to spray out the olive oil and vinegar from the bottle, where only a teeny bit comes out at a time.


Cuisine et Confidences
33, Place du Marché Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris
Price: around 20 euros (with a drink)

A Meaty weekend

I realized that most of my posts (thought I know I've already done 4) have been about meat. I am an avid carnivore and could eat meat everyday if I had to (probably not the best thing in the world though). 
In any case, I decided to prepare another favorite of mine, which I've come to love during cold winters in London: Ox tail.
Ox tail is hard to find at the local grocer's but you can always count on Chinatown. I tend to make it in a stew with tomatoes, carrots, shallots and the occasional potato but since it's not entirely winter or even fall for that matter, in Paris, I decided to make braised Oxtail with carrots. The end result was surprisingly not bad, and definitely lighter than the original recipe with the stew. 
Basically, had about 3-4 ox tail bones that you sauté first in a pan and when the outer parts turn brown, you lower the fire, add salt, pepper and the carrots (which take very long to become soft) and any other vegetables you like (potatoes, zucchini, eggplant) and let it cook in low heat in its own fat until you have it as tender as you'd like. A good 2-3 hours ought to do the trick (I like it a bit chewy so that's my time limit).

Seasonal delights

As I finally moved into and settled properly in my apartment in Paris, I decided to stock up on as much groceries as I could.
The best part about going to local food markets is the local/seasonal produce that comes to be available; and in Paris it is one of the best..


I came upon a ton of mirabelles and after snacking on them yesterday, they are definitely my new favorite seasonal fruit. I've always known what mirabelles were but never tried one before. They're basically  plums, but are yellow/green and are the size of grapes. You can easily find them in jam, especially in France, but eaten fresh are even better and the price was a good bargain (2 Euros per kilo). No wonder all these people (mostly elderly) were surrounding the mirabelles. The problem was, though, how do you know if it's good? I learned from an 80-year old french man, that you have to pick the mirabelles one by one; those that exert pressure but are soft at the tip, and that indeed fresh ones were best between July and mid-September, usually from Lorraine. 


I better stock on these before they run out!

I was surprisingly full of energy yesterday (with jetlag in tow) that I strutted to Paris Chinatown (13ème arrondissement) and bought diced pork spare ribs. It's best if you ask the butcher to cut it in smaller halves and then at home all you have to do is cut it in smaller pieces if that's what you prefer. 

Pork spare ribs with rock candy

Now pork spare ribs can be found all year round, but I find them to be a great transition to the fall season before restaurants bring out rather gamey meat, when it's not too hot and not too cold. Even at the end of august, Paris is getting a little colder, with mornings and nights averaging around 11-12 degrees celsius. This recipe is fairly easy to make, with all the usual suspects: 3/4 cup marinated in rice wine, 1 cup sweet soya sauce and 1 cup of sugar for about an hour, frying the ribs in oil covering the pan (peanut, sunflower are best), keeping the marinade for later and frying them until they are crispy. The trick is to not cook them until the meat has hardened or else it tends to get too dry. Before serving just pour the left-over marinade for quick mix and...voilà!

The Beginning

So, I guess this is my first blog post, in my entire life!
I started this blog to show my experiences in unchartered territory that is the culinary world.
I love food, I love to know how it's made, why particular ingredients are used and the final steps of plating that make it look effortless.


Before coming to Paris, I spent a week holiday in Shanghai, China. Coming from Hong Kong, expectations are quite high in terms of good restaurants matched with good food. I haven't been to Shanghai in almost 10 years so I was sure I was going to be blown away from the city's transformation. And, indeed I was. I couldn't even recognize it!
When I am traveling, I make it a goal to eat at local restaurants. Sure, high-end restaurants are well-renowned and the food is fantastic, but I feel, to get a real sense of the food culture of the people who are immersed in it, one would need to eat as a local person would do. To no surprise, every restaurant I went to provided dishes with such strong flavors that it deemed utmost respect.


One of the first places, I went to was a little shop called Yang's Fried Dumplings. This is a must-eat place, where clients are wait in long queues and fight for seats to eat the hot and juicy dumplings. Fried pork and sage fill the shengjian (fried soup dumplings). Eating it can be quite tricky but the best way is to puncture a hole at the top of the dough, suck the soup and dip it in vinegar.


Yang's Fried Dumplings
54-60 Wujiang Lu (near Nanjing Xi Lu)
Price: Less than Y99 (RMB)

Waiting in the queue for the order (which comes first), dumpling pick up and then seats

The next day, I had even more xiaolong bao (dumpling), in this (again) very local and famous restaurant called Nanxiang Dumpling House. The restaurant is very big with 2 floors. The line goes around the corner and into the main square but the waiting time is pretty fast as a lot of people go in an out. If you don't feel like waiting for a table, they have a take-out line (but the queue for that one is even LONGER).

Nanxiang Dumpling House

85 Yuyuan Lu

Price: 3 orders of dumplings (6 each) around Y70 (RMB)

This particularly dumpling's dough is not to be eaten, but the juice (soup) inside is what steals the show

Pork and Crabmeat dumpling

Pork belly with Turnip

This probably has to be one of my favorites, since childhood. The porkbelly is cut in cubes and is slow cooked in rich Shanghainese soya sauce, rice wine and sugar for about 4 hours. You can easily find this dish in Shanghai in every local restaurant (each with their own take on it, some add tofu instead)

Finally, on the last two days in Shanghai, my mom and I decided to try out this well-known and local Sichuanese restaurants. Surprisingly, Shanghai boasts a lot of these restaurants, known for the spiciest food in town where plates are covered in chili, chili oil and food is marinated, rubbed or soaked in it as well.

One of the dishes we had was fish filets in hot chili oil, and...the food comes exactly the way its titled. We got a large porcelain bowl filled with chili, oil, bean sprouts and fish fillets. At first, it didn't seem that spicy (we chose medium but you can go up to very hot) but the more we ate, the more numb our lips became! Nevertheless, a definite must-try.