laocook

Now that October has finished, November allows us to take a break before the busy festive season begins. Shortly I will be off to London to join up with the rest of my family to await the arrival of my new nephew!

The past month also saw us releasing our first supplement menu.

Our Tasting Menu, or “Menu Degustacion” is served from 21.30hrs and cost 90€ per person. This type of menu is for “foodies” (and mostly cooks from other restaurants! ) and takes about 2½ hours to complete and is served to the entire table.

The menu went through some subtle changes throughout the month, depending on what is best in the markets. The next Tasting Menu will start in December, just after my return from the UK.

We have some photos from over the weekend, though sadly none were taken of the three desserts (doh! )

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We start of with…

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A Contrast of Tomato and Basil Soup. Two soups that look very different but taste almost identical. This appetizer features our Clear Tomato Soup and the recipe can be found here.

The meal continues with…

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New Style Goong Che Nam Pa. These thin “sheets” of King Prawns are one of our most ordered dishes and the recipe can be found here.

We continue with…

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Carpaccio of Beef, Foie Gras and Mackerel. This unconventional carpaccio is served in tins. The fish is marinated in salt and vinegar for only 30 minutes in total (15 minutes in the salt, and 15 minutes in rice vinegar), this provides us with a cured fillet that is not soured or discoloured by the vinegar.

We continue with…

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Seabass in Citrus Soy and Sesame Dressing. Wafer thin slices of fish are drizzled with a tangy and nutty dressing.

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A splash of hot Hazelnut, Olive and Sesame Oils adds another dimension.

To continue we have…

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Fresh Rolls with King Prawns. These rice paper wrapped prawns and vegetables are served with a Spicy-Sour-Sweet sauce with crushed Cashew Nuts and Apple. Its a very “summery” dish that is so easy to eat!

And following this dish we continue with…

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Egg with Shimeji Mushrooms. These eggs have had the white removed and the yolk replaced then briefly cooked. The runny yolks are given a dash of Maggi (you can´t have eggs without Maggi!!! ). They are then filled with a Cauliflower and Mushroom Cream and topped with sauteed Shimeji and given a small drop of White Truffle Oil.

Next we start to serve the Main Courses…

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Wasabi and Gari are brought to the table. Our Main Courses for October were heavily influenced by Sushi. Sushi is vinegared rice which can be topped with various toppings, fish being the most common.

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Butterfish and Enoki.

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The Butterfish is given a short burst with the bow torch which releases its flavour.

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We continue with…

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Prawns and Salmon. Fresh raw prawns are a delight to eat, and are aesthetically paired with salmon.

Next up we have our final Main Course…

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Jurel with Avocado and Cucumber Uramaki.

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The Uramaki is also known as the “Inside-out roll”. The smoothness of the avocado goes well with the cruchiness of the cucumber and nuttiness of the toasted sesame seeds.

After a short break the three desserts are served. Unfortunately as I mentioned earlier, no photos were taken of the desserts. .

However, just for the record, the desserts were as follows:

• (pre-dessert) Cream of Coconut with “Granizada” of Fruit Sangria.
• (second pre-dessert) Deconstruction of the Mojito, featuring a “Gelatina of Rum”, Panacotta of Brown Sugar and Lime and Mint Sorbet.
• (final dessert) Chocolate in Textures made up of  Chocolate Cake, Chocoalte Cream, Chocolate Jelly, Chocolate Crisp and Chocolate Ice Cream.

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The menu seems like a lot of dishes but when served in small portions it gives you the chance to savour the various flavours and enjoy some of the best dishes from the kitchen.

Though there is no Tasting Menu on offer in November, thats gives us more time to plan ahead for the December version.

In the meantime, seeing as I will be on holiday, the next post should be here during the first weeks of the last month of 2009.

Until then, hasta pronto!

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