2011 in Review

2011 has been a big year at Chez Gourmet Chick with three months of travelling in Europe and Asia and then landing back in sunny Australia to finish off the year.   This is my year in review post, the written equivalent of having a few drinks and chewing the fat on what the highlights (and lowlights) of the year have been.

Sunset cocktails at Udaipur in India.  

1.  Best meal in London in 2011 
Heston Blumenthal arrived in London with a bang thanks to the opening of Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental this year. The food is intriguing but also damn delicious and more approachable than Blumenthal’s fare at The Fat Duck.  The do not miss dishes were clearly the meat fruit and tipsy cake but it was all outstanding.

2.  Best meal travelling in 2011
I can't stop thinking about my meal at Inaki Aizpitarte's amazing Le Dauphin in Paris, just a few doors down from his first restaurant, the acclaimed Chateaubriand.  It’s a "small plates" style restaurant set in a buzzy, modern place with the room decked out from head to toe in white marble and dominated by a central bar which walk in diners can perch at to eat.  Everything we tried was brilliant.  Highlights included the sweet, sharp heritage tomato salad, smoky slices of almost rare wagyu beef,  creamy squid ink risotto and piping hot matcha flavoured madeleines.

Heritage tomato salad at Le Dauphin in Paris

3.  Worst meal in London in 2011
It wasn't the worst meal I had but it was the most disappointing given the price paid.  I was left very underwhelmed by my meal at Nuno Mendes' Viajante thanks to some interesting ideas which just did not deliver in terms of taste.  At just under £200 for our meal for two I expected more consistency.

4.  Worst meal travelling in 2011
I had some great food in Dubrovnik, Croatia but my meal at Storia failed to deliver.  Despite Storia's beautiful setting overlooking the harbour and friendly service, I had to leave most of my seafood risotto uneaten as it had a claggy texture and was over salted.  So disappointing in a country with such amazing seafood.

Mmmm spaghetti carbonara

5.  Recipe of the year
A weekend in Rome left me with a serious carbonara addiction and so I had to concoct the perfect spaghetti carbonara recipe.  I had eaten carbonara before but nothing that tasted like the carbonara in Rome.  It was silky smooth, rich and utterly satisfying.  At home, attempting to replicate the classic dish I discovered the key was to cut out any extra ingredients, cream being the most obvious omission.  The beauty of a good carbonara is its simplicity.

6.  Cookbook of the year
I have total Momofku mania and cannot wait to get myself up to Sydney to check out David Chang's new restaurant there (or a visit to one of the originals in NYC would be nice).  In the meantime I am making do with the brilliant, sweary and utterly compelling Momfuku cook book.

The easiest and most delicious noodle recipe from the Momofuku cookbook

7.  Total number of posts for 2011
145.  Not bad going given my nomadic existence and at times non existent internet.

8.  Most far flung reader in 2011

Hello to Georgia!  I have heard a lot about your country and would love to make it there one day.

9.  Weirdest search term used to get to Gourmet Chick in 2011

Elegant Hat Chef.  I do love a good hat come Spring Racing carnival but am a bit bewildered by that one.

2012 Wish List
As the time of year for New Year's resolutions here are a few food and travel related ones for me - a virtual wish list of places to eat.

Melbourne 
I'm excited to be back in my home town and there are so many places I want to visit.  Melburnians let me know what you think of this list and if there is anywhere else I should be heading to...

• Chin Chin, according to Sharking For Chips and Drinks, and any friends I have who have been, it is one of Melbourne's "hot new openings"; 
• Vue de Monde, as I went a few years ago but have not been since the restaurant moved to its new digs at the Rialto; 
• Wombat Cafe in Daylesford, I love the Lake House so am excited about checking out its new cheaper sibling; 
• Albert Street Food and Wine, Phillipa Sibley's new restaurant (currently loving her cook book); 
• Cutler and Co, which Joyce at Mel: Hot or Not, raves about and which I still have not been to; and
• Golden Dragon Palace, out in Templestowe for my yum cha fix after developing a serious dim sum addiction in Hong Kong.  

Ah Brazil - how I loved you.  And how I love finishing this post with another cocktail picture.

Travel
After a crazy year of travel in 2011 which included holidays to Brazil, France, the USA, Spain, Mallorca, Madeira, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, India, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland, Nepal and Hong Kong,  I am planning some jaunts closer to my (new) home in 2012.  Here's hoping for...

• A traditional Australian holiday of time down by the beach at Lorne;
• A trip to Sydney is certainly in order and long overdue; and
• More time in Asia with both Japan and Bali on my wish list.   

How to make mini salmon and dill fish cakes

If you are putting on a New Years Eve bash these mini salmon and dill fish cakes are the perfect thing to have with a glass of champagne.  Given that the holiday season is all about family and friends having a drink and a catch up, they could be your secret weapon sitting in the fridge ready to go.  I served them up on Christmas day as (one of many) starters and they went down a treat.

Salmon and dill patties a go go

If you are feeling more practical you could also make these as a bigger size and serve for a light lunch or dinner with lots of salad and some post Christmas virtuous eating.  Of course they are not quite so cute when they are not quite so mini and who needs virtue at this time of year? Slather on the mayonnaise I say and dig in.

Ingredients
300g salmon fillet, skin and bones removed if possible
2 tbsp thick cream
30g fresh breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
30g goats cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup chopped dill
2 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper to season
20g butter
2 tbsp olive oil

The mixture ready to go in the fridge

1.  Remove the skin of the salmon with a knife and any bones with tweezers if this has not already been done.  Cut the salmon into bite size pieces.

2.  Pour cream over breadcrumbs and leave for 5 mins.

3.  Combine salmon, breadcrumb mixture, goats cheese, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor and blend quickly.  You only need to mix for a short burst as the aim is to combine the ingredients and not to make a paste.

4.  Put the mixture into a mixing bowl and combine with the egg yolk and half the dill then cover and leave to chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

5.  Dampen your hands and divide into around 24 small patties or 8 large ones.

6.  Roll the patties in flour and then heat the butter and oil in a large non stick frying pan over a medium heat.

7.  Cook the patties until just browned on either side being careful not to overcook and dry the salmon out.  Serve topped with mayonnaise (I made my own) and the remainder of the dill.

Patties ready to be fried

Makes 24 pieces for finger food or would serve four as a light lunch or dinner.
  

Gourmet Giveaway - Flights to New York with KLM (Sponsored Post)

Let's face it, airline food does not have a great reputation.  Places like Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food at Heathrow in London are doing well out of selling picnic packs for travellers who want to avoid airline food.

Photo thanks to KLM - chef prepared sushi at 30,000 feet

KLM is set to change this by introducing A la carte where they whip up a choice of delicious food which is even available for those of you who are like me and travel strictly economy (€12 - €15 extra).   They are going all out with everything from Italian style rib eye to chef prepared sushi at 30,000 feet.  You can see what KLM is serving up onboard now at the KLM website.

 For a chance to win flights to New York, which as we all know is pretty much the best city in the world after Melbourne and London, all you have to do is go to the KLM Facebook page and say what your favourite meal is. Get cracking!

This is a sponsored post. 

Gerald's Bar

Christmas is over and everyone needs a drink to recover.  Gerald's Bar in Carlton might be just the spot to indulge.  Wine is supposed to be the main event at Gerald's Bar.  After all the bar has won awards for its lengthy wine list and "first come, first served" open bottle policy (five whites and five reds are open at any one time) .  However the food at the bar is so good that it the cuisine at Gerald's Bar may just be trying to steal the spotlight from the booze.

Gerald's Bar already looks like an institution that has been around for years

Right next to La Porchetta's on Rathdowne street, Gerald's Bar has limited seating with some tables out the front, a handful inside and lots of stools on which to prop up the heavily laden bar.  The place has the feeling of somewhere that has been around for ages (despite the fact it is a relative newcomer) with net curtains on the windows, a ladder that slides along the bar to get to those tricky top shelf spirits and vinyls turning on a record player.  I went there for my annual book club Christmas party so we ignored the daily changing menu and opted for the group menu a bargain $50 per person in which you leave all choices in the hands of the chefs at Gerald's Bar.

Each course was a surprise to us which only added to the novelty of the experience.  To start, sparklingly fresh oysters served in the shell and topped with tiny crisp pieces of bacon.  Then came slices of thick chicken terrine flecked with pistachio nuts and served with toasted bread and chutney.

Chicken terrine

A vibrantly flavoured salad featured torn, creamy mozzarella with chunks of smoked tomato and was followed by slices of slow cooked pork on a bed of oozing mashed potato.   However the total superhero dish of the night was the whole baked ocean trout which was encased in a thick salt crust.  The theatre of the dish was amazing with the crust cracked open to reveal pink, pearly and perfectly cooked fish.

Smoked tomato and mozzarella salad

We finished the meal with a scoop of intensely rich chocolate ice-cream.  Simple but glorious stuff.     As for that helpful and encyclopedic wine list? We didn't use it at all.  Instead we relied on our waitress who, while a bit unhelpful at times (we had to ask three times for butter with our bread), was a total wine guru when it came to recommending what vino we should imbibe.  If you go, order the sparkling rosé from Bendigo ($40), sensational, and not too sweet.

From oysters to a whole salt encrusted ocean trout this was not your typical money-pinching-set-group-menu nor was it standard simple bar food.  Instead it was food with personality and pizzaz which pretty much hogged the lime light from the brilliant wine list.  Perhaps the place should be renamed Gerald's Restaurant instead of Gerald's Bar.

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Essentials
Details: Gerald's Bar, 386 Rathdowne Street  Carlton North, Vic 3054, Australia (Ph +61 3 9349 4748) Open: Mon - Sat 5pm - 11pm, Sun closed.
Damage: Reasonable.  The set menu is $50 a person.  With (a lot of) drinks and a tip we paid about $80 each.
9/10

Guide to eating dim sum in Hong Kong (Gourmet Chick in Hong Kong)

Just before the traditional season of overeating known as Christmas I thought I would post my guide to eating dim sum in Hong Kong.  A week in Hong Kong was my last stop on my way back to Australia and it was a week of glorious gluttony particularly in the dim sum department.  As the world’s yum cha capital I discovered I could indulge in dim sum anyway I wanted in Hong Kong.  During my visit we dug into the bamboo steamer baskets everywhere from sleek bars to huge ballrooms to tiny canteens.  It’s best to avoid going for yum cha on a Sunday if possible as that is traditionally a day that Hong Kong families will share yum cha together so yum cha venues are even more packed than usual.  Of the place we tried these were my three favourites, all good for different reasons:

Dim sum arrives by trolley at Maxim's City Hall

1. Maxim’s City Hall
For the true Hong Kong yum cha experience I think it is hard to beat Maxim’s at City Hall.  Dim sum is served up daily in this huge ballroom with sticky carpets, dripping chandeliers and panoramic views of the Hong Kong waterfront.  Waitresses wheel trollies stacked with towering baskets of dim sum and you need to wave down the ones you want as the best trolleys rarely stop at a table of gwelios (Westerners).

Delicious steamer baskets of goodness

It may not be the absolute best dim sum in town but the whole experience is so much fun that it was my favourite.  The best things to wave down are the fried glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves and flecked with chunks of pork, the har jiao (prawn dumplings), prawn cheong fun and the pan fried turnip cake.  Be warned, there are big queues but we got there just before 12 and were fine.

Essentials
Details: City Hall Maxim's Palace,  2/F, Low Block, City Hall, Central, Hong Kong (Ph +852 2521 1303)
Damage:  Reasonable our bill came to HKD$200 each ($25/£16)
9/10

The queues to get in to Tim Ho Wan

2. Tim Ho Wan
Tim Ho Wan is the world’s cheapest Michelin star restaurant, our meal here came to a grand total of HKD$121 ($15/£10).  It is a scruffy and unassuming place out in Mong Kwok and it is also tiny so we had to wait two hours to get a table.  The good news is that there is an organised queuing system so you turn up, take a number and are told what time to come back at.  We got there at 11.30 and were given number 66 (the restaurant opens at 10am each day).  We then went shopping in the nearby Ladies Market and checked out the Mong Kwok flower and bird markets before returning just before our designated slot.

Tim Ho Wan's famous pork buns (times two)

There are no white table cloths and service is perfunctory at Tim Ho Wan but the Michelin star recognises the quality of the dim sum which is excellent.  The speciality here is the deep fried pork buns with their crisp, light casing and filling of sticky, sweet roasted pork which are just ridiculously delicious.  Ha jiao (prawn dumplings HKD$22) were delicately pleated and filled with fresh, meaty whole prawns and the filling of the chiu chow dumplings (HKD$10) was a great textural mix of crunchy nuts with soft vegetables.  Look how transulcent the skin of the dumplings is in the photograph so the contents are almost jewel like.  The chef at Tim Ho Wan, Mak Pui Gor, was the former dim sum master at Hong Kong's Four Seasons Hotel before he went out on his own so it is a big treat to be able to sample his dim sum at such bargain basement prices.  However I do think Michelin should have probably rated Tim Ho Wan as a bib Michelin (its rating for cheaper restaurants where service and surroundings might be lacking) rather than giving it a star.

Essentials
Details: Flat 8, Tsui Yuen Mansion, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Ph +852 2332 2896)
Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve. HKD$121 for two.
9/10

3. Dragon-I
Dragon-I is where the beautiful people of Hong Kong go to eat their dim sum with its sleek black surfaces, low lighting and extensive cocktail list.  The restaurant does actually turn into a bar at night time but at lunch time there is a good all you can eat dim sum deal ($188).  Dragon-I is beloved by Hong Kong residents as you can actually book there so it is good for big groups or those who don’t want to stand around for ages.  It reminded me of Ping Pong in London although the dim sum is of a better standard.

As you can see there is night club style lighting at Dragon-I even during the day with the food spotlit and then darkness all around.

Light and fluffy char xiao bao (barbeque pork buns) (HKD$38) with their sweet and sticky filling were well made while the xiao mei (pork dumplings) (HKD$39), a Hong Kong specialty were meaty and bursting with flavour.  The disappointment on the dim sum front were the XLBs (HKD$39) which had messy pleats and were dry with some of them having lost their soupy filling.

Essentials
Details: Dragon-i, 60 Wyndham Street, Hong Kong (Ph +852 3110 1223).
Damage: Pricey.  Our bill for two came to HKD$392 for two.
7/10

My map of Hong Kong

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Gourmet Travel Tips

• For my other tips for eating in Hong Kong (non dim sum) here's my guide to Hong Kong. 
• Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong from Australia from $1150 return and from London British Airways flies there from London from £569 return.
• We stayed at Hotel LFK which is bang in the middle of Hong Kong’s party hub, the Lang Kwai Fong area.  Our deluxe suite was huge and stocked with everything you could ever want from a bath and rain shower stocked with Molton Brown goodies to free wifi and an in room coffee maker.  The room rate also includes cocktails each night in LFK’s glamorous "Restaurant slash bar" Azure and the views over the city skyline are stupendous.  Details: Hotel LFK, 33 Wyndham Street, Lang Kwai Fong, Hong Kong (Ph +852 3518 9688 ) Rooms start from HKD$2,998/£245/$379) a night.  

Our room at Hotel LFK

• The must do activities in Hong Kong are to catch a tram up to the top of the Peak to check out the skyline, a night out at the Happy Valley races on Wednesdays and of course shopping, shopping and more shopping.
• For something different catch a ferry over to Lantau and do a hike, we hiked the Lantau peak and then caught the cable car back.  We also did a day trip to Macau which I would avoid as it is a pretty soulless place and the immigration queues on the weekends are horrendous.
• For researching a trip to Hong Kong I found E-Ting, Tom Eats, Jen Cooks, Hollow Legs and Mr Noodles very helpful thanks also to our Hong Kong friends, hosts and tour guides Jac, Mossy, Nick and Fabian.

PM 24

Now I have landed back in Melbourne permanently I am busy soaking up the sunshine and exploring everything that is new since my last trip home.  One place I did not want to waste any time trying was PM 24, the latest restaurant from Melbourne stalwart Philip Mouchel.  PM 24 opened its doors earlier this year and like the restaurant's very modern name, the look at PM 24 is contemporary and industrial.  There are soaring ceilings, exposed fittings and an open kitchen complete with a lipstick red rotisserie responsible for the restaurant's signature dishes.

PM 24 has a modern feel to it but retains some traditional French elements like classic bistro chairs

The menu is printed on one large piece of card, and what a menu, I wanted it all.  It jumps from one French classic to another with a special section for the famed rotisserie.  In the interests of economics my friend Claire and I decide to ignore Epicure's dish of the year, PM 24's rotisserie chicken, and instead order from the set lunch menu which includes two choices of starter and main for $37 (there is also a very reasonable Sunday lunch menu which is worth remembering for the weekend).

In contrast to the menu, the parochially French wine list is lengthy and while it includes the options of trying some new wines with enomatic wines by the glass, the prices are steep.  We struggled to find a bottle under $50 and in the end the sommelier suggested a bottle of dry and crisp Great Western Riesling ($53).

Prawns wrapped in tempura batter

First, the bread.  This is a French restaurant so bread is all important and the bag on our table did not disappoint with hunks of warm sour dough, unsalted butter imported from Normandy and big flakes of Marron river salt.  We started with fat, juicy prawns encased in a twirl of crisp batter and served with a rich, eggy mayonnaise and some crisp Cos lettuce.  

Cured salmon with a blini

To start, cured salmon was topped with slivers of fennel and teamed with a fat potato blini ($19.50).  However the salmon and rich mustard dressing overwhelmed the fennel and the blini seemed more like a scone than the slim pancake I was expecting.

Rotisserie pork loin served with frites rather than pommes purée

While first courses were competent rather than memorable, the rotisserie came to the rescue with the pork loin.  The pork is cooked on the rotisserie to a state of tender pinkness and topped with caramalized apples and a reduction that is brave and well made.  After spying the excellent frites on a neighbouring table I asked for them to accompany the pork rather than the pommes purée listed on the menu.  It reminded me more of a true French rotisserie experience when the meat is roasted and drips onto frites resting in a tray below.

The kitchen provides good reason to linger in the form of a smart little Gallic dessert list.  I was tempted by the creme bruleé which is flamed table side but in the end settled for a bronzed canelé with a scoop of fast melting honey ice-cream ($6.50).

Canelé with honey ice-cream

Perhaps my favourite part of the meal came at the end when we ordered coffee and were brought around some complimentary snakes of raspberry home made marshmallow which was cut into pieces at our table.  The lolly pink, fluffy marshmallow was another example if it is ever needed of how much better a home made treat is than the mass produced version you usually get.

PM 24 takes a  light, contemporary approach to French food and there is an injection of fun and novelty through the open rotisserie and homemade marshmallow rather than a slavish reproduction of a traditional French bistro.   Now that I am living over the other side of the world from Paris at least I know I can quell any Francophile sorrows at PM 24.

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Essentials
Details: PM 24, 24 Russell St, Melbourne CBD, Victoria, Australia 3000 (Ph +61 3 9207 7424).  Open: Lunch Sunday to Friday - 12pm -3pm,  Dinner 7 days - 6pm - late.
Damage: Pricey.  The bill came to $162 for two with one bottle of wine.
7/10

Provamel's Tree Aid Campaign (Sponsored post)

This is a sponsored post but for a worthy cause.  Provamel (makers of organic soya milk, drinks, desserts and tofu) has teamed up with forestry development charity Tree Aid to launch a campaign to tackle climate change and cut carbon emissions.   Soya bean producers can get some bad press but Provamel has committed to plant and protect 5,000 trees in Africa's driest lands. The donations pledged to Tree Aid will support its ongoing Tree Revolution, which aims to see at least one million trees planted and protected in Africa by the end of 2011.


Provamel's 5,000 trees will be planted by Tree Aid specifically in the West African region of Mali, one of the harshest and driest environments on earth. On top of absorbing global carbon, helping in the fight against climate change and improving the local deforested environment, these trees will be used by hundreds of local people to fight poverty. With Tree Aid's help, thousands of people are being taught to use trees sustainably to generate an income – meaning Provamel's 5,000 trees will continue to yield benefits for years and years to come.

You can like the Provamel page on Facebook to get involved in the campaign.

This is a sponsored post.  

How to make BBQ lamb cutlets with hot feta dressing (The Silver Spoon)

I have arrived back in Australia and one of the first things on my wish list was a barbeque with some Australian lamb.  It was a case of lots of Christmas happy-happy-joy-joy to discover on the doorstep a review copy of The Silver Spoon  with a recipe by Karen Martini for chargrilled lamb cutlets. I love it when life works in serendipity like that.

BBQ action

The Silver Spoon is the bible of Italian cooking and it has just been revised.  Although it has over 1,500 pages of recipes I was still pleasantly surprised to find a perfect BBQ recipe by an Australian chef amongst all the pasta and risotto.  One of the features of the new edition, besides the addition of glossy photos and a rather Christmassy red cover,  is the addition of a set of menus by chefs including Ruth Rogers, Georgio Locatelli and Karen Martini.  The only criticism I could make is that I would have preferred more photographs as there is only 400 so the majority of the recipes still don't have a photo.  Other than this though the book is every bit as comprehensive and iconic as you would expect.  I imagine you could spend years cooking from it and still not run out of recipes.

The cook book - it's a hefty one

Karen Martini's recipe turned out to be one of those perfect, easy to make meals which required minimal preparation and could be served up in a big platter for everyone to help themselves.  One of the things I particularly love about this dish was the way the lamb is served on top of the potatoes so the juices from the meat and the hot feta dressing trickle down to flavour the rest of the meat.  I know I am teasing those of you reading from the Northern hemisphere with a BBQ recipe but you could easily make this using a grill pan on top of the stove.   

The Silver Spoon now comes with glossy photographs

Ingredients

2 racks of lamb with enough for 2 or 3 cutlets per person

6 garlic cloves chopped

1/2 bunch of fresh oregano

100ml extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling

1 lemon juiced 

4 tsps sherry vinegar (I didn't have any so substituted red wine vinegar)

12 potatoes sliced lengthway

2 bunches of baby leeks (I substituted 1 large leek and sliced it into 2cm pieces)

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

80g Ligurian olives

200g soft marinated feta cheese

Salt and pepper

The finished lamb chops with hot fetta dressing drizzled over the top

1.  Trim the racks of lamb, leaving a layer of fat, then score the fat in crisscross lines.  Cut the racks into separate cutlets.

2.  Combine the garlic, half the oregano, the oil, lemon juice and sherry vinegar and season with pepper in a large non-reactive dish.  Add the lamb and let marinate for 1 hour, covered in the fridge.

3.  Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling until tender (around 15 mins), then take out the potatoes with a slotted spoon, slice them lengthways once slightly cooled, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and set aside.

4.  Preheat the grill or BBQ and put the leeks in the pot of boiling water for 2-3 mins then drain.  Slice into 1-2cm thick rings and scatter over the potatoes.

5.  Drain the cutlets, season with salt and cook for 4-6 mins until browned.  

6.  Pour the white wine vinegar, olive oil, olives, remaining oregano leaves and the feta into a shallow pan.  Stir gently over a low heat to warm through but do not bring to the boil.  

7.  Place the warm potatoes on a platter, top with the leeks, lamb cutlets and spoon the hot feta dressing over the dish.  Season with a little black pepper and serve.  

Serves six.  Adapted from The Silver Spoon  (currently £18.69 on Amazon).  

Fort Cochin and Malabar House (Gourmet Chick in India)

Kerala feels like a different country to the rest of India.  It is India lite and I think that is why I liked it so much.  Kerala is all together more casual than the Northern states with tuk tuk drivers leaning against street corners dressed in sarongs and spice sellers squatting passively on their haunches with infinite patience.  It is a place where huge rain trees shelter the old colonial buildings of Fort Cochin from the afternoon humidity and ancient Chinese fishing nets haul in the days catch.  The food is also subtler and less punchy than India’s north but no less complex or delicious.  It draws on the local abundance of coconut, tropical fruits and seafood from what Keralan’s proudly describe as "God's own country".

Cherai beach - just outside Fort Cochin

Dal Roti
Our favourite lunch spot in Fort Cochin was Dal Roti an austere white washed building with quite possibly one of the friendliest and most genial owners you have ever come across.  Dal Roti serves up the food from Ramesh’s home state of Uttar Pradesh and he is a wealth of knowledge about different Indian dishes.

Iced tea at Dal Roti

We ate at Dal Roti twice and could not go past the koti wraps (Rs80), Ramesh’s take on street food.  Flaky, light parantha bread was wrapped around vibrantly spiced vegetables and tandoori charred chicken to make a meal that was simple as pie but delicious as hell.  The peach iced green tea (Rs50) was also so refreshing it was addictive.  The only downside was that Dal Roti does not have a liquor licence so was not such a good dinner option if you felt like a drink.

Koti wrap at Dal Roti

Essentials
Details: Dal Roti, 1/293 Lilly Street, Fort Cochin, Kerala, India.
Damage: Such a bargain my mother would approve.
9/10

Shala
The kitchen at Shala is staffed by local housewives and they serve up fresh, organic Keralan food like prawns in a spicy curry sauce.  Curry of seer fish in a coconut sauce lacked some of the rich, creamy flavour of the coconut milk but the spices packed a subtle punch.  The cafe is painted in bright, colours and has a slick modern feel.  Once again there is no alcohol allowed and on this basis I think Dal Roti is a better bet for a cheap and cheerful meal.

Seer fish in a coconut sauce at Shala

Essentials
Details: Shala, Peter Celli Street, Fort Cochin, Kerala, India.
Damage: Reasonable
6/10

Malabar Junction
Dinner at Malabar House’s high end restaurant was served outdoors in the courtyard by candle light to the sounds of Indian musicians resplendent in traditional dress and wielding sitars (which always reminds me of Moulin Rouge for some reason).  The menu features refined Indian cooking and happily straddles the East/West divide with dishes like fish fingers fried in a light beer batter and served with a spicy mango chutney (Rs250).

Chocolate brownies at Malabar Junction

Seafood is a specialty at Malabar Junction and tiger prawns (Rs600) curled into fat, juicy spirals were given a burst of sweetness with an accompaniment of fresh mango and then doused in rich coconut sauce.  This was accomplished cooking.  However caramelized squid and prawn risotto (Rs440) had a muddied flavour despite containing generous quantities of fresh-off-the-boat seafood.  It was worth leaving room for the dessert menu at Malabar Junction as dessert of a nut flecked chocolate brownie (Rs180) slathered in white chocolate sauce had an extraordinarily seductive texture and grown up taste.

Essentials
Details: Malabar Junction, Malabar House, 1/268 – 1/269 Parade Road, Fort Cochin, Kerala, India 682001(Ph +91 484 2216666).
Damage:  Pricey.
8/10

Malabar House
Elegant and stylish Malabar house is the place to stay in Fort Cochin so I could not say no to an invitation to visit it.  The owner, Joerg Dreschsel, has converted an 18th century Dutch colonial residence with exquisite taste and verve.  Antique furniture sits alongside bright splashes of colour and creature comforts like televisions, wifi and bar fridges with tea and coffee making facilities.

Pool and courtyard area at Malabar House

Our room was so effortlessly cool that it was all I could do not to barricade myself inside and refuse to ever leave.  It contained hands down the  most comfortable bed I slept in while I was in India, with mountains of fluffy pillows and soft linen.  The hotel itself was small and intimate with a central courtyard framed by frangipani trees and anchored by a plunge pool.  The pool was more of a focal point than a sun bathing area as it was shaded for most of the day and overlooked by reception.

Our room at Malabar House

Accomodation at Malabar House is on a bed and breakfast basis and breakfast included a buffet of fresh juices, pastries, fruits and yoghurts.  There was then a choice of Western fare of poached eggs or omlettes alongside the far more interesting Indian breakfasts.  A papery thin dosa was served with a spicy masala of potatoes and vegetables or, fusion style, teamed with excellent bacon and a gooey fried egg.

Video review of my room at Malabar House

Essentials
Details: Malabar House, 1/268 – 1/269 Parade Road, Fort Cochin, Kerala, India 682001(Ph +91 484 2216666).
Damage:  Pricey.  A deluxe room is €230 a night.
9/10

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Malabar House.

Fishmongers by the Chinese Fishing nets in Fort Cochin

Gourmet Travel Tips

• Kingfisher flies from London to Delhi for £500 return.  A flight with Indigo from Delhi to Cochin costs Rs6,000 and takes just under three hours. 
• In the fort Mattancherry Palace and the Pardesi Synagogue are both good to visit and we liked walking around the antique stores and watching the Chinese fishing nets in operation.  You can buy fish fresh there from the fishmongers and have them cook it for you as well.  

Top Ten Food Books

I am in Hong Kong at the moment eating my body weight in dim sum (more to come on that later) but as my travels come to an end I thought I would share with you how I have been keeping myself entertained on long plane journeys, lonely Himalayan villages and crowded Indian trains.  It has all come down to my Kindle.

My Kindle - with a nice hot pink leather cover

I was very anti Kindle to begin with.  I love books and I love to own them.  To see the covers of old favourites sitting on my book shelf and to physically hold them in my hands are both simple pleasures that I enjoy.  However, travelling for three months meant lugging around half a backpack filled with reading material or biting the bullet and going electronic.  MTV kindly bought me a Kindle for my birthday and I haven't looked back since.  I love being able to discover new books to read and buy them instantly through Amazon's (highly dangerous) one click purchasing system.  I've even got used to the feel of the Kindle once I bought a nice leather cover for it to make it look a little more like a real book.

I'm tearing through books on the Kindle on my holiday and I have particularly enjoyed reading a few foodie novels which have been on my wish list for a while.  These are some of my favourite books for cooks.  The list is in no particular order as it is hard to rank books.

I have just finished reading Blood, Bones and Butter which was published this year.

1. Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl.  Memoirs of Reichl's time as restaurant critic for the New York Times when she used to dress up in disguise to review the restaurants.

2. Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell.   An all time classic.

3. Blood Bones and Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton.  I have just finished reading this memoir which was written by the chef from New York restaurant Prune and it is fantastic.  Gabrielle Hamilton can cook and she can also write brilliantly.  Highly recommended.

4. Toast, Nigel Slater.  England's favourite food writer recounts his traumatic childhood and love for food in this poignant memoir.  There is a very moving TV series of this book as well.

5. My Life in France, Julia Child.  For any francophile or foodie this is the perfect cook and makes you immediately want to move to France and do the Cordon Bleu.  

6. Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain.  This book will change what you order and the way you think about restaurants.

7. A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg.  I love Molly's blog Orangette so could not resist her book which adopts the same style of anecdotes from Molly's life interspersed with great recipes.

8. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser.  Made me never eat McDonalds again.  Except when I am really, really hungover.

9. Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, Fuschia Dunlop.  Memoirs of travels in China that I found very inspiring for my Hong Kong eatathon.

10. Julie and Julia, Julie Powell.  Admittedly the main character (and author) of this book can come across as very unlikeable but as a blogger I found this a fascinating read.  The movie is also very good as it stars the brilliant Meryl Streep.

You can buy all these books and more from my Book Club which also includes my favourite cook books (I do not recommend buying cook books on a Kindle - for a cook book I think you need the actual hard cover book to make notes on and dog ear the pages and splash sauce).  Also the new Kindle is out and it is even cheaper and better than my old version (isn't that always the way?).  Currently £89 on Amazon.

What have I missed out? Recommendations for a good read always welcome...