On advance toujours

I didn’t plan on neglecting this blog for so long.

Made with love- Frappe for Carnival

The sun had quietly set, slipping through the shingles of the surrounding houses.  Rome slowly revealed itself, lit up like fireflies in the not too far distance.

We’re inside and already have on a couple of very old school aprons. The fireplace was crackling and the place smelled of seared beef, garlic and pecorino cheese.

Stefano’s mum pulled out a big piece of wood from the cupboard and set up her station. She laid the board down on the table and beside it, a wooden rolling pin about the width of the table. She pulled out a bag of 00 flour, a couple of eggs and a fork.

I was about to learn how to make a traditional Italian pastry from a real Italian woman.

The Perfect Roll Cake

It’s weird to get excited about roll cake.

Even though I love all forms of pastry and sweets, roll cake doesn’t quite get my pulse racing.  I enjoy it when craving cake, but I never find it memorable… until I finally had the roll cake that changed my mind.

Chocolate soufflé à la Joël Robuchon

I’ve been admiring the chocolate soufflé at work for almost a year now.

I first had it in mid-January.

It was my second day on my new job at Robuchon. I was cleaning down and keeping to myself when my sous chef called me over. She insisted that I try their chocolate soufflé. She said it was one of her favourites.

She pulled two black ramekins from the oven and placed them on a plate with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

The first time I ever tried our chocolate souffle.

They had risen beautifully. The surface was smooth and even.

They were the most beautiful soufflés I had ever seen.

She passed me a spoon and told me to go ahead.

I looked around at my co-workers who were cleaning down. No one paid the slightest attention to the perfection that had just come out of the oven.

“Um..does anyone else want some?” I asked shyly.

“No la, all for you. Just eat ah.” My sous chef insisted.

I dug in, embarrassed that I was the only one eating this gorgeous soufflé.

Sometimes there are certain foods that never really interest us until we eat that one version of it that changes our mind completely.

This soufflé was it for me.

Coconut everything

Bruce and I set “eating goals” whenever we travel.

When we travel, we explore with our stomach. The goals become our map and help us find our way through new places.

For Vietnam, Bruce wanted to eat pho on the street, and sip on Vietnamese iced coffee and eat tons of exotic fruit. Bánh xèo, fresh seafood, thirst-quenching sugar cane juice and sticky rice, those were on the list too.

As for me, I had a personal eating side goal: eat as  much coconut as humanly possible.

I LOVE COCONUT.

From HK milk tea to Vietnamese iced coffee

Just a few days ago, we had our last  milk tea at our favourite cha chaan teng.

Now, 3 days into our vacation in Vietnam, we’ve already racked up about 8 Vietnamese iced coffees between the two of us.

I am not a coffee drinker, but Vietnamese iced coffee is a delicious exception.

7 Years Later

“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t- you’re right.”

-Henry Ford

And finally, there are only 2 more sleeps left until our mini-vacation.

This trip will mark my 3rd time back to my familys’ home country.

As our excitement builds, I am growing strangely reminiscent of my last time there.

When I look back at my life so far, it’s divided into “Before Vietnam” and “After Vietnam”.

Cookies & heartaches

It’s been three days since one of my bestest friends left Hong Kong.

Teamwork

Yesterday at work I was brought to tears.

They weren’t tears of joy, or pain, but an unusual combination of the two.

Add oil

I love my co-workers for many reasons. I love how hardworking they all are, dedicated, passionate, how modest and how incredibly kind they are. Especially to me.

Though they certainly don’t have to, they invite me everywhere and include me in their secrets.

And Cantonese Whatsapp conversations.