27 grams 二十七克: 食色food&sex

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:57:55 GMT

火锅与拉稀

每次吃完四川火锅都会拉稀，所以吃了许多肉，却不会长肉，很合适的买卖。拉稀的原因是整碗整碗的麻油，为了不烫嘴，但是肠子都给毁了。

毁了也不管，先顾嘴，再说别的，人生就是这样的顺序。

今天十八位，去的是跑马地的一家川菜馆子，去过的人都说火锅不错。

挺好的，叫骏景轩，在一家酒店里面。

其实我是吃不出好的火锅和好的火锅之间的差别的，坏的火锅很容辨认：不新鲜的或者质量比较次的原料，不是上好的麻油（更容易拉稀）和其他蘸料，汤里面用了太多有哈喇味道的牛油。如果过了这简单的几道关，对我来说，火锅的好坏都在于你是和谁一起吃的。

桌上都是熟人，玩笑开得没有遮拦，啤酒哗哗地入杯进肚，火锅自然是好的火锅。

我们吃了五份午餐肉，五份冻豆腐，可见火力。

之后在马场外边的一个叫“骑师”的小酒馆喝酒，坐六个人的车厢我们挤了十一个，甚是亲密，桌下随便抓一把都是收获，桌上的笑话更是句句都不离生命的关键。

我吃过的最好的火锅还是在重庆，那一年我十八岁，七月的正午，我们九个人在一个很简陋的小餐馆，无限的啤酒，咕嘟咕嘟的大铁锅，头顶上摇头晃脑的风扇，外边的温度是四十二度，里面可能更热。我们吃了42元钱。老板娘给我们算了46元5角。我虽然满脑袋酒气，但是还是看穿了她的把戏。呵呵。而且，我之后没有拉稀。

杨柳轻扬，直上冲霄九

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:13:42 GMT

请客吃饭

好久没在家里请客了。

鸡尾酒： Pimms 一号

小食：墨西哥玉米脆片蘸 1. Guacamole自制墨西哥鳄梨酱； 2. Melitzanosalata自制希腊茄子蒜泥酱

前菜：墨西哥烤薄饼，夹三种奶酪(英国cheddar，瑞士emmental，意大利parmigiano)，加西洋菜；配墨西哥番茄和洋葱色拉

正菜：XO酱拌兰州拉面；配酿青椒，酿墨鱼

甜品：冰香蕉酸奶；配朗姆酒热香蕉汁

干掉红酒六支，气泡白酒一支，Pimms一瓶，金酒半瓶，朗姆酒半瓶

mission impossible

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:22:17 GMT

mosaic@westin sydney

finished the day earlier but i was nearly finished myself anyway after hearing out a long monologue from a valued client. his views are eccentric and may surprise many as offbeat, arrogant or fantastic, but they nevertheless are true. basically, he wanted NOT to grant his investment managers a free option where they reap huge reward by taking on huge risks but simply walk away when the bets are off. sensible ideas, but i could see shock horror in the eyes of two colleagues who were with me.

rested a bit and walked to the chinatown. there was a seafood restaurant there where i had excellent abalone and steamed reef fish before. i was dithering over the significance that i now go back to a restaurant that i have tried before in a foreign city. shouldn't this make me feel sad? yesterday, when i checked in, i was presented with a nice fruit platter with a signed letter from the manager, welcoming me back to the hotel, informing me that this is the Nth time i am staying at the hotel and thanking me for my continued support. doesn't this tell me something?

before i could decide, i found out that the restaurant was fully booked, with a large crowd waiting outside to be seated.

okay.

so, i am turning back. i decided to eat at the hotel. i have been to the hotel restaurant many times before too but at least after a few glasses of nice wine from south australia, i could just stagger upstairs. this westin hotel sits in the heart of sydney CBD and was the old central post office with magnificent building and towel. tom cruise was airdropped onto its glass roof in one of the mission impossible movies. i sat underneath the roof.

had a seasonal special as the starter: a terrine of wild forest mushroom and duck leg confit, together with rocket and green pepper corn salad and a mashed potato salsa. it was interesting combination but not brilliant. when i finished the dish, the waiter came and asked me how it was. he explained that i am the first diner to have ordered that dish. i told him that it was good but not brilliant. mainly because the duck leg confit was not seasoned enough was a bit bland. you need something really substantial in flavour in order to match the scent from the wild mushroom.

i went for the most expensive dish on the menu for the main course, an australian wagyu beef cube served with broccolette and some form of potato with a fancy name (like dauphinois but in a round disc of several layers). the beef was perfect, juicy, flavorsome, with the right texture. the grilled surfaces with coarse sea salt added the enough, but not overpowering, contrast and highlight.

the australian wagyu beef is not as heavily marbled as the japanese counterpart. when you bite on a piece of meat, you do not feel that a thousand fatty bubbles bursting in your mouth. but it is nevertheless excellent quality beef.

i did not care for the dessert. i was ready to turtle back to my room, ruminating and musing.

人为什么吃饭？

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:37:42 GMT

OMG, 我是猪

本来今天匆匆赶回去也是可以的，但是我选择留到明天。

因为。。。참숯골！！！

CHAM SOOT GOL。首尔最好的餐馆。

之前来首尔五六次，每次一般一天，但是每次都少不了去Cham Soot Gol吃烤肉。

那里的烤肉，不是人吃的！

是神仙。

所以，昨天吃一顿，今天再吃一顿。

昨天去了点他们最好的牛肉，又是售罄。我过去来，回回都没有吃到。所以吃第二好的，吊了两个月的‘熟’牛。外加一碗冷面，几碟小菜，一瓶烧酒。

一生何求？

最后，我的职业精神占了上风，因为第二天要开会接客，一瓶酒没有喝完，剩了半瓶带走。

临走对老板娘连比带划讲清楚：明天大爷还来。把你的好肉留着！哈哈。

干了一天。

。。。的工作。头晕脑胀。去游泳。游回来发现体重没有减，反而增了！

不管。还是烤肉。

老板娘认出了我，笑吟吟的。直接让我上楼，进了有榻榻米的房间。第一次喔。

这就是传说中的最好的肉啊。

虽说没有两个月前在东京吃的那种牛肉的精益求精和一丝不苟，但是谁TMD能永远和到处是完美主义者呢？肉烤个半熟，沾几粒加了炒香芝麻的粗盐，就着翠绿的凉菜，芥末酱汁，各种滋味和感受在嘴里霹雳吧啦地爆炸。油糊糊，色迷迷的。

一杯冰凉的烧酒。

俗话说：神仙也能二进宫，处女也能作两回！

没吃够，又点一盘新鲜的牛脊骨肉。虽说也是第二贵的菜，一下就比出不足。

有道是：神仙出仙境，处女变熟女。

最后，一份豆腐泡菜汤，加米饭，结束战斗。

我站都站不起来了。唉，贪心的后果。

人为什么要吃？

嗯。。。

就跟见到上帝要叫的时候一样。

人吃，就是为了见上帝。呵呵。

跌跌撞撞回到酒店，没忘了给大堂的鲜花照相。。。

chop suey

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:32:42 GMT

南征北战

chop suey 是美国的中餐馆常有的一道菜，据说菜名来自中文的‘杂碎’。就是把什么乱七八糟的东西，包括猪肉啦，鸡肉啦，虾仁啦，豆芽菜啦什么都放到锅里，一通乱炒，出国前挤进些黏糊糊的浇汁，像马的鼻涕。我很少点它，因为我喜欢吃比较单一、能品得出每种原料味道的菜。想想跟我的性格也不无关系，我喜欢清清楚楚，明明白白，有些曲里拐弯人、有些黏黏糊糊事让我很摸不着头脑。

今天却做了次杂碎。

本来要打算六个月第一次去健身房，把我每月将近一千元的健身费捞回点儿。但是在办公室一晃悠，就到了八点，于是回家，不想吃速冻饺子，或者汤面，决定炒面。搜刮冰箱，网罗到如下原料：

半袋无锡茶叶豆腐干
一条白煮鸡腿
半根速冻芹菜
几片法国风干香肠
两块我们宁波人爱吃的酶腐，也叫醉腐
一根泰国小辣椒

还找到了些东北酸菜，但是觉得有些太杂碎，没有放。先煮了些意大利通心粉，cavatappi，像下水道的转弯管子。然后把我所有的东西切碎，快速炒了炒，倒入了刚刚熟还有些硬，al dente，的通心粉，一搅，香喷喷的。

倒了杯智利的Merlot，翘着腿，一边看运动员在墨尔本你死我活，一边享受我的劳动成果。嗯。。。

杂碎和网球，想到两件事。一是杂碎，我们那里指的是动物肚子里面的东西，一道名小吃就是羊杂碎。我从来都没有吃过，那个味道实在是能把人打倒。我中学的朋友斯兰很喜欢吃，他是回民。有一次他吃了一半，用汤匙舀出两粒黑乎乎的东西，说：老板，这是什么？老板看了，赶紧把黑东西丢进垃圾桶，说：师傅，你不要大声嘛，我给你再舀一碗。斯兰把另一碗也稀溜稀溜地吃掉了。二是网球，昨天在youtube上看到Djokovic模仿莎拉波娃发球的样子，把我从凳子上掉下来，现在后面还疼。

who laughs at the end...

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:19:09 GMT

嘲笑我吧，神户的牛

还有三个小时就要起床，可是白天喝多了咖啡，睡不着，只好上了飞机再补了。

接着说吃吧。昨天（现在已经是前天了）去一家牛肉店，早就瞄好了，这次学了教训，不去那些不起眼的小馆子，到高尚写字楼里的高尚馆子，至少有人懂英语。贵就贵点，回家开始节约。

当然是牛肉，当然是神户的。连吃了两次仙台的牛肉，这次吃最好的。

一盘上来，肩膀，肚子上的，后脊，外裙（这ＴＮＮＤ是哪里呢？），一片比一片靓，恨不得活生生吞下。是朝鲜馆子，所以自己烤。一盆暗中攒动的炭火，正是冬天和神牛所需要的。

一片片的肉，骄傲地、大大咧咧地躺在专门的轿子上，不能不说有些骄傲。神户的牛，喝啤酒，听古典音乐，每天有人按摩，都是我准备辛苦数十年退休以后专心做的事情。骄傲地有理。

进到嘴里，那肉间的一个个肥油细胞烟花般地爆发，而肉则在这烟花灿烂之中奢靡地变成温软、丰腴、甜美、有些娇艳的少妇（不能不想到《太阳依然升起》里面的陈冲），啪嗒啪嗒地、肆无忌惮地展示她的富有、妩媚和嬗变。

我软软地拜倒。

什么都比不上和家人、朋友吃饭。当然。

独食，又跟和家人、朋友吃饭差不多好，想不出比这更近的了。

救救我吧。

炭火，参酒，啤酒

泡菜三样，海鲜粥

鲜贝，蟹腿，牛舌，沙拉

生牛肉寿司

人参鸡汤

冰激凌，水果，蛋糕

传说中的陈冲

。。。。。。

eat and be

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:27:09 GMT

戒色，中；戒美食，不中

十二月二号，吉隆坡香格里拉的香宫。中餐馆，环境还好，望出去是竹林。褒两次的黄瓜海鲜汤，老黄瓜不软不硬，黄瓜的味道也只是隐隐约约的，与汤里的小虾，蟹腿，鱼片和象拔蚌相得益彰；避风塘炒虎头虾，真正用干蒜茸，虾末和碎瑶柱作炸屑，害得我连那些都吃了；鲜鱼炒芥兰，不是菜单上的菜，要叫厨师出来交代才行，呵呵。

十二月三日，吉隆坡皇城海鲜世界Seafood Paradise，在Jalan Conlay。和英国同事一起去的。点了活的大虾，濑尿虾，蚬，和通菜。濑尿虾尤其出色，里面的黄不必母的大闸蟹逊色，黄橙橙的，被虾肉包着，咬上去鲜得让人不忍离去。

十二月四日，中午晚上两顿都在这里吃的，Zipangu，因为好吃。中午的牛肉很嫩，火候恰到好处，牛肉基本上不用咬就可以滑下去了。晚上去吃了碗牛肉面，生的牛肉丢进一碗热汤里面，天堂食品。值得一提的是快速煎的三文鱼，只有外面几毫米是熟的，和里面的鱼肉形成很有趣味的舌头上的反差。

十二月六号，自己吃的晚饭，和田仓Wadakura。听说是很有名的一家。套餐要两万多。呵呵。牛肉是仙台的，我问穿着和服的中年服务员，她说现在东北面的一些牛肉是‘sensational’。这个词被许多英国电视上的厨子用到滥，但是这个口音很重的女人嘴里说出来，我觉得很诚恳。很好吃的一顿饭，可惜我要中间要求换座位，隔壁的七个中国同胞大声喧哗，旁若无人。别人都早早离去，我也实在坐不住了。换到了一的单间，但是里面的桌子只能坐两个人，很奇怪。

美食家入寝

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:18:51 GMT

a rumination of the culinary delights and lowlights of the last two weeks

Scossa, Place Victor Hugo

been there twice over the last two weeks in Paris already. just stumbled upon it by accident. quality seafood, no pretension. which is how seafood should be offered i think. typical parisienne brasserie set-up, with al-fresco dinning overlooking the lovely victor hugo square. on the first visit, i had the seafood platter, followed by the traditional sole meuniere. the sole meuniere was a little bit dry but worked perfectly with the herb infused olive oil. the arrangement of the seafood platter was quite a delight. i had a half of litre of sancerre, beautifully acid taste, sharp and crisp, balanced by nice flower nose. today, i went for the delectable spec gillardeau oysters, they were simply divine. i would have imagined that if a baby were to think about something even better tasting than a mother's breast, he would venture that it would be mother's belly. and the fat, succulent gillardeau would be something similar. full and layered texture, nuanced sea taste, nutty under tone. simply perfect. the main course of giant prowns came with a fortress of rocket salad, mixed with grilled peppers and infused with pepper oil. all washed down with a half litre of chilean white wine, mix of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, worked like a dream.

flora danica

prime location at the champs elysees, close to the arc de triomph. one of sophie's favourite eateries in paris, apparently with a one star from michellin. beautiful garden but it was closed because it was already quite cold outside. cuisine was franco-danish mix, emphasizing herring and salmon. i had a tartare de thon for starter, very tasty, they have taken care to get rid of the stringy bits of tuna which you sometimes find in a tuna tartar. very clean saue. the main course, saumon fume a chaud, was slightly disappointing. basically, a chunk of thick smoked salmon but then cooked in some wine. a bit salty, and salmon was never my kind of fish. (why i had to order one? it escaped me. oh, because sophie had it before. ;-). it was set on a bed of cooked iceberg lettuces with some beans, if with either, it would have been a good idea. but with both, it achieved far lower. a glass of chablis, nice and sharp, just the way my tongue liked, if not my stomach. white wine simply does not agree with me for some reason.

cafe de l'homme

amazing location at the trocadero, facing the eiffel tower. very nice building, with very high ceiling. the service was lousy as the room was filled with lunchtime business crowds. i had a big slab of beef rib, which came with the most giant potato chips that i have seen, the size of someone's wrist. it was non fussy, straightforward. then i had a chocolate cake, creamy, rich, oozing with gratification. yum yum.

view from the cafe de l'homme

东门

went to this local joint for a quick bite before going to see a 二人转晚会. it showed all the tell-tale signs of belonging to the bygone age: austere deco, bright light bulbs, plastic tables and chairs, idle waitresses who are more interested in the flies than the customers... having set the expectation low, what they brought up was quite a feast. i ordered four different kinds of steamed dumplings, each 3 liang, the smallest order, but they came! enough feed the whole army. the pastry has a nice bite to it and was flavorsome, and the fillings were beautifully done, which chunks of some ingredients to provide some variations on the texture. the leftover dumplings provided breakfast for two more days.

by the way, the 二人转晚会 was a bit unusual. all the women on stage were EXETREMELY rude, they swore like troopers and slapped their male counterparts with alarming frequency and harshness. i think it was okay for an experience, but not really going to be my idea of interesting entertainment. also, in the middle of the show, a brawl broke out in the front rows and two men hit another with some real venom. but for a while, most people thought that was part of the show too as on stage they were hitting each other non-stop. also, many people smoked in the theatre, i ended up smelling like a smoked salmon.

some nondescript farm house on the way back from the greatwall

we just entered the farmhouse with a sign outside indicating it provided food to passenger. but it was well past the lunch hour. the kitchen was a hygienic war zone and i almost passed out when my friend requested some salads. no, no, no. i played my usual trick under such circumstances, asking the host of mix various ingredients that were reasonably fresh. some scrambled eggs were order because they were the local delicacy?! but eggs are eggs and i could not tell a thing. always a safe bet when scrambled though - if you actually see the process of each egg gets cracked open, that it. the meat in the dishes was not fresh and the fat cat roaming under the table got the most of it. there was a thick layer of oil on top of the hot noodle soup. but i was too hungry to care.

beautiful beautiful beautiful chestnuts from that region. oh, i could die for them. and i would never want to eat those inferior chestnuts again!

(have to continue when back as my flight is now boarding in heathrow...)

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:03:54 GMT

留家厨房Kin's Kitchen

早就听人说得天花乱坠，今天去了之后的确有些失望。就在我新家几步路的地方，我常常从旁边走过，竟没有注意到。她的姊妹餐馆黄色门倒是经常去，现在已经成了午饭的一个固定节目，尤其是它的担担面、水煮牛肉、蒜心腊肉和干煸四季豆。

朋友说天后的留家厨房则更胜一筹，一般要一周前定位。我今天中午订的位，好像也没什么问题。我们两个人还被安排到一个四人台上。不过我们吃到一半的时候餐馆也坐了七成满。

点了它的清炒河虾仁、一条蒸鲳鱼（我们要点的狮头鱼没有了）、一盘虾酱通菜。虾仁很小，清香不足，我猜不是今天的新鲜虾。里面夹了些泡过又炸过的花生片，很好的点子，增加口感的多样化和香气，可是花生片有些变质的感觉。鲳鱼还不错，上面铺的豆豉、姜丝很鲜甜。鱼肉火候正好。通菜虾酱味道海行，不是太咸，但是不值68元一盘的价格。外加茶芥和例汤，两个人吃了将近600元。不觉得物有所值。

好在中午吃得很多，宫保茄子，里面有一些脆脆的咸菜，一份烧鸭，青菜，例汤，西瓜汁，总共50元。很好吃。

Flower Drum, Melbourne, Best Chinese Restaurant Anywhere

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 01:53:16 GMT

Visited there last night. Talking about being lucky, this restaurant is booked out months in advance. I was not planning to dine there. Happened to pass it so I dropped in and asked whether they would be find a table for me anyway. They did. And it was a very enjoyable dinner. Food and service were simply immaculate.

I had a baked crab to start with - a little too cheesy and buttery for my liking in a Chinese restaurant (but I guess three quarters of the patrons last night were well-heeded white australians and a few women were wearing evening gowns!) but full marks for innovation. Then I had two steamed abalone, devine. The texture was firm but not tough, the smell so full of ocean breeze (and I can often smell freshly showered skin when I eat abalone. But then I am weird.). The soy sauce was rich but certainly not overpowering. Then I went on to have some spicy ocean prawns. Large juicy prawns artfully shelled apart from a small section of the tail and opened, they curled up temptingly in a shallow bed of red chillies. I asked for some vegetables and I was given some asparagus, just lightly sauted, and they became the frame for the lovely dish. Then I ordered a portion of sweet sour soup. Yes, I sometimes take soup at the end and I think it suits me better. Again, all ingridient fresh and finely shredded, the level of spiciness and acidity just right. All in all, excellent. Not quite my best Chinese restaurant anywhere but not far from it. The bill was hefty, probably more than the GDP of Sudan, but I certainly do not have any qualms.

¬!"£$%^&*()_+

Got three emails asking me whether I am alright, why I am feeling lonely. Thank you. I am very well, I am alone but not feeling lonely. Not at all. Really. But thank you.

MoVida, bar de tapas, Melbourne

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 08:30:05 GMT

the best tapas bar this side of spain, by a country mile!

the dishes i had this time:

smoked and boned eel on a terrain of thinly sliced potatos and pancheta
large ocean prawns cooked in a spicy routotouille
a crispy bread with anchovy and some sweet fruity paste that i can not recall
slow cooked octopus, individually sliced and placed on top of scented young potato slices
to finish, soaked raspberry in yoghurt and coconut icecream, superb.

all these washed down with some cabernet merlot from margaret river, i can not remember the winemaker now. intense, full of blackcurrant and plum flavour, a metallic finish.

i was looking for what i had last time: a beef capaccio with soft poached egg and potato mousse, topped with truffle oil, out of this world.

hot chili and hot sex

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 12:51:07 GMT

managed to wiggle out of a client dinner to do one of my favourite things: to search for food in an alien place. i call this food-crashing. i was thinking to call it food-fumbling but changed my mind after i wrote this.

by the way, had an interesting meeting today, where a client told me in the face that he did not believe what we do makes money (or sense - come to think about it, did he actually say sense first?), he had no need for our services, he was 100% sure that what he currently does was correct. i acknowledged gracefully with a broad smile and said that i fully understood what he was saying and it was interesting to hear different views. U^&*%$^%*^^$%£%$&I%^$E%£$&%^$&$%!!!!!!!!!!!!

followed my instinct, which followed my whim as usual, i went to a long alley with bright neon and all sorts of activities. no, not that sort. think this is a deeply conservative country and they go to places like sanya and shenzhen for illicit deeds. those were all for fashion, ice-cream, little pink gifts, chocolateries and numerous coffee shops. it begs belief how many coffee shops there are, crammed into this tiny place but they seem all thriving.

got into a restaurant where there was no sign that i understood (apart from some pictures where nearly all restaurants display here). was presented a menu with basic english translation. all sort of cruel mutilations of a poor cow, i must add. and i have tried something similar last night, for a hefty sum. i ordered in english and my finger. the waitress told me rather abruptly, in chinese mandarin: speak pu-tong-hua to me, with a heavy accent from the northeast - i guess she saw the chinese book i was carrying with me. i was speechless for a moment, then said, oddly in english: yes, of course. then she was trying to guide me to the most expensive dishes and i left the restaurant in disgust. maybe i should have said that i fully understand what she was saying and it was equally interesting (and dear) to hear different views.

then crashed into the next restaurant. this one had about 5 dishes on offer and they all looked similar in picture. the english translation for each dish read: xxxxxxxx with age-old kimchi, only the korea name bit looked different. i ended up with a stone bowl of boiling mackerel with age-old kimchi and tons of garlic and hot chili. gosh, it was good. i had used roughly 25 pieces of tissues when i finished the dish. it was deadly hot. consuming hot dishes is rather like meeting an experienced, but perhaps slightly old, girl/woman from a parlour of ill repute. you hesitate beforehand. you cry and scream while at it (and you always do it too quickly!). and you immediately feel hungry and want to have more afterwards. okay, you might need to use 25 pieces of tissue paper as well. while your punishment for eating hot dishes comes the morning after, but the punishment for the other indulgence might follow you for a long while! that guilt. that trepidation. did i say that you might lose a nose too?

anyway, it was another altogether very enjoyable food-crashing experience and cost me next to nothing (i would be barely able to buy a half cup of tea at the posh hotel i am staying, and i am not sure which half!). there are fewer and fewer places that i can have the sheer pleasure of food crashing. many places i would know what i am ordering, even with local language menus (this incidentally includes japan). other place would be too unhygienic or dangerous to crash. but this is pure joy (and i want more already!!!)