Intermezzo 7 - Xurros

We had our fair share of churros (Catalan: xurros) on our recent trip down the east coast of Spain - from convenience stores, to fast food chains, to dedicated churrerias run by aged members of the Gremi de Artesans Xurrers de Catalonia (yes, it exists). Our favourite rendition was served at a small storefront in Barcelona's El Born district - a friendly and unassuming husband-and-wife team with more than 40 years of experience run Xurreria Layetana.

Locals drift in and out for coffee, hot chocolate, or piping hot churros. Freshness counts - the old man was continuously frying up small batches of churros and porras (a larger, yeastier cousin). The texture of the churros here was remarkable - lighter than every other place we tried. No need for sugar on these - the light sweetness of the dough suffices. And that chocolate... nearly thick enough to hold a spoon upright. The damage? €3 - a steal for a breakfast of this quality.

Xocolata amb xurros - Xurreria Layetana, Barcelona, Spain (2014)

Intermezzo 6 - Consolation

I posted a disappointing time in Long Beach this weekend, in what should've been a very easy race. I was keeping up with the 3:15 pacer until I was waylaid by a terrible case of side stitches 3 miles from the finish line - this from someone who virtually never experiences them. In any event, I had to run-walk the remainder of the race (although I was proud of my kick in the last half-mile) and finished way off my goal time, and 3 minutes over my PR.

Such a performance did not deserve the congratulatory breakfast I had planned at the one-and-only Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, so we settled for a consolation meal on the way home. Eat your vegetables, kids.

Rapini, cherry tomatoes, anchovies, chili - Pizzeria Mozza, Newport Beach, CA (2012)

Intermezzo 5 - Sacher-Torte

This is one of Vienna's most famous delicacies, dating back to its creation by Franz Sacher in 1832. It is a (fairly dry) chocolate cake coated with apricot jam and an icing of dark chocolate. Strong-tasting, but not overly sweet, allowing the quality of the chocolate to come through. Sacher-Torte is traditionally served with unsweetened whipped cream and a cup of good coffee to counter its dryness.

To this day, its recipe is a closely-guarded secret, although there are undoubtedly many pretenders to the throne - indeed, legal battles have erupted over claims to the "Original Sacher-Torte". The cakes are available in a number of sizes -  the one below is the second-smallest size (16 cm diameter), purchased from the Café Sacher in Vienna.

Sacher-Torte - Hotel Sacher, Vienna, Austria (2012)

Intermezzo 4 - Jacobsen's Farm

The media buzz about the French Laundry pop-up at Harrods brought to mind a recent visit to Jacobsen's Farm in Yountville. This tiny farm supplies exclusively to the TKRG properties, and as expected, the produce is superb. Our tour of the property revealed prime examples of many interesting plants, particularly chocolate mint, wild arugula, white Alpine strawberries, cardoons, wormwood (!), and the beautiful succulent pictured below (sadly, underused in this country).

Ficoïde glaciale - Jacobsen's Farm, Yountville, CA (2011)

Intermezzo 3 - Bouchon Bakery

I really like Bouchon Bakery - they produce some of the best French breads and pastries this side of the Atlantic. Thomas Keller's obsession with perfection is embodied in the precision and consistency of their baked goods. I never miss an opportunity to pick up something from the bakery, even if it's something as simple as a strawberry-rhubarb macaron (my favourite), a croissant, or an éclair (see below). The delicate puffiness of their choux pastry and flavour of the whipped cream literally make Bouchon Bakery's Chantilly éclairs the cream of the crop (pun intended).

Chantilly éclair - Bouchon Bakery, Yountville, CA (2011)

Intermezzo 2 - Ba gua (肉干)

Ba gua (肉干 - yoke gon in Cantonese; also known as long yoke in Malaysia) is a Chinese dried-meat product, traditionally made with minced pork that is shaped into thin slices and barbecued (although chicken and turkey versions are becoming increasingly common). Ba gua is popular in regions with a large Hokkien Chinese presence, and is especially sought after during festive seasons like the Chinese New Year. In Malaysia, the good stuff runs $5-7/lb - I purchased the ba gua below at a whopping $25/lb from Little Red Dot Kitchen, a small operation based in Sunnyvale, CA.

At its best, ba gua has a perfect balance of sweet and salty, with a hint of smokiness - the overall flavour should appeal to ones senses on a primal level. The mouthfeel will be slightly oily (but never overly greasy - the sign of poor-quality ba gua), and you should be able to really discern the texture of the meat in your mouth. Like great barbecue, there should be some char on the surface of each slice, but nothing overly burnt - this can be assessed and appreciated visually as well.

So how did the Californian ba gua fare? Honestly, not bad. It scratched an itch, and it's actually a decent representation of ba gua for the uninitiated. Would I buy more? Perhaps - the price is exorbitant for what it is, but the product is unique. But really, what I need to do is take a crack at making my own.

Ba gua - Little Red Dot Kitchen, Sunnyvale, CA (2011)

Intermezzo 1 - Octopus ice-cream

I was looking over some old photos today, and came across the following picture. Since this blog was created to catalog our most memorable experiences, it only seemed fair to include it here - one of the worst things I've ever tasted in my life. To this day, thinking about it still makes my stomach turn...

Octopus ice-cream - Namco Namjatown Ice Cream World, Tokyo, Japan (2008)