Pastry Chef Akiyama and I have been working on our new Desserts Menu over the past week.

Equal importance is placed on our Desserts Menu, as all courses of a dinner are significant as each other.

Whilst contemplating the menu, we had to consider that the dishes needed to have an Asiatic flavour, and at the same time also acknowledge the ingredients available locally and the current season.

Our new Dinner Menu will be released on the 1st of June, meanwhile, the new Desserts Menu is already on offer.

Soy Milk Panna Cotta with Fresh Fruits and Organic Orange “Granizada”

The Soy Milk Panna Cotta is luxuriously silky and the Organic Orange “Granizada” adds a light and refreshing “Tang”. Out of all the new desserts, this is my favourite.

Mascarpone Mousse with Apricot Ice Cream

This is really a take on one of our earlier desserts called “Green Tea Tiramisu”. Though the dish sounds heavy, the mousse is quite light and fluffy (caused by the folded in egg whites). The Apricot Ice Cream, like all our Ice Creams and Sorbets, is homemade. The Sesame and Poopy Seed Tuile add a nice “crunch”.

Semi-Solid Piña Colada.

This is a homage to the tropical cocktail. Pineapple and Vodka Jelly sits on top of a chilled smoothie-like Pineapple and Coconut sauce. Coconut Sorbet and dried sliced Pineapple finish it off. Definately a dessert for the summer.

Millefuille of Sesame and Green Tea.

Passion Fruit and Orange Reduction, Sesame Cream, Fresh Strawberries, Cramelised Sweet Pastry and Green Tea Ice Cream.

This is the biggest of our desserts, for those with a healthy appetite and those not watching their waistline.

This menu was created with our ideas being tossed in the air and back and forth. Most of the compliments must go to Akiyama, who has worked the hardest on these dishes. The most I had to do was taste them (I know, its a tough job, but someone has to do it. )

The desserts will be changed and more added as the season continues, based on whether a particular dessert does well or not. After all, its the diner that has the final say.

A kind of “Voting with taste buds!”.

This week we made some Banh Xeo, also known as Vietnamese Crepes.

Filled with a mixture of Pork and Ear Mushrooms, and served with a little Sweet Chilli Sauce, these went down really well. The Banh Xeo were cut in to 5cm discs, making them a nice sized Amuse Bouche.

(The Laocooks wrapped whole Banh Xeo´s and ate them as dinner, with loads of Bean Sprouts and Chilli Oil! )

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A 900g Lobster found its way to our chopping boards. There has been a lot said about eating Lobster Sashimi. There are people against it, and people who love it.

Yes, the Lobster is alive and well until dispatched “a la minute”. Some people find that cruel, but hey, Chicken is alive and pecking before being dispatched too…

The Lobster Roe is removed and briefly boiled and served alongside the tail meat that has been removed, sliced, cleaned and dipped in to ice water.

Unless you are eating “Sao Noi Disco” or Oysters, I dont think that you can get “fresher food” than this.

Fresh Lobster Sashimi is expensive in restaurants, and to ensure “freshness” it is normally shown to you before being taken to the kitchens. Perhaps actually seeing your dinner alive before eating it can put some people off, however, to others it just makes their mouths water… yummy…

The reason why the tail meat is given an Ice Bath before serving is to “crisp” up the texture.

After the Sashimi is finished, the head joins the Claw Meat in a tangy and spicy Lobster Tom Yum.

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Talking about Sashimi´s, we served up some Kobe Beef in the same manner.

Yes, its really expensive, but is it worth it? Hell yes!

There are many grades of Kobe or Wagyu Beef, and many various cuts available. Our cut is the Tenderloin, though most restaurants serve the Sirloin (aesthetically it is better as it shows more of the “marbled meat”).

Our Kobe Sashimi is served as is, with only Wasabi and Soy Sauce as condiments. I believe that there is no need to complicate the taste of such a beautiful ingredient.

Obviously, “lesser cuts” could be made up in to Burgers or Meatballs, but that would be like buying a “replica” Rolex at the Morning Market.

Its easy for restaurants to buy these “lesser cuts”, mince them up with other meats and sell Burgers for 50€ each after calling them “Kobe Burgers”.

In my opinion, if you want to try Kobe Beef, order the best, you´ll enjoy it more, trust me…

And for those of you who would shudder at the prospect of eating undressed raw meat (yep, the same people who don’t like Lobster Sashimi ), we also served it grilled.

The meat must be left out at room temperature for a while before being placed on a grill that is “hot as you dare“. And it should only get briefly acquainted with the heat for a matter of seconds.

This too is served with minimal fuss. A few crystals of Sea Salt to perk it up is all that is needed. Serving such a majestic cut with a sauce (or worse still, a mustard!) is like having a “Barbers shop on the steps of the Guillotine“.

“Short back and sides sir?”

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Like most Expats here, I find that I miss those foods and drinks that are so common “back home”. Things that most people take for granted.

Luckily, Gibraltar is not too far from here, and I am able to get hold of British items, foods and beverages.

One thing that I really miss is a good pint of Guinness. Okay, its not British, but you know what I mean.

Some Theme Bars here serve Guinness, but it doesn’t taste the same as sipping a pint in rainy London. So in good old Laocook fashion, I decided to make my own…

With some help from a homebrew kit and lots of “trial and error”, I can now enjoy my Stout whenever I want.

All I need now is the Rain!

Laocook Stout, who ever would have thought about that?….

These small Amuse Bouche bowls are filled with Junior´s “Beetroot and Garlic Purée which sits on a Tamarind Jelly with Cod Flakes and Orange Segment”.

Beetroots are grown on site and have a lovely colour. Ours tend to be a little sweet, so we decided to add some Garlic and a small amount of cream. The Tamarind Jelly adds a sharp tang, whilst the Cod adds a slight saltiness. Though unusual, it is a nice combination of flavours and textures.

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Our Chef Selection Sushi by Kuchi (though now we call him Gucci! ) have a colourful presentation.

Avocado, King Prawns, Salmon, Tuna and Mackerel.

Extremely easy to eat (we should know, we ate loads! ).

It seems that everyone loves the creaminess of Avocados, and we like to use them whenever we get the chance. If you buy Avocados that are a little under-ripe, just leave them out at room temperature until ripened to your liking, then place them in the bottom of the fridge (the cold will stop the fruit from ripening further).

To stop the Avocado from changing colour, add a few drops of Lime (or lemon) Juice and cover with Cling Film until needed. Above you can see our Seasoned Avocado with King Prawn on Shallot Oil Toast with Volcanic Salt.

The “Red Powder” you can see is made with cooked and dried Lobster Roe.

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This week we have found another use for “Laotian Salad Dressing” which is made with cooked Egg Yolks.

We enjoyed the light tang and body of the dressing and decided to add it to some grilled fish.

The dressing is made in more or less the traditional manner, then passed through a fine chinois before being placed in a Sifon. It can be used either warm or cold .

It certainly perks up a dish and when served cold can be used used directly on any Summer Salad.

We are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for our 2008 Summer Internships.

The Internships are unpaid, though accommodation will be provided.

Work experience will be within the Central Kitchen, Sushi and Pastry sections.

The candidates that we are looking for should have some catering experience either in hotels or restaurants, be able to work well under pressure and willing to learn.

The time frame can be suited to individual needs, though there is a requirement of a minimum of 6 weeks.

Contact information can be seen at the end of the LCTV presentation below.

We get strange looks when this Amuse Bouche is placed on the table.

“Tomato Soup with Grapes”, present our Service staff.

“But where is the Tomato?”, quiz our guests.

It is only when they taste it do they realise that it is packed with Tomatoes.

It is a wonderful way to start a dinner, this chilled soup is easy to make and leaves a lasting impression.

It all begins with the Service Staff telling the diners that it is a “Tomato Soup“. Immediately you think that it should be reddish, or you think that the staff are playing a joke on you , or have made a mistake .

The surprise arrives when you actually taste it, as as I said above, it is packed with Tomato flavour.

The Grapes have been peeled and deseeded, then placed in the freezer for 20 minutes.

The clear chilled Tomato soup added, this too has been chilled in the freezer for the same amount of time.

To make the clear Tomato Soup/Essence/Consomme, Tomatoes are semi-blitzed with a few Basil and Coriander Leaves before being placed in a Superbag (you can do this with a clean damp cloth) and hung in the fridge overnight. The drips of “juice” will slowly filter through and will be very clear, but will be packed with flavour.

This liquid can be served warm (heat it up slowly) or chilled, which I think is better.

As I said, the surprise arrives with the taste, mainly because we associate Tomatoes with the reddness of their skins. Much the same as we associate Red Wine with Red Grapes, even though Red Grapes also produce a clear liquid (the Red Wine “Colour” is obtained from their skins).

Different versions of this soup are being worked on. We are extremely excited about a clear “Tum Mhak Deng” Soup, which will be served with Chilli Flakes for the brave.

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We have also reworked the presentation of our Tuna Sashimi with Gazpacho. Instead of pounding the Shallot Toasts, we have decided to serve them as small cubes, and less Basil is used as we have doubled the Coriander in the Oil.

Spain probably has some of the best Hams in the world. Known locally as Jamón (pronounced “Hammon”) it is sold in nearly every tapas bars, local restaurants and eateries.

There are many different types of Jamón available, though the acorn fed “Jamón Ibérico de Bellota” is without question the “King of Jamón”.

Some of the best Jamóns are cured for more than two years, and their flavour unrivalled.

What we are concentrating on is the fat.

This is no normal pork fat, it has a delicious nutty aroma, and when thinly sliced, just melts in the mouth. It is taken from the thickest part of the Jamón, which acts as protection for the wonderful ham during the curing process.

When preparing the Jamón, a large wedge of fat is normally sliced off and reused to cover the exposed part of the meat to stop it from drying out.

We used paper-thin slices of fat to cover our Marinated Sardines.

Just before serving, we go over the fat with a blow torch, set on low, so that the heat just melts the fat and doesn’t burn it.

Using the fat with fish is a great idea, it lends a special taste, a kind of marriage between land and sea.

Another dish which featured the fat was our Tuna Sashimi with Gazpacho.

This time Tuna Sashimi was wrapped in a thin layer of fat and Coriander and Basil Oil is drizzled around the plate, when the dish arrives to the table, our Service staff pour around some Gazpacho. It is a refreshing dish, and the slightly garlicky Gazpacho and Oils blend well, and the Tuna and fat is soft and very easy to eat. Shallot Oil Toast Crumbs give it a crunchy texture.

It is not really a Soup, or a Sashimi, but we will definitely be making more…

It is always a pleasure to work with great ingredients. One of the front runners has to be Caviar.

Inspecting the contents of a whopping 950g tin.

Expensive, but well worth the money, and needless to say it is one of my favourite “things in life”.

What I would really love to serve is Sturgeon Sushi topped with a spoonful of Caviar, but sadly we cannot get hold of fresh Sturgeon here.

In the meantime we use Caviar to adorn some simple dishes.

Caviar Moscovite, a dish that I recently learned to make uses potatoes that have been cooked, had the flesh scooped out which is then mixed with cream, salt and white pepper to make a creamy puree and piped back.

It is then topped with a spoonful of Caviar whilst still warm and served immediately.

(Thanks to Dries (prounounced Driss), one of the hotel cooks for the recipe)

Another great way to serve Caviar is simply on toast, with some Sour Cream.

We served this as our Amuse Bouche tonight, which went down a treat.

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This week our Sushi Chefs have been busy.

Sushi Boxes featured in our local “Feria de Tapas” (Tapas fair).

Our two Sushi Chefs, Saki and Kuchi prepare the boxes.

We served up the small boxes with Salmon, Tuna and King Prawns. The boxes sold for 5€ each alongside some Spanish Tapas that were available.

At the same time Saki and Kuchi were preparing Sushi for a buffet at the hotel.

Our Fishmonger has been happy with us this week.

Talking about fish, it is not only served raw at the restaurant.

Seabass, filleted and simply grilled and served with vegetables.

The green oil is made from Coriander and Olive Oil with a touch of Garlic.

We like to fillet the fish and debone it at the last possible moment. Luckily our Sushi Chefs tend to the job in a matter of seconds.

Another “sea” ingredient that we have used over the past week is our Octopus Chips. Fried in abundant sunflower oil, they puff up and have a wonderful crunchy and light texture.

The process of making the chips takes about 4 days, which includes the “drying out” time. Paprika Salt gives them a “Spanish touch”.

Many people eating them can be forgiven for mistaking them for factory made Prawn Crackers, but the flavour is more pronounced and “homemade”. It is easy to rip open a packet and plunge it in to the fryer, but the satisfaction that you get from making your own is overwhelming and immensely satisfying.

Sometimes it is the simple things that make you pay attention. Like restaurant made bread, or grissini or even a tapenade.

We even smoke and marinade our own Salmon, which is used for our breakfast buffet. That way we can control the quality and flavour. That is one of the pleasures of working in a Five Star Hotel, we have all the best equipment and ingredients at our disposal, which in turn, we hope produces the best quality for our guests.

Talking about Salmon, the other day I was reminiscing about London and the fantastic Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Bagels that you can find at the all-night bakery in Whitechapel (I often remember the food before I remember the place ). It has been years since I had a Bagel, and I had just finished making a batch of Salmon, so I thought “why not” and made up a batch of Bagels for the Laocooks.

Okay, lets be honest, Cream Cheese is not a flavour that the Laocooks like, but at least I enjoyed them….