Birthday DInner Chez Albert

Interior of Chez Albert

Deep fried duck skin and pickled veg appetitzer

Terrine of shrimp & chicken, with salad entree

Foie Gras, smoked duck wuth salad and chutney entree

Our table

Roasted duck with raspberry sauce and pan-fried artichoke

Cross-section of roasted duck

Grilled Tuna and Potatoes (sauce unknown)

Pan-fried swordfish with squid ink risotto

Birthday tiramisu

Strawberries & raspberries with creme anglais

Chocolate brownie with creme anglais & chantilly

We went to Chez Albert for our sister's 30th birthday.
Good food and family time.

Osyter Lunch at Les Halles

Papa treated mon mari & I at Maison Rousseau in Les Halles for some oysters.
1 dozen each person to be exact!
Whoa!

Seafood Waterzooi

It's a easy and delicious meal.
I adapted from this recipe and made a seafood one.
The broth is made from cooking shrimp shells in salted water.

British Airways Meals

For dinner: Tilapia with Tomato and Fennel Sauce, rice pudding sprinked with pistachio bits for dessert

 

Breakfast: Omelette with mushroom & tomato, a seeded muffin for dessert

 

Ok, I decided to do a airplane food segment.
Actually I have the idea for some time but I kept forgetting to take the pics
so finally on my last flight from Brussels back to Singapore,
I remembered to start my documentation of airplane food!! En fin!!

Seafood in Ostende

The restaurant offers little shrimps for appetizer.

Wah! I hope I can finish this big piece of plaice!

A salmon plate but the salmon is obscured by the thick sauce.

 We went on a day trip to the beach in Ostend, on the Belgium coast
to enjoy the sun and for a dip in the sea. (Not me though... It's too cold for me, the North Sea!)

For dinner, we went to Restaurant Adelientje whose specialties are seafood from the North Sea.
It's a small and lovely place and less pricey than than restaurants in this busy seaside town. 
Mon ami & I had the plaice that is in season which is delicious.
Our plaices had eggs in them.
I love fish eggs :)
Antonin, our friend had the salmon with ostendaise sauce.

Fish & Chips in London

Ok, it says "Closed" on the door because I was 10 mins early.

It's not deserted. The cook is behind that wall and you can see the top of the waitress's head at the coffee machine.

Yay! Here is my fish & chips!
Check out the cute tomato shaped ketchup bottle!

First meal in London, FISH & CHIPS!!!

Timeout London recommended Golden Union for low priced fish & chips.

Yes, I did my homework first.

I can't just wander around London for fish & chips and hope for a good one.

I douse my fish & chips with vinegar. Yum!

It softens the hard, greasy & hot batter on the fish.  

The cod is generous, flakey & moist.

I can't say it's the best fish & chips I ever had
because I have a wonderful memory of an awesome fish & chips I had in Edinburgh
in 1997 when I was there for a school trip. ☺
Nonetheless, Golden Union fish & chips is decent
and it's inexpensive at £8.50 (the tartar sauce cost £1.50! though. I could have opted out if I've known) 

J'ai faim Encore...

We ate lunch at home.

It was some chicken and spinach and minestrone soup.

We were still hungry.

Ok, to Les Halles for some oysters.

Ok, throw in a sea urchin.

It's allowed. It's the holidays. 

Chinese Mitten Crabs

It's chinese mitten crab season!
They are constantly mentioned on TV these days that I just got to taste them.
These crabs are imported from China
and are more expensive than regular crabs we got here in Singapore.


Dad bought 5 home and we steamed them for dinner.
Yum!
The flesh and the roe are so succulent and sweet!

Moules Frites

Before

After

Mussels and fries.

Mussels prepared by mon ami's studio mates.

Fries bought from a friture. It's Belgium, home of the best fries and beer.

Road Trip to the South: I got the blues... for tuna taco

In Clarkedale, MS, we ate the first & BEST tuna tacos EVER!!!

Tart cabbage slaw paired with smokey seared tuna still pink in the center...OoooooOooo 

The place is called Oxbow. 

I got a tuna salad also, yum yum yum!

Check out the menu!
It's short, it's simple, it do what it does best.
You don't need to sell a million items in a shop.

Oh, why aren't you everywhere O' good tuna taco?
If only Oxbow set up shops EVERYWHERE!
I will be its loyal customer.
I will queue up in its long line.
I will name drop it in every conversation.
I will make everyone who loves me love it too.

(No comment on music even though 
Clarkedale is supposed to be the home of the Blues.(??)

But I know NOTHING about the Blues.
If Shug Avery in The Color Purple was singing The Blues,
then I think the Blues is very lovely indeed)