Author Archives: Qin Xie

Opium, Soho

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published in Scout London Magazine January 28 – February 03 2013 Issue number 25:

With history in mind, one might find a restaurant named Opium in Chinatown to be somewhat bad taste. As it goes, this is anything but. Like its neighbours, the Experimental Cocktail Club, it is nestled high above the Chinese eateries we know the area for. Owners Dre Masso and Eric Yu have drawn inspiration from 19th century opium dens in their theme. A smoking signature cocktail made with kaffir lime, mandarin, absinthe and rum is a pleasing shock to the system; a toilet that shouts at you is just shocking. A smattering of dim sum make up the single-page food menu, and the scallop, coriander and pea dumplings could rival any on Gerrard Street. The sesame and poppy lobster prawn toast is another must-try.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon: where France meets Japan

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published on Luxuria Lifestyle on 22nd January 2013:

It’s hard to pinpoint the L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon experience – it’s so overwhelming.  Let’s start with the concept.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a two Michelin-starred French restaurant offering a Japanese style counter service.  The man behind the brand is the French born and internationally acclaimed Joel Robuchon, once named “Chef of the Century” by Gault Millau and chair on the committee which produced Larousse Gastronomique. At the steering wheel is head chef Olivier Limousin, who has led a skilled and international team since the restaurant opened in 2006.

The food? All fabulously French; but that fresh, light and boasting-of-health kind that Robuchon is so well known for. And plentiful in inventiveness.  At the kitchen facing front-line of the counter, it feels like the menu is an endless list of options, each one equally meticulously prepared. Even as we made our way through seven savoury courses, many more perfect alternatives were created for other guests. Then there’s the sweets – but more on that later.

First, an aperitif of parmesan cappuccino with port opened up the palate – a shot of flavour that really didn’t need its spoon for delivery. Taste buds shaken up, it was time for the next few courses.  We started on two seafood courses – crab meat with tomato jelly and scallop carpaccio with sea urchins and lemony olive oil; both delicate in colour and bold in flavour. My preference for white wine materialised in an inspired matching of Spanish Albariño and Luxembourgeoise Rivaner.  More classic white wine matches followed: a mineral-laden Austrian Grüner Veltliner to green asparagus cappuccino; a well-perfumed Alsatian Gewürztraminer to seared duck foie gras with Muscat grapes; and a balanced creamy Mâcon to a soft boiled egg with Iberico ham and parsley oil.  If the courses and wines seem like they are arriving hard and fast, it’s because they were. But each course is delicate and each wine light, leaving plenty of room for conversation. Besides, attentive service from the other side of the counter offers the option of savouring pauses; if needed.  The final savoury course was a luxurious foie gras stuffed quail with truffled mash and the first red wine of the evening, an Austria St Laurent – a combination I would happily enjoy every day.

The surprise of the evening was actually the pre-dessert – a small crumble. Not only because it marked the end of seven marvellous courses that went by all too fast but also because it’s markedly different from the sorbets and mousses so often presented for this interlude.  The arrival of the pre-dessert also introduced two intricate antidotes to my sweet tooth.  The first is a variation of La Sphere, a fruit and cream filled spherical structure, and the second, Le Minty, was a juxtaposition of mint chocolate, mint sorbet and milk foam. “Straw wine” from South Africa and a ’99 port tamed and embraced the sugar, fruit, mint and chocolaty tannins. Simply divine.

There it is, all ten courses of the l’Atelier de Joel Robuchon experience; perfection which began and ended with port. How difficult it is to pick a favourite from all these impossibly intricate combinations. Behind all the courses, though, is a solid back bone – one supported by skill, well-travelled exploration of ingredients and fresh-faced classical French cuisine.

One thing is for sure though, it is not somewhere to return to but somewhere to frequent.

Tonkotsu, Soho

by Qin Xie | 1 Comment

Published in Scout London Magazine January 21 – 27 2013 Issue number 24:

Tonkotsu review, Scout London

Tonkotsu is the sort of place you can follow your nose to; the bubbling stock-pot by the window is surely designed to lure in passers-by. Owned by the people behind Tsuru Sushi, this new venture skilfully rides the wave of noodle fever currently flooding Soho. As is usually the case with anything namesake, the tonkotsu noodle dish (which translates as ‘pork bone’) is one to try. Creamy and only slightly gelatinous from the pork stock, with a fragrant edge coming from near-raw spring onions, it’s salivating stuff to slurp your way through. The rest of the menu is simple and compact. Ramen sit with sides such as prawn and pork gyoza, edamame and crisp deep-fried chicken karaage, but it’s the noodles which bring in the oodles.

Ten facts about vanilla from Pure Vanilla

by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published on Life in Luxury on 15th January 2013:

Pure Vanilla provides an in-depth guide to vanilla including its species, origins, history and tasting notes. The author, Shauna Sever, is an American baking blogger and former investigative journalist and TV presenter.

There are 85 recipes in the book, split into six chapters (breakfasts, cakes and pies, cookies and bars, candies and confections, custards and creams, drinks), across 160 pages.

Here are a few facts about vanilla from the book:

  1. The Totonac Indians were credited as the first to discover vanilla. They then introduced their techniques for working with vanilla to their conquerors the Aztecs.
  2. Vanilla was produced exclusively in Mexico until 1836 when the secrets of its pollination was discovered. Before then, though vanilla plants grew in other parts of the world where it was transplanted, pods were never produced.
  3. Edmond Albius, the twelve-year-old son of a slave on the island of Réunion is credited with discovering the method of hand pollination which is still used in vanilla production today.
  4. When the vanilla plant flowers, the farmers have just 12 hours to hand pollinate each bloom to produce the seed pods.
  5. After hand harvesting, the vanilla pods must be killed (to stop their development), sweated (stored in a high humidity-environment), dried and then conditioned (to allow flavours and aromas to develop).
  6. Where vanilla production is particularly competitive, such as in Madagascar, the pods might be branded or “tattooed” at the green-pod stage to identify the producer and secure ownership.
  7. Today, vanilla is the most widely used flavouring and ingredient in the world. It’s allegedly even more popular than chocolate.
  8. Americans are responsible for consuming roughly half of all vanilla produced globally. Most of it is in ice cream and soft drinks but it’s also used to scent products and perfumes.
  9. Extracts, pastes, powders and ground beans are best stored in dark-coloured, tightly capped jars. Whole beans should be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a zip-top bag to retain moisture.
  10. Whole vanilla beans will keep for up to a year while extracts will keep for years. To revive dried vanilla pods, simply soak briefly in hot water.