More plates that make me happy

There are quite a few steakhouses in Kuwait, most of them are fairly decent sometimes. The Terrace Grill at JW Marriott is, to me, the most consistent. Plus they have something that makes me generally happy and that is venison. Although a few days ago, and a few other times i've been, they've been out of stock of the venison, they stated that the supplier didn't supply. When they don't have venison, I like their steak more than the other places, but if the venison is in stock, then the venison is what I go for.
Perfectly grilled to a nice medium rare, served with the sauces and sides you'd expect from a good steakhouse, the venison makes my day. It's tasty, has a beautiful flavour that I enjoy perhaps more than beef... i could eat this very often.

UPDATE: since I posted this, venison has been removed from the menu at the Terrace Grill due to inconsistent sourcing from vendors. dammit.

Plates that make me happy

This always puts me in a good place. Green curry with baby eggplants at Pataya, which is still one of my favourite places to eat in Kuwait. I know I have reviewed some restaurants in Kuwait and my opinion of some have changed since I wrote about them, but not Pataya. Pataya beach remains strong to this day.

The green curry is aromatic and, to me, the viscosity of the coconut milk and its reaction to the rice is vital and, here, done just right. The grains should remain distinct, each coated with a soft thick film of curry. The eggplants and chicken should be properly cooked to be soft yet distinct. Hints of holy basil and lemongrass uplift the dish, especially if it's a bit spicy. This is a dish i could eat often, very often.

Asian desserts - Malaysian / Singaporean

In Rasa Sayang, Chinatown, London, I had some remarkable food. While a bit disappointed with their beef randang, I had a great spicy vegetable and tofu curry and a great sago dessert.
The sago was served clumped in a cup with condensed milk and a strong coffee syrup. It capped the spicy meal very well. As I broke up the sago and let them float in the sweet coffee / milk, i was entranced in the ritual, i couldn't stop.

I don't know why I'm fascinated with asian desserts these days. It started in Japan, in Kyoto. i saw some strange looking green tea wobbly things. I tried one and I was hooked, it made sense for a dessert not to be that sweet, to be made of elements that I would expect in a salty dish. I then fell in love with thai coconut milk and sticky rice desserts, chinese dumplings with sesame and ginger, and I continue to explore and learn.

Is one enough?

Sometimes you have in front of you a box of chocolates. That box has a lot of different chocolates. Sometimes, you can eat the whole box, but sometimes the chocolates are so dense and packed with flavour that you can only savour one at a time. This was the case with this collection of Paul A Young chocolates I got in London recently. These chocolate craftsmen are very inventive with their flavours and aromas. Salted caramel was brilliant, but they had a version with cigar infused onto the outside to give a warmth and a sensation to the lips; the mandarin bonbons had a creamy filling with multiple layers of mandarin, from the juice, with hints of lemon, lime, and rinds. These are complex chocolates and they were great. However, while there is a place and a time for them, sometimes you want more than one chocolate, and it would be a shame to do that with these.

My point of view.

What is my point of keeping this blog going? I realize that it's a way to measure my knowledge on something that I consider a hobby. I think as I constantly criticize the people that compose half my genetic makeup for having inane hobbies, those same genetics led me to a similar path. However, I could always just keep it to myself. My Myers-Briggs personality assessment tells me that I'm a very strong introvert, and I'm working on that, and I do see the point. I hope to gain insight from others, and share as others do what they like in the world.

I also want better food in Kuwait. Dammit. We have some great food, and as a standard, I think Kuwait's up there generally. However, I notice that our food habits have been exploited by globalism in the form of franchises. Our problem in Kuwait is that we never look at the development of ideas and standards of our own, we like to import everything, both materially and consciously. But as in the case of a rebellious teenager, there is a point in which the rest of the world has to be blocked out. If you keep on learning externally, you may end up being a sponge. If you internalize too much, you may end up being completely alienated in your thoughts. And since the world is never black or white, a compromise is always reached.

Institutions are important, whether individually or socially. Context must be understood effectively and the ideas should attempt to pick the strings of the existing mess and find elements that could be lifted, looked at and improved before being relaxed into reality. Critical assessment, thought, opinion are very important. They not only define the individual point of view, but they relate to the larger mess of things in which everything is interconnected. I firmly believe in the relativity of systems and how one small improvement can mean so much. However, if, like in contemporary pop music, we just fill in formulas based on market assessment, brand strength, then what more than profit are we achieving? of course, any business must be profitable, but if it a direct target, you end up getting plastic, food included. Profit should emerge from how good you are. Educate the market by setting examples of what is possible with what we have, and the demand for excellence will be there.

With that in mind, my next couple of entries will be discussing some dishes I had on my recent trip. Good food is good food, no matter where it is.

This is one of Kenichi's classics. Carrot battle. I've watched it twice so far in Ithaca.

In Ithaca

I forgot how good food is in Kuwait. Is my point of view a subjective qualification or is it one that reflects adaptation with age? I feel that my micro-culture, the one that extends around me, has fostered a superb appreciation for the culinary arts. I reflect about this as I linger around Ithaca, NY in the evenings, after I'm done with training. I wasn't sure what to expect but all I can say is that I hope the meal I hope to have on Friday will make it better. I went to a place that advertised itself as "Korean BBQ" on its entrance, however was disappointed to find out that their recommendation was fried rice with beef. I was too hungry, I ordered it. A plate with rice, frozen chopped vegetables, questionable beef and a black lagoon of stained mushy vegetables. The side of pickled radish (i believe), raw onions and drop of black bean paste/sauce. I ate most because I was starving, and it didn't necessary offend as much as underwhelm. I miss my kitchen, I miss Pataya Beach.