Asia Nostalgia

I have been back from Asia for about three weeks now and find myself missing it so much! The trip was perfect. Thank you to everyone who joined me on my journey via the blog. It has been a lot of fun sharing my experiences with you. And a special shout out to my mom who spent hours planning this wonderful vacation! I love you Mom. Now that I added new pins on my travel map, I am planning my next trip! Until then, I will be taking a break from the blog.

See you all in about a month - XO, Nic

Peking Duck

Da Dong Duck

A trip to Beijing wouldn’t be complete without having some Peking Duck. On our last night, we visited Da Dong Duck Restaurant. Since this is one of the top places in Beijing to enjoy duck, we could only score an early reservation and were one of the first people in the restaurant. By 6pm, the entire place was packed. The restaurant has a smoky, woody smell to it as there are four fire pits where the ducks are cooked near the entrance. We watched as the chefs roasted the countless ducks right near our table. This restaurant is known for their “Super Lean” duck. Duck is known for being quite fatty, but Chef Dong has perfected the art of a crispy exterior, juicy interior all while eliminating half the fat content of the duck. The usual layer of fat you see under the skin of most ducks was absent here, but that didn’t detract from the taste at all.

One of the four ovens with the fire on 

I think the Chinese know best how to create menus. This was an entire novel on their menu, with a directory, descriptions and large pictures. Almost every dish comes in a standard, medium and large sizes, and some in individual portions as well.

 Cute duck utensil holders

We started with a braised eggplant (top) and a goose liver foie gras (bottom) with mushroom sauce (Both juicy and tasty).

We ordered half a duck with standard accompaniments that include sesame buns, crepes, duck soup, picked radishes, cucumbers, sugar, garlic crème and what was the standout for me – a gravy-like duck sauce with a soy sauce base. First, two chefs brought over our half duck and sliced it in front of us as we watched, our mouths drooling. Next, a waitress came over and prepared a sesame bun and crepe for us with the duck, showing us how to eat the duck properly. They also dip the duck skin in sugar, which was so sweet and oily, like a very unhealthy but tasty dessert! We also ordered a crispy rice noodle as a side which was a perfect classic Asian dish I was hoping to eat on my final night in Asia.

 They finished our meal off with some fresh water chestnuts. Perfection.

Beijing

Beijing is a city rich with history, of the ancient world as well as of modern capitalism developing in a communist nation. The city has some great sites to visit, and despite the smog, we braved them all.

Tiananmen Square

 Dad decided to buy a one star general hat that he wore throughout our time there haha

 In front of the Forbidden City with Chairman Mao Zedong's picture still present

 Forbidden City with tons of tourists

 Part of the Imperial Gardens in the Forbidden City

 Solid doors for heavy protection

 Me compared to the tall walls of the Forbidden City

 Mote surrounding the walls

 Temple of Heaven

Though I knew that the Great Wall was one of the Seven Great Wonders of the World, not until I saw it did I realize what an accomplishment the wall was to build, especially in an era without our modern technology. It is so far up in the mountains, and covers an estimated 10-20,000 km, it really is amazing. We went to the Mutianyu area, which is the best renovated and not too crowded. You take a cable car to the top, having a view of the expansive but barren valley below, and the winding wall as it travels up the mountainside. It was breathtaking to think of the estimated one million Chinese who worked on the wall (20% of their population at the time) and the many who died there. 

We also visited the Summer Palace, which is actually a large "park" with a manmade lake of about 500 acres. It was a gift of the last emperor of China to his mother, and what a gift it is. Within what is now such an industrial city, it is a beautiful pice of nature, that though man-made, is very peaceful. 

 In front of the Bird's Nest, home of the Beijing Olympics in 2008

With our tour guide & driver

Maison Boulud & Interview with Daniel Boulud

Driving up to Maison Boulud, I was struck by the grandness of the neighborhood, and the beautiful buildings. Situated in the litigation quarter of Beijing, Maison Boulud is housed in the former U.S. Embassy. The building is so charming and classic, it is worth the visit just to see the high ceilings, marble accents and massive canvases. We arrived a bit early and got situated in the bar for a drink. I had heard that they make one of the best lychee martinis, and I was not disappointed. Not too strong, not too sweet, just right. We met two wonderful ladies in the bar who we spent much of the evening with. One of my favorite parts about travelling is forming new acquaintances, and it is at places like Maison Boulud where you meet the most interesting people. We moved to our table and were greeted by the executive chef, Brian Reimer, a San Francisco native who has worked with Daniel Boulud for nine years, and has been in Beijing for the last six. He was kind and charming, and we decided to let him pick our meal for the evening, and boy were we not disappointed! He served almost every course to us, as well as to most of the other tables. His personal touch is very evident; Everything was absolute perfection.

We started with a pea soup accompanied with a shrimp salad and smoked salmon appetizers.

Next we ate goose liver pate with cherries, creamed bitter almonds, paired perfectly with a sweet white wine from Chateau Real Martin Provence, France. This course was the highlight for me as the pate was not too fatty, and really hit the spot.

 Gluten-free Lentil Chips

This course was an avocado wrapped Dungeness crab with rice-sesame tuile paired with Garofoli Dorato Vino Dolce from Italy.

We enjoyed the rest of our meal with a bottle of Domaine De La Janasse 2010 Cotes du Rhone. In Vietnam and China, we have especially enjoyed wines from the Rhone Valley region.

Next was a slow-baked Norwegian salmon with asparagus, grain mustard and black olive puree.

 Duo of beef – red wine braised short ribs and peppered tenderloin. The short ribs were my favorite of the two – juicy, tender and so flavorful.

We ended our meal with a chocolate fondant made with almond flour, and a raspberry chaperon and pistachio ice cream. We enjoyed it with some sweet Moscato - La Spinetta Bricco Quaglia Moscato d’Asti Italy.

We also received a few treats – salted caramel, nougat, macaroons and white rabbit candies, a specialty of the Shanghai region, that we enjoyed when we moved back to the bar, with a few new friends, including Chef Brian. 

I was able to sneak back into the kitchen for a few pictures.

 Me & Chef Brian

 All the different wines I accumulated by the end of the night. The best way to enjoy French cuisine is with some wonderful wines.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded this evening, and it seems people in Beijing finish dinner early. We had the restaurant to ourselves and spent time laughing and drinking with the group as we lost track of time and our poor driver was pacing the hallways, wanting to get home. We couldn’t have asked for more – Thank you Brian!

I was lucky enough to score an email interview with Daniel Boulud. Enjoy!

What is the longest you've worked without a break in the kitchen?

During 9/11 we were pulling day and night shifts… 24-30 hours. Somewhere in there.

Do you do the cooking at home?

I just built a brand new kitchen with all Gaggenau equipment above my restaurant where I live and I am having a lot of fun using all the gadgets and appliances. Last weekend the world-famous artist Chuck Close came over for brunch for scrambled eggs and black truffle and we had fun cooking there.

What would you say is your best masterpiece in the kitchen?

My red-wine braised short ribs and the Paupiette of Sea Bass have been popular for many years. But for me, masterpieces are the iconic dishes I create for unique occasions with special groups of people who want to blend the best of food and wine together. This fall I am coming out with a new cookbook from Daniel and there will be an entire section dedicated to these iconic dishes. So look for the masterpieces there!

As an executive chef, what is your management style?

I always try to motivate my staff to go the extra mile, I try to be fair, teach humility, hard work and passion.

I haven’t been the executive chef for last 15 years. Jean-Francois Bruel is our executive chef at DANIEL, and Brian Reimer at Maison Boulud in Beijing. I am a chef/owner, but when I was Executive Chef, my style was to push the limits, working hard, setting challenges for myself and my team meeting them together.

What is your favorite food/cuisine to eat? cook?

To eat, #1 French, #2, Japanese, #3 Italian.

To cook, #1 French #2 American #3 Chinese!

How involved are you in the beverage aspect?

I am very involved with the wine and visit wine regions in France often. I am very close friends of winemakers and I am passionate about pairings and cocktails—I wrote a book with my bartending team at Daniel, and just developed a new whiskey with Dalmore. Growing up in France, I used to make live-snake Grappa in my hometown.  You take a bottle, throw in the live viper, drown it in grappa and let it marinate. A few months later you had Eau de vie de vipère.

What is your go-to comfort food?

Home in Lyon with all the vegetables, sausage and cheese on the table that came from the farm. 

  

What do you cook at home that you never cook at the restaurant?

Granola! For breakfast, otherwise I always do one-pot meals at home and never in the restaurant—at the restaurant someone else cleans all the dishes!

Where do you go to eat when you want a good meal?

I go to the one and two star restaurants so I can enjoy the ambition and drive of young chefs—it reminds me of my younger days.

In your restaurant, who would be your ideal diner?

People who have good taste in wine, who have knowledge in food and understand and have an affinity with the chef who is making the meal.  The best is when they have a good time and make another reservation with us on their way out!