El Celler de Can Roca *

"R you ready?

Evoking the family name with three legs,

each represents one of the three Roca brothers.

It displays the warmth of the Catalan family dynamic 
all-pervasive through and through."

World's Best Restaurant rankings were unveiled a few hours ago with El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain, taking the coveted title for 2013. What constitutes "best" is left to the judgment of 900 trusted and well-travelled gourmets. Providing an annual snapshot of their culinary opinions and experiences, these international restaurant industry experts vote on the best places to eat around the globe. Though it can never be definitive, it is widely accepted as a credible indicator of palatable tastes.

This milestone is equivalent to the Oscars for movie buffs, or MTV Awards for music fanatics, in the culinary world. For me, I am still patiently awaiting the day when Osteria Francescana takes the crown. In the meantime, chef Massimo Bottura continues to be my inspiration...

Joan Roca as head chef - Jordi Roca as pastry chef

Josep Roca the sommelier

Of mind, logic and tradition *

From the archives, a random note I had written four years ago. Apart from realising how old I am (it has finally dawned on me- I am in my "mid-twenties"), it was fascinating to see my perspective of life at the age of 21.

...

"Theoretical underpinnings of great minds.
Irrespective of age, intelligence, race or gender
Everyone has something to offer...

A collaboration of writings
by great minds
is the starting point.
To search for knowledge and eventually you shall find

one’s strengths (and weaknesses) can be dictated by standards
a product of social norms,
or in the alternative,
created by the wisdom of past experiences.

Whether it be by
the logic of reasoning,
the fuel of motivation,
or the innocence of tradition."

- 5 August 2009

Just a minute *

As we grow up,

we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down...

probably will.

You will have your heart broken

probably more than once

and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too,

so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast

and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures,

laugh too much,

and love like you have never been hurt

because every sixty seconds you spend upset

is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don’t be afraid that your life will end, 

be afraid that it will never begin.

Say cheese *

K & I finally discovered a cheesecake (almost) comparable to the infamous baked ricotta cake from Pasticceria Papa. The extra olive oil twist, to what would otherwise be an ordinary lemon sorbet, was quite extraordinary. Small fluffy balls of cheesecake encompassed by a moat of lemon curd. A mix of chocolate and original biscuit crumbs finished off the portrait.

torta al mascarpone

mascarpone cheesecake served with lemon curd, 

biscuits crumb and olive oil lemon sorbet

and something more cheesier is our identical smiles!

GPO Cheese and Wine Room

1 Martin Place

Sydney NSW 2000

+61 2 9229 7701

Grey areas in life *

dear friend, 
many thanks for bringing some colour in my life.
as you know, 
reasons in life are not always black and white.
a kindred mind 
is hard to find 
and even harder to keep...

"Wishing you a rainbow amongst all this grey 
and hope we may cross paths again one day!"

Reinhart & Rogoff *

On debt, growth and the austerity. The latest academic kerfuffle in the world centres on the research, credentials and integrity of two Harvard professors, Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. They have been furiously attacked for the publication of their academic paper entitled "Growth in a Time of Debt" in May 2010. You may be thinking, but why? Joining the myriad of debates arising in the industrialised world about the best way to recover from the Great Recession, a simple spreadsheet coding error caused a major stir.

As humans, we all make errors. Some more serious than others. Our attention should not be diverted from the fact that the efforts of Reinhart & Rogoff (and numerous other academics who cannot be acknowledged for present purposes due to space limitations) contribute to social science research. Rather than criticise them for errors, we should understand and be grateful for their contribution. 

Everyone will learn from mistakes. And this is another example of one we can all learn from. The irony is, our society appears to be experiencing a Great Recession in terms of tolerance for human error and respect for another's view, whether it be correct or not.

P S *

P. ancakes
S. callops

closing remark commonly used
but what does this acronym actually stand for?
Derived from the Latin expression post scriptum,
to mean 'written after'
often added hastily and incidentally to the main work.
For me, it embodies a shortcut to food!

pancakes stack with maple syrup & whipped cream

seared scallops, grilled king prawns, tomato salsa on wasabi mash

Cafe Bello

100 Burwood Road

Burwood NSW 2134

+ 61 2 9745 1545