Know Your Coffee

I think coming from my experiences with coffee via work or leisure, this is another obligatory post/rant I need to have.

I'm sure there are plenty of coffee drinkers out there, and the names are not Greek to you, but DO you actually know how those coffees are meant to be like exactly?!

Coffee Chart drawn by Evelyn

From Right to Left:
1st Row:

Espresso - This is a small cup of potent pure coffee extract. The base of all coffee drinks and usually the cheapest on the menu. When you are served an espresso, you have to look for a brown crema(the brownish foam thing on top) The thicker it is, the fresher the beans are. If there isn't any, it's not good!! The shade of brown the crema has matters too, but it depends on the profile of the coffee beans.

Nice thick crema
(Photo credits to Wikipedia)

Piccolo - These have the same amount of espresso in it as Lattes but with much lesser milk, topped with about 4mm of foam. If prepared well with the right beans profile(example, a straight Brazilian), this can taste like a cup of dark hot chocolate.

Macchiato - Espressos topped with foam. That's it. Small cup of coffee.

2nd Row: (Moving on to the larger cups of coffee)

Americano - aka Kopi-O. I was taught to add the water first then the espresso is extracted on top of the water so the crema does not get broken and it won't taste as diluted. Most places add the water on top of the espresso. Yes, it does affect the taste. (Sounds anal, I know)

Flat White - aka Kopi-C. Espresso with milk. No foam.

Latte - Everyone's typical cup of coffee. Espresso with milk and a little foam to do pretty art with. When you get served this, you can admire the pretty latte art the Barista has done for you, but what is important is that you see an outer ring of brown crema. So when you sip the coffee, you actually get coffee and not milk. Quite logical.

The outer ring of coffee

3rd Row:

Cappuccino - This is The Talking Menu's favourite variant of hot coffee. A little milk and full of frothy goodness.... Unfortunately, most places do Cappuccinos exactly like Lattes, full of milk and little foam. They try to control their free-pouring hoping that more froth comes out than milk, worse, they scoop the foam out. DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. Cappuccinos are supposed to have so much froth that it domes over the brim of the cup, making it almost impossible to do art. It shouldn't spill cause the foam would "harden" and stay in this position. Once again, make sure there's a ring of coffee on the outer layer. (PS. Making this drink requires a lot of concentration and is EXCRUCIATINGLY time consuming.)

"It's called Latte art, not Cappuccino art for a reason" - Evelyn
(Photo credits to Wikipedia)

Mocha - A Latte with chocolate mixed into the espresso. A safe drink usually, cause no matter how much a place screws up the milk and espresso, it'll still taste sweet.

Affogato - Espresso with a scoop of ice cream. If the espresso is really good, this drink is "shiok".

Additional coffee information:

1. Milk is frothed to 65 - 70 degrees. This temperature caramelises the milk, making it a natural sweetener for your coffee. Any higher, it'll be burnt and make your coffee taste flat.
2. Myth: Full cream is easier to froth. They are the same. The fats in the Full Cream milk just make it sweeter than Low Fat.
3. Lots of cafes re-steam their milk to save costs, etc, but this will give you a stomach ache.
4. Please, please, please, do not order a cup of the "Add Shot $1". This "Add shot" means when you order a normal cup of coffee, and you want it to be stronger, it'll cost you $1. Cafes usually do not sell coffee for $1. (It sounds like I'm patronizing you, but it does happen.)

Hope this post was educational to you. Some of us live on caffeine, might as well know what you're drinking.

On a side note, why do people get Mocha then ask for Low Fat Milk? I don't think it'll really help you cut those calories. Since you're already drinking, might as well enjoy it to the fullest. Or am I missing something?

Roasted or Stewed

Before anything else, let's read a short story together :)

Wild Goose (A tale from China)

Two hunters saw a wild goose fly overhead. As one of the hunters placed an arrow in his bow and aimed it at the goose, he said, "That goose will make a fine stew."
"Stew!" said the other. "It would be far better to roast it."
"Stewed!" said the first hunter, putting down his arrow.
"Roasted!" replied the other.
The argument went on. "Let's ask our clan leader to decide the best way to cook that goose." The leader settled the argument by suggesting that when they caught the goose, half should be stewed and half should be roasted. In that way, everyone's needs would be met.
Pleased, the two hunters went out to shoot the wild goose, but by that time, the goose was safely long gone...  

         Source unknown

This is a story from a primary school text which I found from my tutee. It got me reflecting for a moment, thinking about what this story was really trying to tell us.... But that moment did not last long, I found myself thinking about roasted goose seconds after. (mmm.. Goose....)

Fresh goose imports are banned by the AVA(more details can be found on the AVA's website), That's why you can never find really good roasted/stewed goose in Singapore. That is, unless you like frozen meats. During my last year trip to HK, I managed to have a scrumptious first meal which, coincidentally, consisted of roasted goose(ok, maybe I planned it that way). My, was it good.

Natural Instinct: Eat before anything else

Goose naturally contains more fats than duck. I had to pick off some of the fats(because I am idiotic that way) to devour the skin that was roasted to perfection. The meat was gamey than that of the duck, not for those with weak teeth! The plum sauce that was served together with the goose complemented it very well. If you ever travels to HK, do not give this a miss! BUT, before you steps in, check that your wallet have well over HK$500.

PS. How did your reflection on the short story go? ;)

香港鏞記酒家
Yung Kee Restaurant, Hong Kong
32 Wellington Street, Central
Phone: (852) 2522 1624

(Fnb) The Awkward Moment when.......

In the Fnb industry, there are one too many things that can go wrong which either makes your life a living hell, or just momentarily awkward. I'll discuss the latter.

Let's begin!
That awkward moment when.....

1. (From a customer's POV)
   You mistake another customer for a waiter and the wait staff catches you doing it. (If I'm one of them, I WILL chuckle and grin. >:D)
2. Your attire looks like the cafe/restaurant waiter's uniform. 
3. Your attire looks like the chef's uniform. (Where DO you shop exactly?!)
4. (From a waiter's POV)
   You follow customers around the seating area like an idiot till they find that "perfect table"
5. Your hands shake so much, the cup and the plate clatters louder than a live symphony and the drink spills.
6. Your hands shake so much the customer has to help you with it.
7. A customer praises a dish that you know was not prepared well. (but you still have to smile and say "thank you" like you mean it)
8. Your kitchen is so out of ingredients you have to reject a customer's order more than 2 times.
9. A customer takes a photo of the ugliest dish/coffee you have ever sent out. (What if that goes on some newspaper?! I'll be known as a failure!!!!! ) 
10. You try to pop a champagne at the customer's table and the champagne spills over like a fountain while the cork flies to Narnia.
11. When you approach a table with their food but at the last minute the parsley decides to dance off into the wind and the customer saw. (You don't eat that right...?)
12. You thank a customer for handing you a tip from his change, but turns out the note was torn and he just wanted to replace it. 
13. A regular customer gets your name wrong. For life. (we're past the period where we can correct you...) 
14. A customer asks you (the manager) for the manager.
    ("You're the manager?!"
      "Yes.") 
15. You're on your way out to the toilet/home, but customers wave to get your attention for service.(Get yer own drink cause I really don't care.)
16. You are a new wait staff who barely knows the menu and customers keep bombarding you with questions you cannot answer. You decided to ask the Chef for help who instead yell at all your questions. (In front of EVERY OTHER STAFF)
17. You are that "every other staff" who has to watch your colleague get yelled at. 
18. You get caught in the middle of customers fighting to pay the bill. (Drop the bill like a hockey puck and run.)
19. You have to start billing people/chasing them out because you need to close the place. (Especially awkward if it's a couple locking lips and all.)
20. You've been through more than half of these.... 

-Based on real life experiences. We are sad, sad people.


Does anyone have any to share? Dig through the memories that makes you wanna go back to the past and slap yourself.

Korean Grill BBQ

Hey! How are you lovelies doing? The recent weather is so unpredictable, don't forget your brolly and drink more water!

This is my first Korean BBQ buffet and "wow", is all I can manage after the meal (I was probably too full to say more).

Business Card in Korean
Address: 46A Tanjong Pagar Road

Korean Grill BBQ serves food in a buffet style while 2D1N serves ala carte. Has anyone tried 2D1N before? How is it?

Looking pretty and happy on the sizzling hotplate (or aluminum foil)

A very helpful service staff did this for us while we were away from our table. I cannot remember the exact name of the marination, but all of them were really good, especially the beef (PS. I rarely eat beef). I didn't really appreciate the pork because it was rather sweet. I am more of a savoury person.

Beef + Onions = Perfect

B, who was with me, tried to stir fry the Bulgogi Beef with onions. Yummmmmmy

Kimchi, Enoki and Coral Lettuce

When it comes to korean cuisine, Kimchi is a necessity. Their kimchi leans more to the sourish side and it complements the salty/sweet meat very well. We had 2 huge serving of that.

My way of eating it

More details:

Opening Hours:

Sun.-Thu. 17:30-22:00 Fri.-Sat. 17:30-22:30 Phone: 6220 7119

The Mandatory Introductory

Hey! Thanks for dropping by our new blog!

If the name and the "About us" section hasn't given you enough hints already, we're a food blog and everything about it. We will ramble about all things food; the F&B Industry, working with food, cafes and restaurants, industry people and new recipes.

All of our posts are intended to be short and sweet so, moving along....

The founder of this blog is Evelyn and I'm Janice, co-founder, and the one writing this post. We have been in the F&B industry since we graduated from our Junior Colleges, so if you add our ages, etc, you get a total of around 6-7 years experience (and counting).
The both of us still are working in the industry, but we'll keep our workplaces a secret for now. Privacy issues, I'm sure you understand.

Our personalities and skill set are quite different from each other, a nice balance.

First up, Evelyn.
For all intents and purposes, Evelyn's a chef (hot side). She does not like to be called a chef, however, since she says, "I'm not trained". Even thought she lacks formal culinary education, she is well versed and experienced with kitchen matters and manages to whip up very beautiful and tasty dishes.

Here are photos of her pretty food. (Photo credits to Stanley Nathan)

Grilled Duck Breast

Smoked Salmon Carpaccio Salad

Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough

Seared Salmon

An Assortment of Sandwiches

Waffle

For myself, I work with drinks, mainly coffee (I have worked with wines, whisky and cocktails too) Though I only have half the experience of Evelyn, I have had the honour of working with key people and leaders of the drinks industry; ie, Barista Trainers, Barista Competition Judges and recently, a Bartending Champion.

My work:

Rosetta Latte

A Heart

Free Pour + Etching to get a Bunny

With our insider experiences, we hope to bring you a fresher and unique perspective of food and all that goes along with it.

Watch this space for more fun!

PS. Happy Birthday Evelyn!