The end of one chapter... and the beginning of another!

Some of you may have known by now, that even armed with a CDI (contrat de durée indeterminé - basically a permanent job offer) I could not convert my titre de séjour étudiant to that of a salarié, due to very vague French bureaucracy, one of the solution was to apply for a work visa back in Singapore, with Hédiard applying as a sponsor from Paris. We agreed they would try and let me know if things went through with the manpower ministry. I bade farewell to the good folks at Hédiard and came back to to Asia in February.

I first went back to my school at LCB to talk to my chef instructors, find out what's happening in the F&B scene, picked up some names and some places to try. Bangkok proved to be quite difficult, I talked to 3 restaurants, Tables was ready to employ me but the HR director later replied that the work visa was not going through. Pl.A. said they would like to take me, but no budget at this moment. Marriott made an offer as well, but we needed to work out the kinks of my package, but by then, the red-shirt demonstrations were picking up speed and we scheduled for a later date for discussion.

Which was just as well, cos' back in Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands was going to to launch a soft opening very soon, and all along I've heard of some of the fine restaurants that were going to open in there even when I was in Paris. I sent in my resume, but it needed quite a bit of jostling to get some attention.

Meanwhile, I attended interviews at 2 local good French restaurants and received offers from both, but I asked to wait a little longer for a confirmation.

In any case, I am glad to let you know that I am now employed in the kitchen at Guy Savoy at Marina Bay Sands! I'm definitely excited by this opportunity, and though I admit I'll have to start at somewhere lower in ranks, but I'm sure there will be chances to do well, and move up along the way. I can't wait to get started in a kitchen again, it has been a while, and my hands (though been cooking for friends this while) are starting to get itchy again! Definitely there'll be incredible things to learn, and build up from my experience and knowledge from Auguste and Hédiard. I remember being fascinated just from reading the menu of the restaurant in Paris, and even that of Le Chiberta. Can't believe I'm in the kitchen and churning those out now!

Allez allez allez!!

First culinary job!

During my internship, I chanced upon a job. Most people know Hediard as a specialty gourmet produce shop, bringing in spices, teas, coffees, jams, vinegars, oils, etc from all corners of the world, but not many people know that at on the 1st floor of the main store at Place de la Madeleine, there is a restaurant and a salon de thé. The main store has been in its current location since 1854, but it's restaurant has only begun in the mid 80's.

So, I began my first culinary job as a commis de cuisine. I am solely in charge of the garde manger section. Under my care are 5 dishes - foie gras mi-cuit served with prune chutney, wild game terrine with red onion confiture, cured salmon with fresh salmon tartare, served with chives cream and blinis, Spanish trevelez ham, and carpaccio of sea bream with mango vinaigrette and coconut and lime emulsion.

During the afternoons, in between service, we serve light nibbles of club sandwiches, quiches, croque monsieurs and salads, while we tackle our mise en place for the dinner service. I dread being on the roster for Saturday afternoons, cos' that's when the orders come flying in. I counted once, I made more than 3o orders between 3-6pm., 90% of club sandwiches (tandoori chicken, salmon or vegetarian), and some quiches/croques, at the same time, having to prepare staff dinner (for abt 18) hot and ready by 6.30pm - entree, main dish and a side dish.

Recently, I have been spending more time on the hot starters station. There are new interns and apprentices coming in from local schools, and while I make a check to see that all's in order, I have been working during evening services at the hot station. 2 soups - chestnut soup with a soft-centred egg (oeuf mollet), cappucino of shellfish bisque; vegetable tarte; golden parcel of lobster (aumonieres); and pan-fried scallops served with Jerusalem artichoke puree.

While Hediard does more of traditional French cuisine, and the dishes are less elaborate than a michelin starred restaurant, it was good to learn to pick up speed during service, organisation, the mise en place, and the functioning of a restaurant, within the kitchen team, and with the wait staff. The chef and the second are open to new ideas, recently, I've introduced them to the some products from the Japanese supermarket and how to work with them - silken tofu, yam, shiso leaves, miso.

Culinary Internship

It's been a while since I updated my food blog. While my course has ended, it doesn't mean that the learning has. If anything, cuisine is a lifetime of learning and experimenting and discovering.

I think it is appropriate to include the various culinary experience I have gathered post-school.

I know I am late in posting them, so some parts of it have been forgotten, I will try my best to jog my memories as I go along.

I took up the internship at Restaurant Auguste after my Continuing Education at Cordon Bleu. I was put under the starters and dessert section with a Japanese girl who has been working there for almost a year now.

Under the starters, we prepared gougieres, we had langoustines wrapped with verveine in brick sheets (feuilles de brick), and served with either carrot or pea bavarois, little droplets of peas, a borage flower and drizzles of light creamy sauce. We have fresh oysters- shuckled, the shells plunged in hot water and scrubbed clean. We put the oysters back into their shells, and fill up the cavity with a red wine vinegar and shallots reduction. They are served in 6's, on little mounds of rock salt, a little dot of whipped horseradish cream on top of each oysters, and a sprig of shiso sprout - green and red shiso. There was also 'canneloni' of celeriac root filled with tourteau (a kind of crab).

We have a cheese course, I liked the l'Arguiole, 2 slices, served with a few (carefully selected) young spinach leaves, and a confiture which looked and tasted like honey.

There're the chocolate, pistachio and vanilla soufflés, served with speculoos, honey, and orange flower water ice-cream respectively. There was a dessert of blancmanger in creme d'amande 'soup'. There was banana tarte tartin as well.

Under the mains, we have seabass with olives persillade, roasted guinea fowl breasts with aubergines. We also introduced a ballotine of hare, and a square of stewed baby pork. Under garnitures, we had fresh tagliatelle pasta in lobster sauce.

Certainly the menu has changed now. It's a good idea to change your menu often, it keeps your customers coming back, and reduce the monotony of work.