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foodies

Lisbon: a Foodie Heaven

May 22, 2017 By Eleanor Hoh 6 Comments

For me, food is the main focus of every trip.  Last year’s sister reunion in Lisbon was no exception. Traveling with three sisters is tricky. Luckily, we all share a love of good food, thanks to our mom, who in our minds was one of the best cooks ever.  Here’s a roundup if you only have 3 days to experience Lisbon, I’ll share in another post some fun stuff to do! 

Time Out Mercado de Ribeira is a food hall that’s beyond anything you’ve ever been to! Top left: wow, a tasty piece of fish with just a drizzle of lemon; shrimp in a delicious soupy sauce; composed salad with fried egg and the BEST crispy pork skin EVER from a Tibetan chef at Leitao de Ribeira.

Time Out Mercado da Ribeira
Yes, a food court became one of the highlights of our trip. Every time I suggested trying a new restaurant, my sisters would pipe up, “let’s go back to da Ribeira!” 

Mercado da Ribeira was no ordinary food court;  it occupied a whole block in an exquisite historic building that had previously been a market.  It was within walking distance of our Airbnb in Principe Real.  Fresh produce, stunning and exotic flowers and meat booths surround the food court and included a cooking academy as well as booths promoting Portuguese products.  Be prepared to spend a couple of hours here.

Time Out, the magazine for where to eat, drink and do curated top Lisbon chefs to participate and they did not disappoint.  We experienced gourmet dishes at very affordable prices.  You can gauge the popularity of the chefs by the lines formed at their booths. Friday nights and weekends, the Ribeira is standing room only. There was so much to choose from, don’t miss these two standout pork dishes…

Chef Alexandre Silva’s Pork Belly on a bed of pea puree with caramelized Bok Choy and teriyaki sauce was exquisite. Each ingredient on the plate had their own distinctive flavors, yet together, they complemented each other perfectly.

Alexandra Silva
Chef Alexandre Silva was Portugal’s first Top Chef winner and no wonder, his Pork Belly was exquisite. He is famous for recreating well known dishes and putting his own personal spin on them. I try to get my cooking students to do same, let go of their fear and experiment. It was his pork belly that convinced my sisters we HAD to return for another round.  I found out later they returned again after I left, little piggies.  

Leitao’s crispy skin with the most tender pork is another MUST! How did a Tibetan chef end up in Lisbon?

Leitao de Ribeira
The Tibetan chef shared his secret for getting the skin crispy!  “Separate the skin from the flesh” he advised.  Well, it worked. We didn’t even care what the flesh was like under that crispy skin, we just wanted the skin. The flesh as it turned out was extremely tender, oozing with aromatic flavors with hints of orange, reminding us of luscious street food in Asia except 6 times better.  It was not a cheap dish and the chef could see we were drooling and cut us a deal, giving us a 4th portion, thank you chef.  

Portuguese almond cake was so similar to a Malaysian sugee cake my mom used to make! We loved the crunchy texture at the top with a mushy bottom.

A few other superb restaurants we tried…

Bairro de Avillez
What a superb gastronomic foodie heaven by talented Chef Jose Avillez, I can hardly believe this was a build out of a private home because it’s VAST!  Inside was a Mercearia, a gourmet store with every imaginable cheese and charcuterie, you can order to take home or eat there. It’s in the Chiado area, a shopper’s delight, again walking distance from our airbnb. Take a peek at the menu and start drooling.

Bairro de Avillez, brainchild of Jose Avillez has multiple spaces for you to enjoy his creations. This is the Pateo with vaulted ceilings and hanging plants. We didn’t even bother viewing their menu and prices but told it was difficult to score a table.
Bairro de Avillez Taberna is at the front and in my opinion, the most fun area to be! Left to right: Tuna steak with herb sauce and pine nuts with grilled Portuguese polenta; Octopus with garlic, kimchi sauce with sweet potato; Aged beef loin steak with smoked garlic cream and Taberna’s french fries, OMG!
Taberna at the front is the most fun!  You’re right in the thick of the action where you can watch chefs cook and prepare your dishes, the bartender shake up cocktails and view nonstop streams of foodies entering.  Go EARLY, otherwise a long wait and there are no reservations for Taberna.
Chocolate cake, similar to lava cake but 10 times better!
Taberna’s menu,  looks like we had these many dishes, wow!
Decadente restaurant, top clockwise: Sauteed prawns with homemade hot sauce and garlic; smoked salmon with figs and smoked bacalhau with arugula.

Decadente
Inside The Independente Hostel downstairs, but it’s a very hip, cool space. Great place to stop for lunch after walking around this area.

Insolito Restaurant Bar & Grill
Housed upstairs inside The Independente Hostel and the first restaurant we hit the night we arrived in Lisbon. It was literally on the street above our airbnb, right on the main drag and across from Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. A park with fountains and an upper and lower viewing areas. Go EARLY to see sunset and then hop across. Insolito means “unusual” and why we loved it so. The decor, the food was really a feast for your eyes. The menu was very innovative and the presentation was extraordinary. Unfortunately, my photos got lost in the cloud!  

I’d love to hear your favorite places to eat in Lisbon!

Filed Under: blog, foodies, Travel Tagged With: 'restaurant review', "Bairro de Avillez", "Decadente Restaurant", "Insolito Restaurant", "Lisbon, "Mercado de Ribera", "Time Out Mercado de Ribera", Portugal"

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent, documentary executive produced by Anthony Bourdain

May 4, 2017 By Eleanor Hoh 11 Comments

JEREMIAH TOWER: THE LAST MAGNIFICENT, a fascinating documentary executive produced by Anthony Bourdain, is a character exploration of the legendary chef – and the enigmatic mystery of his genius.  The documentary opens May 19 and June 2 in South Florida at select movie theaters.  Attention all chefs, wannabe chefs, foodies and anyone who likes to eat, this is not to be missed. Watch the trailer below and you’ll be hooked.
To celebrate, I’m giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the screening May 16 at O Cinema, Wynwood. Each e-ticket is good for 2 guests. Here’s what you need to do to up your chances of winning the tickets…
1)  Like and share to as many social media as you can above this article
2)  Head over to my Facebook page here and LIKE it
3)  Use @LastMagnificent #TheLastMagnificent on twitter and instagram
4)  Leave comment below why you should win
5)  email me eh at eleanorhoh dot com so I can send you e-ticket.
That’s it, good luck. Hope to see you at the screening.

What does Chef Jeremiah Tower and I have in common? We went to boarding school in England and hated school food! That was what motivated me to learn to cook from my mom.  Neither of us went to culinary school and that’s where our similarity ends and his meteoric rise started…
Brief synopsis…see trailer below
JEREMIAH TOWER: THE LAST MAGNIFICENT explores the remarkable life of Jeremiah Tower, one of the most controversial and influential figures in the history of American gastronomy. Tower began his career at the renowned Chez Panisse in Berkeley in 1972, becoming a pioneering figure in the emerging California cuisine movement. After leaving Chez Panisse, due in part to a famously contentious relationship with founder Alice Waters, Tower went on to launch his own legendary Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. Stars was an overnight sensation and soon became one of America’s top-grossing U.S. restaurants.
After several years, Tower mysteriously walked away from Stars and then disappeared from the scene for nearly two decades, only to resurface in the most unlikely of places: New York City’s fabled but troubled Tavern on the Green. There, he launched a journey of self-discovery familiar to anyone who has ever imagined themselves to be an artist.
Featuring interviews by Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl and Martha Stewart, this delicious documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of America’s first celebrity chef, whose brash personality and culinary genius has made him a living legend.
Director: Lydia Tenaglia
Stars: Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Francesca De Luca
Running Time: 102 minutes
Rating: R

JEREMIAH TOWER:  The Last Magnificent
Distributed by The Orchard
Opens May 19
Theaters:
Miami:  AMC Aventura 24
Fort Lauderdale: TBD
Palm Beach County:  Living Room Theaters (Boca Raton), AMC Indian River 24
Additional Theaters TBD
Opens June 2
Jacksonville: AMC Regency 24 (Adding June 9: Orange Park 24)
Tampa/St. Petersburg: Carmike Sundial 20/St. Petersburg (Adding June 16 AMC Woodlands Square)
Ft. Myers/Naples: AMC Merchants Crossing (N. Ft. Myers)
Additional Theaters TBD

Filed Under: blog, chefs, documentary, foodies Tagged With: "Anthony Bourdain", "Jeremiah Tower", "The Last Magnificent", chef, documentary

Finka Table and Tap, best Cuban, Korean, Peruvian Fusion

April 18, 2017 By Eleanor Hoh 4 Comments

Expect the unexpected when you visit Finka Table and Tap, a Cuban, Korean, Peruvian Fusion gastropub, inside a brick building that previously housed KFC.  A 260 seater that would make any chef/owner run a mile but not pint sized Chef Eileen Andrade. She’s a little firecracker with enough energy to shoot off a rocket! 

Chef Eileen Andrade and Wok Star Eleanor Hoh
Housed in a previous KFC brick building
Cow sculpture greets you at the door

I love the many ways the restaurant is divided into areas. It’s not just one vast space, so it gives a cozy ambience.  The vintage, rustic, shabby chic decor make you feel as if you’re in a dining room of a house and not a restaurant.  Something for everyone and that goes for the menu.

Eclectic, rustic, shabby chic decor
Colorful tiles and a living plant wall
2 bars for unique cocktails and craft beer that change daily
Cozy semi-circular banquette for intimate gatherings
Banquettes and community high table

However, Eileen’s personal decor style is just the opposite. Very zen, industrial and modern at her home and you’ll never guess, it’s an igloo, how cute is that. She was featured in a  ‘behind the scenes’ article by The Kitchn, my go to site for cooking.  Eileen’s background was in fashion, often, you’ll see her wearing spiffy black outfits with stylish hairdos and makeup. And she’s tiny like me, I didn’t realize how tiny till we took a photo together. I’m so glad Eileen has found her own niche.  It all started when she fell in love with Korean food after traveling to Korea and learned to cook from an old Korean lady. Her mentor was a Peruvian chef and when she put all three flavors together, she knew it would work. Of course, only after having her friends be guinea pigs.  She started Finka after a stint opening CubanCube, a food truck with her brother, Jon.  This beautiful video by Travelspective showcases her philosophy and how Finka came about. 

When I met her parents, we immediately struck up a friendship. We come from the same background, they’re from Cuba and I’m from China, no need to say more. Her mom, Nancy told us how her parents came to America and opened a very successful restaurant 30 years ago, Isla Canarias. There are currently two Isla Canarias which are still going strong, located near Finka.  Wow, that was some genius marketing to capture the demographic of people who enjoy Isla. I know foodies who travel 2 hours to get their fill of her Cuban, Korean, Peruvian Fusion dishes. You just have to see the stack of meal tickets on Instagram every night to understand Finka’s popularity. Her menu is clever, she covers a wide spectrum of dishes from flatbreads, wok dishes to lighter fare and lots of vegetarian options as well as the more unusual Ostrich or Bison and what about a Cuban Bibimbap!  

I love Eileen’s concept, I enjoy a good mashup and it’s how I cook and encourage Wok Stars to do same.  I would rather have people cook good food with a mix of ethnic flavors than mediocre traditional dishes. I discovered how much Latinos and Hispanics love Asian flavors when I started giving cooking classes in Miami, they even know how to say “si yow,” Chinese for soy sauce. 

Rock on Eileen!  

Korean style Brussel Sprouts with bacon topped with crispy wonton strips. My hubby’s favorite, he’s a sucker for sprouts. These were crunchy and the flavors were magical.
Duroc Pork Belly were crispy and juicy with sriracha glaze, served in this adorable cast iron cauldron.
Fried Alligator Jalea, Aji Amarillo, Salsa Criolla. I would prefer this to be dry, the salsa made the alligator wet, just my personal preference. It was tender though and an interesting flavor.
Finka kitchen
Glass covered terraced dining room
KFC: Korean Fried Chicken, covered in a fiery blend of Gochujang and a sweet chili sauce, very tender and yummy. Watch Eileen make it on FoodableTV’s video here. 
Cuban Fried Rice: shrimp, maduros, pineapple, red peppers, cilantro aioli, fried egg, scallions. Now I know why Hispanics and Latinos love fried rice!

Non-stop stream of people arrive on a Saturday night! Good luck getting in.
Note: my dinner was complimentary but doesn’t sway my judgement.
 
Finka Table & Tap Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Filed Under: blog, foodies, Miami restaurant, restaurant review Tagged With: 'restaurant review', "Cuban Asian Fusion", "Cuban Korean Peruvian Fusion", "Eileen Andrade", "Finka Table and Tap", "Miami restaurant"

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