Pig's Head @ Au Pied de Cochon

I've always wanted to sample some true Quebecois Food at Au Pied de Cochon but have never gotten a chance to do so till my recent trip to Montreal. The restaurant is always fully booked whenever I visit Montreal but somehow Cindy managed to get a reservation for us that night!




Bread

Our meal started with some sub-par bread.

Bison Tongue

The Bison Tongue was tender and had a nice chewy texture. The flavor of the Tongue was phenomenal went really well with the Mustard Sauce. This was my favorite of the night!


Foie Gras with Caramelized Apples

The chef was definitely generous with their Foie Gras, which was served on top of a Buttered Brioche. The Balsamic Glaze and Apples add a nice Sweet and Deep Flavor to the Foie Gras which was cooked just perfect. The Brioche gave it a nice crunchy texture to the soft Foie Gras


Foie Gras Poutine

An artery clogging but sinfully good Quebec Dish. The fries were a little soggy but was seasoned just right and full of potato flavor. The rich Foie Gras Brown Gravy was so good we could have used as a sauce for anything.


Pig's Head


This was our main course that Laurent and I shared. Our Pig's head came with Baked Clams and Cheesy Mash Potatoes. The Head was really tender but very fat! The only part that contained meat were the cheeks which was good. The Clams were my favorites. It was baked in Salt and was so fresh.


Hunter's Pork Chop

The Pork Chop was very good! It had a nice crust from being Pan Seared and was very tender. The Mushroom Ragout complimented the meaty flavor of the well marbled pork.


Mash Potatoes

The Mash was really good! It was a good combination between creamy potatoes and potatoe puree. The flavor was really good especially with the Olive Oil.


Chocolate Mousse
!
We were so stuffed there wasn't room for dessert. Cindy however ordered a Chocolate Mousse which we tried. It was good but way too rich for us after our Pig's Head.


After Au Pied de Cochon I can truly say I've had true Quebecois Cuisine. One would probably need to go on a green diet for months after this one meal but it was truly an experience I would never forget especially the Pig's Head.


Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$ (Approximately USD $70 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 536 Avenue Duluth Est, Montral, Qubec H2L 1A9, Canada
Tel: +1 (514) 281-1114
Web: restaurantaupieddecochon.ca
Map:

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Best assam laksa!

SBread's assam laksa is thick with fish, yet it comes with the fillet of half a kembong in it. - Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 If theres a good assam laksa anywhere, Ill be there like a flash. It has to have the right balance of sour, salty and sweet. It has to be generous with the fish.

A good fish stock, mostly from ikan parang boiled in assam water, with lemongrass, as we used to cook it at home, and the fish flaked into the curry, together with a good rempah and all the fragrant leaves of daun kesom and bunga kantan, makes a great assam laksa. And I must see chunks of fish in it, not just the powdery bits in the curry.

These days ikan kembong is mostly used, but that does not detract from the sweet fish flavour of the assam curry, if enough of it is added into the curry. And I must say I found the best assam laksa so far at SBread in the Gardens, Mid Valley. Its a food stall sandwiched between Rak Thai and Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo, in that space between the Megamall and Gardens.

The place has a name that you would not identify with laksa; it used to be more a bread and toast place. Toast is still served with kaya that is made every morning. You can have Yam Kaya Toast or Pandan Kaya Toast. This kaya toast is done in the style of a popular outlet in the Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok.

But first the Penang Assam Laksa, which is served topped with fresh mint, pineapple and shredded bunga kantan, with a spoonful of prawn paste. Tip all of this into the assam laksa, and amazingly it gives the right balance of sweetness to it, besides lacing it with a distinctive taste. Its a laksa thick with fish, yet it comes with the fillet of half a kembong in it.

According to stall owner Tan Quee Siew, all her customers like the Assam Laksa that way, with big pieces of fish. The laksa was exceptional and I would come back again for this.!

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Delectable nasi lemak with added pandan juice. - Picture by Choo Choy May

We moved on to nasi lemak. Tan is obviously a skilled nyonya cook. She had added pandan juice to the coconut milk to cook the rice. So you get a whiff of pandan aroma in the rice and the santan hugs each grain, touched with a little salt. The nasi lemak comes with sambal and hard-boiled egg, and either chicken rendang or chicken curry. We liked it better with the chicken curry which had all the lovely nyonya flavours.

Toasted charcoal bread topped with otak-otak - Picture by Choo Choy May

SBread is also well known for its Bamboo Charcoal Bread which can be toasted and spread with kaya, or topped with otak otak. You can also buy a loaf home. The nutritious bread, which is black from Japanese edible charcoal, is rich in minerals, has cleansing properties, improves circulation and lowers acidity levels in the body.

Its unusual to have an otak otak topping for bread, let alone charcoal bread. Pieces of fish were visible in this creamy, spicy otak otak.

We had a drink of barley to cool down. But it was no ordinary barley water; it was tinged pink by a leaf called Rhoea Discolor that it had been boiled with. It is shaped like a pandan leaf, and its rich in iron and phosphorous; its supposed to help with digestion and cleans your intestines.

Patrons savouring their meals at the Sbread outlet in Gardens. - Picture by Choo Choy May

Sbread is a convenient brunch, lunch, tea or dinner place. There are also fried noodles, Mee Siam, Tomayam Beehoon, Instant Noodles with Dry Curry and Mee Goreng Mamak style. Then there are the breakfast and tea snacks like yam ca! ke, chye kuih and woon chai koh.

For Friday lunch there is Rice Wine Chicken, and on the first and 15th day of the month, there are vegetarian dishes.

SBread serves a mean Penang coffee, thick and smooth with condensed milk. Its the place for the fragrant Thai iced tea too.

SBread is located at LG232B, Lower Ground Floor, The Gardens Mid Valley, Tel: 03-2283 2929.

KUANTAN Puding Diraja, a specialty from the region of Pekan, Pahang.

Puding DiRaja or Royal Pudding started as a dessert which was specially served to the Royalties of Pahang.

This particular dessert is a specialty from the region of Pekan, Pahang.
The basic ingredients are bananas (of the smaller variety as these are usually sweeter), prune, cherries and cashew nuts. Jala mas (golden threads) which were made from duck egg yolks and sugar (another laborious process) were then sprinkled over the top to dress it up. This pudding is best enjoyed cold.

Tonight I had my first taste of this heritage delicacy. A favorite appetizer or dessert taken by local folks with their evening tea, this calorific dish is normally served during traditional Malay weddings and festivals.

To me, the Puding Raja is not so much a pudding but a rather simple dish of bananas bathed in a sauce or gravy of made from milk and custard flour. Almost alike your pengat but no coconut milk is used and the bananas are fried first prior to soaking in the sweet broth.

Then prunes and cherries are usually added. The saccharine sweet and rich jala emas is the final touch.
Personally I enjoyed this dessert although its a bit too sweet. The trick is not to eat too much of it! :)

Thanks to Firefly Airlines for the opportunity to visit Kuantan (this is my first time to Kuantan, Pahang!) and your kind hospitality in hosting us!

All pictures tak! en with:

Date Night @ Prime, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

The best beef we have sampled in KL is served up at Prime restaurant, therefore we headed off to Le Meridien KLwhenever we collectively feel the urge to satisfy our beef cravings.

Having eaten from the lunch menu previously and on our most recent visit focused purely on the top-end beef, we were more than pleasantly surprised during this visit to discover that the seafood on offer in the dinner menu was outstanding.

Baby Sumo's new found love at Prime

Fresh in-house breads and butters offer various taste combinations -- it's fun establishing which one suits your individual taste.Baby Sumo thinks the butter trio looks like a pretty make-up palette.

The well-lit open kitchen at Prime, housing the custom-built grill.

Having agreed that we were going to order an appetiser and main each, I decided to opt for a salad to balance my intake for the evening. When I saw truffles, green leaves and portebello mushrooms I decided to order this -- the mushrooms were huge and meaty.

Warm Portobello mushrooms, rocket salad, shaved parmesan and fresh truffle (RM45)

Baby Sumo is a lover of scallops and opted for the Seared Sea Scallops, served with parmesan potato, poached egg and fresh herbs dressing (RM55). The portion was generous much to her delight. She was very very happy when this dish appeared before us and was equally happy after eventually tasting it.

One word to describe this - amazing!

Baby Sumo is more than capable of polishing off six perfectly seared, bouncy scallops however in the spirit of "date night" I (hubby) got the chance (and duly accepted the offer) to sample 1 and a half of these beauties

She has vowed to order this again the next time we're back at Prime... very impressive appetizer!

It was a real treat to be offered a glass of red wine by the restaurant manager, a kind gesture, thank you Sir.

Baby Sumo's Charcoal Grilled Wagyu Thick Skirt (RM128 for 220g) did not excite her visually as much as the description on the menu had, due to its rather scruffy appearance served as two pieces each coated in caramelized shallots -- however we were wrong to judge the book by its cover in this instance as the beef had all the chargrilled flavour we were looking for and was satisfyingly juicy and tender.

Full of flavour in every bite

On our previous visit I had been slightly overwhelmed by the wide selection of cuts and cattle breeds on offer and eventually opted for the most expensive offering on the menu (Blackmore Wagyu Cube Roll), thinking I might as well immerse myself in the experience. On that evening Baby Sumo selected the Master Kobe oyster blade steak (RM130 for 220g) and it was not too far behind mine in terms of taste so in order to keep the expenditure within reason this evening I opted for theMaster Kobe oyster blade steak.

Once again the charcoal cooking method in our op! inion de finitely adds an essential dimension to the beef eating experience. Pairing quality beef with the expert knowledge of how to cook meat to the required doneness of the end user will result in satisfied diners.

Add truffle mash (RM15)into the equation and satisfaction is undoubtedly guaranteed.

Verdict: Once again a wonderful meal at Prime.

Full set of photos available to view here.

Opening times: Monday to Friday: 12.00pm to 2.30pm (Lunch); Monday to Sunday: 6.30pm to 11.00pm (Dinner)

Location: Prime, 5th Floor, Le Mridien Kuala Lumpur, 2 Jalan Stesen Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Directly opposite KL Sentral station and next to KL Hilton)

Tel: 03- 2263 7555

Parking: RM8 for the first 2 hours, RM4 for every subsequent hour.

GPS Coordinates: 3.135685, 101.686524

Website: http://www.lemeridiendining.com.my

*This post was written by ChloeandDanielsdaddy.

Weight Loss Secrets of Raw Food Diet

Photo credit: wrestlingentropy

The raw food diet is one of the healthiest and most effective ways to keep your weight under control. It revolves around the belief that raw uncooked foods are the healthiest for the body and that cooking denatures the food and gets rid of the healthy enzymes they contain.

How It Works

Cooking destroys enzymes and nutrients in food. These enzymes helps the body digest food and allows it to absorb the nutrients that come with the food. Thus, if food is cooked, the body has to produce its own enzymes to digest the food properly. But over time, the bodys ability to produce enzyme may be compromised if there is no supplement from outside.

Overall, the raw food diet also contains less of the harmful trans fats and saturated fats, and also has lower levels of sodium and sugar. On the other hand, it gives the body access to more potassium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium, among other healthy antioxidants.

Thus, if the food loses its natural nutrients, and the body does not have enough enzymes to aid in digestion, every time you eat, you only add unnecessary contents to your body, contents that the body cannot fully make use of and that end up in your bodys fat stores instead. This is why some studies showed that the raw food diet helps lower the plasma total cholesterol levels and triglyceride concentrations in the body.

All these factors may together lead to digestive problems and lack of nutrients, which, in turn, may lead to faster aging, slower metabolism, and weight gain. So by eating only raw foods, you take in only what your body can use as nutrients. Also, your body can easily digest the ! food, ta king what is needed and eliminating what is not. This helps keep your metabolism at its peak performance, so you do not gain unnecessary weight.

Tips on How to Start A Raw Food Diet

Most people cannot imagine eating food without cooking it. Here are some tips to help you out and to convince you to start this diet.

• The raw food diet does not mean that all the food you eat is raw. Mild heating is acceptable, as long as the temperature is within 104 and 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
• You can mix in some cooked foods so you wont get bored with your meals or wont find them bland. However, make sure to keep your meals at a 70-30 balance. It should contain 70% raw foods and 30% cooked foods.
• Try to switch to a vegetarian diet, in which cooking is also not commonly needed.
• Make a list of raw foods that can readily be eaten. These include carpaccio or raw meat and sashimi or raw fish, nuts and seeds, grains, beans and legumes, and herbs and spices. For fruits, you can eat apple, avocado, banana, grapes, lemon, mango, raisins, raspberry, and strawberry. For vegetables, you can eat bell peppers, celery, garlic, ginger, lettuce, onion, spinach, tomato, and zucchini, among others.
  Make a list of foods that should be avoided

Preparing Raw Foods

There are a number of ways on how you can prepare raw food without destroying their enzymes and nutrients. These include soaking and sprouting, which can be used for beans, nuts, legumes, and seeds, as well as dehydrating, blending, fermenting, juicing, and pickling. A blender, a thermometer, a juicer, a dehydrator, and a food processor will come in handy in unlocking the weight loss secrets of raw food diet.If You enjoyed this post, you might like:

• Cabbage and Weight Loss
• Braised Vegetables
• Glycemic Index Diet: A Healthy Way to Lose Weight
• Slim Down with the Smoothie Diet
• Bell Pepper Health Benefits