Followed by the post that was written on the 28th October, here I am to continue writing a longer post to say that I have had a fabulous birthday celebration ever! So, how did I celebrate my birthday? Oh well, it was a 3-day celebration!!

Let me start telling you what happened on the 26th October. I had my friends around for dinner, oui, c’est moi le chef! I had my menu planned a few days before.

I had decided to make a 3 course meal! On that night, we had mini Provençal Tarts as amuse bouche. It was a success as the serving plate was empty within minutes! I opted for a light starter - Grilled Prawns & Squids in Trio Citrus Fruits Dressing. What could I say, it was simple yet delicious. As for the main, it was Pan Fried Seabass Served With Seasonal Vegetables and Selections of Mushrooms. To end the dinner, it was a special dessert that was served. It was made specially for my birthday. It was a typical South African dessert - Peppermint Crisps Pudding. Delicious! Well, due to the fact that I was a busy host on that night, I didn’t have a chance to take some shots of the food that I made. However, I promise, I will feature all these dishes on my upcoming posts!

My weekend started with a wonderful dinner at home. Then, to a 2 ** Michelin restaurant - The Square in Mayfair the next evening. It was a surprise for me. I only knew about the restaurant on the day itself as Arnaud refused to tell me where we were gonna go for dinner. The exterior of the restaurant had already given me a good impression, not to mentioned about the menu. Well, we were a bit worried that it might be a disappointment at first as Arnaud read some mixed reviews on some websites about The Square. But, I thought, everyone was different, so would the views!

As we got into the restaurant, we were led to our table. The waiters and waitresses were friendly. There were already a few tables occupied as we arrived. We opted for tasting menu, a 7 course menu. Sounds a lot but every dish came in a small portion. I have to admit that every dish was so up to Michelin Star standard - so carefully and nicely cooked and presented. I really have to praise how consistent the presentation was for all the dishes that were served. We were not disappointed by any of the dishes.

My favourite(s)? Oh, it’s a difficult question. I like Salad of Thinly Sliced Octopus, Red Mullet, Salt Cod and White Bait with Lemon Oil, Orange and Herbs. Ah, and this one - Sauté of Scottish Langoustine Tails with Parmesan Gnocchi and an Emulsion of Potato and Truffle. And that one … err… Loin of Venison with Creamed Cabbage, Green Peppercorns and Beetroot. Not to forget, the pre-dessert, it was the super yummy Choux à la crème and also the dessert itself - Créme Brulée with Muscat Grapes and Sauternes.

My verdict for The Square: it was a good dining experience, friendly staff in spite of a small mistake made - no change of cutlery after the first dish. Apart from that, good food - combinations of tastes and colours, and very well presented. Overall rating: 8.5/10.

More celebration the next day? Yes! Arnaud bought me a very nice birthday cake from patisserie Valerie and he got all my presents presented in front of me. It was a great moment - I had to blow off the candles and open all my presents As it was Sunday, we took it easy at home and the eating continued with Roast dinner in that evening. I have to say that it was very much food related weekend. What a wonderful weekend, too short though.

Tomorrow is gonna be 1st November. So, anything to look forward to? We’ll see.

Today is my birthday and also the birthday of My Cooking Hut. So, I’d like to give everyone a warm welcome! This is a short post, I’ll write more soon.

I think it was last week that I captures these images on the way to work. So far I’ve seen such a murky weather in the morning.

This is truly inspired by Heston Blumenthal, chef-proprietor of the Fat Duck restaurant. If you have watched ‘In Search for Perfection’ on the TV a while ago, you might have seen how this 3-star Michelin chef has found his way to make the perfect chips ever - crunchy outside and fluffy in the middle.

I tried his way of making my perfect bowl of chips. Even though I skipped a few steps, the result turned out to be miraculous! I truly enjoyed this perfect bowl of chips and it’s undoubtably a good companion for the Sunday roast. Not to mention to substitute the soggy chips that you usually get in your Fish & Chips!

If you plan to have a good Sunday roast this coming weekend, try to make your perfect bowl of chips.

Here’s the method to make the perfect bowl of chips. You need:

4 large potatoes
vegetable oil for frying

Method:
1. Cut potatoes into chunky strips.
2. Fill a saucepan with boiling water, put in the potatoes to boil for about 15 minutes or more. You want the texture when they are soft enough and about to break.
3. Put the potatoes in a colander to drain and set aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Heat a saucepan with vegetable oil for deep frying.
5. When the oil is hot enough, put in the potatoes and fry in batches.
6. When they are brown enough, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into a large bowl lined with kitchen roll.
7. Repeat with the rest of the batches until finish.
8. Finally, serve the chips with roast chicken/beef/lamb/fish.