the Walrus and the Carpenter: an Oyster Bar & More

In his book Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll told the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter.  “O Oysters, come and walk with us!” the Walrus said.  And they were followed by four young oysters, and four other, and yet another, and more, and more, and more.  All was well until the Walrus proclaimed that

                “Now if you are ready, Oysters dear,

     We can begin to feed.”

…..

“I weep for you,” the Walrus said:

     “I deeply sympathize.”

With sobs and tears he sorted out

     Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

     Before his streaming eyes.

 “O Oysters,” said the Carpenter,

     “You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?”

     But answer came there none —

And this was scarcely odd, because

     They'd eaten every one.

So it is most appropriate that one of the best oyster bar calls itself by that name, the Walrus & the Carpenter.

For the first timers, W&C can be hard to find.  It is hidden in the back of a renovated century old brick building in an industrial area that is under redevelopment. The front of the building is occupied by a different restaurant and a bike shop cum café, both without visible signs.  Painted on the wall above them are faded letterings “KOLSTRAND MFG CO.” and “MARINE HARDWARE”.  Only when one looks carefully would one see the small white cloud-shaped sign over a glass building door by the bike shop.  Walk past the door, down a long corridor to the metal wall sculptures at the end, turn left, and there it is.

Look up, there's the sign

The metal wall sculpture by the door

It is understandable why some people mistake W&C for a restaurant.  Its small menu offers small plates of seafood, meat, soup, salad, cheese and dessert besides raw oysters.  But the owner-chef insists that it is a bar and as such, W&C does not accept reservation.  

Arufa and M arrived before the opening time (4 pm) and there was already a long line at the door.  They were pleased to get a table on the back porch.  It was a mild-weather sunny afternoon, perfect for al fresco snacks and drinks.  They ordered four kinds of raw local oysters, deep fried oysters with cilantro aioli, cured halibut, steak tartare, lardo, vodka on rocks and Pouilly Fume.  

The raw oysters were impeccable.  The ones from Samish Bay were particularly sweet and at the same time briny as the ocean.  The batter of the deep fried oysters had just the right amount of corn meal to make it crunchy but not hard; the oysters within were plump, creamy and flavorful.

Fried oysters, cilantro aioli

The steak tartare was traditional.  The chopped meat patty looked pretty with an egg yolk on top, but it became soggy after the two were mixed.  It was also a bit salty because of the salt crystals on the yolk.  

Steak tartare

The lardo was not what they expected.  Instead of pure solid fat, the thin ribbons were more like Italian smoked pancetta.  Pistachios and pickled blueberries provided a nice visual impact but not much more.

Lardo and garnishes

Arufa and M thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks even if the meat plates were not as successful as the oysters and fish.  W&C’s casual space was inviting.  Its loud and festive music befits a bar.  They would like to stay longer but W&C was hardly a place for lingering when tables around them turned quickly and the crowd at the door growing in size.  They just had to plan for another visit to eat through the W&C menu.

"Hot and Spicy" from Taiwan

The highlight of today's Taiwanfest at Toronto's Harbourfront is the culinary demonstration by "Hot and Spicy Chef" Cheng-Chung Chen from Taiwan.  Not normally a hot and spicy fan, I would never have walked into a Sichuan restaurant on my own and Mr. Chen is famous for his Sichuan specialty.  It's a good thing I stayed and tasted the dishes he made - I was pleasantly surprised.

Even the raw prawns were nicely arranged - they had been marinated with egg white, salt and corn starch.  The Chef then proceeded to butterfly them with their shell on.  He then laid them tails up on a bed of glass noodles that had been soaked in water.  

The chef explained the sauces.  He used a sauce that is made up of marinated chopped peppers.  There was a mix of hot, mild and sweet peppers and this looked like it's the key to the flavour of the dish.  Of course, there is the garlic, which he first smashed and then chopped into a million fine bits in no time at all.  (I just realized that I need to get myself another sharp and thin chopper like his!  I was trying to do the same thing the night before using my forty-year old chopper.  It was great for chopping chicken bones but for fine cutting and mincing, it just didn't make the cut.   A knife manufacturer should have been at this show!)

Chopping garlic

He put everything into the sauce - juice of one lemon, marinated chopped peppers, chopped garlic, salt, mushroom essence (another new find*), sugar, vinegar and honey.  He drizzled the sauce over the prawns and the glass noodles, steam the whole thing for 10 minutes and it was done.  The final touch - sprinkle some chopped parsley and green onion on top,  heat up some oil and pour over the top.

We were offered a plate of the prawns over glass noodles and the following dish - Szechuan Hot & Spicy Mussels - all for $2 - a bargain compared to the street food being served outside in the square.

Done!

* Learned something new again when the woman next to me asked me what was that mushroom essence the chef was using.  Never heard of it but a couple of the Taiwanese workers behind us knew what it was - dried mushrooms powder.  The woman beside me extrapolated that she could use dried shitake mushrooms and ground them up.  She had done the same with porcini mushrooms and used them as flavouring - she said it went right into the food and the flavour was very intense.   She then suggested that I buy a large bag of porcini mushrooms to bring home next time I'm in Italy.  What a great idea!

Seattle Food Tour

Mr and Ms Gotts went on a  Seattle Walking Food Tour recently. This tour was top rated by tripadvisor, and it was fun to visit the kitchens, meet with the chefs, and had special food prepared for us.

We started out at the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co, where we were treated to 2 mini cupcakes baked just for the tour. [OK, so I took a couple bites before I remembered to take the picture]. The right one has a special cream topping, sprinkled with bacon; the left one is Belgian chocolate. I was never too fond of cupcakes, but these were absolutely delicious!

Next we walked to a Tom Douglas restaurant, where we were led to a long table in the kitchen for our tasting. There were 11 people total, plus the guide, Brad.

I wasn't fast enough to take the photo before people dug into the pizzas. The top one was margarita with buffalo mozzarella; the bottom one was chanterelle mushroom and truffle cheese. The mushroom pizza was rated by Tyler Florence on the Food Network show as "the best thing he ever ate". It was excellent.

 Inside the kitchen.

The special wood burning pizza oven (behind the guy with the apron), is set at more than 100 degrees hotter than normal pizza ovens. They keep the oven going all night, as it will cool down too much if they turn it off, and it won't be hot enough when the next day's lunch comes around.

Next we went into RN74, a railroad themed restaurant. The chef (or manager, since he wasn't wearing a chef outfit) came out and talked about the restaurant.

We were served  tomato soup with truffle oil, and maitake tempura with citrus mousseline.

As I requested non-alcoholic service, I was served a pomegranate drink with mint.

The next stop is Pike Place Market's il Bistro, which normally is closed for lunch, but set up just for our group. This is one of the first (oldest) "fancy" restaurant in Seattle, as defined by having white tablecloths. We had risotto with clams and mussels. I was served Pellegrino sparkling water.

 And the chef came out and talked about the restaurant and  its history.

Next we went to the Pike Brewing Company, right next to the grossest germiest place on earth, Seattle Gum wall. The chief brewer educated us on brewing beer, and after listening to her speech, I was very interested in trying it out myself - even though I normally hate beer.

Unfortunately I had already indicated I was non-alcoholic, so I got an apple-raspberry drink, followed by an apple juice with 2 different cheese pairings. The other people had the "Pike Kilt Lifter", which smelled floral and almost tasted acceptable based on the small sip that I took. The second one was the Pike IPA which again smelled nice but tasted "hops-sy". Even for a beer-hater like me, I could tell that these were artisan beer and much superior than the grocery store varieties.

The next stop was the truffle store at Pike Place Market, where we got to sniff 2 different kinds of truffles (smell, but don't touch). We were served a small cup of potato soup, before and after infusion of truffle oil with the eye dropper.

There were also samples laid out for tastings.

I was so impressed that I bought some truffle salt. It was discounted by 15% because of the tour, so it only set me back about $20 for 2 oz.

Brad the tour guide making sure nobody got lost at Pike Place Market.

Next was Von's GustoBistro, where we were served sour dough flour linguine with an alcoholic based tomato sauce. 

We ended by at a gelato place Gelatiamo, where we had an almond and raspberry gelato, followed by coffee. It will be interesting to compare it with the real thing that we will soon be getting at Florence, Italy...

All in all, a most pleasant experience. The 2 best choices voted by the group were the mushroom  pizza and the risotto. We also received a 15% discount card at all the partner restaurants and shops, too bad it expires in a week or so. Another disappointment was we did not end up back at the Yellow Leaf cupcake, as I would have liked to purchase additional bacon cupcakes!

Le Pichet, a Perfect Neighborhood Bistro

Whenever Arufa & M are in town, they eat at Le Pichet, a small old-fashioned bistro complete with menu written in cursive on black chalk boards, wood bar and tables, sidewalk service, and a floor of small while tiles dotted with black ones.  

Sidewalk tables outside Le Pichet

Menu boards

Le Pichet is known for its charcuterie.  Pork blood sausage made with cream and egg is smooth and flavorful; duck liver and pork pate earthy and meaty; chicken liver pate as smooth as foie gras.  There are also various saucissons, jambon, beef tongue, and in all a total of 12 selections.

Charcuterie - (clockwise from top) duck liver pork patre, chicken liver pate, beef tongue, salami, pork blood sausage.

For entrée, there may be escargots, and better yet a decadent plate of roasted beef marrow bones sprinkled with coarse salt served with fava beans in a demi-glace.  The beans offered a nice balance to the richness of the marrow.  The sauce added complexity to the flavor.  On one evening, the plat du jour was an incredibly tender octopus, slow-simmered in a rich ragout of charred tomatoes, fennel and Pastis, that tasted of ocean. 

Escargots

Roasted marrow bones, fava beans

Slow-simmered octopus

Arufa & M like to order quiche for their weekend brunch.  The Le Pichet quiche is light and fluffy, simply the best.  Another popular brunch dish, eggs broiled with ham and gruyere, may be better if a dry cured ham (such as jambon de Bayonne or d’Auvergne) is used in place of the jambon de Paris, and if the yolks are runnier.

Quiche

Oeufs, jambom et fromage

Le Pichet has an excellent clafoutis, a classic baked dessert of cherries with a thick flan-like batter, dusted with sugar, and served lukewarm.  The Le Pichet version is traditional except that the Bing cherries have been pitted for the diner’s convenience, at the risk of offending the purists who swear that the pits release a particularly wonderful flavor during baking.  Another lovely dessert is the chocolat chaud -- a large cup of hot chocolate served with a quenelle of thick cream on the side.  One can eat spoons of chocolate and cream in whatever order and proportion one likes.  It is heavenly for lovers of bittersweet chocolate.

Cherry clafoutis

Chocolat chaud

Le Pichet is a real gem.  The all-French food and wines are not only good but also reasonably priced (by the way, all wines are available by the bottle, pichet, demi-pichet or glass).  For anyone who looks for a classic Parisian neighborhood bistro, this unpretentious comfortable place is the destination.  One can hardly find a better alternative outside France.

Kings of Pastry

In “Three Stars”, we saw how stressful it was to stay on top as a Michelin Three Star chef.  But wait till you see “Kings of Pastry”.  This is about a group of pastry chefs competing for the honour of being one of the “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France”.  This is a contest that is held once every four years in France for various artisanal professions, including everything from pastry making to steel engraving through a range of highly skilled crafts.  The process is brutal.  These craftsmen spent years preparing for the three day test.  But when they get the award, it’s for life, and because of its gruelling requirements, much honoured and respected.

In “Kings of Pastry”, we followed several pastry chefs in their preparation for the test.  They have to prepare a fancy sugar sculpture centrepiece and all kinds of pastries and chocolates for a wedding party.  They drew on all their creative and technical resources to design the sculpture.  The rest is probably easy for these skilled craftsmen.  But the most draining was the actual preparation of the sugar sculpture at the test site – the sculpture had to be made in the kitchen and then carried by hand to the tents that were erected for this purpose.  They actually had staff directing traffic to ensure there is no collision during this transportation.  A slight change in humidity could be disastrous for the sculpture – and it happened to one chef whose sculpture collapsed as he placed it on the table.  It was devastating – but after calming down, he went back and finished the competition, gathering up his creative juices, he salvaged what was left of the broken sculpture and quickly turned it into another creation, almost like a phoenix rising out of the ashes.  I won’t spoil the film by telling you the results of the contest.  But it was finger-biting exciting.

Chef repairing the damage after the collapse of his sculpture 

One can’t help but admire these dedicated artisans who put their all into this test of their endurance over the course of just a few days.  They have to have their technique down pat in order to survive all the ups and downs during these stressful hours.  Their reward, if they win, (there is more than one winner - they just have to get a certain number of points) is a prestigious collar ribbon presented by the French President at the Sorbonne. 

"Three Stars"

I binged on food documentaries last week.   Watching one led me on to another, and another.  Food docs can be addictive.  The three I watched were all very good.  Although I wasn’t inspired by them, I was certainly fascinated – and excited by the passion that had inspired these chefs. 

The first one: “Three Stars” directed by Lutz Hachmeister introduced us to nine Michelin starred chefs, their personalities, how they run their kitchens, the philosophy behind their cooking and more importantly, how the Michelin star designation affected their lives.  The “Three Stars”, referring to the rating by Michelin, could make or break a restaurant, and its chef.  In the case of Bernard Loiseau, who committed suicide when he thought he might lose his 3 star status, it indeed broke the man.

These chefs, all fascinating personalities, could not have been more different.  Some were boisterous, some reserved, but all dedicated and focused on perfection.  One chef, Oliver Roellinger of Brittany, was defiant.  He gave up his Michelin 3 stars and closed the Maison de Bricourt.  He chose to share his cooking in a less formal setting in Le Coquillage, opening at the same time a spice importing company, a cooking school, a guest villa and a pastry shop.  This is one restaurant I would like to visit.

You can see the names of the other chefs on the cast list of the documentary.  Jean Georges Vongerichten, who owns and operates a “constellation” of 3 and 4 star restaurants, is obviously a savvy businessman in addition to being a famous chef.  He was the consummate actor in his own show.  Contrast him with Nadia Santini, the first female chef in Italy to earn the three stars.  She was relaxed and gentle, completely at home in her small town restaurant, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio in Lombardy – another one that I would like to visit.  I was also sad that Sergio Hermann announced that he will close his restaurant Oud Sluis in the Netherlands in December, 2013 as he seemed so charismatic.  But then it does make me wonder at the stress these guys must be going through – living on the edge, almost with a sentence over their heads – perform, or lose your 3 star status.  No wonder they opt to close, and then start again from scratch - too many of these occurrences to be coincidence. 

The million dollar question:  How long can one sustain perfection?

I admire these chefs but I do feel sorry for them, except for the ones for whom the “three stars” is not a sentence, but just another adornment external to their calling.  As for the Michelin people?  They certainly know how to keep their edge - they have developed a separate rating system for restaurants in Asia.  Now I call that savvy!

I will talk about the other two docs in another post.