The National Culinary Competition 2014

It's finally here, everyone! My blog about the national culinary competition. It was an experience like no other I've had yet. For the first time, I've met the challenges of being a judge. And to be honest, I'm still full from the tasting.

First of all, there were 5 judges including me for the food part. For the cocktails, they had a different crew, which is good. Probably we might have become drunk before we even get to the food.

In total there are 3 bartenders, 7 chefs and 4 pastry chefs. The participants were:

Bartenders:
- Minquel Tan-A-Kiam
- Irwin Mingoen
- David Duel

Chefs:
- Wendy Amatroeslan
- Benedicto Cataggatan
- Gilbert Wirjomoenawi
- Joey Dragman
- Orpheo Uitenwerf
- Lorenzo Harper
- Rodney Felter

Pastry Chefs:
- Ifeula Tilborg
- Quincy Wielson
- Louisa Tjon Meeuw Sioe
- Xaviera Mijnheimer

First of all, I want to say that all the participants had a very challenging job. Not only do they have to come up with an unique creation, but they also have a time limit to finish their creation. And for the chefs, they even have 2 creations to finish: appetizer and entrée. And as if the anxiety and the adrenaline rush isn't enough, our local electricity provider had a total black-out. For all the participants who needed electricity in any way, they had to look for other options.

It did remind me of a show I saw, where pastry chefs couldn't use their mixers and had to use chopsticks to mix their batter. That was cool to see then, but for this group, they were not prepared for these circumstances. But fortunately, everyone gave it their utmost to cope with these issues.

And for us judges, we had 18 creations to taste that practically came in at the same time. But to make it easier for you to read, I've grouped them by contestant.

Chef #1
Appetizer: Pan seared shrimp, papaya salad, croutons & taro leaf chutney
Entrée: Pan fried koebi with spicy tropical mango sauce. sweet potato puree, spicy curry pumpkin n stir-fried water spinach.

My comments:
The appetizer was cold. The papaya tasted like it's about to spoil and the taro leaf was too sour.

The entrée nicely plated. The sweet potato puree was nice and creamy and the deep-fried taro leaf was very crunchy. However I probably should say this at the end, but this was my favorite main course, even though I'm not too fond of fish.

Chef #2
Appetizer: pan grilled shrimp, cucumber roll stuffed with roasted bell pepper, carrots, vermicelli and toast topped with buttered taro leaf. Lemon garlic chili sauce.
Entrée: marinated bang bang on a bed of cassava puree, garlic string beans, caramelized pumpkin, Japanese style omelet and orange citrus sauce.

My comments:
The appetizer: I like the idea of the cucumber roll. the ingredients in it were well-balanced, but for me the spices are a bit on the heavy side. The shrimp however is overcooked and salty.

The entrée: fish was overcooked, the cassava puree had a gluey texture

Chef #3
Appetizer: grilled shrimp, pomelo salad, roasted eggplant roll
Entrée: chicken roulade stuffed with cheese and mushroom, beans puree/ broccoli/ lemon garlic sauce

My comments:
The appetizer: the pomelo salad was missing a dressing or sauce. Since the pomelo has a bitter-ish flavor and the sprouts are not adding any flavor to it, it just tasted bitter. Not a flavor most people favor.

The entrée: the roulade was tough to cut. The meat was too dense and puree was too salty.



made possible by Victuals

made possible by Victuals

Chef #4
Appetizer: Filled papaya, sea bob mousse, deep-fried gamba and lemon mint dressing
Entrée: Grilled honey ginger lemon pork chop with herbal mix, mashed sweet potato with antroewa ( I think it's bitter tomato in English?), butter taro leaf and pumpkin

My Comments:

The appetizer: first of all, using a hollowed out papaya to fill the sea bob mousse was a very good idea. All mixed together was very well balanced and had a very nice flavor and texture.

The entrée: The first thing that we all noticed was that the pork was raw. This is a very big HACCP issue. Raw pork is a big health hazard!!



Chef#5
Appetizer: grilled chicken filet, napi, sweet potato puree. Cucumber with lettuce. Ginger creamy sauce
Entrée: Kandra filet, lemon, coconut risotto with dried shrimps, eggplant, taro leaf and passion fruit hardie sauce.

My Comments:
The appetizer: the chicken was overcooked, the puree was a bit on the heavy side. And probable the chef wanted to create a certain perception, but putting everything on one side of the plate came over as a waste of the space.

The entrée: the risotto was undercooked, the eggplant was very greasy and this dish came an hour late. It should've been disqualified, but we still judge in since it was finished. But in case it tasted really good, it might have lost at the end since points would've been deducted due to the tardiness.
There can be all the reasons in the world, but a guest, who waits an hour for its entrée, will be so mad that he/she might not even want to lift a fork.

Chef #6
Appetizer: shrimp-apple tartar with crostini. Tropi-sur beverage
Entrée: Red snapper with sour sop sauce, podosiri (acai berry) risotto. soekwa (loofah)- carrot gratin.

My Comments:
The appetizer: The dish was plated really nice. It was different and very artistic. Unfortunately the shrimp was battered with its shell and deep-fried, so when we bite in it not expecting the shell to remain, it was a very unpleasant surprise. the yoghurt sauce was creamy and well-flavored. The drink was really good next to it. The other judges were comparing it with the rocket popsicle.

The entrée: The dish itself had an odd smell. It could've been the podosiri used. The risotto was also undercooked.

Compared to its appetizer, I wouldn't have thought those two dishes were plated by the same person. The appetizer was so well-thought, where as the entrée looked as if the chef lost its creativeness.

Chef# 7
Appetizer: Totness Chicken
Entrée: Santan Steak - pan seared tenderloin, in a bed of kloewe, babat, tempeh; light curry sauce in cocoa and laos. Spicy tomato trasie sauce.

My Comments:
The appetizer: my chicken filet was overcooked. My colleague judge had a juicier piece of meat. Combined the pineapple and mango make a very tasty salsa.

The entrée: The babat (cow's first belly) was still gamey. ( in Suriname we would say' is nog la la'). It's the only dish with beef, but with all the ingredients, the beef doesn't seem like the main ingredient. And for me, too many flavors on one plate.

Finally, we're off to desserts. It's always the fun part of the whole dining experience, if only you've left enough space in your belly.

Pastry#1 : Warm chocolate lava, infused with Malibu rum and fresh awara pearls. Accompanied with Suriname's best ginger beer mixed with fresh cut pineapples, garnished with podosiri sauce, mint leaves and chocolate tuile.

My comments:
When we ladies saw that on the menu, we tripped!! I mean...Chocolate Lava is like chocolate heaven. We even threatened each other not to take too much. But the experience was sooo disappointing. The edges of the cake were so massive and however the center is gooey,  the dark chocolate was a bit on the bitter side and it was infused with too much rum. The awara pearls were flavorless. On the other end, the ginger beer was really good. I don't like ginger, so I normally wouldn't drink ginger beer, but this was light and not so ginger-y that it was uncomfortable. I'd drink it again if I got this served.


Pastry#2: Tapse Tisie
Cannelloni with podosiri cream and awara foam and tapioca caviar.

My comments:
This was such a great dessert!! The only one that I'd actually wanted to finish. The cannelloni is crunchy, the podosiri cream was not too sweet and the tapioca caviar gave it such a great texture to it all.


Pastry#3: Earl grey tea mousse topped with mint leaves garnished with mango ravioli, chocolate spheres, tuile and caramel powder.

My comments:
Before we even got the dish, we already had a very good first impression from this pastry chef. Their menu was printed on a laminated paper. It's like handing in your paper for school. However the layout and cover might not give you extra points, but you've already gave a good impression.
The dish itself...the mousse was a bit on the sweet side. The spheres are so cool. They burst in your mouth. It's really something you should experience if you get the chance.

Pastry#4: Passion fruit yoghurt parfait and meringue, garnished with sesame tuile.

My comments:
This pastry chef really had quite some to endure. Like I mentioned earlier, we had a black-out, so since her creation is yoghurt parfait, it's a very delicate dessert. It needs to stay cooled. And stem of one of her glasses broke and since there's no electricity, she couldn't make a new one. But after all, we did get to taste her creation.

The yoghurt parfait is very light and the meringue gave it a nice twist. What made it really nice was the sesame tuile. It has the nice flavor and aroma of sesame. A really nice dessert.









Wow, this blog has become quite long!! Hopefully I did not bore you guys.
And that's how my judging experience was; It's like food coming in that needed to be tasted and it just doesn't seem to end. And at the end, it was such a relieve that it was finally over.

And if I had to do it all over again? I would be the first in line!

The experience was new and exciting. It's constantly new dishes, new creations and I'm so happy I could taste every one of the dishes. I have to admit. I had some challenges giving points that quickly, but at the very end, we all did it!

And of course, I can't finish this blog, without the results:

Winning Bartender:
no.1. David - 22 Yards
no.2. Irwin - Krasnapolsky

Winning Chefs:
no. 1. Chef #4 Lorenzo - Torarica
no. 2. Chef #1 Benedicto - Spice Quest
no. 3. Chef #2 Gilbert - Suralco Country Club

Note: I'm pretty surprised by the results, but I have to admit that Lorenzo's appetizer was really the best of all the presented appetizers and for the next time, I hope he cooks the pork a bit longer.

Winning Pastry Chef:
no.1. Pastry #2 Xaviera - Krasnapolsky
no.2. Pastry #4 Louisa- Heavenly Sweets.

What I do miss is the chance for any foodie fan to taste these creations. Maybe it's an idea for the several places to present at least the winning dishes in the weeks after such a competition. It's like only watch, no touch for most readers. That's a real torture for most foodies!

Sushi 101

First of all, I hope everyone enjoyed a great Easter weekend with lots of food, drinks and fun! Personally my Easter weekend was quite productive since I've used it to do some projects on the house, but I did enjoy my own share of Easter celebrations. I went to a gathering initiated by my good friend and quite some foodies together and we started talking about a variety of topics. One of them that really stayed with me was:' What are the requirements for an item to be called 'Sushi'

I mean, should it always be a roll, does it need to be rolled with seaweed or is a mandatory ingredient 'seafood'. In Suriname, it is not until recently that we have sushi restaurants. And it appears that more and more locals are liking the sushi option, which is a very good improvement compared to ten years ago, when most people are reluctant to try new culinary things.

I did some research and nowhere on the web could I actually find the requirements/qualifications for sushi. The only thing that is written in most of them is that the base is specially prepared rice.
However both white and brown rice can be used, we mostly see the white version. And it is also mostly prepared with rice vinegar to give it a sticky texture.

I know many newbies will immediately think of raw fish when they hear about sushi. That is of course an option, but nowadays there are so many with cooked ingredients, so don't worry about that.

Here's a little something about sushi:

- However it is known as a Japanese dish, its origin can be found in Southeast Asia.
- Sushi ( the ones with raw fish) minus rice = sashimi
- Sushi mostly come with 3 items: ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.
   The ginger is to clean the palate between rolls/ meals and the wasabi can be added to the soy sauce,
    in which sushi can be dipped.
- however it's common to use rice vinegar, it's not a mandatory thing. Some people use orange or  
   lemon juice. I suppose it should be a bit acidic for it to work.
- sushi is not always rolled, so seaweed is not a mandatory ingredient. For example, the Nigiri is just
   molded rice with a piece of meat/fish on it. But there are also other kinds like sushi cupcake- the ingredients are put in a cupcake-like bowl



- the most expensive sushi costs 91,800 Phillipino Pesos (£1,313.88, $1,978.15) for five pieces of
  Nigiri garnished with diamonds and wrapped in 24-karat gold leaf produced by chef Angelito

  Araneta Jr. -> information taken form Guinness book of World Records. If you want to try this expensive masterpiece, you'll have to be in Manila.
- sushi is not always hearty. There are lots of sushi desserts in the world. It kind of give me a feeling that they misnamed the Swiss Roll. That will be a battle between the Japanese and the Swiss I quess.


http://thoughtcatalog.com/melanie-berliet/2013/08/confessions-of-a-naked-sushi-model/

- you can also choose to eat sushi the naked way-Nyotaimori -, but just not in Suriname yet. The ordered sushi will be served on a naked lady. I read this article 'confessions of a naked sushi model',... really interesting. If you'd like to read it too, please click here.
- and if you want more information on sushi, the latest edition of Victuals has an article about it. Make sure not to miss out.

You know,... every where I go they have their own sushi. Like Aruba has their Aruba-sushi, California has the California-roll, why hasn't Suriname has their own sushi yet?

I'm thinking, a Masoes Moksi Alesie -yellow mixed rice- rolled in a deep-fried bokchoy or water spinach or any other Surinamese veggie leaf, filled with baked banana or so.

And last but not least, 27 April 2014 is the National Culinary Competition.  And quess what?? I got invited to be a judge. Who knows? Maybe I do get served a Surinamese sushi?

The location is: SUIT NV and it's free entrance!! See you there!!

SCA Fundraising dinner @ Torarica

Last Tuesday I got invited by a good friend to join him for the fundraising dinner held by Suriname Chef Association. This time the location was Torarica. The setting is rather dim, nice for a romantic ambiance, but not convenient if you have to read. Good thing the menu was in a rather big font.

The menu for that night was:

 

 

The first thing I received was the welcoming's cocktail. I noticed that mine looked different compared to the one of my dining partner. Mine was a nice Ying Yang of yellow and green and my dining partner's drink was layered.           

 

The drink was a bit on the sour side and like my other experience, no one gave instructions to stir/mix the drink.  

 

What I do like about the idea is the use of Surinamese fruits in this one. It's made with Katahar and guava as the main ingredients.

 In the flyer, there was mentioning of a surprise. So instead of a 3-course dinner, we received an amuse with it.

From the information I got, this was from the host restaurant. A Bara and a deep-fried fish ball. I miss the fluffiness of the Bara and however for me the chutney salsa was not hot, I believe it should be given as a choice to the guest if he/she would like to spice it up.

The appetizer was the trio chicken.

 The first chicken was a piece of chicken breast with the corn salsa. The chicken was blend and the corn was still hard!!

The second chicken was the omelet. Yeah...eggs sort of are un-hatched chickens.

And the third chicken is probably the ones in the ragout. The ragout had a very nice flavor and creamy texture.

The chefs explained that they received fresh corns and it didn't get soft after hours of cooking. After some research on the internet, I came across some similar issues, but they mentioned two reasons why corn might be rubbery and hard:
- overcooked
- salt

The entrée is brisket with loofah squash and potato rosti.

The brisket was soft, but not as soft as I expected it should be. It has an ok flavor, but nothing fancy and not impressive.

The loofah squash had the hard edges and a soft center.

The green split pea puree had a nice flavor, but very unfortunate to still have some uncooked peas in it.

My potato rosti was burned and was very greasy.

My advice for this dish would be:
1. peel the edges of the loofah squash.
2. the potato rosti soaked up so much oil. It could be that the oil was maybe not hot enough. And after deep-frying, place it on paper towels to soak up the excessive oil. And it goes without saying that someone should really pay attention while deep-frying it.


The dessert is coconut flan.

Flan is an easy, but yet delicate dessert. What I mostly like about flan is the caramel sauce, which I do miss on this one.

The flan is soft and creamy and is well-flavored. Not too sweet.

The flan has pieces of coconut in it, which adds texture to the dessert. For me, the pieces are still a bit too big. I understand that the chef would like to really bring out the coconut in the flan, but I would prefer coconut shreds in it.

However I do love dark chocolate, but I believe a caramel garnish would've been more suitable.

Compared with my previous SCA fundraising dinner @Marriott, I am quite disappointed with this experience. Probably the mystery baskets are getting tougher nearing the competition, but that should be expected by the chefs.

During these coming 2 months before the competition, I expect the chefs to be training themselves with all kinds of unexpected ingredients. For example, watch Chopped and use the ingredients to create a dish. Ingredients that need a longer cooking time, browse the internet for solutions to tenderize or ways to speed-up the process.

In Dutch there is a saying" goed begonnen is half gewonnen", which means if you are prepared and have a good start,  you have won half the battle already.

I don't hope my post will come over as a discouragement or offensive, since I do support the chefs in this upcoming challenge. I hope this will be an eye-opener and a wake- up call that everyone should be on their A-game towards the Taste of the Caribbean Competition.

Souposo: the first soup bar in Suriname!

Last week I visited Souposo, the first soup bar in Suriname. They started first in November 2012, where Ramon Beuk came to serve the first bowl of soup. Their first location was at the Van Roseveltkade. Now they moved to the Costerstraat, which I believe is a good change of scenery.

http://www.switi-sranan.com/souposo/



borrowed from Jill-Joy Landburg

Souposo serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and they serve different soups every day. However it's a soup bar, but they serve more than soup. One of the dinner entrées my friend recommended is the Luxe Moksi Alesi, which is nicely plated with a piece of skirt steak on top of a small pile of Moksi Alesi( mixed rice) and a tomato salsa sauce drizzle.

This is my opinion about the place:
  - The decoration of the restaurant
  It is very colorful, but yet stylish. It feels as if I step in an art house, where the chairs and the tables
  are its art. It has a bookshelves with books and all together gives a really cozy ambiance. There is
  also the option to sit outside in the open; looking at it all gives me the feeling of a picnic place. Very
  relaxed. I just love the bright colors combined with the wooden accents!

- Service
  The staff is very friendly. Everyone I saw smiled to me and our waitress was nice.

- Food
  We ordered the skirt steak (luxe moksi alesi) and the pork chop. However the waitress replied that we could share one  
  meal (maybe she thought I eat little), but I saw a picture before and knew that it would not be enough for the both of us. The skirt steak was well-seasoned, but for my idea a bit too small. The
  pork chop was very tender and could be seasoned a bit more. The sauce used for both dishes were a bit on the strong side. For the steak, I didn't even used any of the salsa. It was good as and I wouldn't want to change the flavor by dipping on any sauce. And maybe the idea was that the strong mustard sauce was to give the pork chop the flavor? I dunno, but I was not that fond of the sauces.


- The location
 At the old location, it was always hard to find a parking space. The new location is a bit better, but they should consider maybe joining forces with the office nearby. They have a parking space across the street and after business hours, it's not really used.

-Price
The price is a bit above average, but not too extreme. And here rise the question once again as mentioned in my old post Something to think about: Surinamese gourmet?: Are you willing to pay for Surinamese gourmet? However it's a fusion, but it's a great initiative towards Surinamese gourmet, so I will support it. Do you?





For everyone, who would like to check this place out, this is their contact information: