The worst dietary request ever !!!!!!

The Worst Diets in the World

I come across a lot of dietary requirements in my job and have had a few funny requests in my time. These days, it seems to be fashionable to be intolerable to one thing or other or to be on some low glucose, high lactose, gluten free, extra carbohydrates, no oil, no flavour, no nutrition diet. Well me I am intolerant to those people.
Picky eaters are generally a pain in the arse and they don’t know what they want, so how on earth do they expect everybody else to know what they want? Don’t get me wrong, I will accommodate someone who has a genuine allergy and lets me know in advance but
my general opinion is that if you have such picky eating habits, you should not be eating out in the first place. Rather bring a packed lunch with whatever it is you eat and everybody will be happy.
I have also got no time for people who chop and change the menu according to their likes and dislikes. If you don’t eat prawns then don’t order the prawn dish, and if there is nothing else you like on the menu go and eat someplace else. It's simple enough!
Anyway, if I could have collected all the strange dietary requests I have received, I probably could have opened a whole blog just on that topic. Instead I will just share my favorite one with you, I have kept this email from a few years back.It was a family who stayed with us on the game reserve I was working at. Every time I read it, I am still as fascinated as the first time I read it and think to myself,
"are these people for real?"

The answer is yes, there are people like this out there and every day it scares the living hell out of me that I might have to deal with them again!

Master Chef = Bollocks

Now before I start this may be a very sensitive subject for reality television addicts (Survivor, Amazing Race, The Bachelor and Master Chef....etc) but it is a very touchy subject for me as well and I just have to get it off my chest no matter what everybody thinks. 

I don't really care how much you like the fake show I think it is bollocks!

To be called "Master Chef " from cooking a plate of food for three judges and getting your own restaurant? NO NO NO not on your life, not in the real world.....

To be called "Master Chef" from working your way up in the industry learning the way of the trade for 20 years? YES DEFINITELY!!! 

I have respect for that!

Basically lets put it all into perspective, why don't we have a MASTER HEART SURGEON SOUTH AFRICA? You win the competition you get your own hospital to run. No?

I don't see too many people booking themselves in for that. 

Well it is the same thing. You don't just hand out years of experience as a prize to the winner of some highly publicised television show and make money off of it. 

This is attracting people to a restaurant so that the organisers can make a quick buck. 

So before everybody thinks I am a negative and sour person towards such a popular show, I love the idea of finding amateur talent and promoting the ideas of becoming a hero chef to kids. Lets just think of people like me and many many others who work in the industry with me  who have been working for many years and even decades to try and become real chefs and earn the right to own a restaurant. We have to watch people handing out false prizes to people who are nowhere near ready to run a restaurant.

In reality who would leave a cushy well paid 9-5 job for long ours low pay and no social life? Not many I can tell you.

This job is a passion and it can not be sold as a fancy prize.

I would love to hear everybody's thoughts on the show and feedback as well.

Until next time .................

   

Taming the Beast of the Deep!

So with two beer festivals in Jozi (Johannesburg ) in the next few weeks and the warmer weather on the way what more of an excuse do you need to crack open and try some new and exciting beers?

I thought in the spirit of it all I would share this gem of a craft beer I have found with everybody.

"The Beast Of The Deep" from Brewers & Union craft brewery.

I stand to be corrected but I seem to think from my research that it is a Bavarian style craft brewery

that is brewing in CapeTown and they have no less than seven types of brew in their range!
Either way it is fantastic news for people like us who are looking to explore the the ever expanding and very popular craft beer market that is becoming available in Southern Africa.
So taking the very sound advice from the Brewers & Union web page .

It is suggested this beer goes very well with most pork dishes, I thought of how I would serve it at my craft brewery restaurant one day.

Picture the scene sitting on the deck one early sunny spring afternoon with this Ice cold Bavarian craft beer in your hand , melting butter on a freshly baked beer bread , grilled bratwurst sausages , peppered salami and hot German style mustard .....
this is how I would expect it to be if I was in Germany or anywhere drinking this fine beer..
What a fantastic brew of strong unfiltered lager (6,5%) in a generous 500ml bottle,
I can not wait to try the others
Brewers and Union I have only one thing to say

Cheers!

Cocktail parties explained.

Recent cocktail snacks 2012

A lot of people don't understand a canape or cocktail function, some people are merely there to pile their plates with food as if they are a Somalian refugee who hasn't eaten in weeks and does not know where his next meal is coming from (otherwise termed in my profession as a "buffet monster")
Now most people generally think of canapes as inadequate pieces of food that will not be nearly enough and just won't cut the mustard , you are wrong .
If you just take a moment to look at it from my perspective it is not all doom and gloom when you reach the buffet.
Canapes are to put it simply miniature pieces of art created by the chef to give you a mouth full of flavor, think about it you can sample the chefs whole menu in one sitting instead of just choosing one dish.......
What more could a person want?
So next time you are faced with these little buggers at a party try to think of things from the other perspective and appreciate the time and effort it has taken the chef to create these little beautiful creatures of the culinary world and enjoy them I promise it will be enough!

till next time..............


 

Why I like to cook for a career......

I may not be the biggest reader around but I do enjoy a good book every now and again , and nothing beats a great auto biography especially by a hero of mine Anthony Bourdain who shares two of my favorite past times namely creative writing and cooking ( not specifically in that order though)

I would like to start by saying that if you have never been in the underworld of the food service industry Anthony Bourdain books could be a real eye opener for people like you who don't quite understand what people like me have been through and go through everyday , as for the people who have worked and are a part of this industry the Kitchen Confidential books will put a smile on your face because you will understand.

I always get this question from many different people " why would you do this for a living ?"

lets look at the facts it makes no sense, low pay , long hours , little or no social life (no weekends modern society says you should have) as well as coming home smelling like whatever food product you have been working with and to top it all off loads of stress everyday for what ?

To put everything into perspective it is the little positive things that make this career worthwhile, it's the little rewards and none are put into words better than a passage out of the Medium Raw novel by Anthony Bourdain where he explains what he misses about being a chef  and this pretty much sums up why I love it so much ......

"What do I miss , I tell them, and will always miss, is that first pull on a cold beer after work. That is irreplaceable. Nothing approaches that. That's the kind of satisfaction no bestseller can ever beat-no television show, no crowd, no nothing. That single moment after a long busy night, sitting down at the bar with your colleagues, wiping the sweat off your neck, taking a deep breath, with unspoken congratulations all round-and  then that first sip of cold, cold, beer.

It tastes like victory. 

You look at each other with intense camaraderie of people who've suffered together and think,

we did well tonight. We will go home proud.

There are nods and half smiles. A sigh . Maybe even a groan of relief.

Once again. We survived. We did well. 

We're still here. "  

  

My entry for Sunday times chef of the year 2012

Hey guys I have never entered this competition before but have decided to give it a bash this year with a little encouragement from my exec chef, please take a look at my three course African themed menu I have prepared for the competition entry.

 There are a lot of better chefs out there than me but I can also say there are a lot worse chefs out there as well.... Either way I am proud of my entry and shows the way I like to cook as a chef , crisp clean and very tasty dishes that are uncomplicated , simply presented and easy on the eye . 

would love to hear every bodies thoughts on my menu  including compliments ,  constructive criticism , suggestions and any other feedback. so please drop me a line via face book , the comments blog or e mail.

cheers guys thanks for taking the time to check out my blog and wish me luck.............   

 

STARTER

Simonsburg creamy blue cheese ,biltong and preserved fig spring rolls served on chilli , avocado and lime puree.

MAIN COURSE

Karoo rack of lamb rubbed with coarse rosemary salt and wrapped in smoked streaky bacon served on slow roasted tomato onion and garlic bredie and golden fried African pap(maize meal) cake , seasonal vegetables and spicy coriander and green onion chutney.

     DESSERT

 Bannana bread and butter pudding glazed with wild honey and raisins served with homemade rooibos infused custard and fresh strawberries. 

Chocolate stout for dessert anybody?

Chocolate flavoured stout for dessert anybody........?I never would have thought until one of my fellow chefs bought me one of these to try , if you like stout and you like chocolate this one is for you , a beer for dessert is what we need !
This is like chocolate flavored Guinness and it is a winner in my books!
Rich dark and a very apparent cocoa flavour will compliment my vanilla chocolate cheese cake and Belgian chocolate  truffles but be warned probably only one of these puppies will be needed as they are very strong and it had me very jolly at the end of the evening.
I have never been the biggest sweet person or dessert eater yet have always been a fan of Dom pedros or Irish coffee at the end of my meal until  the thought of chocolate stout and dessert had opened up a whole new door and would be the ideal way to end off a meal in summer or winter and will pair with almost any chocolate dessert .
Taking things a step further try making a chocolate milkshake and adding your favorite stout into the mix instead of milk and you will have an amazing twist on a classic milkshake .
With stout being one of my favorite beverages at the moment it has also become one of my favorite ingredients in my cooking , watch this space and find out more .

Beer and food pairings really?

Until last year I had not really thought about beer and food pairings until my tour to Ireland ,to cut along story short I flew half way around the world to go to a food festival and ended up in the beer tent (probably thanks to my friend Sean ) .
During this beer masterclass they taught us about food and beer pairings and how just like wine different types of beer and food compliment each other , beer really can we do that ?
This is really unheard of as everybody only does this with wine surely ? of course not beer and food pairings happen all the time and we just do not pay enough attention to this golden nectar we call "liquid bread"
It is really quite simple just think of a juicy grilled steak and imagine your ice cold beer with it?(food pairing done) everybody has done it!
Anyway since my trip to Ireland I have had the idea to try and source different beers every now and again and try to pair them off with some flavours and dishes I have created.
During my research over the past few months I have since discovered a whole new world of craft beer in South Africa that I never really knew existed and it waiting to explode. I can not wait to give this thing a shot.....to see how popular it really is.
So if you love beer and you love food please keep an eye on my blog and let me know what you think.

 Cheers !

New Breakfast Menu

THE EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST MAY 2012

photos by Kelly Jade Photography 079 388 7609

In the fast paced world of corporate catering in between meetings and on the run the executives often don't have time to sit around and eat plated breakfasts but rather need something fresh funky and fresh that can be enjoyed in between their hectic schedules , here are some photos from our recently revamped executive cocktail breakfast menu .

A little introduction

I am Richard Bain from Johannesburg South Africa , I have been in the hospitality industry since leaving school and have worked in many different catering positions here and abroad . I currently work in the corporate environment and have a passion for canape and cocktail snacks . I have also developed a passion for tasting different types of beer and would like to try and bring these together by following the relatively unexplored path in South Africa of beer and food pairings.