Beautiful Plates at Chez Tj

Chef's Pre-Service Briefing
Henry, Andrew, Bruno

Lamb being plated.

Squab being plated.

Squab Terrine with Frisee

Boeuf.

Veg Terrine.
Carrots, Asparagus, Cauliflower with Herb Salad

Foie Plate.
Missing Seared, Mousse stuffed Morel, Torchon

Bon Bons

Hali

Cheese Plate.
Missing Brillat Savarin and Tete de Moine

Marinated Scallop
(Lemoin Oil, Wakame, Sake, Aged Soy, Passion Fruit Gastrique, Espilette)

Lobo. On Cuc and Mango

Lobo. Top view

I liked it over there. I learned a lot. Thank you, Chefs!

Fried Parsley

One of the most common garnishes... typically thrown in a deep fryer for a couple of seconds then sprinkled with salt and allowed to crisp under the sally or on top of the oven. At Chez TJ, I learned hot to keep them flat and green and crisp! It's a trick on the microwave!

The perfectly fried parsley and the shaved truffle on a brick dough will cap a delicious bowl of squab consomme.

Stagerie at Chez TJ

I've been feeling rusty since I stopped cooking. I was off from my spa work today so I decided to call my friend who's a sous chef at Chez Tj, a french restaurant in Mountain View, CA.

I spent the entire day just helping out the cooks. I did a lot of knife work and help prepare the little details on the plate that a lot of people don't like doing... like fried parsley, brunois shallots and chive rings.

I had a lot of fun! I'm so amazed at how the system in the kitchen works so well. They only have 4 cooks. The Chef de Cuisine expedites at the pass. At the beginning of the line is the Garde Mange cook, followed by the Sous Chef, then the Entremet then the Saute Cook. The Entremet plates everything. He stands in between the Sous Chef and the Saute Cook. Saute cooks most of the protein. The Sous Chef helps supervise the line and cooks some of the vegetables and sauces too. As the Entremet plates, the Chef de Cuisine takes them at the pass and finishes them with oils, salt, pepper, fried herbs, chives, creme fraiche or truffle shavings.

It was amazing how much food comes out of that kitchen. The plates and beautiful and fairly complex and yet service runs very smoothly.

I was only there for a day and I already learned so much. Thanks Chef Bruno and Chef Henry! I would love to come by and help again sometime soon.

Some tips and tricks and photos on my next post.

My Job At The Spa

One business I want to have one day is a Salon Spa. Recently, as I have been bored, I decided to walk into one that's across the street from my cousin's house in Menlo Park, CA. I just wanted to see what services they have and what special stuff they offer.

It occurred to me that perhaps the best way to learn the business is to be in it. It so happened that they had an opening. They just needed a part time manager on duty (basically take care of transactions, booking, opening and closing the registers and creating the reports). I applied and got the job.

My first day was so far fun. I learned how to book appointments and how to sell their services. Plus, I got to sample a lot of their beauty products for free!

And the best part is, they started scheduling me for facial and massage. It's sort of an orientation. The goal is to give me the experience that will allow me to sell their services better.

Spa extravaganza! Not bad at all!

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Thermae

So much fun!

It was just so much fun! I'm still not over it! I don't think I'll ever get over it. Thanks Er, Michelle, Bembong and Alexei!