So Busy...

It's been really busy at work...due to the fact that a lot of different magazines have covered us. We are rated on citysearch, zagat and gayot. Gayot rated us as one of LA's top ten hottest restaurant. So it's been non stop since my last post. We've added a few new desserts and also changed some of the plating around.

One of the new dessert is Peach Citrus. It's a warm peach salad tossed in a sweet balsamic reduction with different citrus fruits like Grapefruit, orange and blood oranges. It is served with a martini glass that is layered with Lychee Gelee, Mint Gelee, Vanilla Yogurt mousse and topped with an Apricot Spiced Caramel sauce. On the side is Peach sorbet with a citrus tuile!

Another is Cherry Mon Cheri...flourless chocolate cake with layers of Dark chocolate mousse and white chocolate mousse. A shooter of Cherry smoothie and some flambeed Cherries in a Cherry Sherry sauce. For ice cream is a Ciabatta Bread ice cream.

Our newest addition is the Hazelnut Caramal soup served with vadouvan foam. On the side is a slice of traditional Breton Cake from the French region of Brittany. A french macaroon with Hibiscus gelee and a banana marshmellow. The ice cream on this plate is Guinness Ice cream.

I've always felt that the ice cream is the star of the plate...but that's just me. I love the different flavors that we play with...

From The Other Side

I've admired the cuisine for so long and it was time to be viewing and enjoying it from the other side! Last week I went to dine at Abode with my friends. We decided to have the tasting menu and my chef did an amazing job. It blew our minds away!!

Since I work there, I kind of knew what to expect but wow, I guess Chef changed it up for us because I had an unexpected fabulous experience!

We started off with an amuse bouche of cilantro lychee sorbet. Next up was Carrot soup with a sea urchin carrot emulsion. On the side was a fried blue cheese and fennel ball. Great combination!

The langostine course was so tasty. I wasn't expecting a dish I hadn't seen. It was amazing. We had started on our 2nd bottle of wine by now...our table was happily enjoying every minute. Next course was the Halibut. It was also prepared in a way I had never seen. The fish was perfectly cooked. So juicy and moist. Every portion was just perfect.

My favorite course was the beef tenderloin. Oh my gosh...so tender, cooked to perfection. Served with a sweet red pepper jus and squid stuffed with paella. Wow. My friends just couldn't stop talking about this course. Our red wine was the perfect balance and we savored each bite!

Before our dessert course, Chef brought out a plate of cheese and we opened a bottle of sweet dessert wine. We were so happy that I think we giggled thru the entire cheese course with a lot of wow and hmmmm. I love the lavender compote and candied pecans that came with it. I love cheese and wine so it was the perfect dessert for me...then the dessert course came out. Our famous chocolate souffle egg, rum gelee with coconut lime creme, banana mango croquette and the bacon & thyme ice cream. I asked for some of the pink peppercorn ice cream with the candied pink peppercorns so that my friends could try it. It was so good!

Overall we had such a great time and I was so happy my friends love the restaurant as much as I do. Chef was great, visiting us and making every guest feel like a VIP. It was definitely one of the best meal I've ever had in LA. It's no wonder that Gayot.com voted Abode as one of LA's hottest restaurants!

Playing with Ice Creams

I feel like I have an obsession with trying out different flavors of ice cream. I see it as a blank canvas which you can create anything you want. I'm so glad that Chef encourages us to try out our recipes. Every time I find a new interesting recipe, I want to try it out. When it turns out the way I imagine I feel so great. There are times when it doesn't come out quite the way I had envisioned so I try again. If it still doesn't taste or the texture isn't what I'm looking for then I'll try to modify it until it works. Keeps the brainstorm going!

My recent play was a bacon & egg ice cream. I wasn't sure about it at first since it's so far out there but after I made it, the initial tasting of the ice cream was AWESOME! I can't believe how good it is. Given it is kind of weird for some people to comprehend but for the adventurous, it's one of the best ice cream flavors out there! Sweet & a little salty. Delicious!

New Dishes!

Mother's Day has just passed. Now we can all breathe a little. Abode has picked up a lot since my last post and it's been very busy. New menu items in both savory and dessert has certainly kept everyone busy. The best part of new items meant we get to try it as well. yummy!

I love how most of the dishes are fish instead of meat. Barramundi, Halibut and Black cod. Arctic Char is served at lunch and Brunch. I love seafood and I love to eat fish. The barramundi is one of the best fish dish to eat. For a fish, it's very meaty and it is prepared so well.

The halibut is great. Crusted in crispy Prosciutto and served with white asparagus. My favorite still is the black cod. It just melts in your mouth and the sea urchin carrot foam sauce is just so perfect with the fish.

I admire my chef's creativity and the plates are always beautiful. The cuisine isn't something you see everyday and each dish is made with so much detail. I'm so impressed by the flavors them.

With Desserts we have 3 new dishes. Pain Perdu is like french toast served with strawberry syrup and thyme praline with a side of Lemon Gelato. Coconut soup with lemongrass panna cotta, banana cake croutons, passionfruit syrup, shiso ice cream and cilantro caviar. Chocolate Ginger cake with chickpea cream and fennel ice cream.

My friends who ate there said it's been one of their best meals in LA. They all mention that it's been so long since they had such an amazing meal. I know for a fact they haven't stop talking about it for about 2 weeks now! Every chance they get, they describe to their other friends the meal at Abode. When they introduce me to their friends, I get the introduction of, "she the one that works at Abode, you know, the restaurant I told u about...the one where we should all go. You have to try it." Of course, they also say the dessert is mind blowing!

What Abode is Really About

I know I've only really talked about what's going on with the restaurant and the food and I think I touched on the subject of what concept our restaurant is but didn't really go into it. I think I finally have a little time to explain.

I think with so many restaurants and so many new "trends" or "concepts" people are not really sure what they really mean. The first time I mentioned organic to my friends, they had initially thought it meant vegetarian. They think of bland vegetarian dishes. But Organic is describing how the produce is grown. The reason why it is so expensive is because the growers have so many regulations to follow and many years of investment to get that federal organic stamp. Most products are now described as "sustainable".

Nowadays another way of being green is being responsible. We are a restaurant that strives to be responsible. We are not a miracle worker that can save the world but we are one of many restaurants that is trying our hardest to be responsible to our community and to the environment. I want to be correct on my definition of Sustainability so I got it from Answers.com : "Sustainability is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future."

From what I know, we buy our produce from the farmer's market in Santa Monica. Our suppliers for Meat and Fish and Produce are all companies that is known for being sustainable. We donate our used oil for old diesel cars that have been converted to burn oil. During the restaurant's renovation the owners didn't want to waste any of the materials. They used left over wood to make a motif on the wall. That's the kind of restaurant we are.

I am so proud to be part of something like Abode. It is hard to make people aware of what's going on in the world. I'm glad that we are a group of people who is trying to do our part to help.

Our Desserts

So far we have 5 desserts on the menu. I know we will be adding at least one more. I think we are also planning on some Mignardise but haven't decided on what yet. Hopefully by next week we'll decide on what petit fours to make and serve.

So far I think our most popular dessert is the Chocolate Study. 5 different chocolate desserts that incorporate the different texture, taste and temperature. Definitely the best dessert for any chocoholic....like me!

I love our Pina Colada Float, it's is such a unique dessert and people never expect it. The tastes combined is unbelievable.

The citrus dessert is great for everyone, it's light and delicious. Different citrus are served in a sweet and sour sauce with vanilla yogurt mousse. Of course there is a delicious ice cream on there too!

Our take on the chocolate tart is so innovative. The ice cream that is paired with the tart is my favorite. The chocolate is so decadent. I can eat it all day!

The Banana Mango Croquettes are great...I love how everything looks on the plate. I love all the ice cream and sauces we've made that pairs so well with each dessert.

These are not your usually desserts. It's art on a plate. It's like a journey thru taste. I love it.

Opening Day!

Wow...it's great how well things are running so much smoother with 2 days of practice. Although I know everyone is still a little stressed and of course very tired, but the vibe is picking up even more. The line is running very smoothly and much faster than the first day. Since we are desserts, we all have a little bit of time before our course is plated so I have been enjoying watching the line work and it's amazing to see how a plate comes together.

The plates are amazing from the appetizers to the entrees to the cheese plates and of course the desserts too! Every plate that goes out is like a work of art.
I hope every customer can taste and enjoy the combination of flavors and textures of each dish. So much thought, energy and care went into them!

It's great to have guidance in the pastry area. We played around with different plating and finally decided on what plate to use and how each dessert should look. The effect is wonderful. The plating is fabulous and I think very impressive.

We all want clean plates coming back to the kitchen...we all want everyone to say wow when dessert arrives at their table. We all want everyone to enjoy their entire dining experience. I know it's something we can achieve easily. That's how great our team is.

Stressed = Desserts

Today was a tough day for me, personally. I was sick the first couple of hours at work...it took 3 painkillers before I felt better. I wasn't sick with the flu kinda sick but just in pain. I usually hate taking painkillers too but I was feeling weak and sluggish. I'll be better tomorrow.

Then of course there are the worries and stress. I knew my mom was going into surgery and I waited most of the night/morning for my sister to call with an update. I guess the operation was longer then I expected because I didn't get any call before I went to work. Thru out work I had that in the back of my mind but I was so busy that I even forgot to eat! After work I finally was able to check my voicemail. My sister just said to call back since mom was awake. That's good news. Now I can breathe easier.

Our station was very busy trying to get things done since most of the ingredients arrived today but some were delivered too late to finish certain items. I'm sure we'll finish everything tomorrow before the opening day on Wednesday. I was very stressed about getting things done. I think I wasn't confident enough to just do it so I wanted to ask both Chefs for advice before actually making anything. Especially since we hadn't made any of these desserts before. Some instructions were misinterpreted and we messed up on a few things. I feel so bad about it. I'm going in earlier tomorrow to correct those mistakes. I feel disappointed with myself. I know, it's the first day but I've always pushed myself to do things perfectly and when it doesn't happen I feel awful.

I saw some plating from other stations and everything looked great. I think everyone is doing a good job. I know a few are a little stressed out and nervous. It's all so new...where things are, how we all work together, how things go together, how everything is plated, how everything is suppose to look and taste. It's all very exciting but stressful as well. I know everyone is nervous about the opening day but I believe we are glad it's finally here. Once we get into the grove of things, it will just flow.

Excitement

We are scheduled to open to the public on Wed. We were busy today prepping for the opening. It's a big deal because there are reservations already and I think some are for big name celebrities. It's all very exciting.

Eliot and I have gone thru the updated menu and we were trying to prep all the things that needs time to do. I think people forget how much sugar and eggs dessert needs because we ran out of eggs only after a few items. There were a lot of ingredients that hadn't been delivered so we weren't able to make everything we wanted to. I really really wanted to make at all the desserts from the menu but I guess we'll do our trial runs on Monday and Tuesday. So far we've touched on different components from each dish. I want to make sure we got everything perfect and that everything we make taste the way it should. If it can be better, I would love to figure out what needs to be tweaked.

This past Wednesday was a little hectic. We did a lunch tasting menu for a website review and at night we did another tasting menu for Dr.90210. The E! TV crew came in to film us again. It was great, they microphoned Chef and it was great to see her work as they filmed. What was funny to us was that the kitchen was calm as they filmed. They wanted some craziness but I think people just presume all kitchens to be like Top Chef or Hell's Kitchen or Iron Chef...people running around frantic to get everything done. We are a prepared kitchen. I know once we are open to the public, it might get a little crazy but I'm sure with our team, we will be as prepared as we can be.

Since I work pastry and dessert is always the last course, I have had time to watch my co-workers do their magic. I've enjoyed watching them work. I see the passion and dedication with each of them. I've come to admire all my colleagues. Where else can you a group of people who loves their job so much that they are happy to go to work everyday? I look forward to going to work like people who look forward to the weekends. I believe that in this profession, those who truly excel are those who live and breathe culinary.

Gala Opening!

I am completely exhausted...after many many hrs at work and on my feet all day...my body is not used to it yet. After 1 week of work, my body will adjust...it always does! Right now I am too happy to sleep. The restaurant's gala opening was a HUGE success. My chef and the owners of the restaurant told us at the end of the night how great everything was. We had 5 different magazines there...along with countless celebrities. Too bad we were too busy in the kitchen to see who they were...I'm sure we'll find out via gossip magazines! I did hear that some of the cast of Grey's Anatomy was there!

The E! crew came in and filmed us preparing for service with Chef giving us a prep talk. It was really great. Everyone worked so well together, we were so happy to be working for such a great restaurant and with Chef D and Chef C as our leaders...what more can we ask for. I'm feel so lucky to have this job because of the people I'm working with.

One co-worker gave me a great complement tonight. We were talking about 1st kitchen jobs and he was surprised this was my first kitchen job. He told me I was great tonight...he was really shocked that I hadn't worked in the kitchen before...I felt great.

Once service started it was like we were on productive excellency mode. Since desserts didn't need to go out until at least 9:30pm....I helped out with the line. I can now talk about the menu. Everything was bite size...Eggplant Churizo, Oyster shooter with Yuzu gelee, Lamb lollipop with Mint caviar (I helped with that, I was happy to learn how make them...I really wanna use it in a dessert someday) Steak braised in butter with a mushroom truffle sauce...it was to die for! The scallops was my favorite. Lastly a gourmet Ham & Cheese sandwich. Of course none of these are as simple as it sounds. I wasn't part of preparing these dishes so I can't really explain them in detail. I know a lot of work was involved with preparing each dish. The spices and the detail that went into each dish is like love!

Ok...now to something I know...desserts. We had Saffron Chocolate Mousse which is one part of our Taste of Chocolate Dinner Dessert. It was a rich chocolate flavor with a hint of saffron. One of the best chocolate mousse I've ever had. Then comes our glory dish. Pina Colada Float topped with a pineapple chip. It is innovative and one of the best desserts I've ever had in my life. The flavors go so well together and it's surprising to people when they see how cool it looks! I love every minute I was working...helping each other out...plating, creating and just enjoying being part of this amazing restaurant.

After we were all done, Chef came in to talk to us. Gave us a great talk...talking about our success for the night and our future successes. Our goal is to get 4 stars from LA times and at least 1 Michelin star! Pressure? Nah...I know our team can do it. We are all dedicated to the success of this restaurant.