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!

First Day as Abode Pastry Chef

So today I went to work. It was great, it was really good to be working. The entire team was so happy to actually be cooking again. Since all of us has been waiting for Abode to open, we all have been unemployed and bored at home.

As soon as I got to work I started to snap away. I wanted to document the first day of work at Abode. It was fun. Since there was an AM team and a PM team, I think I might have missed some people. It's ok, more pictures will be taken tomorrow!

We got our uniform. My chef coat is so nice, a little big but it's Egyptian cotton. Unbelievably comfortable

We finished 1 dessert and prepped the 2nd dessert. So far, it taste terrific. I can't wait to plate it and see the final result. It's going to be HOT!!

One More Day...

I start my real first day of work tomorrow! We are going to prep for the Gala Grand Opening which is on Saturday. It will be Eliot and me alone for the Gala. Pressure is on again! I am very excited. We estimate making about 150-200 for each dessert. We are doing two desserts. Miniature size of the 2 from our menu. I won't write what they are until I've tasted them so that I can describe them.

Another piece of exciting news is that E! will be there filming the Gala. I think it will be part of "Dr. 90210"'s show. He is one of our investor! The buzz about Abode is swarming around LA and it's getting bigger. Expectations is at an extreme high. I'm sure we will live up to it since our team is amazing.

Abode has so much vibe for creativity that will make our menu shine. It will be refreshing for LA's culinary scene.

A Change

Today we were at the restaurant to start cleaning some of the new equipments and get ready for the restaurant's opening. The restaurant is coming along beautifully. The decor is ultra cool. Everything is natural. They chose to use wood, marble and leather as the theme thru out the restaurant and it is really amazing.

I had a private meeting with my chef today. I was on a natural high to know what she thought of me. I think one of the best compliment I've ever received was when Chef said I reminded her of herself when she first started out. I am also honored that she wants me to be part of the team for years..for the long run. Esp. for the next restaurant they want to open. It's such a big honor for Chef to believe in me like that. By that I know I have to change the way I think and trust myself...I just need to boost my confidence which I know will come with experience. I know I will give Chef everything I have, not to impress her but to show her my respect because she believes in me and my abilities.

I'm super excited about the restaurant and really can't wait for it to be open.

1st Round!

So it was the first time I made anything that my chefs were going to eat/taste hence my stress to succeed. When I told her I made something she was very excited to try it and I had described it as not my best....just because I know it wasn't my best work. It's was pretty good but not my best. I've done so much better in other desserts. So I brought out the green tea cheesecake for her to try and when she tasted it she liked it. It was a win for me. Our Chef de Cuisine liked it too so I was very happy with it. They both said it was good. I know that Chef was disappointed I didn't say it's the best thing I made but I'm only honest about what I create and I definitely intend to stay humble about my work. I think she wants me to express more confidence in myself and my food.

One of my peeves is that a lot of Chefs I've met are really arrogant. Some I have to say can be but there are those out there that just thinks WAY too highly of themselves. I know to be a good chef one must completely believe in and stand behind what they make. They also must have a lot of confidence in themselves but...it doesn't mean you have to become an arrogant ass. I'm so excited and happy that my chef is nothing like that. She is so down to earth and so passionate. I'm very excited to be working for her. I can't wait anymore....I should be in the kitchen by Tuesday!!! Fingers crossed.

1 More Week...Hopefully.

Today was very exciting. We had a meeting and I met everyone from the restaurant. The entire Kitchen team. It's was great to finally meet everyone. The feeling was light and happy. I think everyone of us were really excited and glad to be apart of Abode. I personally can't wait to get into the kitchen. I think it's a wonderful idea to have a dinner together before we open. Next Thursday we are all meeting up for dinner and drinks. It's going to be fun. I think if we are all sorta friends, the kitchen will work together a lot better.

I think by next weekend we should be able to get in and start organizing where all the equipment should go. Labelling and just work out our space. It's going to be great. Just waiting for the health department to ok the kitchen.

There is a dry opening planned where we can invite friends and family to the restaurant. The grand opening is still scheduled for April 7th. Pressure is on!!! All my friends have already started asking me about "getting on the list" for the opening. I think I've created a lot buzz within the few friends I have here. My landlords Kelly & Patrick are so excited about it. We've become really good friends. Roger wants to bring Wendy & also his sisters. There are others but I'm not going to list everyone!

The interior design of the restaurant is amazing. The furniture and decor are all natural material. I think the chairs and tables are all handmade. They cost a fortune and I'm so glad the investors are really serious about this restaurant and want the best all the way thru.

At the meeting, Chef talked about the high expectations since our restaurant is almost classified as super fine dining! It makes me nervous but at the same time very excited. I am nervous because I don't have alot of experience in the kitchen but I am excited to see how much I can push myself to succeed. I want to be able to meet the expectations of Chef and I want the restaurant to be known for the entire meal. I mean most restaurant reviews talk about the highlight of a meal...usually the entree or the dessert stands out. Our goal is for the entire meal to stand out and be balanced. I want to make sure the dessert is going to be as fabulous as the main course. I do not want to disappoint Chef in any way. This will be the pressure I put on myself to make sure I succeed.

To add to the pressure, the James Beard Foundation has a newsletter which will talk about the opening of Abode as well. The PR firm hired to promote the restaurant is one of the best. They are sending out press release packages, etc. Therefore, the pressure is starting to stress me out and I'm not even in the kitchen yet!! People who knows me well knows how anal I can get with making things as perfect as possible. I think my chefs at school knows how much pressure I put on myself for everything I make to be 100% perfect. At least this anal side of me will aid me with making sure I can live up to the standard of Chef.

We worked out the lunch menu and I'm dying to learn the steps to making the entire dinner menu. Lunch menu is stemmed from Dinner...just to start and make it easier for us. I don't know the Petit Fours or the pre-desserts yet. I'm sure Chef will let us know very soon. She also told us that the tasting menu will be different everyday which means that the dessert for the tasting menu will be different everyday. Which means a HUGE challenge for us. I'm really excited about that! Where is there a job that will push your creativity to the limit? I still can't believe that I am part of something so special.