BIba makes : Homemade pasta, bruschetta and tiramisu :)

I booked online a cooking class given by the Food and Wine Academy. It's a 6 hours program that starts with product tastings at the Central Market, buying the ingredients and then going to a full equipped kitchen and learn how to cook some real tuscan dishes by a famous local chef. It's 79 euros per person and worth every cent ! First of all, at the central market, you get to taste all kinds of extra virgin olive oil. Also, real balsamic vinegar, aged in barrels for about 10 or 15 and even 30 years and what's shocking is that the usual balsamic vinegar that we have in our houses, everyday with our salads is nothing like the real tuscan one ! We also got to taste different kinds of cheeses, dipped with different jams, some truffle honey (delicious) and some truffle oil. We got the ingredients that we needed and then headed to the kitchen to start the cooking! We started by making the tiramisu because it takes time to set in the fridge, then we made our own pasta, with no machines, just ur hands and the roller pin, it was too kind of pastas, tagliatelle with bolognese sauce and ravioli filled with ricotta, parmesan cheese with butter and green sage sauce. It was surprisingly easy to make and delicious to eat ! Of course everything was first demonstrated by the chef, and he assists you all the way. At the end we get to sit all of us on a big table, enjoy our food with a glass of wine and we even get a certificate :)

Biba eats: In florence :)

Obviously i am a foodie ! i love food, it can determine my happiness (unfortunately).  So for me, florence was all about food, and my first day was horrible.  A lot of people told me that the food there is very disappointing,  but i was sure that there were these hidden non-commercial traditional restaurants that only the locals knew about and i was right! my friend's brother lived there so she gave me a list of the few really good restaurants : "Buca Mario" , "Lungarino 23" (for burgers)," La giostra" , "O Munaciello" (best pizzas)," Obika-Mozzarella Bar" and "Osteria Santo Spirito". I only tried a few because i got the list a bit late so i didn't have the time to try them all, but i do trust the source because the ones i have tried were just amazing. 

 Also, wherever you go, you can have the best gelato with all different flavors and they are also known for their waffles and they are just foodgasmic! crunchy, soft , filled with melted nutella, it cannot get any better than this. I am not quite sure where i had mine but it was definitely next to Duomo Church. 

Biba eats: Golden view open bar (florence)

I really have nothing special to say about this place. The decor was nice and the service was good,  but it is obviously a very commercial restaurant, mostly for tourists. We had the octopus salad for starters and then i had the risotto fruit de mer for main and it was not bad, but very blah. I mean everything was perfectly cooked but it didn't have any bang on tuscan flavors, and it lacked seasoning. I had to add a lot of spicy oil and parmesan to actually enjoy the risotto. The price average varies between 55 and 60 euros which is not worth it.

Biba eats: O munaciello (florence)

A friend of mine recommended this place, apparently they are known for their pizzas. Once we got there we were pleasently surprised ! it was really spacious, but warm and cozy at the same time. You can definitely feel that you are in italy but not in a corny way. There were all kinds of meat, vegetables and clothes hanging on the wall ! it was just Bellissima !We had for starters the surprise plate full of fried goodies (fried vegetables, fried pizza dough with tomato sauce, fried mozzarella and croquettes ..) just yummyy ! Followed by a pizza with mozzarella di bufala, tomatoes and mushrooms. They have a wide variety of pizzas with very interesting flavors mixed together. You can never go wrong with any choice, and it was one of the best pizzas i've had ! The price average  varies between 25 and 30 euros per person , including a bottle of wine !

Biba eats: Obika - Mozzarella Bar (Florence)

While we were roaming the streets of florence i spotted this place, Obika and i was instantly drawn into trying it, especially that we didn't have a good food experience the day before. This place was so charming, warm and cozy. It was a sunday and they only served brunch so we decided to stay and try it. Ooh my, there are no words to describe the yuminess of their food. Everything was just foodgasmic ! they had a lot of  tuscan dishes that i have never heard of, a bar full of different fresh mozzarellas, a salad bar , two kinds of pasta and some desserts. I had 4 servings, was just going back and fourth to this addictive delicious food ! And on top of that, it was only 22 euros per person !

Biba makes: Baguette

What i love about my school Le cordon bleu is that you make everything by hand, we don't use any machines. It's tiring but it's also nice to learn it the traditional way, and it prepares us for any unpleasant surprises in the future. This is the first time i bake some bread and it was suprisingly easy. There are some rules and techniques that you need to follow to make some good baguettes. The ingredients are very simple, flour, water, fresh yeast and salt. Here are some few tips to making a good baguette. First of all the water that you use should be 30 degrees C or so , and it is crucial to respect the temperature, you mix it with the yeast, add the flour, mix it well and start with the kneading. You have to fold the dough over onto itself to capture the maximum amount of air and this operation is repeated over and over again for at least 12 min. The salt is added during half time of the kneading. Then you let it rest until it rises, shape it into a nice baguette gently, put it in the poofing machine (or in room temperature and cover it)  until it forms a nice shape . Brush it with some cold water, sprinkle a bit of flour, make some diagonal cuts and put it in the oven at 240 degrees C. During half time of the baking, don't forget to sprinkle some water in the oven, under the racks so that it forms some kind of steam. You would think those are tiny details but they also are super essential for baking. Then you get to enjoy some fresh home made baguettes :)

Biba makes: Croquembouche

A croquembouche is a traditional French dessert. The name comes from the French words croque en bouche, meaning 'crunch in the mouth. This is a form of choux pastry filled with creme patissiere and served as a high-piled cone of profiteroles all glued together with caramel and some of the chefs use nougatine as a base for the croquembouche. Sure the ingredients apart sounds simple but before making this piece you should prepare yourself for some serious burnings ! The nougatine is made with water, sugar, glucose that you cook until it forms into a nice caramel and you add sliced almonds at the very end. The tricky part comes right after, where you have to work with the nougatine while it's still hot and mold it or cut it as you wish. It gets cold very fast so you have less than 2 minutes to work with it or it breaks and you have to heat it up again in the oven. when you are done with the nougatine, you can start making the choux pastry, fill it up with pastry cream. Finally, this is time where you put everything together, and start gluing your choux pastry with the caramel. You can either use a paper cone to easily build it or just place them on top of eachother in a circle and trying to tighten them in every round. So, after 6 hours and a lot of burnings this is my first croquembouche :)

Biba eats : La terrasse montaigne ( hotel plaza athenee )

  It was a sunny day and perfect for having lunch outside so we decided to try La Terrasse Montaigne which is a charming haven of greenery situated outside of the Hotel Plaza Athenee. Before getting to the food i need to state the fact that there is something seriously wrong with the customers there ! Each and everyone seemed like they had a stick up their toochies ( not to be rude ), they were eating their club sandwich like it was 400 euros caviar, it was really sad. As for the food, all in all it was good, nothing out of this world, just a good ceasar,foie gras with chutney, crab club sandwich, some sushi and their "famous"  chicken and black truffles cheese squares that had no taste whatsoever of truffles. Now getting for desserts which was the most exciting part for me because Christophe michalak is the pastry chef there. We had the millefeuille and mignardise which was ok, the "L'oreade", which is the prize-winner dessert from pastry world cup was actually too pretty to be eaten, and i saved the last for the best which was the "religieuse caramel au beurre sale". OMG it was the heavenly, it's light and melts in your mouth with the delicious taste of salted caramel, it was one of the best desserts i have ever had. I can't comment about the prices because at the end of the day whether the food was amazing or not you are paying for the name of the hotel and the chefs there.

 

biba eats: Mandarin Oriental, Paris

I have decided to try everyweek a new pastry shop. So i heard about the pastry bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and decided to try it. I've had the chocolate caramel cake that was good, nothing out of the ordinary but the winner was the mango cheesecake. It was the best cheesecake i have ever had, just foodgasmic ! The biscuit was crunchy and not too sweet, the cream was just perfect, smooth, fluffy and light. There was a mango tartare on top that just adds some freshness to every bite and to my surprise there was a bit ofshredded coconut that just takes this cheesecake to the next level ! like a party in my mouth :)

Chef of the month : Philippe Conticini

I know i haven't mentioned any other chef than Christophe michalak but honestly i wasn't wowed by anyone else until i discovered "La patisserie des reves" . The minute i walked in this pastry shop i was really in love with everyhting. The shop, the colours, the cakes were presented in a beautiful way, and most importantly everything was just delicious. The Chef behind this amazing pastry shop is Philippe Conticini. He is actually a very famous iconic Pastry Chef, who have taken pastry to the next level. He revisits the classics like the Saint Honore or Paris Brest and transforms them into something much more modern looking but always respecting the classical tastes to evoke the childhood memories to each and everyone. He made sure that his delicacies created beautiful moments. A lot of famous pastry chefs have been trained by Philippe Conticini and one of them was Christophe Michalak. If you ever find yourself in Paris, it is crucial that you pass by "La patisserie des reves" and have some of the delicious foodgasmic pastries.

Biba eats : Frenchie (5-6 rue du nil 75002, Paris)

Frenchie is a restaurant owned by Gregory Marchand who used to work with Jamie Oliver in London, so i was really excited to try his food. Their menu is limited by the seasons, the dishes are based on French bases and processed by the inspirations of international repertoire.I have to admit i was very disappointed by his food . I mean i expected so much more especially that it tooks us 3 weeks to get a reservation. It was a fixed menu so we had for starters the sweetbread with some carrots and cucembers that was perfectly cooked but there was definitely something missing, followed by lieu jaune which is a delicious piece of fish and some carrots. Finally the meal ended with a passion fruit cheese cake which was very blah. I mean the food was fine but nothing special about it, the portions were kind of tiny and it was a bit overpriced for what you were getting.

Biba eats : Kokohana ( 1,Rue Jean Mermoz - 75008 paris )

Kokohana is the perfect example of the term: don't judge a book by its cover. When you walk in you just find a tiny old restaurant, with one very old and limited menu. The minute you start eating the food, the whole conceept changes. The flavors are just bang on, from the miso soup ( best i have ever had ) to the foie gras teppanyaki that just melts in your mouth and the meat that is so tender and juicy and a perfect mix with the mushroom.. This restaurant is a traditional Japanese Teppan-yaki (literally hotplate) where the chefs  cooks in front of you with the biggest smile. They are very generous with their portions and i can honestly say that you get much more than what you are paying for which is very rare especially in Paris !