Scrumptious, Saturday, yes it’s food time again (gosh weeks fly by). Having been devastated by The New York Times‘ disclosure this week that some US cities underwrite Michelin’s costs, we veer away from fine dining to comfort food.
Think chicken rice for our Cantonese friends and others, or cheeseburgers, plural, and coke for much of the land of opportunity, and certainly for its culinarians. Girlahead was researching a decade ago to find out what chefs actually ate, and after five said cheesburgers, no alternatives, research came to a hard halt.
Today, 2023, many would add sushi or Thai Tom Yum to such global favourites as deep-fried chicken, or fries (especially with truffe oil). Girlahead does not ignore tradition and she could intone ad infinitum on some of her favourites.
When it comes to caprese, the choices are numerous. Standing out is Massimo Bottura’s spectacular ‘Oops! I forgot the Caprese salad’, a dessert of a tomato-shaped white chocolate creation, filled with Bavarian cream and red berries. But to look at a more classic, savoury caprese, the creation shown above is pretty spectacular. It’s as served at MANDARIN ORIENTAL PRAGUE, built around a 14th century Dominican monastery in the Mala Strana district of the city. Boss of this unique, 99-key hotel, Duarte Correia makes full use of the building’s history – go to the spa and you might be walking over a glass floor looking down at ruins dated to the year 1340.
One of the many interesting facts here, by the way, is that the complicated rooms alignment means that there are many alternatives for those who want total exclusivity of some of the hotel. The smallest ‘buy-out’ is ten rooms. Your own ‘hotel within a hotel’ for maximum 20 friends. What a great way to celebrate something.
And, of course, order up caprese, and fries or whatever. It all adds to magical Mandarin Oriental memories.
