Chapter 1: Seafood Childhood

One of the perks of living by the coast and in Torbay no less, was that we were always able to buy seafood. Fresh fish was abundant and I have memories of accompanying my mother in the drive to her favorite fishmongers in Paignton. The fishing capital of England, Brixham was on the other end of the bay so there was always good supplies. Perhaps it was a little expensive but my family didn't hold back especially when it came to quality fresh ingredients. 

My father loves fresh fish particularly steamed Cantonese-style with ginger and shredded spring onions in a soy sauce oil glaze. If there was no fish at the dinner table, he wasn’t happy.

Steamed Turbot

A family dinner featuring stir-fried crab

Fishing was a hobby for day-offs and late nights after Hoi Shan closed – eels at the harbor, fishing trips out to sea on Tuesdays. One summer, my father even co-bought a boat and it was soon used for weekly fishing trips, undertaken by my dad, brother and various relatives and friends. The largest haul ever on one outing was 35 sea bass which was promptly stored in the freezer!  We all got a little bored of eating sea bass that summer. 

In the summer, we bought fresh lobsters and crabs. Not for us was the simple steaming or boiling method. After cleaning and dissecting into pieces, the shellfish was cooked with their own roe with the triumvarate of ginger, spring onions and garlic. Tomato ketchup gave the sauce piquancy and XO liquer was used to give an aromatic finish.

Sometimes, individual fisherman will come round to sell a freshly-caught fish – still live and kicking in the bucket.  Some of the family’s favorites were sea bass, John Dory, red mullet and flat fish like Dover or lemon sole which were ideal pan-fried with a drizzle of scallions and soy sauce to finish.

I'm happy to have these seafood memories because unfortunately, I developed a shellfish allergy in my mid-40's! Luckily, my tastebuds remember...

Hakka in Torquay: A Food Memoir

I grew up in a seaside town called Torquay in Devon, a county in the south-west of England. My grandfather Lo Sam Fat had emigrated to England from Hong Kong in the 1950's and after working for other people, eventually saved enough money to open his own takeaway with business partners. This was the Rice Bowl in Exeter which was the very first Chinese takeaway in the town. My grandmother, father and his siblings relocated from Hong Kong to join him and that is how I came to be born in England. 

The Rice Bowl is now an Indian takeaway

My grandfather then opened up a takeaway in Newton Abbot called Hoi Shan and a second branch of Hoi Shan was opened up in Torquay for my parents to manage. Hoi Shan translates to "Sea Mountain" which seems very poetic. However, l think all my  grandfather did was name the takeaway after the local dim sum joint they frequented back in Hong Kong!

Growing up in a Hakka family in England, I ate western food while out and about but mostly Chinese food at home, cooked by our mother who is an excellent cook! While I loved ham sandwiches, yogurts and roast lamb, we always ate Chinese food for the 5pm family dinner. The Hoi Shan takeaway had to open by 5.30pm so the home meal was ready at 5pm and eaten quickly while hot. 

The food at the family dinner was very different to the food we sold at Hoi Shan. We ate Hakka and Cantonese dishes using fresh, local ingredients. Seafood such as whole fish, lobster and crab often featured - a benefit of living by the coast of south-west Devon.The dishes zinged with garlic, ginger and spring onions. However, we sold food customized for the Western palate. Not to say, it was of lesser culinary quality but the ginger and garlic were certainly pared down or even non-existent. Having said that, there are some gems from the takeaway menu that I still crave. I think often about our popular Hoi Shan curry with our home-made curry paste – a recipe I will share in a later blog post!

Grilled red mullet - a favourite 

The food I ate for breakfast and lunch was mostly English. In the UK, 1980’s food was particularly bland with few foreign influences. Mum will sometimes take us out for a Roast Beef lunch at The Edwardian restaurant or at pub carvery. As a treat, sometimes we would have lunch at Hoopers – lasagna was a favorite. Being young and influenced by school classmates, I thought it was more sophisticated to be eating Western food. Elegance was eating off a flat plate with a knife and fork. Ironic now to look back and realize it was exactly the opposite. It was the food at home that was sophisticated with bold, beautiful flavors – and it is this cooking which I will try to share with you all in upcoming posts. 

Sik fan!

Chez Boulay - Bistro Boreal

The best meal of our whole trip! The food in Quebec rarely disappoints and Chez Boulay Bistro Boreal is no exception. The restaurant is the latest project from a veteran Quebec City chef, Jean-Luc Boulay. The menu follows the latest culinary trend to hit Quebec City- Nordic cuisine married with French techniques. Attached to the Hotel Manoir Victoria, the restaurant has a simple clean decor with a huge menu on a blackboard. There was also outdoor seating if you preferred to watch the busy foot traffic on Rue St. Jean.

Although the restaurant was bustling, we managed to secure an early dinner reservation by visiting the restaurant a day in advance. The service was excellent throughout and our server provided detailed explanations of the whole menu. After ordering, we received a stack of bread threaded through a skewer. Dramatic presentation that takes up less table space!

Bread stack

We started with two appetizers to share - the seafood platter for two which included cubes of smoked salmon, haddock, mussels marinated with cicely, Nordic shrimp fritters and shrimp remoulade with celery and apple. The plate looked fantastic but certain elements tasted better than others. The plate repeated itself on either end so that two people would experience everything if they worked on the food from opposite ends. I enjoyed the potted marinated mussels with the toasted bread and got to enjoy Paul's pot of mussels as well since he didn't care for it.

Seafood platter for two

The next appetizer we shared was the Arctic char carpaccio which was covered by a boreal marinade consisted of elderberry vinegar, cattail hearts, milkweed pots and a herb emulsion. This was truly a wonderful dish - the elderberry vinegar imparting exactly the right amount of sweet tartness to complement the fish.  

 

Delicious!

We then shared an entree which was the chowder with large scallops, shrimp and shellfish in a bee balm infused broth with grilled asparagus. This dish looks simple but it was excellent. With no cream, the chowder was more a consommé. The various seafoods gave the consommé the sweet taste of the sea. The grilled asparagus was large, fresh and seasoned perfectly.

Broth was delicious

 We finished with dessert - sharing a frozen maple and pepper green alder parfait with crumble. Again, a very deceptively simple dessert but flawlessly executed. Frozen parfait had the texture of a smooth ice cream. With no wine, the final bill was CAD92 for an excellent meal.

Simple but perfect

The magic of Bar Mare Petit

Very few places spur me to write a review on Tripadvisor. This incredible restaurant near Praiano with a perfect marriage of incredible food and magical location did. Here's the Tripadvisor review:

The view from above the cove

Walking down to the Marina di Praia cove is magical. As you descend down, you know you are heading to a special place. Bar Mare Petit is one of three restaurants situated at the Marina. It seems the most casual of them all - but do not be deceived. Using local, incredibly fresh ingredients, Grandma's cooking is on par with top restaurants in metropolitan cities. We started with the seafood salad - sweet mussels, clams, shrimps with octopus so so tender, dressed in olive oil.

The best dish of our whole trip!

The sciatelli with seafood was one of the best pasta dishes we ate during our 2-week vacation in Rome, Naples and the Amalfi Coast. The fresh home-made pasta had a gorgeous chewy texture - the clams, mussels with the sweetest tomatoes added an incredible unami to the sauce.

Interesting but delicious

Another beautiful pasta dish is the bucatini with clams and pumpkin. A weird combination? You will be convinced when you taste the sauce.

Local dessert speciality

Delizia limone cake for dessert was light and fluffy. Complimentary lemon cream and limoncello rounded off the meal.

Imagine sitting by the cove, as the sky gradually moves from a light mauve to a deep blue. Jazz tunes played by the restaurant fills the air. Flanked by the vertical steep walls of the cove, the boats and ships pass through as if moving through a picture. You have just had a delicious seafood meal. You sit back contented, thinking "Now, this is what it means to live".

Bar Mare Petit gave me a memory I could not forget - perfect food in an incredible setting.

A real New England treat!

A colleague told me about Essex - a small hamlet near Cape Ann where they serve up the freshest seafood. We went to "The Village" - nothing to look at but full to the seams with locals and visitors. Obviously, it's the worst-kept secret in Massachusetts. We got there at 2.30pm but still had to wait an hour for our table.

Lobster is expensive this year but nothing can beat fresh littleneck clams! These are simply steamed - you remove the black "jacket" at the tip, wiggle them around in the broth to clear any sand particles, dip in clarified butter and pop them in your mouth!