review: Chuck Hughes in KL

 

When I first heard that Chuck Hughes was coming to KL, the first thought that went through my head was "how much food can Chuck Hughes chuck if Chuck Hughes could chuck food"! It was my first chance to get to see one of the AFC stable of chefs "in action" as it were, and Chuck is one of my favourites because of his simple approach to food, with basic ingredients and generous portions. (If you're interested, his show is called Chuck's Day Off).

I'm pretty sure that a large chunk of the audience was in attendance because Chuck is one of the better looking chefs on AFC, but more importantly - what did the food look and taste like?

el bulli: cooking in progress

Looking forward to Ferran Adria's new documentary, El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (watch trailer and videos here) to give me a vicarious peek into the kitchens of El Bulli which closed its doors this year. 

I have mixed feelings about food like this. On one had, the scientific aspect of it appeals to the academic in me. The segregation and classification of ingredients and tastes, as well as the distillation into its purest forms looks to me like it should provide the purest tastes and sensations.

However, there is the delightful messiness of eating that doesn't come through in Ferran's clean, almost antiseptic kitchen. Most of us don't cook in such exacting proportions. Ferran himself, when he takes others out to eat, when he cooks for his staff, "home-cooks" his food (see Mark Bittman's article in the New York Times). Bittman's words for the maestro would be what I consider the greatest compliment:

Not surprisingly, Adria can cook.