Watering Holes

You might be wondering about local watering holes favored by culinary students. Well, I have only been to a few with my friends, and they are all within walking distance of Wilbrod House.





The Urban Well is a pub that LCB Ottawa students often hang out in. It is on Laurier Avenue East, just a few blocks from the LCB Ottawa campus. The food here is quite affordable. A large plate of fries/chips costs about $4, and goes well with the beer (so I have heard). I like the ambience in this pub. The chairs/seats are comfortable, and the entertainment is not bad -- I have seen a live stand-up comedy show here.

Another watering hole favored by LCB Ottawa students is the Royal Oak (again, on Laurier Avenue East). Personally, I prefer the food (especially the fries/chips) served at the Royal Oak, though it is much pricier. (Aside: I am not much of a drinker, so when I go to a pub with friends, I am there for the company and ambience, and sometimes the food. I don't mind if it is more expensive, as long as the food is good.)





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Foundation is a more upmarket watering hole. It is a nightclub with really nice decor and pretty good service. Students often go to this nightclub for special occasions, e.g. for celebratory drinks after the graduation ceremony. They make a mean lychee martini here, I can tell you that. :)

More Sugar Showpieces (Photos)

Here's what my classmates made for their practice sugar showpieces. Lovely, aren't they? And remember, this is just the practice session. Imagine how much nicer they would look for the exam session next week.

SP Lesson 8: Sugar Showpiece

Today, during our 5-hour workshop, we did our sugar showpiece trial run, and my showpiece turned out as I had designed it (in terms of shape and colours), but my techniques were still not up to scratch.

Basically, I was afraid to over-pull the sugar, so I under-pulled it, and it didn't have the shine it needs to have (the leaves and petals were almost transparent, and that is considered a mistake). Chef T pointed out to me what should be done to fix this problem - I have to pull the sugar about 25 times and make sure it has a nice shine to it for Monday's sugar showpiece exam.

I still have difficulty making a rose and ribbon. With the ribbon, Chef N's technique proved tough for me, because I couldn't get nice straight stripes on the ribbon (mine were wobbly and made the ribbon look ugly), so I ended up using Chef H's technique and was at least able to make a couple of ribbons.



I used poured sugar to make a turntable (like the ones we use for cakes), and then I placed the flowers on the turntable. I was trying to arrange the flowers in a L-shape design, which is a common floral arrangement form used by florists. (Aside: I had learned this L-shape arrangement when I did a short course in floral arrangement as a hobby years ago.)

But my problem here was I didn't have enough volume in my flowers...



As you can see from the photos above, the flowers I have on the poured sugar turntable are way too flat and lifeless. Fortunately, there is an easy fix, thanks to Chef T's feedback. He gave me an excellent tip on how to create more volume to my flowers.

Anyway, I am so glad I had the opportunity to do a trial run for the exam, because I now know exactly what needs to be fixed by Monday morning.

I am going to keep the basic design and layout that I have here, but work on my techniques over the weekend.

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PS. I dedicate this showpiece to my beloved sister. Happy Birthday tomorrow!

Random Reflections XIV: Gender and the Preference for Jazz Music

Yes, I know the title of this post might surprise some, but it was something that made me wonder if anyone has done any research on it.


Wilbrod House Dining Room

Last Monday night I was sitting at the dining table enjoying some pasta with some housemates (plus a friend from School). As we ate, we chatted and enjoyed the music that was playing on someone's laptop computer (which is a common occurrence in Wilbrod House). Of course, it was jazz, and the guys at the table said how much they loved jazz, and they started talking about going to jazz festivals, and so on. They also asked everyone else what they thought of jazz. I was, of course, not partial to jazz music; I simply prefer classical music (from Haydn to Shostakovich). Another female housemate said she didn't particularly care for jazz.

I tried to think of people I know who liked jazz, and all of them were male. So I asked the guys at the table if they knew of any girls who really liked jazz, and after some thought, they said, "No, not really." So, I began to wonder if there was a correlation between gender and the preference for jazz music. Hmmm ...

Anyway, I guess I will never know for sure, but it was an interesting thought that came to mind.

Life in the Wilbrod House is never dull, that's for sure. Good food, nice music, interesting personalities and lively conversations. Couldn't ask for more.

A Restless Day

Today was just a weird day for me. I have been feeling rather restless all day. I don't quite know why... Perhaps it is because my mind is working overtime thinking about the sugar showpiece exam we have to prepare for. The exam is worth quite a lot of marks for the course, so I guess I want to make sure things turn out well. The question is how to make the showpiece look nice, given that we have had so little experience with pulling sugar.

At the demo class, Chef N showed us some poured sugar and pulled sugar techniques, and a few of them were different from what Chef H showed us. I thought it was especially good we got the chance to see a different technique for making pulled sugar ribbon, as well as pulled sugar roses. I suspect Chef N's technique for making ribbons might just be a touch easier for beginners like us. Anyway, I will give it a try at the next practical class and see what happens.

Some techniques might suit some people and not others. It's a matter of trying them out and finding what is comfortable for yourself.

National Gallery of Canada (on Victoria Day)

Today is Victoria Day, a public holiday in Canada, so we didn't have any classes. The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) opened its door free to the public for one day, just to celebrate International Museums Day, therefore some of my housemates and I took the opportunity to visit the NGC.

As soon as we entered the Gallery, the first exhibition my housemates and I headed for was the Scott McFarland: A Cultivated View exhibition. The beautiful photographs Scott McFarland produced were thought-provoking indeed. I liked how he got us thinking about how humans interact with nature (particularly in gardens and in landscapes). There was such a lot of detail in his photographs.

I really enjoyed visiting the Gallery. I spent the entire day there, and there was so much to see that I could only manage to see about half the artworks (I will return another day to see the rest).

I have to say the highlights for me would have to be the French impressionist paintings (particularly by Pissarro, Monet, Cézanne and Degas) and those by the 17th Century Dutch & Flemish painters (Rembrandt and Rubens, in particular). There's something special about the French impressionist paintings that really appeal to me. I'm not trained in Art, so I cannot put my finger on it, but I could stand in front of those paintings and gaze at them for ages... I just love them.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos of the artworks inside the Gallery, but we could take photos of the NGC building and architecture. Across from the NGC is Major's Hill Park, which had lots of gorgeous tulips and blossom trees. My housemates and I went to check out the festivities at the Park after lunch, before I went back to the Gallery alone to view more artworks (I always plan for an entire day in a museum or art gallery, simply because I know there is so much to see).

Here is a selection of photos I took today (click on photo for a larger image). As you can see, it was just a magnificent day.


The National Gallery of Canada (NGC)


The Spider (an artwork titled Maman) outside the NGC. Why a spider outside the Art Gallery? Apparently, one explanation I saw in the Gallery was that children have always been fascinated by insects (such as spiders)... Anyway, it was really eye-catching, even to adults.

In the next two photos, I wanted to capture the sense of space in the Gallery. I think the Canadians are so lucky to have such impressive architecture for their museums (e.g. Museum of Civilization and Canadian War Museum) and national gallery.






Here, you see some lovely tulips in Major's Hill Park, and in the background is the NGC.


More tulips ...


Tulips and blossom trees. Don't you just love the contrast in colours?


Isn't this lovely?


A close-up of the white blossoms, and a bumblebee (I think)


Fun for kids in Major's Hill Park

In the late afternoon, I was a little tired from walking around the Gallery, so I went downstairs to the Inuit Galleries and sat down to view the High-definition Inuit Storytelling, a series of videos about the Inuit culture and way of life. I found the videos about how the Inuits build their stone houses and igloos truly fascinating. Such resourcefulness for surviving in a harsh environment...




In short, an intellectually-stimulating day for me. I'm glad I had the chance to relax a little today. It is going to be a hectic week coming up for me. Demo classes on Tuesday and Friday. Practice with pulling sugar (and a practice run for the sugar showpiece) on Thursday and a written exam on Friday.

Isn't This Squirrel Eating Well?

I managed to take a video of this squirrel enjoying some gourmet bread on top of one of the dumpsters behind LCB Ottawa. That is a decent portion of bread, if you ask me. Enough for a human, and more than enough for one squirrel. :)



I don't know how the squirrels manage to get into the dumpsters around here, but somehow they do, and we always see them stuffing themselves with food. They usually run away when they see people approaching. Today was the first time I was able to take a video of one squirrel without it scurrying away.

As you can see from the video, it wasn't the slightest bit afraid of me. Brazen little thing!

Many of the locals hate the squirrels with a passion, because they rummage through the garbage and leave rubbish strewn all over the place.

Mooney's Bay Park in Ottawa

Yesterday I didn't have any classes, and since it's the Victoria Day (18 May) long weekend, I spent the day catching up with a friend (who graduated from Superior Pastry last term). We met for lunch, then I tagged along while she did her errands, then we stopped by Mooney's Bay Park to enjoy some fresh air, and to take in the beautiful scenery. I took more photos of apple (or cherry?) blossoms:












I was told that this park is fondly known as "The Beach" to the locals, probably because there is a sandy area beside the river for people to sunbathe and play volleyball. I chuckled because it wasn't what I imagined a beach to be...

Here are photos of the Sydney beaches I used to visit, after work and on weekends (click on photo for a larger image):

World-famous Bondi Beach in Sydney


Coogee Beach, which was walking distance (15-20 minutes) from where I used to work


Maroubra Beach, which was not far from where I used to live

Spring in Ottawa: Lilac Bushes and Cherry/Apple Blossoms

I have been seeing these lovely flowering shrubs (see photos above) all over Ottawa lately (when I travel around town by bus), and I finally found out what they were yesterday. A friend of my housemate said they're lilac bushes. I've always heard of lilac flowers (and how pretty they are), but now I know what the bush actually looks like.


Here's a photo of a sprig of lilac flowers. They are really fragrant. Almost reminds me of Gardenias.

I have also been seeing lots of cherry and apple blossoms.



In the photo above, you see two apple (or cherry?) blossom trees on Charlotte Street (looking across the street from the end of the Wilbrod House driveway). Nice, aren't they? Reminds me of the Jacaranda trees we see in spring in Australia (which is around September/October).


A Jacaranda tree in full bloom in Queensland, Australia, October 2008 (photo courtesy of my sister)


Close-up of the flowers on a Jacaranda tree (again, photo courtesy of my sister)


Anyway, it is always lovely to see so many pretty flowers in spring.