Reality TV during restaurant service

Today was a typical night of restaurant service with the addition of a camera man. He was filming Natalia prepping and cooking, asking her questions etc etc. It's going to be aired on TV in Paris but not quite sure which channel.

Tortilla déstructurée


Tartare de daurade au wakamé. Me and Julie's dish. Today was continuous mise en place throughout the night. This was really good.


I spent something ridiculous like 1+ hours preparing the potatoes. If you didn't even notice them, they are the little circular things on the plate holding up the garniture. I think a lot of people don't realize how much time is put into the small details on a plate. I received a very big compliment from my chef today that made me happy. When I finished all the potatoes and lined them up in the marinade in a tray, I asked him to come take a look at it. He said "ah this is exactly how I expected it to turn out." I was like "Shit! Is there something wrong with them? What did I do?" Then he said, "non, c'est parfait." PHEW !!!

Many times in the kitchen, I have doubts about my technique. It's obviously a combination of being new to this, knowing that I have SO much to learn still, and so many years ahead of me. I want to learn how to do things perfectly - well almost perfectly, and find that I can be really hard on myself sometimes. Most of the time, I am not 100% satisfied with the outcome of my dishes because I always think something can be done better. But today, just that small comment about something so simple made me feel I was on the right track. =)

And now onto the MIGRAINE of the night of a dish:

Ris de veau braisé, parmesan, linguine


There were three people on this dish tonight and the mise en place was a big BORDEL. Andrew, Eldar, and Amanda were having a piss of a time trying to roll the sweetbread in pasta. I mean a serious fucking bad time with it. You had to line up the cooked pasta in perfect rows on saran wrap and made sure that they stuck together. Then roll the sweetbreads in it. Chef was helping them the whole time and getting really pissed off too. I think at one moment he told Andrew to shut up. The whole group was pissed off. Apparently, Andrew said it was IMPOSSIBLE and almost wanted to say 'fuck it' to the whole thing. Eldar was so frustrated that he was swearing in Hebrew. And Amanda was borderline talking back to the chef. Amanda is the most timid person in the kitchen ! That is how bad the pasta was driving everyone crazy. I wonder if the camera man got that on tape?!?!? But by the end of the night, all pasta was rolled and dishes sent out. Success !

And Anglo B


God this is the ultimate dream burger (made with duck). I wanted to eat it so bad but there was nothing left. But the camera guy got to eat one !


And here is one of the plongeurs (dishwasher), Samir. He insisted I take a photo of him. He doesn't speak English but he always says to us "You are my brutha! You are my sistah!" hahah. Or when he is really pissed off at us for finishing late, he tells me in French how he is so tired and that his wife doesn't like him to go home tired because then he "has no energy."


Anyway, hopefully, whatever was filmed tonight will be on YouTube.