Pearl's Powder

November 13, 2014

A Restaurant of Naturality

NATURALITÉ : When a haute cuisine restaurant, ethically resources the ingredients of each plate delicately and naturally.

NATURALITÉ from Simon Pénochet on Vimeo.

Alain Ducasse's restaurant at the Plaza Athénée has just re-opened. The Chef tells a more personal and radical story, following a path he initiated twenty-five years ago. He introduces a cuisine of naturality, that revolves around three key elements: fish, vegetables and cereals. A healthier, organic, more sustainable and environmentally-conscious approach.

Watch this soothing video of how the plates were created and the people behind them!

While in Lebanon, people are arguing which restaurant is safe or not.
In the other part of the world, some great minds are going back to the basics of cooking, the natural, the organic, and the fair trade...
Natural is what we need these days. Not the extreme of cleanliness, and not the extreme of contamination.
Hoping we can learn and get inspired from Chef Alain Ducasse and people like him.

Souk Al Ard: Earth Market in Hamra Street

Fresh Organic Produce from the Farms, every Tuesday in Hamra

During my years studying in AUB and living in Bliss street, I discovered Souk Al Ard in Main street of Hamra. It was my escape from the street buzz, amid the hectic studies and long working hours.
It was my pleasure to meet the local farmers, see their hand made products, and get from their fresh green treasures!! Street Lebanese Heritage food at its best!

Every time I travel back to Beirut, I make sure to visit this farmer's market. It is a blessful experience to smell the saj, and see all these fresh and organic vegetables, and the pickled jars , marmalade...etc
Lebanese heritage food at its best. My last trip in October, I made sure to visit and do some food shopping!

Home Made Food

Dont miss those tasty saj ( saj is a thin focaccia bread)

Souk El Ard, ( Earth Market), is located in the alley facing Bread Republic.
Organized by Slow food Beirut, the market aims to offer good, clean and fair food.

The Chemistry of Candy (from Hershey's Technical Center)

" Sometimes I think that the one thing I love most about being an adult is the right to buy candy whenever and wherever I want." Ryan Gosling

We all have these life moments, when we turn crazy about candy. It is like we want to go back to the time and memory when we were kids, and where we all we had to worry about was our next trip to the store to get some candy! Candy is all about bringing out these childhood memories. The sweet taste and the multi flavors from lemon, to strawberry and chocolate...etc can bring us - adults - some joy in this hectic world!

Apart of their bad health effects ( which I will not be talking about) , candy making is extremely entertaining to learn and know about !
It is a pure science on its own . Each candy has its own recipe and technicality!

I am sharing few knowledge I learned while I was in USA for training few years ago. As part of the training, we visited the technical center of Hershey in Pennsylvania, where we had to learn about the chocolate and candy making process straight from the scientists!

Butcher Shop & Grill : From South Africa to Arabian Peninunsula

The Butcher Shop &GRILL is the iconic chain of restaurants that incorporates a meat butchery within the restaurant! It was established in 1996 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This distinction was the brainchild of Alan Pick, an industry veteran of over 40 years whose immense knowledge of butchery was pivotal for the Butcher Shop &GRILL's success. The concept of The Butcher Shop & GRILL is more than just a restaurant: it allows customers to come by anytime during the day to buy superior meat from the retail butchery, or even take some meat home with them following their meal at the restaurant.

It is rated a top restaurant in South Africa, selling an average of 8 to 12 tonnes of meat per week.
B S&G expanded to UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain and recently KSA in the last few years.