FARMER MARKET FRUITS

24 HOUR SOUS VIDE PORK BELLY, ARTICHOKE, OLIVE OIL POWDER

Suncoast Farms Baby Purple Artichokes was the drive behind this dish.  The leaves are used for the sauce and the dish is finished with Olive Oil that has been blended with Tapioca Maltodextrin.  At pick up, the Kurabuta Belly is glazed with Miso.  

NEW AGE SASHIMI

A recent addition to the menu at Bond Street Beverly Hills. Alaskan King Crab Encased in Sushi Vinegar with Bacon Foam, Salmon Belly with Horseradish "Cream", Salmon with Pickled Watermelon, Big-Eye Tuna Cubes, Wasabi Kizame, Hamachi with a Rocky Sweet Melon "Yolk".

JIDORI CHICKEN, TERIYAKI

One of the newest additions to the menu. I have introduced this dish now to two restaurants and in both places it has been the most popular. This is also the dish that represents me the most. It showcases simplicity, highest quality product and a new modern approach to cooking. The breast is cooked sous-vide, the vegetables are delivered daily from local farmers here in our area. The potato puree has an interesting story. It is more then eight years now when I did a stage at Cello in NYC. For the first time I saw the chefs pass potato puree through a chinois. After working at Joel Robuchon, and seeing his version of potato puree, I combined both to come up with my version of a potato puree. I use fingerling potatoes and Organic Valley milk, cream and butter.

HOT AND COLD CREME FRAICHE, IKURA

The complete process of the hot and cold Creme Fraiche that we use for the daily amuse. A crunchy hot exterior with a soft cool center that plays with the saltiness of the salmon roe.

SCOTTISH SALMON, WATERMELON, SOY

Watermelon is introduced in two forms. The "Planks" are sous-vide with soy and the rind is pickled. Soy, sugar and vinegar are cooked with agar-agar and pureed to a smooth thick paste.

SALMON, HORSERADISH SAUCE

Fried Garlic chips and Parsley add texture to the dish. The Salmon is seasoned with citrus salt and the dish is finished with chive oil.

HAMACHI BELLY, SOY "LISTERINE" SHEET

For the "New Age" sashimi dishes, I introduced a new way to enjoy sashimi. Based on more of the Italian approach with crudo dishes. I make a thin sheet of soy that contains the same elements as the Listerine sheets. Once in the mouth, it disappears and melts with the fatty belly.

KABOCHA "CANDY", CELERY ROOT PUREE, FENNEL

This was an amuse that we served to our guests on Sunday the 30th of November. We melt a sugar sheet to encase the squash that adds a surprise crunch to the dish as well as sweetness.

UNI TOAST

This is a simple and great way to showcase Uni. Serrano, Micro Cilantro and Soy-Yuzu. The dish is finished with a few grains of Sel Gris.

FARMER MARKET SEASONAL JAM

Two times a week, my staff and I go to the farmers market and select fruits for jam. Because of the mild weather, Harry's Berries are still available. We marinate the fruit in sugar and lemon juice and cook it with pectin. The jars are sterilized and filled. Currently we offer Black Mission Fig, Strawberry and Mixed Berry Jam for our guests.

LIVE MAINE SCALLOP, SANTA BARBARA UNI, TURMERIC SAUCE

"NIJI" ROLL

The translation is Rainbow Roll. It is traditional assorted sushi with diced wasabi stem called Wasabi Kizame. This is a dish that will be added to the new menu at Bond Street in Beverly Hills.

VANILLA ROASTED PEACH, PISTACHIO

A very simple recipe to showcase the Palisade Peach. Quickly blanch the peach in boiling water to remove the skin. With a round cutter, remove the pit. The peach is filled with Tonga Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. We pipe a ring of pistachio puree and fill it with Lait Concentrate. With a recipe so simple, it is important to use the best quality ingredients.

CHOCOLATE

Chocolate work is a delicate art. Temperature and humidity play a huge role on chocolates. The possibilities of chocolate design and fillings are endless. The creativity process can flow when thinking about fillings for bonbons. I use everything from lemongrass to nutella when making chocolate candies. The patterns can be purchased from Chef Rubber as well as the chocolate molds.

SAKE CHERRY "RAVIOLIS"

Sake and simple syrup make up the jarring liquid for the cherries. Once cured for six months, they are pitted and rolled in a cherry gelatin sheet.

POACHED HALIBUT, GINGER BROTH

A very light flavorful dish. The Halibut is poached in a lemongrass bouillon and served with a ginger broth and Harry's Cherry Tomatoes. These tomatoes can only be obtained from the
Santa Monica Farmers Market. They come from a small farm that only produces cherry tomatoes and strawberries. As for the "mini" carrots, the farmer cannot grow enough to supply the restaurant during busy times. They have an intense sweet carrot flavor which is great for a garnish as well.

CARAMEL FLAN, KAFFIR LIME, POPCORN

I still have not figured out if I prefer working on the savory side or sweet side of the kitchen. For me it is a place where I can experiment with fewer boundaries. The caramel flan is a dish that came easy to. Caramel flan is paired with a kaffir cream and popcorn. The popcorn was a playful touch that sparked the idea of a playful underliner that consists of oragami. A sweet custard, salty popcorn and exotic hint of kaffir lime leaf.

PICKLING

I am a huge fan of pickling and jarring. It is a great way to utilize and capture the product in peak season. We use these throughout the seasons. Ramps, one of the most prized vegetables are pickled in a spiced japanese vinegar and used throughout the year.
To pickle the ramps, we first clean them of all dirt and debris. Once clean they are dried and placed in clean sterile jars. Vinegar is brought to a simmer and infused with seasoning and spices. This is poured over the ramps and the jars are closed. These are then placed in a steamer and steamed at 85 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes.

RED MULLET, FRIED QUAIL EGG

Here is a simple approach to Red Mullet. A mediterranean fish paired with parsley sauce and garlic cream. A quail egg coated in brix dough is fried and placed on top.
The technique of using the basic breading procedure on the quail egg was introduced to me at my employment at Joel Robuchon's Restaurant. There he used it as a single course in his signature
nine course tasting menu.
For the red mullet dish, it is used to add a contrast of texture as well as enrich the parsley and garlic sauce.

SIMPLICITY

A-5 KOBE BEEF, FINES HERB, SHOJU TRUFFLE

This is a great example of perfectly cooked Kobe beef Sous-Vide method. Portioned 120 gram pieces are sous-vide cooked at 52 degrees Celcius, shocked, then seared at service time. The base for the sauce and vinaigrette are made up from preserved Summer Truffles in Shoju. Pickled chanterelles are introduced to the dish to cut through the fattiness of the beef.

TURBO, LANGOUSTINE, MINI CARROT, ONION PUREE

The thought process started with the term "If it grows together, it goes together."
European Turbo and Brittany Langoustines are paired together with onions and carrots.
The carrots are presented in a few ways: Juiced, Foamed, Gelled and in Tiny Form. The onions are roasted, pureed with gelatin, and Tiny Form as well.
Once the proteins are quickly seared, they are dusted with orange powder made from dried orange zest.