By: Christopher Gallaga

It was no ordinary night at the 7^th floor “The Racing Club” of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Happy Valley Race Course. There was a special atmosphere of excitement, more electric than the usual race night vibe, rather the kind of mood you might find late on Christmas Eve... anticipation.

We were, of course, gathered; competitors, supporters, sponsors, chefs and honored guests, to celebrate the stunning victory of the Hong Kong “Ladies and Cuisine” team, whom not only achieved the auspicious place of first runner up at FHA Singapore, but also brought home a coveted, and oh so rare, Gold Medal for their Gourmet Team edible buffet.

In honor of these vibrant and successful young professionals, the Jockey Club pulled out all the stops. First serving a wonderful series of tapas canapés and delicious raw bar buffet, around the Oyster Bar; then a delicious selection of innovative sushi and sashimi, at the adjacent and very “Austin Powers” Sushi Bar - yeah baby. And finally serving a wonderful dinner menu of assorted consommé then smoked roasted lamb saddle and grilled baby sea bass, in the Dining Room.

Of course many lamented that we were unable to taste the team’s gold winning buffet, but the talented chefs and staff of The Jockey Club soon made us forget the urge with their own award level efforts.

Besides, the team deserved to rest and enjoy someone else’s very fine cuisine.

Before the meal HKCA President Rudy Muller, introduced the team, giving them all, including their helpers, awards, recognition, and our deepest thanks for their wonderful and well-done display of professionalism.

During dinner all our honorable sponsors were equally awarded and thanked both by Rudy on behalf of the HKCA and by the team members.

I’m still dizzy from the non-stop camera flashes.

Of course, no event is complete without a few surprises. First, our long time HKCA supporter and friend, Unilever, presented each of the ladies with a grand bouquet and a giant teddy bear chef. Then the ladies, in a bit of turn about, presented their mentor and team manager Chef Mak Kam Kui with a wonderful scrapbook and a beautiful crystal, custom cut from Swarovski in recognition of his abundant help.

With awards nearly all round, and the cameras still flashing, we settled into the beautiful view over happy valley for late night coffee, tea, dessert buffet, and the warm glow of having participated in a special - historical - moment.

Singapore Gourmet Challenge

Celebration Dinner

8^th May 2008

At Oyster Bar 

jet fresh oysters

seafood on ice

snow crab leg  ·  black mussel  ·  tiger prawn  ·  scallop

crispy chorizo quesadillas

braised wagyu beef cheek

witloof

gratinated aubergines

mushrooms  ·  pine nuts  ·  cheese

honey jelly fruit skewer

*        *        *

At Sushi Bar

martini x

spicy tuna roll  ·  pickle ginger  ·  iced sake

aburi hamach sushi

touched yellow tail  ·   ponzu  ·  negi salad

delux sashimi

hotate  ·  amaebi  ·  uni  ·  kyuri

*           *           *

At Dining Room

Soup

trio consomme

asparagus consomme  ·  parmesan ravioli

cep consomme  ·  foie gras custard

squab consomme   · crispy confit leg

 Main

 grilled baby sea bass & prawns

fennel confit  ·  white asparagus  ·  baby artichoke  ·  champagne foam

 Or

smoked roasted lamb saddle

sauteed rocket  ·  potato, carrot, turnip fondant

smoked rosemary sea salt  ·  sweet garlic jus

 Dessert buffet

valrhona chocolate biscuit coulante mocca center

raspberry cream with crispy caramel

ginger & lemon mousse

strawberry & champagne terrine

fresh cut fruit around the world

home made sherbet

yoghurt  ·  cucumber  ·  chrysanthemum honey

selection of french cheese

walnut bread  ·  cream cracker  ·  dry apricot

freshly brewed coffee  ·  fine tea

friandises

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Thawing a 1,000 Pound Squid

New Zealand scientists thaw 1,000-pound squid corpse

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Marine scientists in New Zealand on Tuesday were thawing the corpse of the largest squid ever caught to try to unlock the secrets of one of the ocean's most mysterious beasts.

No one has ever seen a living, grown colossal squid in its natural deep ocean habitat, and scientists hope their examination of the 1,089-pound, 26-foot long colossal squid, set to begin Wednesday, will help determine how the creatures live. The thawing and examination are being broadcast live on the Internet.

The squid, which was caught accidentally by fishermen last year, was removed from its freezer Monday and put into a tank filled with saline solution. Ice was added to the tank Tuesday to slow the thawing process so the outer flesh wouldn't rot, said Carol Diebel, director of natural environment at New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa.

After it is thawed, scientists will examine the squid's anatomical features, remove the stomach, beak and other mouth parts, take tissue samples for DNA analysis and determine its sex, Diebel said.

"If we get ourselves a male it will be the first reported (scientific) description of the male of the species," Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at Auckland's University of Technology, told National Radio. He is one of the scientists conducting the examination.

The squid is believed to be the largest specimen of the rare deep-water species Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, or colossal squid, ever caught, O'Shea has said.

Colossal squid, which have long been one of the most mysterious denizens of the deep ocean, can grow up to 46 feet long, descend to 6,500 feet into the ocean and are considered aggressive hunters.

At the time it was caught, O'Shea said it would make calamari rings the size of tractor tires if cut up — but they would taste like ammonia, a compound found in the animals' flesh.

Fishermen off the coast of Antarctica accidentally netted the squid in February 2007 while catching Patagonian toothfish, which are sold under the name Chilean sea bass.

The squid was eating a hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep. Recognizing it as a rare find, the fishermen froze the squid on their vessel to preserve it. The national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, later took possession of it.

The previous largest colossal squid ever found was a 660 pound female squid discovered in 2003, the first ever landed.

Researchers plan to eventually put the squid on display in a 1,800 gallon tank of formaldehyde at the museum in the capital, Wellington.

Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to giant squid found round the coast of New Zealand. Giant squid grow up to 39 feet long, and are not as heavy as colossal squid.

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Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

By: Marco Veringa

ust in case you were not aware of it the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has some excellent training materials available on their increasingly more informative website http://www.cfs.gov.hk/eindex.html Food Legislation, Safety Tips, training manuals are all very handy and easy to find on their relatively new website.

Also very handy I find is their HACCP information page, again full of handy guidelines and training manuals, I would like to suggest all to spend some time and delve through this website to update your staff more where necessary.

There is also a vast library available of Audio Visual material, which is available, free on loan basis and most these vcd’s are multi lingual in English and Cantonese.

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Team Singapore to bid for WACS Presidium

Or you can use the below channel which is available

in Hong Kong for donations:

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