Chef Darian’s Blog

I have been banished to the Dungeon!

October 24, 2008 on 12:30 pm | In Ireland | No Comments

For real, I have been moved to the Dungeon Restaurant Bar and Grill for the next month or so. I was being split between two different restaurants in the hotel before. This is actually a very good thing. I get to spend more time working on one menu and all of the things that go along with it. I have been working on the starters and all of sides and desserts in the Dungeon already. Now I am getting more experience with the main courses. I am helping to plate – which means put the base on, place the protein, flash under the salamander, garnish, make sure there are no spots on the rim and get it out the window FAST! The chef I work with there is a little more “energetic” than the rest of them. He makes sure that everyone is moving and moving quickly. He runs a tight ship and is quick to get your attention should he feel you are wandering around aimlessly.

Last night he took me through the inventory process – a simple process, not the easiest to accomplish. It was on paper and you searched through all of the freezers and frig’s looking for the items and you take a very good guess on how much is there. Oh, in case you don’t know – everything is metric! Yeah for me. As an American we don’t do too much with liters and kilograms. So when the chef asked me how much fish was on the tray I said, “about 3 pounds”. Oh boy, was that a mistake. I explained that in America we don’t understand why the rest of the World does not do things the way we do and I’ll be damed if we will change! That was followed by the entire kitchen in a fit of laughter.

Oh, I wanted to share the dessert menu with you. Pecan Pie with Caramel Ice Cream, Berry Crumble with Creme Anglaise, Coconut Tart with Berry Compote, Cheese Plate, Strawberries Romanoff (Vanilla Ice Cream, Romanoff Sauce – whipped cream and orange liquor – and lots of strawberries with a chocolate fan on top, Poached Peach with Cinnamon Ice Cream, and a Drunken Peach Sunday. I love dessert!

Well, I need to get ready for work! The Dungeon awaits. Happy Cooking!