The Rice Den

It was one of those I'm so out of it Sundays up until The Rice Den. 

I love the chalkboard wall.

Wood panels and a rather unusual resort to lights

The ambiance projected a rustic cool image with the black hues, contrasting red bricks, and the warm panels of wood. I have to admit, it was a BOLD move opening this sort of restaurant considering the location it was in.

Steamed Cheong Fun- $8
Silk smooth steamed rice noodle rolls
served with our nutty sweet sesame and Rice Den sauce
topped with fresh shiitake mushrooms

For starters, we had the Steamed Cheong Fun. Cheong fun is one of my favorite things, especially when there are fried donuts inside! This one was just a plain one, but the rice noodles were really silky smooth. They were evenly rolled out as well, don't you just love obsessive compulsiveness? The sesame- peanut sauce wasn't something they skimped on, it was abundant in flavor and quantity as well. I'd just say that I want MORE mushrooms!

My ISCAHM Culinary Experience in 10 Dishes

At first, I was determined to make a blog post for each and every class that I had, but the thing is, I was quite busy, and I've only been able to write ONE. Now, I seriously doubt catching up on all the missed posts would be meaningful. So I've decided to sum up my culinary experience in 10 dishes! Note that they're in no particular order since it's already hard enough to just pick 10, and it would be even harder to rank them 1 through 10.

1. Salmon Tartare with Honey Dill Mustard Dressing
This dish just might be the most refreshing salmon dish you would ever have. It's composed of 3 types of salmon- Smoked Salmon, Gravlax*, and Fresh Salmon. The crunchy bits of celery yield refreshing intervals in between the spoonfuls of salmon. And everything is held together by yogurt which is way better and healthier than mayonnaise.** This is Chef Gerd Menger's recipe, apparently he created this dish when he was the executive chef for a cruise ship. Three cheers for this dish, it's wonderful.