After a busy day of working as an outdoor photographer, I decided to have dinner at the new Roy's in San Diego. I often describe living in San Diego as "living in Paradise". I would describe dining at Roy's (both the new one in San Diego and the one in La Jolla) as "dining in paradise".
Nowhere else will you discover the fusion of flavors that come out of the display kitchen from Roy's very creative and prolific chefs. As a graduate (the Grand Diplome) of the Le Cordon Bleu Sookmyung Academy in Seoul, Korea (and having taken cooking courses at other schools such as Piret's "Perfect Pan School of Cooking", and American River College), I can appreciate the attention to detail that goes into each and every Roy's culinary creations (as well as the European sauces).
I can also appreciate the "fusion" style of cooking, as I "fused" French techniques (which are all about intensifying flavor) with Mexican styles (spicy) of cooking to win three cooking contests in Mexico (two Regional and one International).
Some people shy away (or run away) from anything "fusion", possibly thinking that it somehow dilutes one or more of the cuisines that are "fused". While there is nothing wrong with being a purist, why not combine the best of the best? When done correctly (as myself, Roy's, and others have done successfully), something special may very well result that is different, delightful, delicious and delectable!
For dinner, I ordered from the "Seasonal Prix Fixe" menu (three courses inspired by the "bounty of season"). I was not disappointed. For an appetizer, I ordered the "Nori Charred Yellow Fin Ahi, Mirrored in a Wasabi Ogo Fusion". I'm not sure what "Nori Charred" means. My best guess is that they wrapped the Ahi in Nori (a thin, toasted sea vegetable) and "Charred" it over a grill, leaving the center raw. Anyway, it was delicious, and was served with a tasty cucumber salad.
Soy sauce is provided in a very cool black "decanter", and Wasabi and Ginger (Mary Anne was not available) are provided upon request. I like to have a small piece of pickled ginger between my slices of Ahi and Cucumber Salad (to cleanse the palate), and I like to mix Soy Sauce with Wasabi to use as a dipping sauce (a sacrilege, I know).
My preferred utensil for this type of meal is chopsticks (which I learned how to use in Korea).
After the appetizer, we where provided with what the Japanese call “Oshibori”, a steaming hot clean towel that says, "welcome, relax, and let us take care of you". My very first introduction to "Oshibori" was at a restaurant on the top floor of the Tokyo Hotel in Seoul, Korea. (Yes, I ate at a Japanese restaurant in Korea, the first time that I sampled Baby Octopus as part of a 24 course Japanese dinner.)
My Entrée was "Prosciutto Wrapped Tiger Shrimp & Fried Egg Fried Rice", with a "Lemon, Caper & Herb Butter" sauce. The "crown" on top of the fried rice was a perfectly cooked egg (just the way I like it). The fried rice was the best I've ever tasted (except maybe my own), and the shrimp where fresh, succulent and perfectly cooked (topped with a salad made from sea vegetables).
For dessert, I chose "Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé", served "a la Mode". I didn't take any photos of my dessert as all I could think about when it arrived was to "dig" in. I don't believe desserts get more decadent than this.
My dinner at Roy's was totally unplanned, so I did not have the right equipment to take photos inside. I didn't have my strobes for bounce and fill, or my reflectors or softboxes (to soften shadows). These photos were taken just as memorabilia, and not examples of my skills as a food stylist and food photographer. For those examples you will have to wait until I'm finished building my photography studio at Don's Digital Café.
In order to take photos indoors (in low light), without a flash, I could only use the one "fast" (low aperture) lens that I had with me (this gives a short depth of field), and I had to kick up the ISO to 1600 (which produces noticeable grain). Again, these photos where taken only to remember this special evening (September 29, 2008), and for fun (not as examples of my skills as a photographer).
Legal Stuff: You cannot use any photo on this site for commercial purposes, unless you have a Model Release from every recognizable person (other than yourself), and/or a Property Release if the photo contains a recognizable Logo, Trademark, or Landmark.
Nowhere else will you discover the fusion of flavors that come out of the display kitchen from Roy's very creative and prolific chefs. As a graduate (the Grand Diplome) of the Le Cordon Bleu Sookmyung Academy in Seoul, Korea (and having taken cooking courses at other schools such as Piret's "Perfect Pan School of Cooking", and American River College), I can appreciate the attention to detail that goes into each and every Roy's culinary creations (as well as the European sauces).
I can also appreciate the "fusion" style of cooking, as I "fused" French techniques (which are all about intensifying flavor) with Mexican styles (spicy) of cooking to win three cooking contests in Mexico (two Regional and one International).
Some people shy away (or run away) from anything "fusion", possibly thinking that it somehow dilutes one or more of the cuisines that are "fused". While there is nothing wrong with being a purist, why not combine the best of the best? When done correctly (as myself, Roy's, and others have done successfully), something special may very well result that is different, delightful, delicious and delectable!
For dinner, I ordered from the "Seasonal Prix Fixe" menu (three courses inspired by the "bounty of season"). I was not disappointed. For an appetizer, I ordered the "Nori Charred Yellow Fin Ahi, Mirrored in a Wasabi Ogo Fusion". I'm not sure what "Nori Charred" means. My best guess is that they wrapped the Ahi in Nori (a thin, toasted sea vegetable) and "Charred" it over a grill, leaving the center raw. Anyway, it was delicious, and was served with a tasty cucumber salad.
Soy sauce is provided in a very cool black "decanter", and Wasabi and Ginger (Mary Anne was not available) are provided upon request. I like to have a small piece of pickled ginger between my slices of Ahi and Cucumber Salad (to cleanse the palate), and I like to mix Soy Sauce with Wasabi to use as a dipping sauce (a sacrilege, I know).
My preferred utensil for this type of meal is chopsticks (which I learned how to use in Korea).
After the appetizer, we where provided with what the Japanese call “Oshibori”, a steaming hot clean towel that says, "welcome, relax, and let us take care of you". My very first introduction to "Oshibori" was at a restaurant on the top floor of the Tokyo Hotel in Seoul, Korea. (Yes, I ate at a Japanese restaurant in Korea, the first time that I sampled Baby Octopus as part of a 24 course Japanese dinner.)
My Entrée was "Prosciutto Wrapped Tiger Shrimp & Fried Egg Fried Rice", with a "Lemon, Caper & Herb Butter" sauce. The "crown" on top of the fried rice was a perfectly cooked egg (just the way I like it). The fried rice was the best I've ever tasted (except maybe my own), and the shrimp where fresh, succulent and perfectly cooked (topped with a salad made from sea vegetables).
For dessert, I chose "Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé", served "a la Mode". I didn't take any photos of my dessert as all I could think about when it arrived was to "dig" in. I don't believe desserts get more decadent than this.
My dinner at Roy's was totally unplanned, so I did not have the right equipment to take photos inside. I didn't have my strobes for bounce and fill, or my reflectors or softboxes (to soften shadows). These photos were taken just as memorabilia, and not examples of my skills as a food stylist and food photographer. For those examples you will have to wait until I'm finished building my photography studio at Don's Digital Café.
In order to take photos indoors (in low light), without a flash, I could only use the one "fast" (low aperture) lens that I had with me (this gives a short depth of field), and I had to kick up the ISO to 1600 (which produces noticeable grain). Again, these photos where taken only to remember this special evening (September 29, 2008), and for fun (not as examples of my skills as a photographer).
Legal Stuff: You cannot use any photo on this site for commercial purposes, unless you have a Model Release from every recognizable person (other than yourself), and/or a Property Release if the photo contains a recognizable Logo, Trademark, or Landmark.
My Entrée was "Prosciutto Wrapped Tiger Shrimp and Fried Egg Fried Rice", with a "Lemon, Caper & Herb Butter" sauce.
The "crown" on top of the fried rice was a perfectly cooked egg (just the way I like it). The fried rice was the best I've ever tasted (except maybe my own), and the shrimp where fresh, succulent and perfectly cooked (topped with a salad made from sea vegetables).
The "crown" on top of the fried rice was a perfectly cooked egg (just the way I like it). The fried rice was the best I've ever tasted (except maybe my own), and the shrimp where fresh, succulent and perfectly cooked (topped with a salad made from sea vegetables).
My Entrée was "Prosciutto Wrapped Tiger Shrimp and Fried Egg Fried Rice", with a "Lemon, Caper & Herb Butter" sauce.
The "crown" on top of the fried rice was a perfectly cooked egg (just the way I like it). The fried rice was the best I've ever tasted (except maybe my own), and the shrimp where fresh, succulent and perfectly cooked (topped with a salad made from sea vegetables).
The "crown" on top of the fried rice was a perfectly cooked egg (just the way I like it). The fried rice was the best I've ever tasted (except maybe my own), and the shrimp where fresh, succulent and perfectly cooked (topped with a salad made from sea vegetables).
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