tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44847063497306257302011-07-07T23:57:58.225-07:00Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-10605979030295958282008-06-14T05:11:00.000-07:002008-06-14T05:22:19.302-07:00

Dr T: Good to see you again. Your blood results just came in this morning.RG: Geoff, before you proceed with this conversation, just tell me one important detail - should I take up additional life insurance policies?Dr T: Don’t worry so much!RG: I can’t help it… I’m 25% fat and 75% cynic.Dr T: OK, everything’s pretty much in

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-86092266011682405602008-05-22T01:26:00.000-07:002008-05-22T01:40:56.359-07:00

Regardless of what position one may hold in the restaurant – be it a restaurant manager, waitress or kitchen ward – people tend to abuse the kitchen as if it were their own or a 24-hour free supermarket. The food is just there and the little bastards take it! It happens throughout the ranks and more than half the time the missing food is unaccounted for. The wastage book records should be double

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-14359156184453171882008-05-15T17:25:00.000-07:002008-05-15T17:27:20.105-07:00

Is cheffing a career calling? If it is, money is obviously not the main objective because you get paid chump change. My boss receives the same sum that I used to earn for an entry-level corporate position sans the other perks. You do it because you love it and it really isn’t a job, but a lifestyle. And you really live for those occassions when a grateful patron actually makes the effort to visit

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-66358598194985171082008-05-01T06:18:00.000-07:002008-05-01T06:21:06.969-07:00

As exclusive as some restaurants are in Sydney, you’d think that they would have the proper Human Resources protocols to maintain workers’ rights – of course not. Being dumb and new into the industry, I was duped by three Hatted restaurants. Welcome to the worst stinking industry in Australia.Buying fish: It is easier to assess the quality of whole fish than that of steaks or fillets, so always

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-80721112462289997282008-04-25T17:26:00.000-07:002008-04-25T20:47:59.816-07:00

Do you realise why there are so few female chefs (not including patisserie)? It boils down to the physical work and how the commercial kitchen is really designed for the average male. To maximise the space of the kitchen, many important things are placed at least one foot taller than the average female – the heavy plates, the microwave and the Salamander (i.e. scary grill with flames from the

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-68549105096784367722008-04-16T23:02:00.000-07:002008-04-17T16:58:06.345-07:00

Food critics come in all shapes and sizes. Those by profession usually come unannounced and are discreet to truly gauge the restaurant’s service and quality of food. The credible, uncorrupted ones always pay for their meals in full like every other regular patron and will only ask for the restaurant’s details after the bill has been paid. I remember in one of the top kitchens in Sydney, the

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-77425073582004523592008-04-10T04:45:00.000-07:002008-04-10T04:48:41.736-07:00

No matter how clean your restaurant is, you can never avoid pests – especially if you are in an area infested with them. So even if your prices are exclusively exorbitant, you can’t avoid all street vermin because the non-human ones probably came from your neighbours’ kitchens.Because of this sad truth, the health authorities cannot close restaurants down, provided that the restaurant “attempts

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-91164293399467776182008-04-08T06:10:00.000-07:002008-04-08T07:12:51.310-07:00

Camera Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14726934481736549496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-82723857694314077272008-04-02T15:43:00.000-07:002008-04-03T04:40:44.261-07:00

You will probably notice a recurring theme in this blog – that as a girl in any organization, you will still face a lot of sexism (especially in the kitchen) as it really is a boy’s club. Cooking in the kitchen is very physical – you have to move fast, you have to be strong to whisk and chop for long periods and you have to carry heavy loads. Many females are stationed in the pastry section (

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-54293029533706009572008-03-30T05:40:00.000-07:002008-03-30T05:43:44.000-07:00

The closet geek in me likens commercial cooking to martial arts. Timing in cooking is very intuitive. I once asked my head chef how I should cook meat and he said, “I can’t really tell you exactly. All produce varies in quality, density and size so there are no set guidelines. You just have to feel your way through it.” In other words, use The Force, small fry!Most professional cooks still

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-25928748167919673402008-03-11T01:36:00.000-07:002008-03-14T23:38:32.178-07:00

Also known as food shoot number 2 (a collaboration with highly talented Camera Girl).I only use pure butter in cakes so even after 3 days, the cake still tastes good (plus, I am a butter snob). The tops are made with maraschino cherries, coconut flakes, pink & white marshmallows and drizzled with melted milk chocolate. Because this was catered for a two-year-old kindergarten party, I opted not to

Camera Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14726934481736549496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-18022742856391706452008-03-10T06:13:00.000-07:002008-03-10T06:17:49.992-07:00

I am so grateful for immigration because along with the cheap, hardworking foreign labour (especially dishwashers) it brings into Australia, it also gives us a taste of exotic cuisine. However, as appreciative as I am to be able to eat “beef rendang” at my local, as a Malaysian, I am terribly ashamed of the monstrosity that Australians identify as Malaysian Satay. First of all, satay sauce is

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-40624322184362443062008-03-06T05:33:00.000-08:002008-03-06T06:12:27.130-08:00

I was in the CD store and chatting with the owner who could not believe that I was a chef until he saw the scars on my arms. I have now reconciled with myself that as long as I am a chef, I will never have nice nails or hands. Perhaps this is also a suggestion to hand cream manufacturers to use chefs as their ultimate litmus test, rather than using animals.Tips on Char-Grilling Steaks:Always oil

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-70561090121742411802008-03-02T03:59:00.000-08:002008-03-02T04:01:07.935-08:00

I am not sure what irks me more – chefs mispronouncing French cooking terms or chefs misusing them. This must be the product of informal education between apprentices and chefs that go unchecked. In combination with deep-seeded insecurities of lacking in university qualifications, they abuse French terms to sound intimidating and smart. I now tolerate a younger (and overly confident) chef who

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-78310622281167164132008-02-23T05:50:00.000-08:002008-02-23T05:53:13.464-08:00

You have probably heard that all head chefs behave like rock stars and I am here to confirm this. Waitresses flirt with them because they have to be fed, and if they want to be fed well, that’s what they resort to doing – the concept is somewhat Neolithic. Because in the barbaric kitchen domain there is no such thing as the Human Resources Department, comments and acts of sexual harassment are

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-1956912327775171462008-02-18T19:52:00.000-08:002008-02-18T19:54:01.711-08:00

I have managed to acquire two burns from hot oil, another on my wrist for accidentally touching the edge of a hot saucepan, cuts of my left ring finger, a hairline cut across my forehead (which I can’t recall how I got it) and scalded finger tips from immersing food in boiling water – all this in one day. I get branded on a daily basis and because I work in intense heat, I tend to be more

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-63441816492267620642008-02-16T03:32:00.001-08:002008-02-16T03:37:22.817-08:00

DSC_0546.jpgOriginally uploaded by mirvettium For more examples from our photo shoot, go here or subscribe to the feed for timely update.

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-64347554633037023952008-02-12T00:13:00.000-08:002008-02-12T04:22:48.663-08:00

I have a new Japanese boyfriend called Shun – not only is he beautiful, he is also very sharp. Although size-wise he is not as impressive as my former lover, the 23 cm still does the job. The only problem with Shun is that I am forced to also spend money on Shun’s partner Kai but after a few trysts with Kai, I have discovered how wonderful he is with all my other knives!My knives are the loves of

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-38788490967738607282008-02-07T00:17:00.000-08:002008-02-12T04:58:19.366-08:00

When the breakfast chef last week walked out of the kitchen to take the day off, I assumed that he’d be back after a week’s break but it has dawned on me that he has walked out of the restaurant permanently. So now I have been promoted to breakfast chef during the mornings - without any training for breakfast. This is absolute madness! Apparently chefs walk out of restaurants so often that there

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-70401489831558862452008-02-06T05:32:00.000-08:002008-02-06T05:46:27.427-08:00

Despite swapping your power suits for chef whites, you can never escape politics. The commercial kitchen is no different but probably more uncivilized. If The King (i.e. the Executive/Head Chef) says something offensive, you just take it (this is when yoga and meditation are actually useful). God help you if you answer back (even if it is to clarify or explain the situation) because you will

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-78203945509389710712008-02-03T02:09:00.000-08:002008-02-04T02:11:13.767-08:00

My earliest recollection in the kitchen was when I was four years old and Dad would prop me on top of the kitchen stool to stir fry the wok. I also remember that his first birthday present to me was a 15 cm non-stick frying pan and many weekends were spent roaming the aisles of the home wares department. My father was a brilliant cook and he too expressed his affection for us by filling the Lazy

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-8058497499705784152008-01-31T00:56:00.000-08:002008-01-31T00:59:44.087-08:00

In the kitchen that I am working in, I can classify the chefs into two categories. In one group, the chefs just work for the sake of working and cut corners to keep the restaurant business afloat. They are the utilitarians who just have to put steak and potatoes on the menu to cater for the general public. They are also the ones that cheat and use Chinese wonton skins to make ravioli (and the

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-80422963179164440732008-01-30T02:42:00.000-08:002008-01-30T02:45:38.276-08:00

What I am going to say may put you off eating at a restaurant (but it wouldn’t matter if you absolutely loved food and/or you just can’t cook for shits). There is nothing healthy about food here. Everything has got at least 3 times the amount of fat than you think it does. In Western cooking, chefs cook by the bars of butter instead of grams and even in “healthy” Asian stir-fries, either the meat

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-60118823343118535042008-01-28T22:10:00.000-08:002008-01-28T22:48:48.142-08:00

When you enter the commercial kitchen for the first time, you should know where the first aid box is because accidents happen all the time. One of the chefs noticed my really bad habit of holding my vegetables in the wrong manner and just as he was predicting my next cut while he was demonstrating the “correct technique”, he sliced the top of his finger with my knife. Suddenly my chopped white

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-71744838181070063392008-01-26T21:12:00.000-08:002008-01-26T21:16:08.869-08:00

Knives are like the extension of their owner’s penises. Everyone checks out each other’s equipment – the bigger they are, the more impressive. And nobody touches each other’s knives during work – “Don’t touch my dick, don’t touch my knife” attitude. It is the one thing that chefs will wash themselves and will not leave to the kitchen hand to clean.Every chef supplies his/her own set of knives

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-58813215811118184502005-01-29T02:36:00.000-08:002010-05-15T08:01:22.743-07:00

It’s good that I work during the daytime because that’s when the deliveries (food and linen) and repairmen come in so you learn a lot of the practical things that you can apply to save money down the track. For example, the sous chef noticed that some of the meats felt lukewarm and deduced that the food was probably left in the sun so he called the supplier and returned the meats immediately.When

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-37069436362536635882005-01-23T14:39:00.000-08:002010-05-15T07:59:29.993-07:00

I got the gig in the restaurant! There’s a catch though – half the week I work in the breakfast kitchen and serve patrons and the other half of the week I get to cook in the kitchen. This is probably an ideal situation to see both sides of the restaurant and still get paid better than the average cook in the kitchen. Again, I intend to learn as much as I can for at least the year.Apparently there

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-85734222961298310152005-01-21T20:44:00.000-08:002010-05-15T07:57:50.533-07:00

A very cynical female chef told me that you don’t get into the restaurant business for money but at the same time, it is a very cut-throat business. She also said that every well-run restaurant aims to achieve a profit of 10%, which isn’t as much as we all think it would be.She also said that the breakdown of the costs of running a restaurant is as follows: 30% food, 40% labour and 30% other

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-87339446630488080822005-01-21T07:02:00.000-08:002010-05-15T07:56:37.177-07:00

No news from the restaurant yet and it is driving me crazy. But I try to tell myself that one thing that I have to master is patience. Oh, this is so cliché but I really do think that I have to. I think that we are so used to seeing what is behind the other side of the door (i.e. business plans, forecasts and set career paths) that we almost expect immediate results. But sometimes we aren’t meant

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-28387037125895812752005-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:002010-05-15T07:54:41.560-07:00

Today I learned how to cut vegetables for 2 hours. The words ‘julienne’ and ‘brunoise’ do not sound so intimidating to me now. I hope that one day I can do these things blindfolded without slicing my own flesh.Julienne: Trim the vegetable into the desired length. Using a mandoline, slice the vegetable into thin sheets. Overlap the sheets to form a line of the vegetable. Finely slice the sheets to

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4484706349730625730.post-45142914871227231982005-01-18T20:44:00.000-08:002010-05-15T07:55:45.194-07:00

“I put you through overseas education for 12 years so that you can earn three dollars an hour…. BEFORE TAX?” were the words that came out of my poor mother’s mouth when I told her that I wanted to become a chef.Yes, I knew these would be the exact words that my mother would say years before. But like every obedient Asian kid, I studied hard in school and came out of university with three degrees

Restaurant Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17682721844041076996noreply@blogger.com2