Numerous times that I have tried making roast chicken back in Manila and I can remember all those sweaty days in the kitchen. I have searched and tried almost all of the methods I know, from stuffing the chicken, to carefully separating the skin from the flesh while easing that layer of butter in between, to different kinds of marinades. And numerous times, I have failed with coming out with the perfectly cooked roast chicken because I didn't know how long does it take for it to be perfectly cooked, without destroying the flesh. I can still remember the days when I could hear complaints about how dry the roast chicken was or, worse, undercooked.
In the end, I realize that it doesn't matter what kind of marinade you use, even the plain salt and pepper will work wonders if you know how to roast a chicken properly. Fortunately, I have stumbled upon a roasting technique from Kylie Kwong's Radical Chicken. The method she used was simple. For the first 20-30 mins, cover the chicken with al foil, then roast it in the oven under 180C. After which, roast the chicken on a higher temperature, say 200-220C, removing the al foil for further 20-30 minutes. This way, you will always have a moist chicken with the desirable and sought after crispy skin.
The marinade I used was a mixture of different herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. I kept this in the refrigerator overnight and take it out 10-15 minutes before I place it in the oven.
When it comes to family dinners, this has been the staple and most requested of all the dishes I make. Bon appetit!
One element of the dish I'd like to focus on is the tomato relish. I can't remember anytime I've enjoyed tomato relish, maybe shallow but the flavor was tangy and juicy at the same time. It reminded me of a sweet and sour candy I used to have when I was young and my Grandmother would trick me into eating vegetables in exchange for that treat. I do hope it's home-made, or I'll be heartbroken.
Massam Beef Curry. There is nothing much to say about this dish because it's a simple Thai curry. But what caught my attention was how tender the beef pieces were. You need loads of rice in order to scoop up all that lovely curry sauce. The curry, on the other hand, was not of any influence I had ever tasted or known. I guess I'm used to the Thai gree, red and yellow curry but this one has that gravy vibe to it.
Fortunately, I managed to snag a table at Arcadia. The place was packed with late lunchers/brunchers, that it can be difficult to have you seated anywhere. A sign of a good cafe is to see how many people are ordering coffee for take-away. One of the places where I've seen this is Dench Bakers, Arcadia is the next one, just goes to show how good organic coffee tastes.
Arcadia has no menu, as everything is written on chalk boards on top near the barista. Lunches are all well prepared, from soups to pastas to sandwiches. There were several people who are coming in to order take-away from their lunch menu as well. I quickly decided on the roasted chicken roll, since I noticed that there were just a few rolls left, a sure indicator that it's a favorite of regulars. Glancing at the breakfast/brunch menu, I will definitely come back to Arcadia. I'm eyeing the Asian inspired fried eggs with oyster sauce and the Arcadian breakfast with bloody mary.
The roasted chicken roll came with a simple salad. This is delicious and almost heart warming in a way. I love the sourdough roll which was crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The roasted chicken breast was soft and tender, the skin flavorful and crisp. The odd thing about it though was that they served it with knife and fork. I was hoping that I will just pick it up and gobble everything, the Aussie way.
Second one I had was the Croquettes with jamon and manchego cheese. This one was the real treat. My first notion of croquette is that it's made from potato and with other ingredients. It can be fish, ham, cheese, chicken...even peas! I rarely order croquetas because I know they will be ordinary. I don't know what has gotten into me and I wanted to try it tonight. It turned out to be a good choice because the inside was so creamy and fluffy. The manchego cheese stole the show. It was melting and oozing, almost spilling out as I cut my table knife onto it. Delish!
Step #3: If you have decided to pass dessert, don't pass on their short black, a.k.a. espresso. It was divine and silky. I was really arguing against myself to have dessert, because I don't want to walk out too full. So I opted for a light coffee instead. I didn't feel like having coffee with milk, so my choices are short or long black. I'm not in the mood for diluted black coffee, so strong coffee it is. The first espresso that landed on my table was bitter and has a muted after taste, but my server warned me about this. She claimed that there's something wrong with the espresso maker, but when the bartender came and fixed it, she offered to bring another one to my table. And I'm glad she did. The second espresso was just fab--hot, silky and has that almost chocolate-y after taste, none of the burnt bits. I could kiss the bartender for making a good cup of espresso.
Feast Seafood Platter. This platter came with fried calamari, battered fish, battered prawns, fresh shrimps, smoked salmon, fresh oysters, salad, chips with thousand island dressing and tartare sauce. Everything was good and I loved the oysters and shrimps.
