Restaurant Review of Hilltop Restaurant at The Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute.

A newly refurbished dining hall at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute awaited my presence. Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute was formerly referred to as Hotel School, this institute was recently renovated to include Hilltop Restaurant with two dining halls and production kitchens. Hilltop Restaurant permits the students to plan the menus, execute, plate and serve the items. This time I had the privilege of enjoying the Culinary 2 class’s execution of a 5 course meal.

Hilltop acts as a learning platform in which the general public, staff and students can patronize the students’ creations. Giving experience to the students in training by allowing them to pursue refined techniques, explore multifaceted ingredients and explore elaborate presentations. On the other end of the spectrum, diners embrace the opportunity to embark on a gastronomical journey with the often wonderful meals that are produced in the kitchens. It also gives a clearer view as to what goes into making gourmet chefs.  Thus being a win-win situation for both parties.

Hilltop Restaurant Brochure

Upon my arrival, I looked through the glass windows of the main entrance door and made a mental note of the nudely painted walls which popped with an apple-green accent wall, that stole its colour form the decorative bamboo hedges. Upon opening the door, I was met by the Maitre d’ who greeted me and my acquaintances warmly and led us to our table.

Hilltop Dining Room Setting

Prompt and efficient service followed as my eyes discreetly scanned the modern chandeliers, polished cutlery, accurately lain place setting and the extensive bar. My chilled mineral water was poured without the slightest sprinkle of water on the mustard table cloth as the leather case menu was placed before me. I browsed the students’ signature cocktails. 

Hilltop's Beverage Menu

Zane’s Mango Berry Bliss caught my eye. A pink concoction adorned with a multi-coloured parasol. One sip and I was immediately transported to a remote location off the coast of Seychelles. The tart fresh strawberry was expertly balanced with the sweet Julie mango pieces. The perfect sip, to whet the appetite. 

Zane's Mango Berry Bliss

Strawberry Daiquiri

While browsing through the main menu, I noticed the menu was prefix, only allowing a choice among the entrée and the side dishes. That did not deter me, since everything on the menu sparked intrigue.

Hilltop Restaurant  Main Menu

The appetizer arrived in a gourmet fashion, Buffalo Style chicken wings on a liner ceramic platter drizzled with a honey mustard reduction. With my first nibble I encountered a sharp slap from the smoky cayenne pepper and the piquant red wine vinegar. My tongue begged for relief. I was determined to conquer this adventurous flavour profile.  I took a deep breath and decided to devour it until there was no more. The honey mustard brought mild relief but this proved to be the ideal appetizer for the menu that was to come.         

TTHTI Buffalo Wings

A warm hearty sweet potato soup speckled with toasted paprika and dried parsley flakes followed. There was freshly grated nutmeg and the mirepoix base (a combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions used to add flavor and aroma to stocks, sauces, soups and other foods.) lent its full-bodied characteristics. The portion size was suitable to curb the appetite but still small enough to allow room for the other courses. The garlic bread was t too dense in texture but the local flavours of the shadon-beni, garlic and pimento was there to make it a tasty bite.

Sweet Potato Soup

A Salad Niçoise followed,with garlic buttered green-beans, lettuce, beef-steak tomato wedges, sliced Irish potatoes, anchovy fillets and soft boiled eggs lightly dressed in a citrus emulsion. This salad was my least favourite. The anchovy fillets and concassé ( from the French concasser, "to crush or grind", is a cooking term meaning to rough chop any ingredient) of flambéed blue marlin added an unpalatable freshness and the minute sprinkle of citrus dressing didn’t do it any justice. Undeterred I proceeded to the next course and cleansed my palate with a fresh squeeze of lime providing by my hospitable server. 

Salad Niçoise

The main meal selected was grilled chicken in a velouté ,( a smooth white sauce made with meat, poultry, or fish stock instead of milk.) buttered provision au gratin and ratatouille. This made up triple time for the salad. The chicken was frenched and well roasted. A perfect golden brown hue and crisp skin with a moist, tender interior. Who ever made that chicken massaged and cooked it with love. The au gratin took me back to my aunt’s provision pie. The béchamel (white sauce, with milk and  thickened with a butter and flour roux) added a rich decadence and a velvety buttery note. Sprinkled with a mélange of parmesan, mozzarella, aged cheddar cheese and brioche bread crumbs and fire licked by the salamander (A small broiler oven used to quickly brown, glaze, cook, broil, or toast various foods.) until the surface is transformed into an expanse of ooey gooey bubbley deliciousness. Garnished with a cassava chip and served with ratatouille. Too many times I’ve had ratatouille and the “living daylights” was cooked out of the vegetables leaving mushy or over-charred remnants. This time the vegetables were in batonnet cuts (basic knife cut measuring ½ inch × ½ inch × 2½-3 inches) and cooked individually I presumed as the colour and texture was spot on. Just before service the colorful vegetables were sautéed with fresh thyme, aromatics, Worchester sauce and freshly cracked black-pepper corns.

Main Meal

Dessert was flame-grilled pound cake with a pineapple-mint salsa and a dollop of tequila whipped cream. The portion size was too small, I think I needed just three more forkfuls. The char-grilled exterior  created a lattice pattern and infused  the cake with a smoky depth.

Dessert

Dining at Hilltop Restaurant was an eye opening experience. I did not expect to be impressed with the standard and diversity of the students’ creations. If I had not known everything was done by students in training I would have been compelled to believe, that 5 star chefs created the dishes.

Sunday Mornings With Aunty

The faint smell of the wood burning oven, faintly drifted towards my nostrils as to say “Wake up, Come See, what aunty is using me for, this time. ”The customary yet enticing notes of the cedar planks and dried teak bark tickled me, until I was compelled to get up. Groggily yawning and stretching, I hesistantly crawled out of my bunk and drifted towards the source of this. Don’t get me wrong, my aunty was the best cook, with a true Trinbagonian “Sweet Hand” but I hated rising with the sun much-less for before the sun himself wakes up. Upon reaching the heart of our home, I tip-toed so my bulging eyes can satisfy their frantic desire to gaze upon my aunt’s concoction.

Heart of the Home(Kitchen)

To my surprise, a buttered provision au gratin (dish that is baked with a topping of seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese).

Buttery bechamel

Aromatics

She sliced the boiled cassava, dasheen, yams, eddoes and sweet potatoes while I layered the pan, alternating the colours in a clockwise fashion.

Provisions waiting to be sliced

 The decadent liquid concoction was poured layer upon layer on the provisions. I licked my lips as my tongue salivated. My taste buds danced in excitement for a slab of this pie. I franticly grated sharp cheddar cheese, because I needed to reduce the waiting period to savour even a pinch of the crust. I mixed the cheese with bread crumbs and generously sprinkled the top. My aunt loaded it into the oven as I tapped my foot in anticipation. Tap,Tap,Tap and my stomach cinched and growled in unison. Finally the moment I’ve been longing for. The crisp mat of golden cheese and crumbs surfaces from the oven. Aunty watched me and grins, “Let me blow it for you,” as she spooned a minute portion into my salivating cavity.   

Old Time Sweet Bread

The aroma of freshly macerated cinnamon sticks and smashed nutmeg, permeated the atmosphere.

Cinnamon Sticks

Nutmeg

The monotonous sound of grating a dried coconut echoed faintly in the background. 

Grated Coconut

If my gastronomical intuition serves me right ,it can only be coconut sweet bread .Hastily making my way closer and closer to the monotony, I was greeted by a mélange of other ingredients, drained and chopped Red Maraschino cherries, plumped golden raisins soaking in what I thought was good dark rum.

Maraschino Cherries

Golden Raisins

 I briskly slivered my petite phalanges towards the bowl, waded my fingers in the transparent concoction and enticingly licked my fingers. It was rum off course, because my aunt’s sharp reflexes divided the air and summoned the wind while serving me a quick slap. I stared at her in bewilderment, and blurted out, “So I wouldn’t get piece of the sweet bread when it done make aunty.” She laughed and said, “Yes you would, but little chirren han not supposed to be fingering tings”. I chuckled, “ Aunty I jus like food, how it taste, how it smells and how it feels between my fingers.”

Sweet bread

Welcome to Lisa's Feijoa

Welcome to Lisa's Feijoa, a gastronomical haven which embodies my quaint experiences and memories pivoting on food. Feijoa is a shade tolerant, evergreen shrub that prefers living near or under trees. Quite like myself, I prefer a more sheltered reserved lifestyle. 

Feijoa Flower

The only thing adventurous about me would be my palate. I did not know some flowers were actually edible until I stumbled upon an interesting article which was a summary of The Martha Stewart Show, April 2008. To view the summary you can visit http://www.marthastewart.com/265744/edible-flowers.

Edible Flowers used to make decorative ice-cubes

 My Caribbean upbringing instilled, that one must wait for the flower to become a fruit. I would hear my grand-father’s voice beckoning in the distance, “Do not beat off the flowers from the mango tree. You would not get any mangoes to suck.” My lustful desire to sink my teeth into a half-ripe Julie mango was my motivation to leave the flowers to mature. The viscous, sticky, yellow juices that flowed freely down my elbows as a devoured the mango flesh to reveal a pale white seed. 

Flowering mango tree with budding julie mangoes

Fully Matured Julie Mangoes

For a second I got caught up in that fond childhood memory. Back to business, the convincing mechanism to my blog’s name was the undisputed fact that Feijoa has hundreds of applications to the culinary world. It is locally known as Pineapple Guava due to its distinct pineapple smell and taste and the extraordinary guava-like appearance inside-out.

Feijoa Fruit and Flower

 Feijoa can be preserved for future use, using techniques such as drying, freezing or steeping in oil. It can also be used in drinks, jellies, salads, soups, syrups and main dishes. Feijoa-flavored oils and vinegars are made by steeping the flower petals in these liquids. Candied flowers can also be made crystallized by using egg white and sugar (as a preservative). The stamen of Feijoa can be infused to custards to make delicious desserts. 

Detailed view of Feijoa fruit displaying it' guava like appearance

Feijoa Stamen infused Panna Cotta with poached feijoa fruit

Feijoa stamen infused Panna-Cotta

Eight servings

I love this dessert and the great thing about Panna Cotta is that it demands to be made in advance. You can make them up to two days ahead and keep them well-covered and chilled. You can find instructions for using sheet gelatin at the end of the recipe.

·         4 cups (1litre) heavy cream (or half-and-half)

·         1/2 cup (100g) sugar

·         2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

·         2 tablespoons of Feijoa Stamen (Dried)

·         2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)

·         6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water

1. Heat the heavy cream, Feijoa Stamen (Dried) and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

(If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean then rewarm the mixture before continuing.)

2. Strain the cream mixture and discard the stamens.

3. Lightly oil eight custard cups with a neutral-tasting oil.(Canola Preferably)

3. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

5. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours. If you’re pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets so you can serve them in the glasses, without unmolding.

6. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate, and garnish as desired.

To make Panna Cotta with sheet gelatin: Soften 25g (approximately six sheets) in a liter of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Wring the sheets out and stir them into the warm Panna Cotta mixture in step # 4, until dissolved.