Caprese. Mini.

Stolen from le Petit Bistro.
Koer ja saba. Ja vastupidi. Nii me liikusime Uruguai päritolu ettekandjaga. Kohalikust tippude tipust Claudiast ettekandjatena nurgatagustesse. Kes kokaks, kes vanas liinis edasi.
La Claudia. Kui saalimeeskonna unistus. Vahemerele avanev terrass, ja mitte lihtsalt, vaid kõrgustest.
Umbes 15 lauda väljas, mõned sees, viimased aga kuumal suvel täis vaid viimases hädas. Tulenevalt kliimast kulus õhtuse vahetusega 4 särki. Ja seda väljas... Lisaks ülinõudlik management, sest teenindus pidi olema absoluutne tipp. Palju õnne.
Igatahes, Bob Marley paremad palad terrassi tuunimiseks olid kui rusikas kuhu vaja. Überluks vaade Vahemerele pluss suvine chill lõid õhkkonna, kus töötamine tundus ok või pisut enam. Marley muusika taustaks: uruguailasest ettekandja mr. Diego, kes mainitud artisti saatel kunagi oli abiellunud ning senini nautis seda muusikat.  "I wanna love love You", olnud sõnad millega ta oma Poola päritolu kallima altari ette taris, ja neid me kuulsime enne igapäevast avamist pidevalt. Õnneks originaalesituses.
Kogu lõbu jätkus kuniks suitsetamis-  ehk mittesuitsetamiskonflikt Diego päevapealt ametist viis.
Üks sigarett high-society restorani maitree jaoks avalikus keskkonnas oli liiga palju ning sellest tulenenud tüli manageriga päädis suitsetaja lahkumisega.
Hea sõber läinud, aga teda asendas teotahteline neegritar. Teotahte parimaks kinnituseks sai asjaolu, et varem polnud klaase või pudeleid selles majas antud mahus lõhutud mitte kunagi.
 Segane uruguailane liikus edasi, kindla ideega OMAST kohast. Aega see võttis (koostöötasime veel vähemalt kahes kohas enne kui ammuoodatud Petit Bistro avanes) ja asja sai.
Kahe kuuga oli tema bistroo tuntud arvustamisportaalis kohalike restode seas nr 1. Uskumatu lüke siinse 220 konkurendi hulgas, aga tõsi ta oli. Eriti arvestades asjaolu, et peakoka senine köögitöökogemus pärines vaid Londoni tipphotelli hommikusöögi korraldamisest.
 Menüü koostati koka iidoli hr Ramsay ideid järgides - käsitöistest kalapulkadest valmistet burger, aurutatud valge kala spinatiga jne.
Sellest kohvikulisest menüüst jäi silma üks. Caprese. Ilmselt kõige ambitisoonikamaid kuid samas lihtsamaid aga ideaalsemaid eelroogi/salateid üldse. Basiilik, tomat, mozzarella, pisut head oliiviõli... ja nii ongi!
 Kui lisada sellel kombinatsioonile väike twist, näiteks koduse palsamiäädika kreemiga määritud taldrik, mõni leht head värsket rooma salatiti oma tagaaiast, saame elegantse Caprese 2.0. Lisaks põhitooraineid mini variandis ehk siis kirsstomatid ja mozzarella kuulid rebituna, värviks mõned tilgad värsket basiilikuõli, pisut musta maldooni soola ja nii ongi. Aproveche!
PS Kuulsust kogunud bistroo müüdi vaid neli kuud pärast avamist. Tuleb välja, et pereäri pidamine  ehk 24/7 kooselu ja -tööd restoranivaldkonna stressis võib osutuda väga karmiks ja tulemused ebameeldivaks. Kurb, aga tõsi, tõsi, aga kurb, Eesti poppmuusik...

Caprese. Mini.

Stolen from le Petit Bistro.

The dog and the tail. And vice versa. So we moved around with a waiter from Uruguay. From the local top of the tops restaurant La Claudia where we both worked as waiters, to the remote places somewhere behind the corner. Me as a cook and he as a waiter as before.

La Claudia. A dream for the waiting staff. Terrace opening to the Mediterranean sea, not just like that, but from the heights.

Approximately 15 tables out on a terrace, some more inside. The inside tables occupied only as a last resort in that hot summer. According to the climate it took normally 4 shirts during the night shift...outside. Plus very demanding management (because the service had to be an absolute top quality). Congratulations.

Anyway, the best songs of Bob Marley for tuning the terrace filled the bill. The top view over the Mediterranean plus summer chill created the atmosphere where working felt ok or even more than ok. About the Bob Marley: mr. Diego (the waiter from Uruguay) had once got married above mentioned singer singing at the background and enjoyed the music since then. "I wanna love love you", had been the words with what he had led his polish girlfriend to the altar. And those words we heard every night over and over again before opening. Luckily in the original presentation.

The fun continued until a conflict of smoking (i e not-smoking conflict) released Diego from his job immediately.

One single cigarette for a maître of high-society restaurant in public was too much and the quarrel with the manager culminated with leaving of the Smoker.

Good friend gone, but replaced quickly with committed African Girl. The best proof of her commitment turned out to be a fact that the restaurant had never seen that volume of broken glasses or bottles before.

Crazy Uruguayan moved on with a fixed idea of a place of his own. It took some time (we worked in the same team at least in two places before the long-waited Petit Bistro was opened) but it happened indeed.

In two months time the bistro had raised to the position nr 1 among the local restaurants according to a well known rating website. An unbelievable fact taking into account that it was surrounded by 220 competitors. Indeed. Especially in light of the fact that the Chef's only experience on this field had been arrangement of the breakfast in a superior hotel somewhere in London.

The menu was put together following the ideas of Mr. Ramsay (idol of the Chef)- a burger made with hand-made fish fingers, steamed white fish with spinach etc.

From this cafe-type of the menu caught my eye one dish. Caprese. Apparently one of the most ambitious yet the simplest (but most ideal at the same time) salads/starters ever. Basil, tomato, mozzarella, slightly good olive oil...and that's it!

If to add the combination a small twist: a plate covered with home-made balsamic vinegar cream, a few fresh leafs of Romaine lettuce of your own backyard garden, we get an elegant Caprese 2.0. Plus using the mini version of the main raw material, means cherry tomatoes and torn mozzarella balls, some drops of fresh basil oil as color, trifle of black Maldon Salt and that's it.

Bon Appetite!

PS The fame gained Bistro was sold in just four months after opening. It turns out that keeping the family business (means 24/7 living and working together) in the stress of restaurant field may prove to be a very tough and the result unpleasant. "Sad but true, true but sad" (Estonian pop musician)