Sliced Rosemary Potatoes

Since coming to Germany, I've eaten enough potatoes to last me a lifetime. 

Growing our own potatoes ensure that our kitchen is filled with it all year long. Bratkartoffel or fried potatoes is a constant fixture in our dining table that even my potato loving husband finally complained. So, I consulted with my know-it- all best friend , Mr. Google , for some much needed potatoes- related advices.

As usual, I thanked for the clues but end up doing things my way, using things I have available.

I washed and pat about 600 g of potatoes.  Then slice , carefully trying not to cut through. Which is not as easy as I thought, by the way. 

 Then I drizzle the potatoes with olive oil.  Season it generously with sea salt, then pepper.

Chopped some rosemary and sprinkle it over and in between the potatoes slices.  Bake it for 20 minutes under 220 °c. 

I then took the baked potatoes out of the oven, then squeeze  a tablespoon of garlic butter on top of each potato. Put the oven to '' grill'' or ''broil'',  then pop it right back in to brown for another 10 minutes .

This particular Sunday lunch had a happy end. 

Taumi Asian-Fusion, Bühl

This bright painted wall greets every guest the moment one step into the restaurant . It looks like a pair of dancers and somehow reminds me of a  page of  a Japanese manga. 

The rest of the place on the other hand, is primarily dominated   in anthracite hue  , open spaced,  airy and almost  monotonic. Only  the wooden furnishing gives the place the contrast it needs. 

No gold and red paint, no dragon carvings, no laughing Buddha , no aquarium full of fish or waving ceramic cats here. It's not  the typical run- the- mill '' Asian'' restaurants that seem to have spouted all over the country. It's trendy and undeniably modern, somehow out of place among the throngs of classic and traditional Baden restaurants that dominate the region. 

 Taumi   mirrors  the new dining places in  many major Asian cities. 

It  also features an Open Kitchen and it's both fascinating and entertaining to watch how your food is cooked and prepared. I've seen such concept while dining  in Caprice  and   L'ATELIER de Joel Robuchon both in Hong Kong, many years ago. 

 It's a delight to watch such adaptation in our humble little town, albeit the less flair and in a much humble setting.

Right beside the kitchen is the bar. 

I've tried many concoctions from this bar and each is as good as the other. 

Plump prawns, glossy grilled sea eels, and succulent looking scallops laying on thick cubes of ice greeted me as I came near the kitchen counter.

Not wanting to be outdone, thick slab of tuna  in deep  burgundy was  laid on a display right beside a stack of fresh salmon fillets. I am hopelessly  seduced by the array of creatures of the sea..

Menu is extensive .  From spring rolls , satays, Vietnamese phos , grilled fish, curries to steaks. There's enough variety of foods for everybody.


And of course there's the Sushi.  The classics are just as abundant as contemporary . Personally, when it comes to sushi, the more creative and complex flavoured it is, the more i like it and Taumi give the Japanese sushis enough modern twist.

Aburi Sashimi. These flambeed slices of  tuna and salmon  for example,  had a light smokey kick, yet the fish fillets stayed buttery and sweet.

On our first visit, FF and I kind of overindulged and ordered enough sushi to feed a family.

My favourite was the Hotategai Tempura . A deep fried and crunchy roll with succulent scallop, generous dose of avocado  and drizzled with cream cheese-mayo ( ? )and  delicious sweetish soya sauce.

Taumi also offers reasonable priced lunch sets on weekdays. Different appetizers and two main dishes to choose from are available  Monday to Fridays . The menu changes every few weeks.

 For just 8,50 euro, I got a small bowl of Miso soup with salmon flakes. It was yummy.

And a rather generous portion of crunchy and maki roll with a small salad on the side. It came home sated . 

FF and I came back few weeks after. 

 He had surf and turf. Meat was rather tough in my opinion.  The shrimps on the other hand was juicy and sweet. 

 The sweet potatoes are so addictive.

 I ordered Crispy Rocket.  A salmon crunchy roll and 4 Nagiri sushis. 

Dessert menu is limited but well executed. I fall in love with mochi green tea ice cream which is usually served with 2 coconut cream filled sesame balls. Nom! Nom!





Sushi to go. I took a box of this to FF after having lunch there with some girlfriends. Still delicious in the evening .

Crispy tiger.  Inside out roll with ebi tempura filling and covered in  flambeed salmon.

A highly recommended place!

Open Hours

Sunday

11:30 am - 10:30 pm

Monday

11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Tuesday

11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Wednesday

11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Thursday

11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Friday

11:30 am - 10:30 pm

Saturday

11:30 am - 10:30 pm

Location and Contact Information 

• Address: Johannesplatz 3-5, 77815 Buhl, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
• Phone Number: 4972238067786

Braised Oxtail

There are many people that I know,  including a good number of FF's own family and most of my foreigner friends,  don't like oxtail dishes. For them, it's either too bony or too fatty and not to mention , they abhor that gelatinous texture of the  a slow and thoroughly- cooked meat .

I on the other hand, love oxtail meat for exactly the same reasons. Meat closest to the bone is always the tastiest  in my opinion. The fat and the tendon, which is abundant in this particular cut of meat , give the  dish an extra fall-of- the- bone texture and is just perfect for...gnawing.

The best part is, compare to filets, tenderloin  and other prime cuts of meat, oxtail  is relatively cheap. So, gather your oxtail loving brood and give this recipe a try!

Ingredients:
Serves 6

1.5 Kgs Oxtail, washed and pat dry

1/4 cup olive oil for frying

3 medium sized onion, diced

6 clove of garlic, minced

500 g tomatoes, chopped

400 g tomato sauce

1 tbsp. Thymes

3 bay leaves 

2 star anise

800 ml beef broth

salt and pepper to taste

Coriander for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash and pat oxtail meat dry. Cut off excess fat if necessary. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in casserole dish. Once hot, brown meat on all sides. Take out from the pot and set aside.
3. Add onion and garlic into the casserole. Saute until aromatic. Put the meat back into the casserole. Stir in tomato. Add in tomato sauce and broth, bring to a boil then cover.   Lower the heat.
4.  Add in thymes , star anise and bay leaves. Simmer meat under medium low heat for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is fork tender. Check sauce, it thickens as it cooks. If the dish becomes too dry, add a cup of broth while cooking .
5. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with your favourite sides. Potato , pasta or rice. Your call!

Potato and Tuna Croquettes

I love experimenting with leftover foods. Since I abhor throwing away and wasting anything on my table, I try to salvage and serve whatever we  left unfinished  by creating new dishes out of it the next day.

I made too much mashed potato yesterday  . Instead of tossing it in the bin, it landed in a sizzling pan filled with hot oil. Healthy? Definitely not, but it was so good, I might make extra portion of mashed potatoes every time!

Ingredients:

2 cups cold mashed potatoes

2 cans of tuna , drained

2 eggs

1/2 cup Emmentaler cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

a handful of coriander leaves and parsley

salt and pepper

1 cup flour

1 cup bread crumbs

enough oil for frying

Method:

 Mix mashed potato, tuna flakes, cheese, eggs, coriander , parsley, eggs salt and pepper. 

 Roll into small logs, balls or any shape of your fancy.

Roll logs in flour. Shake excess off.

Dip in beaten eggs.

  Then toss in bread crumbs.

Heat enough oil in the pan like its your last day on Earth. Deep fry these babies without feeling overly guilty. Wait until they turn  golden brown.

Serve pipping hot with your favourite dip.