What does this look like to you?

It’s a piece of Ahi tuna steak pretending to be a piece of meat. To be fair, the tuna should not be blamed for the disguise. This dish is the result of my unsuccessful attempt to recreate my first course at Market, the newly opened Shangri-La Hotel restaurant owned by the 3-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges. I really like Ahi tuna and I’ve had it prepared in many different ways, but the Market’s unique version has become my favourite. Coated in Japanese cracker crumbs, the tuna was deep fried quickly for only 20 seconds (in our second visit, I made our server to tell us the time before putting out the tip) so that its centre remains perfectly rare. The tuna is then cut into one inch cubes and topped with a dollop of spicy mayonnaise and a small slice of scallion. I like this dish so much that I ordered it again in my return visit.

It was after my first visit at Market that I attempted to create this dish. Not knowing the 20-second rule, I overcooked the tuna by deep frying for one minute, which resulted in the ambiguous coloured centre. I felt really discouraged by this because from where I live, Ahi tuna is not a common item (and therefore expensive!) that is available at the grocery store around the corner. I made a 30-minute drive on a Saturday morning to buy the tuna steak at a gourmet grocery store. Funnily enough, that grocery store is located right next to Market. I guess if I were smarter, I could have just walked right into Market and ordered the dish again Given all this trouble and the crappy result, would I make a second attempt? The answer is a definite yes! My persistance stems from one and the only one reason: I can have it anytime I want. If this isn’t obsession, then I don’t know what is.