0:00:04 > 0:00:08It was 1968, when I first came here to San Francisco.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13I wanted to do my own road trip from the United States
0:00:13 > 0:00:16to the Mexican border and beyond.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19My dad had just died, I'd finished school,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26It was the year after the Summer of Love,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and things like enchiladas, burritos, guacamole
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I'd only heard of from the radio.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34But they sounded wonderful.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37But it wasn't just the food,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I wanted to live a little bit dangerously.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41And I did.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I started this journey to Mexico in San Francisco
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and I loved it,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25especially the old bars serving a fisherman's fish stew
0:01:25 > 0:01:27straight from the market that morning.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I like Fisherman's Wharf, too.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34It's a bit tatty, but its heart's in the right place.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Chinatown, with the famous Martin Yan, was brilliant.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I loved the dumplings and the noodle dishes.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46And then I met a hero of mine.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I'd like to say she's America's equivalent
0:01:49 > 0:01:52to our own Elizabeth David - Alice Waters.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55My kind of ravioli.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00I drove south to Monterey, immortalised by John Steinbeck
0:02:00 > 0:02:03in his book Cannery Row.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06There were more canneries here than you could shake a stick at.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Well, that was until the sardines disappeared.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13Same old story - some days there just ain't no fish.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Now I'm heading south,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20not on the brilliant coastal highway -
0:02:20 > 0:02:22that's closed because of mudslides.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26This part of my journey will take me towards Los Angeles
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and then down to San Diego,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31a mere 20 miles from the border with Mexico.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I'm going towards Pismo Beach.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The weather is changing and a mist is coming in from the sea.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I do, and I've always felt slightly, you know,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48dewy-eyed about California, that I do think it's the centre
0:02:48 > 0:02:50of the cuisine that I aspire to -
0:02:50 > 0:02:53buying things fresh every day
0:02:53 > 0:02:58and really trying to keep local, keep organic, as well.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01But so far my impressions are incredibly favourable.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I mean, I really like to be here, and I think it's...
0:03:05 > 0:03:09I think, actually, every time I come to America, you know,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12in the UK, people are a bit sort of down on it.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I suppose there's a touch of jealousy there, really.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18But every time I come here, I think, "I like to be in America."
0:03:18 > 0:03:22It's such a lovely place, and people are so friendly,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and people are so good-mannered.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27We all like to think of the British being good-mannered,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29but the Americans are, too.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It looks to me like it's one of those Cornish early summer days,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45when the land has warmed and the sea air turns to mist,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47switching everything into watercolour.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I know it sounds a bit strange but Pismo Beach in the 1950s
0:03:53 > 0:03:56was known as the clam capital of the world -
0:03:56 > 0:04:01so many clams, in fact, that they had to use ploughs to harvest them.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Needless to say, like the sardines of Monterey further up the road,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09they all disappeared, but their legacy lives on in this cafe,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11with its famous clam chowder.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Aficionados of Californian chowder
0:04:16 > 0:04:18told me that this is as good as it gets,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and it has to be served in sourdough,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24and definitely not a Styrofoam cup.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Just looking in on the kitchen,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I can see it packed with clams of various types,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34potatoes - of course there are potatoes -
0:04:34 > 0:04:37loads of cream, parsley and celery, too.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43I'd say as a cook this is a chowder that's evolved with time,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46adding things, tasting things over the years
0:04:46 > 0:04:48and arriving at what it is now.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- There you go.- That's a bit of a plateful and a half.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58- Yeah.- So I've got the chowder in bread, and I've got some more bread.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Well, yes, you get the core, buttered and toasted,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- served on the side.- Oh, brilliant.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03VOICEOVER: The boss here is Joanne Currie.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Couldn't be better weather to eat this, it's very
0:05:07 > 0:05:09New England, the weather. But your clam chowder is...
0:05:09 > 0:05:10The Californian clam chowder.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14- ..it's really good.- We use a lot more of the heavy cream,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17a lot richer. In our chowder we have three different kinds of clams.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20So we use the deepwater chopped clams, which give it
0:05:20 > 0:05:23kind of that briny flavour, and then we use the surf clams,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27which are kind of those more meaty, sweet clams. They're kind of orange.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29If you look around, you'll find orange pieces.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31And then the little, itty-bitty cockles
0:05:31 > 0:05:33that are like teeny-weeny cherrystones.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36It is such a lovely dish. Tell me about the bread.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- Do people eat it? The bread that...?- Oh, absolutely.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43They start out with the core, tear it up, dip it in there and eat that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And then you finish it, and then you fold the bread bowl like a sandwich.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50And then just eat it, like a chowder sandwich.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52SHE LAUGHS
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- It's really true.- I think what I love about the States,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59and California in particular, if you think of a dish,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02it's done bigger and better, like you said here.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- And you say, why not?- Why not? - You know, if we're going to have
0:06:05 > 0:06:06- a clam chowder...- Let's do it up. Load it up.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- ..don't leave the cream, load it up. - Load it up.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Put cheese on it. Some people put everything on it.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I was a little bit gloomy, Joanne, with this weather, you know?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- But now...- I know. Now you're happy.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21Thanks to your chowder.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24You cheered me up.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- That's what food should do, I think. - Cheers.- Cheer you up.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29There you are, that's right. Food should definitely cheer you up.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- Well, thank you very much, I'm going to finish it.- Well, good.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Glad you're enjoying it. - In great joy.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Perfect.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42I love that chowder.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43And it was one of the first things
0:06:43 > 0:06:46I had to cook when I got back home to Padstow.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48It's deeply comforting food.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55So, I'm just going to leave that for two or three minutes,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57till the water really starts boiling,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59and then the clams will start popping open.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06As soon as you see them popping open
0:07:06 > 0:07:09it's almost time to take them off the heat,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11cos once they open they're cooked,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13and if you leave them any longer they tend to get a bit tough.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15So, here we go.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So, now to make the chowder proper.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I'm just adding a lot of butter into this hot pan.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And now some chopped shallots, just stir that in.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33I've had to guess this cos she wouldn't give me the recipe,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36but I don't blame Joanne for not giving me the recipe.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I mean, they've only got that one dish,
0:07:38 > 0:07:39and famous dish it is, too,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and if that was me I wouldn't give the recipe, either.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Because, you know, once everybody knows it
0:07:44 > 0:07:48you haven't got that unique, wonderful chowder.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51But I've made quite a few chowders, so I've got the general idea.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Now some chopped celery.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And now some chopped leeks. Just sweat that off.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01This is the really important part of a chowder, I think.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03It's the bacon. Lots of bacon.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06So add that in, too and just allow that to sweat off.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11There we go, and now a bit of thickening with flour.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Just add that. Very important with a chowder,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15don't let anything colour too much.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Because it is the whiteness of the chowder
0:08:16 > 0:08:19that makes it look so appetising.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23And now for the clam juice.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27They're drained sufficiently, so in we go.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Very important to get that clam juice into the chowder,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36it gives it a nice salty taste and a bit of depth.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Just as a rule of thumb,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41whenever you're using juice from mussels or clams,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44just leave the last bit in the bowl.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47If you can see, there's probably some grit there,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49which you don't want in your chowder.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54And now a bay leaf, preferably fresh,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and a rasp or two of nutmeg for that spice.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Milk, about a pint...
0:09:01 > 0:09:03..and then half that of cream.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10And I'm sure they didn't put cod in the recipe back in Pismo Beach,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13but I'm just adding a little bit of cod, as well,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15cos I just like the fish and clam element.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20And finally some boiled potatoes.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24There we go. Now I'm just going to leave that to simmer about five
0:09:24 > 0:09:27minutes while I just remove the clams from their shells.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34I love clams, and you could eat them at any time of the year.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37The serious experts say that they're at their best
0:09:37 > 0:09:42between September and April, but that shouldn't stop you making this.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46And if you can't get clams, mussels are perfect.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Anyway, that's done, and all it needs is a bit of seasoning.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57So, that's the perfect consistency.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59It has to be quite thick, but not too thick
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and definitely not too thin.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So, now I can put that in my sourdough bun.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Serving food in bread sounds like
0:10:08 > 0:10:11a very faddy San Francisco thing to do,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13but, of course, a few hundred years ago
0:10:13 > 0:10:15all manner of food was served on bread,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18especially slices of roast beef.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Then they were called trenchers,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24hence, "trencherman" - a lover of food.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28Oh, so good.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33You know, when they talk about comfort food,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35this is comfort food.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I'm making my way down to the Santa Barbara wine country.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00I can remember when American wine was quite a new thing.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03In the '60s, as far as most people were concerned then,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05wine belonged to France, Spain and Italy,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08but the climate, the soil, the sun and the sea air
0:11:08 > 0:11:11makes growing grapes here a natural.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16If you like food and wine,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20there's a good chance you've seen the film, Sideways. I loved it.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It's about two best friends on the search
0:11:25 > 0:11:28for the perfect glass of Californian Pinot Noir,
0:11:28 > 0:11:29amongst other things.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33It's set around the vineyards here,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37and one of the main stopping points is this place, The Hitching Post.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Lovers of that film come in their droves to taste the wine.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50The boss is a restaurant owner and a winemaker extraordinaire,
0:11:50 > 0:11:51Frank Ostini.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Where would Pinot be without oak, I say.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00You know, it's just absolutely essential.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Why Pinot Noir in this area?
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Turns out that, um, you know, we're way south of Napa, where...
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- Exactly.- ..and so you would think it would be a warmer climate,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13but we get breezes that actually come from Alaska,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17so our climate is cooler than Napa and most of Sonoma,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19which are further north,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22so we have this ability to have a long growing season,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25cos we are south, things can start earlier.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28We don't get the rains that they get in California
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and in Northern California at harvest time,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and the climate is moderated by these ocean breezes.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Well, we noticed it this morning,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- there was so much fog, it was so cold...- Exactly.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- That's it.- So, we've experienced it. - That's it. We have this influence.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And for us, in the afternoon, the breeze comes in
0:12:44 > 0:12:48and cools things off, and we have cold, very cold nights,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50so that preserves acidity,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and the Pinot Noir is so delicate that it just can't handle hot,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56hot weather like other grapes.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I mean, we don't make the simple kind of Pinot Noir
0:12:59 > 0:13:02- that is just fruit-driven. - Just fruit, yeah.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06- Ours is earthy, spicy.- Yeah. - We believe in the Burgundian style
0:13:06 > 0:13:09where you leave the leaves from the...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11The yeasts from fermentation are still in the barrels,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13and we never rack them off.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15We never aerate the wine.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17We emulate the Burgundian style
0:13:17 > 0:13:21with our own grapes that are quite different, but...
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Well, I'm thinking immediately now
0:13:24 > 0:13:28let's have a lovely steak and a glass of your Pinot,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30- and I'll tell you what I think. - Wonderful.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38This is a great find,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41a steakhouse noted for its red wine.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43What could be better than that?
0:13:43 > 0:13:45And this is America to me -
0:13:45 > 0:13:50these great, thick, well-marbled steaks cooking over oak wood.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53You just know they're going to be so tender.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It makes my mouth drool with anticipation.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01So, that's the New York.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09That's lovely.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Do you like it, Rick?- I do.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Cos, I mean, it's just got that wonderful scent
0:14:13 > 0:14:17of wood smoke in there. It's just a perfect way of cooking a steak.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And, as we've said, I've got to try the wine with it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Oh, that's really good, isn't it? Cos, I mean, sometimes Pinots
0:14:28 > 0:14:32are a bit too light to go with something like meat like this,
0:14:32 > 0:14:33but it works with the beef.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It's all about balance in food and wine.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37Oh! FRANK LAUGHS
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Just tell me about Sideways, then, because, I mean,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- it's wonderful to be sitting at the bar.- Yeah, well, you know,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48we were lucky enough to have Rex Pickett, who wrote the novel,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50sit at the bar and he befriended the bartender,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and he also had a crush on a waitress,
0:14:53 > 0:14:54and he wrote them into his book.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59And then Alexander Payne bought that and made a screenplay out of it,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and filmed that movie, 2003.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05They didn't have any money, they just came through
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and had a great time, and it was a wonderful production,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11but we didn't think it would go anywhere. And then...
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- Didn't you?- No, no, they told me it would show
0:15:13 > 0:15:15in two theatres when they opened it.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19So, after it, I bet everybody wants to sit at the bar now.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Everybody wants to sit here.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24There is a list with somebody waiting for this seat right now.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- Oh, well, we better go, sorry. - We better eat. Eat and drink.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Get on our way.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32VOICEOVER: Oh, that was so lovely.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Frank doesn't need the business, you can tell,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37but I'll go back there again and again.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55I've managed to avoid the mudslides that have closed the coast road,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58but now I'm back on the much-loved Pacific Highway.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05These hardy people I think are committed surfers.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I used to be a committed surfer,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11in the old days I couldn't wait till lunch servings were over
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and I'd dash to the beach with my surfboard,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and sometimes my dog, Chalky.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20I'm not sure if I'd do this, though,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24live in a camper van waiting for the right wave.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25I wasn't THAT committed.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34In the early days, before I became sort of quite well-known,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39I always used to ask chefs that were coming for a job, in Padstow,
0:16:39 > 0:16:40I said, "Do you surf?"
0:16:40 > 0:16:45And if they said yes, I knew they would come and work for me.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Unfortunately, it's an onshore wind today, so it's a bit messy,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53but I wouldn't mind betting that quite a few
0:16:53 > 0:16:57of the people along here would come from Cornwall,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01because for surfers from places like Newquay, this would be nirvana.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Always remember that Beach Boys song, Catch A Wave.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08"Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world".
0:17:08 > 0:17:09Indeed you are.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18I'm driving past miles and miles of citrus groves.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21This stretch of coast is famous for its oranges and lemons,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and especially its tangerines.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29I think there's a good example of the Californian dream here,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33and that is producing something special, rare and niche.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35And here, on Churchill Farm,
0:17:35 > 0:17:41Jim and Lisa do just that with the pixie tangerine.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45What they seem to do is send a box of them to a couple of top chefs
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and soon the whole country wants them.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49It's the Californian way.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56So, pixies are a variety that is intrinsically seedless.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58They are always seedless.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00We've been growing them since 1990,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and I've found two seeds in that time,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04so I think we can say they're seedless.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- Can I try one, Jim? - Oh, yeah, yeah, here.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11We wouldn't do a commercial harvest in the rain, cos...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- Why not?- Oh, it makes you miserable. You get soaked.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- Oh, I thought it had something to do with the flavour.- No.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Oh, my first pixie.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Tasting my first pixie.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Well, it's an abundance of freshness.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31There's a wonderful sweetness, wonderful tartness to it.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Second only to wine, I'd love to have a citrus orchard.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Can I offer you another?
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Another pixie? Yeah.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- This is Mike.- Hi, Mike.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Hi.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Mike turned out to be a lawyer who gave it all up
0:18:45 > 0:18:48in favour of growing tangerines.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52He's totally passionate about the people who migrate here
0:18:52 > 0:18:55to pick the fruit. Without them, he says, it would rot.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Yeah, this idea of excluding immigrants, mostly Mexicans,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04is, like...it's so dumb.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05It's so dumb.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10We are utterly dependent on professional harvest labour.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Like, we couldn't... we couldn't do this.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- You guys are here, like, and it's cool and rainy, but...- Yeah.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19..it was 95 the other day.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- Yeah.- These guys go out and pick all day long.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- Yeah.- And, um...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- Hear him.- People live in the city and they don't,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30they don't get it and they think...
0:19:31 > 0:19:33They're going to build a wall, right?
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- Yeah.- That's so, so dumb.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39And, um,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43it's so disrespectful to where your food comes from,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46but also to these human beings who...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48They just want to work.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51They all... They just want to work, and nobody here will do it.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52We try.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56All restaurant food in California is Mexican food.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00And it's probably true across the United States, really.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I've done a bit of fruit picking in my time -
0:20:04 > 0:20:06it's backbreaking work,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and I fully understand their predicament.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I know for a fact that lots of daffodils wouldn't be picked
0:20:12 > 0:20:15in Cornwall if it wasn't for our European friends.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20And of course I think my fish and chip shop and cafes
0:20:20 > 0:20:21would definitely slow down.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23So I see there could be trouble ahead.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35It was back at home in Cornwall that I came up with a recipe to celebrate
0:20:35 > 0:20:38the citrus fruit of California,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41which is as important as the wine over there.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47It's a cake, a zingy, citrusy, moist orangey cake.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48And it's delicious.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53So, I'm just dropping these two clementines into boiling water,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and I'm going to cook them for about 20 minutes
0:20:55 > 0:20:58till they're nice and soft. You can use any citrus fruit.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02I would suggest tangerines, obviously, or oranges,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and, actually, this cake is on the back of visiting
0:21:05 > 0:21:08the Churchills' farm where they were growing pixie tangerines.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12The point of pixie tangerines is they've got no pips.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Right. While those are boiling, I'm just going to do zest this lemon.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17The zest is going to go into the batter.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Very nice. I love zesting.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21It really brings out the oil.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23You can really smell it.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32So, now, four eggs, just breaking one after the other.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38OK, now some sugar.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41And I get my electric beater
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and just start to amalgamate all that.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And now, very important, very Californian,
0:21:47 > 0:21:53quite a lot of extra virgin olive oil, gives a lovely, lovely flavour.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56So, just beating that till it's about the consistency
0:21:56 > 0:21:57of a light mayonnaise.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01There we go. That's looking rather nice, I think,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and smelling delicious.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04And now for my almonds.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09It's a gluten-free cake, which is very, very popular in California,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I venture to say.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Just fold those in.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27So, now I'm going to put those in my wonderful new blender.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31All other blenders, mixers, whatever, in the garage now.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Looking a little sad, they're there along with the fondue set
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and with the rice cooker, and, of course,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40the one that's been there the longest of all,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42the sandwich maker.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44But I have a feeling that fondue set
0:22:44 > 0:22:47may be getting back into the main kitchen.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Now just pouring that into the cake mix.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01And, last of all, and I always tend to leave this last of all,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05the baking powder which is going to give the main aeration in the cake.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Just fold that in.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And now just pour that into my greased and lined baking tin
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and off into the oven.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22So that goes into a fan oven set at 160 degrees,
0:23:22 > 0:23:28or a conventional oven set at 180 degrees, for 45-50 minutes.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35While that cake's baking, I'm just going to make a sweet lemon juice.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40This is a bit like a lemon drizzle cake meets clementine sponge.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43There we go. All the juice out of there.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And now just heating this pan up, up here.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50In goes the juice and then some caster sugar, just stir that around,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53just a little bit so that it's all dissolved.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05So, I'm just, I think the correct term is docking the cake.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Using a bit of pasta,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10just making little holes because the next thing I'm going to do
0:24:10 > 0:24:13is add that lemon syrup. There we go.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Now just pour the lemon syrup on.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21It is indeed a fine cake by any standards.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26Soft, open textured, fresh tasting, and tangy.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I like it because it's so Californian.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Almonds, sugar, olive oil, and sweet little pixies.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I'm heading to LA on what is surely
0:25:01 > 0:25:05one of the most exhilarating coastal roads in the world.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09It's wonderful, and I get the great sense of freedom.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I feel like driving forever.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18I'm at Malibu now - so exotic, that name.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21They say if you've made it big time, you live here,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24and it won't be long before I reach the outskirts of LA.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I was thinking, is there another place in the world
0:25:34 > 0:25:36that could rival LA?
0:25:36 > 0:25:41Because to me it really lives up to its tag line, the city of dreams.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45The glittering prizes and the crashing failures.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Has there ever been anything invented
0:25:47 > 0:25:50that's been more potent than a movie?
0:25:50 > 0:25:51I don't think so.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59I'm going to a restaurant in Hollywood that I've only read about,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02but it's really fuelled my imagination.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04It's called Musso and Frank's,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and it's been serving writers, producers,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10directors and stars for nearly 100 years,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12long before talkies.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Stars like Marilyn Monroe would eat here.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Also Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and, lately, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22The owner is Mark Musso.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26So, when it opened,
0:26:26 > 0:26:31why do you think it was taken up by so many actors and writers?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Well, in the very early days of it,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I'd say from the early '20s to the early '30s,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Hollywood was just getting inundated
0:26:39 > 0:26:42by a really diverse, um, immigration.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45You know, people were coming from all over the world to be in this new
0:26:45 > 0:26:47moving picture industry.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52And the chef that was here at that time, a French chef named Jean Roux,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55really capitalised on that and he started making dishes
0:26:55 > 0:26:57that were very intercontinental
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and that anybody from anywhere around the world could come
0:26:59 > 0:27:02and feel like they were at home.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04So it just, you know, always has been
0:27:04 > 0:27:06a place where the celebrities like to come
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and we always just let them be who there are.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Our motto is, "We treat locals like celebrities
0:27:11 > 0:27:13"and celebrities like locals."
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And it seems to work. Both sides like that, so...
0:27:15 > 0:27:20It's like going into really famous old church, in a funny sort of way.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24You think, what things have happened here?
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- It could be the same with that. - Absolutely.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28And the only thing that can tell us is the wallpaper upstairs.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Seen it all.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- Well, I'm tucking into a Charlie Chaplin dish.- Yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Charlie Chaplin's kidneys.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- Not literally speaking. - Yeah, not literally, no.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45But he had it every day for lunch,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and his studio was right down the street,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and he would race his horse with Rudolph Valentino
0:27:50 > 0:27:51from his studio to Musso's.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- Wow!- Of course, the loser would have to buy lunch.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57But there's only one booth in the whole restaurant that has a window,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and so they would tie their horses up in front of that window
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and sit in that booth so they could keep an eye on their horses.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04And that became known as the Charlie Chaplin booth
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and they'd eat lamb kidneys every day.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Your name's Rick, right? You're sitting in Steve McQueen's seat.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10You know that, right?
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Bullitt. Wrong city, but fabulous film.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- Yeah.- You liked him, right?
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- I love Steve McQueen, yeah. - Steve McQueen, The Great Escape.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25I think he did his final escape right out of here.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Our staff has been here for a very long time.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31We've got some servers who get flown all over the world
0:28:31 > 0:28:35by the Rolling Stones to go to their concerts.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39You know, and other servers will only serve...
0:28:39 > 0:28:43..Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp will only, you know, have that one server.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47And so they kind of have created this, you know,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50movie-like character for themselves, and it's really cool.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01One of my chef friends back at home
0:29:01 > 0:29:04told me about the food-truck culture in America.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I'd never heard of it before.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09He said it's so exciting and I'd better check it out.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14And so I've come here, west of the city on the coast of Santa Monica,
0:29:14 > 0:29:20to find this van selling its own Korean LA version of fast food.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23The owner is Roy Choi.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- How are you doing, chef?- Nice to meet you.- Pleasure. Welcome to LA.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- Welcome to Santa Monica. - Nice to be here. I haven't been
0:29:30 > 0:29:32- to Korea, but I love Korean food. - Oh, sure.- Everybody does.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Oh, yeah, yeah. But I'm from LA, so I don't know.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37OK, fair enough, fair enough.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42- Ah! What...- Kogi is an LA representation of immigration, actually.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45- Yeah.- You know, it's, um, it's not Korean food.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47It's us, a second generation
0:29:47 > 0:29:51and how we grew up here in this country, in America,
0:29:51 > 0:29:52and this is our expression.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55So, really, it has nothing to do with Korea,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57other than maybe some of the flavours
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and, like, some of how we grew up.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01But it has nothing to do with the Motherland,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- it has to do with Los Angeles. - Well, also, to do with Mexico.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09Yeah. They grow up here and end up becoming American, you know,
0:30:09 > 0:30:10and that's what Kogi represents.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- Can we order? Can you just...? - Yeah, yeah, let's order some stuff.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Hey, Santos, um, short rib burrito.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Blackjack quesadilla, kimchi quesadilla,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21sweet chilli chicken quesadilla and sliders.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Todo mismo. The...
0:30:24 > 0:30:27- OK?- So, tell me about food trucks.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Well, food trucks were here before Kogi.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Yeah. And it's always been a staple of LA life.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35- Yeah.- But it usually existed within the Latino neighbourhoods.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- Yeah.- Taco trucks and tamale trucks and pupusa trucks,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43but then it was also in the construction sites of Los Angeles.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46- You've got to feed the workers. - You got to feed the workers, right?
0:30:46 > 0:30:47You got to feed the blue-collar.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49And they can't leave the site,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52so that where the trucks really became a part of LA culture.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Burrito?
0:30:55 > 0:30:56Hey, ay-ay! Que paso?
0:30:57 > 0:31:00My first taste of a Korean-Mexican taco.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07- Oh, that is good. - Hell, yeah. Welcome to Kogi.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12That wasn't scripted. That's like real stuff!
0:31:12 > 0:31:16People ate that for the first time and were just like, "Whoa!"
0:31:16 > 0:31:19What's so great about this is the kimchi element in it,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22so you've got a sort of fermented cabbage,
0:31:22 > 0:31:23hot fermented cabbage in there.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25It's just...you're adding another dimension.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Oh, yeah. And then this is our sliders.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31- Beef sliders.- A beef slider now?
0:31:35 > 0:31:36Oh!
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Yummy, right?
0:31:38 > 0:31:39Heaven!
0:31:40 > 0:31:43That one is the... That one is the drunk one.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46- God.- You eat that when you're drunk - oh!
0:31:46 > 0:31:48- Forget about it.- Oh, yeah!
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- This demands a few beers.- Yes.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Los Angeles began here, Olvera Street.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24This is its Mexican roots.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28This was the town set up by the landowners, the farmers,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32the ranchers, who came here in the late 18th century from Mexico.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Of course then it was governed by Mexico, not the United States.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40I have to say I was a little underwhelmed
0:32:40 > 0:32:42by the amount of souvenirs on sale here.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46To my mind it doesn't exactly celebrate the historical past.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49I mean, if I was cynical I would say it cashes in on it.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53But if you're a visitor to LA,
0:32:53 > 0:32:58then I suppose this is as close as you can get to its true origins.
0:32:58 > 0:32:59But one good point is
0:32:59 > 0:33:02I notice that there is a lovely smell in the air,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06the smell of chilli, of tacos, and hot red sauce.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Yeah, could I have two beef taquitos please? Yeah.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- Would you like something to drink? - Yeah, I'll have a coke, please.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20- And a coke.- Yeah.- Taquitos? - Taquitos. Solamente.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23- Thank you so much.- Thank you. - Thank you.- Gracias.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Well, I was really attracted, just walking down Olvera Street,
0:33:27 > 0:33:29I smelled the smell of hot corn,
0:33:29 > 0:33:34and it always means lovely hot tortillas for me.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36And these are called taquitos.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39That just means "Little tortillas".
0:33:39 > 0:33:42And they're also known in Mexico as flautas.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46These are slow-cooked beef, rolled up in a tortilla and then fried.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51Oh!
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Also has a bit of avocado sauce on top.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59When I taste something like that I think I've got to go to Mexico.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Do you get many Mexicans coming in here?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Oh, yeah. I mean, Los Angeles...
0:34:10 > 0:34:13It's known for its Mexican culture. You see, people...
0:34:13 > 0:34:18I met up with Chris Espinosa, a fourth-generation Mexican.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I could tell immediately he was a serious foodie
0:34:21 > 0:34:24who loves the cuisine of his homeland,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26especially the famous chocolatey,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29smoky, chilli-flavoured mole.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33This is a special walking district.
0:34:33 > 0:34:34Yes. It's actually a paseo,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37and it's meant for strolling and shopping, relaxing.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40If you look at all the restaurants that we have over here,
0:34:40 > 0:34:41they are covered patios
0:34:41 > 0:34:44so that you can enjoy your beer, or your margarita...
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Just, you know, without getting the hard sunshine.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Um, we also have really nice mole restaurants.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55- Do you?- Yes, chocolatey, um, some are green with pistachios,
0:34:55 > 0:34:59so many different type of moles that go on top of chicken, or maybe,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01you know, a chilli relleno.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04- That a fried...- Stuffed chilli. - Yeah. A stuffed chilli.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06So would you say you had as good moles
0:35:06 > 0:35:08as somewhere like Puebla, then?
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Could you, honestly, hand on heart, say yours is good as the...?
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Oh, my. That's hard to say because, you know, Mexico is the homeland...
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- Yeah.- And, for some reason, when you get down there, the taste,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19there's just something more authentic about it.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22But Los Angeles does an excellent job, um,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24because we have so many Mexican immigrants
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- and so many generations... - Yeah.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28I'm fourth-generation here in Los Angeles, so...
0:35:28 > 0:35:30- There you go.- We have...
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- We carry those traditions with us. - Brilliant.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40Now, down Melrose Avenue, which is quite high rent,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42is a restaurant called Mozza.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47It has a bar that specialises in dishes made from mozzarella.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Next door, they own a really good pizzeria.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54The crew really loved it,
0:35:54 > 0:35:58especially the one with the egg on top and the lovely caramelized leeks
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and salami and fontina cheese.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03It was delicious.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06But I digress.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09The owner here is Nancy Silverton.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12- And do you know burrata cheese? - I certainly do, I'm addicted to it.
0:36:12 > 0:36:13Yeah, it's wonderful.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16It's mozzarella with cream in the middle, or...?
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Yeah, it's cream in the middle, but also strands of mozzarella.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- Yeah.- And we're lucky enough in Los Angeles
0:36:22 > 0:36:25that we have a local burrata maker.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28How does it compare to the Italian version?
0:36:28 > 0:36:32A little bit different. Um, this is brown butter.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34- That I'm going to... - Gosh, that looks lovely.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37..pour over. People always ask me, like,
0:36:37 > 0:36:39"How do you come up with your combinations of dishes?"
0:36:39 > 0:36:43And, when you're in a restaurant, what's great is that you have
0:36:43 > 0:36:46so many different containers of so many things...
0:36:46 > 0:36:49- Yeah.- And I make a habit of walking down the line
0:36:49 > 0:36:51and eating a little bit of this and a little bit of that,
0:36:51 > 0:36:56and I figure out, at the same time, what I think really goes together
0:36:56 > 0:37:00because, I don't know, I don't think I would really think of
0:37:00 > 0:37:03asparagus and burrata.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08And then we top it off with some guanciale, which is cured pork jowl,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12some almonds, seasoned with salt, and extra virgin olive oil.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16So when you think about it, Nancy,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18if you are having this in Puglia,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22the idea of putting butter with burrata would be a bit weird.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25They'd probably, um, shoot me or lock me up, I know,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27but see that's the beauty,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- I think, about living in America... - Yeah.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31..or living outside of Italy,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33where everything is based so much on tradition.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36- Yeah.- It's that you get to... You're inspired by them, right?
0:37:36 > 0:37:39So, you get to borrow all their technique and flavour
0:37:39 > 0:37:42and then you can come back home and kind of shake it up a bit.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47Right. I know I'm going to enjoy this, particularly the guanciale.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49- Just a little bit... - Yeah, very, very porky.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- You'll see.- Oh, I love porky!
0:37:51 > 0:37:52There we go.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Yum!
0:37:57 > 0:37:58Mm!
0:38:00 > 0:38:03One of those popular little assemblies here
0:38:03 > 0:38:07is slices of ham, or speck, wrapped around the burrata.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12It's accompanied by fresh peas that arrived this morning.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15English peas they call them, for some reason.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19And sliced sugar snap peas, sea salt,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22black pepper, and olive oil.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Now some Parmesan and then some chopped mint
0:38:27 > 0:38:30that will give it a burst of freshness.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35It's topped off with a bit more Parmesan,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38and it's a great, light LA lunch.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44- So, these have the English peas and the sugar snaps.- English peas.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Not crazy?
0:38:47 > 0:38:49So nice.
0:38:49 > 0:38:50Peas and mint, that's delicious.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Thank you.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Actually quite a good thing to do in my retirement, I think.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57A mozzarella bar, right?
0:38:57 > 0:39:01- I wouldn't dream of it. - My suggestion is, like, ten seats.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03- OK. No more.- And you.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Yeah, lunch times only.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07And lunch time only.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Actually I don't think I could live here.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21I like it, really like it, don't get me wrong,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23but it's a little bit too faddy for me,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26especially in a health-conscious way.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31At home I sometimes like the occasional pie and a pint for lunch.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Do you know, I don't think I could utter those words here.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36It's like sacrilege.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Anyway, it's time to leave LA,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43but, before I go, there's one last dish
0:39:43 > 0:39:46that represents modern-day Hollywood.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49I had it at the La Scala restaurant
0:39:49 > 0:39:51with the owner, Gigi Leon.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54This is where the movie aristocracy go.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56The chopped salad was designed to be eaten
0:39:56 > 0:39:59while doing million-dollar deals,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02so that you don't accidentally launch bits of lettuce
0:40:02 > 0:40:06to land on your friends' Armani suits and dresses.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08And this is delicious.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- Oh, great.- Glad I got to try some. - So glad you like it.
0:40:11 > 0:40:16Somebody once complained about, "Can't you make this easier to eat?"
0:40:16 > 0:40:19So my dad and the chef at the time, Emilio,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22they just decided to chop it.
0:40:22 > 0:40:23And that was it.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25History was made. It was easy to eat.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27It also changes the flavour of it.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32- It does, yeah.- And it just... It just took off from there.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34They don't normally allow filming in here,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36hence the empty restaurant.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Some people shouldn't be being seen with other people,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and then also celebrities, or just people are private.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45I mean, we all love our cellphones, don't we?
0:40:45 > 0:40:48But, I mean, it must be such a difficult thing.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50I mean, you never used to allow cameras in here.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Just at the restaurant back then, there weren't cellphones,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56there weren't... Nobody was recording anything,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59so it got...
0:40:59 > 0:41:03..raunchy and stars felt at home and at ease to do what they wanted
0:41:03 > 0:41:05because nobody was filming it.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08There was no...history.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Where now everything's filmed,
0:41:10 > 0:41:12so everybody's on their best behaviour all the time,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16but back then it stayed open until people left.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- Gosh.- It could close at five in the morning.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22- Really?- Yes.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24There were still the liquor laws where you had to stop
0:41:24 > 0:41:29serving liquor at two, but everybody would order a ton at two o'clock,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32and then just keep drinking through the night.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35So it was... It was a wilder time.
0:41:37 > 0:41:38I must say, I can't imagine
0:41:38 > 0:41:42the likes of Dean Martin or Kirk Douglas eating this.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46I think they'd probably like pasta with a nice, meaty wine sauce.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52But, anyway, I thought it only right to prepare a chopped salad
0:41:52 > 0:41:56as part of my culinary tribute to California.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02So, I've got two types of lettuce, first of all romaine lettuce,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05which I'm just going to slice very thinly.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I don't want the shreds to be too long either.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11And now iceberg for texture.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15A lot of people knock iceberg, but it's got a lovely, crunchy texture.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20Same thing. Shred the iceberg, a bit more iceberg than romaine.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24And now salami, well, this is quite easy to chop up.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29You just get a big pile like that, and you want pieces about that big.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33In they go.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35And now mozzarella. I've tried grating mozzarella,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38but actually I find it easier just to chop up like this.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43So I'm just building up all these chopped ingredients.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47And now for some chickpeas, which I've previously cooked.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49In they go, too.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52So now the tomatoes, I'm just going to sharpen my knife a bit here
0:42:52 > 0:42:54because we've got skins on them, they take a bit more cutting.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59So, you see, I'm building up this chopped salad.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01And the thing about it, I think,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04and actually talking to Gigi at La Scala,
0:43:04 > 0:43:07it's really business food, this.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09It's a sort of funny concept,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12but it's not about picking up slices of chicken,
0:43:12 > 0:43:14gravy, or eating pasta with lots of sauce.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17It's about things that you can just pick up in a fork
0:43:17 > 0:43:19and eat decorously.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22And you don't want to be messing around with difficult food.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24And that where I think a chopped salad really comes in.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27I once actually cooked for the Queen and I was given this list of things
0:43:27 > 0:43:30that, well, they said that she doesn't like,
0:43:30 > 0:43:32but it's not really about what she doesn't like,
0:43:32 > 0:43:37it's about what she can't pour down those wonderful dresses, I think.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Is the same sort of thing with a chopped salad.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42There we go. There's the tomatoes.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44And then some cucumber - about, I don't know,
0:43:44 > 0:43:46three or four inches of cucumber, just cut up.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52And, finally, a chiffonade - I love that word - of basil.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55A lovely, heavy scent, basil.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58I can't understand why people put basil into cooked food,
0:43:58 > 0:43:59you can't taste it after a while,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03but you sure can taste it in a salad like this.
0:44:03 > 0:44:04There we go. Beautiful.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Right. Now to make up the dressing.
0:44:08 > 0:44:14I always like to go for 4-to-1, one part vinegar.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Be mean with the vinegar, red wine vinegar here.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19About four times as much olive oil.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21There we go.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24And then some mustard. Always like a bit of mustard in my...
0:44:26 > 0:44:29..salad. And then some salt.
0:44:29 > 0:44:30Quite a lot of salt, I think,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33because we've got a lot of salad to go through there, to season,
0:44:33 > 0:44:35this is the only time I'm going to put some in.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Some sugar, I always like a little, tiny pinch of sugar,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41about half as much sugar to salt.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45I put about half a teaspoon of salt, so a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Mix that... Oh, I forgot my pepper!
0:44:48 > 0:44:49A bit of pepper.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52About ten turns of the black pepper mill.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08I'm not too worried about it falling down my shirt
0:45:08 > 0:45:11because everything falls down my shirt but...
0:45:13 > 0:45:15..the fact is, it's a very nice salad.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19Interestingly, it hasn't got any garlic or any onion in it.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21And the reason is, I guess,
0:45:21 > 0:45:25you don't want to be talking to the likes of David Selznick
0:45:25 > 0:45:27with onion or garlic breath, do you?
0:45:30 > 0:45:32He's been dead a long time, Rick.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35I know he's been dead, but I said the likes of, you know?
0:45:35 > 0:45:37- OK.- All right. You don't want to be...
0:45:38 > 0:45:41..talking to Francis Ford Coppola
0:45:41 > 0:45:43with a blinking oniony breath, do you?
0:45:43 > 0:45:46- I think he'd like that, though, he's Italian.- Coppola, I mean!
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Cop-oh-la!
0:46:00 > 0:46:03MARCHING BAND MUSIC
0:46:03 > 0:46:07So, now it's onto my last stop before the border with Mexico,
0:46:07 > 0:46:12San Diego, a famous naval port, hence the music.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13Bing Crosby sang about it
0:46:13 > 0:46:16as the place "where the turf meets the surf".
0:46:16 > 0:46:18I like that.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22But there's a statue on the quayside here that I just had to see.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27It's so Hollywood, so James Dean, the US Navy,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30South Pacific and VJ day
0:46:30 > 0:46:33rolled into one gorgeous moment.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35It's a timeless scene,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39repeated a million times in any naval dockyard the world over.
0:46:39 > 0:46:40I love it.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47It's a sculpture from a photo which I well remember,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50from VJ day in New York.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Victory over Japan day.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54And it's now called Embracing Peace,
0:46:54 > 0:46:58but it used to be called Unconditional Surrender.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01The reason the name's changed is that a lot of feminist groups feel
0:47:01 > 0:47:04that it is a little demeaning to women,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06the way she's leaning over like that,
0:47:06 > 0:47:10as if in some sort of physical surrender.
0:47:10 > 0:47:11I think it's a bit sad
0:47:11 > 0:47:16because I just think it harks back to the end of the Second World War,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19a time of great hope and expectation
0:47:19 > 0:47:23for a peaceful future and it sort of captures the moment,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25but I can understand what they mean.
0:47:32 > 0:47:37It's not just the statue I came here to see, although I'm pleased I did.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41No, it's because San Diego happens to be one of the best places
0:47:41 > 0:47:43in the world for sea urchins.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48I know they're not everybody's cup of tea, but the Japanese,
0:47:48 > 0:47:53the Italians, and sophisticated lovers of seafood adore them.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57- Hello. Nice to see you. - Very nice to see you.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00- Please, come aboard. - Oh, thank you very much.
0:48:00 > 0:48:01This is the Peter Halmay.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03He's one of the top divers
0:48:03 > 0:48:07collecting these spiky balls of flavour from the sea bed.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16- That's some good roe there. - Yes.- They're big, aren't they?- Yes.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18I'm very partial to sea urchins, as it happens.
0:48:20 > 0:48:21A lovely colour.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28Oh, they're really good. That is just lovely, and I think...
0:48:28 > 0:48:31What I really like about sea urchins is that when you first taste them,
0:48:31 > 0:48:33you just taste the saltiness
0:48:33 > 0:48:37and then after about half a second the sweetness comes in,
0:48:37 > 0:48:39and the fragrance of them...
0:48:39 > 0:48:41They're very good.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44I can't understand why more people don't like them.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Is it the look of them or what?
0:48:46 > 0:48:47They're not very pretty to look at.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50- Well, no. - But it's just something new.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Yeah. I think... I think because there aren't enough chefs
0:48:54 > 0:48:56that are saying, "Try this, try this."
0:48:56 > 0:48:59"I like it and this is the way I like it and prepare it."
0:48:59 > 0:49:02What we do with them, is take all the stuff out, OK,
0:49:02 > 0:49:05and then mix them with scrambled egg and put them back in the shell.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08And it's just, you know, restaurants are all about show...
0:49:08 > 0:49:10It looks really good on the table.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Plus, it masks the, er...
0:49:12 > 0:49:14..the consistency.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18- So, you've been out there fishing since 1970?- Since 1970.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21I started diving for abalone in 1970.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23Are you getting a bit long in the tooth -
0:49:23 > 0:49:26no disrespect, cos you're the same age as me - for still diving then?
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Not really.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33You look very healthy.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35It's a fantastic lifestyle.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38There's nothing to not like about it.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42And it keeps me from doing the household chores
0:49:42 > 0:49:45that my wife has set out for the last 35 years.
0:49:45 > 0:49:46That's good!
0:49:46 > 0:49:47So...
0:49:49 > 0:49:52But, you know, at my age,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55I can't compete with a 40-year-old any more.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59But I can go out there o=in the roughest weather,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02because I'll go out there and they'll take a day off.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04So my wife asks me, "How'd you do today?"
0:50:04 > 0:50:06I says, "Competitively or financially?
0:50:06 > 0:50:09"Competitively, I was number one.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11"Financially I maybe broke even,
0:50:11 > 0:50:14"but I probably would have been better off..."
0:50:14 > 0:50:18But that competitive urge in fishing is always there.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20You know, we call them highliners,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22the ones that catch a lot more than the others.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25And today we're starting to rethink that idea.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29Maybe catching more isn't the way you should do it.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Exactly. Exactly. Presumably you've got...
0:50:32 > 0:50:35I mean, I don't have the temerity to ask how much you make
0:50:35 > 0:50:38but, I mean, those need to be really expensive
0:50:38 > 0:50:41to have them like that in a restaurant, don't they?
0:50:42 > 0:50:45You don't have the temerity cos you're a gentleman.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Most people say, "Oh, how many of you get of those a day?"
0:50:49 > 0:50:51And I said, "Oh, about 200."
0:50:51 > 0:50:53He says, "What do you charge?" I say, "5."
0:50:53 > 0:50:57And then they quickly multiply out, and then the third question is,
0:50:57 > 0:50:58- "Do you have a real job?"- Oh, gosh!
0:50:58 > 0:51:00- "Cos this can't be..." - Well, that says it all.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03- Says it all.- Yeah. They go, "This can't be a job."
0:51:05 > 0:51:10What a man. Living the dream life on this fabulous Californian coast.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13And, Peter, long may it last.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23I'm really getting to like this trip round California.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27I've only got less than 20 miles to go before the border,
0:51:27 > 0:51:29but this is a real delight for me.
0:51:29 > 0:51:34Because not far away is the famous Hotel del Coronado,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38featured in my favourite film, Some Like It Hot.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I'm often finding myself in my restaurant quite late at night
0:51:42 > 0:51:45in a passionate conversation with a load of people
0:51:45 > 0:51:46about their favourite films.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Inevitably, Citizen Kane comes up,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51and I just never liked it, really.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54I don't know why everybody's so keen about it.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56But the other one, a personal favourite of mine,
0:51:56 > 0:51:58is Some Like It Hot.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01And in the film Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis
0:52:01 > 0:52:03are on the run from the mafia,
0:52:03 > 0:52:06and to get out of their way they fall in
0:52:06 > 0:52:10with an all-female jazz band, and they dress up as females.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14And, of course, one of the females is Marilyn Monroe.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18And, the thing is, it's filled with the most wonderful one-liners.
0:52:18 > 0:52:23I just remember one. Tony Curtis is taking off Cary Grant
0:52:23 > 0:52:25and Marilyn Monroe says to him,
0:52:25 > 0:52:27"Isn't water polo very dangerous?"
0:52:27 > 0:52:30He says, "Yes, it is."
0:52:30 > 0:52:32"I've had two ponies drown on me already!"
0:52:44 > 0:52:47I'm not a great city lover. I prefer beaches and nice shacks
0:52:47 > 0:52:51serving cold beers and grilled seafood,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53but I like San Diego.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57I like it because it's compact and not an amorphous sprawl.
0:52:57 > 0:53:02I think it's beautifully defined and it's got a great seafood reputation.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04And that's why I'm here.
0:53:19 > 0:53:20I'm on a mission.
0:53:20 > 0:53:21If I lived round here,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24I'd probably spend an awful lot of time
0:53:24 > 0:53:27at this amazing seafood emporium
0:53:27 > 0:53:30run by an extraordinary man, Tommy Gomez.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- Tommy?- Hey.- How are you? - Nice to meet you.- Good to see you.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36I'm really liking the look of this.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39- Yeah. Smells like money!- It smells like...
0:53:39 > 0:53:40HE LAUGHS
0:53:40 > 0:53:42So, here, take a hairnet let's go for a walk.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Some expensive looking fish here, I must say.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49This place is a seafood lover's dream,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53everything you want from the California shore and beyond.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58Really good tuna, as good as I've seen at the Tsukiji market in Tokyo.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02And these prawns, big and firm.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05I'm told they're the best thing you can eat around here.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07I think they're called ghost prawns
0:54:07 > 0:54:10because you can see right through them.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13Oh, my gosh!
0:54:13 > 0:54:14So, this is a...
0:54:15 > 0:54:19- This is a big-eye tuna. - Oh, yeah, yeah, I was just looking at this opah.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21I am a great fan of the opah.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23I have tasted them before.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26I find it one of the best tasting fish in the sea.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29- Yeah.- We shouldn't be talking about it because we don't want people
0:54:29 > 0:54:30to know how beautiful it is.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34This is the most underutilized species on the planet.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Um, the great thing about the opah
0:54:37 > 0:54:41- is there's so many different cuts of meat in this fish.- Yeah.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Right in here is an unbelievable muscle that...
0:54:46 > 0:54:48It looks like a Frisbee disc.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51And down in here there's another one
0:54:51 > 0:54:53that looks like a little mini football,
0:54:53 > 0:54:55and the two are connected,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57and this actually is the downward...
0:54:57 > 0:55:00- You can see the chest.- You can see it moving there, yeah!
0:55:00 > 0:55:02We need to utilise the whole fish.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06We need to get away from the four-ounce, frozen,
0:55:06 > 0:55:11lemon pepper, vacuum-packed, boil-in-a-bag type fish
0:55:11 > 0:55:15and start getting back to talking to your fishmonger,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18going to the butcher's shop and talking to a butcher,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21and going to what we call farmers markets
0:55:21 > 0:55:24and talking to the farmers, and getting back to our food.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28You know, we have to honour the fact that this fish
0:55:28 > 0:55:30gave up its life in order to feed us.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33So we have to treat this fish with the honour and respect
0:55:33 > 0:55:36that it deserves. It's a wild animal.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Tommy decided to make me a chilli
0:55:41 > 0:55:43from the pectoral muscle of the opah fish,
0:55:43 > 0:55:45very firm and lean.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47And normally thrown away.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50So, the proof of the pudding,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53he just chopped it up and fried it in peanut oil,
0:55:53 > 0:55:57adding taco seasoning - I'm doing this in shorthand now -
0:55:57 > 0:56:00then red enchilada sauce...
0:56:00 > 0:56:03..some water...
0:56:03 > 0:56:05..loads of pepper,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07a similar amount of garlic powder...
0:56:08 > 0:56:12..some tomato salsa - he'd already made that up -
0:56:12 > 0:56:14and, finally, kidney beans.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17This is a fish chilli, fisherman style.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21I think I'll just taste it now, if you don't mind.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24- Dig in.- Oh, this looks... Oh, we've got some cheese, as well.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26What sort of cheese is this then?
0:56:26 > 0:56:29It's a shredded white Cheddar and a yellow Cheddar.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33That's lovely. So now I suppose you could have that with the rice,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36- or...?- Well, you can see the liquid here,
0:56:36 > 0:56:38and if you throw rice in there...
0:56:38 > 0:56:42- Yeah.- ..it'd make a nice gumbo as it soaks up the liquid.
0:56:42 > 0:56:43And then you take that,
0:56:43 > 0:56:46you throw a little bit of lettuce on there and throw in a tortilla
0:56:46 > 0:56:49and you make a wrap or a burrito.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52So you've got all these different meals out of one pot.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54If we can eat it on the boats,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56we can certainly serve it to our loved ones
0:56:56 > 0:56:59and family and neighbours. And that what food's all about.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01Can I just ask you this? You don't have to answer.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03You lost all your brothers fishing?
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Yeah. In one form or another, yeah.
0:57:06 > 0:57:07How many brothers did you lose fishing?
0:57:07 > 0:57:11Nine. There was nine boys. I'm the last one still here.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13Yeah.
0:57:13 > 0:57:14But you still believe in it?
0:57:15 > 0:57:17I-I got no choice.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19This is what I do. It's what I know.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23I left school to be a fisherman and I wanted to be a fisherman
0:57:23 > 0:57:24like my dad and my brothers.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Now you're going to get me crying!
0:57:29 > 0:57:32- Sorry.- You're going to get me all crying now.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34So, yeah. The chilli's very hot.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36It's burning my eyes!
0:57:38 > 0:57:40VOICEOVER: Tommy's a typical fisherman.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44He's brave, stoic and no matter the country, the creed,
0:57:44 > 0:57:48there'll always be a Tommy Gomez the world over,
0:57:48 > 0:57:51challenging whatever the seas throw at them.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53But...nine brothers?
0:57:53 > 0:57:54I still can't take it in.
0:57:57 > 0:58:01Next time, I finally cross the border into Mexico,
0:58:01 > 0:58:04and it's only a short hop to Tijuana,
0:58:04 > 0:58:06home of the famous Caesar salad.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13I try what some people say is the best breakfast in the world.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15Well, some like it hot.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19And, of course, I have to have a margarita
0:58:19 > 0:58:22at the bar where it was first created.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24Salud, Mexico.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26I finally return.