Review - Waku Ghin

Hi everyone - well, we have returned from what was an amazing trip to Singapore and Sabah in Borneo. Must say that going from 95% humidity and tropical weather to an especially cold and wet Sydney winter is taking some getting used to. Hard to believe that only a day ago I was swanning around in my leopard print swimsuit drinking Sake cocktails by the pool at the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore - now I'm wearing a hoodie, tracky-daks and fluffy socks and drinking a mug of hot chocolate.  Not quite as glamorous I can assure you! One of the reasons we decided to stop over in Singapore on the way to and from Borneo was to experience two restaurants that I have been dying to get to - Tetsuyas's Singapore restaurant, Waku Ghin - and the Singapore culinary icon, Iggy's. Both have stellar reputations, and both have been named in the influencial San Pellegrino list of Top 50 Resturants in the World for 2012. Reservations secured and airline tickets confirmed, we flew to Singapore to experience these restaurants for ourselves. In a few days I will post my review of Iggy's - but today it's all about Waku Ghin.

Having dined a few times now at Tetsuya's in Sydney, I have to say I had huge expectations about Waku Ghin. I call going to Tetsuya's "going to food church" - such is the verging on spiritual quality of the experience for me. Here you have a chef who not only puts his obsession with premium produce, taste, texture and respect for the raw product on the plate - but also precision, artistry and a whole lot of love on it too. Although this is a top of the line fine dining experience, it is devoid of an ounce of stuffiness or pretention.  Walk into Tetsuya's and you feel warm and welcomed - and there is a vibe that you know you are about to experience something special.

Waku Ghin (Japanese for "silver knives") is located in the massive Singapore Marina Bay Sands Hotel complex. Finding the very discreet resturant takes a while as you cross various lobbies and networks of lifts and walkways- if you are going be sure to allow time to get orientated! We were ushered to the bar on arrival and enjoyed what were easily the best cocktails we have ever tasted, sitting up at the counter. The design fit out of the restaurant will knock your socks off - lots of wood and stone, beautiful fabrics and textures - and clean and modern without being cold. As we sipped our cocktails anticipating the menu to come, I nearly fell off my bar stool as Tetsuya Wakuda himself, wearing chef's whites walked across the room heading toward us. Now understand that there are a handful of chefs that inspire me and this guy is right up there - so what followed was a giddy fangirl moment for me as Tetsuya personally welcomed us. He was warm and humble and slightly shy. I was starstruck. Thankfully I managed not to embarrass myself in front of one of my culinary idols (although my heart was beating at 1000 miles an hour and I couldn't wipe the big dumb smile off my face!) Look, I know as adults we are supposed to be uber cool and aloof in such situations but it was such a buzz to meet someone I admire so much. I was totally thrilled about it and I'm owning it!

The Bar/Lounge Area @ Waku Ghin

The restaurant seats a maximum of 25 diners per sitting (there are two sittings each night) and is divided into a number of intimate rooms designed to seat a small number of diners around a central preparation area. We booked for the late sitting and shared our dining room with two other guests. The majority of the food is cooked and plated in front of you. It was an absolute joy to watch the dishes come together before your eyes. The skill, precision and attention to detail of the chef was the best kind of intimate theatre. The degustation menu comprised of  10 courses, with the savoury courses eaten in our private dining room, and the sweet dishes savoured in a second, more open dining room with a stunning view of the lights of the Singapore waterfront. I liked the idea of different venues for the different components of the meal - different atmospheres, different taste experiences.

Chef shows us some of the seafood we are about to enjoy.

The abalone and lobsters were still alive - fresh huh?

I managed to document almost all of the dishes, however I did miss a couple due to getting a bit over enthusiastic and devouring the dish before the photo opportunity moment! So, what did we eat? We started with Tataki of Bonito (one of my very favourite fish, so we were starting well) served with soy caramel - smoky and sweet that was a gorgeous contrast to the beautiful, fresh raw fish that tasted of the sea.

Next was Waku Ghin's signature dish - Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar. My first experience of raw sea urchin (have only ever eaten a dried version before) Firstly, it looked stunning on the plate - amazing colours and textures. The taste completely overwhelmed me in the best possible way. Salty and sweet, a silky luscious texture and those little black pearls of caviar popping and exploding in your mouth. The flavours were pure and clean - yet completely sensual and decadent. One of the best dishes I've ever eaten in my life. I will dream about this one.

Marinated Botan Shrimp

with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar

The next dish, Pan Fried Fillet of Ayu (a Japanese species of fresh water fish) with Daikon Radish and Fennel was delicate and beautifully cooked. I had never eaten Ayu before, and the flesh was succulent and super moist, with a very light crisp coating from the pan frying. The combination of the daikon radish and the fennel got me thinking about how I could pair these ingredients at home. Think I will be trying that combo again in my own kitchen very soon.

Pan Fried Fillet of Ayu

with Daikon and Fennel

The central ingredient of the next course came from somewhere very close to home - abalone from Tasmania. Our chef explained that the abalone is shipped live a few times a week for the restaurant, so that is absolutely fresh when it arrives on our plate. The seared abalone is served with a delicious tomato broth and al dente fregola. Savoury and delicious.

Tasmanian Abalone

with Fregola and Tomato

The next dish was gorgeous sweet Canadian lobster claws, braised in a rich tarragon sauce. The lobster flesh was particularly sweet, and the flavours were robust and rich. You would expect such a bold sauce to drown out the flavour of the lobster, but it didn't at all - just acted as a great foil for the sweet lobster flesh.

Braised Canadian Lobster with Tarragon Sauce

The next course saw us move from seafood, to food from the land - Pan Seared Squab Pigeon Breast, served with duck liver, sauteed mushrooms and risotto. I am a big fan of game, so I particulary loved this dish. The squab was cooked perfectly and the rich flavours of the duck liver and the dark mushrooms made for an almost smoky, dense and earthy combination. Just beautiful.

 Pan Seared Squab Pigeon Breast

with duck liver, sauteed mushrooms and risotto

The next course was all about beef - Japanese Ohmi Wagyu Roll with Wasabi and Citrus Soy. Thin slices of beautifully marbled Wagyu were rolled and seared very quicky, then sliced and presented with freshly grated wasabi (grated on a traditional sharkskin grater by our chef), garlic chips and super finely sliced spring onions. Young, mild ginger and citrus soy made a lovely dipping sauce that still allowed the amazing flavour of the Wagyu to come through - buttery, beefy, delicious.

Japanese Ohmi Wagyu Roll

with Wasabi and Citrus Soy

I wish I could have access to the following dish every day - one of those simple, comforting, pure tastes that make you feel like all is well with the world - Consomme with Rice and Snapper. The consomme was so clear and pure tasting, the rice slightly chewy the way it should be, a perfectly sliced piece of snapper cooked by the heat of the consomme. So simple and a pleasure to the very last spoonful.

Consomme with Rice and Snapper

Following the consomme dish, it was time to move to another dining room - a more open and public feeling space, overlooking the sparkling lights of the Singapore waterfront - to enjoy our dessert courses. On the way though, we were given the chance to take a detour via the kitchen, where we not only got to see behind the scenes at Waku Ghin - but also got to meet and chat to Tetsuya once again. I was really interested in an electric charcoal brazier that he was using in the kitchen and we discussed the use of different kinds of charcoal and the effect this has on flavour. Fan girl moment number two. Talking cooking with Tets. Wild.

Unfortunately there is no photo of the next course - Cold Soup of Dates with Tonka Bean Ice Cream and Orange. Fragrant and swoon worthly - and already dispatched before the camera made it out. It was gorgeous, I swear :)

It had been my birthday the day before we visited Waku Ghin, and when Tetsuya asked earlier in the night if we had visited the Sydney restaurant before, we had told him that it had become a bit of a tradition to visit his restaurant for my birthday every year and that it was a special place for us. We were preparing for the next dessert course when this arrived - a culinary birthday card from Tetsuya, just for me. Chalk that up to fangirl moment number three!

Happy Birthday from Tetsuya

Salted Caramel, Ganache and Silver Leaf

The final dessert course arrived -  a Sable of Pistachio, with Pistachio Icecream, Raspberry and Chantilly. Two of my favourite ingredients on one plate - pistachio and raspberry, and a match made in heaven. There were various textures of pistachio - the crisp sable, then a sticky/crunchy pistachio praline, a velvety rich icecream and a smooth pistachio emulsion. Add to that the tang and sweetness of the raspberries - in fresh and gel form - and you have a dessert to die for.

Sable of Pistachio & Pistachio Icecream,

with Raspberry and Chantilly

Despite having very high (and possibly completely unrealistic) expectations, Waku Ghin delivered in every way. Like Tetsuya's namesake in Sydney, it is a complete dining experience - so much pleasure in every dish, in the simple beauy of the presentaton, the choice of flatwear and decor and of course, the sublime artisty of the food. Waku Ghin is however, an experience of it's own. It is no carbon copy of the Sydney restaurant - the menu is entirely different, and it has it's own unique atmosphere. The opportunity to watch many of the dishes being created in front of you is very special, and one that I will remember. The whole experience was heightened for me of course, by getting to meet one of my culinary idols, such a talented and humble man who brings such love to what he does. It shows in his dishes, in his restaurant and in his staff - who are just exceptional. Waku Ghin truly deserves it's reputation as one of the great restaurants of the world.

Waku Ghin

Executive Chef: Tetsuya Wakuda

Casino Level 2

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

For Reservations :  +65 6688 8507

Dinner Daily : Two Sittings - 6pm & 8.30pm

Cost: $480pp (Singapore Dollars) food only

******

A Winter Salad - and a very food-centric week!

The past 7 days has been quite food focused here at Gourmet Goddess headquarters, and a real mixed bag. We began by doing something completely new - attending a themed "Six Degress of Preparation" dinner early in the week, indulged in some late night Hawker delights in Chinatown - one of our favourites -  and ended the week with the Good Food and Wine Show in Sydney on Friday.

When I came across the Six Degrees of Preparation people whilst checking out some other food related sites on the internet, I thought it sounded like a great idea - smallish 6 course dinners, built around one ingredient each time, showcasing that ingredient. I noticed that the next scheduled dinner was themed around one of my favourite ingredients - pomegranate. I thought it was really worth checking out, so bought our tickets and looked forward to seeing what it was all about.

The venue - Effendy Restaurant in Balmain - was really lovely, but sadly the food was a real letdown. It wasn't bad, just very average. I was expecting a real celebration of all things pomegranate, but the flavours were just not there. The creativity I had hoped for was missing and the presentation let it down badly too. Also, the servings were more "tastes", and we were both starving. Did I mention we were forced to wear name tags, so we could "mingle"? Awkward. Needless to say we made an early exit before dessert was served and headed to our absolute favourite late night food haunt in Chinatown - Mamak. Now those folks really know about flavour.

Mamak specialise in authentic roti and satay that tastes like it just came from a hawker stall in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur - and a real favourite of ours. Not only is it delicious, it is ridiculously cheap and of the best quality and freshness. There is a good reason they often have queues out the door! (alas, they take no reservations) You can find them at 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket -  and praise the Goddess! On weekends, they stay open for supper until 2am. They also have a restuarant in Chatswood, which I haven't visited. To get more information on the joys of Mamak, head to their website: http://www.mamak.com.au/  Highly recommended, and well worth the hassle of trying to park in the city.

Friday saw us head to the annual Good Food and Wine Show. We always elect to take a day off and go first thing on the Friday to beat the massive crowds, as during the weekend it becomes completely chaotic - teeming with people and shopping carts and prams and squealing tots having tantrums and slow walkers and AAAGGHHH!!!! .....well, you get the picture! Bedlam. The show is worth a visit though and we always come away with a few goodies for our trouble - this time we brought home 4 great cheeses, all from the Hunter Valley (including a gorgeous aged goat's cheese I have used in today's recipe), duck breasts, a stash of beautiful Careme brand pastry, a selction of Beerenburg sauces, a couple of kilos of lovely crunchy "Jazz" apples, some organic muesli and snack bars and lots of samples of this and that.

I noticed that this year, a lot of my favouite stallholders were not there and big supermarket brands and all things Masterchef related seemed to dominate. A real shame, given that in my opinion,  the whole reason to go to these sorts of shows is to be exposed to new ingredients, suppliers, techniques and products. We did have a fun day regardless though - and lived on delicious cheese for the rest of the weekend! I did however keep a little aside.....

Which brings me to today's recipe - a gorgeous winter salad, bursting with colour, texture and layers of great winter flavours. I used a strong rich goat cheese - an aged chevre from Wyandra - and some baby beetroot as the inspiration for today's lunch. The beetroot is cooked twice with onions, creating a rich, sweet, caramelised taste that is a perfect companion for the goat cheese. I chose 2 different lettuces - red oak and spiky green endive, some smoky, crispy bacon, nutty chickpeas - and to top it off, a sweet/tangy dressing made with a base of delicious hazelnut oil and balsamic. This salad is substantial enough to serve as a main meal - toasted rustic bread would be a great addition. If you really aren't keen on goat cheese, feta cheese would be a good substitute.

Apart from the initial prep for the beetroot, it is quick to make and a real delight to eat - the perfect winter salad. Enjoy!

Winter Beetroot, Bacon and Chickpea Salad

with Aged Goat Cheese

You will need: A bunch of smallish sized beetroot, 2 cups cooked well drained chickpeas, 1 large red onion, about 4 cups of lettuce leaves (I used red oak and green endive), 50g goat cheese (I used an aged Chevre), 3 slices bacon, splash of olive oil, 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

For the dressing: 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 or 2 tablespoons warm water, salt and pepper.

Method: First, take the beetroot and remove the stalks and the leaves. Place them in a pot of boiling water and allow them to simmer until tender - about 20 minutes. Rinse them under cold water and remove the skins - they will come away very easily.

 Preheat the oven to 220C. Cut the beetroot into quarters and place in a small overproof dish or baking tray. Peel and quarter the onion and add this to the dish, with a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, the balsamic and a splash of olive oil. Bake the beetroot and onion, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a little.

While the beetroot is cooling, roughly chop the bacon and pan fry until crispy.

Next, make the dressing - whisk all of the dressing ingredients together until well combined. Set aside.

To assemble the salad, arrange layers of lettuce, beetroot mixture, bacon and chickpeas onto the plates. Top with the goat's cheese (you can crumble it over the top if you are using young goat's cheese or slice it like I did if you are using an aged, richer variety) Drizzle over some of the dressing and serve right away.

Serves 2-4 people.

******

Baking Bliss

This week has been rather exciting in the Gourmet Goddess kitchen, as we took delivery of a new fan forced oven to replace the evil, contankerous old beast that I have been cooking with since we moved into our house almost two years ago. I have to admit I was pretty happy to see the demise of the old one, which had a penchant for cremating the bottom of whatever you put in it, whilst leaving the top of everything unpalatably raw. I don't really bake much at the best of times, but the crappy oven really didn't make me want to change that situation!

Well, I am very happy to report that the new oven is a whole other world - one where things cook as they are meant to and your pastry ends up golden and puffed (and cooked evenly!) just like it should. Hell, I may even be tempted to bake a cake - or Goddess forbid - a meringue! Watch this space.

So, my first oven baking experiment was a couple of simple apple, almond and nashi pear tarts. The golden tarts are given a lovely sweetness and glossy finish by an easy maple syrup glaze.

You could actually use any kind of fruit for these - apricots, peaches or nectarines when in season would be gorgeous - cherries, berries or quinces would work a treat too. I used apples and nashi pears because they happened to be in the fruit bowl at the time. Whatever fruit you decide to use,  the result is a delicious, easy to make tart that looks lovely too. This style of tart reminded me a lot of the apple galettes that you would always see in the patisseries around Paris. I confess I enjoyed a slice of mine with a nice big milky Cafe au Lait, and a generous serve of nostaligia -  imagining I was back, sitting in a cafe in St Germain on my honeymoon watching the world go by. Food is always so evocative of past memories and this one really did that for me.

Maple Glazed Apple and Nashi Pear Tarts

You will need: 2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry, 2-3 apples or nashi pears (I used some of both), 1 1/2 cups almond meal, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons warm water, 30g melted salted butter, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 beaten egg.

Method: Preheat the oven to 200C.

Peel and core the apples/nashi pears, cut them in half and slice them thinly. In a bowl, combine the almond meal, vanilla, brown sugar, melted butter and warm water. Mix well to make an easily spreadable paste. Add a little more warm water if the mixture is a little too firm.

Take the two sheets of pastry and cut them in half, lengthways. You should now have four lengths of pastry of equal size. Take two of the pastry sheets and cut a border into them, about 2 cm wide, removing the pastry in the middle. You will be left with two "frames"made of pastry.

Brush the other two peices of whole pastry with a little of the egg. Carefully lay one of the "frames" onto each of the pastry peices. Press the edges down gently. Now evenly spread half of the almond mixture onto each of the tarts, smoothing it up to the edge of the border you have created.

Take the sliced apple/nashi pears and carefully arrange the slices, so that they slightly overlap, until you have covered the tarts. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little bit of the egg wash.

Bake the tarts for 15-20 minutes until they are lightly golden. Remove them from the oven and using half of the mixture, brush the top of the tarts with the maple syrup. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until they turn a deeper golden colour.

Remove the tarts from the oven, and while they are still warm, brush the remaining maple syrup over them.

Serve warm or cold. Makes two medium sized tarts.

******

Winter Sunshine

As most of you would be aware, each week the Gourmet Goddess kitchen receives a delivery of local, organic and chemical free produce from the fabulous folks at Food Connect in Sydney. One of the great things about this, apart from the first rate, ethical produce - is that they often include seasonal vegetables or fruit that are not terribly common on most dinner tables. This was one of those weeks. Amongst the cornucopia of seasonal produce was a stash of freshly dug Jerusalem artichokes - dirt still attached. At first glance I thought they were ginger roots, but I was thrilled when I realised that they were in fact the first Jerusalem artichoke crop of the winter.

Native to the eastern part of North America, also called sunroot or earth apple, the Jerusalem artichoke is in fact not an artichoke at all. It is actually a tuber vegetable related to the sunflower and does not resemble the well known green globe artichokes in any way, either in looks or in taste. So if you started reading this post and immediately thought - "Ick. I hate artichokes" - don't despair. These are artichokes in name only. Just to confuse things, they also have absolutely nothing to do with Jerusalem. So the name is not only 100% misleading, it is also geographically incorrect. On top of the identity crisis, they are also - let's be frank here -pretty damned ugly looking. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk flavour. Nutty, slightly creamy and delicious, these gorgeous winter vegetables taste great roasted', fried into crispy chips or pureed with potatoes for a beautiful tasting mash. Because they are in season at the moment, now really is the time to enjoy them at their best.

Jerusalem Artichokes

- not an artichoke and not from Jerusalem.

Go figure.

Today, I decided to team them with fresh seasonal cauliflower and create a creamy winter soup. These flavours work in perfect harmony and make a change from the usual repertoire of winter soups. This soup is not only great served in a rustic style with a hunk of freshly baked bread, it is also perfect all dressed up, as part of a dinner party or degustation menu.

Cauliflower and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

So, give these mis-named, not so pretty winter vegetables a try. They are absolutely delicious - however you choose to cook them -  and will become part of many a winter menu once you discover their inner beauty. It's cold outside - let this relative of the sunflower bring some winter sunshine in!

You will need: 2 large brown onions, 2 large peeled potatoes, 1/2 cauliflower, about 400g jerusalem artichokes, 3 cloves garlic, 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 1/2 cup milk (if you want something really sumptuous, use cream), 1 apple, 1/2 cup flaked almonds, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper, parsley or chives and a drizzle of fruity olive oil to serve.

Method: Scrub the artichokes to clean any dirt off them - you do not need to peel them. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Roughly chop the onion, potato and artichokes into generous chunks. Roughly chop the garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onion. Cook it gently for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and the artichokes and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add the potato and the cauliflower, season generously with salt and pepper, add the pinch of cayenne and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to the boil and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Remove from the heat and blend the mixture until smooth with a hand blender or food processor. Add the milk (or cream) and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as required.

When you are ready to serve, spoon the soup into bowls and top with a little of the parsley or chives. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 4-6 people

******

Middle Eastern Inspiration

In winter, I really love to eat food that is full of warm, aromatic and earthy flavours - and today's dish has this in spades. I have used a fragrant and warming middle eastern inspired spice mix to flavour frenched lamb cutlets, and added to this beautiful seasonal roasted vegetables, fresh herbs and seeds from one of my favourite fruits, the pomegranate. To top it off, a perfectly balanced sweet and slightly piquant dressing.

This dish is also my first experiement with using quinoa, that superfood favoured by the Incas and popping up on menus everywhere these days. It really seems to be the ingredient de jour, particularly amongst my vegetarian mates. I decided it was about time I gave it a try, so I included it in my lamb dish in place of the cracked wheat or cous cous I would normally use. I really loved the slight chewiness to the grain and the nutty taste. By all accounts it is also incredibly good for you - there is a reason the Incas called it the "mother of all grain"

This dish is really big on flavour, and although there are a few components, it is actually really easy. It really is worth hunting down fresh pomegranate if you can find it - the little bursts of juicy jewel coloured seeds are just beautiful, as well as looking fabulous on the plate.

There are potentially heaps of variations you could try with this recipe - try whatever veges are in season that you like - eggplant, squash, asparagus, sweet potato would all be great. If you are a vego, leave out the lamb and make the vegetable component as a dish in itself, along with the dressing. I was also thinking that chicken thighs or even fish or prawns would work well too. Toasted almonds or pistachios would also add another texture and flavour dimension.

This dish would be lovely served on a big platter as part of a shared, buffet style meal, even at a BBQ. You will fall in love with the middle eastern influenced flavours and the delightfully varied textures.


 

Middle Eastern Lamb Cutlets

with quinoa, roasted vegetables and fresh pomegranate

You will need:
(For the lamb) 6-8 Frenched lamb cutlets, 1 teaspoon sumac, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, pinch cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon mild paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon warm water, salt and pepper.

(For the vegetables) 2 cups cooked quinoa, about 6 cups assorted raw vegetables cut into chunks about 3cm square (I used red capsicum, pumpkin, zucchini, red onion), 1 cup sliced cooked green beans,1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup deseeded sliced olives, salt and pepper.

(For the dressing) 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon pomegranate balsamic (use plain balsamic if you can't find this), 1 clove minced fresh garlic, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon warm water, generous pinch of salt, pepper.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C.

Combine the sumac, coriander, paprika, olive oil, cayenne, water and salt and pepper to make a paste. Rub the paste into the lamb cutlets and set aside to marinate.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside at room temperature until you are ready to serve.

Combine the chunks of vegetables with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the vegetables on a baking tray and bake for around 30 minutes, until they are well cooked.

Heat a grill pan (or BBQ) and cook the lamb cutlets - they will not take very long (about 5 minutes), so keep an eye on them so that they are not overcooked. Ideally, they should be a little pink in the middle. Set the cutlets aside to rest.

While the cutlets are resting, gently mix the quinoa, roasted vegetables, green beans, parsely, olives and half of the pomegranate seeds all together in a large bowl.

To serve, place a few generous spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture on the plate, top with the cutlets and then drizzle over a little of the dressing. Add the remaining pomegranate seeds and serve.

Serves 2 - 4 People

******