CHASING FOOD DREAMS: Gala Dinner

Showing posts with label Gala Dinner. Show all posts

October 31, 2018

Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018

A Soiree of Amazing Norwegian Seafood Feast

The Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018, hosted by Her Excellency Gunn Jorid Roset, Norway’s Ambassador to Malaysia, celebrated milestones of 50 years of bilateral relations between Norway and Malaysia as well as 25 years of the annual grand event of Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner.

*photo credit to the original owner

Held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, the most anticipated event of the year continues to outdo each year with much sumptuous notes than before. A soiree attended by many VIPs and elites of the society, this year Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018 was also honored with the attendance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah.

Heartfelt thanks to the invite from Royal Norwegian Embassy and Scribe Media Link, it was truly a priceless experience at this 25^th Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner for me. Right from the moment one walks into the grand ballroom of the gala dinner, the majestic sight of the ice sculpture of a Viking ship stood as the main backdrop for King Neptune’s ransom of Norwegian seafood. From monstrous monkfish to king crab, highly-prized turbot, salmon, Norwegian shrimp, langoustine and more, Norwegian Chef Frank Naesheim and his culinary team from Norway, has gone all out with an amazing kaleidoscope of seafood feast for the gala dinner.

More amazing ice art of Norwegian seafood can be seen through the spread of the feast!

For this year Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner, Head Chef and CEO of Snorre Food Pte in Singapore, Chef Naesheim has gathered special award-winning chefs such as Geir Skeie, Kenneth Loke, Markus Dybwad and Anderson Ho with him to create an unforgettable menu featuring all the guest chefs signature dishes at the live stations.

*photo credit to the original owner

Chef Frank Naesheim

The feast of the evening highlights every imaginable Norwegian seafood flown in from Norway. Chef Naesheim and culinary team features international flavours as well as local flavours utilizing Norway’s bountiful seafood produce.

*photo credit to the original owner

Clockwise from top left: Chef Anderson Ho, Chef Geir Skeie, Chef Kenneth Loke and Chef Markus Dybwad

The evening’s best bit had to be the Guest Chefs live stations. Simply not to be missed, the award-winning chefs are personally whipping up their signatures in pretty mini versions of deliciousness. Each dish prepared with creative interplay of textures and flavours and fine cooking to enhance the beautiful Norwegian produce from the sea.

Chef Geir Skete

Pan Fried Langoustine with Celery in Langoustine Soup

Raw Salmon Salad ‘Pink Fish’ with Apple & Fennel.

Chef Kenneth Loke

Smoked Norwegian Mackarel Mousse with Horseradish, Yuba Chips & Raw Sweet Snap Peas

Pan Fried Norwegian Langoustine with Hay Infused Coconut Milk, Tumeric Tapioca Puffed & Pandan Oil

Slow cooked Norwegian Fjord Trout & Roe with Cep Brown Butter, Crispy Bulgur, Capers & Pickled Cucumber.

Chef Markus Dybwad

Varanger King Crab with Red Cabbage, Chipotle Mayo & Pickled Jalapeno

Sterling White Halibut with Cucumber, Black Olives, Feta & Basil Leaf

Norwegian Mackerel Escabeche with Anchovies Cream

Chef Anderson Ho

Cold Water Shrimps with Ebiko Cream & Squid Ink Sago Crisp

Norwegian King Crab with Granny Smith Apple & Basil

Salmon takes limelight with various preparation from smoked, poached and pickled to marinated, cured and raw Sashimi style. Tuck into Chermoulas Cold Smoked Salmon, Hot Smoked Salmon with Gochujang, Hot Smoked Salmon with Sambal, Szechuan Salmon Trout, Double Smoked Salmon Alaska Style, Lemon Pepper Salmon, Salmon Tartar, Gravlax Tartar and more.

There is also Dill Herring with Pickled Carrot & Pumpkin, Curry Herring with Apple & Mango, Marinated Herring with Asian Salsa and Sweet & Sour Salmon. These dishes are practically flavour bombs of pleasure!

A gorgeous King Crab Club Sandwich with Tomatoes and Avocado was not only a sight to behold but deliciously crafted with oceanic sweetness of king crab meat paired with fruity and creamy notes.

Another glorious piece of succulent crustaceans took form in Norwegian Coldwater Shrimp Tower!

The effort that goes into preparing the Whole Cold Poached Salmon & Medallions are truly worthy in every bite. The richness of the omega-rich salmon tasted sublime in chilled form. Savor this with some toasty baguette for extra crunch factor…

Cooked King Crab Legs that needed nothing else except a gentle squeeze of lemon for that luscious crab sweetness.

If only all salads are like Seared Pepper Salmon Nicoise with Quail Egg, Potato & Green Beans, Norwegian Shrimp Salad with Eggs & Asparagus and Potato & Smoked Mackerel Salad! Each one uniquely tasty with Norwegian seafood prepared poached, seared and smoked.

Smoked Haddock with Fennel & Onion Slaw Citrus Plum Sauce

There is the obligatory visit to the Gravlax Carving Station featuring Cold Smoked Salmon with Chive-Scrambled Eggs as well as the bountiful chilled bowls filled with Salmon Roe, Black Lumpfish Caviar and Red Lumpfish Caviar to be savored with buck wheat blinis and condiments

Chef Naesheim sneaked in the classic Japanese Sushi and Sashimi with Mackerel, Salmon, Salmon Trout and Halibut as well knowing how Malaysians enjoy the cuisine of Japanese very much.

The rows of hot buffet warmers are filled with seafood injected with international and local flavours from all the contributing chefs. From Western to Chinese, Malay, Indian and Thai, there are plenty of dishes to please even the discerning foodies.

A delectable Baked Whole Turbot with Langoustine Coulis & Vegetable Primeurs!

Tuck into Western dishes such as Seared Norway Langoustines with Grand Vegetable Mirepoix, Grilled Norwegian King Crab Legs with Blood Orange & Butter Sauce, Hot Smoked Wolfish with Egg, Capers, Hazelnut Butter & Pickled Red Onion and Fried Crab Cake with Tartare Sauce. The Fried Crab Cakes are crispy with a creamy filling of sweet crab meat that goes so well with sauce. The langoustines and King crab legs are not to be missed as well.

Thai flavours of savory, sweet, sour and spicy from Steamed Halibut with Chili & Lime Juice and Baked Whole Norwegian Salmon with Fresh Herbs and Red Curry Gravy are highlighted through the seafood.

The Chinese always seem to master the art of cooking seafood with minimalist and flavouring them well to enhance the freshness of the seafood. The team did a fantastic job this year in creating dishes like Steamed Monkfish with Superior Soy Sauce, Braised Sea Cucumber with Basil Leaf in Szechuan Paste, Fried Salmon with Spicy Szechuan Sauce and Steamed Lobster with Garlic.

Guests also savored Malay dishes like Steamed Halibut with Kalio Sauce and Oven Baked Cod with Green Chili Paste & Tamarind Skin as well as Indian dishes such as Kashmiri Salmon Tikka Masala and Wolfish Masala.

The evening ended with luscious sweet notes of international dessert buffet with highlights on Swedish and Norwegian desserts such as Princess Cake, Traditional Ring Cake, Norwegian Sweet Soup, Riskrem, Vannbakkels Blotkake, Norwegian Baked Prune Custard and more.

Besides Norwegian sweets, there are also live station serving Cloudberry Espuma and Semi Frozen, Vafler Station with Sour Cream & Berries Compote and house made ice creams. There are also other international and local desserts available.

*photo credit to the original owner

On another hand, a Congratulatory note to Jon Erik Stenslid, Director, Southeast Asia, Norwegian Seafood Council who won the Malaysia-Norway Business Council’s Special Recognition Award for his endless dedication in creating awareness of the benefits of Norwegian Salmon!

Left to right: Jennifer, Alice, Puan Sri Betty Saw, Marian

Left to right: Marian, Esther, Alice, Jennifer, Choy Peng

A big applause to the incredible team from Royal Norwegian Embassy and Norwegian Seafood Council as well as the culinary team led by Chef Naesheim and special guest chefs for making the Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2018 an unforgettable event of the year.

An amazing soiree that truly epitomized the gorgeous produce from the waters of Norway!

December 8, 2014

World Chefs Without Borders: Charity Gala Dinner at Cilantro Culinary Academy

Cook With Love Charity Gala Dinner

If everyone can do a little for the world, the world will definitely be a better place. It’s not about how much you can give, it’s about just giving whatever you can as every little action counts. I was recently invited to attend the Cook with Love Charity Gala Dinner in conjunction with International Chef Day 2014 hosted at the Cilantro Culinary Academy. The initiative is started by World Chefs Without Borders in joint partnership with Chefs Association of Malaysia and Cilantro Culinary Academy for Malaysia.

Themed ‘Cook with Love’, the menu featured the love of the chefs for the less fortunate through their love for food. The Cook with Love Charity Gala Dinner showcases a five-course dinner menu with cocktail canapés, bread, drinks, coffee or tea and praline for RM250 per person. Each course is prepared by different chefs and assisted by the team from Cilantro Culinary Academy as well. The proceeds from the charity dinner go to World Chefs Without Borders to assist the underprivileged or those in need.

L to R: Chef KK Yau, Chef Khor BG, Chef Eric Siew, Chef Amy Beh, Chef Chern CH, Chef Rajesh Kanna and Chef Helmut Lamberger

The evening went well and despite it being a wet evening, the crowd was amazing. Cocktail hours kicked off the evening and the canapés served were prepared by Chef Amy Beh, the Ambassador of World Chefs Without Borders for the event. Chef Amy prepared her signature Jiu Hu Char Canape together with some other canapés such as Mushroom Choux and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta. What a creative way to serve Nyonya Jiu Hu Char in a mini tart shell and its taste yummy too!

The culinary academy was filled up on timely manner and as everyone settled in, drinks and freshly baked bread was served before dinner commence. It may only be bread but I was so impressed with the bread basket that night. Prepared by Chef Alice Han, Junior Patisserie Chef Lecturer and her team, the array of mini French Baguette, Focaccia and Slice Hazelnut Muesli Bread to be served with butter are simply magnificent. These were still warm and toasty and all of the bread is just so good that we all have several rounds of the bread.

Presenting the first course, which is the appetizer, is Chef KK Yau, Director of F&B cum Executive Chef of Dorsett Regency KL and assisted by Chef Alan Ooi, Culinary Chef Lecturer.

Beautifully presented on a white canvas plate is Salmon, Marinated Asparagus with Vin Jaune, Borage. Three thick cuts of salmon, lightly cured, is paired with marinated white asaparagus with a yellow wine Vin Jaune, thinly shaved fresh green asparagus, borage and two sauces with light sprinkling of lemon zest. The sauces really enhanced the flavour of the salmon while the lemon zest gives a light floral citrus note to the fish. The asparagus, both green and white has lovely contrasting flavours and textures. The dish seemed simple and yet it managed to taste wonderfully complex and well controlled.

The second course is a soup prepared by Chef Eric Siew, Executive Sous Chef of Doubletree by Hilton KL and assisted by Chef Shaun Anthony LiPaul, Culinary Chef Lecturer.

Fresh Prawn Bisque with Blue Swimmer Crab Timbale, Crispy Prawn and Truffle Leek Parcel and Avruga Caviar sounded extremely elegant and complex. Looking like an elegant hat sitting on a timbale of crab in a pool of majestic orange hue with a sprinkling of chives and tiny pearls of Avruga caviar, you know you will be in for a treat.

True enough, the bisque is gloriously rich and seductive with intense essence of shellfish. It has a piquant and savory note and went very well with the mount of sweet crab meat chunks. The crispy parcel of prawn and truffle leek also paired well as it provided a nice crispy texture to the overall bisque. We all raved about this course at our table and literally clean the plate with our bread.

Our entrée course was presented by Chef Rajesh Kanna, Director of Culinary and Restaurant at Sheraton KL and was assisted by Chef Firdaus Lim, Culinary Chef Lecturer.

The entrée was another pretty looking dish of the much highly-prized Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Hot Salted Smoked Mozzarella Cheese, Caper Berries, Dehydrated Kalamata and Mustard Dressing. The gorgeous marbling on the wagyu beef provided a luscious deep rich pink platform for the accompaniments. The wagyu melts-in-the-mouth with its high fat content while the other components of salty smoked mozzarella, intense savory dehydrated Kalamata olive crumbs, crunchy shredded purple cabbage, tangy pickled caper berry and tangy sharp mustard dressing provided the flavours.

Despite all the strong flavoured ingredients, everything worked beautifully. One gets creamy, savory, tangy and smoky flavours when savoring the carpaccio in a bite. It’s a cleverly paired dish!

The main course was prepared by Master Chef Helmut Lamberger, Executive Chef of Impiana KLCC and assisted by Chef Julian Chia and Chef Fanny Goh, Culinary Chef Lecturer.

Taking on a safer protein route, the Honey Infused Lacto Chicken Breast, Brussel Sprout, Topinambur Mashed and Chanterelle is as pretty as a garden at sight. French cut chicken breast is well seared and cooked to a juicy perfection is paired with Jerusalem artichoke puree, lovely chicken jus and an array of brussel sprouts, chanterelle mushrooms and edible flowers. The dish evoked simple and clean flavours, gathering much comfort aftertaste with its simplicity of flavours and textures.

The final course of the evening was dessert, prepared by Chef Khor BG and Chef SK Lim, both are Senior Patisserie Chef Lecturer at Cilantro School of Patisserie.

Dessert certainly ended on a high note! Trio of Miniature with Mango Yuzu Brulee, Soya Panna Cotta and Infused Chocolate Mousse with Garden Flower, Seasonal Berries, Raspberry and Passion Fruit Drop looked like an art rendition masterpiece. We thought it was just too pretty to be eaten. The dessert platter showed off lots of pastry techniques and even has the word World Chefs Without Borders hand piped on every plate. One gets to savor all the elements of sweet, savory, tangy and creamy on one plate. There is even a hand blown sugar containing a sweet fruity liquid inside it. tiny macaron, chocolate décor and dollops of fruit gel.

I am also pleased that the overall dessert wasn’t overly sweet as there are bits of berries and its tartness to help clear our palates.

Coffee or Tea was served with Pralines.

It was certainly an evening to remember. Chef Chern CH, President of Chefs Assiociation of Malaysia ended the evening with a speech with regards to the Charity Gala Dinner for Worldchefs Without Borders. It was truly a fruitful and meaningful evening with all the leading chefs working together for a worthy cause for our world!