This was a special invitation from Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. The occasion? A Gala Dinner for the Club des Chefs des Chefs, an exclusive group of top chefs who cook for the world’s premiers, presidents and monarchs. This annual event is held in Hong Kong and Beijing this year and will head to Moscow in 2011.

While enjoying a glass of Louis Roederer Champagne, we managed to catch up with Markus Burkart, chef to His Majesty the King of Sweden. Originally from Switzerland, he has been cooking for the King for more than 20 years. He shared an interesting fact that on any official Royal trip, they ship all the ingredients for all the meals in a military plane. This ensures that there are no surprises when cooking in a foreign country. A potato would have the sweetness and consistency that the chef expects when preparing the dishes.

For dinner, we were seated at the Swiss table in the company of Gregor Zimmermann, Chef in charge of the Official Receptions, Switzerland. The six course dinner was prepared by Mandarin’s own executive chef, Uwe Opocensky. He started us off with Spiral. VERY interesting. Everyone at the table stared at the dish and wondered how to approach it. We were informed to put a finger in the spiral and cover it with the crushed olive and black sesame. The spiral was made from very fine strands of sugar, kind of like cotton candy. The sesame was a bit dry – but there was so much, were we supposed to finish it all?

Then the Crispy Fish was a caramelized garoupa which tasted like the dessert caramelized bananas (拔絲香蕉). Not bad, especially when paired with the 2008 Beringer Chardonnay. The waffle base for the Peking Duck that followed was too thick and did not go as well as the regular thin wraps. Overall it was a bit salty too. The famous Tea was a variation of the one we enjoyed at the Krug Room before, except this time it was chicken broth instead of onion soup.

Then the Beggar Chicken was an interesting concept. Unlike the typical beggar’s chicken which is cooked in a clay dome, this modern version had a ‘shell’ made from gypsum powder (石膏粉) that is normally used for tofu fa (豆腐花). The waiter assured us that the shell was edible. Hmmm, maybe we’ll pass. Also, the chicken was a bit dry. However, the highlight was the 2005 Lascombes that was paired with the dish. We couldn’t resist a second pouring…or third…

For dessert, the Butterfly was made from caramelized sugar and once again reminded us of Uwe’s ‘humming bird’ we had at the Krug Room. For petit fours, dozens of bird cages were marched into the room and each cage contained glutinous rice dumplings, caramel apple, pineapple puffs, and chilled mango puddings.

Overall, a very creative implementation of traditional Chinese dishes and a great culinary exchange opportunity.

– 15/20

Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Road
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2522 0111
W: www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Menus from the chefs

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Cocktails

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Table setting

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Menu

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Spiral

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Crispy Fish

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Peking Duck

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Tea

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Beggar Chicken (before)

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Beggar Chicken (after)

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Butterfly

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Bird Cage (Petit Fours)

100818 Club des Chefs des Chefs - Group photo