Chef’s Table, One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Hong Kong
Tasted Saturday, October 22, 2011 by Goldstone with 794 views
Rob and Jeanette had won a charity auction bid for a Saturday night at the Chef’s Table in the midst of the incredibly vibrant Cantonese kitchen of the Grand Hyatt, where fabled Cantonese chef Ah Tim and Sommelier Christophe Olarei had collaborated to compose the “perfect” 10-course paired dinner (apparently they had tasted through over 30 dishes and 30 Krug and Dom Perignon wines to reach their choice).
The English (and Chinese) description of both dishes don’t do justice to their originality, lightness, freshness and quintessential Cantonese-ness that paired so well with the citric cut of the Dom Perignon 2002.
The Sea Urchin dish looked and initially tasted totally Japanese but in a much lighter way…. really exquisite…light and really complex then utter perfection when you added a drop of Chinese black vinegar…the Crab dish was just perfect lightness and harmony of incredibly fresh and simple ingredients.
This was the light, almost semi-cooked style of very young, tender Pigeon cut across by the more assertive and salty small strip of Yunnan Ham…. exquisite…. and perfectly counterpointed by the light, bright red fruits of the 2002 Dom Perignon Rose which had the acidic cut to counterbalance the slight fat of the Pigeon and the saltiness of the ham. Gorgeous!
Wow…I don’t even like Wagyu Beef but this was something else…just gorgeously rich but tantalizingly savory and light…the depth of the Krug Grande Cuvee 1998 worked in perfect counterpoint to the combined depth but lightness of the dish. Gorgeous!
OK…..as written and presented these were just what you’d anticipate as a finishing dish……until spoon hit mouth! Both were absolutely great with the 2-hours in the glass Dom Perignon 2002 (for those of us who had kept some).
Thanks again to Rob and Jeanette for the great generosity, to all for their super company and to Chef Ah Tim and Sommelier Christophe for having composed a really perfect dinner…one of my abiding highlights of 2011.
2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 90 Points
France, Champagne
Very light silver-gold colour, almost Sauvignon Blanc-like. Nose is lifted citrus and minerals, with high acidity, lightly toasted white bread without the crusts together with deeper notes of freshly-risen bread dough. Palate is very young and unevolved, similar to the nose and very enjoyable. The crisp citrus elements paired very will with the two Cantonese dishes. With 2 hours in the glass the lemon acid drops element came very much to the fore. Needs a lot more time to evolve but was well overshadowed by the Krug Grande Cuvee NV that followed it.
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