Last night we launched the Table Without Borders with a small gathering of select diners. The initial feedback has been excellent and we would like to take the opportunity to thank all who came and helped get this show on the road.
The way we serve our food is to keep a steady flow of dishes arriving at the table at just the right speed to keep the evening bubbling along. A social dining event should be like a piece of theatre that has pauses and excitement, expectation, surprises and rhythm. We served the as a whole in itself rather than in separate courses, and the guests enjoyed the variety of flavours and tastes, as well as feeling that they were being cared for, but also surprised at every turn.
Food is an entertainment that we can all enjoy.
Anyway, that the conceptual stuff – what, more importantly, did we eat?
The menu was pretty much as advertised with a few changes, the most notable of which was the last minute
addition of some “Surrogate Wasabi,” as the guests have christened it.(above).
Wasabi root itself is not easy to cultivate, and as a consequence it is expensive to source. Most of the wasabi paste in this country is up to 90% horseradish. Wasabi root has a milder flavour than horseradish which can be quite agressive and intense. Our recipe softens the flavour of the horseradish with rice vinegar and mirin, whilst adding freshness and a peppery note with fresh watercress. The result is a vibrant green paste which has both heat and freshness. The surrogate wasabi is also in keeping with our approach of using cultural influence, fused with local and reagional ingredients and flavours. Also on the menu was pumpkin puree hosomaki, salmon and tuna sashimi, and one item that didn’t quite make it was the potato, fennel and ginger gyoza dumplings – these will be on the menu for the next Kawa Table Without Borders.
What next?
As I am writing this, I am leafing through some Hungarian baked fish recipes to begin planning our next pop up event which will be an Eastern European dinner to continue the “Without Borders” theme. We will be bringing you the menu very soon, along with pricing details, venue and all the rest of the stuff you will need to know to come and enjoy a wonderful evening’s dining which is unique to Bendy’s Kitchen.
See you soon.
A Table Without Borders 