What a Grand Feast it was!
By Sherry Li 
May 5, 2010 
9 Comments
Saturday evening was a perfect night for a feast. A Grand Feast, that is. The 36th floor of the Mandarin Oriental was the perfect setting for the LUCKYRICE Festival Grand Feast. Right in the heart of Columbus Circle by the southwest corner of Central Park, the ballroom of the Mandarin offered a 180° view of the Park. The breathtaking views were a perfect backdrop for the most delicious food I’ve ever tasted in my life!
One of the first stations that caught my eye was Kum Gang San’s 2 huge rice buckets filled with bibimbap (before the mixing). One of the most enticing aspects of Korean food is the array of colors from each dish, and bibimbap is no exception. There must be over 20 different kinds of vegetables laid out so beautifully in a circle. Too bad I missed the mixing of the vegetables, rice, and sauce – that must’ve been quite the spectacle!
Two tables left was EN Japanese Brasserie – which has a special place in my heart because of their freshly made tofu (I have a slight tofu obsession). And to my glee, they offered up scoops of freshly made tofu served with their amazing wari joyu sauce and garnished with thinly sliced scallions. Within 10 minutes of walking into the Grand Feast, I was a happy girl. The EN table was decorated very aptly with branches of sakura – I felt like I was walking down the banks of the Shirakawa River in Kyoto while enjoying the tofu.
After the light and refreshing tofu opened up my palate, I was ready to dig in. Luckily, PUBLIC was right around the corner with Chef Brad Farmerie’s unique dish. Try to wrap your mind around this: crispy fried Barron Point oysters on top of fresh shiso leaf with a wasabi-yuzu dipping sauce. Too rich for your imagination? No problem, just stare at the picture as I reminisce about the sweet oyster and the freshness of the shiso leaf. This was an exquisite dish. Oyster is already pretty intense – to fry it was daring. But thanks to Chef Farmerie’s marvelous concoction, the shiso leaf help cut through the oiliness of the breading for a fragrant experience.
I wasn’t quite ready for dessert yet after only 3 dishes, but Le Bernardin was serving up a triple layer black sesame panna cotta with shiso and mandarin. This is, hands down, my favorite dessert of the evening. I have a Shanghainese grandmother who made a lot of black sesame and glutinous rice dumplings for dessert, so black sesame used in dessert has a special place in my heart. Pastry Chef Michael Laiskonis’ gorgeous dessert was able to bring out all the great flavors I love about black sesame. To start with, it was an exquisite combination of colors – from the orange of the mandarin to the dark red of the cherry. The thick layer of black sesame panna cotta was heaven: creamy and smooth at the same time while my taste buds absorbed the intense sweet and nutty flavors. If anything in the world could be perfect, this dessert is precisely that.
Halfway across the ballroom was Mandarin Oriental’s very own table, Asiate, with Chef Brandon Kida’s smoked tofu, miso glazed butterfish and umeboshi fondue. As you might have guessed, this was another one of my favorites! The tofu was almost like a custard and the smokiness of balanced out the richness of the butterfish. The texture of the fish was extremely tender and flakey – Patrick almost mistook it for tofu! The umeboshi was surprisingly mild and sweet – I expected something extremely tart like pickled plums usually are. Chef Kida kindly explained that he purposed mixed fondue with fresh plums to tone down the taste… not that I’m complaining!
I was concentrating so much with my eyes and tongue on the food, I hadn’t realized how quickly the room filled up with guests. Taking a look around, the clear crowd favorites were clear. Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s congee and wagyu plates were emptying as fast as he could put them out (yes, he was working the station himself!); the fresh uni and black bread provided by Jean-Georges Restaurants had hungry patrons coming back for seconds and thirds (myself included); Chef Jonathan Wright came all the way from South Beach to bring us some tongue and cheek (veal tongue and cheek, that is, served with foie gras and truffles).
I could probably write a novel but you’ll be better served with visuals, I’m sure. Check out our photographic chronicle of the evening. And while you’re feasting with your eyes and thinking about how to get some of the deliciousness, don’t fret! This entire week, until Monday, May 8th, is the LUCKYRICE Restaurant Week. Thirty-five restaurants in New York City are participating with special menus – appetizers, cocktails, pre-fixe, dessert… you name it! And what’s better? All proceeds to on to support City Harvest and the fight to end hunger in New York City. What better way to enjoy food than helping someone not go hungry?
Photos by Patrick Chang for Appetite for Good.
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These pictures are simply amazing. Another stunning display from Mr. Chang, a culinary talent who never ceases to amaze. His unique perspective on cuisine is well-documented on this site, which has great potential and is gaining exponentially in popularity. Keep up the great work Appetite For Good!
Glad you think so! Thanks for the kudos
Looks amazing! I’ve seen bibimbap pre-mixed before, but nothing that looked quite as delicious as that.
Haha, right? I was mesmerized by all the colors too. Food should always be 50% presentation, hehe~
I think ive seen this post 50x today and still pretty shocked how well these pictures turned out. It must have been a fluke. I think Danielle should throw another grand feast so i can see if i can reproduce this level of pictures.
These pictures are phenomenal!!
no YOURE phenomenal! how come you havent set up your gravatar yet!
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