Cooking up a Media Storm
Taste Portugal Press Party - The Banquet
The British Press were treated to a fabulous Taste Portugal opening night extravaganza at the Notting Hill Kitchen this week
GALLERY
‘Baena's veal turnovers were melt-in-the-mouth tender and certainly won my vote of the evening.’
TASTE PORTUGAL 2014/15 was officially launched to the British press last night at a spectacular party stylishly hosted by Luís Baena and his team at the Notting Hill Kitchen. Baena had created a special tasting menu to whet the media’s palates for the very many exciting culinary events to come.
Guests were greeted with plentiful platters, provided by ATLANTICO, of cheese – including the creamy queijo de Azeitão, the smaller sister of the better-known queijo da Serra de Estrela, served decadently with a spoon – chouriço, bread and miniature, warm, pasteis de nata – yes, a dessert, but, apparently often served along with petiscos. Mingling was encouraged, and then, after the speeches, the main menus were brought on.
Cooking up a wonderful banquet, the chefs showcased the best of their unique talent, also incorporating some of the most typical and traditional Portuguese ingredients, such as porco preto, Azores cheese, chouriço and seafood aplenty.
Baena, who, as ever, was ‘trying not to do traditional Portuguese’, impressed with his Eastern influenced fusion-style, including cheese and dried Algarve fig maki and black pork and Algarve prawn dim sum. His veal turnovers were melt-in-the-mouth tender and certainly won my vote of the evening, while his spider crab doughnuts – mini seafood burgers – really couldn’t have been any fresher tasting.
Presentation, 10/10; taste, 10/10 too.
