Small but perfectly formed

​HERE’S food for thought. According to the Michelin Guide, the renowned rating system used to grade restaurants, a one star signifies ‘a very good restaurant’, two stars are ‘excellent cooking that is worth a detour’, and three stars mean ‘exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey’.
So, it was with some excitement that Bahrain welcomed three-Michelin-star Chef Heinz Beck all the way from his adopted home of Italy to recreate his signature culinary magic for a Bahraini audience.
It was all for a good cause too. The dinner, staged during Think Pink breast cancer awareness month, was organised by food and beverage consultants Culinaire & Beyond, in collaboration with the Capital Club, a private business and social enterprise located high up a tower at Bahrain Financial Harbour, to raise funds for local cancer charities.
German-born Chef Heinz is a founder of The Order of the Knights of Italian Cuisine and food writing critics have described his creations as ‘innovative and exciting’ while maintaining a respect for tradition and remembering that great cooking is about fresh ingredients handled with sensitivity and passion.
It should be added that his portions are pretty small which he has no issue with … and I’ll elaborate later. Usually restaurants with a rating of 3 Michelin stars or with an avant-garde concept, tend to serve dishes that have emotional, sensorial and artistic motivations. These dishes are served in small portions, to please more than to feed.
Well, it’s often been stated by many a man that size doesn’t matter and, in this case, it would be perfectly true.
What the chef – a diminutive kitchen dynamo! His presentations were dainty and featured an incredible combination of textures; one second smooth, cool and creamy and the next offering a bite of crunchy magnificence, plus flavours that exploded on the palate.
They looked amazing too, although the lighting at the Capital Club’s restaurant was so dim to be disappointing. When you have a master of the art producing exquisite cuisine you really want to capture the moment and a flickering of an additional tea-light candle or two isn’t going to do the trick.
The ambience might be great for conducting a clandestine business deal or even a romantic rendezvous but having to rely on the light from your smartphone doesn’t impress. Sight is one of the important senses when celebrating cuisine.
The Composition of Duck Foie Fras with Chestnuts and Apples was an outstanding starter, in fact probably my favourite of all five courses, and a prime example of the earlier description of silky sustenance with an added bite.
The gap between courses was considerable and that might have had something to do with the care and precision put into the presentation along with the celebrity chef’s much-appreciated desire to visit every table, his willingness to explain the dishes and have photographs taken with the guests.
But please don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t slacking in any way, shape or form, and appeared full of beans as he sped up and down the floor shadowed by the waiting staff with dishes in hand.
The second offering was Lobster Medallions in Yuzu and Lemongrass on Guacamole with Soy Macaron, the lemongrass making all the difference in a superb selection of flavours.
Chef Heinz paid our table a visit with the delivery of Duck Tortellini with Pine Needle Infusion and personally sprinkled Porcini Powder over the dish. He was delightfully friendly and informative and pleased to play a part in such a worthy event.
It should be noted the service at the restaurant was impeccable and I’ve never witnessed the bread basket being changed and exchanged for new so many times in all of my many culinary adventures.
Perhaps it was a thoughtful filling exercise to avoid any complaints about the size of the portions, although one guest joked, as we waited for our cars outside, that he would have had to refuel at McDonald’s on the way home had it not been for all that bread.
The main Loin of Lamb in Cereal Crust with Fennel and Goat Cheese Pearls was another prime example of the great soft and hard combination. The medium lamb was melt-in-the-mouth magnificence and the crunch came with the outer skin. Simply superb.
The dessert, Iced Sphere of Red Fruit on Tea Cream with Crystallised Raspberries, was another masterpiece. Such a clever dish featured a cold sorbet ready to be cracked open and raspberries that were so precise in shape they looked like jelly tots (little sweet pastilles that I used to devour as a child in England) but were pure fruity pieces of perfection.
Leena Al Mannai, founder and CEO of the organising company, must be congratulated for setting up such a memorable event, bringing people together and giving something back to the community.
Proceeds will be shared between the Breast Cancer Society and Bahrain Cancer Society.
It was Chef Heinz’s first visit to the kingdom and was one of the features of last week’s Bahrain Hospitality and Restaurant Expo which included a culinary tour, forum and exhibition.
It’s worth noting that on the subject of health issues, chef stressed that ‘we are what we eat’ and ‘we should eat a little bit less and what we do eat, should be better’.
You can’t argue with that.
I just hope that the next time there’s a celebrity chef at the Capital Club they shine a brighter light on his work.

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