The Lion’s Share
Ask Andreas Caminada if communal dining has a place within Michelin Star-level cuisine, and he’ll enthusiastically assure you that it does. The Swiss chef – who has the honour of being the youngest chef in Europe to hold three Michelin stars at Schloss Schauenstein in the Swiss Alps – also heads the one Michelin-starred IGNIV by Andreas Caminada at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. A firm believer in ‘fine dining sharing’, the Swiss chef brought his signature concept to The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur, where he rounded off their Guest Star Chef Series for 2018.
“Our aim is to create a sophisticated social experience, which is what appeals to the modern guest,” Caminada said as he and Marcel Skibba, head chef at IGNIV’s second gourmet nest at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, settled into The Brasserie’s kitchen. From 9 to 12 November, guests sampled IGNIV’s sharing experience – a dinner menu (priced at RM438 per person or RM638 per person with alcohol pairing) featuring an array of dishes that kept people guessing and second-guessing.
Each course arrived on a sharing platter or small bowls and was placed in the centre of every table, encouraging diners to interact throughout the evening’s gourmet adventure as dishes crumbled, popped, and melted in turn. Among the most memorable of Caminada’s creations was an eggshell topped with shredded lettuce and filled with a yolk and truffle mousse, and a starter of duck liver, yoghurt, and physalis that was smeared with abandon on freshly baked brioche.
A rich fish soup brimming over with seafood dumplings and lobster limbs – a highlight of IGNIV – and a more unusual main course of lamb belly, harissa, and sea buckthorn were greatly appreciated by guests. Equally startling combinations followed for dessert: mango slivers layered with coriander sorbet, a caramel-flavoured Egg Surprise (best described as an inside-out ile flottante), and an entire Candy Store spread capable of satisfying the most voracious sugar fiend.
Meanwhile, Hennessy added its own special touch to the dinner with two Hennessy V.S.O.P cocktails constructed by Hyde @53M, along with Moët Hennessy’s Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2014 and Ao Yun 2014, and Hennessy X.O to finish.
