The Bailliage had a flavourful tour around Greece regions while being hosted at the residence of His Excellency Konstantinos Piperigos, Ambassador of Greece in Kuwait and Bahrain, who is a Chevalier d’Honneur member of the Chaîne.

The St Regis Hotel invited Chef George Papadopoulos from Greece especially for the occasion. He is Executive Chef of the Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort, a 5-star seafront, wellness hotel set amphitheatrically at the tip of the Kassandra Peninsula in Halkidiki. Chef George was accompanied by Sous-Chef Apostolos Koumantzias and Pastry Chef Lazarus Moisakos.

Their theme for the Gala Dinner was “philosophy of effortless simplicity”. It proved to be a delectable journey through Greece flavours from earth and sea.

MENU

Amuse-bouche
Oyster cream, green apple purée
compressed red apple tartare, Gerovassilou wine jelly

Kritamo
Samphire, shrimps, bottarga mousse, pressed tomato

Vine Leaves
Slow-cooked grouper in olive oil, charcoal
traditional dolmadaki, kefir foam

Mastiha
Frappé with coconut and lime

Greek Green Asparagus
Roast rack of lamb
charred eggplant purée, black truffle emulsion
Gerovassilou red wine sauce

Halva
Greek halva mousse, chestnut/caramel cream
black olive sweet spoon, lemon liquid gel
lavender jelly

Highlighting some of the creations, which harmonized so well and still each ingredient could be tasted in its uniqueness.

The amuse-bouche was quoted on the menu card as being “a short fantastic gastronomic journey inspired by Macedonian vineyards and Greek seas”.

Kritamo - the so-called super food of ancient Greek dishes, in English also called sea asparagus or samphire greens - is a plant appreciated by Hippocrates, the leading physician of antiquity. Traditional Dolmadaki, another Greek speciality, with the grouper again paired the sea’s bounty and crops from the earth.

Partnering the lamb perfectly was the Greek green asparagus. Seen on an Egyptian frieze dating from 3,000 BC, also known in Syria and the Iberian Peninsula, the vegetable is used for its distinct flavour and in medicine due to its diuretic function.

Finishing the menu was the Greek halva. Originating from Persia it spread widely throughout the Middle East and influenced Greek gastronomy. The Chefs took inspiration from history to create a modern day version.

A Gala Dinner of deliciousness, where we enjoyed and appreciated the novel Greek philosophy of effortless simplicity.

Vive la Chaîne!

Soumaya El-Azem
Chargée de Missions