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OMGD China Dinner

Bailliage of China
Beijing, July 21, 2018

Homage to Picasso
" What an unforgettable evening of art, fine dining, and excellent wines! "

Our July Ordre Mondial (OMGD) event took us to Andalucía in an homage to her most famous son, Pablo Picasso.

The blockbuster art exhibition “Picasso 1932: Love, Fame & Tragedy” currently on view at London’s Tate Modern, was the starting point for Chef Miguel Casal Zapata. A native of Andalucía he is currently Executive Chef at Migas Mercado.

Chef Miguel opened the evening with hors d’oeuvres of cold fried marinated sardines with citric peel. They came with large shot glasses of mint-and-yogurt juice with almond foam, a green-tinted tribute to Picasso’s sculpture, “Glass of Absinthe.”

A “Vice President” made of Mandarine Napoléon Grande Cuvée, Bacardi Gold Rum, and Campari was our apéritif on this sultry summer evening.

Dinner in the VIP private room started with lobster tartare served on a pool of cold, white Iberico soup a speciality from Picasso’s city of birth, Málaga. We paired this flavourful dish, inspired by Picasso’s “Head of Warrior,” with a Moscatel Morisco blend from Sierras de Málaga.

There followed a Galician stew with sea urchin, seaweed foam, and an interpretation of a local “grelos” vegetable made of kale tempura. It was Chef Miguel’s tribute to both Picasso’s years in coastal Galicia and to the sculpture “Flower Watering Can.” Albillo Criollo, from the Canary Islands, redolent of lime zest, green olives, and sea spray, was a refreshing partner.

Moving to the meat courses, based on Picasso’s “Crane” was creamy mushroom rice with duck and paired with an aromatic Tintilla de Rota red wine from Cádiz.

Oxtail was a favourite of Picasso. Chef Miguel served a modern version of a boneless oxtail stew with olives, shaped as a rectangular object on a white plate topped with a butter sauce as a tribute to Picasso’s years in France. We selected a rich, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Sierras de Málaga for this oxtail dish which was inspired by Picasso’s “Bull.”

For his finale, Chef Miguel delighted us with a vertical dessert of dark chocolate discs, chocolate cream, and red cherries, patterned after Picasso’s “Vase: Woman.” The accompanying wine was an off-dry, spicy Garnacha from Calatayud which brought out the earthy flavours of this scrumptious chocolate dessert.

What an unforgettable evening of art, fine dining, and excellent wines!

“Muchas gracias” to Chef Miguel, Maria Dominguez, and the excellent Migas Mercado team for their valuable support of the OMGD group in Beijing. Thank you also to our wine suppliers: Lavinia Paris, Hedonism London, and Le Sommelier Beijing.

Bernie Sperk
Bailli

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