A charity night for the ‘epicurious’

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All the money from the function is collected on the spot and tallied. A total of RM26,418 is divided equally between The Hope Place (left) and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (right).

CHARITY dinners are a dime a dozen, especially in Kuching where noble hearts are always on the lookout for ways to give back to society.

How then does a charity event stand out amongst the crowd? By appealing to gourmets of course.

And appeal they did during Rendevous Avec 6, hosted at the five-star The Steakhouse, Hilton Kuching, on Nov 19, an extravaganza, organised by six learned chefs – Hilton general manager Hamish Watts, Timothy Ting, Alex Wong, Jasbir Kaur, Dr Kho and Katerine Wee.

The aim was to raise funds for two locally based charities The Hope Place and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation.

“The idea to generate much needed funds for these charities,” Watts told thesundaypost.

“The core of it is doing something we love. All of us enjoy cooking and also giving back to the community. The concept is to have a bit of fun, see other people enjoy our food and highlight some of our food to the people of Sarawak.”

A passel of 80 odd gastronomy enthusiasts attended the private dinner held for the second year. A bevy of unique dishes was offered throughout the night, each chef playing a crucial role in planning the courses from start to finish in their elaborate scheme that led to the night’s success.

The appetiser started off ablazing – literally as Watts lit up quail eggs wrapped in onion with a blowtorch, much to the amusement of the diners. The ashes gave the dish a unique hint of depth.

This was accompanied by chef Jasbir’s traditional bellini and chef Alex’s Thai chicken curry. The latter’s oysters were flown in fresh from New Zealand the day before, shucked the morning itself and presented in a shotglass of  Bloody Mary.

Next came chef Ting’s soup, a hearthening concoction that warms the body, as he pulled together rich flavours from both land and sea in one pot.

This was followed by cauliflower rice, then restuffed chicken with Indian curry paste, sprinkled with almonds, to give it a contrasting crunch. Chef Jasbir’s flavour was evident in the dish as he combined Indian flavours with western influences.

Watts’ unique dish came soon after   a tiger-dragon grouper fired with belian wood, infusing the fish with hues of smoky flavour rarely tasted. Another main course joined the table with chef Alex’s tripepper beef, served on a blanket of sauces, each made from a different type of pepper.

The cheese platter, a brainchild of Dr Kho, was an array of heavy flavours as three segments beans, mushrooms and cheese   were all cooked in different styles and accompanied by crystal bread hand made by Dr Kho himself.

The course was capped by pattiserie conoisseur chef Katherine’s Panna Cotta, accompanied by ice coconut.

Diners were also entertained by Ambrose Wong on the saxaphone thrughout the night.

As the dinner was entirely sponsored by many generous parties, including Hilton Kuching, wine n’ Liquor, John & Jeffry Fish Farm, ASIAEURO, Ting & Ting and CCK Fresh Mart, to name some, zero cost was deducted from the funds raised.

All money from the price of RM350 per head – plus the generous donations were collected on the spot and tallied. All in all, a total of RM26,418 was divided equally between The Hope Place and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation.

A concoction that warms the body. Chef Ting pulls together rich flavours from both land and sea in one pot.