‘With such a stellar line-up, the event was bound to be a success’
Underground Culinary Extravaganza!
Classic cars, live entertainment, nine sommeliers and 12 Michelin stars, all in the garage of the Conrad Algarve. It could only be the night of the Underground Culinary Extravaganza
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xtravaganza by name, extravaganza by nature: Sunday the 30th of October was the night of the ultimate party, the Underground Culinary Extravaganza. The first event of its kind, the highlight of the culinary event of the year took place in an unusual venue indeed. Beneath the Conrad Algarve hotel in Quinta do Lago, within the walls painted by leading street artists, five internationally renowned chefs boasting 12 stars between them were meticulously preparing for a garage party to remember.
Awaiting guests as they descended to the garage was an atmosphere of the utmost cool, with breakdancers, classic cars and various live cooking stations headed up by each chef cooking that evening. The culinary experience began with picture-perfect aperitifs, each paired with a wine selected by one of the nine Portuguese sommeliers standing beside their designated station.
Delights such as the oyster with pumpkin, kaffir lime and lemongrass curry from Jacob-Jan Boerma; the chicken liver with raisins, chicken skin and bacon from Sidney Schutte; the cod liver stones of José Avillez; and the seaweed, shrimp and squid from host Heinz Beck, are just a few examples of the divine miniature delicacies served at the beginning of what promised to be a truly memorable evening.
As guests circulated, either with a glass of Portuguese wine or a divine cocktail created by the dapper barmen from Liquid Consulting, the first surprise of the night arrived: a brass band with musicians dressed as chefs, whose energetic performance took the party level up a notch and led guests to the dining room where the seated segment of the meal would take place.
At the top end of the garage, where round tables were dotted between the columns, was an open kitchen, where the teams of each chef were hard at work. Opening the show – from a gastronomic perspective – was Kevin Fehling, from the 3-star The Table in Hamburg. The German chef served a delicate carabinero “Guatemala” with tamarillo, avocado, salsa and taco, with which sommelier Carlos Monteiro paired a Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas (2015, Vinho Verde).
Next was the turn of Heinz Beck, the hosting 3-star chef whose Italian spirit was transmitted onto a plate of green tortellini with pappa al pomodoro and seafood. The selected wine pairing, from sommelier Sérgio Antunes, was a 2014 Costa SW Reserva from the Setúbal region. Portugal’s own José Avillez, of Lisbon’s Belcanto and the country’s first 2-star chef, followed, serving cod xerém with clams, a twist on a traditional classic that was paired with a Remexido Branco (Algarve) wine by Bruno Antunes.
The meat course was the creation of 3-star Dutch chef Jacob-Jan Boerma (of De Leest in the Netherlands), presenting pigeon with celeriac, hazelnut, sweet-and-sour of red beetroot with ceps and a fresh shallot gel. This time, the wine choice came from resident António Lopes, executive sommelier of Gusto by Heinz Beck: Quinta do Noval Touriga Nacional (2009, Douro).
Meantime, throughout the dinner, an energetic dance troupe entertained the guests in various moments, culminating in a performance that combined the dancers, the breakdancers and the band that left no guest indifferent. With the atmosphere buzzing, diners followed the music into next the room where the after-party would take place, but not before delighting in the magnificent display of tiny desserts created by the Michelin-starred pastry chef Eddie Benghanem.
The patissier of Trianon Palace, at the Waldorf Astoria Versailles, presented coffee, chocolate and red fruits choux; vanilla, citron and bourdaloue chocolate pie; dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate Eskimo; crème caramel and pannacotta; chocolate bars, caramels and nougats; and hazelnut caramels. For the beautifully sweet treats, the suggested wine match came once more from António Lopes, a 2003 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port.
But the surprises didn’t end there. While at one end, an opera singer wowed guests with a powerful performance (she was later joined by a DJ who added an urban feel to the space), at the other end, the sommeliers were putting on a show of their own, as they opened bottles of old Ports using the traditional method of fire-heated tongs.
Finally, an evidently proud host Heinz Beck welcomed the chefs to the stage one by one, followed by António Lopes who thanked his hand-picked team of Portuguese sommeliers. While much applause and high praise ensued, the cocktail-makers extraordinaires remained on hand for those in search of something a bit special, while the DJ prepared the dance floor for the after-party.
With such a stellar line-up, the event was bound to be a success, but with the passion and dedication of the food and wine teams, the enjoyment of the guests and the commitment and hard work of the organisers, the Underground Party was well and truly an Extravaganza to remember.
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