Romantic, philanthropic and groundbreaking -- the Bangkok Post Foundation, together with JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, promises to yet again be the talk of the town with its eighth edition of the annual charity wine dinner that this year introduces the city's dining scene to glorious British beef. Yes, you read that right, British beef.
Set to take place on Nov 5, the 8th Bangkok Post Charity Wine Dinner aims to provide continuing support for the education of needy schoolchildren via the five-star steak, which highlights naturally-raised cattle from England's romantic countryside.
The event, held also to celebrate the import of British beef and lamb to Thailand for the first time in 20 years, will be held at JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok's New York Steakhouse.
Under the ingenious helm of the hotel's executive chef Michael Hogan, the dinner will showcase Aberdeen Angus beef as well as Welsh lamb in a seven-course, New York steakhouse-styled meal with a refined European touch.
"I'm pretty excited to present to the guests the exquisite choices of red meat, which has been England's national pride for centuries," said executive chef Michael Hogan.
According to Hogan, sheep and cows in Britain are grass fed and naturally raised on pristine pastures, so they offer a beautiful taste. The Welsh lamb, in particular, is so tender it can be cut with just a fork.
While the Aberdeen Angus beef, from Scotland, is an ideal choice for real beef connoisseurs who look for a fuller taste and a pleasantly chewable texture.
"English beef is all natural. The cattle walk around in the summer months and feed on fresh grass, which develops large muscle content and a fuller flavour.
"Whereas in winter the livestock stay in a warm feeding lot to fatten up with fodder and hay from the summer crop. So the meat is beefy and at the same time yields a decent amount of marbling fat," explained Hogan.
The executive chef added that the coastal pasture on which the cows are raised is high in nutrients and a bit briny in taste. That therefore contributes to the more flavoursome quality of the beef.
"English beef, including Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Galloway and South Devon breeds, has a very good reputation as high quality natural beef because the farm system is a lot more environmentally friendly. Each breed holds its own distinctive mark in the European market, whereas Australian and American beef is mass produced.
"So English beef is more of an artisanal style butchery, catering to the gastronomic calling of sustainable and health-conscious people. There was a time when everyone wanted lean, big muscle, commercial beef. But now people, especially discerning epicures, are becoming more interested in naturally-raised breeds. So English beef fits perfectly with such increasing demand," he said.
For this five-star philanthropic dinner, Hogan said the English beef will be complemented by luxurious ingredients from America, Europe, Japan and Thailand, including Boston lobster, French foie gras, Spanish fig, European mushroom, Japanese yuzu orange and camellia oleifera tea seed oil, a local product of the Chaipattana Foundation under Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
"We're not going to garnish the beef too much, we will let the meat shine through," said Hogan.
The first course is a creative and delicious platter of Boston lobster claw and green asparagus with charred artichoke, celeriac purée, Cayenne pepper threads and cold-pressed tea seed oil. Dubbed "the olive oil of the East", the tea seed oil has been developed from little brown tea seeds to offer a healthy, high quality and multi-beneficial new ingredient for Thai kitchens. The aromatic oil, which is high in omega 3, 6 and 9, has no trans-fat and is certainly good for the heart, will be presented in a form of aioli that promises to superbly complement the lobster.
Representing the second course is oxtail tomato soup with bone marrow dumpling, black sesame croutons and tomato powder. For this soothing soup fare, Hogan doesn't miss a chance to showcase a gourmet delicacy using the bone marrow, which is hot in the Bangkok dining scene right now.
"The bone marrow dumpling is basically a classic Welsh dumpling made with Australian bone marrow and egg white poached in the double boiled tomato stock so it sucks in the intense flavour of the soup. It will add a very soft and velvety mouthfeel to the sip," he noted.
The next course is the steakhouse's classic salad featuring super sweet Japanese vine tomatoes, blue crab, Stilton cheese and creamy espuma.
It will be followed by a flame-grilled rosemary rubbed cutlet of Welsh spring lamb. The super tender lamb is served in the Scottish style with minted green pea purée, house-cured bacon and orange confit.
An Aberdeen Angus strip loin steak is sure to shine through and cast its gastronomic spell for the sixth course.
The perfect medium rare, pre-sliced steak, exhibiting its highly-treasured micro-marbling and rich-tasting character, is accompanied by pan-seared foie gras, girolle mushrooms, garden vegetables and port wine jus.
The evening will be the first time for the steakhouse to introduce its new dessert: caramelised figs with herb ricotta mille-feuille, which will be also be introduced to the restaurant menu later on. It's a New York cheesecake-based pastry with seasonal fruit jelly, balsamic vinegar pearls and peanut butter crisps.
This will be the third time the JW Marriott Bangkok has joined hands with the Bangkok Post Foundation to raise funds to support hundreds of underprivileged schoolchildren across Thailand.
The inaugural Bangkok Post Charity Wine Dinner, initiated in 2010, proved a phenomenal success and drew an astounding number of benevolent gourmands into the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's Le Normandie French restaurant.
Following the achievement of the first event, the second affair took place just three months later at Centara Grand at CentralWorld's Fifty Five restaurant.
In 2011, the third edition enjoyed a great return to JW Marriott Bangkok's New York Steakhouse and welcomed beef connoisseurs to a memorable steak-focused evening.
The fourth Bangkok Post Charity Wine Dinner was held at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's Lord Jim's restaurant, while the fifth took place at Centara Grand at CentralWorld's Fifty Five restaurant.
The sixth event was held at InterContinental Bangkok's Fireplace Grill steak restaurant in celebration of the 68th anniversary of the newspaper as it paid tribute to the steakhouse's 47 years of culinary excellence.
The latest affair, held in October last year at Centara Grand at CentralWorld's Fifty Five restaurant, showcased three Michelin-starred French chef Emmanuel Renaut.
While the eighth affair, scheduled to take place four weeks from now on Nov 5, promises to delight high-minded, beef-loving gastronomes with some of the most exceptional red meat they could ask for.
Chef Michael Hogan with some of his front of house team.
The 8th Bangkok Post Charity Wine Dinner
When: Thursday, Nov 5
Where: New York Steakhouse, JW Marriott Bangkok, at 7.30pm. Pre-dinner cocktail at Manhattan Bar at 6.30pm
Ticket: 6,900 baht++ per person
RSVP: Jutatip Thamsuwanmhrs.bkkdt.newyork.steakhouse@marriotthotels.com
Tel: 02-656-7700 ext. 4240 and 089-667-2582
Raffle prizes: Two round-trip Bangkok-New York-Bangkok tickets courtesy of Etihad Airways and two-night stay at New York Marriott Marquis, plus more
Proceeds will go to support the education of disadvantaged children under the care of the Bangkok Post Foundation
Supported by:Gourmet One, Italasia, Etihad Airways, Marriott Marquis, New York Steakhouse
