Iversen puts British food on the map
Quaglino's executive chef Henrik Iversen flew the flag for British cuisine at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore earlier this month.
Iversen was the only UK-based chef to join the 12 guest chefs from around the world, who included Chicago's Charlie Trotter. They were invited to promote culinary arts at the summit run in conjunction with Food Hotel Asia 2000, which was held from 10 to 15 April.
"The most fascinating thing for me was to see an authentic Chinese kitchen at work and watch the skill involved in a dim sum kitchen," said Iversen, who was guest chef at the Ritz-Carlton Millennia Singapore hotel throughout the week.
"A visit to the market where live frogs were on sale really made me realise how processed shopping has become in Britain," he added.
Iversen hosted a masterclass and prepared tasting menus at the hotel to demonstrate the diversity of the British culinary scene, including such dishes as pan-fried snapper, tian of aubergine and courgette, tamarind and dill butter; and chicken and lemon grass consommé with queen scallops and pickled vegetables.
The climax of the summit was a dinner for 350 delegates prepared by the guest chefs, to which Iversen's contribution was a dish of poached oysters with Champagne sauce, pancetta and chives, cooked theatre-style in the ballroom.
