06/06/2014
Armani / Aqua
中環干諾道中8號遮打大廈2樓204-205號舖
Shop 204-205, 2/F, Chater House, 8 Connaught Road Central, Central
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/salt-discovery-journey-with-salt-pairing-e2367948
Every diner has to walk through the gorgeous red catwalk entrance surrounded by mirrors before they reach the restaurant.
Currently there is a Salt discovery menu by Chef Andrea Magnano which consists of 6 courses at $1288 per person.
At this dinner I learnt so much about salts and the varieties.
The older the salt gets the more colourful it is and Saharan salt is the rarest and most expensive!!!
If the salt is colourless it means that it is young and conventional salt is normally bleached.
But saying that, salts can be different colours regardless of its age such as Copper sulphate which is a pretty blue!!
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Beautiful salts at the table:
There were six different salts and each course is paired with a different salt so that you can taste the difference.
On the table, there are beautiful rock salts which must be grated on a lemon zest grater because other graters are not strong enough.
There were also six dishes of grated salts.
The six salts on the table were:
*Pink Himalayan: one of the purest salts in the world, hand crafted from the depths of the Himalayan mountains
*Cypriot Saffron pyramids: from shores of lake Larnaka when its water evaporates to expose a crust of salt pyramids, then delicately infused with Saffron.
*Viking Java mix: a blend created by Chef Andrea of ground Indonesian peppercorns with smoked Norwegian Viking salt from the Fjords.
*Persian Blue: a rare blue salt and culmination of a natrual 100 million year process, flavour is initially very salty then fades.
*Hawaiian black lava: formed in ponds made from natural lava which imparts in deep black colour, smokey flavour and very high mineral content.
*Essencia Arbequina: Comes from Cardona in the Bisque region of Santander, this mild soft salt flavours of locally grown olives gives a taste of Spain.
*Hoarfrost: harvested from the Sahara dessert near the oasis of Bahaiya, it has a snowflake like appearance that melts in your mouth.
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Essencia Arbequina
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Hoarfrost was the prettiest!!
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It was fascinating how salt could be paired with food just like wine!
In the old days, it was known as Salt-curing with meats and seafood as a method of preserving meat until the 19th century.
Salt inhibits the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of microbial cells through osmosis. Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of unwanted bacteria. Smoking, often used in the process of curing meat, adds chemicals to the surface of meat that reduce the concentration of salt required.
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Three Prawns:
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Three botan prawns served on a block of Pink Himalayan salt with Amalfi lemon mayonnaise, clementine granite and a dusting of licorice yellow Cypriot saffron salt.
This was just amazing how the prawns could be served on such a huge block of salt!!!
The prawns were sinfully sweet because of the Himalayan salt. On the side, there was some refreshing clementine slush to cleanse the palate.
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Duck two ways:
Pan fried duck foie gras and home cured duck ham seasoned with Viking Java Mix Salt with cider and sherry vinegar caramelised green apple, truffle and rosemary caviar.
The duck and duck ham had a sophisticated taste which was refreshed by the sauces and salts.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Risotto Rosso:
Sicilian red prawn risotto, Maltese scampi adn malossol caviar served with Iranian Persian blue salt grated at the table!!
The risotto was beautifully done and the Persian salt just brought out the flavours which made you hungrier by the minute!!
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Vongole 2014:
Italian clams, mussels and Spanish baby squid dusted wtih Hawaiian Black lava salt served with organic tomatoes on homemade Zizzagne pasta and squid ink reduction.
The squid ink reduction was interesting and when the lava salt was sprinkled, it made the squid flavour come out more.
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Black angus tagliata:
96 hour grass fed black angus strip loin, served with warm rocket jelly and Saharan hoarfrost salt with 24 month parmesan chips and vintage balsamic reduction.
This was my favourite because it was paired with pretty Hoarfrost salt which had a quick touch of saltiness that faded leaving you with the taste of sweet juicy beef.
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After the salt pairing dinner, you will realize that every salt is so different with different levels of saltiness.
Chef Andrea Magnano has paired the meats and salts with thought because high sodium meats should not be paired with a salt with a high sodium factor.
