Culinaria is a yearly event that gathers together Michelin starred Chefs from all over Europe. By happenstance we were in Brussels the very same weekend that this festival was happening. Tommy and I ventured onto the Brussels’ subway for the first time and made the trek to the expo center to eat lunch. After getting turned around and walking way further than needed we found the Culinaria, bought tickets, got confused, spoke broken French, and were herded inside. Forty-five Euros bought us a ticket in and a four-course lunch, each course prepared by a different Master Chef plying his trade. In addition to lunch there were vendors from all over the continent selling food and food related products as well as chefs giving demos and classes (sadly, all the instruction was in French or Dutch).
Tommy and I were blown away with our lunch experience! The menu was as follows:
Langoustine, dans de la brume, fenouil, orange, algues, ail des ours
Shrimp bruleed with fennel and oranges
Lard de ferme confit, soufflé et laque aux epices
Farm-raised pork belly, confit and soufflé, lacquered in spices
Joue de veau braisee, celery-rave, estragon, Parmesan
Braised veal cheek with celery root, tarragon, and Parmesan cheese
Ceci n’est pas une orange
Orange dessert served several ways (my liberal American translation)
Each course was expertly and painstakingly tended to and the flavors melded and worked together like a fantastic piece of art. The presentation of the shrimp involved dry ice so it was the most impressive visually. The entrée of veal was like the best pot roast you ever had but from another planet! The two standouts for me were the second and fourth courses. The pork belly was so tender they only handed out spoons. It was served with a pork fat soufflé, fried pork skin, and bacon. This was an otherworldly experience for me. For someone who lives and breathes pork it was a new experience for me. Unbelievable! The dessert was a study on orange, which after the two previous courses being so heavy was needed. Everything on the plate, except the graham cracker was orange flavored. Frozen orange mousse, orange sorbet, orange jelly, candied orange zest, and did I mention the plate was painted with 14K gold leaf before plating.
Tommy and I have set the bar really high for only our second day in Europe. We have 9 more days of eating ahead of us. Here’s hoping it goes up from here, tomorrow…PARIS!
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