The semi-final round - northern region, 2014 Golden Spoon contest wrapped up in Hanoi with 15 teams representing Quang Nam, Danang, Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Lao Cai and Hanoi provinces.
These 50 most excellent chefs have overcome more than 160 restaurants from 40 provinces, serving more than 330 dishes in the 10 rounds of the preliminary of the 2014 Golden Spoon contest, which started on May 21, 2014.
The criteria of the preliminary rounds were to search for rustic and traditional dishes from throughout the country. In the semi-final the chefs must fulfill the more difficult challenge of “Golden Dish”.
Sturgeon fish caviar – a specialty of Tam Dao region
To fulfill this challenge, chefs will enter their signature dishes. Chefs will select their ingredients and create the menu themselves. In order to impress judges like Master Chef David Thai, Food Artisan Long Thanh Chiem, Food Artisan Sanh Ly, Food Expert Suong Thi Bui, Elite Teacher Choi Thi Trieu or Fashion Designer Sy Hoang they must ensure they have created the most delicious dishes
Sturgeon fish caviar – a specialty of Tam Dao region
45 professional chefs have brought to the contest more than 50 dishes with many interesting and surprise things. All of these are efforts of chefs in selecting ingredients, working hard and carefully during cooking phases, being professional in cooking techniques, being careful while presenting dishes on party tables by using Ly’s Horeca products. However eye-catching and delicious dishes are still not enough to meet requests of difficult judges but it also included sensitive elements and styles that show a professional and modern cuisine which is aimed to not only delicious but also nutritious.
Hilton hotel’s chefs cooked “golden dishes from rustic and easy to find ingredients but the secret is the spice combination, flavors and ingredients to create delicious and nutritious dishes
Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Resort & Spa’s chefs brought to the contest a French dessert made in Vietnamese style: macaron cake with Vietnamese flavor, served with mixed tropical fruit. Although the macaron is originally French, the chefs made the cake from inherently Vietnamese ingredients: coconut from Ben Tre province, passion fruit from the Northern highlands and strawberries from Dalat. This combination created a high-class dish with ample nutrients from the fruit, and helped the team advance to the final round.
A party table with 4 Golden dishes of Hilton Hotel’s chefs (From top to bottom: salad with octopus and dill roots, seafood soup, rolled beef sautee, ice-cream with aloe vera and lemon-grass flavor.
Meanwhile three chefs of Hilton Hanoi Opera impressed the judges with their interesting and attractive menu. One of them was a salad with octopus and dill root with its sweet and salty flavor, harmonizing textures and delicious aroma.
Their seafood soup was inspired by miso soup from Japan. There were many types of seafood soups submitted, each using a different type of seafood from throughout the country. For example, oysters and snails from Nha Trang, “sa sung” - a kind of sea worm and fresh shrimp from Hai Phong and Quang Ninh were used throughout.
The rolled and sauteed beef was sweet and soft, and was served with asparagus that brought along the familiar aroma of Vietnamese herbs. This dish was eaten with steamed rice and salted vegetables, designed to lengthen the fullness of the dish and aid in digestion.
They served ice-cream for dessert, fried with aloe vera and flavored with lemongrass. Each was clearly Hilton Hanoi Opera’s “Golden dishes”, as they secured a spot in the final round.
The organizing committee awarded the first prize to Hilton Hanoi Opera
Those teams passing the semi-final round in Hanoi and advancing to the final included: Hilton Hanoi Opera (first prize) and four second-place prizes: Sunway Hotel Hanoi; Saigon Halong Hotel, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa and Bao Chau boutique hotel.
The second semi-final round will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, where 32 teams representing the southern regions will fight for the final spots of the competition. They’re all trying to reach the coveted grand prize of VND 1 billion and the Chef Cup. The final round will be held on December 10, 2014 at Minh Sang Plaza, Binh Duong province.
The total value of prizes is more than VND 3 billion and is co-organized by Minh Long I Limited Company and the Center of Business Research and Enterprise Support. It is funded by Ly’s Horeca under sponsorship of two national units: the Chamber of Commerce - Industry of Vietnam (VCCI) and Vietnam national Administration of Tourism.
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Special things in the semi-final round of the 2014 Golden Spoon contest
Ly’s Horeca dish is used to chop the meat instead of a common knife.
In order to prove that Ly’s Horeca products are not only beautiful and elegant but also very solid so Chef Quyet Van Le (Photo) from Bach Duong restaurant had a very interesting idea in his presentation. He used a dish of Ly’s Horeca to chop the roasted pork.
One thousand USD Soup
T-bone steak served with truffle mushroom sauce and udon noodle with Dalat vegetables (photos) cooked by Sunway Hotel’s chefs could be called a “United Nation” dish and extremely expensive. This dish combined between Asian and European cooking styles. T-bone steak seasoned with spices which are natural herbs then grilled.
Dish that served with truffle mushroom sauce is very expensive because this mushroom is very rare and only grown naturally. The way people collect this mushroom also very special. Because of its value like this so when it served with steak will create an amazing aroma that you will never forget. The price of this mushroom is about USD 20,000 – 30,000 per kg depend on the size of this mushroom and it is often auction. Besides that the dish also is decorated with real golden leaves.
Golden dish
Gold become decoration material for some dishes in the semi-final round of the contest. In the photos is the squid balls cooked by Saigon-Halong hotel (Quang Ninh province) and it was decorated by a little real golden fibers.
In addition, the T-bone steak served with mushroom sauce, udon noodle and Dalat vegetables also was decorated by thin slices of real gold. The head chef said that this is one of the most special dishes of the hotel. Diners can eat that golden leaves too because it isn’t only a valuable material but also good for your health if you use it with a proper amount.
Followed by Nguyen Trang - Trung Dung
The Gioi Tiep Thi magazine