It started with the Food and Beverage manager asking me if I could plan something to do
when both the Executive Chef Mac Karlsson and the Sous Chef Torbjörn Lölfaldli were about
to leave for new assignments.
I thought it over for some time and asked what he had in mind. Could I do a dinner for them?
Hotel supplied all the food, the LaxenOxen gourmet restaurant and the chefs and staff.
Yes, I agreed. We planned it in such a way that the two chefs were told to come to my
apartment for a drink before going on a big drinking tour in Beijing. Many drivers on
standby, many friends in the different pubs! They were told to take the next day off.
I made a menu and a list of food I needed. All preparations were made in my apartment and
at the right time, when the two took a walk, we moved it quickly down to the restaurant
for final preparation.
On the eve, I had help of Runa (my cousin’s wife) and her friend on their way back to
Sweden from Australia. On the dot the two chefs came to my apartment and looked slightly
worried. We had a drink poured, whisky was their choice. As planned I had a call and
excused myself and went out through the second door in the apartment and on the way
out took on a chef’s dress given to me by the hotel.
Helping Hands with the Dressing
|
Helping Hands Result
|
Cutting and Checking
|
Preparing the Avocado Soup
|
A few minutes later, when the guests and I were ready, food checked, I made a call
and asked Runa to take the “victims” down to LaxenOxen. Everyone was hiding and they
just saw me in the doorway, when turning around the corner. Surprise! Surprise!
I told them that the pub tour was only to keep them alert and that we had plenty of
time to eat and drink that evening. They admitted later that it was giving them some
butterflies thinking about the pub tour!
There were 14 people for the dinner. All met up in the dining room and were served white wine.
Greeting Mac
|
Greeting Torbjörn
|
White Wine was Served to All Guests
|
Cheers!
|
Introduction to the Dinner
|
Some More Introduction
|
Some Jokes to Light Up the Evening
|
We started out with Avocado Cream Soup Bleak Roe.
To this white wine was served.
Continued with Monk Fish in Beetroot Sauce
with round potatoes and vegetables, the same white wine was served to allow the fish to swim.
After this there was a short intermission and a Sorbet Kir Royale was served.
The second main course was Poussin Ali Baba with rice boiled in vegetable stock.
To this we had a very nice red wine.
As a desert we enjoyed something I had never done before –
Soufflé au Roquefort a L´Armagnac and it turned out to be successful!
To this we had a nice glass of port wine.
The whole dinner was served during happy talking and laughing and it was ended with coffee and avec, cognac or liqueur all after your taste.
Runa and the Excecutive Chef for the Day
|
Later on we returned to my apartment for some relaxing talk.
The next day I found this picture in the English newspaper Beijing Daily
