Tim Raue has built a culinary empire, switching from bad lad on the streets to head of his own kitchen with an uncanny ease. His cooking style is a fusion of inspirations from East and West, with dishes like wasabi langoustine and pike perch with leek and ginger making an appearance on his menus (he has several restaurants in Berlin, and his namesake fine-dining eatery has scooped two Michelin stars).
As part of our ongoing chef series, we asked Mr Tim Raue for his top tips on hosting the ultimate dinner party.
What does a dinner party with Tim Raue look like?
I do at least six dinner parties per year with a bunch of wine freaks. We cook simple dishes like poached eggs, spinach & black truffle, or foie gras, truffle & figs and walnuts with butter pan-fried brioche. It gets pretty extravagant; we have a [wine] tour throughout Burgundy and Bordeaux, and we dress up as if we were going to attend the opera in an old-fashioned setting. It gets heavy, dark and bold!
What would your playlist be?
Classical music. We love to use IDAGIO streaming; you can play Arthur Rubinstein [and enjoy] a white Burgundy from Montrachet, or perhaps the Vienna philharmonic with a 1990 Chambertin from Armand Rousseau.
Later in the evening, we usually take our shoes off, then switch to jazz and wines from the ’60s.
What’s your must-have dish for a dinner party?
I love foie gras with pan-fried brioche. Start with a real old school dish that makes it clear that it’s all about great products and great flavours.
Where do you go to eat when you’re in Hong Kong?
There is no Cantonese restaurant in the world like Lung King Heen. Chef Chan’s cooking is outstanding, the BBQ dishes are as divine as the dim sum. My favourite dish is one that kills me – pork belly with the red and green Sichuan pepper.
I also like Chef Uwe’s creations, his work is a twist on European cooking skills using Asian products.
My favourite casual spot is Yardbird, it’s the place to be for chicken lovers.
What’s the secret to hosting the perfect dinner party?
You have to be generous to your guests, have an inner smile and the behaviour of a gentleman as well as the social component to entertain people – those are the key to me.
And, finally, who would you invite to your dinner party?
I would invite Banksy, Swedish House Mafia and the Obamas – it would be absolutely amazing to cook for the Obamas again!
The post Chef Tim Raue on Pairing Wine with Music and Cooking for the Obamas appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.