East meets West on the menu as chefs link up for fine dining with a flourish
Pompadour by Galvin in Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria, welcomes Beijing culinary artist, finds Rosalind Erskine
This week, the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian welcomes executive chef James Wang from its sister hotel in Beijing to co-host a series of Cantonese-british evenings in The Pompadour by Galvin with head chef Daniel Ashmore.
Together they plan to delight guests with an eight course collaborative tasting menu, served in the beautifully restored Pompadour dining room overlooking Edinburgh Castle. The collaborative dinners will be available in the fine dining restaurant between Wednesday 29 August and Sunday 2 September inclusive, between 6 and 9pm.
The launch evening tonight will feature Chinese entertainment and live music to celebrate the coming together of these two highly regarded chefs.
The menu has been designed to alternate between the chefs giving each the opportunity to showcase their cuisine using the finest ingredients.
Highlights from the collaboration include Isle of Wight tomatoes, homemade basil ricotta, minus-8 vinegar, ajo blanco and baked loin of cod and cauliflower with king oyster mushroom and brown butter by Daniel.
James will serve up Cantonese style pan-seared Wagyu beef with asparagus and black pepper sauce, and chilled mango, sago, pomelo and mango ice-cream, served with fresh seasonal fruits.
The hotel’s general manager, Dale Macphee, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for us to host such a unique gourmet experience in the capital with our sister hotel.
“The recent launch of Hainan Airlines’ direct flight between Scotland and China has made the city much more aware of the opportunities to engage this new market and we look forward to our reciprocal visit in the autumn when Dan will co-host a series of dinners in Beijing.”
Brian Tong, general manager at Waldorf Astoria Beijing, said: “I believe this is a great opportunity for James to bring his authentic Cantonese cuisine to Edinburgh and to team up with Daniel to offer gastronome and discerning travellers an unforgettable dining experience.”
The tasting menu is priced at £75 per person and wine pairings will be available for an additional cost.