Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner 2016

FANTASTIC FEAST!

It has been a year already. Time really flies. This is my second year attending the annual Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner hosted by the Norwegian Embassy. It was a magnificent showcase of seafood from Norway at the annual Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner on Otober 14 2016. The dinner was hosted by Hans Ola Urstad, Norway’s Ambassador to Malaysia, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. 

The main focus of the evening was the spectacular seafood buffet spread provided by renowned Chef Frank Naesheim and his team. Frank Naesheim's seafood dinners have become an annual highlight for the Norwegian business community in Kuala Lumpur.
 

  

Chef Frank Naesheim and I

This splendid seafood gastronomic event is orchestrated by renowned Norwegian chef Frank Naesheim and his team of culinary professionals from Norway, Malaysia and Singapore.

One tonne of fresh seafood will be flown in from Norway for this dinner. They include Norwegian salmon, Norwegian cod, king crab, lobster, crayfish, scallops, mackerel, Atlantic halibut and monkfish, among several other varieties. They were presented in a wide range of cooking styles, including Norwegian and Asian.


 

 Creative Display of fishes

 Beautifully and majestic looking Ice Sculpture

 Creative food display together with ice sculptures that is soooooooo amazing. I'm impressed!

This year the emphasis is on sustainable seafood and Chef Frank will also introduce a line of smoked salmon with new flavours. Composed entirely of seafood flown in from Norway, the gala dinner serves as a networking platform that marries business contacts to world class cooking prepared by both Norwegian and Asian traditions. There was a good mix of local food too for expats to try.

In Chef Frank's team of chefs are Stig Drageide, executive chef at the Continental Hotel, Oslo, Markus Dybwad, consultant chef at Snorre Food, Anderson Ho, chef at Singapore Airlines, Loke Mun Kit, corporate chef at Park Hotel Group, William Ng, executive sous chef at Fairmount Hotel Singapore and James Han from Snorre Food.

Chef Loke Mun Kit (above) and Chef Markus Dybwad (below)

 Markus Dybwad was formerly junior sous chef at Heston Blumenthal’s 3- Michelin star Fat Duck. Kenneth Loke is from Johor Baru while Anderson Ho is from Penang.

 

So I was taking a stroll and admiring all the food, look who I bumped into?

Our very own Celebrity Chef Datuk Chef Wan. Looking ever so dashing with his grey hair. Don't you think he looks good here? 

 

OK! Let's feast your eyes on the amazing food.

It certainly is a fantastic feast not only to the eyes but also for the tummy. My photos below will speak for itself. The event is a magnificent showcase of amazing food and talent.

My personal favourite food presentation is this! The Norwegian coldwater shrimp tower. It takes skills to have it stacked up like that!  And a lot of patience too.

A majestic spread of salmon of all types that u can imagine.

The next interesting item I saw was the Salmon Jerky with charred lemon mayonnaise. It is presented in a stick form. Ain't it a beauty.

Scallop Dish by Chef Loke Mun Kit

Crawfish

Buns with salmon fillings

Here's a closer look at this mouthwatering dish.

The other highlight of the night was Dessert!!! 

Who can resist these yummy looking dessert.

This is called the lemon mousse/sitronfromasi troll cream. What a super canggih name.

And my brother's favourite! Waffles!!! Wish he could feast on these too.

Home made ice-cream with super interesting flavours. Somewhere in one of the tubs here I tasted almond ice cream!

The Lingonberry Cream. Too beautiful to eat.

And they also have some Kuih Melayu for dessert. Talk about local touch.

The other highlight of the night was Rio Yamase.

At the Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner, Rio Yamase played the Hardanger fiddle, a traditional West Norwegian musical instrument. Rio, who is from Japan, was born in Malaysia, and is also an accomplished violinist. Together with her is also a super talented pianist.

She entertained and wow-ed the crowd with her talent

 
It was a truly remarkable night and it ended with Chef Frank Naesheim giving recognition to the chefs. Thank you for your kind invitation, Hooi Khaw. This event has certainly open my eyes to a feast like no other!

I was pleased to learn that my photos were featured in the Norway Asia Business Review Magazine. Thank you for crediting me. It's an honour to contribute to your magazine.