Identita Golose
Billed as the lunch of a lifetime by organisers, expectations were high for the 13 Michelin star Identita Golose lunch at Harrods. Italy’s top 7 chefs treated us to their culinary creations and demonstrations while taking over the Georgian Restaurant on the 4th floor of Harrods. Two hundred and fifty privileged diners including Monsieur and I, nibbled on aged parmesan and bruschetta canapés and sipped champagne (or San Pellegrino mineral water) while waiting for the main event to begin.
Main event
Each table in the room seated about 8 – 10 diners and we were luckily on one of the first tables, lucky because we were served food first! The other diners on our table were mainly enthusiastic foodies such as us. The master of ceremonies introduced the event to much excitement, with the loudest claps for the chefs themselves. We were hotly anticipating the 4 hour marathon of eating 7 courses (plus the paired wines and beers).
The slick waiting staff served the first of the wines and the obligatory bread. The bread selection was diverse with white, sesame, focaccia and brown wheat bread all on offer. Waiters were generous with the offerings but we wanted to save ourselves for the 7 courses to come so we did not over indulge. The olive oil to accompany the bread was a Toscano variety with a rich, nutty flavour that hits you first, followed by notes of lemon.
Egg yolk in a saffron infusion
Carlo Cracco of Ristorante Cracco served a cold and refreshing starter of egg yolk in a saffron infusion with courgettes and mussels. The saffron yellow colour of the egg white gave the illusion of a full yolk which was achieved by poaching the egg in saffron infused water. The technique was cleverly demonstrated by Carlo himself on stage and broadcast on screens around the room. The flavour of the egg white was subtle and seasoning was supplied through the salty mussels. Al dente courgette strips were added for texture. The wine served with the starter was slightly sweet as commented by Monsieur.
Codfish with smoked potato mousse
Enrico and Roberto Cerea’s salted codfish salad with its tripe and a mousse of smoked potato was rich and sumptuous. The smoked potato mousse with its smoky smell and taste, paired with the codfish, was an innovative twist on smoked fish. The mousse was light and fluffy – I don’t think I can ever go back to eating stodgy mash potato ever again! The cod tripe added salt and had texture like squid. Texture was supplied by crisp and crunchy lemony mange tout shards.
Legendary carbonara
An Italian feast would not be the same without pasta. The first of the pasta dishes was created for us by Luciano Monosilio. His “legendary” carbonara with salty parmesan and pigs cheek had a velvety, eggy, creamy sauce. Unfortunately the pasta was undercooked and was crunchy rather than al dente. A real shame.
Pasta shake
Davide Scabin from Combal.zero provided us with the amusement for the afternoon with his interactive “pasta shake”. This original and fun idea gave the job of the cook to the diners. We were served a tube of squid ink pasta shells and peppers with a truffle sauce and anchovy in a tub. Our instruction cards and Davide’s demonstration showed that us we needed to pour the sauce into the tube, close the lid and shake. The science behind the fun is that the shaking releases the gluten in the pasta and makes the sauce creamier – clever!
Grouper fish with chlorophyll reduction
Gennaro Esposito from Torre del Saracino served us grouper fish with asparagus pesto. The vibrant green sauce with asparagus, peas and mint was fresh tasting – a true summer dish. I am not a huge fan of grouper fish because I find it too fishy for my taste but with the sauce, the whole dish was quite delicious.
Psychadelic veal
The artist in Massimo Bottura from Osteria Francescana was clearly on show with his psychedelic veal inspired by Damien Hurst art. His demonstration saw him drip and splash sauce over the plate in an abstract fashion and place a ‘blackened’ piece of veal in pride of place on the plate. The veal was ‘blackened’ by dying the outside in black and cooking it sous vide to maintain the soft texture of the meat. The overall effect of the plate and flavours was magic!
Sweet dreams are made of these…
The final triumph was a dessert buffet of dreams from Enrico and Roberto Cerea. Countless cakes, tarts, macaroons, ice cream, sorbet and chocolate were available to choose from in unlimited quantities. My eyes were too big for stomach at this stage but Monsieur and I put in a good effort to try a selection of delicacies, all of which were sublime.
The overall event was a huge success and despite a few hiccups, the food, service and style was spectacular. It was truly a lunch of a lifetime.
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