Dining at the Club has had an epiphany. Especially with Chef Brian Bersonda's ascension as Executive Chef while still helming the kitchen of Ma-yi, our fine dining food outlet at the Club's upper ground floor. While the dress code stands for diners, this is no reason to abstain from enjoying the indulgences to be had at Ma-yi. Consider the dress code part of the ritual of embarking on a gastronomic journey---right in your own Club!
We're all familiar with the themed executive meals at Ma-yi. It's one of the options provided to members in the coupon that comes with the newsletter. While many of us jump at the opportunity of stuffing ourselves at the cornucopia of options at the La Veranda buffet, it's high time we change the scenery just a little bit, and use that coupon for lunch or dinner at Ma-yi.
This month, Ma-yi's theme is pasta. OK, you get it. It's going to be a slew of dishes bathed in tomato sauce. That's what I thought when I was told the theme. Luckily I was wearing a dark shirt. Bolognese spatter shouldn't be a problem to clean up. Lunch started as expected: a piece of bread with a scraping of flavored butter. That wasn't a ripple on my sea of expectations.
First course was a Farmer's Vegetable Soup. Simple, straightforward name. But soups are tricky. They're hard to get right on the taste meter. A good one means time and effort was put into the broth and it's got to be seasoned bit by bit until you get the taste just right. Plus everyone's got a preference, some like it salty, some don't, some like to pepper the bowl black. My personal requirement for a good bowl is that it's one I'd like to have when I'm sick: saturated with nutrients and broth that packs a punch of flavor. I'd say the Farmer's Vegetable Soup was close to perfect. The temperature was on pitch. (And on meeting the chef, I wasn't surprised to see a thermometer sticking out of his sleeve pocket.) The broth was clean, yet sharp with the flavor of herbs, and finished with a vaguely sweet aftertaste. I later found that Chef Brian takes his aromatics very seriously and heavily relies on them to bring flavors to the fore sans the salt. The soup also fared well in the color category and the torn bits of pasta added a rustic feel, like the type of soup one would be offered at a farmer's table in the hinterlands of Italy.
The belly warmer was followed by a Peach, Prosciutto and Mesclun Salad with Mango-Capsicum Vinaigrette; a delightfully balanced salad option with just the right combination of salty, sweet, crunchy, and herby. The mango-capsicum vinaigrette provided the acidity, holding the prosciutto bits and the sweetness of the peach at bay. The capsicum wasn't merely for a pop of color, it contributed to the depth of flavor in the salad. For those worried with portions, set your worries aside. The portions for each dish are enough to tickle your palate with flights of fanciful flavors but not too much to overwhelm the sensibilities. In other words, before the flavors get boring, you're served with another plate.
So far, our culinary journey has centered on a boot-shaped island surrounded by four seas. Chef Brian still gave us Italy, which we expect from a pasta theme, yet he managed to stretch the concept. He knew we'd expect Italian so he gave us Italian soup, salad, (and later on an Italian dolci for dessert), then offered a detour for the taste buds at the main course where he instead prepared a more Asian-inspired pasta dish, the Prawns and Papardelle in Indonesian Red Curry Sauce. Now this is the dish that you as the host should offer to your dinner companion who strongly advocated tempura for dinner. Kudos for the shrimp---it wasn't overdone, and its delicate seafood flavor melded nicely with the curry sauce-coated papardelle. Chef Brian did say that Tuscany tops the list of his foodie destinations and the papardelle definitely represented his tendré for their cuisine. Although usually served with game, the papardelle was beautiful with the Indonesian Red Curry and by beautiful, I don't just mean firm with enough elasticity. When I said it was "coated," I meant infused by the flavor but not submerged in it. A bite will give you a nice hit of curry, a subtle coating of cream, and a tingling of heat in the back of the tongue. Like I said, beautiful.
Another main course option is the Beef and Asparagus Involtini with Fettucine e Porcini, a transitional dish if we're going by the (Italian) seasons as asparagus dishes are spring while porcini heralds the autumnal climes. The pasta in this second dish got the same treatment, al dente and flavorful. It stands out for its lack of artificial flavoring. You'll definitely feel the fifth basic taste in this dish what with the amount of porcini mushrooms in it! Green asparagus came wrapped in slivers of beef and the crunch of the former complemented the bouncy texture of the mushrooms and pasta.
Lastly, a dessert of fresh fruit topped with a citrus granita was served as a palate cleanser and as a refreshing close to the meal. Granitas, as explained by Chef Brian, have to have a certain proportion of ingredients that would result in the perfect crystalline form: like flavored snow in the mouth. Then in the bottom, you'll find cubed pineapples and watermelons with slivers of basil, which gave the otherwise just tangy and sweet combo an extra sensory boost of pungent spicy-clove aroma. The fact that it's dessert minus the guilt (note: no heavy cream in this one), helped to induct the dish into the winners' circle.
