The premiere of the culinary travel book essential – Gala Gault & Millau 2018
Gault et Millau is a French restaurant guidebook, first published in 1965 by two distinguished culinary critics: Henri Gault and Christian Millau. They assessed not only the taste of the served dishes but also the quality of the services, the prices and the atmosphere of the places. With passing years “Gault&Millau” has become a brand in itself. The term started to be treated as a signpost in the culinary world, especially when regional versions of the Yellow Guide appeared in other European countries.
The premiere of the Polish edition of Gault & Millau took place in 2014. Each subsequent edition included assessments of an increasing number of restaurants and hotels as well as recommendations of regional products. It has become a tradition to award prizes to the best chefs. Therefore it is far from surprising that this year’s edition of the Yellow Guide which took place 27th of November had been expected by many, and that this very day had been marked in red colour in the calendars for many months.
The event was organized in the interiors of the National Forum of Music in Wrocław and gathered over 600 people. Guests not only had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the content of the Guide, but above all could witness the outcome of the competition for the best chef, traditionally in five categories. This year’s winners are: The Traditional Chef – Wojciech Harapkiewicz (Babinicz, Szczawno-Zdrój), The Chef Lady – Iwona Niemczewska (Po Drugiej Stronie Lustra, Szczecin), The Young Talent – Michał Gniadek (Plato, Warsaw), The Chef of Tomorrow – Paweł Stawicki (Mergato, Gdańsk), The Chef of the Year – Witek Iwański (Raffles, Warsaw).
However, the ceremony of awarding the prizes cannot be considered as the culminating event of the evening. The organizers had planned a unique trip which took the guests to six historical periods of Polish culinary art. Antonius Caviar as one of the partners of the Gala, along with Veuve Clicquot, had the pleasure of taking the patronage of the Interwar period. As a result, not only did the guests learn that caviar had been valued delicacy in pre-war Poland, but they also tasted it themselves.
During the tasting we encouraged the guests to carefully look at its colour because black gold, depending on the degree of maturity and origin, can come in gray-silver shades, dark brown, light-brown, gold, and even olive green ones.
Texture is equally important – oval roe differs in size, it should never separate spontaneously, and its structure is cohesive and velvety. The caviar aroma is also hard to define – each of the tasters would probably describe it in a completely different way. And that is what indeed proves the uniqueness of this timeless delicacy.
The dish prepared by Justyna Słupska-Kartaczowska from the restaurant Jadka (winner in the category of The Chef Lady Gault & Millau 2016) complemented the taste impressions of the guests who visited the hall presenting the Interwar period. They had an opportunity to try an extraordinary combination: eel with red cabbage, horseradish and our Siberian caviar.
Antonius Caviar would like to thank everyone for a special and unforgettable evening!
Photos: Gault&Millau and Krzysztof Drelichowski
