JEDDAH — Coffee is probably not the first ingredient you would think of when preparing an exquisite dinner, but it acquired center stage at the Park Hyatt Masters of Food that took place here on Saturday. In cooperation with Nespresso, Park Hyatt Jeddah in-house guests and clients joined in an afternoon and evening of exploring the world of coffee. A welcome cocktail of the newly launched Nespresso flavor Crealto Bellini mixed with apple juice infused with Saudi dates and a hint of vanilla was a refreshing start of what became an enriching gastronomical journey. After listening to a brief introduction on the Park Hyatt Masters of Food, a series of culinary and beverage experiences that happens four times a year and is hosted at all Park Hyatt locations, the group went to visit the Nespresso Boutique on Tahlia Street. Here, participants were taught all the secrets to make the perfect cup of espresso, cappuccino and café latte, and got a demonstration of the range of products sold at the boutique, including 21 different mélanges and the latest coffee machines. A participant remarked: "It looks very difficult to make such a cup of coffee," when one of the baristas prepared her an ice vanilla latte. "The vanilla ice cream is good," she added when she tasted the concoction. Bayan, another participant, tried a new recipe. "It has a hint of caramel," she noticed. The barista revealed to her that he had used a capsule from the "variations" edition, which consists of three flavors: vanilla, caramel, and dark chocolate. Her eyes lightened up when she heard of the capsule with dark chocolate, and immediately the barista made her a glass with milk foam, chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream. "This is my favorite," she said when tasting the stimulating brew. "Dark chocolate is my best friend." Once back at the Park Hyatt, the participants went to the terrace of the hotel's Nafoura restaurant overlooking the Red Sea and the King Fahd fountain for a pre-dinner cocktail – again made with coffee. This time, it was a layer of fresh mandarin, caramel, and cream mixed with Caramelito espresso that pleased the group's palate. Another demonstration was given, and the winners of the Nespresso coffee machines were revealed. Subsequently, all guests got ready for the superb and much-awaited dinner, with coffee as an ingredient in all five courses. It was prepared by award-winning chefs and served at Nafoura. The pan-seared tiger prawns, accompanied by a garlic velouté and coffee nail drops, was a hit among the diners, as was the milk risotto prepared with piedmont cheese, truffle essence and coffee powder. The lamb, marinated in coffee, did not delight all taste buds. Special guest of the evening was Thomas A. Gugler, the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) continental director of Africa and the Middle East. Although cooking with coffee was "nothing new" for the multiple-awarded chef, he thought for Saudi Arabia it was a good chance to experience cross-over fusion cuisine, combining beverages with good-quality food products.
"The location is very nice, and the people from Nespresso are extremely focused on further enhancing and supporting young, talented people from the hospitality industry," he said. An example is the Nespresso Academy, which brings very good chefs from all around the world together to work on recipe development. About the new Nespresso flavor, Crealto Bellini, Gugler said he found the flavor "very interesting. It's quite strong in taste, and it goes well with the Mediterranean as well as Arabic or Middle Eastern countries, because people here like intensively flavored coffee." Before the guests left the premises, they were informed that although this had been the last of the Masters of Food series 2013, the new year would bring four interesting events during which guests would catch their own fish, experiment a Hijazi night in the heart of Jeddah, and learn how to cut and prepare different cuts of meat.
