If you work in this industry it’s a fair chance you’re a bit of a foodie and it’s an even better chance that you’ve eaten some of the best cooked, most inventive dishes way before the rest of the world had the chance to try them.
So, if for one reason or another; like the Martians were heading to Earth as in War of the Worlds or you had taken advantage of an early booking discount at Dignitas what would be the last five dishes you would want to eat before you exited this world, shuffled off this mortal coil, joined the choir invisible etc? Here’s mine, in no particular order of significance. Would love to hear what yours are.
The Yankees think they’re rubbish at any form of identifiable cuisine but they’re wrong. They do fast and convenience food better than anyone and the pinnacle of that is the noble club sandwich. I can’t count the number of room service club sandwiches I’ve had over the years after a long flight arriving at some ungodly (UK) hour and just wanting something wholesome in my room. Club Sandwich & Diet Coke. Job done.
In my opinion Hilton have consistently done these the best and I’m particular. The bread must be grilled, not toasted otherwise it’s too brittle. The sandwich must be cut into quarters not halves or it goes back because with three levels it’s too big to hold let alone eat. And the filling must be soft lettuce, not iceberg, chicken breast slices, sliced 3/4 boiled egg on one side with loads of mayo and on the other side crisp, streaky bacon, sliced beef tomato with a Dijon mustard mayo instead of butter, served with skinny chips and tommy sauce. Tell me you’re not drooling right now.
The Sheraton El Ghezira, on Ghezira island in Cairo (now the Sofitel Cairo Nile El Ghezira - somebody’s been optimising the search terms) used to do a Levantine meetings lunch or dinner that consisted of a cold meze followed by grilled skewers of lamb cooked over an open fire, served with rice and Egyptian bread to die for (sorry about the pun). They kept the fire hot but very low, as lamb is quite fatty and can make the barbecue flare and the result was meat, charred on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. One was never enough. Afternoon meetings were slow affairs.
My spiritual home is in Italy. I still do work for a company based in Verona. I love the language, the cars, the fashion, the wine & the food so a pasta or risotto was always on the cards somewhere in my top five. I was struggling to choose which and had originally copped out with a pasta mista but in the end it was a fresh seafood linguine that won out. Just caught squid, prawns, mussels and clams in a light tomato and chilli sauce with loads of parsley and garlic, tossed into fresh linguine. No Parmesan. Never. Not on fish (unless you want it of course) and an old tee shirt because you will end up wearing as well as eating some of this. It’s a dish to be slurped. I first ate this at a pop up, before pop ups were known as such at a stall near the Rialto Fish Market in Venice. I wish I could remember what it was called. Al Muro, maybe.
We produce some of the best meat and fish in the world in these islands and these days we cook it well too so it’s quite hard to choose one dish that is proper British but in my mind it’s Dover Sole even more than beef. It comes from the English Channel. It’s named after an English town, it’s a magnificent fish and on this one occasion we do better things with it than our cousins across La Manche. A gently pan fried sole, filleted then finished in a butter, caper and lemon sauce, served with Jersey Royal potatoes and some English asparagus, oooh, just oooh. My best memory of this is from the days when meeting lunches were three or even four courses and with wine. The Cavalry Grill at The Hyde Park Hotel, now The Mandarin, served this wonderful dish, with the maitre d’ not a chef, preparing it from a guerridon at the table side with a big flourish as he filleted out the bone. The story used to go that if he left a single bone in that the customer noticed The restaurant manager would take him down to the cellar and thump his hands with a serving spoon. Health &Safety, employee tribunals? Don’t think so.
I don’t really do desserts so this is a nod to one of my two ‘might just be tempted’ options (the other one is a proper bread and butter pudding made with slightly stale brioche). There has to be real vanilla in the cream, the crunchy topping should be made with white, caster sugar not brown despite what clever chefs say these days and if your luck is really in there will be a few blueberries or raspberries in the bottom as a nice surprise (and a nod to one of your five a day whilst you’re busy clogging an artery or two) The Brasserie at The Intercontinental Opera in Paris used to do a mean version of this classic french pud and I expect they still do.
So there you have it. My five dishes to die for, with a little bit of history attached. And yours?
Michael Prager, Non Exec Chairman at Eventopedia.
A strategic business leader with extensive international experience at strategic business unit & group level in the global travel & hospitality sector now working in non exec director & Chairman roles.
