Masterchef 2017’s Runner Up, Ben Ungermann brought a sensory adventure through the Australian Outback encapsulated in a 4-course fine dining experience in Emerald Room, Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel on Friday night, 30 November 2018. The night started with Vegemite & Mushroom Consommé; vegemite is something that the Aussies hold dear in their daily life.
The staple company for breakfast bread was turned into soup with two kinds of mushroom. For the entrée came along Garlic Butter Prawns with Sea Greens. The seas surrounding the continent are well presented in the dish, not to mention that Chef Ben congregating almost every flavor in existence, such as the saltiness of fish roe, bitterness of fried garlic and the light sweetness of what we deduce as Swiss Roll Cake flakes. We decided to leave our imagination go wild on that last item.
The main was just full of theatrics. First a plate full of onion skin and dried sage is presented in front of each guest, being inedible, the leaves were torched and exuding a burned smell simulating an outback camp fire. Then a plate with the actual dish was placed on top, inside is Chef Ben’s MasterChef Dish, Garlic and Sage Beef accompanied with tangy balsamic beetroot medallions, beef jus, charcoal cauliflower and garlic sauce.
The dish simply escalates a typical Outback rusticity with impeccable balance of savory and acidity, one couldn’t help but to salivate and maybe shed a happy tear or two. To conclude the whole quest, Chef Ben prepared Lamington with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream and Raspberry Purée.
The whole dish was presented in a coconut shell which was placed in a bigger bowl with dry ice already inside. What the guests saw and felt was the mist and extra chill from dry ice. With a dining experience like what we experienced that night, Chef Ben Ungermann is definitely a winner in our hearts.
