Steaming Hot!

Back in November, I was invited to a Secret Supperclub dinner by Miele. Taking place in a “secret location” that would be revealed only when our cars delivered us to the address, all I knew was that the meal would showcase what could be achieved with Miele’s steam ovens.

The location turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, being in the Miele kitchen showroom in Cavendish Place – I’ve attended events there several times before, and assumed from the hush-hush secretiveness, that the venue would be somewhere more exciting.

Still, a large dining table at the back of the showroom was beautifully decked out in a Christmassy theme and we quickly learned that our chef for the evening was Martyn Meid of INK restaurant. Our hosts were welcoming and it was a jovial evening.

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Hailing from Klaipeda, a small port town in Lithuania, Martyn grew up in a culinary culture that had access to superb fresh fish. In order to enjoy fish during winter months, it was preserved in different ways, and Martyn developed skills in pickling, curing and smoking fish and other produce. Today he is known for showcasing a very stripped back Nordic style of cooking, with strong reference to the preserving techniques of his youth. He focuses on fresh ingredients, simplicity and precision.

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Salmon roe on a two-week rye sourdough. I loved the burst and salty fish flavour of the caviar against the rich and dense rye bread.

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Cured mackerel with betroot and hay ash, served with a shot of dill vodka. The ash was a common element in several of the dishes.

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Next up was my dish of the evening – raw seabass cured in lime, pickled ginger, served on on burnt chicory, with apple vinegar. Martyn mentioned that he’d used a whopping 2 kg of butter to cook the chicory! This dish was all the more surprising for me as I’m not usually a fan of chicory, but here the buttery cooking brought out a wonderful sweetness.

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Sadly, this was my least favourite dish of the meal and indeed many of us had the same issue. Described as a salted egg yolk on a bed of potato, with morel mushrooms, the egg yolk was shockingly salty; even a tiny piece of yolk in a full spoon of potato was too salty to enjoy.

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The presentation won me over before I’d even tasted it! Crab, razor clam, langoustine, crunchy cucumber balls, grilled onions and cucumber emulsion. Marvellous!

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Next was 12 hour salted cod with textures of tomato. I enjoyed this, though not as much as the seabass and chicory or crab and onion dishes, but for my friend Gary, this was his dish of the night.

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To finish, a bread panna cotta with raw milk chocolate.

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Images of Martyn and his team at work, courtesy of Miele

We did, on occasion, get up to watch Martyn and his team at work, preparing the dishes using the show kitchen equipment just by our table. However, they were very focused (as you’d expect) and too busy to be able to talk us through what they were doing. I was frustrated by my resulting lack of understanding about how the specialist Miele steam oven technology was used and what difference it made to the cooking of the various elements of the dishes.

The ovens (and other items in the showroom, such as the zoneless induction hobs and integrated induction woks) looked amazing, but it was hard to tell for sure without actually cooking on them. As our oven at home is on its very last legs, we’ll be in the market for a new one soon, and I’d hoped to get a better feel for the advantages of a steam oven over other models, but I’m still in the dark on that front.

However, I’m grateful to Miele for giving me the chance to experience Martyn’s cooking at this intimate private event.

Kavey Eats attended the Miele secret supperclub as a guest of Miele. Additional images (any without copyright text) provided courtesy of Miele.

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20 Comments to "Steaming Hot!"

  1. Rosie

    The food looks fab – I did an evening there with Anna Hansen from the Modern Pantry which was great. Love the ovens but wayyy too pricey for me!!

    Rosie xx

    Reply
    Kavey

    They are very expensive, and as of yet, I am not sure I really understand the difference the steam technology makes to one’s cooking.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth

    What a super event to attend – I wish we had such things up here in Shetland, I would love it! Thank you for sharing your beautiful photographs and words, I feel like I was right there with you!

    Reply
    Kavey

    Thanks Elizabeth, I’m very lucky being in London, there are so many very lovely invitations. Glad you enjoyed it vicariously!

    Reply
  3. kaveyeats

    I like Chinese century/ preserved eggs which are often salty… but this was far beyond the levels of saltiness I could handle!

    Reply
  4. Camilla @FabFood4All

    Maybe they should have done a Masterclass rather than just a sit down meal? A shame that what they were trying to do (ie inform you above their product) got sidelined. At least you got to try some lovely food and your photographs look amazing:-)

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes perhaps so. I’m very grateful for the kind invitation, it was a very lovely meal, and felt like my first Christmas event of the season, but I can’t say I have any understanding of how the steam ovens contributed to the dishes we enjoyed.

    Reply
  5. What Kate Baked

    What a lovely (and rather exciting- secret locations indeed, did you feel a little like a James Bond esque character?) invite! Beautiful pics too…I’m feeling rather hungry all of a sudden!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Ha, not really a chauffeur so much as minicab type transfer but it was certainly a delicious evening.

    Reply
  6. kaveyeats

    I remember it being nice but not particularly special compared to some of the amazing courses!

    Reply
  7. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com

    Kavey, sounds like a fabulous evening. But I’m not a real fan of seafood, not even caviar, so it would have been wasted on me. I like to see a little more variety in a dinner menu so that everyone can enjoy at least one course. Miele are certainly low-key, un-pushy and all that to have had so little emphasis put on their equipment. I don’t know anyone with Miele appliances who has any complaints.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    The appliances look gorgeous, just felt a disconnect between the meal and how the miele equipment shaped it.

    Reply
  8. Urvashi

    Goodness me that food looks amazing. What a shame about that egg yolk. The sound of the dish is stunning. Great pairings. It’s all so beautifully crafted. A wonderfully descriptive review Kavey. Thank you

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thanks Urvashi, yes Martyn really puts together creative combinations, beautifully crafted.

    Reply
  9. kaveyeats

    Thanks Rosana, was very good. The ovens look fabulous, i just wish i had better idea of how the steam functions change a dish…

    Reply
  10. Emily @amummytoo

    It all looks very pretty. Shame about the egg yolks. I’m very sensitive to saltiness too, so I doubt I would’ve been able to eat it either, but I guess everyone has different tastes.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes indeed. Several of us couldn’t eat it. A few did though, mixing it into the rest of the dish.

    Reply

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