Saturday night we spent a lovely evening at a pop-up supper club judging an epic battle between chefs. Okay maybe epic is a little dramatic but it was a great night nevertheless. The Good Human Project in collaboration with Dinner Lab created this unique dining experience, that introduces foodies to up and coming chefs while raising funds for a worthy cause. Dinner Lab is a by their own definition a social experiment, bringing food lovers together via pop-up eateries where they sample dishes from new chefs. The events hosted by Dinner Lab are usually on a need to know basis, which means if you are not a card-carrying member of the club, you don’t need to know. Only members are allowed to their functions, but on Saturday night the rules were bent just a little in order to raise money for The Lily Fund, a charity whose mission is to find a cure for GME. GME is a central nervous condition that affects our canine friends. The lily fund is part of the good human project’s animal welfare fund.
Guests of the evening gathered in the Union Square Ballroom, an exclusive space just below Union Square’s west side. The evening began with a cocktail reception and the musical stylings of Fleur Seule an authentic 1940’s swing band. The lively tunes brought together the room of strangers who sat at several communal tables sprinkled throughout the space. The event is as much about great food as it is about bringing people together. The featured chefs for the evening were chef Evelyn Garcia and Jacob Rosette. The duo presented a six-course meal. Each course was graded by attendees on, presentation originality and of course taste
Before dinner, we were given a brief explanation of the rules and an introduction to the concept and some vital information on the Lily Fund. The first courses were presented to a room full of hungry diners both chefs chose seafood options. Chef Evelyn started out strong with Lobster served with small greens and a light citrus salad.
Chef Jacob offered an equally tasty lettuce wrap of prawn, fried ginger and betel leaf.
For the next course Chef Evelyn presented our favorite dish of the evening prime rib with a spice rub, charred onion, and the most delicious green curry. He only thing missing was a little jasmine rice or bread to soak up the savory curry.
Chef Jacob’s dish was a succulent salt-baked guinea hen with heirloom potatoes, chickpeas, and sweet pea tendrils.
Next up was the dessert round. Chef Evelyn presented a beautiful milk tea cake with ice cream and candied fennel seed.
Chef Jacob amped up the creativity with his stunning final dish of sweet plantains “burnt” white chocolate and shiso.
The competition was fierce but the win went to Chef Evelyn whose green curry was a big hit with the crowd. As evenings go it was one of the great ones. The combination of charitable work and great food is always a winner, especially when you sprinkle in some interesting people. For more information on Dinner Lab visit DinnerLab.com