insideKENT Magazine Issue 50 - May 2016 | Page 85

FOOD+DRINK the art of FOOD WE EAT WITH OUR EYES FIRST. IT’S A WELL-KNOWN SAYING, AND IT MAY SEEM STRANGE, BUT WHEN THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT IS LOOKED AT IN MORE DEPTH WE CAN SEE (PUN INTENDED) THAT IT IS ENTIRELY ACCURATE. To be fair, food is about all the senses. There’s taste, obviously, but the smell of a dish is important too, as is the feel of it (on your tongue, in your mouth, and, if it’s finger food, in your hand) and, so it goes, the look. Even hearing gets a look in; who doesn’t enjoy the sizzle of frying bacon or the comforting drip, drip, drip of coffee brewing? DEV BISWAL OF the Take one sense away and the entire dish can be ruined. If it looks great but tastes awful, it’s no good. If it tastes incredible but it smells terrible, no one will want it. And if it looks like a big ol’ mess then no one would want to take a single bite. Psychologists say that if you believe something is going to taste nasty then it is more likely to do just that – even if the dish itself is perfectly edible. And so yes, eating with the eyes first is an important part of any meal, and it sets us up to enjoy what is put in front of it. We spoke to two of Kent’s most talented chefs and asked them how they go about plating their exquisite dishes to ensure that everyone will want to taste them. ambrette Dev Biswal is the head chef and patron of the Ambrette restaurants in Canterbury, Rye and Margate. His high-end Indian fusion menus feature dishes inspired by world cuisines, recreated using local, sustainably sourced ingredients. He aims to challenge diners’ perceptions by creating innovative, seasonal cuisine which showcases the unknown tastes and properties of foods. Dev says: Bright = beautiful I recently visited a world food fair in Belgium where I met Michelin-starred chefs who were doing amazing things with food. They, like me, see food as an art form, and do all they can to make their customers stop and look at their plates before eating. You don’t have to have a Michelin star to create show-stopping dishes though; here are three simple ways to improve the presentation of any food. A beautifully served dish is so much about the visual; how it looks in front of the diner and what memories, emotions and sensations it brings them through just their eyes. When creating a dish it’s vital to incorporate lots of bright and contrasting colours through the ingredients you use. Mix the colours of your meats, vegetables and sauces, choosing brighter, bolder combinations in new and exciting ways. Play with your food Be brave There’s been a texture revolution taking place in restaurants across the UK during the past couple of years, with lots of chefs now focusing not just on the flavour of a meal but also the way it feels to eat. When you bite into food you’re not just tasting the flavour, you’re experiencing the sensations of eating it too; whether it’s crisp, crunchy, sweet or sour, spicy or salty and so on. Discovering which sensations work well together and going against conventional wisdom is part of the enjoyment of cooking for me – and any chef, professional or amateur, can create amazing, experimental dishes simply by being curious and experimenting. The best dish is one that is a true experience to eat and enjoy. Try adding a show-stopping element to your dish that will make it linger in your guests’ minds long after the food is gone. There are all sorts of things you can try; at the fine-dining end of the spectrum there are wow-factor ingredients such as blood orange caviar or liquid nitrogen (if you can get it!), but one simpler choice is agar agar, which you can easily get from specialist food shops like Lakeland or Holland & Barrett. It’s guaranteed to turn any dinner into a masterpiece. 85