Just like my Grandmother's dishes
Diners at Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel Beijing will find delectable Spanish tapas at the colorful, tempting Bento & Berries bakery, as well as typical Spanish specialties at Coffee Garden's daily buffet, paired with Spanish wines, until November 26.
Self-taught Spanish chef Joaquin Campos describes his own style as "healthy, grandmother cuisine", which applies the best ingredients to prepare simple, but attempting foods. The 34-year-old considers himself lucky to have worked in some of Spain's most exclusive hotels and restaurants, and learned his country's varied culinary styles.
He has a keen interest in "market cuisine", food prepared using only ingredients available each day at the local market. His passion helped him enjoy the Torres China program, which recently took him to 12 Chinese cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an and Changchun. In all those places he had to rely on local Chinese chefs to provide local ingredients, although it was not a problem at all in Beijing.
In fact, Campos has traveled so much in China that he is planning to write a book about the Chinese culture, in Spanish.
Two examples of Campos's Spanish tapas are humus of aubergine, and anchovy in vinegar over green "tapenade" toast. Visitors to the Kerry Center daily buffet will have a choice of 14 dishes each day, comprises specialties from his hometown Malaga to Basque, Burgos and beyond, with such dishes as paella, baby pork roasted Segovia-style and Catalan creme brulee.
Oxtail beef stew with "Sangre de Toro" is simmered for six hours, so that the bone comes off during eating. You can also expect plenty of olive oil, mushrooms, and seafood like scallop, shrimps, squid and mussels, paired with good Spanish wines. Campos has not only a good knowledge of how to pair wines with food, but is also an expert in how to cook with wine. Two examples of that are Onion's squid with Nerola wine, and Pears cooked in red wine "Sangre de Toro".
Dinner guests will also be entertained by flamenco and paso doble dances, two renowned Spanish cultural performances that begin at 6:30 pm throughout the buffet promotion.
Coffee Garden: 010-6561-8833 ext 40, or Bento & Berries: ext 45. Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel, Beijing, 1 Guang Hua Road.