4/20/23, 3:07 PM Secrets Behind the Culinary Art of Food Plating at Social Club Restaurant

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SECRETS BEHIND THE CULINARY ART OF

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FOOD PLATING AT SOCIAL CLUB
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RESTAURANT

By: John Mark Harrell Get the lastest news

• The way a plate looks can dramatically enhance your dining experience.

• Chefs must follow these steps when plating every dish.

• The Social Club Restaurant boasts stunning visuals with quality

ingredients.

The Power of Plating

When you think of a great restaurant, what comes to mind? Professional kitchen
staff? Impeccable and detail-oriented service? The highest quality ingredients? Of
course, whether it’s a street food stall with a few plastic stools, or a classic fine
dining experience—it really comes down to the food. But how is it that high-end
restaurants set themselves apart?

Social Club Restaurant and Hôtel Des Arts Saigon

For a reputable, top-quality establishment like Social Club Restaurant at Hôtel

Des Arts Saigon, it all comes down to an experience that goes beyond the
flavours. Before you even taste what you’re about to enjoy, you’ve already begun
to appreciate it with your eyes. Priming your palate with a dish that is
thoughtfully and tastefully arranged can dramatically heighten and enhance your
experience. 

In other words, everything tastes better when it looks good too! This is the power
of plating, and far from being an afterthought, it’s a surprisingly critical part of
the rigorous, careful process that goes into each dish at Social Club Restaurant—
not only to perfectly prepare and combine every ingredient, but to present them in
a way that is appealing, fresh, and exciting.

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4/20/23, 3:07 PM Secrets Behind the Culinary Art of Food Plating at Social Club Restaurant

Plating is truly an art form, and in keeping with the reputation at Hôtel Des Arts
Saigon as a celebration of warm, inviting interior design and authentic
experiences of rich historical traditions, you can expect every dish that emerges
from the Social Club Restaurant’s kitchen to be not only delicious down to the last
bite, but remarkably detailed and artful in its presentation. 

What Exactly Goes Into Plating?

The chefs at Social Club Restaurant must consider several factors to plate a dish
in a way that conveys not only the quality of the ingredients, but the passion that
goes into the dish itself:

1. The Perfect Plate: Though many restaurants and home cooks may take this
first step for granted, choosing the right plate can make a world of difference. If
the food is a work of art, the plate serves as a canvas and a frame. Typically chefs
choose a neutral color like black or white, to provide a contrast and really make
the colours and textures of every item on the dish “pop.”

Social Club Restaurant and Hôtel Des Arts Saigon

Saigon Social Club Restaurant uses unique custom plates for this purpose, each
one carefully and intentionally chosen. Notice how the radial pattern on the dish
used to serve the pan seared foie gras draws your eyes to the center of the plate,
where the main ingredients really shine—almost as though they were presenting
themselves to you.

2. The Placement: Height, color, and the rule of thirds all factor into how chefs
decide to arrange the food on each plate. Typically the protein (usually a cut of
meat) takes up half of the plate, while the other quarters are divided between a
starch and a vegetable. Alternatively, chefs may take a more “freestyle” approach
and disperse all the elements evenly throughout the plate.

Social Club Restaurant and Hôtel Des Arts Saigon

The Lobster Salad at the Social Club Restaurant is a great example of this.
Embracing the circle of life in its best harmony, arranging bright, colourful, fresh
ingredients in a circular pattern invites you to approach the dish from any angle.
Sauces are applied carefully with a drizzle, or with tiny dots—the idea here is not
to drown the food, but to ensure you get to taste a little bit of everything with
each bite. Chefs can even add height by “stacking” ingredients, which can help
avoid the appearance of overcrowding and really make the dish stand out (no pun
intended). Staged with a playful use of colour—warm orange, bright yellow and
refreshing green, this piece of art instantly puts a smile on your face and uplifts
your mood while dining.

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4/20/23, 3:07 PM Secrets Behind the Culinary Art of Food Plating at Social Club Restaurant

3. The Details: Attention to detail is critical for maximizing visual appeal. Gone
are the days when chefs at high-end restaurants casually throw a piece of kale or
an orange slice on a dish for a quick garnish. At the Social Club Restaurant, each
and every detail is carefully considered and applied to not only elevate the
aesthetic of the dish, but to enhance the flavours as well.

Art de cuisine - Lobster Salad

Video source: Hôtel des Arts Saigon MGallery

Fragrant, fresh herbs can serve not only to complement the taste, but to add a
sense of lightness and brightness to a dish. Different textures, like the apple confit
and buckwheat touille served with the pan seared foie gras, not only serve as
critical flavour components within the dish, but add an appealing array of
crumbly, crunchy textures as well as additional structure to the dish.

Quality Beyond Presentation at the Social Club Restaurant

The Social Club Restaurant at Hôtel des Arts is committed to sourcing the
highest-quality ingredients, importing items such as lobster from world-renowned
fisheries in Canada, and sourcing only locally-produced, organic vegetables from
farms in Da Lat. Yet while many upscale establishments create a sense of austerity
and strict fine dining, you’ll get just the opposite experience at the Social Club
Restaurant. It is, after all, Social! And the convivial warmth and “homey”
atmosphere of the restaurant is more akin to dining in the company of dear
friends.

Social Club Restaurant and Hôtel Des Arts Saigon

From sourcing, to preparation, to the meticulous final plating process, every detail
at the Social Club Restaurant is inviting and welcoming, beckoning its guests to
explore and discover exciting, premium cuisine in a sensuous, authentic, cozy
atmosphere night after night.
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4/20/23, 3:07 PM Secrets Behind the Culinary Art of Food Plating at Social Club Restaurant

Image source: Hôtel Des Arts Saigon

PROPAGANDA: A CLEVER TWIST ON

VIETNAMESE CUISINE

By: City Pass Guide

With a name reflecting anti-war campaign

posters, Propaganda Saigon marks a
different style of Vietnamese cuisine in
the heart of Saigon.

Opening at the end of the Dragon Year,

Propaganda offers a wide variety of inventive dishes, including incredible spring
rolls and a smorgasbord of Vietnamese street food served with creative twists.

We delved into a number of tasty dishes from north, central and south Vietnam,
and particularly enjoyed the “Bún chay gạo lức Propaganda”. This dish
consisted of:

light noodles,

perfectly fried tofu,

an abundance of typical Vietnamese herbs and vegetables,

nutrient-rich puffed brown rice,

garnished with chilli, peanuts and shallots,

and served with a sweet soy sauce.

Puffed brown rice has recently crept into many Vietnamese recipes, as it is a
popular healthy option that gives the texture a boost while adding a subtle
mellowing flavor.

For a group of friends, the spring rolls are a must. With a wide selection you can
have any meat you might want or vegetarian if the fancy strikes. We went with the
chicken and avocado spring rolls and were not disappointed. With the clever twist
of adding Western ingredients, they’ve created a brilliant new way to experience a
typical Vietnamese dish. It also helps that they were cut into compact bite sized
pieces – so much easier to eat.

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