Andrew Kay reviews the highlights of International Chef Exchange

Going Dutch

To see a project take shape as International Chef Exchange has, is an exhilarating experience. I could not have wished for more from all parties involved, from the participating hotels, Drakes of Brighton and Beaumont Hotel Maastricht, to the Netherlands Board of Tourism, Theatre Royal Brighton, Terre à Terre, Moshi Moshi and all of my colleagues at the Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival.

Borne of a notion I had whilst dining in Maastricht, the project is now well under way and young star chef Audrey Eussen has just spent four very busy days in Sussex. The highlight of this was a spectacular dinner at The Restaurant at Drakes Hotel where, with Head Chef Andrew Mackenzie, she cooked up a dinner that a friend has described as the culinary high point of his life in Brighton so far. I have to agree.

Throwing two head chefs into a kitchen together could be playing with fire. The concept always had an element of risk, but from the moment they met Audrey and Andy got on like a house on fire, each rising to the challenge, sharing ideas and skills to produce a spectacular dinner that wowed the assembled diners.

And what an assembly. We were honoured to have Peter Field and his wife Margaret in attendance in his official capacity as the Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex. I have met Peter many times now and he is as enthusiastic about great cuisine as he is about the county and we are thrilled to have his support. I shared a table with them and also Andy Shearer and his wife Gayle of Drakes Hotel and Chris Beaumont of Beaumont Hotel Maastricht.

We started in the bar (of course) sampling the new Victoria wine from Ridgeview Estate in Ditchling before taking our seats at dinner.

I had spent the entire day in the kitchens with the team filming the event as part of a forthcoming Latest TV programme so none of the dishes were going to be a surprise for me, but seeing the looks on the faces of our guests was almost as delicious as the food itself.

We started with smoked loin of Limburg pork, the sweetest and most delicate of dishes served with black pudding. The pork, smoked that morning in the kitchen, was superb and I loved the mustard bavarois. It was followed by a beautiful oyster with a delicate cucumber jelly and smoked trout, once again made that day.

To follow came a dish that will be hard to beat this year. White Limburg asparagus in white asparagus soup with griddled turbot and more asparagus. We don’t really do much white asparagus here and if we do it tends to be tinned or very expensive. Chef Audrey had wrested the season’s first from her Limburg supplier and brought it with her. God knows what it cost, a small fortune I have no doubt, but my word it was epic. As was the turbot landed that morning and supplied by Brighton and Newhaven Fish Supplies. The soup was velvet smooth, creamy but light and the fish as good as it gets. The dining room was united in praise for this dish.

And that praise continued when a dish of Limburg veal, cheek, loin and sweetbread followed it out. Each part perfectly cooked and perfectly presented. This was certainly food to match, challenge even, the excellent standards set by Andrew Mackenzie at Drakes.

Cheese had been our only trauma of the day. Audrey’s Limburg cheeses had not arrived and an alternative had to be found. Cue the great cheeses of Sussex, a fine plate that I have no doubt we will be taking to Maastricht on the return leg of International Chef Exchange, when we present Andrew Mackenzie to the food lovers of Maastricht. And food lovers they are, passionate as we are about local produce and seasonality. The city boasts seven Michelin stars and is the only place in the world to have two, Michelin starred restaurants in one street, just metres apart.

We finished on a high note with a delicious vanilla panacotta served with rhubarb, rhubarb sorbet and rhubarb liqueur sauce. A brilliant balance of sweet, creamy and sharp and as pretty as a picture.

With the food we also tired some excellent Dutch wines, currently receiving similar international acclaim to those of Sussex.
The bar has been set high for leg two in Maastricht but I am sure that Chef Andy will rise to it and I will be on hand with the Latest TV crew to record the entire event.
Drakes Hotel, Bar and Restaurant, 43-44 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1PE, 01273 696934, www.drakesofbrighton.com