Hôtel des Arts Saigon - MGallery - Luxury hotel - SECRETS BEHIND THE CULINARY ART OF FOOD PLATING AT SOCIAL CLUB RESTAURANT

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?

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 flavors. 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.

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 colors and textures of every item on the dish “pop.”

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.

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, colorful, 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.

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 flavors as well.

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 flavor 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.

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.