The Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner

When I spoke to my friends who make up the  Norwegian Flying Culinary Circus Troupe particularly Chef Hans-Kristian Larsen via email and found out that they were not coming for the Annual Norwegian Gala Dinner, due to the fact that their schedule was tighter than Ebenezer Scrooge’s purse and also the fact that they were geographically challenged, i.e. half way on the other side of earth in the US, I was gutted.

I mean those talented, super lanky, golden haired boys with baby-blue eyes made the previous dinner such an entertaining event that it would be a shame to miss them this time round. However, once I laid eyes on the food at hand, I soon forgot them.

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The Norwegian Embassy hosts its annual Seafood Gala Dinner every year, around the month of October. This year it was held on Friday, the 22nd of  October at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.

A spectacular seafood buffet was specially crafted out by renowned chef Frank Naesheim and his team. Can you imagine the amount of planning that would have gone into flying all that seafood out here to Kuala Lumpur from Norway .. totally amazing. Not only that, the prowess of the Chefs would be tested in the Kitchen as well, as they prepared for the guests, a lavishly exquisite Seafood dinner in both Norwegian as well as Asian cooking styles. When I say lavish, I am talking Norwegian salmon and all its different forms, mackerel, Atlantic halibut, caviar, scallop, herring, crayfish and the magnificent king-crab.

Here are the photos of this amazing dinner:

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Chef Frank Naesheim

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At the dinner the Malaysian Norwegian Business Council (MNBC) Innovation Award was given out to an outstanding member of the council to acknowledge its excellent performance. It is also to recognize companies that have contributed to increasing business and cross-cultural understanding between Norway and Malaysia.

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Our Minister of Tourism Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen was amongst the luminaries who graced the event that night along with Mr Arild Braastad the Ambassador of Norway.

And the winner was … Wilhemsen Maritime Services! Mr Dag Schjerven President and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the Company.

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Just in case you are curious to know, five different criteria are used to judge the finalists. These include the ability to show excellence in:

1. a sustainable operation in Malaysia and develop a strategy to maintain its role as a key player

in the industry.

2. the ability to capture a significant market share and maintain market leader position.

3. commitment to technology transfer from the best practices in Norway to develop the

Malaysian workforce and contribute to Malaysia’s development within the industrial sectors.

4. social responsibility, contributing to socially significant activities that benefit the local

community

5. environmental awareness and action, with clearly defined strategies of implementing

environmental-friendly products and manufacturing processes in the Malaysian operation.

Wilhemsen Maritime Services won this award because they met and surpassed all the criteria above. Congratulations and well done!

About Norway

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Norway, a mountainous country, is particularly well known for its spectacular fjords and is often referred to as the land of the midnight sun. The Norwegian fjords have been listed by National Geographic as the world’s top tourist attraction. I have yet to see them but the gorgeous fjords are definitely on my list of things to see before I kick the bucket. Norway is highly developed and modern and the Norwegians have the second highest GDP per capita in the world.

Oil and gas, shipping, seafood from the ocean and aquaculture, and minerals have always been their economy’s strong backbone. Norway’s technological expertise in offshore-related goods and services is normally always in high demand, not to mention their expertise in the field of renewable energy such as hydropower and solar energy. Malaysia and Norway have common interests as both are oil and gas producing and exporting nations. Norwegian companies in Malaysia are diversified, from the maritime sector to telecommunications, ICT, chemicals (paint and fertilizers) and aluminium.

Of course Norway is famous for their seafood and that is partly the reason we are here tonight. To get stuffed on all this gorgeous, succulent fish and crustaceans. Both freshwater and saltwater fish abound. Salmon, trout, grayling, perch, and pike are common in the streams and lakes. Herring, cod, halibut, mackerel, and other species inhabit coastal waters. I guess you could say, this is one of the best countries for seafood!

About Chef Frank Naesheim

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Chef Frank Naesheim’s seafood dinners have become an annual highlight for the Norwegian business community in Malaysia and Singapore. Naesheim has worked in two and three-star Michelin restaurants in France. He was chef de cuisine at the Bagatelle in Oslo when it was awarded a Michelin star, the first restaurant in Norway to be honoured this way. Known as the Salmon King in Asia, Naesheim first came to work as executive chef at theVikings Restaurant in Singapore in 1987.

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Presenting, the Salmon King!

A few years later he established Snorre Food Pte Ltd, to import quality Norwegian seafood and focused on promoting it in Asia. He launched cooking competitions, focusing on salmon, as part of the Salon Culinaire, a high- profiled Asian culinary event in Singapore. If you are wondering why Naesheim is known as the Salmon King, it is because he has written a cookbook on Norwegian Salmon in Asia, produced recipe booklets for salmon and organised the Salmon Buffet of the Century in Singapore. He definitely is, all about the SALMON.

He has been guest chef in numerous food promotions in Asia and Norway. Naesheim has been serving on the Singapore Bocouse D’or committee since 2000 and is the director of Continental WACS Asia (World Association of Chefs Societies).

A big thank you to the lovely Marian Eu of Scribe Media Link for the invitation to attend this event!

More photos of the dinner:

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crawfish display

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caviar counter

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the ugly, but oh so delicious Monk-fish!

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King of the crabs.. King Crab!

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Add:Grand Ballroom ,1st Floor Mandarin Oriental,

Jalan Ampang,

Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 603 2380 8888
 

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