From the breezy cliff top di Mare restaurant at Karma Kandara, Bali to the plush Tempest Restaurant at the historical Karma Salford Hall, UK, dining out Karma style is always an unforgettable experience.
It’s not just the quality of the food that inspires but also the colours and textures. With this in mind, here are four creative ideas on how to present a soiree to impress your guests…
The Arrival : A shellfish tower with Champagne!
Set the tone of your dinner party with a shellfish tower and free flowing Champagne! All you need is a two or three tiered plate for the display and then decorate this by arranging fresh crabs, oysters, prawns, caviar and lobster with style. Shellfish towers work fabulously as your arrival ‘centrepiece’ and are a great conversation starter.. Get creative with the sauces and flavours – although be mindful not to have too many conflicting flavours. Serve with a glass of Champagne to get the party started.
Entrée aesthetics
Take your entrée to the next level and make it an eye-watering experience. Play with the colour scheme – bold and contrasting colours can look dynamic. For example, a Christmas salad theme could be a mix of red white and green including red radishes, small red tomatoes, white feta cheese and a sprinkle of green rocket. For a sexy and luscious look bring in figs, oysters and beautifully shaped chillies and truffles – all of which bring beauty to the plate.
Restaurant worthy main courses
There are so many ways to make your main dish restaurant worthy. If you are serving a medium rare steak, slice it at a 45 degree angle to show off the quality of the meat. Decorating your meat, fish or tofu with an edible flower, a herb, a spice or a sprinkle of microgreens takes it to another level. For wellness advocates, move the vegetables to the centre of the plate and leave the meat as a condiment. Artichoke and cauliflower are already natural works of beauty and can be artfully presented to wow your guests.
The finale : Eye-candy dessert boards
Dessert boards are so in vogue this year! All you need is a big wooden board and decorate it with small morsels that are easy to pick up as finger food. Get creative with your shapes, flavours and colour schemes. For example, create a beautiful array of rich colours using cherries, strawberries and different coloured macaroons. Add some savory by arranging sticks of celery and carrot and slices of refreshing mango alongside Camembert cheese and biscuits. Decorate with chocolates and flowers. Your guests will be talking about this long after they have departed.
