/ Reviews / Fusion
Variations on a Theme of Authenticity
by Tom Lee
on Friday, June 03, 2011 12:00 AM
Initial impressions on entering The Food Central are, basically, high-end food court. Its name and the multiple stations creating pizza, sushi, steak, noodles and salads lend credit to this assumption.
However, to call it a food court really does the owners a grave injustice. It certainly has an air of informality - dishes arrive separately as they are cooked from the three areas ("Grill, Salad and Pizza", "Asian Hot" and "Asian Cold") - but this is tempered by a keen attention to the provenance of the vegetables and meats, combined with the unique approach of Group Executive Chef Mark Baar, who helms all of the Collective Concepts' food, including The Apartment, The Food Central and soon-to-open The Geisha.
Mark Baar certainly seems to have a strong, even domineering idea of the restaurant's food aesthetics. Combining aspects of Asian, American and European cuisine, he eschews trying to recreate strictly authentic dishes, instead opting for his own version, taking the traditional idea and adding some self-conceived flourishes to the recipe. For instance, his Wild Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Caesar (RMB40) substitutes romaine lettuce for cold bok choi, and liberally tops it with crisp slices of onion and plump fungi.
Pizzas come as round or oval, each with an idiosyncratic moniker. The Boar with a Green Thumb (RMB95) bursts with fresh arugula and juicy tomato chunks, filled out with home-made Italian sausage. It arrives at the table in remarkably quick time thanks to the extremely hot, custom-made oven, which bakes the dough in under four minutes.
Eating in the restaurant is just one part of The Food Central's master plan. Innumerable drinks are available, from wine at RMB45 a glass, to some superbly managed cocktails classics - like the Pimm's Cup (RMB60) - to more unusual mixes such as the Ever Green (RMB65), made with white rum, plum wine and lychees. Downstairs, a nascent deli stocks cheese, cold cuts and some salads so you can take away a soupcon of the kitchen's creations.
An intercontinental smorgasbord of dishes, each cooked with an original twist.
