INGLORIOUS PERFECTIONS

As the final act of creation and the first element to leave an impression, the plating of a dish plays a crucial role in any dining experience. But what exactly does good plating look like today?

- Gavin Yeung

It begins simply, with a circular base of light pink and white cubes of kombucured hamachi and pickled jicama, daikon and green apple against a pure white plate. Then, a diaphanous apple cider gelée cut to the exact same diameter of the base is gently laid atop, flecks of dill, marigold petals and fennel pollen suspended within it glistening in the light. Then there are more layers, as a quenelle of golden smoked pike roe is laid alongside emerald-hued nasturtium leaves atop the gelée. Finally, the entire affair is crowned by a brilliant red nasturtium blossom, while a deep green sauce of nasturtium and lemon verbena whey surrounds the assemblage.

The dish—a seasonal addition to the tasting menu at Central finecasual restaurant Cultivate—is a stunner with its bold swathes of red, yellow and green, yet for chefpatron Leonard Cheung, plating comes only a distant third among his priorities while designing a dish.

“If you think too much about the plating, it’ll look like a clusterf **k. It’ll be too much stuff—to the point where it doesn’t look delicious anymore.”

Indeed, plating is an oft-cited point of contention in the world of modern fine dining—one that came under the microscope as diners moved away from delicately arranged morsels to more homey comfort food over the course of the pandemic.