Spring Blossom Dinner with Chef Daphne Cheng

The Seed

Pop-Up Dinner

April 18, 2015

The Seed is an organization promoting a plant-based and eco lifestyle. On Saturday, April 18, 2015, they launched their first pop-up dinner at The Altman Building (135 West 18th Street) with a five-course meal prepared by Chef Daphne Cheng.

The dinner was to start at 8 p.m., but when we arrived a long line was still waiting outside the building. It was obvious that they were running late. Luckily, the wait wasn’t too bad, as it happened to be the first 80-degree evening of the year.

They finally started seating at around 8:30.

Venue was large and spacious.

Table seating was set up to encourage mingling and meeting other guests. Two long table rows were arranged in the center of the room.  You were able to sit on either side of the table, and you were free to choose where you wished to sit and to whom you wished to be seated next to.

Table setting was minimal. White tablecloths with flowers arranged in a simple glass.

A bottle of Happy Tree’s organic Maple Water was also part of every table setting. It tasted very similar to coconut water. They also offered tap water, upon request. We luckily realized that once the meal started. Once the courses began to be served, we found the Maple Water a bit too heavy and conflicting with the various tastes.

As soon as we were seated, they offered wine options. We selected the Orleans Hill Zinfandel, which was an organic red. Bottle illustration was interesting as it featured a Don Quixote figure facing windmills.

We quickly switched to a white Chardonnay from The Vine—a vegan wine from California. They fine the wine using a clay-based alternative as opposed to using the more common practice of animal products to filter the wine. The Chardonnay tasted of apples and pears, with citrus notes. And the bottle design was lovely. A perfect selection for spring, summer, or autumn.

We soon, however, switched over to a more interesting and refreshing libation: Cliffton Dry sparkling apple cider.

We fortuitously found ourselves seated across from the owner and creator of Cliffton Dry. Inspired from her days of growing up in South Africa and drinking sparkling apple cider on the beach, she wanted to introduce that experience to America.

Organically made in the Finger Lakes, Cliffton Dry is sugar-free and gluten-free. It’s the perfect accompaniment with a light meal and makes one think of summer while drinking it. Goes perfectly with cheese plates and any gelato/sorbet desserts. Would definitely purchase, and glad to learn that they are coming out with 750 ml bottles. The current bottling would be suitable for a single serving and may be confused with bottle of soda or beer.

Onto the five-course meal, itself. It was a very clean, refreshing, light meal. Unfortunately, no detailed menu was provided as the chef, Daphne Cheng, an inventive, young chef, likes to go to the farmer’s market and select fresh items and make up a menu on the fly. I like to compare it to having a meal prepared by a contestant competing on the Food Network’s show Chopped.

First course was a kale, arugula, mixed potato salad. Most interesting part of this course, were the black potatoes—coloring was actually closer to a deep purple, perhaps even comparable to the coloring of eggplants. Really hearty and delicious. Favorite course of the meal.

 Second course was a butternut squash puree, comparable to a cold soup.

Third course was a mix of grains, mushrooms, and crispy bacon mushrooms. A bit too nutty and grainy for my liking.

Fourth course was mix of cheeses and chocolates and grapes. Each diner's plate was served a different type of cheese and chocolate.  Cheeses were very light and the Cliffton Dry sparking cider was a perfect accompaniment.

Final course was a pistachio-flavored ice cream with melon and pistachio nuts. Very refreshing.

At the end of the evening, we were able to meet with the chef—Daphne Cheng, who kindly took a picture with the owner of Cliffton Dry sparkling wine—Shelagh D’Arcy-Hinds. Daphne Cheng’s new restaurant Exhibit C. is slated to open Summer 2015 in downtown Manhattan.

Great conversation, accompanied by a light, refreshing meal made for a lovely spring evening.