Embark on a Spanish Culinary Journey with a Michelin guest chef at OPUS 388

Mandarin Oriental, Shenzhen welcomes Michelin-starred chef Raul Balam from Mandarin Oriental,Barcelona for the fifth edition of its Guest Chef Table series at OPUS 388, the French restaurant located on the 77th floor, from Wednesday (July 31) until Aug. 4. Embark on a culinary expedition across Spain, savoring the gastronomic traditions unveiled by this dining opportunity. 

Chef Balam presents neo-traditional Catalan cuisine at the two-Michelin-starred Moments restaurantat Mandarin Oriental,Barcelona, where his mother, seven-Michelin-starchef Carme Ruscalleda, is director. The restaurant is noted for its exciting tasting menus and emphasis on using fresh, local, natural ingredients. Using top quality ingredients from the neighboring Maresme region, Balam and the Moments team add creative twists to old-style Catalan and Spanish favorites, to create beautifully presented exciting new dishes that have won over restaurant reviewers, hotel guests and other diners.

Chef Balam’s creativity is evident in other ways too. In particular, he has devised a series of innovative themed tasting menus for Moments. The first of these was “The Trip,” which was offered to diners in 2016. This delicious world tour on a dinner plate included dishes from destinations where Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has hotels, such as New York, Barcelona, Paris and Tokyo.

Another of Balam’s earlier tasting menus, “Inspired by the 7th Arts,” was dedicated to cinema, with dishes representing iconic movies such “Pulp Fiction,” “Diamonds for Breakfast” and “Finding Nemo.” The third menu, “Ecosystems,” was a tribute to nature in which diners discovered deserts, mountains, and oceans through taste. The fourth menu was “The Opera.” Served on opera-inspired crockery, these dishes make the world of opera come alive for guests’ tastebuds. There was also the menu called “Once Upon a Time” dedicated to classical fairytales where Balam expressed his creativity and imagination in dishes making reference to popular local stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood,” “H?nsel and Gretel” or “The Three Little Pigs.” 

The Guest Chef Table at OPUS 388, offering an intimate and exclusive dining space, will allow guests to witness Michelin master chef’s culinary expertise firsthand, and interact with the chef for sharing the insights into his culinary journey.