THE RICH heritage and exquisite silk styling of Jim Thompson are now reflected in the delicate Thai cuisine of its new fine-dining restaurant, Spirit.

Located on quiet and shady Soi Som Khit in downtown Bangkok, the restaurant exudes harmony with its lush green garden, covered patio and glass-wrapped indoor dining areas. There are welcome echoes of the splendid architecture at Jim Thompson House, similarly set in a tropical garden.

Spirit, a new restaurant by Jim Thompson, boasts a warm ambience, with glass panels overlooking a lush green garden.

Boiffils Studio – which conceived the revamped Emporium and Siam Paragon – has fashioned the restaurant from two connected mid-century houses, retaining existing big trees. The place is further warmed by wooden floors, custom-made furnishings, wall coverings and pivoting fabric panels in the nostalgic sepia tones of Jim Thompson prints that evoke New York’s Central Park.

The outdoor bar and covered terrace up front area are perfect for an aperitif or digestif with their views of the surrounding vegetation. Adjacent is a large windowed kitchen where the chefs can be observed at their labours. The restaurant can accommodate 72 guests inside and 37 outdoors.

The menu created by Montri Virojnvechapant is billed as contemporary Thai cuisine and about 25 per cent of the dishes are complemented by flourishes of Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Peranakan Chinese, reflecting the cultural adventurism of the original Jim Thompson, the American silk magnate who began all of this.

Montri learned how to make classic Thai dishes from Mom Pattama Chakrapan Na Ayutthaya, who prepared meals at Sukhothai Palace for Queen Rambai Barni, Queen Consort to King Rama VII.

“Though we maintain the authenticity with complex layers of taste, we’ve deconstructed the dishes to give them modern flair,” says Montri.

The curry pastes are pounded in-house with a mortar and pestle and the coconut cream is made fresh every day.

Many chemical-free ingredients come straight from the Jim Thompson Farm in Pak Thong Chai, Nakhon Ratchasima, including the rice grown and milled there.

“The farm can now supply jasmine and sticky rice, free-range duck eggs, snakehead fish and catfish, coconuts and tamarind paste,” says Montri, who credits his skills in modern Thai cuisine to his master, ML Tor Kridakorn. “We’re planting sugarcane, coconuts and water lilies there and digging more fish ponds. A 1,000-rai area is being developed as an organic farm.”

The dishes at Spirit can be ordered a-la-carte and in a tasting menu – five courses for dinner for Bt1,500 or Bt2,000, and four for lunch for Bt800.

Amuse bouche

Montri offers me samples from the three tasting menus, starting with an amuse bouche of four morsels inspired by classic dishes from the four regions of Thailand.

Perched in a spoon is a boiled quail egg atop pounded, grilled eggplant with garlic, shallot and chilli. Corn som tum is given a contemporary twist with a dollop of spicy jelly stuffed with corn. A bite-sized, deep-fried coconut prawn, a droplet-shaped chicken cream eclair, and a southern-style, deep-fried fishcake with herbs, turmeric and shaved coconut round out the first offering of appetisers.

Appetisers

Four more titbits arrive. There’s miang kham, the traditional herbal snack here refined with a miang sauce of sugarcane and tamarind sharing a mesh ball with roasted cashew nuts, roasted julienne coconut, ginger, onion, chilli and a cube of lemon. All of this sits on a chaplu leaf.

Ray rai nah poo is bites of steamed rice-flour angel hair pasta topped with coconut crab mousse and infused with kaffir-lime juice. Goong chak pia is a toffee-shaped, deep-fried shrimp with plum sauce. And gaeng kra dang tom yum pla ga pong is a spicy terrine of snapper.

Luang Prabang Salad 

The refreshing Luang Prabang Salad (Bt240 on its own) is an adaptation of a famed dish of that Lao town. In the original version, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, watercress, mint, coriander and spring onion are topped with chopped peanuts, boiled egg, crispy shallots and creamy dressing. Thinly sliced cucumber plays a lead role at Spirit, as do cherry tomatoes, tomato wedges, Chinese celery, sliced spring onions, roasted cashew nuts, dried shrimp, steamed chicken and boiled quail eggs.

Gaeng liang fuk thong kati sod 

For soup, I opt for gaeng liang fuk thong kati sod (Bt250). Gaeng liang is traditionally a spicy mixed-vegetable soup with shrimp paste and peppercorns, but here we find pumpkin cream soup with coconut cream foam. Fragrant lemon basil still delights the nose. Alongside are thin, crisp pumpkin crackers.

Gaeng om nuea 

Another appealing soup is northeastern-style gaeng om nuea, which is normally made with chicken or pork and bears the distinctive scent of dill. At Spirit, Montri double-boils beef for a consomme and adds diced oxtail and dill, covering the dish with crispy puff pastry (Bt320).

Yum tua pu goong yang 

My main course is yum tua pu goong yang, spicy wing-bean salad with grilled prawn (Bt580). Here the beans aren’t chopped into small pieces as usual but cut into oblongs like French fries and steamed. Large, grilled tiger prawns are placed on top and the mix is dressed with slightly spicy nam yum and another boiled quail egg. Crunchy with roasted coconut, peanuts, shallots and garlic, the salad arrives with steamed rice, half dyed yellow with saffron and the rest green with pandan leaf.

“We don’t cook the rice from the farm in an electric cooker but a steamer,” says Montri. “Steaming is a slow process and produces fluffier, more tender rice.”

Pa naeng si klong nuea 

Another Thai classic, pa naeng nuea – beef in a curry of ground peanuts and coconut cream – is made here with Australian short ribs, creamy peanut red curry sauce and steamed pandan rice (Bt430).

Gaeng keaw wan si klong gae

Gaeng kaew wan (green curry, Bt470) is reinterpreted with a New Zealand lamb chop in curry dressing with mashed coconut. On the side are the meat of a young coconut and pickled green papaya carved into floral shapes.

Surprise of Lotus for dessert

For dessert, Surprise of Lotus is remarkable. Sharing the plate are a cake of steamed lotus stems atop julienne coconut meat, lotus-stem meringue tart, and coconut ice cream made with lotus root and stem.

Petit fours

The culinary adventure ends with petit fours, but the serving is five morsels. You get the baked cake kanom farang kudee jeen, Thai-Muslim butter cake kanom badin, Thai-style shortbread keep lum duan, the crown-like thong ek, and kanom hun tra (steamed mung beans wrapped with egg nut).

The food is unwaveringly pleasing to both palate and eye. Food stylist Ekarin Yusuksomboon came up with the lovely plating design.

The “Shadows” pattern on the dinnerware by Patra Porcelain depicts shadows of plants growing at Jim Thompson House, based on the design by designer Paul Heredia.

APPEALING, SURPRISING

Spirit is on Bangkok’s Soi Som Khit, right next door to Central Chidlom.

It’s open daily for lunch (noon to 3) and dinner (6 to 11).

Make reservations at (02) 017 7268-9 or http://www.SpiritJimThompson.com.

Its Hanuman Bar has unveiled the Lady Kempinski Afternoon Tea inspired by the renowned English tradition. It offers a fantastic selection of sweet and savoury delicacies.

Highlights include Thai mango chocolate tart, forest honey lavender eclair, soft lemon chiffon cake and the quintessential freshly baked scones (plain and with raisins) served with Devonshire clotted cream, passionfruit curd and raspberry jam.

The afternoon tea set also features salmon tartar on pumpernickel bread with sour cream and salmon roe, and a flaked spinach turnover. There is an extensive choice of Ronnefeldt tea blends and freshly brewed Lavazza coffee.

The Lady Kempinski Afternoon Tea costing Bt7500-plus is presented daily from 2 to 5pm. Book your table at (02) 162 9000 or hanuman.siambangkok@kempinski.com.

The Michelin one-star Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin has the “Mini-Summer Journey”, borrowing from the Journey set dinner menu that has proved to be exceedingly popular at the restaurant.

“We want our lunch guests to enjoy a similar experience, but we also realise they may have limited time to enjoy our tempting eight-course menu. That’s why I have prepared a shortened version,” says head chef Chayawee Sutcharitchan.

The Mini-Summer Journey includes fascinating interpretations of Thai street food (Chiang Mai sausage and chicken satay with peanut ice cream), followed by four courses and concluding with petits four.

The four-course set menu includes roasted foie gras with mushroom ravioli, five-spices pork ravioli and mushroom bouillon; Maine lobster salad and frozen red curry, slow-cooked beef rib with oyster sauce, and the all-time favourite mango with sticky rice.

New summer a-la-carte menu choices include spicy salad with pomelo, cucumber, lemongrass, spring onion with raw Hokkaido scallop; butter-poached king crab with celery, apple and ginger; and pistachio souffle served with pandan ice cream and pandan noodles.

It costs Bt1,850-plus. Call (02) 162 9000 or email srabua.siambangkok@kempinski.com.

The restaurant serves comfort food that Goldstein has sampled in his 38 years of travels around the world as a chef. The menu encompasses Spanish, Italian, Mexican and Japanese favourites, and even one or two Thaiinspired dishes.

“The idea is to make you feel relaxed and welcome,” he says.

Pledging high quality and standards, he insists on perfection and is involved with every aspect of the business, from the conception of the idea to the menu design and staff selection and training.

Goldstein has also selfpublished two cookbooks, “Harlan’s Undressed Dinner Collection” and “The Gold Collection by Harlan Goldstein”.

After successfully opening three restaurants on Hong Kong’s Lyndhurst Terrace – EeDaLe, Mamasita’s Cantina and My Thai Thai – Goldstein decided last year to open his first in Thailand.

His story began in the kitchen of his uncle’s New York City restaurant. At age 14, his career kicked off with a training placement in a Florida kitchen, and soon after he shipped off for a formal apprenticeship at the prestigious Montreaux Palace Hotel in Switzerland.

There, he worked alongside 80 Frenchspeaking chefs and returned to several prestigious roles back in the United States.

At 28 he was appointed executive chef at ShangriLa’s China World Hotel in Beijing, beginning his culinary foray into Asia, which also included a fruitful two years in Bangkok to study Thai cuisine.

After bringing fine dining to Hong Kong’s Aberdeen Marina Club, he established the club’s reputation among tycoons and prominent entrepreneurs. The club renamed its main restaurant Harlan’s.

Goldstein’s dream of opening his own restaurant was realised when, in 2004, he opened Harlan’s at IFC. The restaurant gained rapid renown and quickly paved the way for the opening of three more offvenue concepts at IFC: H One, The Box and G Bar.

Find out more at http://www.ComfortByHarlan.com.

This combination is the first pairing in Thailand of Chinese mooncakes with a French tea brand and promises pleasure for all the senses.

The Peninsula’s egg custard mooncakes are handmade according to a traditional Hong Kong recipe to ensure the finest quality texture and flavour. This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 24, and these treats for sharing among family and friends are perfectly matched with Mariage Freres black tea – a blend of fruits, rare spices and sweet taste of honey.

As a meaningful celebration of the hotel’s 20th anniversary this year, a limited edition mooncake gift box is being presented with proceeds from sales going to fund scholarships for underprivileged Thai students who dream of studying art. The box is crafted by up-and-coming artist Phannapast Taychamaythakool and can be reused as a multi-purpose box or clutch bag.

The hotel started baking and selling egg custard mooncakes in 2000 and by 2016 had sold three million pieces. Chinese cuisine executive chef Ball Yau and his team at Mei Jiang meticulously handcraft each mooncake using a closely guarded recipe originally created by The Peninsula Hong Kong in 1986. The Peninsula Bangkok inherited this fine tradition, and the mooncakes are sold in octagonal boxes of eight as the Chinese word for eight sounds similar to the words meaning “prosperity” and “good fortune”, wishes exchanged between family and friends during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This year, the egg custard mooncake and premium French tea pairing shares the same auspicious number theme from Hong Kong culture, with 8 mooncakes, octagonal box, plus 28 grammes of tea totalling 44, and 4+4 = 8. The eight-piece mooncake set is priced at Bt980 net, and Bt1,380 net when paired with a 28-gramme box of Mariage Freres tea, and can be purchased from August 1 to September 24 at The Peninsula Boutique and the pop-up store at Siam Paragon.

To make an order, call (02) 020 2888, or email diningpbk@peninsula.com. They can also be purchased online, at http://www.peninsula.com/bangkok

THERE’S NOTHING fancy about Samyan Seafood (39) on Bangkok’s Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Road. The three-storey Chinese restaurant is distinctly old fashioned, with chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings, columns covered with Chinese characters, marble on the floor and big round tables with Lazy Susan trays on top to bring each dish within the reach of individual diners.

The Chinese and seafood dishes are designed for family feasts, made with the freshest premium ingredients and presented without frills. The must-try dish is stir-fried sea crab with curry sauce that the restaurant guarantees nowhere else can offer in the same portion and of the same quality at the same price.

The large Chinese restaurant Samyan Seafood (39) boasts a charming old-fashioned ambience.

“We use only white mud crab for its succulently rich, sweet and firm texture. Many people think that the bigger the crab, the more crabmeat they get. That’s false. Actually, a 800 or 900-gram crab is the best size, giving the largest quantity of meat and the richest natural sweet taste,” says Ekachai Tangsinpoonchai, the second-generation owner.

Ekachai’s grandfather was a major crab dealer in Yaowarat – Bangkok’s Chinatown – bringing in different crabs sourced in local and neighbouring countries. His father expanded the business by opening the original restaurant Samyan Seafood in the Samyan area off Rama IV Road in 1983. The restaurant relocated to its more spacious venue at the current location in 1996 and the “39” is a nod to 2539, the Buddhist Era digits for that year.

Ekachai Tangsinpoonchai shows the difference between white and black mud crabs.

“With our long experience in the crab business, we guarantee that no other restaurant offers the same quality, size and price. If you have found one and can prove it, then you dine here for free,” he says with a confident grin.

The best value-for-money deals are the six food sets priced at Bt5,000, Bt6,000, Bt8,000, Bt9,000, Bt11,000 and Bt16,000 for six to 10 people. I opt for a nine-course set at Bt6,000, which kicks off with an hors d’oeuvre of fried shrimp balls, drunken chicken, jellyfish with sesame oil, and fried minced shrimp wrapped with tofu skin (Bt500 a la carte).

 Hors d’oeuvres 

The second dish is brown soup – your choice of fish maw or shark fin (Bt1,000 for small a la carte or Bt2,000 for large). Then comes the signature dish of stir-fried crab in curry powder (Bt1,600 a la carte) that almost every table orders. The 800- or 900-gram crab is cooked with an aromatic curry powder and goose egg.

 Stir-fried crab in curry powder 

“The goose eggs give a smoother texture than hen or duck eggs and they absorbs the curry powder sauce very well, making the dish succulent and rich,” says Ekachai.

Peking duck

No true Cantonese feast is complete without roasted Peking duck and here the duck’s crispy skin is sheared off bit by bit for rolling into palm-sized steamed pancakes along with pieces of cucumber and spring onion before being dressed with thick, sweet and pungent hoisin sauce.

 Stir-fried shrimp with oyster sauce and ginkgo nuts 

Next up is stir-fried shrimp with oyster sauce and ginkgo nuts (Bt600-Bt800 a la carte). The shrimp flesh is fresh and firm while the ginkgo nuts are chewy.

Goby fish is usually steamed due to its friable flesh but Samyan Seafood offers battered wok-fried fish fillets tossed with roasted pine nuts (Bt800 a la carte)

 Fried goby fish fillets with pine nuts 

“The fish fillets are fried in high heat and a chef just moves the wok several times to ensure the flesh is not broken. It requires great cooking skill because even when steaming the flesh of this fish flakes into fragments. It’s best eaten no more than three minutes after serving,” says Ekachai.

Stir-fried wheat noodles with seafood

Then comes stir-fried wheat noodles with shrimp, crabmeat and mushroom (Bt250-Bt500 a la carte). The dish, which is reasonably dry and doesn’t have an oily taste, gives off a complex smoky flavour imparted by a hot wok during cooking.

Hot pot of fish’s head with taro 

Then it’s time for hot pot of fish’s head with taro (Bt500 a la carte), which combines a mild herbal taste with the naturally sweet flavour of taro. The course ends with sweet mashed taro with sticky rice and ginkgo nuts in syrup (Bt250-Bt500 a la carte).

Sweet mashed taro with sticky rice and ginkgo nuts 

The restaurant, which is equivalent in size to 14 shophouses, can accommodate 100 tables |(each for 10) on the first and |mezzanine floors. The 12 private rooms are on the second floor and can each take about 10 diners each. |The third floor is an old-fashioned banqueting hall that can accommodate 100 to 500 guests and is particularly popular for Chinese wedding ceremonies.

SENSATIONS FROM THE SEA

Samyan Seafood (39) is on Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Road (BTS: Chong Nonsi station) is open daily for lunch from 11 am to 2.30 and for dinner, from 5.30 to 10pm.

Make a reservation at |(02) 678 2020 or visit http://www.SamyanSeafood.com.

The three-day event at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre offers trades people Start-Up Village, housing brands that have been on the scene in Singapore for less than three years.

The Asia Food Innovation Awards highlight excellence across the F&B spectrum, from manufacturing to ingredients, packaging and finished products. There are 15 categories, such as best health/wellness product, best artisan product and best technology innovation. Winners receive an all-inclusive PR and media package to promote and publicise their success.

Speciality & Fine Food Asia will also host an Investor Pitching Series where potential startups will vie for an opportunity to pitch their ideas to stakeholders in the F&B industry.

Panel Discussions will feature industry experts in robust talks on emerging trends and current business opportunities. Hosted Buyers, a group of senior buyers and decision-makers from outside Singapore, will be involved in priority business matching with suppliers and traders.

Isaac Mchale, chef-owner of the acclaimed one-Michelin-star restaurant the Clove Club in London, will demonstrate his craft.

The Gourmet Halal Trail will showcase the latest innovative halal produce, and a halal workshop will provide practical insights.

Thai visitors who register to attend Speciality & Fine Food Asia will be eligible to claim a S$50 prepaid MasterCard. Register at http://www.BLS-onlinereg.com/sffa-rpb-asia-2018/main/Welcome.aspx and use Thailand’s registration code – TH1838 – on the home page of the registration portal.

Beer Belly at 72 Courtyard invites all football fans to cheer their favourite teams during the live screenings by offering special food and booze packages, plus live bands and games until July 15 at 5pm until late.

Book your spot in advance to get limited Budweiser drawstring bag at (02) 392 7770.

Metro Lounge, on the ground floor of Grand Mercure Bangkok Fortune, is buzzing with excitement during the Football World Cup 2018!

Come and support your favourite team while enjoying a special World Cup menu especially designed for the next three exciting weeks. Special dishes include fresh oysters, nachos with tomato salsa, bratwurst with bread and a large plate of onion rings.

Guess the winning team and score and get special prizes at the end of the match. During the semi-finals and the final, you could a buffet dinner for two at One Rachada World restaurant to be enjoyed within two months, or a bottle of sparkling wine if you prefer to celebrate right after the match!

Riverside Grill at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers has a special Football Fan Zone for the live-streamed games from now until July 15 along with complimentary free flow draught beer from the match kick-off time until the first goal is scored (first half only), and free drink shots for every goal scored during the game. Prizes are also on hand for those who guess the right final results of the matches. A special VIP section can be reserved to allow you and your friends to get immersed in the game.

Gourmet Bar at Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square has erected a giant screen at the front of the hotel terrace and is offering World Cup-themed snacks including hot dog with mustard, chili cheese dog, chicken balti pie, pepper beef steak pie, grilled sausages with mashed potatoes and peas and nacho with dipping sauces starting at Bt100-plus.

And if you’d rather stay at home, Foodpanda Thailand lets you make game nights even more enjoyable by pairing cuisines from around the world with amazing deals throughout the season.

Supporting Team Mexico is the Sunrise Tacos Mexican Grill on Sukhumvit Road, and Bowlito the Mexican Kitchen on Wireless Road, with free delivery on every order,

Team Japan comes with Chabuton Ramen offering 10 pieces of gyoza for free on all orders of Bt500 from its Central Rama 9 branch; free delivery on orders from Sushi BuNe on Thonglor Soi 4-6, and free chicken nuggets with orders of Bt399 from Gold Curry on Sukhumvit Soi 39.

Team Australia is at Outback Steakhouse, Siam Discovery with free delivery; Team Spain is celebrated at Barcelona Gaudi with 50-per-cent discounts on all egg and omelette dishes, and Team England gets the cheers at London Pie andBourbon Street Restaurant, with free BBQ ribs with coleslaw with all orders of boiled craw fish. Dae Jang Guem supports Team Korea with free delivery on all orders while Team Iran supporters can munch free pita bread with all orders above Bt300 at Al Rawche on Sukhumvit Soi 5, Al Saray on Silom Soi 2, Daniel Thaiger on Sukhumvit Soi 30/1 and Hooters on Sukhumvit Soi 4.

Chocolate was first introduced to Europe in the 1550s and Movenpick’s properties across the region are honouring this in many different ways. Movenpick Hotel Hamburg is recreating the city’s skyline using chocolate pralines, desserts and bites in an eyecatching display.

Movenpick Hotel Stuttgart Airport offers an exquisite tasting experience giving guests the chance to try orangechocolate chips, white chocolate with berries or egg liqueurfilled chocolates. Movenpick Hotel Istanbul is succulent with a chocolate fountain and truffle chocolates handdecorated by talented chefs.

Movenpick Resort Soma Bay in Egypt where the hunt is on to find the “magic nut” in the housemade chocolate and Movenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse offers a magnificent buffet of homemade chocolate, local delights and seasonal fruits.

In Asia, Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu is using locally grown cocoa to create special Filipinoinspired treats that not only introduce guests to local delicacies but also support the island’s agricultural workers.

Here in Thailand, Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel in Chiang Mai is concocting a Swiss chocolate dip to accompany a traditional northern Thai snack – crispy rice cakes (khao tan) with traditional watermelon sauce. Movenpick Hotel Colombo chefs are mastering the art of using traditional Sri Lankan ingredients such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and chilli to make the “best chocolates in town”.

In the Middle East, Movenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay Aqaba focuses on family fun, with chefs, parents and kids creating chocolate displays together. Movenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate Dubai offers an extravagant jewelleryinspired affair with exquisite golddusted chocolate medallions, handcrafted chocolate jewellery and edible diamonds handmade by the pastry team, while Movenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah makes chocolate crepes the hero in a special live cooking session that tantalises the tastebuds.

Find out more at http://www.Movenpick.com.

IN THE inaugural Michelin Guide Bangkok published late last year, Tables Grill at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok was among the 76 dining venues awarded Michelin plates in recognition of good cooking with fresh ingredients.

Aiming next for a Michelin star, the European-food restaurant is taking an exciting fine-dining direction under the baton of the new chef de cuisine Hans Zahner.

Hailing from Paris, Zahner previously worked at Les 3 Domes in Lyon and with celebrated chef Alain Ducasse at his eponymous restaurant in Paris.

Bangkok is the second city in Asia where Zahner has headed culinary operations, following nearly three years at the Peninsula Shanghai’s Michelin-star Sir Elly’s.

New chef de cuisine Hans Zahner 

“I had a chance to travel to many cities in China, Vietnam and Thailand and I realised that Asian people generally don’t like French food, which they find too heavy and creamy,” says Zahner, who joined Tables Grill in April. “I use traditional French techniques, but I want to give these classic dishes a fresh and healthy spin, using seasonal ingredients.”

As he prepares to revamp the whole menu in August, Zahner is introducing himself to the regulars with a sampling of his capabilities in a six-course degustation menu costing Bt2,900-plus per diner.

“The idea is to sate the appetite but not get too full,” he says. “The weather here is hot, so people can’t eat too much foie gras. Premium sea bream and salmon are better choices for a light and healthy meal.”

Amuse-bouche

The feast begins with breads and truffle butter, followed by an amuse-bouche with a shot of tomato foam and tomato confit served with a shard of mackerel on a radish.

Then comes David Herve Boudeuse Oyster, a small, round variety from the David Herve farm in France that’s admired for its sweet and succulent flesh. Served on a bed of blue rock salt that mimics the sea, the mollusc is lightly tossed with a lemony condiment and lemongrass jelly and capped with two tiny morsels of Granny Smith apple and beetroot puree.

David Herve Boudeuse Oyster

Zahner claims Tables Grill is the only restaurant in Bangkok using premium Brittany royal sea bream for its tartare instead of the usual tuna. The diced fish is dressed with Moulin du Calanquet extra virgin olive oil from France, which the chef likes for its robust yet delicate taste, a good complement to the firm-textured fish.

On top goes Kristal caviar – the roe of Schrencki sturgeon farmed in China. The dark eggs are plump, briny and buttery, with a nice pop and a clean finish.

Brittany Royal Sea Bream Tartare

All this rests on water carrot jelly, a rather complicated creation, says the chef. Carrot juice is slowly heated and stiffened with egg white, forming a fine mesh screen that works like a strainer to produce a clear consomme. The juice is then strained with three layers of fine-mesh fabric and gelatin is added.

Alaskan King Crab with Red Curry

The Alaskan King Crab sees the meat, tomato confit and lime skin beneath curry custard, coriander leaves, curry foam and a galangal emulsion, the effect being slightly spicy, sour and sweet. The foam is also drizzled with red cabbage powder.

Confit Wild Canadian Salmon

Next up is Confit Wild Canadian Salmon, of which Zahner carefully selects only the red flesh, drawing 12 fillets from the whole salmon. These are cooked sous-vide for 20 minutes at 47 degrees Celsius and garnished with Tasmanian black truffle. A zucchini cooked with Hormardine sauce makes a fine companion.

Roasted Australian Lamb

The main course is Roasted Australian Lamb. This is grass-fed tenderloin also prepared sous-vide and then roasted. On the side is carrot mille-feuille – 20 layers of finely sliced and baked carrot beneath carrot foam, all dressed with cumin sauce.

If you’re no fan of lamb, you can ask for beef, pork or chicken instead.

Lemon Cream and Rhubarb Sorbet

The meal ends with a refreshing dessert of Lemon and Rhubarb – rhubarb sorbet, lemon cream, hazelnut crumble and raspberry puree.

Conceived by New York-based designer Tony Chi, the dining room can seat 100 people amid Old World furnishings, vintage tiling and rattan partitions, all made in Thailand under Chi’s supervision. In a playful touch, cartoon chef figurines gaze down from the ceiling’s corners.

Around the room are five cooking stations where dishes like champagne risotto, tomahawk steak and creme brulee are prepared in full view. Away from the crowd are two luxurious private rooms – the 12-seat Chamber and 32-seat Cellar.

Tables Grill is aiming next for a Michelin star, with a new executive chef leading the campaign.

Tables Grill serves dinner daily except Sunday, when there’re a champagne brunch and the special a-la-carte menu including Half Boston Lobster Thermidor, Pan-fried Duck Liver and Poached Egg Penne Gratin. It costs Bt3,999-plus with free-flowing Louis Roederer Champagne, and Bt2,800-plus without.

SAMPLE ALL THAT’S NEW

Dinner is served from 6 to 10pm at Tables Grill at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok in the Ratchaprasong intersection.

Make reservations at (02) 254 6250 or http://www.TablesGrill.com.

The choice of culinary delights includes sweet and meaty Taraba king crab, plump Hokkaido scallops, delicious botan ebi shrimps and highly prized Satsuma beef.

The Occident and Orient combine in a marriage of culinary know-how and exquisite taste as these seasonal Japanese favourites are prepared with French savoir-faire, while Taraba crab open sandwich with konbu wafer is filled with avocado and pickled vegetables.

Also on offer are a nage – a savoury broth of Hokkaido scallops – and botan ebi sauteed with small vegetables, shimeji and mitsuba. There’ll be Hirame flounder with grated yuzu, celeriac, red sorrel and toasted matcha jus. And there’ll be succulent Satsuma beef garlic cromesquis served with daikon filled with bone marrow and olive licorice.

The prices start from Bt690.

Find out more at (02) 687 9000 and http://www.OkuraBangkok.com.