D'sens | Bangkok Post: Food

The Dusit Thani\'s gourmet French restaurant continues its close Michelin associations with an exciting new all-star chef

On the evidence of both references and dishes, D\'Sens seems to have pulled off another culinary coup in capturing Christian Ham as its new Chef de Cuisine. He\'s young, only 33, but he brings with him, believe it or not, 20 years\' experience in mainly multiply Michelin starred restaurants already.

Though perhaps not a role model for the aspiring chefs at the elitist Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School next door (he never did college), he\'s had some pretty fine teachers and a lot of aspiring chefs would kill for his resume.

Christian recalls that at the tender age of seven, he visited a restaurateur cousin in French-speaking Montreal  who asked him what he wanted to do. "Same as you" came the swift reply. And sure enough, at age 14 he started work in a kitchen. And not just any kitchen, mind you, but the 3 Michelin Star Crocodile owned by Philippe Braun in Strasbourg,  not far from Paris.

There he apprenticed for three years, two in the kitchen, two on pastry, before moving to the City of Light to another restaurant owned by Braun which had two Michelin stars. After another three years there, he joined Michel Del Burgo at a one Michelin star restaurant at the  Palace Hotel Bristol, an institution that still today defines Parisian haute hospitality chic. After that, it was on to the legendary 3 Michelin star Taillevent, again with Del Burgo, then three years as chef de cuisine at the famous Dalloyau in Paris.

He subsequently ran into Joel Robuchon who took him under his wing, spending time with him and Del Burgo, having a fling in Hong Kong at  the three star  l\'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, then returning to France where Del Burgo introduced him to Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, the internationally-renowned twin chefs who own the two-Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier and Sens & Saveurs in Japan and who are contracted to cover the cuisine at D\'Sens in the City of Angels.

Meanwhile, the Pourcel\'s are so impressed with Christian that, unusually for them, they have given him virtual carte blanch to overhaul the menu and engineer the most dramatic rethink in the restaurant\'s distinguished history. As luck would have it, the revamp coincides with small but significant hardware changes, with the addition of an elegant white-shuttered neo-colonial style private dining room at the far end and replacement of the diaphanous, vaguely Moroccan curtains that separated the lower from the higher dining levels, with glass panels framed in that distinctive Thai rococo style that, like the private room, echoes the hotel\'s venerable character more harmoniously.

I was there for lunch and while the restaurant\'s high-perch view of downtown Bangkok by night has a certain sexy ring to it, the bright light of midday imparts a refreshing sense of purity which the trendy, mainly shades of beige décor accentuates and complements with consummate sophistication.

One element that has not changed however is debonair Thomas Deledalle\'s excellent maitre d\' job, though there is an important change to his own circumstances, being recently married.

A tad busy, with two chamber parties and more guests in general than some snipers at the restaurant\'s high ideals might like to believe, Christian responded well to our pleas to perform so that we could make a swift return to our inboxes and, when he came out to greet us at the end, diplomatically made us feel less petulant  by remarking that good chefs thrive on pressure. "When you have to work instinctually because you don\'t have time to reflect, that\'s when your true ability comes to the fore; it\'s when you have time to hesitate that you are apt to make bad decisions."

Nevertheless, on the evidence of three dishes from Christian\'s Xmas Eve set menu tried and three from the new a la carte witnessed, one imagines he doesn\'t make many mistakes either way.

But first an amuse bouche and bread rolls.

The former was a beautiful small crayfish, like a pink and white armadillo hatchling, cooked in "a very natural style", swimming in a scarlet pool of smooth and subtle bell pepper sauce with micro salad leaves riding on its back. However, Christian has surprises in store for the festive menus, so don\'t count on that one exactly.

The excellent breads were accompanied by a long oblong dish on which was a long oblong block of fine Cherville French butter pointing towards a shooter of zucchini cream, the zucchini slow cooked in olive oil then blended with ricotta cheese and drizzled with, in this case, black olive but at Christmas fresh black truffle. It\'s the kind of flavour, not unlike a tartar but rather more sophisticated, that only the French know how.

My first actual course was pan-seared duck liver, grapes and chanterelles, Muscat reduction, baby salad leaves.  The prime French foie gras is marinated then simmered with Muscat wine. The serving includes a little chicken jus, jerolee chanterelle mushrooms prepared like pickles with vinegar, and peeled and pipped grapes. Thus the rich foie gras reigns imperial while being paid homage by the different acid forms in a way entirely complimentary.

My partner\'s appetizer was lobster bavaroise, unusual in this context for being an original Pourcel recipe from twenty years ago, admired and therefore resurrected by Christian. Corbione, or juice from white fish, is mixed with wine, orange, and vinegar to form the basis of a fresh fennel cream which is overlaid on crab meat before cauliflower buds are added at the end.

Next came a truly stunning dish; absolutely exquisite. A thick tongue of Dover sole, a prince among fish, steamed with cobrion with the jus used to make a sauce which is prepared from butter, leaks, champagne and cream. In the simple flat-bottomed bowl, the fish is crowned with a frisson of crispy fried leek and the sauce set with tomato dice and three large spoonfuls of the finest occietra caviar. What creaminess, wonderful fish and caviar and fragrance from the wine!

At this point my companion was on a dish from the businessmen\'s\' lunch menu, smoky seared scallops with eggplant caviar, porcini and Persley coulis.

And so to dessert which was the same for both of us: Chocolate moeleux with marrons glace, red fruit compote and cherrie sherbet, a fittingly grand finale.

There is no doubting that Christian is super talented and Bangkok gourmands are very lucky to have the Opportunity to experience his genius first-hand - and at local prices. Don\'t miss it.

D\'SENS FESTIVE MENU

CHRISTMAS EVE

24 Dec 2011

7 courses Bt4,000++

with wine Bt5,200++

- Amuse Bouche Boston lobster carpaccio Celeriac remoulade with black truffle, mesclun frise salad, shellfish sabayon scented with cognac

- Pan seared duck liver Grapes and chanterelles, Muscat reduction, baby salad leafs

- Egg duck with Jerusalem artichoke Potatoes emulsion with black winter truffle from Perigord

- Pink champagne sherbert with grape fruit

- Steamed sole fillet "Ballotine" Leek marinire with Champagne butter, occietra caviar

- French challans duck Roasted fillet on the bone, leg cooked as a civet with pistachio crust, chestnut cream, natural jus

- Chocolate moeleux with "marrons glace" Red fruit compote and cherrie sherbet

- Dusit Thani\'s blended coffee Selection of fine teas Mignardises

NEW YEAR\'S EVE

31 Dec 2011

7 courses Bt4,000++

with wine Bt5,500++

- Amuse Bouche Us scallop carpaccio and sea urchin Warm Bellon oyster with Champagne sabayon and Occietra caviar

- Seared duck liver Kumquat compote, spiced wine syrup, baby spinach salad and pumpkin seed oil

- Potatos espuma and roasted Maine lobster Served with sweet onion marmalade and thyme black winter truffle, Comt cheese toast

- Slow cooked Dover sole Salsify puree and glaze with orange, porcini emulsion, Mache salad and beetroot chips

- Pink Champagne sherbert Champagne sherbet with grape fruit

- French capon breast Poached with black winter truffle, potatoes blinis wild chanterelle and light capon jus

- Chestnut and chocolate Yule log with vanilla ice cream Raspberry and Banyuls Coulis

- Dusit Thani\'s blended coffee Selection of fine teas Mignardises

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D\'Sens.
Dusit Thani Bangkok. 946 Rama IV Road. Tel. 02 200 9000