The overture

Chef CHAT

Ever since the advent of French nouvelle cuisine, it has become a popular tradition for diners at fine dining restaurants to have their taste buds stimulated before the meal starts by a single, bite-sized complimentary hors d'oeuvre which cannot be ordered from the menu but is selected by the chef himself.

Philippe Derrien of Grand Millennium Sukhumvit and Ramneek Lamba of Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit working on their canape and amuse bouche creations.

Designed to enliven (or to "amuse") your mouth, amuse bouche is a French term referring to these tiny-portioned savoury treats, which may come in the form of soup, snack or salad and on a plate, on a spoon or in a shot glass. Requiring a great deal of imagination, and inspiration, amuse bouches usually present characteristically intense flavours that offer diners a glimpse into the chef's approach to cooking.

Depending on the context, amuse bouches may or may not be compared to canapes. Both are very small and both may be eaten at the beginning of the meal, but they serve very different purposes. But while the amuse bouche is designed to offer the first gastronomic thrill to the palate, the canape - finger food of various shapes - is usually found at parties or cocktail receptions and forms part of a light meal and may encourage guests to drink more.

At the Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner 2009, the two chefs in charge of presenting the guests with deliciously delicate treats during the cocktail hour and also preparing their palates for the real gastronomic indulgence to come, are chefs Philippe Derrien of Grand Millennium Sukhumvit and Ramneek Lamba of Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit.

Their "Canape and Amuse Bouche" collection consists of seven delicacies carefully designed to go with the concept of the whole menu. Offering a captivating variety of flavours, textures, colours, cooking processes and ethnicities, the course includes layered Tasmanian smoked salmon with cream cheese and caper berries, Fine de Claire oyster shooter with chilli vodka and roasted vegetable gazpacho, goat's cheese with roasted red bell pepper on polenta cracker, Angus beef roulade with avocado and coriander salsa, seared tuna tataki with jalapeno, watermelon feta cheese skewer with basil and black pepper reduction and king crab and daikon roll.

"We wanted to do something creative, modern and light," said Philippe Derrien, speaking on behalf of the two of them. "Traditionally, canapes often come on bread, crackers and puff pastry and can completely fill your stomach before the meal is served. We've tried to get away from that and use much less starch. Over a couple of relaxing Sukhumvit afternoons, Ramneek and I finally came up with seven creations that complement each other but at the same time are distinctive in themselves.

Their ‘‘Canape and Amuse Bouche’’ collection to be served at the Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner 2009.

"They're a balanced combination of seafood and meat, cooked and rare, mild and sharp, and red and green items. We also put a dash of Mexican and Japanese flavours to keep up with worldwide trend because both are very popular."

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside at the Bangkok Chefs Charity Gala Dinner 2009 on Monday, July 27, in the Royal Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok with pre-dinner cocktails at 6:30pm, followed by dinner at 7:30pm. The event is organised by Gourmet One and Beverage One in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok and 15 leading hotels in Bangkok and Phuket.

Tickets cost 7,500 baht net per person (for a table of 10 persons) and 25,000 baht net for a seat at the head table. Proceeds will go to the Sai Jai Thai Foundation and with some going to benefit underprivileged children at the three schools in Doi Ang Khang, Chiang Mai. For table reservations, please contact Khun Watcharaphan at 02-950-1980 or 02-950-4420 ext 101-106 or email: watcharaphan@gourmet-one.com.

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