One of founding influencers of Bangkok’s latter day epicurean awakening, Elements at Okura Prestige Bangkok now boasts a second consecutive Michelin star rating - one of only 22 Bangkok restaurants so bestowed.
For the 2018 festive dining season, Elements’ culinary team has created a 7-course tasting menu made with meticulously sourced ingredients of uncommonly prestigious pedigree, and befitting a venue recognised by the Michelin Guide 2019 Bangkok.
Like the movements of a masterwork symphony, each course dazzles with unique character - complementary textures mingle and palate notes pop, as complex spice-chords highlighted in cinnamon, karashi, hickory and blended seaweed swirl and resolve into a succession of captivating flavour crescendos.
A four-act amuse bouche opens with a rack of delicate, gossamer-thin Goat Cheese-infused Crackers served with ultra-smooth Eggplant-olive oil dip, accompanied by dramatically pedestal-borne Shrimp with Daikon Radish on crispy Chicken Skin.
The densely populated pre-starter suite continued with a two-by-two quartet of meringue Macaron with yellowtail Tuna sashimi and a dusting of Furikake for seasoning, paired with Croquette of Carrot topped with a dollop of Japanese mustard-infused mayonnaise and purple Shiso Leaf.
Our initial encounter with the work of Dutch Executive Pastry Chef Sebastiaan Hoogewerf was a breadbasket of his Pain d’Epi rolls made with soba (buckwheat) which, when paired with the Smoked Miso & Seaweed Butter is a match made in Michelin star-strewn heaven.
A starter of Ebi (shrimp) encased in a light organic tomato gelatine moved the repast up one flavour-intensity tier, with the pickled daikon radish and soya pearls garnish adding considerable dimension.
A pan-seared Hokkaido Scallop arrived sporting a chapeau of Foie Gras and flaked Bonito, accompanied by a bevy of Shimiji mushrooms, served in a miso consommé decanted at-table.
The highlight Taraba Crab with Japanese Rice and Sea Urchin Butter was found hiding in a bed of the tender risotto-like Japanese rice, beneath a delicately crisp fried seaweed cracker.
Given the tony pedigree of the ingredients used throughout the meal, it is refreshing to see everyday foods so deftly incorporated into the dishes, such as the Peanut-crusted Sea Bream with Ponzu (citrus fruit), Japanese Leek and Ginger, which preceded a palate cleanser of Sparkling sake with Raspberry.
With Okura Prestige Executive Chef Alvaro Roa from Spain in charge, and Elements culinary team - Sous Chef Conrado De Guzman and Junior Sous Chef Jaruwat Ouprasert - manning the kitchen, the restaurant’s “French cooking techniques and Japanese ingredients” approach is seamlessly implemented across the menu.
That said, the next dish to arrive seemed to have veered off the Franco-Nippon pathway and detoured through a spice souk, such was the intriguing complexity of its seasoning. With its tantalisingly crusted and rare-cooked preparation, the 12-Spices Local Organic Duck is a masterpiece of intermingled flavours that sparkle on the palate with notes of cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg. The 3-day duck jus reduction sauce is decanted at-table, while an accompanying tartlet of eggplant puree, Enoki mushroom and edamame provides a crunchy counterpoint.
A premium quality Kusatsu Wagyu Beef Sirloin (A-4 marbling) plated with a mushroom Duxelle and a rich Kombu sauce completed the mains offerings, setting the stage for an utterly delightful afters course.
For his dessert course, Chef Sebastiaan uses slices of the much sought-after Japanese Amaou Strawberry paired with thin discs of brick-dough cookie and scoop of parfait atop a mousse of single-origin White Chocolate sourced from the renowned Chocolaterie de l’opera in Paris.
This insightfully conceived and superbly prepared dining experience distinguishes itself both in its fitting homage to the timeless ways of classic French cookery, and reverence for Japanese cuisine’s most coveted gastronomic elements.
7-course New Year’s Eve Tasting Menu at Elements
B7,000++ per person (price includes one glass of Champagne or one signature cocktail).
31 December 2018
7pm onwards.
THE OKURA PRESTIGE BANGKOK
Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Rd. Tel. 02 687 9000. Email: info@okurabangkok.com.
