Thailand Iron Chef takes helm at Manohra Cruises

Thailand Iron Chef takes helm at Manohra Cruises

Newly crowned Iron Chef Thailand winner takes the helm at Manohra Cruises by Anantara Riverside Bangkok

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Thailand Iron Chef takes helm at Manohra Cruises

The new gourmet-centric river cruise by Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort launched with a splash on a late November Saturday. The 1st Chef Table included a gourmet four-course dinner with Italian wine pairing (B3,200 baht net) and reservations are now being accepted for further stately dining expeditions on the Chao Praya River.

As befitted the occasion and venue, sparkling notes of the violin and Champagne flutes welcomed guests to the lavishly restored antique rice barge that plays host to Manohra Chef’s Table.

The culinary mastermind behind the menu is “Phongthorn Hinracha”, winner of the most recent Iron Chef Bangkok cooking competition and Anantara Riverside’s first home-grown chef in a senior leadership role. Known for masterfully fusing Sino-Thai and Malay flavours, chef Phongthorn comes from a long line of chefs and takes pride in showcasing regional ingredients and deploying time-honoured cooking techniques.

The inventive four-course menu sizzles with imagination and chef Phongthorn’s signature theatrics (this is the man who won Iron Chef judges’ affections with a surprise serving of a goat’s head!). Keeping abreast with the latest in health trends, from the antioxidant powers of green tea to low-carb diets, chef works his magic to keep things light yet satisfyingly rich. Inspired wine pairings from the Batasiolo winery in Piedmont, Italy, are carefully selected to bring out the flavours of ginger, chili and lemongrass.



The opening salvo of salmon and Hokkaido scallop carpaccio with chili lime dressing sends taste buds dancing. Served next is southern Thai oxtail ravioli consommé – the chili notes again present and ringing clear and deep when paired with the earthy celery.

Diners are offered a choice of two main courses – charcoal-grilled snow fish with lemongrass beurre blanc and Australian Darling Downs wagyu served with Penang cream curry and smoked purple potato puree. Fresh from the grill, the flaky, melt-in-your-mouth fish is brushed with zesty cream sauce that perfectly offsets the smokiness. 

Exquisitely marbled beef from one of Australia's most prestigious and awarded beef brands is allowed to shine next to the curry that is more than capable of stealing the show but plays a supporting role on this occasion.



Arriving in dramatic clouds of liquid nitrogen vapor is mango ice cream with ginger crumbles and Wollongong port wine compote. Paying homage to Thailand’s celebrated dessert, mango sticky rice, the presentation adds a healthy dose of oomph without taking away from the complex interplay of flavours: ripe mango tingling with ginger’s spiciness layered over sophisticated wine-based sauce.

As the lustrous teak hull of the Manohra glides through the dark waters of the Chao Praya, the old-meets-new Bangkok skyline reveals itself at an unhurried pace: illuminated splendour of the Grand Palace and the Temple of Dawn, Phra Sumen Fort bookended by a park, the neon lights of Asiatique, the classical lines of Thammasat University and symbolism-rich architectural gem that is Rama VIII Bridge.

Upcoming Manohra Chef's Table cruise information and reservations at +66 2 476 0022 or email riversidedining@anantara.com.

The two-hour cruises welcome guests at 7.00pm then depart at 7.30 pm from Anantara Riverside jetty.

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