Front row at Front Room

Front row at Front Room

Waldorf Astoria Bangkok pairs Thai culinary traditions with Nordic know-how

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Front row at Front Room

What springs to mind when you hear the name Waldorf Astoria? Roaring 20's decadence? Midtown Manhattan opulence? A salad? Or just bang-up-to-date iconic global luxury? Bangkokians lusting after such glamour are now spoiled with the chance to experience the famous brand without the long trek to Gotham.

Waldorf Astoria Bangkok opened last year, exactly where you'd expect it to -- downtown, in the heart of the city, on Ratchadamri Road. Its bars and restaurants occupy the best spots in the property, from the street-level gardens to the penthouse speakeasy.

On entering the ground floor lobby, you get a strong sense of place and legacy. Slim Deco pillars stretch to the high ceiling, Belle Époque flourishes (with a Thai twist) adorn the wrought metalwork, and, if you arrive at the right time of day, you'll hear swing jazz piped into the space, conjuring the expectation that a group of flappers are about to exit a vintage limousine and Charleston across the lobby.

If they did, they'd find themselves in Front Room. Waldorf Astoria Bangkok is blessed with dining riches, having a total of six entirely different outlets, and Front Room is the ground floor restaurant where Nordic and Thai cuisine meet.

Chef Rungthiwa Chummongkhon.

Front Room is the hotel restaurant that doesn't want to be just another hotel restaurant. In keeping with the rich history of the brand, but ensuring that it isn't trapped in amber, the design of Front Room is contemporary Scandi chic – an open kitchen of blond wood, with muted greys and beiges throughout, and large windows looking onto the garden. Crucial to the success of the restaurant concept is its chef, Rungthiwa "Fae" Chummongkhon. Chiang Rai born, she cut her culinary teeth in Denmark, working at some of its most prestigious establishments. While absorbing Nordic techniques and culture, she took care to never stray too far from her northern Thai roots.

After a welcome drink of black sticky rice flavoured honey and lemongrass soda, the first item to pass my lips was pork brain. I'll let Chef Fae explain.

"It's like a Thai foie gras," she said. "Northern people mix pork brain with chopped pork meat and herbs, but a lot of people have forgotten how to eat it so that's why I did it. Here it's grilled with banana leaf and then mixed with potato mousse and some curry, and served with a lemon gel on top."

Notice the variety of ingredients, culture and thought that go into this small hors d'oeuvre, one of four on the menu. Each mouthful is a burst of complementary flavours, laying the foundations of what looks set to be a unique meal.

For Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, Chef Fae has created a seven-course menu, mixing the best of her culinary expertise, resulting in a modern and healthy Nordic-Thai feast. For the hors d'oeuvres -- here dubbed Velkommen -- and the open sandwich of Smørrebrød, there's the wine pairing of an André Jacquart Rose de Saignée Champagne, a dry fizz based on Pinot Noir. The open sandwich is simply delicious, with grey shrimp (served in place of ordinary shrimp on special days in Denmark), quail egg and spring onion mayo on a slice of rye bread. It's light yet creamy, and a flavourful first course.

A Reisling is poured in anticipation of the King Kong Crab, around which one can wrap the milk skin taco. There's chili in the mix, with a Thai herb emulsion, but it's more about flavour than heat.

King Kong Crab.

If you've had a festive dinner in Bangkok before, you can probably guess what's coming next. Foie gras continues to pop up on menus across the capital, but Chef Fae has reimagined this staple. Here, a light slice of the terrine is sandwiched in an almond milk waffle, but the kicker is the Thai orange gel, adding a piquant sweetness that should be mandatory in every foie gras dish from this moment forth.

A Patrick Sullivan Aussie Chardonnay precedes the most festively plated dish so far. A Norwegian langoustine is skewered on a branch of Christmas tree, which nestles in a bed of branches. The meat is wonderfully soft, with yuzu cream and aromatic broth side dishes.

Your choice of mains is -- wait, here comes a glass of La Closerie de Fourtet Saint Emilion -- Norwegian turbot with Jerusalem artichokes or a rack of lamb, served on a bone reminiscent of a miniature mammoth's tusk, with morrel, luffa snake gourd and truffle sauce.

If you're counting courses, we're coming up to number six, and if you're counting calories, forget it, as it's time for the cheese and dessert. The cheeses are made by a Frenchman up in Chiang Rai, and tonight we had smoked, a tomme and a blue, all created in northern Thailand. Dessert is a fabulously festive Christmas cracker made of chocolate, encasing caramel almond ice-cream, mousse and berries.

And that's it. Well, not quite. There's a round of petit fours before you hit the street, either to go await the arrival of Santa Claus, or to go ring in the New Year, with memories of the best of Nordic and Thai cuisine lingering on your lucky palate.

The Festive Menu is available on December 24 and 31 from 6pm - 10.30pm and priced at B5,500++ per person (food only). The option of wine pairing is available at B4,000++.

Open Sanwiches.

WALDORF ASTORIA BANGKOK 151 Ratchadamri Road. For more information and to book, please call at 02 846 8888 or email wabkk.fb@waldorfastoria.com.

Can we change this too?

Can you please help to relook / rewrite on this paragraph. Due to the sensitivity issue of foie gras, I think we better opt out Fae's quote.

Lobsters.

A Taste Of Lamb.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT