Thailand's appetite for Chinese food is never satiated, for good reason. And at the newest Cantonese restaurant, Yu Ting Yuan at the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, it's all about the technique and finesse.
"From picking out the best ingredients, to the cuts on the vegetables, to the sear on the barbecue, down to the plating; it is all about techniques that take years to master," says head chef Qiu Xiaogui.
Xiaogui and his team of four main chefs play an integral part in the kitchen. From award-winning Chinese barbecue chef Liu Guokun, to dim sum chef Wang Yucheng, to chef Li Bude with 17 years of experience on the wok and chopper chef Ma Xinbin, each dish ensures that their craftsmanship takes the spotlight. Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, Yu Ting Yuan takes its inspiration from the "Imperial Courtyard" in which it resides. Floor to ceiling windows frame a gorgeous backdrop of gardens and a shimmering water reflection pond with one-of-a-kind art pieces -- sunlit by day and dramatically illuminated at night.
The menu focuses on traditional Cantonese delicacies which normally begins with dim sum then barbeque, the soup, live seafood and stir-fry. A couple of regional favourites have been added for local palates, like mapo tofu. Though the cooking is traditional, Xiaogui wanted to give a few dishes a bit of a twist. Like the pan-fried Mayura beef with brandy and black pepper (1,900++ baht per person). Normally this dish is just a typical Cantonese-style stir-fry with black pepper. But here the chef has added chilli for a bit more aroma and flavour. The dish also has his special sauce to give it a lift.
From left: Head chef Qiu Xiaogui; Chinese aesthetics combine with modern art at the Jean-Michel Gathydesigned restaurant. (Photo: Nianne-Lynn Hendricks)
The soup is very important in Cantonese cuisine and the Cantonese believe it is the ultimate way to absorb all the goodness that the body needs, much like an immunity booster. Most of the soups on the menu are the traditional double-boiled. However, the signature Imperial Soup (780++ baht) is not boiled. The ingredients are steamed for four-and-a-half hours and it comes out clear, almost like a consommé. As the old Cantonese saying goes: "A good wife must know how to boil good soup, if she wants to keep her husband."
Joining my list of favourite things to eat before bed, is the baked abalone and chicken puff (300++ baht per piece). Available as an enhancement with the dim sum set lunch (1,600++ baht), the signature dim sum tart is sublime! An entire abalone is placed atop a buttery tart shell that is filled with chicken and mushrooms. If you're a fan of the "Emperor of Shellfish", do try the fried rice with abalone (550++ baht per person), which is also delicious!
If you're doing lunch, do order the lobster and seafood dumpling (250++ baht per piece), which is very good, but it is the red vinegar accompaniment that adds to its taste. Move over lo bak go (Chinese turnip cake) and make way for the baked turnip pastry with black truffle (140++ baht). Who has never loved a good pastry with truffle? Not me!
My favourite dish on the menu was the rather unassuming deep-fried cod with five-spice (1,800++ baht). The cod comes from Norway but it is not the fish that makes the dish, it is the complicated sauce. Typically the cod is pan-fried or steamed, but here the chef deep fries it until it's crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The sauce takes about three hours to make. It's a thick, dark mixture of ingredients like Chinese rice wine vinegar, rock sugar and soy sauce that has been infused with the fish, among other things, which are added at different intervals to enhance the flavour. Miss a step and start over! The proof that the sauce is a labour of love is in its taste, which has so much umami that I would happily slather it all over my body!
From left: Baked abalone and chicken puff; A dim sum selection is offered for lunch.
Chilled mango sago cream with pomelo.
A meal at Yu Ting Yuan wouldn't be complete without the crispy roasted pork belly with mustard (600++ baht). Proof of a good crispy pork is when your fellow diners can hear every crunch of the succulent meat, and there were nods of approval around the table when I bit into a piece. I love my vegetables and to cut through the fat of the crispy pork, I ordered the braised asparagus in crab cream sauce (580++ baht). A very striking dish that's perfect for the 'Gram, the asparagus is ever so lightly blanched, retaining a bite and flavour.
You could go for the Cantonese shrimp wonton noodles in Supreme Soup (420++ baht per person) as a good way to cleanse the palate after all the richness.
Chilled mango sago cream with pomelo (320++ baht) is a popular Cantonese dessert despite only being invented in 1984. At Yu Ting Yuan it is served on bespoke plates with the shape of a mango that is filled with the sago cream. The dessert is refreshing and the perfect end to a rather elegant meal.
"Cantonese food has evolved and it's not just taste that is important. Presentation and taste should go hand-in-hand and this is the way I have designed the menu at Yu Ting Yuan," said chef Xiaogui.
- Yu Ting Yuang
- Four Seasons Bangkok
- 300/1 Charoen Krung Road
- Call 02-032-0887
- Open for lunch 11.30am-2.30pm and dinner 6-10.30pm
- All credit cards accepted
