My initial experience with Le Petit Chef was when he first set his tiny little feet in Bangkok two years ago during his Marco Polo-themed world tour.
His culinary inspiration at that time was to follow the footsteps of the legendary traveller. Thus the 58mm-tall cuisinier was seen, before our eyes, crossing Arabian deserts, roaming rustic villages in India and fighting a dragon over the Great Wall of China to gather exotic ingredients and also "magic" cooking tricks.
Such a cross-continent gourmet adventure delighted fairy-tale lovers and connoisseurs of Asian cuisine. Still, many diners yearned to be a part of his clumsy cooking ordeal at his Marseilles hometown, which first made him a worldwide internet sensation in 2015.
There he tried to grow potatoes, carrots and broccoli that are twice his size. He almost caught on fire while trying to catch a fly as he grilled a steak. He also went to the sea to blast fish and was finally trapped in a mussel shell. Clownishness is what he's best adored for.
Seafood bouillabaisse with a tom yum twist.
This week's subject of review, Le Petit Chef Dinner at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, probably offers the closest experience to the chef's original cooking episode diners in Bangkok can get.
Created by a Belgian art studio, Le Petit Chef is a storytelling animation presented through state-of-the-art 3D visual mapping that stars a miniature French chef character. Bangkok is among 15 cities worldwide to currently showcase his dinner.
The dinner, set at the Living Room, is priced at 2,000 baht per person for a standard five-course menu and 3,200 baht per person for a seven-course menu with Boston lobster.
The salad of buffalo milk buratta, heirloom cherry tomatoes and arugula.
The kid's menu is available at 1,800 baht. It is the same as the standard five-course menu but with the spicy bouillabaisse replaced with a creamy butternut squash soup and the duck course replaced by chicken. Vegetarian options are also available.
The menu is impressively crafted up by the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit's Italian executive chef Gaetano Palumbo.
It kicks off with an amuse bouche of Hokkaido scallop mieng kham. Aesthetically yet silently presented, the dish was more like an introduction of the hotel's culinary finesse and not of the out-of-town celebrity character.
The storytelling animation presented through 3D visual mapping is very camera ready.
It's a classic Thai nibble recipe of toasted coconut and herbs with caramelised fish sauce on fresh betel leaf but with diced raw Japanese scallop to give a world-class touch.
While proceeding to the second course, the miniature chef popped up. He took us through his farmstead garden where he cultured cheese and harvested vegetables for our dish -- the buffalo milk mozzarella with heirloom cherry tomatoes, arugula leaves and pesto dressing. It was truly delicious.
Next up, diners were taken to the ocean where the thumb-sized chef was to prepare his famous bouillabaisse.
After fishing with dynamite exhibition and catching a giant octopus with his bare hands, he presented us with a sumptuous seafood stew, a palate-pleasing hybrid between a classic lobster bisque with Thai-style spicy tom yum soup graced with fish fillets, mussels, clams, prawn and octopus tentacles.
The meal is very camera ready so it would be even better for Instagrammers to come very well prepared.
Roasted duck breast with roasted potatoes, sauteed mushroom, French beans, pine nuts and massaman sauce represents the main course.
The poultry was "cooked over a bonfire in the wood" before being served fine dining style and proved delectable.
Dessert is a house-rendition of classic creme brulee, concocted in an East-meets-West style with a little "magic trick".
It's a heavenly unification of rice pudding, saffron, cardamom and vanilla accompanied by a Mandarin sherbet.
Especially during this time when social distancing is crucial, only 12 seats are available at the expansive communal dining table at each meal. A special menu for a private group can also be discussed. Reservations are a must.
- Le Petit Chef
- Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
- Call 02-649-8888
- Open for dinner (Friday-Sunday) and lunch (Saturday and Sunday)
- Park at the hotel's car park
- Most credit cards accepted
