The current global crisis has made what was once unthinkable a sensible affair. And in the realm of gastronomy this also brings a momentous milestone.
For centuries, kaiseki has been held at the pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine. It's a super-refined multicourse meal that comprises a variety of dishes including seasonal appetisers, soup, assorted sashimi and sushi, deep-fried, steamed and flame-grilled items, a vegetable, meat dish and rice dish and dessert.
A kaiseki meal is not only aesthetic and sophisticated, it's also sequential and engaging.
Kinu by Takagi, the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok's first ever Japanese restaurant, opened in November 2019, offering diners in Bangkok a Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine.
A brainchild of two Michelin-starred kaiseki master chef Takagi Kazuo from Japan's Ashiya city, the restaurant was favourably received right upon the minute it opened its door. Its 10-seat capacity made a customer's booking an exclusive event.
Unfortunately, not long after such a prosperous debut came the pandemic.
Just like all other dining establishments, Kinu by Takagi's dine-in operations has twice been forced to pause.
Being put on hold, however, never dulls its expertise nor dries up inspiration.
Last week, Kinu by Takagi introduced an extraordinary bento box concept, the most superior of its kind in the city.
The take-out meal, which offers a 5-star gastronomic fix to stay-at-home diners, is hand-crafted by the restaurant's newly-appointed chef de cuisine Norihisa Maeda.
Maeda, like Takagi, is a master of the kaiseki craft. He's won several awards over his 30-year career including two stars from the Michelin Guide Macau.
Bangkok's most superior meal box encompasses 12 kaiseki-style dishes for at-home dining.
For several weeks prior to the premier of the bento, Maeda had been working meticulously with Takagi to ensure every element in the meal lives up to fine-dining expectations. After all, haute cuisine and takeaway has always been considered to be incompatible.
Representing the kaiseki concept at its best, the bento meal encompasses 12 intricate dishes that showcase Japan's culinary abundance, beauty and tradition.
The current menu highlights the spring season harvest as well as Kinu by Takagi's signature dish: the abalone with uni and liver sauce.
The meal also features king crab and yuzu jelly rolled in a pickled Japanese turnip ribbon; homemade foie gras terrine in Japanese pumpkin ball; crunchy kazunoko (dashi-marinated herring roe lump) with zenmai (Japanese wild fiddlehead fern); grilled fillet of kinmedai (golden-eye snapper); and pan-fried koji-cured Hokkaido scallop.
A selection of deep-fried items is being represented by deep-fried kinmedai fish in green aonori seaweed; deep-fried Kuruma prawn and deep-fried Hokkaido oyster in mizinko (glutenous mochi powder) crumbs.
Kinu by Takagi's much-loved signature is prepared with the highly-prized Okushima abalone. The shellfish, boasting a springy tender texture and naturally sweet taste, is complemented by steamed sea urchin roe and a lusciously creamy and aromatic sauce made with the abalone liver.
There are also grilled Shizuoka lobster with green asparagus and Japanese pepper miso sauce; and a rice course with slow-cooked salmon and Hokkaido ikura.
Main course comes with two options: Japanese-styled roasted Wagyu with green peas, shallots and leek or Japanese style roasted kurobuta pork neck.
Kinu by Takagi's newly-appointed chef de cuisine Norihisa Maeda.
My choice of A4 Wagyu from a champion-graded cattle in Tottori prefecture proved divine thanks to a seamless balance of a lean texture and sweet fatty taste.
All items are arranged beautifully like a work of art in a premium lacquer box and to be eaten in order. To match with the perfect visual are sublime textures, temperatures and flavours of the food.
Accompanying the savoury fare are a special dessert of Japanese melon tart with grapefruit and a 16-piece selection of petit four chocolates and financier cakes.
Kinu by Takagi's special premium bento, elegantly wrapped in handmade Japanese shibori silk, is priced at 7,300 baht net per box. Every order in Bangkok area comes with complimentary delivery service via the hotel limousine.
According to the Japanese custom, one box is designed for one person. However, when in the comfort of your home, it is never a crime to share your food especially when the portion is very generous.
All items are cooked to order. Therefore, a day's advance reservation is required.
For more information and pre-order, call Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok at 02-659-9000 or place an online order via bangkok.mandarinorientalshop.com.
