If there is one meal that I keep going back to month after month after month (you get the drift), it is Aromkwan.
The Tribute.
Known for its smoke, fire and chef Vishanu "Bank" Prempuk's passions, Aromkwan is Southeast Asian forward and an ode to his Malaysian grandmother. The meal encapsulates everything I would want in comfort food. The best bit being the way it is served -- an unapologetically traditional meal, served in half Thai-half Malaysian chef Bank's style and flair.
Aromkwan's chef's table (B2,350 net, with unlimited mineral water) seats up to six for lunch and up to 16 for dinner. It is best to book as a group because given the casualness of the place and the pandemic, you'd want to be "at home" and around friends. Unlike other chef's tables, this one is decked out in fresh banana leafs with no plates in sight, though cutlery is part of the table setting. My advice would be to toss the spoons and forks, and eat with your hands.
"The Tribute" pays homage to Aromkwan's food truck days. Six-hour smoked Char siu pig's cheek is barbecued at the table on banana leaves alongside Sticky wagyu picanha. The aroma that wafts through the air will make all your senses salivate. These two bites will get you going and long for more. Though what follows: "To The Soul" or the ox tongue rasam is the best tasting and heartiest rasam I've ever had! "I like to cook ox tongue, so I smoke it for nine hours and serve it with the rasam," says chef Bank. Rasam is a South Indian broth that is eaten before or after a meal to get your taste buds going and aid digestion. Once that is done, may the "Feast" begin!
A banana leaf banquet.
To The Soul.
Chef Vishanu 'Bank' Prempuk.
Ox tongue rasam.
Watermelon marugurt.
What constitutes "dinner and a show", the feast begins with chef Bank emptying biryani rice, which is cooked with confit garlic oil and pork lard, along the length of the table. What follows is a theatrical production of Aromkwan's finest, as the chef keeps bringing dishes and emptying them onto the banana leaf. BBQ bok choy comes next with smoked, barbecued cabbage, braised in shoyu, dried chilli, ginger and curry leaf. A quail egg smoked sambal gets added to the mix. Smoked cuttlefish is sautéed at the table with the South Asian mirepoix of onion, ginger and garlic forming the base of the dish. The cast iron pan is deglazed with Sangsom before adding a smoked seafood rasam. A dash of yoghurt, sawtooth parsley and coriander finish the dish.
Smoked goat curry, where mutton aka goat is smoked for five hours, is brought to the table in a clay pot. This is followed by Ayam Percik or BBQ chicken, which is a Muslim dish from Kelantan, Malaysia. Chef Bank uses chicken from Korat marinated with Malaysian spices. An all-time favourite -- six-hour smoked rendang spare ribs are served next. Kam Heong tiger prawns add to the mounting pile. Kam Heong being the signature Malaysian stir-fry, which imparts a "golden fragrance" during the cooking process. The Ikan Bakar course is Hamachi collar, though the fish changes seasonally and depends on availability.
The star of the show aka 30-hours-smoked pork knuckle curry is brought to the table in Aromkwan's signature Sukhothai 11in. clay pot. The knuckle is brined overnight and smoked before finishing off in a curry for four hours. But the plating is far from over. What follows are the condiments: housemade jackfruit chutney, pickles, Asian slaw, South Indian papad, curd aka yoghurt with "evil" garlic and pork lard scratchings.
If there are leftovers, chef Bank provides environment-friendly containers as doggie bags. Once the table is cleared, dessert is Watermelon marugurt aka fresh watermelon sprinkled with plum powder and curd. Though at Aromkwan, it doesn't end at a feast for the mouth and eyes… I will leave it at that. No further spoilers!
Aromkwan is best described as an Asian smokehouse. "An Asian smokehouse in the way that the techniques and methods are Asian, right down to the marinades, spices and wood used," emphasises chef Bank. Need we say more?
Aromkwan, 297/2, Sukhumvit 49 / Call 088-495-8213, visit FB.com/aromkwan, Line @aromkwan, IG @aromkwan or email aromkwansmokery@gmail.com.
