Experience always triumphs, especially in kitchens and Savelberg is no exception.
Having moving to a house on Yen Akat 2, which offers bright, modern interiors, the restaurant’s grey and white tones compliment the green garden seen through the windows. Picture perfect, almost. Recently re-awarded its Michelin star, Savelberg under the helm of executive chef-patron Henk Savelberg offers modern French fine dining, with a Dutch touch. The Savelberg Experience (seven courses, B4,500++) is where ingredients are allowed to shine. “The menu is seafood heavy because I like seafood,” says chef Savelberg. Not leaving the vegetarians out, there is a Vegetables Menu (seven courses, B3,200++).
The amuse bouche part of a fine dining meal always excites me simply because it’s a taste of things to come, and here there are three! Almond macaron with truffle foie gras mousse and a touch of gold, for that extravagance. Truffle oyster from France is served with an onion compote, apple ponzu caviar and lime gel. Cucumber brunoise with cucumber granita and topped with a ginger yoghurt foam with a tiny drizzle of parsley oil. The bread, made in-house, is a choice of multigrain and sourdough, or if you’re into bread like me, get both.
Chef-patron Henk Savelberg.
Scallop langoustine.
The first course begins with Blue crab from Surat Thani served with Kunami melon, sliced and melon balls with avocado mousse and yuzu sauce and gel. Texture in this dish is delivered via sliced grapes and wakame or seaweed. “I was told Thai blue crabs are good so we decided to put it on the menu. I love scallops and langoustines, too,” adds the chef. Two of my favourite things are combined in the next course. A combination of cold and hot, the Scallop langoustine course is a bed of thinly-sliced fresh scallops from Denmark with pomelo, topped with langoustine with crème fraîche and a dollop of Royal Oscietra Caviar. Fresh, clean and so delicious!
Grilled turbot comes with a variety of potato, including the potato trend of the season, pommes soufflées. The sauce is a delicious mix of potato and truffle and that’s not all for a rich dish – it is also topped with black truffles. Depending on freshness and availability, the fish may change. Though lobster and sweetbread isn’t an unusual combination, there are but few places serving it in Bangkok. Needless to say, my fondness for sweetbread knows no bounds and the Lobster sweetbread course did not disappoint. Lobster is served on a celeriac puree with grilled artichoke morels, sweetbread and all slathered delicately in a rich lobster sauce.
Mains are a choice of French quail or Australian wagyu hanger steak, I had both. Quail roulade is stuffed with foie gras and served with lentils, carrots, balsamic and quail jus. The grilled steak, which was like eating beef butter, comes with parsnip, edamame puree, shallot confit beef jus with Tomasu soya sauce. Tomasu soya sauce is made in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and is the only micro-brewed soy sauce in Europe, using soybeans grown in de Hoeksche Waard. Combining Japanese and Dutch traditions, it is fermented and aged for 24 months in 25-50-year-old whisky barrels from Scotland and flavoured with sugar beets, sesame seeds and Madame Jeanette peppers, which gives it a sweet and spicy flavour. Yum!
From left: Lobster sweetbread; Quail with foie gras.
A mixed berry, passion fruit and yoghurt concoction makes a delightful palate cleanser served in a silver chalice because who doesn’t love extravagance! I have been craving the dessert at Savelberg since I tasted it, even though I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Chocolate praline with white chocolate hazelnut, a layer of raspberry with yuzu gel for taste contrast and is served with a hazelnut ice cream and hazelnut praline crumble, on the side.
“I like good French ingredients and I like to work with good quality produce. I’m Dutch but my heart is French and I love French cuisine,” emphasises chef Savelberg, and you’re definitely tasting quality here! Call 062-432-2210 or email manager@savelbergth.com.
Blue crab.
Chocolate praline.
