The 23rd edition of the World Gourmet Festival is returning to Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel with a star-studded line-up of chefs.
From Sept 19-24, 12 chefs from Spain, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Bahrain and Thailand will gather under one roof for a week-long celebration of cuisines and wines. In a first for Bangkok’s longest-running international culinary spectacular, some of the visiting chefs will travel to Phuket and Koh Samui to present their extraordinary gastronomy to gourmands.
With 17 Michelin stars and a string of accolades between them, confirmed to participate in the 23rd World Gourmet Festival are:
• Thomas Bühner of La Vie By Thomas Bühnerchef, Germany.
• Jordi Artal of Cinc Sentits in Barcelona, Spain.
• Kiko Moya Redrado of Restaurant L'Escaleta in Alicante, Spain.
• Toshiharu Sunayama of Les Tonnelles in Kanazawa, Japan.
• Jimmy Lim of JL Studio in Taichung City, Taiwan.
• Daniele Lippi of Acquolina in Rome, Italy.
• Enrico Marmo of Balzi Rossi in Ventimiglia, Italy.
• Theodor Falser of Johannesstube in Nova Levante, Italy.
• Barry Quek of Whey, Hong Kong
• Arne Riehn of Igniv Bangkok.
• Tala Bashmi of Fusions By Tala in Manama, Bahrain.
• Phol Tantasathien
During the festival, the chefs will each host up to two dinners in the hotel’s Biscotti, Café Wolseley, Spice Market, Shintaro and Guilty restaurants, while home pastry chef Riehn and food presenter, restaurateur, author, TV producer and star Phol will present delectable afternoon tea sessions in the Lobby Lounge.
Five of the chefs will present diners with a taste of things to come with each preparing one course of a five-course menu in the Anantara Siam’s ballroom. These chefs are Marmo, Falser, Quek, Lim and Riehn. The Constellation Of The Stars Gala Dinner takes place on Sept 19 and is priced at B9,500++, including wine pairings.
At Guilty on Sept 20-21, Quek will pay homage to his Singaporean roots and introduce diners to modern European cuisine reimagined with Singaporean influences and a focus on local and seasonal ingredients. Artal will demonstrate his culinary philosophy to stimulate diners’ five taste sensations of sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness and umami on Sept 22-23.
On Sept 20-21 at Café Wolseley, Falser’s menu features gourmet Italian cuisine that honours nature by using wild herbs and vegetables to create the traditional tastes of Italy. Redrado, one of the key representatives of the gastronomic avant-garde on the south-east coast of Spain, will offer gourmet travellers dishes full of delicacy, skill and traditional Mediterranean flavours, on Sept 22-23.
At Spice Market on Sept 20-21, Singaporean chef Lim pays tribute to his roots with original creations that strike a fine balance of flavours and dishes that are complex, sophisticated and understated with an element of surprise. Bahrain-born and Swiss-trained Bashmi, who was named the winner of the first Middle East and North Africa’s Best Female Chef Award in 2022, will showcase her culinary expertise in reinventing her country’s cuisine on Sept 22-23.
At Shintaro on Sept 22-23, Sunayama, feted for his seasonal vegetable-focussed, farm-to-table menu, will feature some of Japan’s most sophisticated French dishes.
On Sept 20-21 at Biscotti, Gambero Rosso 2023 Restaurant Guide’s Tradizione Futura awardee, Marmo, will serve a traditional Italian menu reinterpreted with a skilful touch of modernity. On Sept 22-23, Italian culinary trickster Lippi looks beyond appearances with what he calls a party game that borders on surrealism and where nothing is what it seems. On Sept 24, the father of modern German gastronomy, Bühner, will close the 23rd World Gourmet Festival with a menu that inspires with modern, three-dimensional aromatic cuisine.
In another first, chefs Artal, Redrado, Sunayama and Lippi will prepare dishes from their World Gourmet Festival repertoire during the World Gourmet Brunch on Sept 24. The 23rd World Gourmet Festival will also see a nightly takeover of Aqua Bar from Sept 19-24 by mixologists from the World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars, including Andrew Ho from China, Saan Dhakal from Hong Kong and Thai mixology star Ronnaporn Kanivichaporn.
Riehn will present a dessert masterclass in the Lobby Lounge on Sept 20-21 and Phol on Sept 22-23. On Sept 23, Marmo will present a dinner at Age at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort and Falser will travel to Tree Tops Signature Dining at Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort.
A portion of each dinner ticket sold and proceeds from the auctions, which take place throughout the festival, will be donated to the Foundation for the Welfare of Rajavithi-Girls’ Home Under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali that provides quality education, medical care, and life skills training.
Call 02-126-8866, email wgf.asia@anantara.com or visit worldgourmetfestival.asia.
