When Chef David Lai told me about the upcoming “4-hands” dinner he’s organizing at his restaurant Neighborhood with Chef Ton of Bangkok’s Le Du and asked whether I am interested to come over, I didn’t blink (nor check my schedule) before saying yes. All the meals at his restaurants were nothing but spectacular, and I have never seen him done a crossover menu before, so I know it’s going to be quite a special evening that I was willing to adjust my diary to attend no matter what.
We went on the first night of the event with our foodie friend C. Despite almost zero publicity of this special menu (Chef David always keep a low profile), every seats of the restaurant were filled – including the couple at the bar counter – which shouldn't be surprising given the popularity of the restaurant even on a regular night. I have never been to Le Du in Bangkok nor met its chef Thitid Tassanakajohn (aka Chef Ton) before, but I have heard great things about the restaurant and the young CIA-trained chef with an impressive CV which included stint at Eleven Madison Park and Jean Georges and his restaurant was voted one of the Asia's 50 Best last year.
At first I was a bit worried with the long menu with 13 different dishes, all of them new in a true collaborative manner between the two chefs. I wonder whether we could actually manage that amount of food, but at the end we did manage to finish the whole dinner quite comfortably. I could see a lot of familiar ingredients that Chef David typically carried in his menu but this time given a Thai twist by Chef Ton. Like the Padron Peppers we started with as the first course, soon after we arrived and settled at the table in the back room. We had this before at the restaurant when Chef David simply grilled those little green peppers in open fire and served with a sprinkle of salt, but this time, crumbs of Thai sausage was spread on top for the extra texture and flavor.
Two cold dishes then arrived at almost the same time. I normally hesitated about crabs served raw but of course I trust Chef David being the seafood expert only serves the freshest and best ingredients he could hold of, and I loved that plus the Hokkaido sea urchin served on top of rice crackers for that rich umami flavor with a splash of fish sauce and the creamy texture from both the crabs and sea urchins combined. The second dish was described on the menu as Bagna Cauda “Nam Prik”, with a medley of raw or slightly cooked vegetables – carrots, fennels, radish, cauliflower, plus steamed artichokes and potatoes, plus a few boiled quail eggs still with the barely runny yolk served with a Thai-style “Nam Prik” dipping sauce. The fermented flavor in the dipping sauce reminds me of miso but more likely came from fermented shrimp paste in this case, and I love the complexity of the sauce (spicy, aromatic, umami and a touch of acidity and spiciness) contrasting with the clean flavor from the vegetables.
After the thin slices of raw Aquitaine beef and Hokkaido tomatoes served with Thai dried shallots, the chicken wings arrived. A couple months ago we had the chicken wings served Buffalo style here, but this time it’s served with Tod Mun Pla (minced fish cake) stuffed inside and served with a hot and sour dipping sauce. Think those Izakaya-style stuffed wings with mentaiko and you should get the idea of what they were like – they got amazing flavor from that of the chicken and all the spices in the Tod Mun Pla, and a slightly bouncy texture too giving it a good bite.
The abalone and oyster “larb” was another amazing dish blending the cooking styles of Chefs David and Ton perfectly. Finely chopped abalone and oysters, plus meat and herbs, were served on the abalone shell and on the side was the leaves and long beans that was used as wrappers and condiments. One just put everything together, roll with the leaf and eat and it was delicious. Jolt of spicy flavor hits when we sipped on the “Tom Zap” clear soup with mussels that was served next – I thought the heat was a bit overwhelming but both the soup and mussels were tasty.
Garganelli pasta was the type that appeared at Neighborhood’s menu often, and this time, the dough was mixed with squid ink and served with chunks of crab knuckle meat. Chef David told us that the crab came from Jay Fai, the street side restaurant in Bangkok made famous by getting a Michelin star last year with its signature dish of the crab omelet made by the hawker chef donning her ski goggles while cooking. The coconut-curry sauce was a bit on the sweet side but overall I love this pasta dish with some unusual flavor and great quality crab meat.
Kinki, lamb and chicken were some of the Neighborhood’s timeless classics but this time, all were given a facelift, cooked in a slightly different way than usual. The scorpion fish, or kinki as it’s better known locally or in Japan, was deep-fried and served with a sweet and sour tamarind sauce, instead of the paella that we usually saw. It came in pretty good size for sharing among the four of us. The meat has delicate texture though not as rich in oil as I have seen normally, but the fish worked well with that tangy sauce brushed on top with the crunchy bone bits which were edible too.
The chicken was shown to us whole, buried inside the salt dome at our table before it was carried away for carving, but then turned out this is not same baked chicken we were used to at this restaurant. Instead the carved pieces of chicken were served with an aromatic coconut sauce, strands of kaffir lime leaves on top and morel mushrooms, plus giblets and rice underneath the copper pan. The dish has a milder taste but with greater aroma from the herbs, and creamier too. The chicken, using the local Ping Yuen chicken, has a thick layer of fat and skin and was tasty, and the salt-baking made the meat juicy and tender with the meat jus trapped inside. If compared side by side I probably still wanted the original version but this one was wonderful.
Lamb was normally not my favorite ingredient but this one was exceptional. The lamb rack was frenched and cut in pieces, slow-cooked then finished on a pan after wrapped with julienned carrots and cabbage plus a layer of caul fat. They were served with pickled onions and a massaman curry sauce on the side. The meat was super tender and not the overly gamey type, and I love the presentation with the vegetable “crust” outside. The sauce was well-balanced with a bit of heat and just the right dash of coconut.
Chef Ton, being a sommelier by training also, brought us a few Thai wines to go with the food from GranMonte winery in Monte Asoke Valley. The Sakuna Rose has an interesting exotic fruit aroma (a combination of pineapple and durian), medium body with good acidity on the palate, and seems to work well with the many spicy dishes typical of Thai cuisine. Another bottle that I brought, a red blend from Santa Ynez Valley in Central California, was full-bodied with ripe black fruits and a long finish. Probably a bit too big for the food served this evening but was lovely with the lamb dish.
Even Chef David’s delicious Chocolate Palette dessert was served with a slight twist, with a scoop of “smoked candle ice cream” served on top. The coconut milk custard was infused with tian op, the Thai aromatic candle commonly used for dessert, before churning into ice cream. The ice cream was on the icy side but the taste was interesting with a slight kick of spice but lots of smokiness added to the otherwise creamy ice cream base. No caneles this time but we were served green madeleines with pandan leaf and a small glass of Thai rice liquor as petit fours.
More pictures from the dinner:
www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157698876567282
When? October 4 2018
Where? Neighborhood, Man Hing Lane near Hollywood Road/Peel Street junction, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Tom Mun Pla-stuffed Fried Chicken Wings, Squid Ink Garganelli/Crab Knuckles
Drinks?
2017 Granmote Estate Sakuna Syrah Rose, Monte Asoke Valley, Thailand
2005 Jonata "El Corazon de Jonata" - Jonata Winery, Santa Ynez Valley, California
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