Celebrity Life

What is it about Thai cuisine that so captivates us? Perhaps it's that optimal combination of sweet and salty, sour and spicy, or the abundant use of local herbs and ingredients in its cooking. And I haven’t even got to all the regional variations; of Northern, North-Eastern, Central and Southern Thai, that we (generically speaking, of course) aren’t as familiar with yet.

Long influenced by its neighbours, Thai cuisine encompasses different styles of cooking and a blend of flavours that are deeply infused into the dishes we love. Take Pad Thai for example, which was designed within Thailand using Chinese rice stick noodles. Or the beloved spicy Som Tam salad made with shredded green papaya, originating from Laos. History tells us that there were even some European influences from Portuguese missionaries and Dutch traders. But today, Thai food holds its place and ranks highly as one of the world’s most popular cuisines.

[caption id="attachment_155732" align="alignnone" width="1499"] Chef Bongkoch “Bee” Satongun started Paste Bangkok six years ago with husband and Chef Jason Bailey (not pictured).[/caption]

In fact, it also ranks in at number 28 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant List thanks to Paste Bangkok — a passion project created by husband and wife duo Thai Chef Bangkok ‘Bee’ Satongun and Australian-born Chef Jason Bailey. The restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star for two years since 2018, and Chef Bee was also named Asia’s Best Female Chef by World's 50 best Restaurants in 2018. With its recent successes, Paste continues to go from strength to strength with the opening of Paste Laos in Luang Prabang last year, and plans to open another outlet in Australia soon.

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Unlike other innovative cuisines we know, Paste’s cuisine is a revival of Century-old recipes from historical royal cookbooks, tweaked for the modern palate. Royal cuisine also does away with sharp edges of flavour that is often found in street food. It involves more ingredients, layers of flavours, and is far more labour-intensive. To see just how this would fare on our well, modern palates, we set off to The Land of Smiles for a taste.

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The restaurant is situated on the third floor of Gaysorn Shopping Centre, in the heart of Ratchaprasong district. It’s easy to get to, but feels odd to walk over to a Michelin starred restaurant in such a quiet chain-store filled mall. But such is Bangkok with its many, many malls. However, all is forgotten as I enter the light and airy interior of the restaurant. The space is styled organically and opened up by high ceilings with a creamy palette of warm beige, dark wood and grey textures flowing through. Batten-panelled walls display shades of celadon green and olive, while decorative structures that resemble silkworm cocoons, rise to the ceiling as a sculptural focal point.

I take my seat at one side of the restaurant, which has a soundproofed window in view revealing the actions of the kitchen team, while Chef Bee calls out her order on the pass. After landing from a delayed flight, I’m keen to sample the tasting menu and look eagerly into that window as if to nudge them to serve. Fortunately, it’s not long after when the first course (out of five) arrives to the table.

[caption id="attachment_155727" align="alignnone" width="1328"] (Left) Grilled river prawn wrapped in mulberry leaves and ant eggs; and (right) roasted duck, nutmeg, curry paste and sawtooth coriander, served on rice crackers. (Photo credit: Terence Carter Photography)[/caption]

Dinner begins with appetisers and soup, with the perfectly Seared scallops — that sit on a salad bed of young coconut, peromia, lemongrass and the fragrant flesh of mangosteen — becoming a quick favourite. Meanwhile other light bites such as Roasted duck with nutmeg and curry on crunchy rice crackers, a Mulberry leaf-wrapped grilled river prawn with sweetened ant eggs, and a savoury Watermelon rind and fish roe soup with seabass and crispy jicama (or yam bean) dumplings, all hark back to royal Thai recipes and cookbooks. It’s closely followed by a Lobster salad, tossed with chive root, morels, Asian citron and dehydrated seaweed. The sweet meat, bitter leaves and zesty nuances comes together as a well-balanced dish and with the welcome addition of pork crackling strips, it’s a dish I kept going back to.

The main course is served family-style and shared amongst us, are six intensely-flavoured dishes that work well together but are also worthy of its own spot on the table. Highlights include the fluffy soufflé-style 31 Flavoured Thai omelette, which uses sweet Australian spanner crab meat from Fraser Island. Some might say it is even better than street-food star Jay Fai’s omelette. Another stunning dish is the Southern yellow curry, again with Australian spanner crab, but brought to life by a deep smokiness, which is memorable to this day. The Whole lobster with stir-fried fresh egg noodles is also worth a mention. Although the noodles were too soft for my own liking, they were flavourful and eggy, having soaked up all the the rich, slightly spicy, curry paste sauce.

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Thanks to Chef Bee's ancestral Lao background, several other dishes from the region were on the menu to sample. Our must-orders include Crunchy cured rice balls with a unique sour sausage mixed in a red curry paste, river weed and rose pepper leaf combination, along with a luscious reinvention of the classic Kalee Ped (or Laos Duck Curry) by Royal Laos Court chef Phia Sing which is instantly addictive.

As always, I save some room for dessert, which we are told are less Thai and more Asian-inspired so that locals can have something different to try. The desserts, a Mango mousse with sticky rice and jasmine sorbet, White chocolate flower and a durian sponge cake, are unfortunately all a little underwhelming. Although I suspect might be due to the phenomenal flavours of the previous course still coursing through our veins.

As we roll out of the restaurant, thanking Chef Bee for her hospitality and rather epic tasting menu, a thought lingers in my mind that although I’ve yet to become more accustomed to Thai cuisine, and all the varietals it comes with, you needn’t ‘digest the best’ to recognise how fantastic the food at Paste really is, and I hope it stays that way.

Paste Bangkok, 3/F, Gaysorn, 999 Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Bangkok, Thailand, +66(0)2 656 1003

Paste at The Apsara, Kingkitsarath Road, Ban Wat Sene, Luang Prabang 06000, Laos, +856 71 254 251

The post Review: Paste Bangkok Honours Royal Recipes with Creative Thai Cuisine Worth Celebrating appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Going through my memories recently, I became a bit nostalgic about my last trip to Thailand, which happened in October 2015. Initially, I came for TBEX Asia, but eventually, I ended up exploring this country in many different ways. Although I spend only ten days there, it was enough to gather experiences and form an impression of this country. The series of pleasant memories ignited a desire to wrap up a post about the things which I totally loved in Thailand and which I definitely recommend exploring to fellow travelers.

The post Top 5 Best Ways to Experience Thailand appeared first on Passion for Hospitality.

Going through my memories recently, I became a bit nostalgic about my last trip to Thailand, which happened in October 2015. Initially, I came for TBEX Asia, but eventually, I ended up exploring this country in many different ways. Although I spend only ten days there, it was enough to gather experiences and form an impression of this country. The series of pleasant memories ignited a desire to wrap up a post about the things which I totally loved in Thailand and which I definitely recommend exploring to fellow travelers.

The post Top 5 Best Ways to Experience Thailand appeared first on Passion for Hospitality.

This former Asia's 50 Best Restaurants-topping chef is hosting monthly dining experiences in his very own abode – and you're invited.

The post Chef Gaggan Anand starts a supper club in his own home appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

This former Asia's 50 Best Restaurants-topping chef is hosting monthly dining experiences in his very own abode – and you're invited.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

曼谷，的確是一個有趣的地方。

它是一個佛教國家的首都，與「佛」有關話題不在話下；它也是一個處於熱帶的城市，自然與「水」相關的話題不在話下；它還是一個與文化、藝術、創意及設計有關的城市，種種的融合，讓曼谷成為一個有趣而獨特的城市。

公益曼谷

來了曼谷幾次，每次都隔了好幾年，過去很多人都知道曼谷的美食與shopping獨霸一方，而到現在，其實有更多不一樣的元素可以深入其中。這次是曼谷朋友帶著，體驗了一個完全不一樣的公益與文化活動—國王盃象船賽與河流節活動。

象船賽很像的龍舟賽，唯一的差距只有船頭有沒有奪標手而已，現場看的感覺也是緊張刺激，加上串場主持人超「激動」的實況轉播，感覺更讓人興奮。

國王盃是曼谷本地每年重要活動，這個以公益為核心的比賽每年都將所有收入捐給「金山角亞洲象基金會」，這筆捐贈會專款專用，資助亞洲象公益項目與慈善機構，以幫助亞洲象健康自然成長。由於出國前我才看過因觀光馴養大象表演與騎乘所造成大象脊椎骨的嚴重傷害的紀錄片，所以真的對這個議題有些感覺，而現場佈置邀請合作品牌在大象雕塑上彩繪，也有很多可愛有趣的佈景讓整個氣氛呈現地像個大型園遊會，整個風格就很陽光，搭配現場熱辣的太陽，有些有趣。

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當天現場還有有趣的比賽，像第二天還有評選最佳服裝lady，我才發現，泰國人真的對這種大型活動非常重視，不少仕女真的盛裝出席，搭配接駁我們的TUKTUK車，畫面有一中突兀的美感。

另外，泰國人真的對活動相當重視，活動前的祈福儀式相當「泰國佛教」，對照現場來自世界各國的參賽者（我看到日本隊、中國隊，甚至還有伊拉克隊！）也是一種多元族群融合，頗為有趣。當然，現場也挺好玩的，這樣一個具有泰國風味的派對，其實也滿好玩的。

美學曼谷

這一次，我入住的是在會場附近，可以俯瞰湄南河的AVANI+酒店，這是個2016年設立的酒店，我個人認為，這可以說是屬於泰國人美學的代表。它是一個有趣的扁長型建築，這樣設計的目的，在於讓所有的房間均可以「面對」昭披耶河，讓住客得以享受河景與都市景觀，輕奢設計讓它似乎變成你的「空中家園」，可以在此盡情放鬆身心。我曾經在頂樓的無邊際泳池等待日出，看著昭披耶河上的日出，的確是很美的一件事，這是與台灣有些不同的風情，在茉莉花香中迎接旭日，其實有些浪漫。

以入住兼玩樂為核心理念打造的 Avani酒店，試圖從居家風格與享受玩樂中取得有趣的平衡，試圖替人們人帶來如家般的舒適之外，也希望讓大家入住時能享受玩樂精神。從走入旅館開始，每個角落都能欣賞到低調簡約的細緻品味，在土耳其綠的牆面前，放置內斂黑色的現代風格落地燈，或在角落處擺放綻放鮮豔紫色光芒的蘭花，使整體空間富有簡約舒適的風格之外，也讓氛圍多了點溫度，感受到都市生活的優雅風采。

公共空間的設計，就能看出酒店對現代創意的熱愛，將空間融入充滿個性的生活風格，選用繽紛多彩色系的沙發座椅，房間內的大片窗景，讓光線循著不同時段灑落至室內，為酒店帶來了活力氣息，可以說是融合現代與傳統的有趣組合，沒有刻意強烈的色彩或設計，整體感覺溫馨舒適，相當有特色。

The post 〈The Next Page〉喧囂之外的風華（一） appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

When in Bangkok, always stay at the best and Anantara is definitely a top contender. Words by Calvin Chong

The post Hotel Review: Anantara Siam Bangkok appeared first on LUXUO.

Garima Arora, an alum of top kitchens including Noma and Gaggan, has been named the best female chef in Asia for her progressive Indian-Thai restaurant Gaa in Bangkok. 

The post Garima Arora: Best female chef in Asia is the first Indian woman to receive Michelin star appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Garima Arora, an alum of top kitchens including Noma and Gaggan, has been named the best female chef in Asia for her progressive Indian-Thai restaurant Gaa in Bangkok. 

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Astondoa Sales Director Jaime Cortecero says the century-old builder is confident of bringing Spain’s finest yachts to this region with Yachtside Asia.

The post Astondoa Teams with Yachtside to Bring Spanish Yachts to Asia appeared first on LUXUO.