WANDEE BOAT NOODLE

A bowl of noodles from a street stall, or a resturant, or 5-star hotel is de rigueur not only in Bangkok, but all over the Kingdom.  I really must learn this ultimate Thai comfort food and my prayer was answered yesterday at my Wandee Refresher.

Why 'Boat' or 'Ruang' in Thai?  It is the presentation.  The noodle is made up of all kinds of goodies, classically displayed in the replica of a wooden fishing boat like Sashimi is presented in Japan, from which one picks like a buffet or, in my case, the whole 9-yards, the entire lot. Not a single morsel should be left behind when it comes to a Boat Noodle.

In a typical bowl one should expect : stewed pork, marinated pork, pork blood (not for me), mini fish balls and served in a dark soup stock which one should immediatey recognize on the first sip.  The noodle come in 3 sizes; fat like 'Hoi Fun', medium like "Lye Fun' and of course thin ones as in 'Mee Fun'.  Adding to it are 5 kinds of vegetables notably Chinese celery, coriander leaves, sawtooth coriander, morning glory & spring onion. Not unlike many Thai recipes the trick is in the authentic taste of the dark soup which is too lengthy to describe here.  Let me know if you want to, genuinely, try the recipe.  Please do not interpret though, follow every step and ingredient, show some respect.

The killer, which many would frown on, is the deep fried pork lard mixed with garlic.  Nuggets of lard cut straight from the fatty skin, fried to perfect golden crispy brown, is the official garnish without which one cannot claim the holy name of a Kwei Dui Ruang or Boat Noodle.

Dora would forbid me to include this, in the name of health but how can I face Professor Wandee and my teachers if I present a bowl without the toppings.  It will be like wearing a counterfeit Cartier, God forbids!

YAM YAI

This special dish is no longer a staple in Thai restaurants, not because it is difficult to prepare, nor because of ingredients but rather the time it takes to make one.  Sadly it is out of sync with our expedient, fast lane life style.  'Yam' is salad, and 'Yai' means large or with variety, so this is a large salad with variety.  I was at Wandee for a 2-day Refresher and learned this recipe, which  is 300 years old, imagine?

The key ingredients are simple ie thinly sliced pork, chicken, poached shrimps, ear mushrooms, glass noodles, pickled garlic cloves, radish, cucumber, boiled egg white, spring onions, coriander leaves, pounded and deep fried garlic as garnish.  Simple, right?

What I love in this recipe is the dressing or 'seasoning mixture' as taught at Wandee :

* pound coriander root/peppercorns/garlic/hot chili with stems
* add red spur chili, finely pounded
* then fish sauce x 3 tablespoons
* plus lime juice x 3 tablespoons
* sugar x 1 tablespoon
* now the magic .....1 egg yolk finely mashed with the dressing

You cannot go wrong with this dressing, it is a classic.  How did they come up with this absolutely unique and mind boggling taste ... 3 centuries ago?  

"TOKYO"

In the delicious world of Thai street foods this is a mystery which, to date, no one has been able to explain to me why it is called "Tokyo"?

Seen on many corners this is a favorite of school children, a primary customer target to the vendors.  The ingredients are all there, in the picture : a thin smear of sweet flour, the same as in egg rolls, a quail egg cracked on top, a tiny bite of minced pork with preserved sweet radish, a dash of Maggi, the Thai staple, and lastly a squeeze of Mayo ... simply let the ingredients warm over the hot plate, roll, and it is done.

I could not resist. I waited patiently in line, salivating behind a bunch of 12 year olds, clicking away as they looked at me as if I am from Mars.  I controlled my urge and ordered only 4 ... 25 Baht, the lady said.  OMG, either prices have gone up 25% ie from 20 -25 or I paid the 'farang' price.  Who cares?  This is truly an indigenous Thai snack, notwithstanding it is named after the capital of Japan. Any suggestion on why?

KNIFE SKILLS

One thing that defines Thai fine dining is undoubtedly 'knife skills' as seen in this Lemon Grass Salad. The tiny rings come from taking layers of a lemon grass stick until the circumference matches that of the baby onions, shallots and scallions.  The other ingredients are : mint chiffonade, coriander leaves, dry chili julienned, roasted peanuts, deep fried 'fansi', thinly sliced Cantonese fried dough or Yau-Jar-Kwai to yield texture and further crispiness, a nice touch.  If you look carefully (apologies for the inverted picture, somehow I could not rotate it on Picasa) the different ingredients are cut in direct proportion to each other, to ensure the most esthetic culinary presentation.  It reminds me of the Le Cordon Bleu regimen of preparing 'brunoise' cuts where veggies are cut into juliennes first, then quarter turned into tiny cubes in exact dimensions, for garnish and in consommes.  Such knife skills require only one thing ... practice, practice, and more practice until it becomes second nature, when the command goes directly from the brain to the hand, without even involving the eyes when one cuts.  One starts eating with one's eyes cannot be more true in this instance.  It is a simple salad, beautifully cut, artistically presented and of course, dressed to perfection.   

THAI VEGGIES

What we usually order in Thai restaurants is Morning Glory (Gang-Gong) in garlic, in shrimp paste, in sambal aka chili paste or in fermented tofu with julienne of red chili, the Cantonese rendition.

At Patara we had two veggies, common here but not that common in Hong Kong and they are : Garden Sweet on the left, and next to it Moon Flower ... fresh, unique in flavors, crispy in texture and a wonderful complement to Thai spices and seasoning sauces.

My mission is to source them in Hong Kong.  Simply stir fry them and off you go ... these fabulous veggies will go so well with anything on a Cantonese menu, notably a bowl of hot steamed rice! 

PATARA - THAI FINE DINING

I keep discovering new eateries in Bangkok since my Wandee cooking school days in 2010 and Patara is one more, a very good one in fact.  It is without doubt the custodian of 'Thai fine dining' in my book.  Patara is international, with outposts already in Geneva, London, Singapore, Beijing and Vienna .... visit http://www.patarathailand.com/ to learn more, she has a fascinating story to tell.

Created by the co-founders of S&P, a highly successful food business in the Kingdom, Patara's aims are; fabulous tastes, culinary presentations and atmosphere a la 70's ....which they would easily score full marks if a Michelin Inspector were brought in today.  Mrs. Sila-On Patara is famous and one can see why her flagship is so successful.  Tastefully decorated, against a Thai motif with modern interior design touches, the ambience immediately churns one's appetite.  The extensive menu may be classic Thai but one has to look, and look again when a dish is presented, before one can identify.  The attached picture of mangoes on sticky rice is a case in point.

Located at a magnificient old house in the upscale Thong Lo neighborhood just off the BTS station, Patara can arrange a luxury tuk-tuk to pick up guests.  This is a must try! I guarantee you will revise all your previous perceptions on Thai restaurants after dining at Patara.

PATARA : 375 Soi Thonglor 19 Sukumvit 55 Bangkok (66) 02 2185 2960
         

BKK WEEKEND

Tugged away across the street from the Erawan 4-Face Buhhda in the center of town is the InterContinental cum Holiday Inn Complex, the location for a long weekend reunion with 3 other likeminded, long time pals.  To us star anything means little, which of course includes hotels. Pragmatism is our motto at these gatherings and this gem in Bangkok offers exactly that.  The rooms are spacious, tidy, functional and everything squeaky clean.  Though young and a tad inexperienced, the staff more than made up for it via their enthusiam and what made Thailand famous, their 'Smiles'. For US$104 per night which includes a sumptuous breakfast and free wi-fi & internet use, right at the heart of this exciting city, the Holiday Inn is a real steal.

Coming from 4 different corners of the globe our goals are ; to catch up, to smoke fine Cubans, to drink vintage whiskeys (except me the party pooper who is on a 3-month probation from booze), to indulge in fine Thai cuisine including street foods, to share the joy of grand parenting, to return to the 'crime scenes' from our single-sans-family days, and of course, to fix the problems of the world whilst we attend to the above.

For me, there is one more agenda item, to return to Wandee for a 3-day Refresher Course.  

THE PRINCIPAL

New eateries are openning up like wild fire, it is just not possible to stay in touch with 'the scene' regardless of how one tries. We were at The Principal recently, a member of the Press Room Group, and without any doubt it stands out amidst that minefield of competitors.  Located at the old Cina Citta site at the western end of Star Street across PP3 the decor is spacious, modern, clean, unobstructive and matches the elements of conductive fine dining.

Spanish Chef Jonay Armas hails from Tenerife and at the tender age of 31 he can look in the eyes of some tired chefs in town and eat not only their lunches, but breakfasts and dinners as well. He has further defined creativity, with an Iberico slant. Bored by big-wick chefs and Michelin stars galore these days we welcome Chef Jonay's cuisine and this is why ....

*  amuse bouche of truffled runny egg
*  minced crab, pickles, pear & ginger chutney
*  smoked Dutch eel, herring roe, pineapple ice cream, tomato textures
*  foie micuit, rhubarb compote, apple cru, buckwheat brioche
*  tomato tartare, dates, ajoblanco
*  suckling pig with lemon puree, sauteed red endives & pomergranate reduction
*  violet sponge, berries, yoghurt sorbet, pistachio puree & honeycomb

Adding to this delicious Degustation Menu we also had Martinis, house snacks of popcorn & Wasabi dusted Macademians, a nice Bodega, plus petit fours and potent Espressos ... at $1200 per head ... I can almost call it a steal!

The Principal @ 9 Star Street Wanchai ... Manager Joanne Sutherland (852) 2563 3444 

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

I was Honorary Aide-de-Camp from the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force at Government House, on Her Majesty's last visit to the Colony. I was posted with the crew to accompany her to Shatin for the Queen's Cup Race, and I was able to watch her in close quarters.  I was awed by her regal presence, my first and most likely last encounter with a reigning monarch.  Did you watch the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, especially the Flotilla of Thousand Boats on The Thames?  Did you notice she was on her feet for 3-4 hours, in typical London elements?  How did she manage, at 86?  

God Save the Queen .... the National Anthem.  I always wonder why it is not God Save(s) the Queen but I guess the one upstairs has to be 1st person singular, always.  I was in 3 different official occasions when it was played, or sung.  First; when I was at St. Paul's when a member of the royal family paid a visit, I was singing it with the chorale.  Second; when Prince Charles presented a new Military Standard to the RHKAAF, I was the Uncasing Officer ie I removed the Standard aka flag in laymen terms, from its case, for the first time, before the Prince. Third; at the Queen's visit.  We were taught to stand at attention, and salute if in uniform.  I wanted to do exactly that throughout the weekend, whenever the National Anthem was played.    

God Save Our Gracious Queen, Long Live Our Noble Queen
God Save the Queen
Send Her Victorious, Happy and Glorious, Long to Reign Over Us
God Save the Queen

Indeed, may she live a long life, and may she continue to reign ....

RYU GIN 1CC 101

Possibly the highest Keiseki Japanese restaurant in the world, Ryu Gin is located at Level 101 at the ICC.  We were treated to dinner there last night, and it was indeed an 'extravagant experience' as Dora surmised.

Chef Seiji Yamamoto opened Ryu Gin less than 10 years ago in 2003, at Roppongi when he was 33 and has since enjoyed nothing less than total success.  Ryu Gin has 3-Michelin stars 4-years in a row, no doubt part of the master plan.  Chef Seiji's bigger mission is 'to become the front-runner to globalize Japanese cuisine' and the theme of Ryu Gin is 'to pursue possibilities of the Japanese cuisine'.  The 10-course Spring Gastronomy Menu we had was a case in point where the traditional, the contemporary, the Yoshoku, and the avant garde aspects of Japanese culinary arts were on full display, at their most creative.

*  Hokkaido Sea Urchin tempuraed in seaweed & Junsai in light acidic broth
*  Foie Gras with fresh figs & sesame cream sauce
*  Steamed Abalone with Lotus Mochi & Yuba, Mitsuba flavored sauce
*  Ichiban Dashi Soup with tender shrimp dumplings
*  Assortment of Sashimi : lobster, maguro, prawns
*  Charcoal grilled Alfonsino covered with Roasted Rice
*  Sukiyaki Kuroge Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Onsen Tamago, White Asparagus, Morel
*  Rice simmered in Sakura tea, with deep fried Surugawan Bay Sakura shrimps
*  Ryu Gin Signature !!!! -196C Candy Strawberry & +99C Strawberry Jam
*  Trilogy of Japanese Tea Desserts

4-hours free valet parking, they obviously do not want to rush the 10 courses.  You have to be there to feel the dynamic and energy of the meal. How was the view from 101 floors up?  What view?  Did anyone bother or even care to look outside?  Probably not!  One last thing, even though we did not pay but I would not be out of line to suggest that the bill should at least be 5 if not 6 stars, and why not?