BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
The 32 year-old chef de cuisine of Waldorf Astoria Bangkok brings with him not just his bedimpled smile, but also a plethora of authentic Thai dishes that will mesmerize diners of Brasserie on 3 at Conrad Manila until the end of April.
How spicy is it?
This is usually the first question to cross one’s mind upon hearing the words “Thai cuisine.” At Brasserie on 3 in Conrad Manila, the answer, according to guest chef Akkawin “Pun” Pitrachart of Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, is “just right.”
“Thai people really love spicy food but personally, I only like it to be somewhere in the middle, because too much spiciness numbs the mouth and tends to overpower the other flavors,” says Chef Pun, the latest chef to take part in Conrad Manila’s Legendary Chefs Series.
During his guest stint, Chef Pun will showcase his signature creations, which include braised chicken in coconut broth infused with aromatic Thai herbs and stir-fried minced pork with fiery bird’s eye chili and fragrant basil, among others. And we enjoyed a sneak peek of these exciting flavors, as well as a short one-on-one with the chef, who first started his culinary journey in France some 12 years ago.
“The French don’t really like spicy food,” starts off Chef Pun, who served as an intern in two Michelin-star awarded restaurants in Valence and Mandelieu, as soon as he stepped out of college. Having cooked on both sides of the globe, it is therefore no surprise that the young chef has learned to adjust the flavors of his Thai dishes – especially when it comes to spice levels.
In terms of visual appeal, Chef Pun’s Thai style roast beef — served bone-in on the Conrad buffet — definitely wins. The dish, seasoned and soaked in Thai herbs and sauces, was smoked for more than 48 hours to medium rare perfection. The meat is juicy and flavorful, succulent and mildly seasoned.
The Northern Thai Sausage also captures that authentic minty and salty flavors that usually come in Thai dishes. It reminds this writer of similar streetfood sold on sticks in Bangkok, though undoubtedly, prepared in a much cleaner (and sophisticated) environment.
Then there’s the steaming bowl of khao soi or thai noodle curry soup, which the chef prepared in a small set-up right before our eyes.
The soup is thick and moderately spicy. With the addition of whole pieces of chicken and noodles to the mix, the khao soi could prove a bit heavy for some, so it might be good to eat this somewhere in the middle, or even closer to the end of your meal. But if you have a somewhat modest appettite and only have space for one or two dishes, then make sure this is one of them.
As for dessert, there’s definitely more than mango sticky rice in this legendary spread. Among our favorites is the bua loy, which is soft rice balls served in coconut milk, reminiscent of our local “bilo-bilo.” And while the two are essentially the same thing, the bua loy seems just a tad sweeter, though equally delicious.
Bringing in the flavors of Thailand to Manila is no small feat and Chef Pun most certainly didn’t slack in doing his homework. “When cooking in another country, you need to fly in with some ingredients that you cannot take with you. You also need to adapt and use what they have. The Northern peppers, I bring them from Thailand, because I know I cannot find them here. But the rest, I think, most of them, I used the products from here,” he shares. Chef Pun also commended the country’s extensive selections of seafood and mangoes, which made his work easier.
Well, the dishes speak for themselves. Not too spicy, not too sweet, and again as Chef Pun initially described them, “just right.”
“We need to have something to balance everything together. Because Thai dishes, you have a variety of food and then you eat with the rice, right? Yeah, so it has to be some very spicy and some a little bit sweet to balance everything,” he ends.
For reservations, call 8833-9999, email conradmanila@conradhotels.com or visit https://eatdrinkhilton.com/brasserie-on-3-conrad-manila.
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