South African Ambassador
Douglas Gibson (center) and honored guests
cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the festivities.
“Too many cooks spoil the broth” is an old Scottish proverb, but the Dusit Thani
Pattaya were not at all afraid to invite three South African chefs into the
Irish resident executive chef Adrian O’Herlihy’s kitchen. The reason was the
South African version of the very successful Cuisine du Monde promotion, which
had come down from the Dusit Thani in Bangkok.
South African chef Shaun Van Rensburg prepares some delicious
South African cuisine.
What has to be remembered is that having the credentials of a
chef is really an open ticket to the world. Chef Adrian, for example, began his
career in the Dublin College of Catering, moved on to Germany, returned to work
in London in the UK, back to Germany, back to the UK, off to America, to Saudi
Arabia and then to Chiang Mai and now Pattaya.
The South African chefs were also adept at packing their
suitcases, with the talkative Vaughan Minnie beginning his global tour in South
Africa, then joined the crew on a cruise ship, was invited to China, then to
Dubai (UAE), and back to South Africa. Shaun Van Rensburg began his career as a
Junior Sous Chef in a Belgian restaurant and from there has graduated to three
of the top hotels, resorts and convention centers in South Africa. Third South
African Neelendhren (Denver) Perumalsamy had also moved around South Africa
starting as an assistant cook in Durban and after sampling a few kitchens is now
in Johannesburg. And all three were packed into Chef Adrian’s kitchen!
South African Ambassador Douglas Gibson addresses the gathering.
The Saturday night event was called the South African Braai
(BBQ) and Buffet Dinner and was attended by the South African Ambassador Douglas
Gibson and his wife. We wondered if we were to be presented with diced dassies,
meerkat mousse, nocturnal aardvark or aardwolf steaks, or the fish unique to
South Africa, the Snoek, Kabbeljou and Kingklip with chips; however, none were
on display, but we did get South African chakalaka, prawn kebabs, chicken
sosaties, boerewors sausage and the maize derived pap and a few other South
African specialties.
However, the buffet did not start and end there. The range of
items brought out by Chef Adrian and his crew was staggering, with many being
‘live cooking’ stations. We were particularly impressed with the happy chef in
charge of the goose liver foie gras, pan-fried and flamed as you wait and for
those who enjoy oysters, not only were there freshly shucked French Fine de
Claire, but a fried local oyster in Irish whisky modestly called Chef Adrian’s
Oyster and made for you on the spot! Both were mouthwatering!
Dr Iain Corness (right) interviews Chef Adrian O’Herlihy for PMTV.
The BBQ buffet area is in and around The Bay restaurant, with
guests choosing between the air-conditioned section or tables around the pool
under the stars. We selected the air-con section and dined with Vanjie Lauzon
the Dusit Thani’s marketing communications manager who kept us supplied with the
Dusit Thani’s own label house wine, which is eminently quaffable and very
reasonably priced.
With fantastic spreads such as the Dusit Thani’s Saturday
night BBQs, I do recommend doing a couple of laps of the offerings before
embarking on your culinary expedition - there are so many delectable items, you
do not want to miss out on something by being too full at the end!
We can very much recommend the Saturday night’s ‘Cuisine du
Monde’ at the Dusit Thani, and at B. 1490++ (it is a resort, remember) it is a
very reasonable price for such top quality items. And do try Chef Adrian’s
oysters as well as the Fine de Claire if they are on offer.
Dusit Thani Pattaya, 240/2 Pattaya Beach Road, telephone 038
425 611,| fax 038 428 239, secure parking within the resort grounds.
(L to R) Dr
Iain Corness interviews South African chefs Vaughan Minnie,
Shaun Van Rensburg, and Neelendhren (Denver) Perumalsamy.
Not much is
better than a BBQ by the sea.
Prawn and Oyster
Five Spice
This is a real local market dish, with the main ingredients
available very cheaply. At last count it was B. 50 for 100 gm of shelled
oysters. This is also a dish to prepare in European fashion, removing the heads,
tails and shells of the prawns. Devein by slicing down the back and removing the
central vein before cooking too.
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Ingredients Serves 4
Large prepared prawns 500 gm
Oysters 100 gm
Garlic (crushed)
1
Five Spice powder 1 tspn
Corn flour 2 tspns
Salt ½ tspn
Vegetable oil 4 tbspns
Chicken stock 250 ml
Coriander leaf (chopped) 1
tbspn |
Cooking method
Mix the Five Spice and salt in a saucer. Take the de-shelled prawns and dip
into the mixture of Five Spice and salt, making sure they are covered.
Heat the oil in the wok and stir-fry the crushed garlic
for 30 seconds. Add the prawns and quickly stir-fry until they are a pink
color, then remove the prawns with a strainer. Add the chicken stock to the
wok and bring to the boil.
Mix the corn flour with two tablespoons of cold water and
add to the wok. Stir until the sauce thickens then add the prawns and the
oysters and stir well.
Remove and sprinkle coriander leaf as garnish on steamed
rice and serve with champagne.
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