(L to R)
Dr. Iain Corness, Jens Heier, Amari Orchid Pattaya’s executive chef;
visiting chef Thomas Kammeier, and Ranjith Chandrasiri
Dr. Iain Corness
The local chapter of
the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs descended upon the Amari’s Mantra restaurant last
week to sample and enjoy the dinner produced by Michelin Star chef Thomas
Kammeier.
Chef Thomas, from
Hugo’s restaurant in Berlin, is a Michelin One Star chef, and he flew in to
join the Amari’s executive chef Jens Heier for the Chaîne dinner.
Like other Michelin
Star chefs when traveling, he brought many of his own ingredients with him
to make his special sauces, even though this meant he was 70 kg overweight
for the flight! With his reputation at stake, he was leaving nothing to
chance.
Front row (L to R) Martin
van Bree; Dinie de Vries; Janneke Simoons; Sukanya Seaton; Chitra
Chandrasiri; and Ria Hesling; Back row (L to R) Willem de Vries; John
Seaton.
Following the
reception in Mantra’s wonderful cocktail bar area, the Chaîne members
(naturally wearing their chains) were escorted through to the private dining
section for the first of five courses, to be followed by cognac and single
malt whisky at the end.
This first course was
Canadian lobster carpaccio, tatare, blood orange and lemon ginger sherbet
accompanied by a Saint Joseph Blanc 2006, Guigal, a wine which has received
Robert Parker’s judgment with a 90-92. The 2006 St. Joseph Blanc exhibited
more smoke, honeyed grapefruit, and floral scents along with an acidity and
excellent depth. A great start to the dinner.
The next course was
probably my personal favorite for the evening, the cod fish and Fin de
Claire oyster, pan-fried, with a cucumber, lemon veloute. This was teamed
with the Louis Jadot Petit Chablis, one of the most famous dry white wines
in the world; this was taut, mineral and crisp with fresh zesty acidity and
a stony character making this the quintessential un-oaked Chablis. This
wine was also the wine of the evening for me, though always remember that
wine is a very personal judgment.
(L to R) Chitra
Chandrasiri, Ranjith Chandrasiri,
Peter Windgasse, and Alfred Madl.
For the third course
we were spoiled with a line caught sea bass with crispy, coffee orange
carrots, tarragon pistou washed down with a Chateau Carbonnieux 2004, Pessac
Leognan Blanc, an interesting wine style which was purchased by a Sultan of
Turkey many centuries ago as he thought it was a mineral water and the monks
who made the wine were quite happy to keep up the pretense.
The fourth course was
a Nantaise duck confit, celeriac purée, with apricots, accompanied by a
Crozes Hermitage 2004, which had a very heady nose of red fruits, cherry and
strawberry with delicate oak aromas. It needed a strong wine to go with the
distinct taste of the free range French Nantaise duck.
After a breather, we
came to the final course, the dessert of pineapple and Pina Colada sherbet
compote. This was accompanied by a Gewurztraminer Les Princess Abbes 2006,
Domain Schlumberger, a Gewürztraminer from Alsace and one of the world’s
most exotic and distinctive wines. This archetypal example has concentrated
lychee, rose petal and raisiny scents, and the palate is spicy, exotic and
lingering, with typically soft acidity.
At the end of the very
special evening, certificates of appreciation were given to chefs Thomas and
Jens and the kitchen brigade and the service staff received personal
certificates by which they will always be able to remember the evening they
worked with a Michelin Star chef.
For those not aware of
the Michelin Guide, originally, the concept of stars was promoted by the
Michelin tyre company wishing to promote driving, and thus increasing their
sales of tyres. The Michelin Guide awards one to three stars to restaurants
of outstanding quality. One star indicates “a very good restaurant in its
category, worth a stop.” A two-star ranking represents “excellent cooking,
worth a detour”, and three stars are awarded to restaurants offering
“exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” By the way, a three-star
Michelin ranking is exceedingly rare. As of late 2009, there were only 26
three-star restaurants in France, and only 81 in the world.
Further information on
the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs can be obtained from the Bailli, email
[email protected].
(L to R) Dr. Iain Corness,
Elfi Seitz and Steve Ryser
share a laugh during the evening.
