Nothing elevates a delicious meal better than good wine, and in those less than rare cases, even a whole bottle; the meal feels incomplete otherwise. We often associate drinking wine as an accompaniment to western food, however the trends of the culinary world are forever turning their heads towards pairing Old World wines with Asian cuisine, a rich unification of East and West and the perfect way to bring such cultures closer together.
At the forefront of this pursuit to pair Asian cuisines with Old World wines is none other than Château Palmer, one of the leading winemakers of the world that has been unfolding the magical tastes of its French grape since the 17th century. Luckily for some of Bangkok’s wine enthusiasts and devout foodies, the renowned winemaker will be co-hosting a unique culinary journey with Bangkok’s very own Michelin-starred restaurant Le Du, titled Asian Fine Gastronomy & Palmer, set to take place on 23 January, 2019.
This will be a one-of-a-kind 6-hands dinner led by some three highly acclaimed chefs of Asia, including Thitid (Ton) Thassanakajohn of Le Du, the Michelin-starred restaurant that was also listed among ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018’; Richie Lin of the Mume, the restaurant in Taipei among ‘Asia’s 50 best restaurants 2018’, well known for blending Taiwanese ingredients with Nordic traditions and last but not least, Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery, the restaurant in Manila that was recognized with the ‘Miele One to Watch Award – Asia 2018’ at ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018’, known for presenting Filipino food as works of art on the plate.
The entire experience will speak to the world of arts and culinary craftsmanship as each of the chef’s creations will be a spirited portrayal of each of their abilities to use local and seasonal ingredients, values that align well with Château Palmer’s biodynamic and sustainable fervour, a natural extension derived from its organic terroir. In utmost harmony with the wines of Château Palmer, the evening will see the talented chefs each showcase their original culinary talent, pairing original dishes with wines such as Vin Blanc de Palmer 2016, Alter Ego 2015, Chateau Palmer 2012, Chateau Palmer 2005, Chateau Palmer 2000 and Chateau Palmer 1995.
An exclusive party of no more than 30 guests will be privy to a delectable evening featuring fine wines and dishes centred around prawn, squid, fish, pork, beef tongue and more; guests will have to wait and be surprised on the night by the twists and turns the Chefs decide to take in the kitchen.
About the Chefs
Thitid (Ton) Thassanakajohn
Thai Chef Thassanakajohn trained in the US and worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants of New York, including that of Eleven Madison Park, Jean Georges and The Modern before returning back to Thailand to start something of his own. Five years ago, the talented chef and his business partner opened Le Du with the prime goal of disrupting the Thai cuisine scene in Bangkok by presenting food that looked essentially foreign but nonetheless tasted authentically Thai. The restaurant certainly changed the face of Thai cuisine as we all know it and it was most recently awarded a Michelin-star for its innovative efforts.
Richie Lin
Chef Lin was born and raised in Hong Kong before emigrating to Canada at the age of 12 where he finished his studies and went on to Edinburgh, Scotland, to obtain a master’s degree in marketing. He spent a year in Taipei before moving down under and it was only when he discovered the wonders of Australia that his relationship with food was ignited and he went on to study cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu. He then went on to work at several restaurants in Sydney, most notably, nature-driven Quay before moving on to work at Noma in Denmark. It was there that he discovered the art of incorporating seasonality and locally-sourced products into his food. It was this distinctly Scandinavian way of cooking that would inspire the philosophy of Mume, a restaurant in Taipei using Taiwanese ingredients presented with modern European, and more specifically, Nordic, flair.
Jordy Navarra
Chef Navarra is probably the chef with a background that will surprise you the most as he majored in history with a baseball scholarship and then spent some time in business and music before carving out a career around food. He spent time working at Fat Duck in the UK and moved closer to home to work in Hong Kong at Bo Innovation. Utterly creative and adventurous, the Filipino chef is best known for transforming ‘Bahay Kubo’, a traditional and widely-recited Filipino child folk song into a dish by incorporating all 18 vegetables mentioned in the song, of course using locally sourced vegetables. This has become his restaurant’s signature dish. Toyo Eatery has since become an establishment defined by its commitment to exploring the meaning of Filipino cuisine and the idea of food having its own identity.
With contemporary cuisines presented from Thailand, Philippines and Taiwan together paired with one of the best wines of France, this evening is set to be a truly cultural and international experience uniting two of the best things humans make in life: wine and food.
For more information, please visit www.chateau-palmer.com.