Chef Owns It All

By Laurence Civil

Great chefs are naturally obsessive about their style of cooking, always wanting to source the best ingredients available and to cook them in the simplest style possible. Great restaurateurs are striving to run a highly commercially successful restaurant. Both are often working together but with different goals. So what are the challenges for the chef who is also the restaurateur? Does being the chef and owner at the same time create a conflict of interest between their personal goals and the needs of their business. In an attempt to answer, we met with six very different chef/owners; an Italian who was the first to do fine dining; a half French half Thai who learnt his craft in France before returning to Thailand; a Thai lady who went to London to learn her craft at Le Cordon Bleu; a French chef who came to Thailand to escape the political turmoil in neighbouring Cambodia; a Thai born lady who married a Belgian antiques dealer who started her culinary career there and; an American who after years of experience in food and beverage management decided to go back into the kitchen to open his own restaurant. Differing reasons exist for what they are doing, however, all are chefs who run their own restaurants.

Gianni

A warm restaurant with yellow walls on which hang an interesting collection of square contemporary unframed pictures. The feel is classic elegance with Italian informality. To start we were served a selection of four light and fresh antipasti. The Pumpkin soup was luxuriously infused with black truffles, while the Minestrone had a great combination of vegetables. For the main course, a Fillet of snapper with artichoke and cherry tomatoes, perfectly light for lunch. For dessert a selection of Poached pear, a Mini tiramisu, a Small pastry horn with cream and a coffee cr?me. A showcase of quality ingredients simply cooked, what more could be asked for.

"I am a cook first," states Gianni, "everything else comes after. A few years ago I was developing some other food businesses and I soon realized that it was at the expense of the restaurant. So I now just focus on the restaurant, it's where my passion is. My wife takes care of the pizza business, and I am involved with the catering business outside restaurant hours. I was the first to do Italian fine dining, until then Italian in Thailand was just pizza and pasta and I felt the time was right to stretch higher. A good restaurant is a combination of many things, all of which must be working together to succeed. I only serve Italian wines and as we have a wide selection, I can find something on my list to suit every taste."

Le Pre Grill

This is a delightfully simple home-style French restaurant serving classic dishes. The feel is warm, cozy and comfortable yet with good service. The first dish brought to the table was Pan-fried foie gras with rich caramelized passion fruit sauce to add an Asian twist that was a great taste combination. Chef Jai had added a light touch of acidity to the finish of the sauce to balance the heavy flavour of the foie gras. Good French bread is hard to find in Bangkok but thankfully Le Pre Grill bake their own, that is fantastic. For the main course I enjoyed a well-cooked fillet of venison, wrapped with bacon served with a mushroom sauce. My dining companion took Beef tenderloin that was cooked just as he had requested. With the meal we enjoyed a very pleasant bottle of Chateau Moulin Haut Villais. For dessert I had the classic light balanced Pudding made with milk and cream served with a fresh strawberry caulis, while my companion took Profiteer Rolls filled with chocolate cream served with vanilla ice-cream.

"Being both chef and owner of this restaurant," says Jai Lafon, "my role as chef is the most challenging, in particular making sure the meat is consistently cooked as the customer orders. I need to have the confidence to be able to trust my kitchen team when I am away. The service delivery side is just a matter of getting it right."

Mes Amis

The restaurant has a comfortable upscale residential feel with the tables generously spaced apart. To awaken our palates an amuse bouche of smoked salmon cream filled profiteer rolls was served. For my starter I enjoyed a wholesome French onion soup, authentic to the recipe from Les Halles in Paris, while my companion enjoyed a beautifully rich Lobster bisque. For my main course I took pleasure in a wholesome Boeuf bouginione with a taro croquette that had a lighter taste than potato and worked extremely well with the rich wine based sauce. My companions Duck Confit had the essential crisp skin, beneath which the meat was succulently soft and tender. With the meal we enjoyed a fruity bottle of Dona Sol Cabernet Sauvignon. We finished the meal with a Dark and light chocolate cake that had a nice taste and texture combination.

"When I went to London to study at The Cordon Bleu School," says chef Pooky, "I only thought I would be opening a small homey restaurant, I never imagined then I would be running a full scale restaurant like Mes Amis. Although I am both chef and owner, I prefer to be in the kitchen, that is where my heart is. I am always looking to find the best ingredients and raw materials for my customer. My day starts early in the morning baking bread and cakes until noon, then after lunch around 3pm I start preparing dinner and am in the restaurant until we close. To become a superwoman is not an easy task."

Philippe

An elegant yet relaxed two storey restaurant just a short distance into Soi 39 from Sukhumvit Road. This is the French restaurant of choice for a relaxed dining experience. A delightful French Pastis was served as pre dinner drink to set the mood. As an amuse bouche, a chilled cauliflower soup was presented in a tall shot glass. For an appetizer I enjoyed Foie gras stuffed cannelloni in a rich sauce, indulgent yet light. I was then presented with a palate cleansing lemon sherbet before progressing to the main course. On Philippe’s recommendation I took the Tete de Veau, that at first glance might have looked fatty but in fact it was gelatin, a light dish served simply with boiled potatoes. The restaurant has one of the best French cheese selection in town with over 20 varieties to choose from. The waiter’s recommendation of Chateau Badens matched well with the cheese.

"Firstly I am a chef," says Philippe, "running the business is a secondary issue. From 1992-1997 I had been working in Cambodia, with the political turmoil of the Pol Pot era I came to Thailand, and as I knew I wanted to remain in Asia I opened the restaurant with my partners in 1998. I wanted to break the image of stiffness too often associated with French restaurants; I wanted the service to be professional yet comfortable, so that customers can share Asian style. I am married to my restaurant. "

The Blue Elephant

In 5 years the Blue Elephant has given life back to the former Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Building and restored it to be the architectural icon of Sathorn Road. The food is a combination of creativity with western influence from its Belgian origins and the authenticity from Chef Nooror’s origins. The strength of her culinary skills merges subtlety and variety in the flavouring. The Scallops with lemongrass and black pepper were perfectly balanced. Buffalo satay with peanut sauce shows how traditional Thai farmed meat can be presented with style. Kha Naom Beung is egg rice pastry filled with prawns, coconut and fresh bean sprouts cooked a la minute and served with sweet and sour condiment. Her Orange prawn curry has a unique taste with a sauce of coconut milk, jackfruit, sweet chili and cherry tomatoes. Nam Tok Tuna simple seared fish with a delicious ginger wasabi sauce, not strictly authentic but a successful creative interpretation. Finally, New Zealand lamb chops in krapong sauce with wild rice. For dessert, Hot Belgian chocolate cake with diced fresh ginger, making an amazing taste combination while the Durian cheesecake was flavour forward without a hint of the smell.

"I have no control over my work schedule," says chef Nooror, "It's all managed by my assistant. First and foremost I am a chef who is a partner in the business. When I am in Bangkok I am teaching cooking classes morning and afternoon and also overseeing our new production factory. I travel a lot to visit our restaurants overseas and do food promotions continually. Additionally, I am creating new menus and after 5 years its time to get back to the past with some of our dishes."

Roadhouse BBQ, Steakhouse & Grill

An affordable three storey honest style American diner with a restaurant on the ground floor, meeting facilities on the second and the sports bar up on the third floor, where we had dinner. The menu is an easy to read board that is stood on the table for customers to make their orders. To start we ordered Suicide chicken wings and they weren’t kidding about the taste, it was assertive. Another appetizer was Skillet of prawns with garlic bread that was pretty tangy but not as much as the earlier dish. This style of food is getting back to reality, dishes the customers can understand. A must try dish is their Crab cakes with creole mustard that has retained the flakey texture of the shell fish. It took chef Dana 6 months to get his cooks to understand the idea of folding the contents gently together. Their Beef chili is all meat, diced cubes rather than ground with no beans. This is an award winning recipe that has to be tried. Quality Beef burgers are made with thick wedges of meat. The corn bread has a delicious taste with some milk added to make it softer. We finished the meal with Key lime pie.

"The biggest challenge as a newly opened venue," says chef Dana was the amount of capital invested and getting together the right team in the kitchen and front of house. I spend 12 hours a week on average in the kitchen; much of my day time is spent on administration and sourcing new products and in the evening being front of house."