Category: Cuisine: French

Western fine dining at David’s Kitchen in Chiang Mai

When I researched the Chiang Mai’s food scene online, one restaurant kept popping up: David’s Kitchen (at 909). It is particularly well positioned on Tripadvisor, where not only is the first rated restaurant in Chiang Mai, but it also ranked as the best fine dining restaurant in Thailand and in Asia. In 2017 it made it again to Tripadvisor’s list of of the top ten restaurants in the world according to people’s reviews.

While I do not care much about Tripadvisor’s rankings, I felt I could not miss this restaurant while in Chiang Mai and I made a booking though the restaurant’s website that was confirmed instantaneously.

David’s Kitchen is mostly a French influenced restaurant with some international and fusion dishes. It is the result of the collaboration of a well-traveled British gentleman, David, his wife Prom that is also the pastry chef, and Chef O, a Thai professional trained with French and German chefs.

The visit

I reached my destination using the South Asian Uber, Grabcar (it works marvelously in Chiang Mai) and I was escorted into the restaurant, which remained tucked away from the main road. The restaurant is housed in a modern and architecturally remarkable villa basically divided in two parts: a bar section and the dining room. The dining room was spacious and, when I arrived at 6.00pm, there were already a few people seated. On the table, a holder would display “welcome” and my name. The receptionist even correctly guessed my name when I arrived at the entrance (probably I was the only party of one at that time) and did not need to waste time going through the reservation list. Very good start.

I quickly ordered my selection (a soup, a pasta dish and a main) since I had studied the menu online and I knew what I wanted. Actually, I made a small adjustment to my mental selection on the fly as I was given a list of daily specials and one of them was just perfect. Meantime I was promptly offered water, the bread basket and a nice tomato dip. I was also offered an amuse bouche in the form of a crispy salmon croquette. Very good. At this point a manager, a relatively young Thai gentleman, approached me for some casual conversation. I must say that it was one of the few times when I kind of enjoyed the chit-chat.

First dish was included in the list of their signature creations: a velouté of yellow Japanese pumpkin soup, white truffle foam and a salmon croquette. Yes, this was exactly the same croquette I had as an amuse bouche. Apart from the small repetition, I really enjoyed the soup (and I am not into soups at all). This was a simple yet an excellent dish.

The second dish consisted in pan-fried pumpkin ravioli with spicy tomato sauce. I liked the idea of pad-fried ravioli: a similar treatment is given to some Chinese dumplings, so I was curious to experience the result. It was an original dish that I enjoyed thanks to the texture provided by the pan-frying.

At this point I was offered a scoop of lemon sorbet to cleanse my palate.

Then, the time for the big ticket item came. It was selected from the daily specials and was a piece of wagyu beef cheek in classic Paris mash. I am a big fan of beef cheek and I cannot find it in Asia easily, so when I see it on a menu I usually order it. The meat was sensationally tender and tasty.

To make the meal perfect, I added a dessert: sticky toffee pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. Perfectly executed.

While I had my meal, the dining room quickly got busy. I believe there was only one small table without the reservation sign.

The service throughout was impeccable, professional and all staff could speak English. I must add that the service was also very rapid: the whole meal only took one hour. This was not a problem for me. I think it speaks of how efficient and well-oiled the kitchen operations are in this restaurant.

The check

For this four-course dinner I spent 2,648 THB, or aorund 80 USD. This was my most expensive meal during my trip in Chiang Mai. The wagyu cheek accounted for 50% of the total check, but it was worth it. While expensive by Chiang Mai standards, I found the final check more than acceptable considering the quality of the food and the service. Beside, they do not overcharge the water that is particularly appreciated. It should also be mentioned that they have a very attractive four-course set menu for 1,450 THB, so it is entirely possible to dine in this world-class restaurant for a very reasonable price.

So what is special about David’s Kitchen? Are the accolades deserved? To answer I will add that David was not around that night. The day after, I received an email in which David would apologize for missing the opportunity to greet in person and added some details about my whereabouts that must have been referred by his manager (so it was not a generic template thank you letter). This speaks volume of the dedication behind David’s Kitchen. After all, I was just a tourist probably never coming back again, still I received this kind of personalized attention. I believe that this is the key to understand why guests leave satisfied. They have great food, but let’s be honest, most dishes on the menu (from gravlax salmon to the braised lamb shank) are quite common and easily found in similar restaurants around the world. What makes the difference, in my opinion, is this ability to provide a warm and customized experience even to the casual visitor. Not many establishments are able (or even willing) to achieve this. If you pair this with the perfectly executed dishes, the professional service and the elegant ambiance, then traveler’s awards make perfect sense.

Personally I was very happy with the dinner and, if I will visit Chiang Mai one more time in the future, I will try to book a table again.

Where in Chiang Mai:
113 Bamrungrad Road.
At time of posting, only open for dinner and closed on Sundays.
Check their website that includes description of the menus and an easy online reservation system.

The best chocolaterie in Vietnam: Maison Marou in Ho Chi Minh City

I am hardly unveiling anything new. Chocolate Marou was covered by The New York Times a few years ago. Still, I feel compelled to write about it since their Maison Marou in Ho Chi Minh City is, in my opinion, is one of the best dessert experiences in Vietnam.

Chocolate Marou was founded by two French gentleman, Samuel Maruta (also of Japanese heritage) and and Vincent Mourou back in 2011 (now you can guess where the name comes from). They were not chocolatier by trade, but they did learn fast and had the brilliant idea to exploit local coco bean varieties, each with its own unique texture and aroma depending on the place of origin (the so called terroir).

But this review is not about the chocolate itself, rather it is about Maison Marou, a chocolaterie that is a coffee shop, but also an atelier, but also a miniature chocolate factory, but also a shop, but also a learning center and now even a tourist destination.

The visit

I have patronized Maison Marou since its opening. It is just a great place where to meet friends or just have a solitary dessert. It is quite busy on weekends; weekdays in the early afternoon is probably the best time to go.

At Maison Marou you can shop for Marou chocolate bars, pralines and other souvenirs. You can see the machine roasting the coco beans in action (you can even taste a raw coco bean).

But the star of Maison Marou is represented by their chocolate pastry creations. In my latest visit I tried the tiramisu that was excellent and certainly not an easy dish. In the past I also tried their opera cake, eclairs (love the hard slide of chocolate inside, instead of the regular soft cream), tarts, and other seasonal treats. I have never been let down. One comfort food that I strongly recommend is their giant chocolate chips cookie. It is a great blend of chocolate and cookie paste. They also serve coffee and hot/iced chocolate (and a few other drinks) to complete the experience, otherwise iced water is complimentary (as customary in Vietnamese coffee shops).

In my last visit I also tried one of their new products, a sort of power bar called Ironbar. The balance between the chocolate and the various grains and fibers was good.

The check

For a tiramisu and the chocolate energy bar I spent 210,000 VND (or around 9 USD). The eclair is 70,000 VND (3 USD), but most desserts are priced around 150,000 VND (6.55 USD). By Vietnamese standards, it is not cheap. However, it is difficult to quibble about the price if you take into account the quality of the ingredients and the attractiveness of the venue. For reference, a sampler with 6 bars of their chocolate costs 600,000 VND (around 26 USD). It is pleonastic, but yes, good chocolate is not cheap nowadays.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
169 Calmette, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, District 1
Open daily from 9am to 10pm (11pm on Fridays and Weekends).
Check their website and facebook page for updated information.
They also have a Maison Marou in Hanoi.

Chop Chop Club – Shanghai (Closed)

How can you innovate the restaurant experience? In Tokyo there is a place where you have to literally fish your meal (and if you do not, a premium will apply on the check). In Kuala Lumpur once I visited a Marché restaurant where you can build your meal hopping from a food kiosk to another. But let’s be honest, you can only go so far…

Chop Chop Club tries to add something new with a set of timed dishes… Every 15 minutes two or three mains are available for order, either in a portion or the whole dish. Guests are welcomed with the à la carte menu encompassing a variety of appetizers and side dishes, while on a separate page (that I guess is updated on a daily basis) you can find the list of the mains and their serving times. The daily mains are also displayed on a large screen.

As the name suggests, the kitchen specializes in meat, but also some fish is available.

Chop Chop Club is located in one of the iconic “food palaces” on the Bund, Three on the Bund. It shares the same space of Unico, a self-proclaimed “Latin-infused” (do not ask me what it means) restaurant and lounge. From what I understand, the Chop Chop Club kitchen operate from 6pm to 9pm, then it is all Unico.

The visit

I visited Chop Chop Club on a calm Sunday evening in June attracted by the new format and by the fact that the restaurant is the latest brainchild of Paul Pairet, a well-known Shanghai restaurateur behind the three Michelin star Ultraviolet (one day!) and one of my all-time Shanghai favorites, Mr and Ms Bund.  Easy reservation through Chope.

I went with a friend and, in general, that’s a good idea, since the portions are not huge, but they can easily be shared among two people.

We had three mains: a portion of the house pork sausage (that came with a bit of mashed patato), a portion of Grilled seabass, and a portion of  char roasted lamb shoulder. Everything was cooked by the book, maybe the lamb was a bit cold when it arrived. The sausage, that for some reason in Asia they never get right, was also good. We had only one side, some creamy cabbage (that was exceptionally good, it did not taste as cabbage at all… I should have tried more side dishes).  On the menu for the evening there were also Wagyu sirloin steak (for 450 USD), black pepper short ribs from Singapore, cote de boef and lemon chicken. The dishes arrived punctual, the kitchen must be operating like the proverbial Swiss clock.

I and my friend were very pleased by the desserts we chose: I went for a decadent Nutella mousse (you cannot go wrong with Nutella) and my friend for chilled pomelo.

The check

The total bill for two people came to 1128 RMB (around 176 USD). It was a substantial but not a pantagruelic meal and only my friend had a cocktail. Just to say that you could easily spend much more…

I enjoyed the food and the ambience. The place delivered what it promised: solid good traditional food without excessive frills and the place and service kind of justify the premium price. And what about the idea of timing the dishes? Honestly, it did not add much to the experience. Whoever out there is on a mission to innovate the restaurant format, you need to keep trying.

Conclusion: I would come back if I had to entertain a small group of friends.

Pro-tip

From the opening at 6pm to 7.30pm it is happy hour and alcoholic beverages are 50% off.

Where in Shanghai: 
2/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu
请带我去 中山东一路3号2楼, 近广东路

December 2018 Update: now it seems to operate on a reduced schedule on Fridays and Saturdays and on a new model: you share a table with a blind menu. See their website.