Who says fine dining only comes at dinner time?
This was my excuse: it was my birthday and hence I could spoil myself with something nice–something special. Whale’s Belly did not fail to impress before and so we had always intended to come back. My parents and I arrived at noon and were greeted by very attentive staff with big welcoming smiles on their faces.
A young and charming waiter seated us, carefully placed the napkins on our laps and handed to us the menus. He informed us that the dishes were carefully crafted by their Executive Chef Mr. Mai Apirawit whom–after having collaborated with a number of 3 Michelin star chefs in restaurants around the world–was named “The Winner of IRON CHEF, Thailand 2014”, by IROHA CHEF Thailand TV program.
Not long after we ordered, complimentary black bread with multi-grains was served before us, with butter and their homemade velvety cognac chicken liver pate. One can always tell when the bread is freshly baked. Slightly crispy on the outside, the bread was soft, warm and had the just right hint of moisture. It was a great start of our meal already.
As soon as we demolished all the bread, our first course were served. A bowl of soup was placed in front of my mother but I could easily smell the aroma from across the table. It was…impossible to resist myself to try it! With the addition of white truffle foam on the top, the thick and creamy black truffle soup tasted divine. The portion wasn’t massive but it was the right size, as it was super rich.
My appetiser, though, was second to none. Having been awarded as winning dish from IRONCHEF THAILAND 2014, this plate of cold soba noodles topped with diced tuna sashimi marinated with yuzu vinaigrette became one of my all-time favourite seafood appetiser ever. The black caviar added a bit of taste, and the blue crab meat absorbed the citrusy yuzu vinaigrette and brought out the flavours more. All together, this dish was light, delicious, surprisingly and strangely refreshing. Simply fantastic!
As of my father, he went for the less exciting option–a bowl of Ceasar salad. There is not much to tell about this dish, but I could say their gourmet salad dressing was “satisfying”. It was creamy, salty, thick and intense–almost like some sort of soft paste. Oh! And they were quite generous with anchovies too (again, just the right amount and not too much in our opinion!).
Once we finished our first course, blossoms of iced-cold spring and summer were served in a martini glass. Citrus jelly and icy orange sorbet flakes were a good combination, especially with some lightly-scented orange foam. The foam reminded me of Sugus fruit candy but a more mellow and classier (perhaps theoretically…) version. Well, it brought back my wonderful childhood memories and so I could say it is a good thing!
And here come our mains! As I no longer eat meat or poultry, I went for the fish option. I never get overly excited with salmon, but the wild mushroom duxelles definitely won me over. Duxelles is an intense paste made from a heat-reduced mixture of finely chopped mushrooms with theirs stems, shallots, onions sautéed with herb and butter. Each bite of the salmon with the duxelles topped with the sourness from the gourmet Pomodoro sauce was an explosion of flavours in my mouth. This surely was not an average salmon dish!
Below are images of my mother and father’s mains. They both enjoyed their options immensely.
Just as we thought we couldn’t fit anymore food in our tummy, the waiter brought out the desserts. he Accompanied with lychee caviar, hazelnut, almond tuile and premium vanilla bean ice-cream, the belgian brownie was made with the finest couverture chocolate. It was just as stupendous as our French Crêpe Suzette which was prepared with navel orange, cinnamon tuilie, almond. It tasted fantastic vanilla bean ice-cream also. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
To conclude, we walked in to Whale’s Belly very happily–looking forward to a special meal–but we walked out much much happier! There was not a downside to our experience there. On top of the brilliant food and the pleasant atmosphere, the seats were large and comfy and the service was impeccable. We would go back to Whale’s Belly anytime.
More images of Whale’s Belly unique modernist European seafood restaurant.
For reservation or more information, call +66(0)2160 0333 or visit http://www.whales-belly.com
Bee Xoomsai
Bee’s Journey
