Thailand’s foremost celebrity chef Ian Kittichai guest stars at Marriott – specializes in Thai-Western fusion cuisine

▲ Pan-seared scallops with mint-coriander grilled sticky rice sauce.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Ian Kittichai, head chef of Issaya Siamese Club — the Thai restaurant ranked 19th on the 2016 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list — is known as Thailand’s top chef. He will be a guest chef at Garden Kitchen in Taipei Marriott Hotel from May 24 to May 29. Although Ian Kittichai personally favors the flavors of northeastern and northern Thailand, years of exposure to French cuisine have made him skilled at adapting Thai dishes to Western palates. His cooking is not as spicy as traditional Thai food. Lunch during his residency is priced at NT$2,980+10%, and dinner at NT$4,280+10%.


▲ Stir-fried sea bass with fresh peppercorns and Thai basil sauce.

For the pan-seared scallops with mint-coriander grilled sticky rice sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili powder are mixed together before the seared scallops are added and left to marinate briefly before plating. Ian Kittichai says that in fact, much of the sweetness comes from enhancing with acidity, so the umami of the scallops is brought out by the fish sauce and lime juice.


▲ Thinly sliced pork loin with spicy lemon-coconut salad.

Another dish, thinly sliced pork loin with spicy lemon-coconut salad, features thinly sliced black pork covered with garlic-crusted pickled lemon and cauliflower, then drizzled with a sauce made from lemongrass, lime, fish sauce, and chili. As for the dessert jasmine cheese with coconut sticky rice ice cream, it's Ian Kittichai’s signature. He said he saw cherry blossoms used in dishes during cherry blossom season in Japanese restaurants, but felt they had no cherry blossom flavor. He thought about what flower he could use in cooking and ultimately chose jasmine, which he knows well, combining it with cheese and coconut sticky rice ice cream.


▲ Chef Ian’s Thai seafood fish soup.


▲ Slow-braised beef cheek in massaman curry.


▲ Coconut chicken crispy rice cake.