Another successful hunt
Ostriches are not indigenous to Vie Wine & Grill, but they taste fantastic there
Put away the shotgun, Granny – there’ll be no hunting this month while VIE Wine & Grill is laying the table with ostrich and wild hog.
Thailand Tatler’s “Best Restaurant of 2011” is great for tasty food, attentive service and an approach that can be called no-frills even with its comfy-but-posh decor by the Jim Thompson design team. There’s also live jazz every night.
And the delectable international dinner buffet has a welcome new addition in the game meat.
Executive chef Supat Chinsangtip has tracked down duck, ostrich and wild pig as well as seabass and salmon. If it hadn’t been for the flooding he’d be roasting New Zealand venison too.
You can tell them how you want your game cooked – assuming you know the best way to fricassee an ostrich. Otherwise the cooks can be fully trusted.
The ostrich meat is grilled and served with mashed potatoes and pepper sauce. Duck breast is also grilled and comes with tangy and savoury mango sauce. Grilling is best for game, they say, because it preserves the juices and tenderness.
If you prefer a different kind of sauce – peppercorn, barbecue, mint jelly, mustard or a fiery, Thai-style seafood dip – just say so.
In terms of cooking methods, tricky wild hog is the exception. Its tough, fatty skin doesn’t loosen up enough when grilled, meaning your jaws would be in for quite a workout, so have it Thai style – stir-fried with basil, kaffir lime leaves, fresh peppercorn and ginger root.
Game meat usually begs for red wine, which tends to help digestion more than white. Perfect with poultry are 2010 Shiraz 88th Drop and 2008 Shiraz Long Flat from Australia. The pig opts for 2008 Carbernet Merlot Long Flat to accentuate the taste and minimise the piggy pong.
The buffet also includes lots of other Thai and foreign choices, plus cheeses, sushi, soups and many desserts. But don’t leave without tucking into the mussels and oysters!
Game’s afoot
<< VIE Wine & Grill is on Level 11 of the VIE Hotel Bangkok near the Ratchathewi Skytrain stop. It’s open daily from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
<< The game is in the buffet daily except Sunday until the end of October. It costs Bt950 net, inclusive a glass of wine.
<< Reservations are recommended at (02) 309 3939, extension 3700, or www.VieHotelBangkok.com.
