Dining out on duck

Chinese restaurant the Four Seasons launched its Bangkok branch last Tuesday at Siam Paragon last Tuesday amid great celebration, with throngs of VIPs turning out in force to applaud the Lion dance show and enjoy the food.
Four Seasons is the culinary venture of three friends Prinn Panitchapakdi, Peter Lam (aka Yick Kuen Lam) from Hong Kong and another Thai partner who wants to remain anonymous. The three have been close friends since school days back in London where they came up with the idea of opening their own restaurant.
Lam and Prinn have wanted to open Four Seasons in Bangkok for a while but were only able to realise their dream last week. Since Prinn was away at the opening, Lam did all the talking. He says Four Seasons Bangkok is just a beginning and he will be opening more restaurants in London and Hong Kong under different names. And he knows what’s best for the Bangkok branch.
He brought in two chefs from the London branch and another two from the Royal China Restaurant also in London. The latter two will help run the show until things settle down before they return to London.
People come to Four Seasons for roast duck. Prinn says there’s more: signature dishes include hot and sour soup, soya chicken, pork belly steamed in hot pot, steamed prawns with vermicelli in garlic sauce, deep fried squid in salt and pepper, lobster noodle (seasonal), and Toffee Banana.
There was plenty of roast duck, BBQ pork and other specialities at the opening attended by friends and relatives. Prinn’s parents Khun Sasai and Dr Supachai Panitchapakdi, former World Trade boss and now Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), along with distinguished guests from Siam Piwat, the Army, the business world and the news media.