Fresh from a faraway sea

Why is Trader Vic’s at the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort and Spa so popular? The restaurant’s patrons probably have an array of answers, but executive chef Jai Krishnan speaks with undeniable authority when he credits the Macadamia Mahi Mahi.

 

It’s the exotic warm-water dolphinfish served with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and orange ginger sauce, plus the zing of wasabi. You don’t come across dishes like this very often, and even less often at Sunday brunch.

 

Mahi Mahi is what Hawaiians call the fish – it means “very strong” – but it doesn’t swim close to Asia. That’s where Trader Vic’s can help. 

 

Long a favourite with urban North Americans in search of a little Polynesian-style adventure when they’re dining and drinking out, the restaurant chain is famed for tiki torches, tribal masks, strange fish and hefty, fruity cocktails.

 

Woven fish traps and hand-hewn canoes adorn the walls as guests tuck into a barbecued duck breast served with “duck tea and forbidden rice”. Chef Krishnan, a man of surprises, has plucked this bird out of a wood-fired Chinese oven, a millennia-old Han Dynasty invention. The duck’s been cooking a long time at low temperature.

 

“Usually you can cook duck breast in four or five minutes, but this cooking method is very slow so that the protein isn’t broken down. When you cut into the meat you think at first it’s raw because it’s pink, but it’s fully cooked – the low temperature has retained the colour of the blood protein.”

 

Not the kind of barbecue you’re used to, the Han oven draws its heat in from the outside so that the fire doesn’t burn the juices and produce unpleasant flavours or spoil the appearance. So this is a healthier technique, too.

 

“If you have the burning wood inside, it doesn’t produce as much smoke,” Krishnan says. “Here, the wood is burning outside and the heat is directed through the oven. The food is cooked with hot smoke. The wood is a bit wet to create a clear smoke that’s about 50 or 60 degrees.”

 

The “duck tea” turns out to be a beautiful duck soup. It’s actually served in a teapot. “It’s very strong soup because we cook it about six hours,” the chef says.

 

Diners are further intrigued by the Bangal Shrimp Tacos, whose shellfish are spiced with cilantro and chillies, and the Ahi Poke, which is raw tuna, avocado and a soy-chilli dressing that comes with taro chips. 

 

The Goat Cheese and Beef Salad includes walnuts, baby arugula and a sauce made with mandarin oranges.

 

For dessert, the Tahitian Coffee Cr?me Brulee offers a final surprise. It looks quite humble, but it’s a jungle of flavours inside, rum having its wild way with some utterly addictive chocolate.

 

By now, of course, you’ve had your own wild way with a few Tikini or Mai Tai cocktails. Maybe you even dared to dally with the Mai Tai Wave, which is in fact three different Mai Tais in one.

 

TAHITIAN DREAM

<< Trader Vic’s is at the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort and Spa on Charoen Nakhon Road (formerly the JW Marriott Resort).

<< It’s open daily except Monday for dinner. Happy Hour is 6 to 8pm. Sunday brunch is 11.30am to 3pm. Book a table at (02) 476 0022.