The passion and the palate

“If you don’t love what you’re doing, if you’re not 100 per cent committed, it shows in your work,” says one of the youngest chefs in Bangkok. Lisa Shields, 28, a Scot who did the rounds in Australia before joining The Square at the Novotel Siam Square as chef de cuisine, has all the passion needed to make up for any youthful inexperience.
“It’s like when you go to a shop – you can tell whether the staff really want to be there just by their attitude. In cooking, if you don’t love doing it, you don’t put everything into it, and what you serve won’t be the best.”
Having endured the rigours of restaurant kitchens, Shields knows how to deal with adversity and get on with the work. She’s also ready to jettison her personal pleasures.
“My friends would say, We’re going out, do you want to come?’ And I’d say, ‘No, I can’t, I’m working.’ After a while they stop asking.
“You don’t have a choice. This is your job. This is one of the things that comes with it.”
Motherwell College in Scotland gave Shields her grounding in cooking and a love for old-school French cuisine, where she points out most of the world’s great sauces originated.
She spent a year cooking in Scottish hotels and clubs before moving, in 2006, to Australia. She gained traction at celebrated restaurants like the Fermented Grape and fine hotels like the Sofitel Gold Coast and Ivory Hotel & Marina. “I did a lot of pastry and made my own bread, ice cream and sorbet.”
Australia’s Gold Coast has fostered some bizarre food trends. Crab lasagna struck Shields as particularly amusing. “I don’t know why, but crab lasagna is very popular! Having lasagna with crab isn’t something I would think of, but a lot of restaurants do it.”
Arriving at the Novotel Siam Square nine months ago, Shields was surprised at the range and quality of the spices and herbs in the kitchen. “Everything is spicy here!” she laughs. “The Asian section has nice herbs like lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. In Australia these are five times more expensive. Here they’re so fresh and have an amazing smell.”
Shields is teaching the restaurant’s Thai chefs more about Western cooking while they return the favour with lessons in Thai cuisine.
To show her stuff, I’m treated to a terrific three-course lunch.
First up is pan-fried turbot with young vegetables and a spicy lemongrass sauce – proof that she’s caught on fast with the local ingredients.
Next comes a rack of pistachio-crusted New Zealand lamb with ginger potato, ratatouille and Shiraz sauce that’s simply a delight, with a great presentation.
Dessert is White & Dark Chocolate Mousse with red berry coulis. She loves pairing the different kinds of chocolate and, at the restaurant’s Sunday Chocoholic Brunch, puts the chocolate together with the main course. “We try to do something different!” she says.
Feeding the patrons of The Square is a lot of work. The buffet lunch selection is huge and incorporates Japanese, Chinese, Mediterranean and Moroccan dishes as well as Thai.
But Shields wants more on her career plate. She’s keen to master the art of pairing wine with food. It might be a little tricky, she admits. “I’m not a big drinker.”

 
Square meals

The Square’s vast international buffet and a la carte menu include fresh-caught seafood among the delights from the West, East and Middle East. Families love the Sunday Chocoholic Brunch.
Book a table at (02) 209 8888, extension “The Square”.