Within the past two weeks I have partaken in four world-class feasts, which, all together, totalled 10 Michelin stars.
The restaurant boasts a clean contemporary look with a modern show kitchen, at which diners can observe the chefs perfecting the plates.
It seems that diners in Bangkok can now enjoy a non-stop presence of star-studded international chefs, who continue to visit our tropical metropolis to showcase their globally-acclaimed culinary finesse.
The recent opening of Savelburg restaurant on Witthayu Road is further evidence that Bangkok is becoming a hub for top-flight gastronomy.
The 85-seater, which occupies an extensive front corner space on the Oriental Residence premises, is the brainchild of Henk Savelburg, chef-owner of the former one Michelin-starred Restaurant Savelburg, located in The Hague, in the Netherlands. The restaurant was awarded the star in 1997 and maintained it until it closed in September of this year.
Greeting his Thai guests with a gracious wai, the truly affable Savelburg, who now spends most of his time in the Big Mango, said he saw great potential in Bangkok and wanted to be one of the pioneers to plant a star-studded standard in the city's gastronomic scene.
For his brand-new establishment, he has brought a whole team, including the chef de cuisine, sous chef and restaurant manager, from the Netherlands to ensure the highest quality.
The affable chef Henk Savelburg.
The dining room boasts a floor-to-ceiling glass facade with a clean contemporary modern look. Although diners can observe the chefs perfecting the plates at the show kitchen upfront, food is cooked mainly in a full-scale kitchen in the back.
As a sort of culinary sneak peek into Savelburg's cuisine, all guests begin their experience here with a series of complimentary amuse-bouche.
On the day I visited, I started with a spiced cucumber sorbet in a crispy hazelnut cone. The frothy delicacy was followed by a warm and luxurious platter of bite-sized brioche toast with a goose liver and mango chutney topping and a miniature serving of poached egg and white asparagus with Iberian ham and hollandaise sauce.
Savelburg's menu isn't extensive, a collection of 20 dishes under starters, seafood, poultry and dessert categories.
Two starter options we tried during our lunch were lobster salad (1,350 baht) and langoustine salad (1,550 baht).
The first was a beautiful display of lukewarm, semi-cooked Canadian lobster meat and delicately plucked baby vegetables and edible flowers (the likes of pennyworth leaves, cowslip creeper buds and butterfly pea blossoms) with dollops of thick lobster cream, paper-thin slices of red radish and ribbons of cucumber and carrot. The healthy and bracing fare was lent a sweet citrusy zest by the light yuzu honey vinaigrette dressing.
Though not as captivating as the lobster salad, the langoustine counterpart proved equally refreshing. Served in a deep salad bowl with crisp clear tomato broth, the fried morsels of mild-tasting crustacean were enhanced in flavour with tomato tartare (a pungent mixture of semi-dried and marinated tomatoes), Parmesan espuma, basil leaves and juicy rosette of Pata Negra ham.
From the eight-item selection of main courses, I was truly impressed with the poached Dover sole (2,400 baht). The supple and springy white fillet of the North Sea fish arrived piping hot with light beurre blanc sauce, and was perfectly complemented by a warm fennel salad, seasoned wakame seaweed, caviar, smoked potato foam and black sesame powder.
Savelburg's Bresse chicken (1,650 baht) arrived next and showcased the top-notch quality of free-range poultry from the world-renowned Label Rouge farm in two cooking styles. The dish was a scrumptious exhibition of extraordinary succulent, slow-cooked breast and a neat and crunchy piece of confit chicken leg graced with celery, wild mushrooms, hazelnuts and smoked garlic sauce.
We sampled a veal dish (2,450 baht), also from the main course menu and were impressed to find it resembled a sort of five-star version of beef Wellington. The dish featured a cut-open, breadcrumbed roll stuffed with perfectly medium-cooked veal fillet, pan-fried goose liver and black truffle gratings. The soft and sumptuous veal and foie gras intermingled nicely with the truffle cream sauce and veal jus reduction, while a Parmesan crostini lent a brittle finish to the plate.
Savelburg's signature strained yoghurt, designed to cleanse the palate, was served as a complimentary pre-dessert treat. This heavenly balmy and generous portion of vanilla-infused strained yoghurt enhanced with a caramel of spices and red berries granita was, for me, one of the most memorable fares of the day.
Dessert options are listed according to their distinct flavour profiles, such as citrus, cheese, Valrhona and coffee.
The coffee-themed dessert (750 baht) featured cubes of coffee cake, coffee-lacquered poached pear and frothy coffee mousse on a tartlet of hazelnuts. The dessert, sprinkled with house-roasted mixed nuts, was perfumed with cold lychee essence.
The restaurant has a seven-course degustation dinner menu (4,900 baht or 7,840 baht with wine pairing) on offer. It comprises Savelburg's much cherished signature creations (including most of the dishes we sampled) and is ideal for first-time customers.
A three-course set lunch, featuring chef's suggestions of the day, is priced at 1,800 baht.
Service was left in the capable hands of restaurant manager Dante De Boer, who, during our visit doubled as a wine sommelier and made sure all his guests were more than satisfied.
The ‘Experience’ portion of poached North Sea Dover sole with caviar and warm fennel salad.
