Dec

nahm

AÂ few years ago at The HalkinÂ in London,Â I had the pleasure of enjoying a most extravagant lunch at Nahm, the only Thai restaurant in the world to be bested with a Michelin star.Â Australian chef David Thompson is an accidental authority on ThaiÂ cuisine – a chance holiday in Bangkok ignited a culinary obsession – and his first cookbook, Thai Food, is a meticulous investigation into the multifarious flavors of the kingdom as well as a bible ofÂ food porn for gourmands. The success of an additional outpost ofÂ theÂ restaurantÂ in Thailand was recently realized earlier this year when it was namedÂ one theÂ The 50 BestÂ RestaurantsÂ in the World, so naturally this secondÂ NahmÂ moved high atop my list of must-eats in Bangkok. More casual than what you’d find in London, it was nevertheless equally meticulous, with layer upon layer of flavors surprising the palate on a continuous loop.Â Rarely does a Thai meal have a repetition of tastes, so a curry, a salad, a relish, some soup and a stir-fry all combine to make a varied diningÂ experience.Â This isn’t food you shovel in with a pair of chopsticks, however; chef Thompson’s dishes – complex and floridlyÂ herbaceous – demand you take the time to savor each bite from the chew to the swallow. Served Thai-style, meaning family style and all at once, it also makes for one fragrant and heady feast.

Aug

last supper at le bernardin

When friend and photographer Lyn Hughes called inviting to me a literal last supper at Le Bernardin last weekend I didn’t hesitate. I also didn’t bother taking out my camera phone – when you’re with the court photographer it’s not only considered unseemly but redundant. Rather I relaxed – if you can call it that – over a leisurely orgasmic eight courses of Michelin three-star cuisine at its finest. Eric Ripert and Maguy la Coze’s seafood temple is shuttering for a summer renovation rumored to be costing in the neighborhood of a few million dollars – its first since bursting on the New York dining scene 25 years ago. (Not that you’dÂ guessÂ the old girl’s age fromÂ her perfectly pristine interiors) Here then a tasting menu of Lyn’s imagesÂ fromÂ our Last Supper to get you through the August drought. Â You can see plenty more of her food porn on the restaurant’s website, too. Or better still, book a SeptemberÂ table now and beat what’s sure to be an onslaught of old flames out to check if the collar still matches the cuffs