It is perhaps no secret that one of my favourite restaurants in Bangkok is Igniv. It is also no secret that it is for good reason and the dishes are sublime.
Always working around the season, the new menu not only puts summer on the plate, the colours of the dishes (and I’m not talking tableware) are vibrant and bright.
The menu isn’t the only new highlight at the Michelin-starred Igniv. It is now open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, save for lunch on weekends. And, that’s not all there is. It is also offering a la carte dishes so if you’re like me and are a bit hungry after sundowners, you can nip into Igniv for a bite or two. Or the after dinner dessert works well, too.
A total of 19 dishes are on the new sharing degustation menu, which will be served until Aug 30. The menu features seasonal produce from Europe, while also featuring for new wines that will only be available at Igniv. (So much new, am slightly dizzy and elated, at the same time).
Begin the meal at the bar where you’re served the first snack. Do order the non-alcoholic watermelon, mint and ginger drink along with it. It immediately helps cool you down from Bangkok’s heat. The second part of the snacks are served at the table. A Tartlet with broccoli, tomato and pine nuts is accompanied by Compressed watermelon with hamachi and soy jelly; and the last one is a taco with pastrami and pickled veggies.
The Igniv menu has always been vegetable forward and the second course includes a Carrot roll with crab with a yuzu-carrot dressing and nasturtium flowers. Cured salmon comes with daikon. The star of this course is the Seared tuna with black pepper, cumin and coriander, with asparagus, yuzu dressing and wasabi mayo. The non-alcoholic paring is carrot, jalapeño and yuzu. Yum, yum and then some!
The new menu, which includes the likes of Italian Pigeon and foie gras, Dutch veal, Japanese trout, Maldivian tuna, Japanese scallops, french caviar, Swiss Raclette and Japanese bonito, has been paired with local ingredients such as fresh vegetables, herbs, mango, strawberry and yoghurt.
“The main course is a classic pigeon, foie gras and cabbage,” says head chef David Hartwig. The accompanying dishes are veal tenderloin served with sweetbreads and turnips. Sweetbreads have always been on the menu at Igniv, though cooked differently for each menu change, and are usually served as a chef’s special. It is my favourite dish at Igniv and I have, on occasion, gone to Igniv just for this one dish. But the dish that stood out in this course was the corn dish, which served textures of corn cooked in most ways possible. “A corn custard lines the dish, over which goes blistered corn salad, a lemon vinaigrette and fried kernels, pickled baby corn and a delicious corn butter,” explains the chef.
It is served with a non-alcoholic pairing of Cranberry juice, cacao nibs and a dash of chilli.
Desserts include with the Holy Trinity also known as isaphan of raspberry, lychee and rose. The perfect summer combination and the perfect summer dessert that leaves you feeling refreshed and cool.
Wine highlights with this menu include the first allocation of Swiss wines from Bündner Herrschaft, an intimate wine region in Graubünden famed for its world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
“The Igniv family enjoys a close relationship with wine producers Patrick Adank and George Fromm,” says restaurant manager Regina D’Souza. “I have chosen to do a signature wine pairing this season, which includes a Chardonnay from Adank and Fromm. We now offer a three glasses of Swiss wine-pairing with this menu. The first sommelier of Igniv Francesco Benvenuto asked the George Fromm winery to make a wine especially for Igniv and this is the wine we are serving. It is a single cask Pinot Noir, which has cherry and spice and smooth tannins. This is the first time Igniv Bangkok will be serving this wine, made exclusively for Igniv worldwide,” she explains.
The summer menu at Igniv Bangkok is available Thursdays to Mondays for dinner and from Saturday to Sunday for lunch at B4,900++ per person, or the Carte Blanche menu for B7,900++ per person. Call 02-207-7822, email igniv.bangkok@stregishotels.com, visit ignivbangkok.com, or bit.ly/IGNIVBangkokReservationAP.
