Eternal bliss
The Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok’s all-you-can-enjoy Dim Sum Delight offers a taste of immortality at an unbelievable price
What is the essence of fine dining?
Some chefs are bent on extravagance and creativity, fusing different styles and ingredients to create new culinary paradigms. Absolute nonsense, says Chow Wai Man, the veteran Executive Chef of Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. The essence of delightful Dim Sum, he says, is a single-minded adherence to tradition and an unrelenting pursuit of perfection.
One nibble of his Steamed Siew Mai with Shrimp Roe, one sliver of his Xiao Long Bao and the first taste of his Chilled Sago with Cantaloupe Cream is a testament to that truth.
The delight for Bangkokians is that this divine experience is now available at an unbeatable price.
The chef himself embodies that spirit of reverence for tradition. Born in Guangzhou — the former Canton — he is deeply immersed in the Cantonese culinary heritage that dates back to 200 BC. Starting as a teenage kitchen boy back in 1976, Mr Chow was accepted for training at the Shangri-La Academy in Hong Kong.
After ten years making his name at such renowned establishments as Hong Kong’s Lee Garden Chinese Restaurant and Beijing’s Taiwan Hotel, Mr Chow returned home to the Shangri-La Group — where he has loyally remained, despite numerous attempts to lure him away, for the last 25 years.
Shang Palace restaurant, on the third floor of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok close to the Chao Phraya River, itself is a work of art. ‘Shang’ means ‘fragrant’, but the name also evokes the Shang dynasty — considered the fount of Chinese civilisation, dating back as far as 2700 BC. It gave birth to the early Great Wall, artistic masterpieces in bronze, jade and silk, and the invention of the elegant, pictographic Chinese script.
Shang Palace pays homage to Chinese tradition with a framed display of beautiful calligraphy hand-drawn by none other than one of Thailand’s most revered figures, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The beloved princess inscribed the lettering on March 28, 2013 to launch the restaurant’s complete renovation. The characters mean “Living in the Lost Horizon” and refer to James Hilton’s 1933 classic novel Lost Horizon, the wellspring of the international hotel franchise name “Shangri-la” — a Utopian valley of serenity, harmony and near-immortality.
Adjacent to the splendid creation of Her Royal Highness in the restaurant foyer sits The Happy Buddha, a 2-tonne triumph in gold-plated black marble gifted by Beijing. The statue portrays the beaming, benevolent, Blessed One surrounded by 5 children representing long life, family, health, happiness and wealth.
The Dim Sum delights to come won’t guarantee you all of these — but they will certainly give you an unforgettable taste of them. The scene is set as soon as you step into the elegant dining room with its refined chandelier lighting and walls adorned with delicate Chinese artwork.
Dim Sum was popularised by the nineteenth century Xianfeng Emperor as an assortment of delicately prepared dishes served with aromatic teas, and at Shang Palace all are served on classic cream-coloured china with silver-tipped chopsticks.
The assortment is simply stunning: there are a total of 46 dishes on offer for the single allyou-can-enjoy price of B788 per person — and with serving hours stretching from 11.30am to 2.30pm every day, you have an opportunity to gorge your palate at will across the different modes of preparation: steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried, and baked varieties of Dim Sum, along with rice rolls, soup, congee, barbecued dishes and desserts.
The choice can seem overwhelming at first, but you have to start somewhere…and where better than with one of the 15 varieties of steamed Dim Sum. The steamed Siew Mai with Crab Meat is a succulent treat. The Steamed Shrimp Dumpling is a robust classic. The Steamed Spinach Siew Mai is light and refreshing, while the Steamed Sticky Rice with Roasted Duck and Chicken is rich and wholesome.
Our dim sum horizons widen as we engage with the pan-fried, deep-fried and baked dim sum offerings. The Pan-Fried Skin Bean Curd stuffed with Prawn is simply mouth-watering; the Deep-Fried Shrimp and Sesame Spring Rolls have a zesty resonance, while the DeepFried Vegetable Dumplings and Baked Mini Egg Tarts are a mellifluous ménage of flavours.
Eggs, this time of the preserved type, also feature in the Congee with Mixed Pork. For a more exotic experience, the Aromatic Sesame Jelly Fish Cucumber Salad is truly enlightening. The Honey-Glazed Pork Char Siew is a wonderful blend of sweet and sour. And things heat up with the Mapo Tofu with Minced Pork SichuanStyle, originating in the central-southern Chinese province famous for its spitfire spices.
The soup selection is pure temptation, with the Hot-and-Sour Soup with Seafood a joy to sip and the Double-Boiled Mushroom Soup a satisfying encounter.
Such an appetising savoury selection has earned its just desserts, and the sweet conclusion will not disappoint. The Chilled Mango Pudding is wickedly rich, the Tea Oil Cantonese Sponge Cake is a refined classic while the Glutinous Dumplings with Black Sesame Paste make for a dramatic finale.
The entire Dim Sum experience is one that, in the spirit of Shangri-La, will stay with you forever. It is a testament to Chef Chow Wai Man’s painstaking dedication to using the freshest ingredients from purest origins, all prepared with unwavering authenticity.
“Cooking Chinese food, especially Cantonese cuisine, is a no-nonsense job”, he declares vehemently. You have to strictly follow authentic recipes and classic techniques. No adaptation. No compromise.”
So why compromise your own commitment to the best things in life — especially when this all-you-can-enjoy luncheon experience is available for only B788 net per person? Unless you live in the Shangri-La of legend, life is short… let’s live it to the fullest.
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, BANGKOK
89 Wat Suan Plu - Dumex,
Tel. 02 236 7777 ext. 6218. E-mail: restaurants.slbk@shangri-la.com. Website: https://www.shangri-la.com/ bangkok/shangrila/dining/restaurants/ shang-palace/book-a-table/.