VISIT FROM A LEGENDARY SPANISH CHEF
Carles Gaig set to showcase a selection of fantastic Catalan cuisine at Uno Mas next week
Carles Gaig, chef-patron of the Michelin-starred Fonda Gaig restaurant in Barcelona, Spain, will be in Bangkok from Wednesday until March 11 to showcase his much-treasured Catalan dishes at Centara Grand at CentralWorld’s Uno Mas Spanish restaurant.
Gaig has been in the culinary field for half a decade, and was awarded a Michelin star in 1993. He also won the National Award for the Best Chef from the Real Academia de Gastronomia in 1999.
Throughout his half-century-long career, the legendary chef has spoken at many prestigious culinary conferences, such as the San Sebastian Gastronomika conventions in Europe, the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore, Alimentaria Mexico DF in Mexico, and Alimentaria in Barcelona, Spain. He was also a guest instructor at a number of hospitality schools and universities, including the Culinary Institute of America and Harvard University.
For the first time in Thailand, the internationally- acclaimed culinary master will demonstrate his time-honoured dexterity to highbrow epicures through an eight- course dinner that impressively blends avant- garde cooking techniques with his family legacy and the market cuisine of Catalonia.
Grow ing up in the Horta valley neighbourhood of Barcelona, where the world-famous fresh market La Boqueria is situated, Gaig’s approach to cooking also takes its cue from the abundance of fresh seasonal produce originating in the nearby mountains and ocean.
During the special evenings at Uno Mas, a selection of Gaig’s signature dishes prepared with Mediterranean harvests and prime Catalan ingredients will be served in a laid-back restaurant setting on the hotel’s 54th floor, graced by a panoramic and glittering view of the city lights.
The menu includes his famous cannelloni with black truffle cream prepared according to his great-grandmother’s recipe; oysters in fine escabeche; Catalan-style cod fritters; fresh lobster and roasted vegetables escalivada in puff pastry; seafood paella and black cod with samfaina; beef tenderloin with Priorat red wine sauce; and an assortment of Catalan cream.
To match Gaig’s savoury delicacies are a line-up of premium Catalan wines from Bodegas Torres. The winery was established by the Torres family in Vilafranca del Penedès more than 130 years ago.
Desserts are paired with award-winning Cava Duran Gran Reserva from Caves Canals, Catalonia.
“Spain has some of the finest chefs in the world, and Bangkok has started to embrace the flavours of the Iberian Peninsula, which are quite new to the city,” said Robert Maurer Loeffler, Centara Grand’s director of operations.
“Thus t hroughout t he year we plan to import and introduce a number of Spanish chefs and their highly-cherished fare to showcase what Catalonia and Spain are all about. It is Gaig’s first time cooking in Bangkok and, hopefully, there will be several more times.”
Bangkok has started to embrace the flavours of the Iberian Peninsula
The eight-course dinner by Carles Gaig will be on offer from Wednesday to March 11. Price is 3,900 baht per person. The sommelier’s dinner on the evening of March 10 is priced at 4,900 baht per person, including a pairing of wines. Contact Centara Grand at CentralWorld at 02-1006255.