If you think you know Thai food, think again. Amid the festive backdrop of Thai New Year, Sands Lifestyle presented an exclusive four-hands dinner at The Mews, where two influential Thai chefs – Nongnuch “Nuch” Sae-eiw, senior chef of The Mews, and Chef Sujira “Aom” Pongmorn, chef-owner of fine-dining restaurant Khaan in Bangkok – joined forces to craft an innovative Thai fine-dining experience as part of the Sands Celebrity Chef Series.
Hosted from 11-13 April, the unforgettable gourmet journey offered VIP guests a chance to savour rare ingredients and seasonal specialties while peeking into the future of Thai gastronomy. As rising stars in the culinary world, chefs Nuch and Aom have known each other for years, but this is the first time they’ve collaborated on a menu.
Spanning nine courses, each more delicious than the next, the duo’s menu showcased signature dishes from the chef’s respective Michelin-recognised restaurants alongside all-new creations. Overjoyed to work side by side, Nuch and Aom say the experience enabled them to take their respective cooking styles to new heights and share the flavours of home in unexpected ways.
“We were already friends, so this four-hands dinner couldn’t have been more fun for me personally,” says Aom. “When friends like us come together in the kitchen, the atmosphere is naturally filled with excitement, which enhances our creativity and allows us to explore new ideas and craft dishes that truly delight guests.”
Similar roots, distinct approaches
Nuch and Aom have a lot in common. Both born and raised in Bangkok by families with culinary backgrounds, they attended culinary school in Thai capital, and then worked with high-profile chefs in Michelin-starred kitchens.
They first crossed paths while working with celebrated Danish chef Henrik Yde Andersen at Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin. At this experimental Thai restaurant in Bangkok, both chefs learned the ins and outs of molecular gastronomy and bonded over a desire to present Thai flavours in creative yet authentic ways.
“We come from similar backgrounds, and now we’re both making our marks as Michelin-recognised women in the culinary world,” says Nuch. “But we also bring our own unique skills to the table. I’m thrilled to blend our styles for this event and highlight the contributions of women in the Thai fine-dining scene.”
Nuch relocated to Macao to lead the culinary team at The Mews, after decades of honing her craft in Thailand under the mentorship of Michelin-starred Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn, whose restaurant, Le Du, was named one of Asia’s 50 Best.
Aom is also a rising star in Asia. Raised in a family of trained cooks, she mastered Thai-style omelettes over a charcoal fire pit by the age of six. After secondary school, she sharpened her skills under Michelin-starred chefs Juan Amador and Thomas Keller at Le Normandie prior to Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin.
In 2021, Aom received Thailand’s inaugural Michelin Guide Young Chef Award. Last September, she launched Khaan, a Michelin-rated restaurant recognised for elevating traditional Thai street foods with cutting-edge culinary techniques and premium organic ingredients.
An authentic taste of Thailand
Both chefs strive to share an authentic taste of Thailand in distinct ways. Where Aom embraces innovation and boundary-pushing techniques in her cooking, Nuch considers refined heritage soul food her culinary calling card.
“My style is all about using data to innovate and be more efficient in how we cook,” shares Aom. “I think Nuch and I share common values, such as a commitment to quality and creativity. We also have a mutual respect for one another and how we blend tradition with innovation.”
When these two chefs collaborated for the four-hands dinner, the result was harmonious, producing dishes that were greater than the sum of their parts. When creating dishes for the menu, Nuch took inspiration from beloved childhood dishes combined with elements of royal Thai cooking. “I included special occasion dishes you won’t see on just any restaurant menu, like my tom jiew, a hot and sour soup made with basil and organic chicken. I think you’ll find that our dishes will progress naturally,” she says.
The experience started strong with four amuse bouche: kai look khey (egg mousse with Thai tamarind sauce) and plah khai hoy mem (fresh sea urchin with chilli paste) by Aom, accompanied by mieng kham lobster and ray-rai pao hue (abalone with caviar), by Nuch. The latter was a play on a royal snack, featuring an artistic rice flour dumpling presented as a bird’s nest with grilled abalone and caviar inside.
“You’ll see how well we complement each other in our collaborative dishes, like the panang nuea,” adds Nuch. This velvety curry showcased a marriage of both chefs’ skills and passions, blending innovative approaches with a dedication to heritage cooking. Aom is celebrated for her complex, layered curries, and she was tasked with preparing a homemade curry paste infused with jasmine and enriched with smoky roasted eggplant. Meanwhile, Nuch turned her efforts towards the meat, perfectly grilling tender slices of Wagyu beef that melted in the mouth.
Another testament to this fruitful collaboration was the pla krob kab ka-min. The dish stars crispy golden Japanese amadai (sweet sea bream) fillets with young mangosteens imported directly from Thailand, as well as an additional exotic ingredient that might surprise the average diner in Macao.
“We garnish the dish with ant eggs, harvested fresh from edible red ants in Thailand and flown in specially for the four-hands dinner,” says Aom. In traditional Thai cuisine, she explained, ant eggs are a delicacy used in soups or salads.
Nuch notes that both the ant eggs and young mangosteens, rare ingredients not typically found in Macao, were sourced with the help of Sands China, support that ensured the event’s success.
Another unique and regional ingredient they helped to procure was paddy crab, a small crustacean that emerges seasonally in the farmlands of Thailand’s countryside. It’s key to Aom’s signature dish from Khaan, the kao niew ong poo-naa, which also featured on the four-hands menu.
The innovative, umami-rich entree features charcoal-steamed sticky rice infused with coconut milk wrapped in a banana leaf. It’s paired with a luscious dipping sauce made from paddy crab fat, simmered with red curry and bitter orange.
“This dish is close to my heart,” Aom remarks with a smile. “It was inspired by the traditional lifestyles of Thai farmers, and it’s something from my home that I wanted to share with people in Macao.”
‘A springboard for Thai food’
Bite after bite, the four-hands gourmet experience showcased Thailand’s contemporary culinary heritage in innovative ways. According to Aom, Macao was the perfect place for this ambitious collaboration.
“Macao is a great springboard for Thai food. People from all over the world come to Macao – they come for the food, cultural traditions and international atmosphere,” says Aom. “There is so much to explore. Chefs from all over the world – Thai, Portuguese, Chinese, Italian – are all coming here to share their food with the world. After this dinner, I hope Macao diners feel inspired to see Thai food and culture in a new light.”
The four-hands dinner was a “dream project” for Nuch, too, she says. The creative chef relished the chance to develop delicious new ideas with Aom and showcase the versatile nature of Thai cuisine.
“Even though lots of people are familiar with some famous Thai dishes, there are still so many unknowns in the cuisine for global diners,” says Nuch. “We wanted to bring some of those overlooked flavours and foods to the table. It was a great opportunity to show how diverse Thai fine-dining styles can be.”
