The Pourcels landed at their Dusit Thani outpost last week to cook with chef Philippe Keller and introduce their new cookbook, "Asia by the Pourcel Brothers", a stunning tome celebrating their Bangkok, Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore restaurants, as well as their home base in France.

"It's French style made with local ingredients. It's not Asian or fusion cuisine," Jacques said in French.

"It's our first book from Asia," continued Laurent. "Our intent was to present Asia and its cuisine to Europeans and to adapt French food to Asian culture for Asians."

The Michelin star-decorated brothers spoke while preparing a tuna-and-avocado tartar that's featured in the Tokyo section of their book. Jacques peeled, seeded and diced the tomatoes. Laurent cubed the avocado, and later the tuna, seasoning them separately with salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil.

The recipes in the Bangkok section were created by the Pourcels and Keller, and have been served at D'Sens. The sea bass poached in coriander broth is currently on the menu.

"We spent a year working on the book," said Jacques, noting that the project involved the chefs in each Asian restaurant, photographer Olivier Maynard and food writer Sophie Brissaud. There are French- and English-language editions of the book, and each city in Asia has a different cover.

"What's important is the taste and the presentation," said Laurent, as the brothers completed their dish.

The tuna was scooped into a pastry ring and levelled with a spatula. It was covered with a layer of avocado, which had been mixed with zucchini puree. Next, the tomatoes were spooned on top.

The ring was removed and a quenelle of whipped cream crowned the tower. Laurent drizzled a balsamic reduction over the dish and stuck a crispy cumin tuile in the whipped cream.

"Something simple, easy to do," Laurent said, as he dusted the dish with cumin.

The Pourcels' book features dozens of recipes, some simple and others complex, each French in spirit while employing Asian ingredients. There's a pot-au-feu with foie gras in a ginger-scented Tsingdao beer broth in the Shanghai section, and a prawn croustillant with cellophane noodles and a salad of deep-fried kari leaves for Singapore.

The Bangkok segment features the Andaman Sea's rock lobster, red mullet, tiger prawns and crab. It also features squab and curried red rice, and poached peach stuffed with mango and balsamic chutney.

Each of the book's sections introduces the city and its cuisine. A sampling: "Gastronomy is everywhere in Thailand. It permeates every layer, every part of society. It creeps in every corner, feels at home in any place, in any circumstance. There is nothing you can do without the subject of food being brought up at some point."

Projects like these take a fair amount of time, even if the local chefs, ghost writer and photographer bear the brunt of the responsibility. The Pourcels have paid dearly for their literary and culinary expansion.

What Michelin gives, it can take away. The Pourcels were awarded one star in 1991, two stars in 1992 and three in 1998, making them the youngest chefs ever to receive the guide's top rating. But in 2005 and again this year, Michelin ranked Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier with two stars.

Critics of the guide say the Pourcels are being punished for their global development. The brothers' detractors say Michelin is right.

The Independent in London lambasted W'Sens, the brothers' newest restaurant, saying its menu would make most diners "want to hide their heads under their napkins and whimper" with dishes that offer a "mix of the accomplished and the pointless".

Meanwhile, the ultra-prestigious Relais & Chateaux guide just inducted the twins' Sens & Bund in Shanghai into its clique of 453 of the best restaurants and hotels in the world.

The Pourcels, 42, ever respectful of Michelin's power, said the guidebook attracts business and remains a reliable indicator of quality. "The system isn't perfect. But the chefs at two- and three-star restaurants produce a good quality of food," Jacques said. (Michelin has been criticised for infrequent inspections, lax standards and a bias toward French food. Last year, Michelin pulled its guide to Belgium because it published a favourable review of a restaurant before it had opened.)

Jacques will return to Bangkok in May during another Asian tour, adding that he, Laurent and Keller are constantly exchanging recipes via e-mail to create French dishes that appeal to the Thai palate.

Thai diners, he said, are sometimes confused by the nuances of modern French cooking. But residents are discovering new tastes and textures that they enjoy.

He's heartened by the current influx of Michelin-starred chefs, including Gerald Passedat and his former mentor Pierre Gagnaire, but said that's partially a function of the season. During the hottest months, hotels need a draw to get people through their doors.

The difference, he infers, is that he and D'Sens will still be in Bangkok when the other Michelin stars have faded from sight.

Hal Lipper

The Nation