Fusion cuisine can often be a bit suspicious. But for staunch believers, creatively designed dishes can make a meal memorable.

Gourmands usually make a point about the effect of the surroundings on the taste of food. Some say that while the ambience enhances the taste, stately presentation of dishes themselves can make for a genuine Epicurean experience.

At Jesters, people come for all these experiences. The restaurant on the ground floor of the Peninsula Hotel - on the Thon Buri side of the Chao Phya - offers dishes prepared to impress the aesthetic sense and, of course, the taste buds.

Last week, the restaurant launched its new "lush" menu of 10 dishes, carefully designed to provide all the sensual pleasures of a special meal.

While the Peninsula's flagship hotel in Hong Kong boasts the Felix restaurant on its top floor, overlooking Victoria Harbour, Bangkok's edgy Jesters has airy, two-storey windows overlooking the vista of Bangkok's great waterway.

Hong Kong's Felix was designed by Philippe Starck with clean lines and bold colours; Jesters, designed by Denton Corker Marshall Limited from Hong Kong, is darker and highlights the glittering sight of the river.

Jesters' Australian chef Adam Mathis has been mixing and matching international ingredients throughout his career in a series of five-star hotels (including the Atlantis Sheraton in Zurich, Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur and Peninsula Beijing).

When he joined the Peninsula last year, he made a name for himself by launching the restaurant's first 10-course "degustation" meal that became a must-try experience.

And this year's 10-course menu is no different. After a series of trials and errors, Mathis has come up with something he hopes will wow his guests.

Among this year's set-list is the "ice-cream look-alike" mousse-in-a-cone aperitif; Iberico ham with plum and grapefruit; subtly spicy oxtail soup served in a shot glass; and freshly sliced, chilled crocodile meat served on a rock plate with slices of fresh mango, beetroot and a squeeze of lime - to ensure there's enough of a tang to go with the exotic meat.

"I hope to create an illuminating experience for the guest," says Mathis, who uses wild crocodile from Australia's Northern Territory.

"This 10-course meal should be the highlight of the evening, with tastes to take the mind to another place.

"This is a really special creation. I wouldn't serve my guests anything I know they would be able to cook by themselves at home."

Taste aside, the presentation of this set menu is an experience in itself. The foie gras dish is prepared in a hot and chilled combination and comes with an "ice dome" made from a frozen water-filled balloon kept at the right temperature and taken out at the exact minute of readiness.

The hot foie gras is glazed with Japanese miso sauce, while the chilled one has threads of soya and sake wine.

The taste flow of the 10 courses is equally important. This is not a conveyor belt of servings that risks interrupting the taste buds. Mathis stresses that each course must progress naturally to the next, making each dish full of purpose.

"For example, we started the meal with something light - the Iberico ham and lobster tail dusted with homemade spice from bush berries found in the Australian desert," explains Mathis.

"Then comes the foie gras, followed by the oxtail soup - which has sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours. This prepares you for the fresh taste of the chilled crocodile.

"And once you've eaten the crocodile, we serve you the iced tomato popsicle - which tastes pretty much like a Bloody Mary cocktail - to clean the palette before another main course of slow roasted duck served with organic green lentils and bush tomato mash."

The 10-course meal climaxes with two desserts - a strawberry consommé with peppercorn ice (you can bite off the peppercorn to spice up the sweet strawberry); and scoops of cream cheese crumble with lemon and Swiss chocolate. It's a dessert indulgence that goes perfectly with a glass of 1996 Graham's late-bottled port.

The lush menu comes in tidbits, bringing small tastes of everything, and you don't have to worry about being bloated after the experience.

Apart from the spectacular food, the restaurant's ambience and live jazz band make this a memorable occasion to share with a special someone.

The lush menu costs Bt2,400++ per person for food only or Bt3,640 ++ per person with four pre-selected glasses of wine and port to accompany the courses. For those who want to indulge further, the Friday and Saturday night chocolate buffet is Bt499++ on top of the meal. Children under 12 are not permitted. Reservations can be made at (02) 861 2888.

The writer can be contacted at saleewong@gmail.com.

Sirin P Wongpanit

 The Nation