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Published on September 23, 2007

Among the guests at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok for its World Gourmet Festival gala dinner was Norbert Kostner, executive chef at the Oriental Bangkok.

Impeccably dressed and characteristically softly spoken, Kostner was recognised by only a few of the 220 guests as they arrived for the eight-course feast that capped the eighth annual culinary festival.

Kostner watched as the Four Seasons' ever-genial general manager Patrick Ghielmetti greeted guests with his equally charming wife, Margaret. There were handshakes and toasts with deputy head of the Australian mission to Thailand, Bronte Moules, and Privy Councillor ML Usni Pramoj and wife Thanpuying Varporn.

And, of course, there was a warm welcome for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts founder, president and chief executive Isadore Sharp and his wife, Rosalie, and for Minor Group chairman and chief executive Bill Heinecke and his wife, Kathy.

But chef Kostner hadn't come for socialising. He came for the food - with each course cooked by a celebrity chef flown in for the festival - wine supplied by some of Bangkok's most-respected distributors.

The dinner and its auction benefited Her Royal Highness Princess Somsavali's Save a Child from Aids Project. It raised Bt255,000.

The evening's canapés included oyster panna cotta with salmon roe, glazed foie gras with apricot chutney and seared yellowtail yuzu, sour cream and dill. They were prepared by Douglas Rodriguez of Gaucho Restaurants in London, Roberto Donna of Galileo in Washington, DC, and duck-wrangler extraordinaire Michael Ginor, of Hudson Valley (NY) Foie Gras, attending the festival for his eighth time.

Guests filed into the ballroom, bathed in subtle shades of green and gold, and were presented with Patrizia di Benedetto's tuna fillet in pistachio crust and Marsala sauce. Chef di Benedetto, of Bye-Bye Blues in Palermo, Italy, is fêted for her light seafood and vegetarian dishes. Her tuna appetiser is emblematic; the pistachio crust a mere dusting so to elevate, rather than mask, the fresh taste of the lightly broiled fish.

Roman Fornell, the first French chef to be awarded a Michelin star in Spain, followed with a curious combination that was both subtle and alluring: Norway lobster served with mushroom tartar sprinkled on top and an understated chilled Arborio rice cream beneath.

Steven Snow, of Fins Restaurant in Byron Bay, Australia, presented a perfectly broiled hunk of red emperor on a lightly grilled rice cake with enoki mushroom tempura and a slice of soft-braised daikon on the side. His sauce, with mirin, lime and tamarind, made this one of the evening's highlights.

Carnivores were sated with the three following dishes. Sursur Lee - born in Hong Kong with two restaurants in Toronto - mixes French and Chinese influences and concentrates on new-Asian cuisine. A marinated rack of lamb with three dollops of sauce: mint, coconut and a lemon confit chutney. The chutney's sourness was a fine counterpoint to the sweet, mahogany-brown, slow-cooked onion tart that was served on the side.

Susan Tracht of Jar, a contemporary chophouse in Los Angeles, cooked her signature pot roast with caramelised onion and horseradish cream. This was the pot roast that mother aspired to cook, but never managed to create. The roast was cooked sous vide, rather than braised, so it was juicy and flavourful. The sauce was subtle rather than overly spicy. A pair of wines - a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Premier Cuvee StG from Sonoma County, California, and a 2003 Escudo Rojo Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere/Syrah from Baron Philippe de Rothschild in Chile - was a fine compliment to this dish.

Paul Wilson, of The Botanical in Melbourne, played with tastes and textures by serving roasted Blackmore Matsuzaka wagyu sirloin and a braised beef brisket with a Bordelaise sauce and pureed celeriac graced with truffles. The wagyu, however, paled beside the savoury, tender brisket. A 2004 Penfolds Bin 8 Cabernet/Shiraz from Australia and a 2004 Noa Sicilia IGT Cusumano from Italy were served.

A deconstructed mango cheesecake was the evening's first dessert. Katrina Kanetani of Pier Restaurant in Sydney served the elements of cheesecake on a plate: a tiny pile of crumbs here, a dollop of mango there, a runny, cheesy filling encased in a thin, sugar sachet to the side. Minimalist, playful, fun.

Nicole Krasinski of Rubicon in San Francisco ended the evening with slivers of roasted bananas gracing rich slices of Guanaja chocolate pudding cake.

After dinner, the World Gourmet Festival chefs gathered at the Aqua bar to toast their success with the Four Seasons' executive chef Nicholas Schneller.

Sitting peacefully at a table in the lobby was chef Kostner. "The evening was a huge success," he said. "The dishes came out on time, the dishes were well-prepared. You know, it's one thing to cook for 20 people. It's another to cook for 200."

Hal Lipper

 Special to The Nation