Wang Hing Hoi’s Chef Nick and Darren Chin Brought Two Worlds Together At DC Restaurant
Together with Evian, the two multiple-award-winning chefs created a confluence of French haute cuisine and fiery Thai flavours.
If you linger on the logo of Wang Hing Hoi restaurant for a little while, you’ll see an elegant spoon in between a pair of wings. It is in honour of the little creatures that are as attention-grabbing as the cuisine chef Nick, as he is affectionately known, serves there. In Thai, wang hing hoi means “palace of the fireflies” or “firefly nest”, which is apt considering a rare opportunity dining there means immersing yourself in exquisite contemporary Thai cuisine right next to hundreds of these fireflies. In Taman Tun Dr Ismail, the setting might not have been as dramatic, but experiencing a four-hands dinner between chef Nick and Darren Chin in the one-Michelin-starred DC restaurant was no less sensational.
The two-night-only dinner, a collaboration with Evian, was titled ‘Fire & Finesse: A French—Siam Dialogue’, as it brought together Chin’s renowned French culinary techniques and Nick’s beloved deconstructed Thai flavours—fiery but not to the extent that you’d need to hose yourself down with bottles of French Alps-derived water. The menu was predicated on the synergy of Alpine sensibilities with Lanna (in northern Thailand) expressions, as interpreted via the heart of Savoie, France.
Chef Nick is also an Evian Chef Ambassador, so the set menu was complemented by the purity and balanced minerality of the natural mineral water. “Great cuisine, like great water, begins at the source,” Chin said in a statement. “This menu was about clarity. It allowed each ingredient and influence to express itself fully, yet exist in balance.”
The Amuse Bouche of four bites included a Croustade featuring fish that was line-caught by Chin just that morning, while the first hot flash of the night came from the Fish Larb with spicy diced fish salad and Northern Thai peppers. The next wave of intensity arrived with the Scallop Nam-prik Kee-Ga, Ma-uek; the succulent freshness of the scallop masterfully paired with a smoky chilli relish and Thai wild eggplant.
Chin’s exquisite skills in the culinary arts were then on full display with the Poached Coral Trout with Fish Mousseline. The white asparagus soup set the scene, while the herbaceous Chartreuse jelly was a lesson in delicacy and refinement. Then came chef Nick’s Prawn Pad Cha, served with white asparagus; the perfectly grilled river prawn and its sauce were so magnificent that a guest remarked the pain of gout is worth enduring just to be able to enjoy it.
The night’s crescendo then came with the Turbot, featuring jade fungus, yellow daylilies, and bamboo shoots, and presented beside chilli beurre blanc and warm sabayon. Its presentation was of such a world-class level that it made diners feel guilty to eat such a work of art; but when we eventually dared to take a bite, its tenderness was divine. Wagyu came next, with Makwaen pepper jus, potato rösti, and Tomme de Savoie morels. Climaxes very rarely taste any better.
A delightful Green Apple Herbs Sorbet served as the palate cleanser, before the Mor Kaeng Mille Feuille, a collaborative effort between chef Nick and DC’s executive pastry chef, Nico Ooi, reminded guests of the inherent sweetness of Thai cuisine and culture.
“Today was the longest day of my life,” chef Nick said as he made his rounds at the end of the night. “I was on my feet from 10 o’clock this morning, fine-tuning and perfecting the menu and the dishes with chef Darren.” His amiable demeanour, coupled with his tremendous skills in gastronomy, as well as the excellence of DC restaurant’s wait staff, proves that award-winning, algorithm-engaging menus are nothing without warm hospitality. “Let me know when you’re in Bangkok, yeah?” chef Nick said as I waved goodbye. “I’ll try to make a special arrangement for you if you want to see the fireflies.”
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