BANGKOK, March 3 – The view of the river would be more dazzling if it weren’t for the layer of smog hanging over the city.
But what a view all the same! Not even air pollution could mask the splendour of the Chao Phraya – “the River of Kings” as it’s commonly known – as it winds across the city.
We are on the 65th floor of lebua at State Tower, dining at the highest restaurant in Bangkok: Mezzaluna.
If the name evokes the imagery of curved blades of double-handled knives used to chop herbs and garlic for mise en place, the shape is mirrored in the half-moon wall of windows offering a 180-degree view of the city and the river.
After all, Mezzaluna means “half moon” in Italian; the name a nod to fine contemporary European cuisine rather than slavish attachments to a single nation.
Led by Chef Ryuki Kawasaki, who had worked with legendary Pierre Gagnaire, the restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars and included in the prestigious La Liste 2018.
Ah, but what of it? Do stars and lists and awards still matter? Some restaurants reward your curiosity with nothing more than a litany of how they have been recognised and honoured, like Daenerys Targaryen and her endless titles. Trophies and medals do not a good meal make.
Or do they?
We can’t help but wonder as we are escorted to our table, having navigated a teak staircase that signals grandeur, as though our entrance has been deeply anticipated.
The welcome is polished, of course, but also surprisingly heartfelt. Our servers (an army of them, almost) are knowledgeable and witty, assuring us that we are in good hands.
And so we begin, with decadence. Ahead of the tasting menu, we opt for half a dozen oysters to share.
Mezzaluna offers a variety of voluptuous molluscs – from the delicate and creamy Tia Maraa to the briny Hyogo caught in the Harimanada waters; their sweet finish placing them as some of Japan’s best. There are condiments but when the oysters are this fresh and plump, you’d want to savour them as is. Whole, from the sea to your lips.
As we catch the sunset over the Chao Phraya, as a string quartet begins playing, we are transported across continents as our tasting menu commences.
Notsuke scallop carpaccio accompanied by kohlrabi, grey shrimp and rich beluga caviar is cut with a spicy, almost smoky Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésime, 2005.
The Magaki oyster confit, bloodied by beetroot, red radish and a vinaigrette made with wine produced in Banyuls-sur-Mer, on the south-west coast of France, is paired with a full-flavoured 2015 Valfieri Gavi di Gavi from the Italian Alpine region of Piedmont.
Chef Kawasaki excels in contrasting the produce and bounty of land and sea: France, Italy and his native Japan feature greatly. And so it is with the wines he has personally selected for pairing with every course.
This is Bangkok, which might explain how our servers, while they explain each dish – a glazed veal sweetbread with shiitake mushrooms and carrots from Kyoto or a blue lobster from Brittany coloured by shungiku (“spring chrysanthemum” in Japanese) and smoked Morteau sausage – with precision and professional ardour, they also do it with a warmth that seems uniquely Thai.
The fish course ensues: I have the madara (Pacific cod) marinated in sake kasu (the lees left over from sake production) with bok choy, squids and chorizo. Sake kasu is traditionally used as a pickling agent in Japan; its usage here is a nod to the chef’s insistence on doing various tried-and-true treatments such as pickling, smoking and curing on-site.
My partner has Chef Kawasaki’s beloved kinmedai (alfonsino) grilled with miso. Tonight the kinmedai is joined by an unusual assortment of ingredients – Jerusalem artichokes, mirugai (geoduck) and water celery – and complemented by a dry and crisp sake, the Shimeharitsuru Daiginjo Gold Label which hails from a brewery in the Niigata Prefecture.
Nothing is less than stellar: the roasted Barbary duck soused with its own consommé, foie gras and yurine (lily bulbs); the Yezo Shika deer encrusted with blackcurrants, and enlivened by renkon (lotus root) and red cabbage; and the Niigata Murakami Wagyu Beef A5 grilled over binchō charcoal and laced with Périgord black truffles.
Mezzaluna’s general manager, Peter Kong, personally comes out to show us the well-marbled wagyu beef, explaining that Niigata is Chef Kawasaki’s hometown, hence the sourcing of premium products from the prefecture. Our conversation with Kong, who is originally from Hong Kong, feels more intimate and convivial than what we’ve had elsewhere.
Hoity-toity maître d’s are such a cliché and entirely unnecessary; everyone we encounter at Mezzaluna, from the passionate sommelier with the splendid handlebar moustache to Kong, with whom we discuss our favourite dining experiences, lining the evening with an undefinable extra touch, like some secret ingredient.
Our desserts arrive, signalling the end of our evening. One makes full use of Koshihikari rice in the form of ice cream, meringue and pudding, further heightened with Corsican clementines served fresh, confit and smoked.
The second, a nougatine confection made from Markrin 80% Dark Chocolate is ably served by a glass of Dow’s Vintage Port, 1994. This Portuguese port wine is the best of the best, accounting for only two per cent of all port made; it makes for a sweet finish to our meal.
Beyond the ambience, the food and the service, there is something else that is subtle and sublime. It’s like falling in love with Michelin stars again, except it isn’t the stars that shine the brightest.
Mezzaluna has mesmerised us by showing – not telling, say with the number of awards they’ve attained – why they’re worthy of a visit.
Here’s to uncovering the experience, not the accolades.
Mezzaluna
65th Floor, lebua at State Tower, 1055 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
Open Tue-Sun 6pm-1am
Tel: +66 2624 9555
