Review

Within the palatial Sawan pavilion, everything is choreographed to perfection. The dinner show is a white wonderland, where ten ‘moments’ of celebration are scenes in a culinary ballet, each a visual and gastronomic delight. For the first ‘moment’, slivers of salak-infused ice shower down from a table-side contrivance onto a scallop, creating a hallmark experience, a blend of exotic tastes, aromas and textures with hints of musk, the sea and alcohol. A succulent local oyster with tangy tamarillo is enhanced by fermented tea (kombucha) and sesame seeds (miso). Sator and ant eggs add bitterness to a confection of ultra-fresh berries. The artistic ‘piece de resistance’, a sculpted ‘butterfly’ with caviar ‘body’ and translucent yellow beetroot wings follows. Luscious sea snail, served in its shell with corn custard and fermented shrimp is followed by confit grouper with fermented cherries, beef tongue and glistening apple seasoned with tamarind and ginger. Wine pairings form a perfect accompaniment to extraordinarily complex dishes, many transformed by fermentation. Classic old vine Chablis is followed by saki from Japan and rare sato from Thailand, ginger infused rum, Douro red wine and sweet-sour umeshu. The hom team have scoured the planet from Phuket to Brazil searching for unique flavours. ‘Hom’, Thai for ‘fragrance’, is invoked here by the marriage of traditional oriental cuisine and bold modern experimentation.