As the World Gourmet Festival rolls into town once again, we compare how much it would cost to eat at the restaurants of five of the eight visiting chefs with what you’ll be charged to sample their food here. (The annual festival, held at the Four Seasons, flies in world class chefs who each cook on a different night.) We appreciate it’s a little skewed after all, because while eating at these visiting chefs’ restaurants is often much cheaper than the B5,700 fee Four Seasons is charging for dinner, that amount is still much, much cheaper than zipping over to Geneva or New York for the weekend.

Still, there’s the question of whether chefs can really reproduce the food that makes them famous back home without access to their kitchen team and all the local ingredients they usually employ. But that question, in our experience, doesn’t really have an answer either. It depends. Some visiting chefs are wonderful; others really have you scratching your head. Still, here’s who we’re ready to bet our money on.
For reservations, visit www.worldgourmetfestivalbangkok.com, call 02-126-8866 or e-mail [email protected].

Hari Nayak (Sep 5-6)

Where from: Orissa, New York, USA
What: Indian with a twist
What they say: New York Times: “Worth it. These … creative touches make Orissa a restaurant I’ll be happy to return to in the months to come.”
What you’d pay there: Around B750-1,200: apps (US$10-16) + sauces, chutney (US$3) + main (US$14-25). Or eat from 5-6:30pm for US$18.95 (B600).
Verdict: Sounds nice, but it’s a steep markup. We’d rather go back to our own Gaggan (B1,600 for a ten- to twelve-dish degustation) at a fraction of the price.

Ivo Adam (Sep 9-10)

Where from: Seven Asconda, Geneva, Switzerland
What: Swiss haute cuisine
What they say: Michelin gave Adam’s restaurant one star, writing,“The Swiss gourmet dining scene has scaled to new heights.”
What you’d pay there: B7,600 for a 7-course surprise menu or B11,170 with wine.
Verdict: You’re saving B2,000, not to mention the plane tickets to Switzerland. Sign us up!

Anthony Demetre (Sep 5-6)

Where from: Wild Honey, London, UK
What: Produce-centric, Brit and comforting
What they say: Another Michelin star earner. TimeOut London says, “The composition is thoughtful, each main using two to four key ingredients, often with an English bent.”
What you’d pay there: B1,541-B2,247 for dinner: appetizers (B435-B635) + main course (B860-B1223) + dessert (B245-390). There’s also a B1,122 pre-theater 3-course dinner set.
Verdict: Clearly cheaper back in the UK, but we’ve been reading a lot of good things about Anthony. Our plan is to go for lunch, when it’s only B1,500.

David Lee (Sep 9-10)

Where from: Nota Bene, Toronto, Canada
What: Italian and Mediterranean influences with great Canadian seafood
What they say: It ranks four out of five stars on user-generated sites like Yelp or Urban Spoon. The pros are a bit tougher but it still got voted one of Canada’s Top 10 restaurants by Where Magazine.
What you’d pay there: B1,165-B3,390: appetizers (B275) + main course (B820-B2,750) + dessert (B70-B365). Pre-theater menu: B1,050 for two courses or B1,300 for three.
Verdict: The higher-end produce on the menu could set you back over B3,000, but that’s still half what you’ll end up paying here after tax and service. Call us snobs but we’d rather save our pennies for the Michelin chefs.

Adriano Cavagnini (Sep 5-6)

Where from: Amaranto, Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane
What: Modern Italian
What they say: TimeOut writes, “The staff is professional and plentiful. Amaranto is high-flying Italian cooking in a luxurious setting.” Decanter adds, “[The Italian cuisine here] is a long way from its origins, but it’s also ingenious, imaginative, and precisely executed.”
What you’d pay there: B833-2,400: Starter (£7-20) + main (£10-29).
Verdict: It sounds like the multi-million pound revamp of the space which lasted two years and was completed this year has a lot to do with Amaranto’s draw. But the chef is getting high marks, too, and inventive Italian food is in short supply here. Sounds good!

Who else?

Sep 7–8: Guido Haverkock, i Portici Restaurant, Bologna, Italy
Sep 7–8: Kazumi Sawada, Kumoi, Guangzhou, China
Sep 9–10: Dolli Irigoyen, Espacio Dolli, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Kitchen Talk

Ivo Adam

“What will I bring? I’m packing a bottle of Bündner Röteli (cherry liquor from the Swiss Mountains), Noccino (liquor made of green walnuts), Maggia Pepper (humid pepper mix from a valley in Ticiono) and rose water essence. For almost a year, I’ve also been very fond of corn: sweet corn, salty corn, corn puree, corn ice-cream. It is a mild flavour on its own, it’s not expensive and it works great with fish. I will integrate lots of [local] ingredients but I think I’m invited to cook whatever I do in Switzerland. So expect refreshing dishes like sweet chili mascarpone with pomelo and a cucumber and kiwi duo. Guests will also taste avocado in a very different style and some beef tartar with brown sugar flavours. And, yes, they will be served corn and fish, too. My creative process is like playing with Lego. You want to build your own house, in your own colours, and you start combining the bricks into something new. But Switzerland has a tradition of top notch gastronomy, and even though my style is regarded as young, fresh and creative, I always go back to our roots.”

Anthony Demetre

“I’m a huge fan of Bangkok; it’s a culinary inspiration. We are flying out of London Heathrow and arriving 12 hours later, at 6am. We will arrive at the hotel for breakfast time, and then head straight to the food markets. There, Alan (my assistant) and I will draw inspiration from what we see on offer and only then will we put the final touches to our menu. My garnish for my main course is still not decided until I see what’s available locally. We will bring a few items with us. I’m using a wonderful Lincolnshire smoked eel as one of my dishes, so that will be sent from England. We also will be using wagyu beef short rib; this will come from Australia. I’m a huge advocate of under-used cuts of meat and fish. I find most chefs shun the lesser known cuts in favour of the prime options: this is a real shame as I find that with expert technique, the flavor you get from the working muscles is unrivalled. It’s a practice we instill at my restaurants and it enables great cooking at very reasonable prices. We scour the London markets daily, and this really inspires us: we really have no idea what we are cooking until we know what’s available. It’s challenging but hugely creative. Changing the bulk of the menu daily helps keep costs down and things exciting for our clientele.”