Chef Ian Kittichai
Chef Pongtawat “Ian” Chalermkittichai is Thailand’s first international “celebrity chef”. An unlikely candidate, Ian came from humble roots pushing a food cart through his Bangkok neighborhood as a child. Fate guided him to a culinary school scholarship, a French fine-dining apprenticeship in Sydney’s legendary Claude’s, and then pushed him to become the first Thai national in the world to become the Executive Chef of a 5-star hotel, the legendary Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok.
With a weekly cooking television show since 2001, Chef Mue Thong (Golden Hand Chef), which can currently be seen in over 70 countries around the world, his audience is truly global. Chef Chalermkittichai created the celebrated NYC restaurant, Kittichai Restaurant, in 2004. In 2008 he left to form his global food & beverage management and consulting firm, Cuisine Concept Co., Ltd., through which he created Murmuri in Barcelona and currently advises an impressive roster of 5-star hotels, restaurants, and food company clients worldwide. In 2010 he opened Thailand’s first gastro pub – Hyde & Seek Gastro Bar – in Bangkok and then his third signature Thai restaurant – KOH by Ian Kittichai – at the Intercontinental Marine Drive Hotel in Mumbai, India. In 2011 he opened Ember Room in New York City and re-launched Spot Dessert Bar, both with Chase Restaurant Group. Chef Ian released his first cookbook for the Thai language market in 2011 and will release an English version in 2012.
Issaya is the ground floor dining outlet that includes both a dining room and large outdoor terrace. The menu features Chef Ian’s unique signature Thai cuisine of traditional ingredients and flavors with international and progressive cooking methods. Some of Chef’s best known dishes, such as Red Chili-Glazed Seabass (Pla Aob Prik) and Jasmine Flower Flan (Kanom Dok Mali), as well as an ever-changing market menu that highlights the seasonal specials of the day, direct from the market, is the heart of the menu. Issaya also features Chef’s garden where guests can see aromatic Thai herbs grown year-round. Chef Ian is a pioneer in farm-to-table dining in Thailand and aims to incorporate his purity and freshness beliefs into Issaya. Issaya also features a large private dining room and lounge area that can be reserved for larger parties.
Metta, Norberto Piattoni's Fort Green neighborhood restaurant[/caption]
Francis Mallmann, the revered Argentinian chef made famous by his many restaurants around the world, a couple of books on his cooking style and a hit television series, Chef's Table, has ensured his legacy with a diaspora of chef proteges, two of whom have rolled up in New York. Norberto, better known to his friends as Negro, recently opened Metta, a neighborhood restaurant located on a quiet corner two blocks from the Fort Greene farmers market in Brooklyn. It offers sustainably sourced, vegetable-forward dishes all cooked in a custom designed, open-fire kitchen, using South American asado techniques, utilizing all aspects of the fire (smoke, flame, ash and embers) to create layers of flavor in dishes. Packed with happy diners the night I went, it is relaxed, delicious, interesting and fun.
[caption id="attachment_8248" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Flora Bar, Ignacio Mattos' third opening in New York[/caption]
Ignacio Mattos was born in Uruguay and learned to cook in the kitchens of Mallman and Slow Food legend, Alice Waters. His two other restaurants in New York, Estela, with its bold, Mediterranean-inspired cooking, and Altro Paradiso, with its Italian cuisine, are favorites of mine. Now, Ignacio has come with his team to the Met Brauer on 76th and Madison, offering small bites as well as main dishes in a comfortable setting either indoors or on the open terrace. Service is superb, wines delicious and the food captivating. The space, in my opinion, could do with some tlc - easily accomplished. If you can serve food like that, a bit of flower planting and decorating should come easy.
"
["post_title"]=>
string(21) "The Mallmann Diaspora"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(4) "open"
["ping_status"]=>
string(4) "open"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(21) "the-mallmann-diaspora"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2017-05-30 11:34:14"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2017-05-30 15:34:14"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(31) "http://lisalindblad.com/?p=8253"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
}