The Ultimate Luxury Honeymoon Adventure and more: Akorn Southeast Asia Insider
This month, we chat with some of Southeast Asia’s top chefs to talk about their favorite local dishes and unveil our Ultimate Luxury Honeymoon Adventure in Thailand. Our teams have also been continuing our work to support communities in need in our region and we are proud to share an update about our new philanthropy project in Myanmar. Check out our new Villa Portfolio, featuring our favorite luxury and boutique private villa stays in Thailand and catch up with our regional re-opening news.
Top 5: Top Chefs’ Favorite Local Dishes in Southeast Asia
It’s no secret that we love our Southeast Asian flavors. So we decided to consult some of the region’s top chefs to get the low down on their favorite local dishes and the food memories they can’t live without.
1. Chef Bee Satongun, Paste Restaurants, Thailand, Laos, Australia
Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2018, Chef Bee Satongun has a weakness for Yum Tawai, an old Southeast Asian dish that can be traced back to the Tawai people, a Tibetan-Burmese tribe that migrated to Thailand in the mid-18th century. “The dish was served in noble households and requires a lot of time to prepare. Delicate knife work is needed to slice the meat and vegetables and the fresh curry paste is made with freshly squeezed coconut milk.”
Taste Chef Bee Satongun’s Yum Tawai and other refined Thai fare at the Michelin-starred Paste Bangkok and sister restaurant, Paste Australia, or experience her creative plant-based Lao food at Paste Laos.
2. Eelke Plasmeijer , Locavore, Indonesia
Chef Eelke Plasmeijer’s all-time favorite Balinese dish is jakut kelor mesanten. “There are so many great dishes from around this massive country and most of them are underrated. But this dish of moringa leaves, bumbu Bali paste and ginger torch stems cooked inside a young coconut is super straightforward yet really complex at the same time. It is also smart to use the coconut as a vessel to cook the soup.”
Chef Eelke Plasmeijer and fellow head chef, Ray Adriansyah, serve up fine Indonesian fare at Locavore, Indonesia’s only entry in this year’s Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants List.
3. Chef Peter Cuong Franklin, Anan Saigon, Vietnam
Chef Peter Cuong Franklin can’t go past a good banh trang nuong. Originating from Dalat in southern Vietnam, the dish is a Vietnamese-style pizza with a light and crispy base made of rice paper topped with various savory ingredients. “At Anan Saigon, we elevate the humble street food dish by using quality ingredients and modern techniques. Keeping the dish crispy and light, we add seasoned egg, slow cooked roast duck, mozzarella cheese and fresh herbs.”
Chef Peter Cuong Franklin’s Roast Duck Dalat Pizza and other inspired dishes are available at Anan Saigon, Vietnam’s only entry in this year’s Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.
4. Chef Jimmy Ophorst, PRU at Trisara, Thailand
Jimmy Ophorst confessed his passion for goong phad kapi, stir-fried prawn and shrimp paste. “At first, I hated shrimp paste, but once you understand the process and the best way of using it, it is something out of this world! The umami flavor that comes from the shrimp paste gives the dish a unique flavor bomb and gives you a taste of real Thai flavors.”
Chef Jimmy Ophorst’s sustainable permaculture cuisine, including his interpretation of goong phad kapi, is currently on the menu at PRU at Trisara, Phuket’s only 2021 Michelin-star restaurant and Thailand’s first Michelin Green Star restaurant.
5. Kimsan Pol and Kimsan Sok , Embassy Restaurant, Cambodia
Twin sisters, Kimsan Pol and Kimsan Sok, the pioneering female chefs who define Khmer gastronomy, love the traditional local flavors of krueng thpeal ko. Slow cooked Wagyu beef cheek in lightly yellow curry spiced stock, the dish is served with fresh coconut milk, burned lucida fruit and smoked eggplant.
Chef Kimsan Pol and Chef Kimsan Sok continue to inspire with their authentic Khmer cuisine at Embassy Restaurant in Siem Reap and their new Sombok Restaurant in Phnom Penh.
Regional Re-opening News
Thailand: The Phuket Sandbox has been extended with a 7+7 program, which allows vaccinated travelers to explore more of Thailand after an initial seven nights on the island of Phuket. Currently, the program includes selected areas of Krabi and Phang Nga Province and Samui Island. More destinations are likely to be added to the program in October. Keep up to date with Thailand’s re-opening here.
Indonesia: The government recently discussed plans to test an international travel corridor to Bali in the near future. Official dates and requirements are still to be announced.
Vietnam: Parts of Vietnam have been under restrictions due to a new wave of COVID-19. The government is discussing plans for domestic re-opening in the coming weeks.
Singapore: On 8 September 2021, Singapore welcomed their first flight of international visitors for over a year. The country is trialing a Vaccinated Travel Lane program, which allows vaccinated travelers from Germany and Brunei to enter the country without quarantine. Keep up to date with Singapore’s re-opening here.
Laos: Laos remains closed to international leisure tourism for the time being, with no official news as of yet.
Cambodia: Cambodia's vaccination program has been rolled out faster than neighboring Southeast Asian nations with Phnom Penh recognized as the city with the highest rate of vaccination in the region. The government is currently discussing plans to re-open the country to international visitors in late 2021. Exact details have not yet been announced.
Please note: The above information was correct at time of writing. However, the situation remains fluid and details change regularly. We recommend that travelers always check travel advisories both in your home country and the destination you are traveling to before you book and before travel.
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