Erawan Classic Thai & Fusion

If you are wondering what this gorgeous looking, spa-like sanctuary is, you have just stepped into the restaurant “Erawan Classic Thai & Fusion”, located in Kota Damansara.

This restaurant is owned by Robert .a.k.a. Anan and his bother.. and the food is tailored for Thai food lovers in particular. Just last week, Erawan held a small appreciation cocktail party serving some of Chef Korn’s Thai delicacies. Chef Korn is the chef at Erawan and responsible for all the food served in the restaurant. His food is pretty amazing. Well don’t just take my word for it because, apparently the rest of the restaurant industry thinks so as well. You see, this cocktail party was thrown to celebrate Erawan’s selection into the Miele Guide 2010/2011 edition and to thank all of their customers for having supported them throughout the year.

A big congratulations to Erawan for having been voted one of Asia’s finest restaurants 2010/2011 and one of the Top 5 Best restaurants in Malaysia 2010/2011 according to The Miele Guide!  The Miele Guide is Asia’s first truly independent and authoritative guide on restaurants and dining.

A little bit of information on Chef Trakool Yodsuk, a.k.a. Chef Korn; he was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand and his early culinary influences and inspirations came from home, specifically his grandmother’s cooking. A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Administration Chef Korn was an artist, specializing in acrylic painting, art collection and trading. His fine handy work is apparent throughout Erawan restaurant, giving it ambiance and lending it that radiant touch that makes this place so dazzlingly unique. Currently, Chef Korn has managed to bring the urban taste of Bangkok’s best dining to this part of the world, situated in a nook in Kota Damansara. His mantra is simple. “cooking by tasting” – not just blindly following recipes. Also, start simple and not with complicated dishes and slowly graduate to more complex ones. Practice makes perfect and the more familiar one is with the key ingredients the better the dish turns out. I really like this guy – practical and down to earth, yet talented and artistic. A real all rounder Chef.

A few quirky things to remember about Erawan – you need to make reservations and do some pre-ordering, before you come to the restaurant for dinner. The reason why this is so, is because most traditional Thai dishes require a great deal of preparation with regards to the ingredients. What this pre-ordering also means is that, all the ingredients for the dishes are freshly cut in preparation minutes before the diners arrive. Wow! What dedication! All Erawan’s perishables e.g. vegetables, meat, etc are marketed on a daily basis, ensuring their food is fresh and of the highest quality. This was even apparent at the recent cocktail celebration. Hors d’œuvres and finger food were all prepared minutes before the guests arrived and brought out in batches. I have never seen anything like it. Usually these things are mass produced and ready before the guests arrive. Less stress on the kitchen. Well, hats off to Chef Korn because he’d rather be stressed than feed his guests low quality, cold food. I cannot say enough how much I admire this guy!

So, in light of all this, is it any wonder why they were voted Top 5 in the Miele Guide, you think? Totally worth their weight in gold!