Chef Scott Joseph Da SilvaChef Pofile Chef Scott Joseph Da Silva started cooking in his hometown in Penang, Malaysia. He opened Makan Makan in Bangkok two-plus years ago with his siblings and never looked back. Recently listed as one of the must-try hidden jewels in Bangkok by a top newspaper, food here is cooked in small batches and crafted with love. Chef Scott enjoys Netflix on his off days and looks forward to a trip back to Seoul. Why cooking as a career? I have cooked since I was 11 years old. I fell in love with cooking and never looked back. Two biggest influences on your career? My grandmother and my mother. Best early kitchen experience? Berjaya Georgetown Hotel in Penang, Malaysia. Worst kitchen experience? Another hotel in Penang. Best meal you’ve ever had? In the kitchens of home cooks. I love home cooked meals. That's why my restaurant focuses on home cooking. What’s your cooking philosophy? Never compromise on ingredients. What’s your signature dish? Too many to remember. You will have to ask my regulars. Favourite cookbook? Right now, any cookbook that has traditional Malaysian recipes. Most difficult ingredient to cook with? Turkey. I really hate turkey. How do you keep in touch with the latest food trends? Books, Facebook, online research etc. We live in a digital age. Have you ever created an entirely new dish? Many times. It's part of being a chef. Greatest achievement to date? I will have to say opening Makan Makan restaurant in Bangkok. Who would you like to cook for? Anyone who loves cuisine and appreciates food. Utensils you can’t do without? Doing what I do, if I don't have utensils I need, I adapt. |
Music you listen to while cooking? I am a metal chef.
What’s your favourite dish to cook for yourself? Kiam chai boey. It’s a Malaysian dish.
Favourite dish cooked by someone else? Nasi lemak cooked by my wife. Or any dish cooked by my wife.
Which restaurant above all others would you like to work for? I guess none. No preference, really.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? Never really thought of that. I guess something related to F&B.
What’s next for you? Now that's a tricky question. For now I am focused on my restaurant.
Makan Makan Bangkok
Sukhumvit Soi 16 BTS Asok | MRT Sukhumvit
Tues-Sundays from 11am to 10pm
FB: @makanmakanbkk
Call 02 0775543
What’s your favourite dish to cook for yourself? Kiam chai boey. It’s a Malaysian dish.
Favourite dish cooked by someone else? Nasi lemak cooked by my wife. Or any dish cooked by my wife.
Which restaurant above all others would you like to work for? I guess none. No preference, really.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? Never really thought of that. I guess something related to F&B.
What’s next for you? Now that's a tricky question. For now I am focused on my restaurant.
Makan Makan Bangkok
Sukhumvit Soi 16 BTS Asok | MRT Sukhumvit
Tues-Sundays from 11am to 10pm
FB: @makanmakanbkk
Call 02 0775543
Chef Josu hailsChef Pofile Executive Chef Josu hails from Bilbao, in the Spanish Basque Country and he is a graduate of the Basque Culinary Academy with further studies in Hospitality Management with Cornell University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Gastronomy with ESHS - University of Zaragoza. Many cooking experiences since 1992 until 2018 he joined Accor Hotels Asia for the opening of the Mövenpick Kuredhivaru in Maldives before joining his current role, here at Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa in Hua Hin in October last year. Josu enjoys dining out, playing golf and running, but most of all, he loves watching his beloved football team – Athletic Club Bilbao. Josu is fluent in Spanish, English, Italian and Portuguese Why cooking as a career? I started journalism at college as I loved creative writing and traveling and I thought that career would allow me to do so. I worked at hotels to support my studies and I was fascinated by the atmosphere in the kitchens. As it turned out, joining the Culinary Academy has allowed me to be creative and travel to the most interesting places. |
Two biggest influences on your career? Juan Mari Arzak of Arzak Restaurant, in San Sebastian, Basque Country and Charlie Trotter in Chicago, now sadly closed.
Best early kitchen experience? A small restaurant called Anton in Bilbao where almost everything was made at home, a truly organic, farm and sea to table concept, 30 years ago!
Worst kitchen experience? Two weeks at a famous celebrity chef restaurant.
Best meal you’ve ever had? Unforgettable dinner at El Bulli in Roses, Girona in 2005. Ferran Adrià’s at his best moment. Followed by another culinary journey at Gaggan Anand in Bangkok two years ago.
What’s your cooking philosophy? Treat the product with respect and alter it as little as possible.
What’s your signature dish? Right now at the Kampu Restaurant: Caprese Salad, with locally made ciliegini mozzarella, sun-dried tomato sponge, avocado and balsamic pearls. Angus Beef Cheeks, braised slow and served with oxtail and foie gras cannelloni and glazed baby carrots
Favourite cookbook? Vegetables, by Charlie Trotter. It opened my eyes about the versatility and culinary value of vegetables.
Most difficult ingredient to cook with? I just don’t like celery.
How do you keep in touch with the latest food trends? It used to be attending culinary seminars and congresses, dining at innovative restaurants anywhere and so on, now sadly is more checking online gastronomy magazines, Instagram or dining locally which might sometimes offer some interesting proposals.
Have you ever created an entirely new dish? I have worked in different countries and I always tried to add some twists to local dishes making them a fusion of different cuisines, sometimes creating a whole new dish altogether.
Greatest achievement to date? The successful and timely opening of numerous restaurants for various companies which years later still maintain some concepts of dishes that I introduced.
Who would you like to cook for? Friends and family and anyone who does not ask for celery.
Utensils you can’t do without? Sharpening steel.
Music you listen to while cooking? It depends on the mood, from blues to opera to heavy metal.
What’s your favourite dish to cook for yourself? Fried eggs with grilled morcilla (rice and pig’s blood sausage). Not an everyday dish unless you are building up energy for a marathon but it is comfort, simple food that reminds me of the old country too!.
Favourite dish cooked by someone else? Fresh, locally caught fish barbequed and served with some wok greens or salad.
Which restaurant above all others would you like to work for? In the past for La Maison Bras of Michel Bras in Laguiole, France.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
A frustrated journalist.
What’s next for you? More cooking and discovering the richness of Thai culinary.
Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin | Hua Hin 5 Alley | 77110 | Hua Hin | Prachuap Kiri Khan | Thailand
+66 32 520 777
+66 87 269 8881
Best early kitchen experience? A small restaurant called Anton in Bilbao where almost everything was made at home, a truly organic, farm and sea to table concept, 30 years ago!
Worst kitchen experience? Two weeks at a famous celebrity chef restaurant.
Best meal you’ve ever had? Unforgettable dinner at El Bulli in Roses, Girona in 2005. Ferran Adrià’s at his best moment. Followed by another culinary journey at Gaggan Anand in Bangkok two years ago.
What’s your cooking philosophy? Treat the product with respect and alter it as little as possible.
What’s your signature dish? Right now at the Kampu Restaurant: Caprese Salad, with locally made ciliegini mozzarella, sun-dried tomato sponge, avocado and balsamic pearls. Angus Beef Cheeks, braised slow and served with oxtail and foie gras cannelloni and glazed baby carrots
Favourite cookbook? Vegetables, by Charlie Trotter. It opened my eyes about the versatility and culinary value of vegetables.
Most difficult ingredient to cook with? I just don’t like celery.
How do you keep in touch with the latest food trends? It used to be attending culinary seminars and congresses, dining at innovative restaurants anywhere and so on, now sadly is more checking online gastronomy magazines, Instagram or dining locally which might sometimes offer some interesting proposals.
Have you ever created an entirely new dish? I have worked in different countries and I always tried to add some twists to local dishes making them a fusion of different cuisines, sometimes creating a whole new dish altogether.
Greatest achievement to date? The successful and timely opening of numerous restaurants for various companies which years later still maintain some concepts of dishes that I introduced.
Who would you like to cook for? Friends and family and anyone who does not ask for celery.
Utensils you can’t do without? Sharpening steel.
Music you listen to while cooking? It depends on the mood, from blues to opera to heavy metal.
What’s your favourite dish to cook for yourself? Fried eggs with grilled morcilla (rice and pig’s blood sausage). Not an everyday dish unless you are building up energy for a marathon but it is comfort, simple food that reminds me of the old country too!.
Favourite dish cooked by someone else? Fresh, locally caught fish barbequed and served with some wok greens or salad.
Which restaurant above all others would you like to work for? In the past for La Maison Bras of Michel Bras in Laguiole, France.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
A frustrated journalist.
What’s next for you? More cooking and discovering the richness of Thai culinary.
Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin | Hua Hin 5 Alley | 77110 | Hua Hin | Prachuap Kiri Khan | Thailand
+66 32 520 777
+66 87 269 8881
Food & Travel tips : Northern cafe society
Chiang Mai is renowned for having some of the most beautiful restaurants in Thailand. Here are two popular outlets that attract the selfie crowds because of their photogeneity but nonetheless certainly deserve a visit on your next trip to this charming, slow-paced northern city:
■ Chom Café & Restaurant, famous for its mini tropical forest, moss covered trees and gardens, streams and waterfalls. While the exotic scenery is the main reason people head to Chom, its food is also excellent, with local Chiang Mai dishes on offer, along with mainstream Thai and international fare.
Chom, 2/13 Moo 2 Somphot Chinag Mai, 700 Pi Road, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50100 Tel. 065 438 8188
■ Nakara Jardin was until fairly recently a private property set on the banks of the Ping River. Boasting a lush tropical garden with
a huge raintree and weeping
willow shading the riverside terrace, Nakara Jardin is the brainchild of Le Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Pomme who turned it into an all-day easy dining spot for relaxed French dining, with crafted coffees, imported teas and delightful patisserie. Located close to the Chedi in central Chiang Mai.
Nakara Jardin, 11 Soi 9 Charoenprathet Road. A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand. Tel. 053 81 8977 Mobile: 061 370 6466
■ Chom Café & Restaurant, famous for its mini tropical forest, moss covered trees and gardens, streams and waterfalls. While the exotic scenery is the main reason people head to Chom, its food is also excellent, with local Chiang Mai dishes on offer, along with mainstream Thai and international fare.
Chom, 2/13 Moo 2 Somphot Chinag Mai, 700 Pi Road, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50100 Tel. 065 438 8188
■ Nakara Jardin was until fairly recently a private property set on the banks of the Ping River. Boasting a lush tropical garden with
a huge raintree and weeping
willow shading the riverside terrace, Nakara Jardin is the brainchild of Le Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Pomme who turned it into an all-day easy dining spot for relaxed French dining, with crafted coffees, imported teas and delightful patisserie. Located close to the Chedi in central Chiang Mai.
Nakara Jardin, 11 Soi 9 Charoenprathet Road. A. Muang, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand. Tel. 053 81 8977 Mobile: 061 370 6466