Four Hands Zi Char Dinner from Lerdtip Restaurant in Bangkok and KEK in Singapore
A Singaporean-Thai feast with a bold flavor has been prepared by the top chefs of Lerdtip Restaurant in Bangkok and Keng Eng Kee Singapore Restaurant in Bangkok.
Depending on traffic conditions, it usually takes about 20 minutes to drive from central Bangkok to this popular establishment, but it is well worth a visit. When you arrive, you’ll see a team of chefs operating fryers in the outdoor kitchen.
Chef Gage, along with the third generation of KEK owners – brothers Paul Liu and Chef Wayne Liu – have created an extensive menu of flavour-packed specialties for Bangkok foodies to savor.
Their guests also included Singapore’s top chefs Han Liguang (Maze Restaurant) and Jason Tan (Euphoria Restaurant), the Thai-born chef and owner of Q Bar Dig Keokacha, and Nosara Tam owner Chesiri Tasanakajun.
KEK’s array of dishes ranged from salted squid eggs and coffee chicken with sticky glaze to fried gobi with a tart sauce. Another highlight is the spicy pork liver with rice, which Paul throws on the table to coax the flavours.
Meanwhile, Chef Gage expertly fuses his Thai and Chinese heritage in dishes like stir-fried pork neck with chili sauce as well as fresh oysters and naturally sweet crab meat, tossed in a secret spicy sauce. A highlight of this restaurant is the King Rad Nah, or flat Thai rice noodles, generously filled with high-quality seafood ranging from lobster and abalone to fried fish. A large bowl of noodles covered in a thick, glossy broth.
Another Lerdtip signature is fried rice with spicy Thai basil stuffed with roast beef and soft fried egg. At the table, the chef stirs the rice and eggs until the ingredients are well mixed. Residual heat in the hot pot finishes the cooking process, while flavors are captured in the sturdy pot.
Lerdtip is also famous for its crustacean dishes such as yellow crab curry, raw crab with garlic, coriander, chili pepper and lime juice. Chef Gage says he uses female mud crabs that come from southern Thailand, which have a sweet, fluffy texture and a thinner shell.
To prepare the oyster omelet, plump local oysters from Chonburi near Pattaya are mixed with crunchy bean sprouts and eggs. Because the oysters are so fresh, the chef cooks them very lightly and serves them on a hot stone plate. This delicate dish is accompanied by a chili sauce. The buzzing evening was filled with live music, chilled wine and lots of convivial conversation.
Address: 2/152 Lad Prao Wangin Road, Lat Phrao, Bangkok, 10230. Tel: +66 80 345 9576
