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Japan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
With Igniv Bangkok, the Thai capital's fine dining scene gets a boost
I'm lounging on a curved green couch in Igniv Bangkok when the first crystalline platters appear, bearing the 'snacks' to open our meal. My first morsel, I'm instructed, should be the bite-size kadaifi (filo pastry) roll offering a satisfying crispiness that gives way to a delicate morsel of Phuket lobster enhanced with citrus. Next, like an Easter gift, an eggshell filled with a creamy mix of Bergkase (Swiss mountain cheese) and Gruyere with enoki mushroom. A series of starters pairs Thai-grown asparagus with daikon and tarragon, and langoustine tofu with a light sweet corn broth. Main courses see rose-pink chunks of lamb from Italy arrive alongside a lemon-accented pea croquette in a vibrant pea sauce and a dish of soft eggplant bathing in a rich mole with Trang pepper from southern Thailand. A Dutch rhubarb matching the richness of truffes schnitte, a kind of chocolate tart made with Thai chocolate, is one of the sweet treats rounding off my dinner. This eclectic culinary experience is offered by Igniv Bangkok's new spring menu. The restaurant, which now boasts its fourth year of holding a Michelin star, is the first Asian outpost of the acclaimed original, which opened in 2015 in Switzerland's Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. The man behind the brand is Swiss celebrity chef Andreas Caminada, who is known for his pioneering approach to creative contemporary Swiss cuisine and promoting the idea of a 'fine dining sharing experience' in a casual environment where guests are welcome to swap stilettos for sneakers to tuck into top-tier cuisine. For Igniv Bangkok's interior, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola used a combination of wood and handcrafted fabrics to communicate a homey warmth, a mood that matches the casual fine dining concept of the restaurant. | IGNIV BANGKOK Igniv, which means 'nest' in Caminada's native Romansh language, focuses not only on the communal nature of dining — all dishes arrive as sharing platters and guests choose from bowls and trays of sweet treats at the 'candy store' to take home in a box — but also the underlying approach of collecting different ingredients from the restaurant's surroundings. The Bangkok establishment embraces this concept but with a twist by virtue of its Asian location. Head chef Arne Riehn joined the restaurant when it opened in 2020 and was appointed the restaurant's lead culinary creative in September 2024. 'You can imagine what kind of dream job it is when someone gives you the trust to run a restaurant in his name and you can basically cook what you would like to eat if you were to (dine here),' says Riehn. Welcoming diversity Riehn has taken on the challenge of encompassing the seasonality of Swiss cuisine while finding a way to put local Thai ingredients in the spotlight. Yet this concept has met with some difficulties, namely the sourcing of reliably high-quality, organic domestic ingredients. 'In Thailand, fine dining is quite young, so these farmers are still developing their systems,' Riehn says, adding that Green Garden, a Chiang Mai-based farm, is now one of his regular suppliers as the quality of its veggies has proven to be consistent. Igniv Bangkok's head chef Arne Riehn has the challenge of executing Swiss cuisine with a Thai twist. | IGNIV BANGKOK Green Garden supplies Igniv with a wide range of herbs and greens, including rarer produce like pea shoots and beetroot. Asparagus, a quintessential European ingredient, comes from a supplier in Nong Bua Lamphu Province in northeastern Thailand, which grows the vegetable year round in greenhouses. Although Riehn praises Thai wagyu and trout, much of the protein comes from overseas, with fish like hamachi (young Japanese amberjack) and kanpachi (yellowtail) imported from Japan. Igniv adds to a growing number of restaurants in Bangkok fueling demand for quality Japanese produce. Den Kushi Flori, a collaboration between Tokyo's modern, creative kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) Den and French fine-dining Florilege, opened its first overseas outpost in Bangkok in July 2023, while American restaurant empire Nobu expanded into the market in September 2024. Meanwhile, on the more casual end of the scale, famed Indian chef Gaggan Anand , who also runs his eponymous restaurant in the Thai capital, has teamed up with Thai-Indian chef and restaurateur Chalee Kader to launch E-San in April 2025. Dubbed 'a fantasy of Thai north-eastern cuisine meets Japanese izakaya (Japanese pub),' E-San serves up wildly creative Isaan-Japanese fusion dishes, such as chicken wing stuffed with shiokara (fermented squid entrails), ginger and cabbage and coated in takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings) sauce and nori; and ochazuke (rice steeped in tea) made with rice steamed with yanang leaf (a plant native to Southeast Asia), grilled sheathfish in a nutty genmaicha (brown rice green tea) broth and charred leek oil. All this comes as Bangkok grows its reputation as a gourmet haven. It even rivalled Tokyo in the March edition of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards, with both cities tying for first place with nine locations each. Sorn became the first Thai restaurant to receive two Michelin stars in 2025, a year that Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, described as 'a significant and historic year for Thailand on the international gastronomic map.' There's also a wealth of international dining options, from Michelin-starred French establishments, such as Blue by Alain Ducasse and chef Arnaud Dunand's Maison Dunand, to the highly-acclaimed modern German restaurant Suhring. The "pizokel," a Swiss dumpling-like buckwheat pasta, is topped with caviar for a rich, briny finish. | PHOEBE AMOROSO Igniv nestles well in this diverse international milieu. Riehn has flown into his role as culinary magpie, collecting inspiration and ingredients to bring to life Swiss seasonality with a Thai twist and the occasional nod to Japan. One of his favorite dishes is a refreshing starter of raw Hokkaido scallop with beautiful curved slices of carrots, finished with a splash of coconut milk. This is followed by a heartier dish that appeals to both comfort and luxury: Pizokel, a Swiss dumpling-like buckwheat pasta, is drenched in brown butter and topped decadently with bonito foam and caviar. Yet it's the dessert course where Thai influences truly take center stage and Riehn's background as a professionally trained confectioner shines through . An elegantly domed cascara (dried coffee cherry skin) souffle offers a gentle fruitiness with a well-balanced salty-sweet interplay, while a coconut flower juice is transformed into a sorbet. These courses are accompanied by an exceptional pairing of three Swiss wines. Opening the meal is a buttery and full-bodied chardonnay from Gantenbein Winery, while a strawberry-scented pinot noir from Weingut Fromm is the perfect accompaniment to a course of langoustine prepared three ways. This is followed by a bolder, earthier pinot noir from Flascher Spondis that is more than a match for the punchy mains that include wild garlic, Trang pepper and mole. With its creative culinary approach, Igniv is demonstrative of the bold culinary minds that are transforming Bangkok into a vibrant, diverse dining scene.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- The Independent
Why you should swap the heat of the Mediterranean for a summer holiday in Switzerland
As European summers get warmer – last year's was the hottest on record, and the previous two summers have seen devastating forest fires in countries such as Portugal and Greece – holidaymakers are left pondering which side they're on. Are you a heat-seeking missile, or are you too cool for school? Come August, my loyalties now lie with one country: Switzerland. Don't make the mistake of dismissing this central European country as middle of the road or bland, however. On the contrary, it ticks every box for the dream 'coolcation' – and with more than enough warmth for the average sunseeker thrown in. I began my Swiss adventures in Heidiland – quite literally, the land of Johanna Spyri's Heidi. There was no hut with a cranky and solitary grandfather for me, though. Instead, I checked into Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, a five-star delight in the eponymous spa town. Located just an hour's train journey from Zurich (be sure to sit on the left for glorious lake views), I was instantly enthralled. As well as the permanent artworks dotted throughout the resort's expansive and colourful grounds, my visit coincided with the 9th Swiss Triennial of Sculpture (the next takes place in 2027). Ambling through the gardens, it was hard not to smile at other visitors, many of whom weren't hotel guests, posing for photos with the large scale works. The steep hike up to Tamina Gorge, the source from which the spa's healing waters flow, takes around an hour – easily manageable in warm sunshine softened by mountain air. On the return leg, I headed straight to the baths, where temperatures range from a bracing 17 degrees to a sweat-inducing 39. My favourite? The Baroque-style Helena Bath, which is said to be a love monument to a Russian princess and features a decorative relief ceiling, marble columns, mosaic tiling and dramatic lighting. It felt like swimming in a work of art. After two nights of wonderful food and utter relaxation, I left Bad Ragaz for Basel, taking another seamless (2.5 hours) train journey. A word of appreciation for Swiss trains: not only are they impressively punctual, but they're beautifully clean and cool. Air-conditioning is indisputably a plus when you're travelling in warm weather and hope to reach your destination without being a sweaty mess. With its blend of modern and historic architecture, Basel instantly won my heart. The Kunstmuseum is home to the world's oldest art collection, spanning eight centuries and holding around 300,000 artworks, ranging from medieval religious paintings to works from Gauguin, Matisse and Cezanne. There's also a number of Picassos, two of which were in danger of being sold to settle a business debt, and four donated by the artist himself when he learned how the public had rallied around to keep the original two in situ. There are more than 40 museums in Basel and you can visit most of them (and other cultural institutions) at a 50 per cent discount with the BaselCard, which comes as a given with any hotel booking. It also grants benefits such as free public transport and reduced bike hire. It's a great incentive to give Airbnb a miss. August's average temperature in Switzerland's so-called cultural capital is a balmy 25 degrees and, as tempting as it was to perch on the edge of the fountain outside the museum, my feet refreshingly plunged in the water – a common, and actively encouraged, warm weather pastime for residents – I had my brand new Wickelfisch in tow. This waterproof swim bag is ubiquitous in Basel, where it was conceived in response to a chemical spill in the 1980s, which sullied the Rhine and killed off much of its aquatic life. The river was cleaned up and a local, Tilo Ahmel, devised a fish-shaped drybag in honour of the lost marine life. Is it possible to speak highly enough of the Wickelfisch? What a brilliant invention for a brilliant city, where the river flows north, having changed from its westerly direction at the Rhine Knee, also located in Basel. I joined the after-work crowds on the small strip of beach below Museum Tinguely, stripping down to my swimmers and shoving my clothes, phone and wallet into my Wickelfisch (they're available to buy, in various sizes, all over town, but you can rent one from the tourist office, if you prefer). 'Wickel' is German for 'wrap', which is how the contents of the bag stay dry: fold the mouth of the bag down seven times, and buckle it closed. I secured the long strap around my waist, stepped into the river and was carried downstream by the Rhine's gentle current. At times, I lay cheek-down on my stomach; sometimes I flipped over onto my back and used the Wickelfisch as a headrest to gaze skywards. A three-kilometre drift later, and I began to swim to the side to hoist myself up onto one of the many ladders lining this side of the Rhine and clamber on to the bank. I was tempted to walk upriver and do the whole thing again, but the buvettes lured me in with their presence. Buvettes – pop-up food and drink trucks, surrounded by seating – are a feature of a Basel summer. With an Aperol in hand and my swimsuit drying out beside me, I was content to people-watch until the sunset began to tinge the sky – but equally determined to get back in the water the following day. First, though, a walking tour, which I've undertaken in hotter climes and swiftly regretted. Not so in Basel, which is easily navigable on foot and came to life with my guide's knowledge. My favourite takeaway? Bernoulli's tomb in Basel Minster Church. The Swiss mathematician is known for his connection with the logarithmic spiral, naming it the spira mirabilis and requesting that it be engraved on his tombstone, but unfortunately, the stonemason carved him an Archimedean spiral instead. You had one job… Another relaxed train ride transported me to Lausanne, where Lake Geneva beckoned tantalisingly from my hotel windows. As in Bad Ragaz, I decided that some time on foot would make my time in the water all the more enjoyable. I wandered the city's Old Town, cobblestones underfoot and historical buildings on every side – including the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral with its 13th-century rose window. In the nearby Palud Square, the market was in full swing, bursting with fresh produce vivid enough to rival the colourful fountain in the square's centre. With a Choco-Tour pass in my hand, however, I had other indulgences on my mind. The pass allows you to visit any five of eleven chocolatiers in Lausanne and pick up a selection of free chocolates, as well as enjoying a discount on any purchases. Later, after exploring Sauvabelin – Lausannne's green lung – and climbing the 302 steps of its panoramic tower, I felt that I'd deserved not only the confections, but some time in the water. An hour later, I was cycling my legs on a pedalo out into the middle of Lake Geneva, diving off its rear and bobbing about blissfully, until its drift forced me to swim after it. The mountains in the background formed a view even more beautiful than the sea-meets-sky beach horizon I've always loved. Switzerland, for me, has always been associated with winter sports: I'd never before considered it as a summer destination. My mistake, and one I'm not likely to make again. Flights from London with Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) start from £76 to Zurich one way and from £54 to Geneva. Travel Switzerland offers international visitors unlimited travel on consecutive days across the rail, bus and boat network, plus scenic routes (seat reservation fees apply) and local trams and buses in around 90 towns and cities. It also includes the Swiss Museum Pass, which grants free entry to 500 museums and exhibitions. Prices start from £229/€268 for a three-day second-class ticket. Under 16s travel/enter for free when accompanied by an adult in possession of a pass.
