Insight
Food & wine
The Sustainable Table At Haoma, Bangkok, Chef Deepanker Khosla delivers an innovative gastronomic experience along with a slice of sustainability. Gavin Nazareth takes a look own a quiet Sukhumvit sub-soi, in a setting as beautiful and in step with the lofty philosophy it is deeply rooted in, one man is sowing the seeds of change. The beautiful two-storey colonial house encircled by a large greenhouse lush with trees and arrays of aromatic herbs, and leafy greens is where Chef Deepanker Khosla (DK) has put his money where his mouth is, in what he calls “Bangkok’s first urban farm restaurant”. Haoma, as the restaurant is called, is the name of a plant sacred to both Zoroastrians and Hindus, and the elixir distilled from it supposedly offers immortality to anyone that drinks it. But DK is not offering immortality; instead his mission is to deliver an innovative gastronomic experience in what he hopes will be the first zero-waste and carbon neutral restaurant in the city. Each day finds the chef and team working the soil, planting, pruning and harvesting the over 40 varieties of plants grown on 38
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site, using either certified organic soil or the aquaponics system, to bring farm-fresh produce to the table. In addition, water from the kitchen is recycled and used to run their in-house fish farm, as well as irrigate the plants. Waste from kitchen and dining room is also compacted into pellets for fish feed. They have teamed up with other organic farmers to bring in ingredients that cannot be grown in-house. “We grow what we cook, and we cook what we love,” says Deepanker, who cut his culinary teeth with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, before opening the fine dining Charcoal Tandoor Grill and Mixology (in Bangkok) and then moving on to running his own venture, Nutrichef, which offers nutritionally balanced meals. In between he also found the time to acquire a food truck, driving all over Thailand and Vietnam, serving food and picking up skills from the locals. “We insist on being a restaurant where innovative gastronomy and sustainable practices find a harmonious balance, and are committed to protecting the environment
among five kinds of glistening heirloom tomatoes, tapioca pearls, and candied Job’s Tears. A drizzle of chimchurri pesto made from just plucked coriander and Italian basil add a punchy flavour profile. A froth of tomato skin puree bubbles tops it all. It’s a pretty dish and each ingredient tastes both of itself, and the sum of them all; the sensuous mouthfeel of the burrata acting as the backdrop for the acidity, the piquancy and the sweetness. With ‘Duck Liver Rediscovered’, the chef neatly skirts the foie gras controversy, offering instead velvety blocks of local duck liver pate between black rye crisps. The sumptuous creaminess is counterbalanced with the umami of reconstituted bacon, the sour acidity of roselle, and the bitterness of orange peel dust. A playful addition to the dish is the brown bread sorbet, made from leftovers. Surprisingly, it’s tasty and complements the other ingredients. Before mains a bowl of ice-lollies refreshes the palate with its clever medley of preserved lemon, flecks of bird’s eye chili and Himalayan black salt. The two mains we try are both accomplished and innovative: the ‘Lamb in the Hills’ is New Zealand lamb chops done just right and served with nougatine, fermented Himalayan garlic, snow peas, feta and mint dust, while the Hungarian Goulash is a satisfying dish of Angus beef chunks treated to a goulash glaze, and served with pearl onions, dill, mushrooms and sour cream. Of course, there is dessert at the end. We sample two of the three on the menu, passing on the sorbet of the day. ‘Eggs As We See Them’ is simple yet complex. Lanzan or chironji seeds, used widely in Indian sub-continent kitchens, are transformed into a smooth panacotta. Burnt butter and swirls of balsamic add a yin and yang of sorts, while crisp aromatic black stone flowers, a lichen also used as a spice, lends an aromatic sweet woodiness. The other dessert, DK’s take on the ubiquitous Black Forest might be one of the reasons to return constantly to Haoma. and to the fair treatment of every single person along the food A cylinder of mousse made from perfectly tempered Belgian chain. We have a firm anti-pesticide, no antibiotics policy and chocolate is enveloped in brittle cacao tuille and adorned with use seasonal, home-grown ingredients supplemented by fresh roselle leaf coated in 18-ct gold. The richness is balanced by produce sourced from farmers, breeders and fishermen in the a tangy roselle gel and sorbet. It does remind one of a barkvicinity of Bangkok,” he adds. covered log in the forest, but a delicious one: it’s exactly what The dining room lit up with natural light from large picture a good meal should end on windows is all earthy tones, brickwork and wood suggestive of In keeping with their values the wine list features a mix of a farm kitchen. Box planters bursting with plants add splashes either organic, or biodynamic Old and New World wines that of green and offer privacy between tables. It’s truly an incredible complement the menu offerings. Other libations include an setting for the urban farm dining experience. ample selection of the usual premium spirits. But do sample Concise and compact, Haoma’s menu doesn’t genuflect at mixologist and Bacardi Brand Ambassador Mitchell Kai Lum’s the altar of any particular cuisine, drawing instead inspiration innovative creations that repurpose ordinary kitchen waste such from all, yet keeping the emphasis on simplicity, purity, and as pineapple skin, mango skin and more into cocktails like the seasonal flavours. Flying the flag for the restaurant’s core strangely pleasant gin-based Kale with avocado, apple, celery, standpoint is ‘Stick to the Root’s, vibrantly Instagram-ready kale and topped with parmesan. Or, the refreshingly breezy and reminiscent of a vegetable patch. Salt-baked baby beetroot, Coconut, a concoction of washed rum, cold brew, and coconut turnip confit, sous vide heirloom carrots, charred jicama and wash that hints at both Malibu and Kahlua at the same time. pickled lotus roots, each cooked differently to best express their Haoma is an Instagram-perfect package that doesn’t individual selves, are bedded on beetroot puree roots, dusted just look, but tastes good as well, while doing it’s bit for the with “dirt” made from black garlic cooked for 90 days, and environment at the same time. If it doesn’t get a red star in the finished with beetroot crisps and burnt feta meringue. next listing, I don’t what should. How do you elevate a simple salad like the caprese to new heights? Simple. You create a dish like the ‘Burrata and Haoma; 231/3 Sukhumvit Rd, Bangkok; Bubbles’. A fat ball of freshly pulled buffalo milk cheese sits 02 258 4744; www.haoma.dk a p r i l- m ay 2 018
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