Review

Chai Jia Chai is the brainchild of Taiwanese chef Tsai bringing to this unassuming Cantonese outpost the finest Chinese and global ingredients available in Thailand. Menus change quarterly with recent examples showcasing yellow fish maw, 15-head South African abalone, giant dried squid, dried dragon grouper skin, and sturgeon marrow or dragon tendon. All prepared in painstakingly conceived and exquisitely assembled dishes. It may begin with a trio of bites featuring Hokkaido scallop, Matsutake mushrooms, and French caviar. Menus have included soft-shell lobster with dried pickled mustard greens, sun-dried for more than seven days. Ever present on the menu are dry-aged Kagoshima A5 wagyu with Malai spice in a variety of preparations, and either Alaskan king crab or Brittany blue lobster porridges, simmered for eight hours, finished tableside, which should be on every foodie’s bucket list. These are inspired by Marseille’s renowned fish soup and accompanied by outstanding garnish condiments of chicken oil fried onion, dried radish and seven-mushroom chili. Soups are comforting as are chef Tsai’s innovative palate cleansers, perhaps golden kimchi or sweet and sour cherry and pineapple drizzled with 20-year-old aged Balsamic vinegar. The wine list is concise with many standouts, the wine pairing often including Taiwanese and Chinese liquors. Do not miss chef Tsai’s homemade combos of plum and roselle, lemon and pomelo tea, and pineapple soda.