Exhilarating journey

Dedicated to enlivening the gastronomic landscape, MGM invited Chef Peter Kasamvilas of Koji-delic in Thailand to present his innovative Nordic-Japanese cuisine at a pop-up in MGM Cotai. Chef Peter Kasamvilas studied in Hong Kong and Canada prior to receiving professional culinary education from Le Cordon Bleu. Born and raised in Bangkok, the 21-year-old Chef Peter Kasamvilas made an appearance on the competitive cooking reality television series MasterChef Thailand Season 4, where his professional career began. At age of 19, Chef Kasamvilas was the youngest contestant and eventually became one of the finalists.

Last year, Chef Kasamvilas established Koji-delic in Bangkok – a contemporary Nordic-Japanese inspired “food lab” that focuses on locality and sustainability with a Nordic approach, where up to 90% of ingredients are sourced in Thailand. The name Koji comes after a fungus used for various culinary purposes such as sake, miso, soy sauce, mirin, and more. Known as the “magic mold”, koji is responsible for breaking down starches and proteins into sugars and amino acids in fermentation, which the process best describes Koji-delic’s vision of altering local ingredients into lively and intriguing dining experience.

The ingredient-focus 8-course menu served in the three-day event at MGM Cotai is curated to pay tribute to both innovative Nordic-Japanese cuisine as well as Asian culinary culture. One of the dishes best reflects his culinary practice is the Giant Trevally, a fish tartare dish featuring a fresh catch from Phuket. Fished with the “ikejime” method invented by Japanese fisherman, it gives the fish a delicate, firm texture and clean taste. Chef Kasamvilas accentuates such taste of freshness with pickled apple, kombu cream, and dill oil to make it an exhilarating start of the tasting journey.