Oomph

Oomph is exciting, unique, and special - qualities that describe each of the dishes on the menu. The 28 courses are mostly small bites with big flavors focused on minimalism and technique, elevating top quality Thai ingredients to new heights through creativity, highlighting simple complexities, and showcasing delicate contrasts intended to stimulate, fulfill, and excite.

Photographer: Riley Sanders
Art: Riley Sanders, digital on acrylic on canvas
Menu: Riley Sanders & Canvas R&D team
Ceramics: ZXXG Ceramics

Raw Fish

Ikijime fish from Surat Thani, mountain kombu, mountain pepper, pineapple, dill

Our first serving introduces a spectrum of flavors and hues. The most pristine fish available is delicately cured with mountain kombu and mountain pepper, then served raw, lightly dressed with an aromatic pineapple shrub. It’s adorned with a fragrant dill paste seasoned with green jinda chili along with orbs of cucumber, melon, papaya, coconut, dragonfruit, beet, carrot, and watermelon rind.

Sea Crisp

Sea Lettuce from Phetchaburi, scallop, oyster

Fresh sea lettuce is transformed into savory dried sheets in the style of nori, then fried and presented in many layers. Between each layer are sweet and briny sauces made from caramelized scallops and fresh oysters, capturing the essence of the ocean. To eat, use your hands to gently pinch and sandwich the layers together and enjoy in a single bite.

Lamb & Lobster

Baby Lamb from Pak Chong, Rainbow Lobster from Phuket, fennel, tomato, bao mango

This delicate dish references the concept of both Thai laap and tartare and is inspired by a sakura ebi and lamb preparation served at L20 in Chicago, 2009 by Chef Laurent Gras. Smoked Rainbow Lobster and raw lamb loin are seasoned separately, then combined into one. It’s served with a spicy caramelized fennel paste, smoked tomato, sour mango juice, and a mountain of fresh herbs.

Fresh & Aged Soy

Soybeans from Chiang Mai, coffee flower, pandan, rose apple, bengal currant, torch ginger, rose, whey

This serving explores the nuances of time and technique with its fascinating effects on soy. Silken tofu is made from fresh soy milk, then it’s paired with a light ponzu made from our roasted coffee cherry shoyu and whey. It’s garnished with delicate, floral flavors and seasoned with a subtle hint of smoke. The result is a duality of sweet and savory, a modern interpretation of two techniques with ancient roots.

Flower Prawn

River Prawn from Krabi, marigold, finger lime, banana chili

All parts of the river prawn are used to construct this bite, pairing compelling techniques with a common ingredient. The prawn tails are cured, then served raw seasoned with a chili crisp made from caramelized prawn head. Roasted river prawn head and shells are made into a savory ice cream, providing an unexpected umami sweetness, exuberant with pure prawn flavor and a light floral note of fresh marigold.

227 Forms of Wagyu

Thai Wagyu from Sakon Nakhon, duck egg, garlic root, chive, wasabi

The classic combination of beef and egg is reimagined in an unconventional form. Grilled wagyu heart, tongue, jus jelly, umami sauce, wasabi puree, pickled garlic root, Chinese chives, and a smoked duck yolk cream are presented as 227 distinct elements. To eat, combine them into a single bite for an exhilarating contrast of flavors and textures both raw and cooked.

Squid Shaved Ice

Squid from Surat Thani, green jinda chili, heart of palm, guava, jicama, avocado

Multi-textured shaved ice, commonly served as a dessert or sweet snack throughout Southeast Asia, is reconfigured from a savory perspective. Our version includes barely cooked squid, playful textures of fresh fruit, squid ink boba, and a shaved ice made from cold pressed chili juice seasoned with guava and squid ink. Connecting common textures and techniques with unconventional flavors results in unexpected combinations.

Cheesy Umami Bread

Tomme from Chiang Rai, Brazilian peppercorn, white chocolate, black pepper, shiitake, yeast

Our bread serving is a rich bite or two with deep umami flavor, though its deceptive appearance is evocative of cupcakes or other sweet pastries. The dough is flavored with roasted yeast and banana chili powder, filled with a spiced mushroom paste, baked and grilled, then topped with an icing made from Tomme de Chiang Rai with white chocolate and finished with sprinkles of fresh Brazilian peppercorns.

Pearls

Caviar from Hua Hin, sticky rice, coconut, wild pepper leaf

One of our signature combinations - caviar and sticky rice - returns for this extravagant dish contrasting luxuriant pearls of caviar with humble pearls of sticky rice. The sticky rice is steamed, then stuffed in a wild pepper leaf with fresh grated young coconut. It’s finished with a sauce of smoked coconut milk seasoned with caramelized fish sauce and an aromatic oil made from wild pepper leaves.

Flower Crab

Flower Crab from Krabi, Vanilla Bean from Khao Yai, GranMonte Bussaba, chamomile, fermented shrimp paste, daikon, flowers

Taking inspiration from the name of this particular species of crab, this serving pairs steamed flower crab with floral flavors including chamomile, vanilla bean, and GranMonte bussaba wine. It’s served with delicately cut, fresh daikon and a spicy paste made from fermented shrimp, orange chili, shallot, and galangal. To eat, use your hands to carefully pick up from the bottom and enjoy in one bite.

King & Queen

King Mackerel from Surat Thani, green mangosteen, hor wor, green spur chili, buttermilk

King Mackerel is paired with the Queen of Fruits in this noble combination. Brined and poached mackerel is served barely cooked, with fresh green mangosteen and a paste made from grilled green spur chilies, coriander, and sweet basil. It’s topped with crispy hor wor, a very special wild herb from the North of Thailand, and finished with a subtlety sweet and sour sauce made from buttermilk and fresh mangosteen juice.

White Sea Cucumber

White Sea Cucumber from Ko Pu, White Chili from Chai Buri, white chocolate, white turmeric

All things white make up this bold serving, in which the neutral color palette masks the explosive flavors present. The fried sea cucumbers are lightly brushed with white chocolate, then seasoned with poached sea cucumber for a duo of textures. To eat, dip the crisp into the chili paste and enjoy in one or two bites for a captivating balance of crispy, chewy, sweet, and spicy.

Spiced Crayfish

Crayfish from Kamphaeng Phet, sand crab, dried shrimp, lemongrass, garlic, long pepper

This preparation uses multiple techniques to showcase a single primary ingredient. The crayfish are poached, grilled, and basted with a kosho made from lemon and garlic while the shells are transformed into an aromatic spiced bisque. Crispy sand crabs are served under a light milk foam infused with dried prawn. A simple presentation conceals intense depth of flavor and technique.

Tiny Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin from Chiang Mai, pumpkinseed, mustard green, mace, culantro, karen chili

A full flavored, savory spiced pumpkin pie is concentrated into a single bite. Our pie is layered with flavors of caramelized pumpkin with black pepper and mace, confit pumpkin in butter, several months aged pumpkinseed miso, and a paste of pounded fresh culantro, mustard greens, and pumpkinseed oil. It’s crowned with a toasted meringue scented with smoked karen chilies. Eat with your hands in one bite.

Sweet Sour Snail

Sea Snail from Krabi, passionfruit, climbing wattle

This dish reimagines another of our signature combinations - passionfruit, seafood, and climbing wattle. For this version, sea snails are quickly cooked in butter with climbing wattle, red jinda chilies, and coconut water. It’s dressed with a sweet and sour sauce made from fresh passionfruit juice and jinda chilies, then finished with crispy climbing wattle. A simple combination of three main ingredients provides powerful, distinctive, and complimentary flavors.

Giant Catfish Curry

Giant Catfish from Samut Sakhon, velvet tamarind, garcinia leaf, shiso, red jinda chili

Two preparations of giant catfish are combined into one bite. The catfish is brined, aged, grilled over binchotan, and glazed in an umami glaze with more than twenty aromats. It’s seasoned with fresh garcinia, kaffir lime leaf, and a spicy paste of velvet tamarind then wrapped in a fresh shiso leaf brushed with turmeric oil and finished with one pearl of it’s roe, lightly cured with fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and palm sugar.

Funky Fungi

Mushrooms from Bangkok, Thai Truffle from Sa Kaeo, red spur chili, dark palm sugar, turmeric, cumin

A simple fritter of unique cultivated mushrooms is paired with funky flavors of wild mushrooms, transformed with fermentation and time. Thai truffles, a very rare treat, are preserved at their rainy season peak with koji and earthstar mushrooms, then made into a savory paste. To eat, dip the fritter into the truffle paste marbled with a turmeric spiced chili cream and savory shiitake glaze.

Nerikomi Dumpling

Seasonal Cheese from Northern Thailand, beet, sweet basil

Nerikomi refers to the art of mixing colored clay to create unique designs, including the ceramics designed for Oomph. For our dumpling, we flavored and colored five separate dumpling doughs with beet, sweet basil, red spur chili, turmeric, and garlic, using the nerikomi technique to blend them. It’s filled with five cheeses and served in an earthy beet broth with sweet basil oil, inspired by the mix of color and technique in nerikomi.

Punchy Pigeon Leg

Pigeon from Kanchanaburi, szechuan pepper, karen chili, prickly ash, banana chili

Our first serving of Pigeon is a single bite of pigeon leg sausage, fried and seasoned with punchy mala flavors utilizing purely Thai spices. The pigeon leg is minced with wild coriander, karen chilies, szechuan pepper, white pepper, cardamom, and banana chilies, then fried with a mala tapioca coating and dipped in an aromatic mala paste. Use your hands to eat in one bite.

Tastes Like Magenta

Dragonfruit from Patum Thani, ginger, lemon, beet

Evidence from food and science researchers indicates a close connection between flavors and colors. To refresh the palate, we’ve imagined the flavor of a particularly bright color: magenta. In our view, it’s a balance of sweet, sour, vivid, fresh, floral, and citrus. Our taste of magenta is an aromatic sorbet paired with a magenta shaved ice and magenta flavored glaze.

Punchy Pigeon Breast

Pigeon from Kanchanaburi, mulberry, mulberry wine, coffee, cocoa, celery, red jinda chili

Our second serving of pigeon is the brined, smoked, aged, and grilled breast, glazed with a mulberry kombucha reduction. It’s served with fresh mulberries, a mulberry emulsion made from mulberry wine, grilled Thai celery, and a several months aged miso made from fresh coffee cherries from Chiang Rai with cocoa and chilies. To eat, cut the pigeon breast and try with the various condiments.

Pork On A Puff

Wild Boar from Ubon Ratchathani, lard, bird eye chili, tamarind, bay leaf

Wild boar is fermented traditionally with garlic and sticky rice in the style of naem, then made into a savory sauce with bay leaf, black pepper, ginger, palm sugar, tamarind, and other aromats. Lard is smoked with dried rice stalks, whipped, and seasoned with birds eye chili and shallot. Together, they’re served on a crisp made from kudzu and potato starch, juxtaposing ancient traditions with modern techniques. Eat in one bite.

Oomph Soup

Seasonal produce from all regions of Thailand

Inspired by shabu, hot pot, and the sensory interaction of cooking tableside, Oomph Soup transforms with each bite from light and fresh flavors to rich, savory, and spicy. More than 50 types of vegetables, proteins, and garnishes are included, placed in order from light to heavy. To eat, start at 12 o’clock, then continue clockwise, moving the ingredients and sauces from the rim of the bowl into the simmering smoked tomato dashi in the center, enjoying bite by bite.

Efflorescence

Watermelon from Suphanburi, cantaloupe, green melon, jasmine, gin, lemon basil, lemon

Our first dessert is an expression of blossoming, fresh flavors. Fragrant watermelon is made into a lush sherbet with condensed milk infused with fresh jasmine flowers. It’s paired with a dehydrated meringue scented with melon juice, a cantaloupe shaved ice, and a green melon molasses with ginger, galangal, and gin. A multitude of textures are layered together, creating a dramatic sensation of bright, fresh flavors.

Black Black Rice

Black Rice from Surin, java plum, honey, palm sugar

Black rice is slowly cooked in a rice cooker for two months to blacken in the style of black garlic. This process builds tremendous depth of flavor and is the base of our rice pudding. It’s warmed with coconut water, then served with a cold sauce made from preserved java plums with fermented strawberry juice and mead. Eat quickly after serving to enjoy the delicate contrasts of temperature and flavor.

Many Flavored Mango

Nam Dok Mai Mango from Chachoengsao, roselle, nutmeg, sumac, rosemary, calamansi, cashew, spearmint

Fragrant mango is served fresh and perfectly ripe; no cooking techniques improve this gift from nature. Instead, we highlight the natural flavor and silky texture of the mango. It’s seasoned with sumac, clove, and star anise, then topped with sauces made from fresh mint, roasted cashew, candied nutmeg, and caramel. The mango is coated with a whipped pastry cream scented with calamansi and rosemary.

Chewy Chocolate

70% Dark Chocolate from Chanthaburi, chickpea miso, caramel, sticky rice flour

A chocolate truffle meets a mochi for this simple, sweet, salty, and slightly savory serving. Ganache made from dark chocolate is seasoned with a several months aged chickpea miso, then rolled in a crumble made from caramelized coconut. It’s coated in a sticky rice flour dough, then fried for melt in the mouth pleasure. Use your hands to enjoy in one bite.

Honey Honeycomb Cake

Wild Honey from Nakhon Sawan, Issan Rum from Nong Khai, butter, yeast

Our final bite is a yeasted cake with a unique honeycomb texture. It’s made with a reduction of Issan Rum with sticky rice flour and coconut milk, then baked entirely on the stovetop - a very traditional method that ensures an amazing crumb structure. It’s caramelized with butter, then basted with seasonal wild honey from a forager sourcing the most unique specialty honey in Thailand.

RILEY CULINARY