Energetic Hans Banziger, the man behind the exotic foods
in the Paradise Restaurant, has come up with another new and different
concept - Grasshoppers! As Hans himself suggests, “Is this the ultimate (North)East
meets West fusion cuisine? Grasshoppers, from the sugar cane plantation of
Cambodia to an up market restaurant in Pattaya, Thailand.”
Just
what inspired Hans to even think about grasshoppers as a restaurant
delicacy? We have all seen those mounds of deep-fried spiky legs and bodies
on sale in South Pattaya, and probably marveled at the queue of young ladies
waiting for their bag of crunchies to share with their Isaan friends. But
not for us!
Looking into Thai folklore and the ancient knowledge of
foods that are good for you led Hans to buy some grasshoppers for himself to
try and take them back to the restaurant, but in no time they were gone! And
nobody was ill afterwards! This set his analytical European-trained chef’s
mind into action and he began to see that he was overlooking something that
was totally different. After all, think back to the first time you tried an
oyster. (I have always said that the bravest man in the history of the world
was the man who ate the first oyster!) It was very different, and just
because grasshopper was ‘different’ did not mean that it was not a
nutritious food.
Hans
has also done the research on these insects and for those of you on a diet,
you can really go the whole hog, as they are a very healthy food source!
They are extremely low in fat and packed with proteins. For example, 100 gm
of crickets contain 121 calories (compared to 288 calories in the same
weight of ground beef), and 5.5 gm of fat (21 gm for ground beef again).
They are a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamin,
riboflavin and niacin as well.
Now that is all very fine, but what do they taste like?
Hans has just held a tasting and information session at the Paradise
Restaurant and informed the ‘foodie’ press that his grasshoppers, as
well as being fresh, are actually left overnight in one of three marinades.
Soya, ginger or garlic and pepper. After deep-frying they are served with
four sauce dips - soya with ginger and wasabi, a vinegar with shallots and
chilli, or a mild Sriracha sauce and a spicy sweet and sour sauce.
Sitting under the gaze of Hans Banziger, and with heart
beating just a little faster than normal, I took the plunge, picked one of
Hans’ grasshoppers, flicked off the leg parts with the barbs, dipped my
grasshopper into the vinegar sauce and - crunch!
Amazing! These grasshoppers, done in Hans’ special way
are not quite ‘melt in the mouth’, but you have no idea of the various
individual parts of the grasshopper. It is just a crisp, crunchy, taste
sensation!
Hans describes the texture as being similar to eating a
roast pork crackling, but not as tough in any way. I must admit that it was
nothing like I had expected at all. I very quickly became brave and sampled
all the styles of grasshopper and all the dips, with my favourite being the
ginger grasshopper with the soya, ginger, wasabi dip. (Miss Terry just loves
wasabi!)
The best way to look at a plate of grasshoppers is to
think of them as ‘nibblies’ taken with beer (or a Margarita, thank you
Hans, loved it too). The grasshoppers are only offered on Tuesdays and
Fridays, so it might just be the time for you to try what must surely be the
ultimate in fusion cuisine! Be brave!
By the way, if the grasshoppers are not on the menu when
you drop in, try the frog legs instead. Hans does these with garlic and
pepper, basil and chilli or traditional Provencale. I must admit I enjoyed
myself thoroughly there as well!
Paradise Restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. and is located
on Second Road opposite the Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa and the Royal
Garden Plaza Pattaya City. Telephone 038 173 177.
