Cover A casual yet insightful cuisine chat with Camphor executive chef Max Boonthanakit (Photo: AF Production)
A casual yet insightful cuisine chat with Camphor executive chef Max Boonthanakit (Photo: AF Production)
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Get to know executive chef Max Boonthanakit, the man at the helm of Los Angeles’ Michelin-starred Camphor
The heart and soul of any great restaurant lie in its kitchen, where the chef overlooks a kingdom and reigns supreme, The chef’s culinary vision, expertise, and passion are what guide the team, transform mere ingredients into extraordinary dishes, and keep patrons coming back.
The sheer interest in and loyalty to these boundless talents extend beyond just the kitchen–eager patrons would visit or follow a great chef everywhere he or she may go–and rightfully so, as they are celebrities in their own right, in the culinary world.
Read more: Camphor to make its Malaysian debut at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Resorts World Genting
Max Boonthanakit, the executive chef of Los Angeles’ Michelin-starred Camphor, owned and operated by No.8 Hospitality’s Sarah Lam and Cyrus Batchan, shares the stage with some of the world’s most sought-after chefs. He recently debuted in Malaysia when Camphor took over Wolfgang’s Steakhouse for an exclusive two-night dining experience, paired with exquisite wines, as part of Resorts World Genting’s Michelin Magic Series.
Ahead of the delectable dinner, Tatler sat with the culinary maestro for a casual yet insightful cuisine chat.
Above The entrance to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse at Resorts World Genting
Above Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, which boasts a luxe New York-style steakhouse ambiance
The entrance to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse at Resorts World Genting
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Tell us why you decided to become a chef.
Oh, this is going to be a long one. I wanted to be a lot of things or a few things. One was... I wanted to be either a movie director, a CGI artist, or a chef. My dad is a storyboard artist and also a storyboard artist for movies and advertisements so I loved what he did but I didn't really want to be a storyboard artist because I don't like being told what to make. He had to follow directors and they’d let him know what they wanted and then he’d help them out.
I decided to become a chef because I could just do what I wanted with food. My dad is also a huge foodie and he loves to cook. I started cooking in the kitchen with him when I was about eight years old. When I turned 13, my aunt opened up a restaurant, a Chinese noodle restaurant. So I was like, “Oh, I'm gonna go work there”. Then I just kind of fell into it. I worked at the restaurant from when I was 13 years old until I was 18 years old. I just stuck with it.
What is your favourite and least favourite dish to prepare?
I don't really have a favourite–I love cooking everything! It doesn't feel tedious because I like that… every step of the way, I get to do things differently for different outcomes. I guess the one thing I love to make is ice cream or frozen desserts. Mainly ice cream–that’s a big passion of mine. Just getting the texture, the temperature, and the sweetness right… I love that part. There’s nothing that I don’t enjoy doing–I like it all. It’s the same for any kind of cuisine.
I love food so much that I went to a South American restaurant where I learned to work with plantains and made coconut and roasted pepper sauces and all that. Right after that, I was like, “Oh, I’m going to learn Italian” so I went to an Italian restaurant to do that. I kept learning different cuisines to try to broaden my palette.
For me, whether it’s savoury, pastry, or something as simple as bread, no matter the cuisine, it’s all food. It all ends up becoming a part of the same meal.
Above Boonthanakit working the kitchen during the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover
Above Boonthanakit putting the finishing touches to the tuna tart, the first item on the Michelin Magic Series menu
Boonthanakit working the kitchen during the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover
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Above The array of appetisers which were served before the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover
Above The Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover menu
The array of appetisers which were served before the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover
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What do you think is your best Asian dish?
My best Asian dish? I make really good mapo tofu (a signature dish from Sichuan, China, consisting of silky soft tofu simmered in a bath of chilli, soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn oil). That's not on the menu tonight though (laughs).
What do you think Camphor prides itself in?
The simplicity of the food but also the complexity of the flavours. At Camphor, we allow all the ingredients to shine on their own. There are not too many garnishes or ingredients that go into a dish. The food should taste kind of nostalgic but also different at the same time. It just needs to be comforting, like something you had in your childhood.
Yes, the chicken tastes like chicken and the scallop tastes like scallop but sometimes, when you eat it, you’re like, “Oh it’s still different enough for it to be interesting but similar enough that I feel comforted”.
How did you adapt your menu locally for the Malaysian diner?
There’s a lot of difference because the ingredients are different so I’m tasting and adjusting a lot more. We started with our normal recipes but using the ingredients here is different. I tried to emulate what Camphor is like back home but with the ingredients we have here, and bringing Camphor to that. Because I’ve never been to Malaysia before and I haven’t eaten that much Malaysian food, I’m not sure how to make the comparison. I have to make it more palatable that’s why I’m doing much more tasting, which brings this back to our menu.
What we have here is what brings nostalgia and the flavours aren’t completely different or foreign. It’s not like all of a sudden, you order chicken, and it tastes nothing like chicken. Camphor’s biggest speciality dish is the chicken dish because it’s a whole chicken that’s broken down and you know, the chicken breast is nicely sliced, the dark meat is created into a mousse and piped under the skin, every bone and every part of it is cooked and created into a jus that goes over the chicken.
Above A starter of warm bread before the gastronomic journey at the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover
Above Kicking off the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover dinner with tuna tart
A starter of warm bread before the gastronomic journey at the Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover
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Above The scallop demi lune which was paired with a glass of Pete's Pure Pinot Grigio 2022
Above Camphor’s biggest speciality dish, chicken with cabbage and turnip
The scallop demi lune which was paired with a glass of Pete's Pure Pinot Grigio 2022
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When cooking, what's your favourite ingredient and why?
I like citrus. I'm also a huge advocate for MSG. It's delicious. It goes well with a lot of... there's no MSG on the menu today, but if I could, I would have put a ton (laughs). But no, I love citrus. If I make a new dish, my team would be like, “Chef, you need lemon?” At the end of it, I always love to zest directly. I’m picky with it too because a lot of people, when they zest, they use the microplane and it faces upwards. I have to have it facing down and everyone will learn this in my kitchen. If you face it down, you’ll see all the oil go onto the stainless steel and it goes into a foot radius. That’s how much flavour comes out of it.
A lot of our dishes, there’s a lot of citrus, like lemon oil. We like to use it a lot because it just has such a nice, bright flavour to it. I love to finish dishes with it. Citrus notes help me lighten up the dishes and make them not seem so heavy
Personally, what do you think makes a good meal?
Balance. As in, the dishes should be balanced. You need to have a certain balance of carbohydrates and protein. Not just that, it’s also the flavours for your palate, just so it’s not so fatiguing. It shouldn’t be too heavy or rich. If you have something rich, then you should have something light. Just think of the meal as a whole experience instead of each dish. Like I can’t just think, “I just want to serve this, this, and this.” I need to think of the entire thing.
And what is your go-to meal after a long day?
Oh, well, uh… I really like chicken breast, and I like chicken fingers. I don’t make the chicken fingers on my own, I go to fast food (laughs). That’s my guilty pleasure. For example, I had McDonald’s late last night. Something as universally delicious as McDonald’s is different in different places. So I always learn something whenever I go to a different country and try McDonald’s there like… what’s in the palate. I like how spicy they make McDonald’s in Malaysia. When they say spicy, it’s really spicy. Which is nice!
Above The Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover team
The Camphor Resorts World Genting Michelin Magic Series takeover team
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What does it take to maintain the Michelin star?
For one, I think... a good team. It’s really important to have a solid team because it’s not just me–it’s everyone supporting each other. That’s the most important part.
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Photography: AF Productions
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Lainey was the Digital Director of Tatler Malaysia. When not whiling away the hours watching documentaries, the latest K-drama, or reruns of Friends, she can be found indulging her wanderlust by stalking travel platforms or feeding her obsession with music. She loves animals, running, all things social media, a good conversation over coffee or soju or wine (often rambling on if nobody pulls the brakes on her), and is an avid fan of bursting-at-the-seams laughter.
