WHEN the team of chefs booked for the Kowloon Shangri-La's Thai food promotion turned up in Hong Kong on Friday, they raised a sweat among the hotel staff before they'd even pulled out the red chillies.
The three chefs, musician, vegetable carver and hostess had immediately aroused the interest of the immigration staff at Kai Tak, who plied them with questions.
What exactly were these visitors from Thailand doing with 25 kilograms of ''herbs'' and lemon-grass, were the 20 kg of shrimp paste hiding anything from the sniffer dogs, and were not the 50 kg of banana flowers a rather eccentric item of hand baggage? While the interrogations were going on, the hotel staff who were delegated to collect them were beginning to perspire with anxiety - the pre-promotion party was organised for that night . . . and they had no cooks and none of the 300 kilograms of ingredients.
Fortunately, although they got in late, the chefs proved to be superfast pomelo shredders and prawn peelers, the veggie carver showed herself to be a whiz with the knife, and the evening was a success.
The chefs will be preparing buffets at the Coffee Garden until the 12th, with four days each of northern curries, spicy central Thai food, and southern seafood.
