Debriefer: Top Chef Harold Dieterle

Bravo's Top Chef kept many a foodie addicted to TV -- and launched first-season winner Harold Dieterle into celebrity-chefdom. If his food on the show got you salivating, head to his West Village restaurant Perilla and partake of Dieterle's love for all things duck by tucking into a bowlful of his spicy duck meatballs with Okinawa yam gnocchi. It's what dreams are made of. Until then, check out his take on the city that launched his duckly amour.

We're going to imprison you in the city of your choice for the rest of your natural life. You can do anything you want there, but you must stay in that city forever. Where would you choose?
Bangkok.

Why would you live in this city forever and not somewhere else?
Amazing culture. The food is some of the best I've ever eaten. [There's also a] great focus on family values.

In what part of the city would you reside?
I'd live in the Chatuchak Weekend Market (Payolhothin Road). The greatest market I've ever experienced. Everything from produce that was harvested that day to livestock, fresh fish, and shellfish.

Where and what would you eat?
I could eat green papaya salad until I'm green in the face. Last time I was there, I ate a five-pound spiny-tail lobster by myself. It was the size of a small child. Served simply with some steamed veggies and chili, lime juice, and fish sauce. [Get a bite to eat at the] Soi Pradit Night Market (Soi 20) -- great late-night street food. The Poonsin Restaurant (460 Th Wisut Kasat) is where I got my duck obsession from. Ate every part of the duck here and brought back a lot of interesting duck-cooking techniques with me.

What would you do for fun?
Amazing art galleries. I can spend days checking out all the Buddhist temples. River-dinner trips are really fun [such as the one offered by Loy Nava]. I'd take a peaceful cruise and eat some wonderful traditional Thai food. [I'd stay at the] Amari Watergate hotel (847 Petchburi Road); it's an awesome hotel/restaurant. I cooked here for two weeks. This is where I stayed in Bangkok, and really it's a total oasis in a crazy city.

Where would you go for a night on the town?
Kickboxing -- ya got to go at least once. Sanam Muay Lumpini -- near Lumpini Park -- has great Thai kickboxing matches. Deep tissue massage, ya need to get it from the older burly-looking women. The cute girls don't give a real massage; they are just looking to give out the happy ending. Stay clear from that. [Also] stay away from the go-go bars if you're not with a local.

What kinds of shops are worth going to?
The clothing deals are amazing. Thai tailors make amazing suits. Really great clothing deals can be had almost everywhere. The Nagi Shop (121 Soi 21/Asoke) has awesome antiques. At the Siam Bronze Factory (1250 Th Charoen Krung) there is awesome bronze work; everything from statues to cutlery.

And on the flip side: What city would you never, ever visit again, if you had a choice?
I haven't been anywhere to this point I really disliked that much.

You were the first winner of Top Chef, which undoubtedly had to change a few things in your life, as you are now the head chef of your very own restaurant. If you had to do it all over again, with the cameras, stress, and fame, would you?
Hard to say. I don't think I'd have the patience to go through it all again. Although I am very grateful for what it has helped me accomplish.

What are the must-have tools to have in the kitchen?
A cake tester. You can get it in any cooking store [such as the Broadway Panhandler on 8th Street]. It's a great tool for amateur cooks to help to test the degree of doneness in anything from pastries to fish.

Are there any recent trends in cooking that you are really taken with?
Self-sustainability and eco-friendly oils.

Any trends you just don't understand?
I'm not into the chemical cooking.

If you could cook only one dish the rest of your life, what would it be and who would you serve it to?
Definitely grilled cheese. To both of my grandfathers who have passed on.

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Debriefer is a weekly interview of random individuals about their favorite cities. If you'd like to be interviewed for Debriefer, let us know.