If you’re looking for someone to credit (or blame) for the multitude of cute Thai cafés-slash-cakeries that now predominate the Bangkok dining scene, look no further than Kalprapruek. Here, reliably tasty one-dish wonders like guay tiew rad na (fried rice noodles in gravy) combine with old-style Thai interpretations of Western dishes (sa-tu lin wua, or beef-tongue stew with rice), Italian-ish pasta, and a veritable army of cake desserts. The result is a mix so bewitching to Thais that dozens, if not hundreds, of cafés with similar menus now abound in the capital. The original, off of Silom, is the first and still the best.
Fine Dining, Thai-style
To many locals, “high-end Thai restaurant” is an oxymoron. After all, Thai cuisine is meant to be eaten at home or in a casual setting, shepherded by grandmotherly types who have spent the entire afternoon pounding chili pastes in a sweltering kitchen. The following restaurants challenge this perception, fusing Thai flavors with upscale surrounds and high-wattage prices.
Despite the indignant newspaper editorials he has inspired, Australian chef David Thompson is an accomplished Thai cook, resolutely faithful to the varied traditions of the kingdom’s cuisine. Meals at his restaurant at the Metropolitan Bangkok, Nahm, are de-signed to be served family-style; a large chunk of the menu is devoted to krueng jim (shrimp-paste-based condiments that Thompson likes to refer to as “relishes”), largely overlooked in much contemporary Thai food. Also food for thought: the stately surroundings, reminiscent of a Sukhothai-era temple, and the exuberant zigs and zags of flavor, which can backfire (too-salty stir-fried frogs’ legs) or soar (jungle curry; the unrepentantly aromatic durian on rice). If chefs could be musical divas, Thompson would be the Patti LaBelle of Thai cuisine.
Bo.lan might seem a little bit like Nahm; after all, its co-chefs Duangporn “Bo” Song-visava and Dylan Jones both worked under Thompson at his original Nahm in London. There is the same insistence on adhering to Thai culinary traditions, serving curries family-style, and reference to relishes. But there are also departures, such as the warmer, Thai-homelike setting and quietly showy dishes like the spectacular nam prik gapi plang nam, or stir-fried shrimp paste-based chili relish accompanied by a raft of fresh vegetables.
By contrast, Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin can inspire some confusion among diners, ranging from “How do I eat this?” to “Is this even Thai food?” Billed as serving “authentic Thai food with modern flair,” this dining room at the Siam Kempinski Hotel is helmed by Danish chef Henrik Yde-Andersen and linked to Copenhagen’s Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin, a pioneer of what can be referred to as “molecular Thai.” This means a “green curry” crowned with powdered spice “soil” and adorned with a baby carrot, or a pineapple sorbet laced with granules that pop on the tongue. Is it good? It’s certainly intriguing. And in a food-driven city like Bangkok, what more could you ask from a meal?
