There’s no telling when the COVID situation will improve. But even in the face of this uncertainty, chefs and restaurants are doing their best to carry on and strive. Most recently, we have news of chefs, seasonal tasting menus, lunch sets, and pasta bars, as well as a Two MICHELIN Star Southern Thai restaurant with new menu plans and a world-famous chef opening a culinary school.
P.S. As restaurants aren't open to the fullest yet due to the most recent pandemic containment measures by the Thai government, we suggest you to keep up to date - so once we all can fully dine out, you'll be among the first to enjoy.
La Dotta expands into Silom
The bright blue decor and delicious Italian flavours of pasta bar La Dotta (MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2021) can now be found beyond Thong Lo in Soi Convent. Under the supervision of Chef Nelson Amorim from Il Fumo (MICHELIN Plate) and Chef Francesco Diena, imported Italian flour and organic duck egg yolks are transformed into various pastas, including tagliatelle, linguine, and fileja. Diners looking for lunch on the weekdays can find inexpensive set menus starting from 320 THB, and those seeking to enhance their cooking skills can buy pasta and sauces to easily prepare at home.
For more information or reservations, please call +66 2236 5558 or +66 6 1773 6526.
La Scala introduces a new chef
The Sukhothai Bangkok’s Italian restaurant, La Scala (MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2021), welcomed Chef Eugenio Cannoni. Growing up in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, his culinary path was inspired by his mother, as he first started in the family restaurant’s kitchen. Continuing his studies, especially in fine dining, Chef Cannoni gained experience at MICHELIN-starred restaurants across Europe. He has now expanded his horizons by taking the helm at La Scala, starting with a 10-course fine dining menu. This authentic Italian gastronomic journey features a flawless combination of ingredients from land and sea, from hamachi, cod, and tuna to lamb, pigeon, and parsnips.
For more information or reservations, call +66 2344 8888.
Sorn's next moves
If you missed the special menu celebrating the Sorn (Two MICHELIN Stars, MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2021) three-year anniversary, not to worry. There’s their tasty khanom jin available at the market in front of Baan Ice in Thong Lo, as well as khao man kaeng, chicken rice or khao man kai, and many other dishes. The entire Sorn team can’t wait to get back to opening the doors and welcoming diners inside, and they have great plans for the new menu. How will the popular picks from the special anniversary menu complement the seasonal specialities for selections including such dishes as Shrimp Paste Grilled Abalone or their signature favourite, “Gems on Crab Stick”, reimagined with pickled, not steamed, crab? We just have to wait and see.
For more information, please call +66 9 9081 1119.
Alain Ducasse opens culinary school campus in Thailand
Alain Ducasse is a world-famous French chef, renowned for his MICHELIN-starred restaurants across the globe, including One MICHELIN Star recipient Blue by Alain Ducasse in Bangkok. In addition to these establishments, he also committed himself to the education and cultivation of the next generations of chefs with the École Ducasse Studio culinary school, opened in 1999 in France. Recently, an expansion into Thailand was announced. École Ducasse - Nai Lert Bangkok Studio will be a training institute offering courses in the culinary and pastry arts as well as in wine appreciation and sommelier skills. The school welcomes professionals and amateurs, fresh graduates and students alike, aiming to launch its first classes in the second quarter of 2022.
For more information, please visit learn.ecole-ducasse.com.
Spring menu featured at Cadence by Dan Bark
Chef Dan Bark of Cadence by Dan Bark (One MICHELIN Star, MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2021) created a 15-course tasting menu, with cocktail and wine pairings, to welcome spring. As spring represents the blossoming of creativity, freshness, and flavours, this culinary journey expresses Chef Dan’s experiences and remembrances through 15 courses featuring the finest ingredients, such as Bretagne oysters, mussels, caviar, truffles, Tasmanian salmon, Kagoshima Wagyu beef, and much more.
For more information or reservations, please call +669 1713 9034.
Mei Jiang unveils Thailand’s first plant-based chef’s table
After a hiatus, Mei Jiang (MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2021) reopens its doors to Chinese cuisine lovers. To commemorate its return, the restaurant presents its new “Mei Jiang Exclusive” concept, Thailand’s first plant-based chef’s table. Executive Chef Stefan Leitner and his skilled team at The Peninsula Bangkok reinvents traditional Chinese preparations with an exceptional variety of ingredients. This nine-course meal features “red pork” made of king oyster mushrooms slow-cooked in a kiln, consommé of premium cordyceps from Tibet, and sweet and sour “pork” with innovative use of vegetables, including white asparagus and garlic leaves, as well as a plant-based XO sauce that only their chef could conceive. There is also a special fried rice with truffles inspired by clay pot rice and a smoked cashew butter that will make you ask for more. “Mei Jiang Exclusive” is only available for four diners a night at 8,180 THB per person, with a wine pairing available at 3,200 THB per person.
Reservations must be made at least two days in advance. For more information or reservations, please call +66 2020 2888.
100 Mahaseth’s Chalee Kader brings khao kaeng to fine dining
Ever seeking new ventures, Chef Chalee Kader of 100 Mahaseth (Bib Gourmand, MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2021) expands with Wana Yook. Playfully showcasing Thailand’s khao kaeng culture of stalls offering rice topped with curries, stir-fries, and other dishes in fine dining, he developed a 10-course tasting menu at 2,200++ THB. Chef Kader creates the perfect bites of his favourite khao kaeng selections, such as mackerel with shrimp paste and bilimbi fruit, which he says was a favourite of King Rama V too, as well as braised duck with pickled lime and tom yam khai with roe of gourami fish, sea bass, Ryukyu fish, squid and more and ending with desserts like piak pun.
For more information, call +66 6 3662 3598
80/20 welcomes new head chef, Andrew Martin
One MICHELIN Starred 80/20 welcomes Andrew Martin, one of the original co-founders of the restaurant, back as their new Head Chef. The Canadian chef returns after branching out to hone his Thai culinary skills at such places as Issaya Siamese Club (MICHELIN Plate, MICHELIN Guide Thailand, 2021). He now brings back a refreshing new perspective to 80/20’s focus on local Thai ingredients and cooking techniques.
Note: Due to the latest pandemic containment measures by the Thai government, please contact the restaurant(s) for the latest updates on menu and seating availability, as well as takeaway or delivery options.
Hero photo: © Mei Jiang
