Bite-size 2017: A year on the Bangkok food scene
How eating out in this city evolved over the past 12 months.
6 years ago
January
Sushi Zo comes to Bangkok
Last year’s omakase trend carries over, with Keizo Seiki taking his Michelin-studded sushi franchise outside of the U.S. for the first time.
February
Kinfolk Gathering co-ordinator opens a Vietnamese restaurant
Gai Mitwicharn roots through his grandparents’ Northern and Central Vietnamese heritage to bring us this Tha Tien favorite, named Tonkin Annam (which was eventually listed as a Michelin Plate).
Thai wagyu is suddenly everywhere
Thanks to Thanabodee Ratchana, the butcher behind Best Country Beef, the local, wagyu cross-bred meat is served up at top venues across the city, including Arno’s and KRBB.
Bangkok dominates Asia’s 50 Best
With Gaggan taking the top spot for the third time, alongside eight other local names.
March
Baa Ga Din makes way for a live-fire, Southern American-inspired barbecue house
Chef Chandler Schultz (formerly of Baa Ga Din) works over Le Cochon Blanc’s theatrical grill pit to forge creative, quality takes on American classics.
Gaggan’s ex-sous chef goes her own way
Chef Garima Arora takes the helm at the bright shop-house opposite her former employer to bring her skills to bear in the making of a tasting menu that showcases local ingredients and flavors.
April
Soba gets serious at Marriott Marquis
Chef Mizuho Nagao’s pedigree isn’t pedestrian: he comes from the family that makes soba noodles for Japanese royals. At Soba Factory, his 23 years of experience are brought to the daily task of kneading and cutting buckwheat noodles by hand.
Canvas ushers in a new era of Thai produce fine dining
In Texas-hailing chef Riley Sanders, the team behind Rabbit Hole find a head man capable of delivering inventive dishes that pack powerful originality.
Durian season returns with a new craze
Bangkok dessert empire After You launches a new store dedicated to durian in all its glorious forms: “crumbstick,” kakigori, frappe and on toast. Durian fanatics both foreign and domestic are drawn to the scent.
May
The local coffee scene finds a new center
Bangkok cafe newcomer Red Diamond doesn’t just have a roasting machine, it also has its own farm in Pha Tang Chiang Rai. The coffee gear on display and an in-house coffee academy gather the city’s aspiring baristas to the far-flung building on Pradit Manutham Road.
June
Thonglor gets a punchy pasta house
The folk behind Il Fumo and Vesper turn a Thonglor shophouse into an aquamarine tribute to fine, fresh pasta called La Dotta.
Ben’s Cookies arrives
The UK cookie store with a cult following brings its soft-baked goods to Siam Paragon, drawing social media sweet-toothed foodies into long lines in Siam Paragon.
Michelin’s cheapest starred restaurant opens in Terminal 21
Singapore’s one-Michelin-starred street-food stall, Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Chicken Rice & Noodles, opens in Terminal 21 under the name Hawker Chan. We’re unconvinced by the import, and wait for Bangkok’s own Michelin-vetted street stall.
July
An antique house in Samsen welcomes a quaint restaurant
Sittisak Sakornsin, a freelance food stylist who’s worked for Elle and Wallpaper*, and his sister Yuwarat open Baannual to showcase quiet Samsen life and home-style recipes.
Japan’s number one ramen shop arrives
Menya Itto, the no. 1 ranked ramen shop on tabelog.com (Japan’s Wongnai, basically), brings its specialty seafood and chicken broth (and long lines) to Erawan.
August
An outbreak in Chinese-themed bars
The Wong Kar-Wai effect of sultry red lighting spreads through the city. Among the effected are Ba Hao, Rabbit Hill and noodle institution Yih Sahp Luhk, along with too many others.
September
Thai restaurants take the limelight
Eight Thai restaurants open within a few months, spoiling us with a showcase of flavors from up and down the country.
Nose-to-tail returns
At Charoenkrung’s rustic looking 100 Mahaseth, chef Chalee Kader (Surface, Holy Moly, Beer Bridge) partners with Randy Noprapa (Fillets) to bring nose-to-tail cuisine back to the Bangkok dining scene with an Isaan kick.
Charoenkrung gets tropical
Two guys formerly from UNCLE and Lady Brett (swanky Sathorn cocktail joints, for the uninitiated) add rum and tropical flavors to the Charoenkrung renaissance that also includes izakaya-slash-gallery Jua and restaurant 80/20.
October
Mikkeller goes Mexican
Mikkeller’s impeccable beer selection meets the vibrant flavors of chef Jimmy Rojas Lopez’s taco-centric menu in laidback Ari.
Spanish food finds a home in Bangkok
After making its name as a W Distract stall, tapas specialist Broken Eggs makes a permanent home of an Ekkamai shophouse. It joins 2017 Spanish cuisine openings Arroz and El Tapeo.
November
Bangkok’s favorite smokehouse makes a move
The Smokin’ Pug outgrows its Surawong shophouse, reestablishing itself in an old house on Lang Suan. The ribs are as good as ever.
A fine-dining restaurant takes farm to table literally
Haoma becomes Bangkok’s first restaurant with its own urban farm, where 37 different kinds of vegetables are grown.
December
Bangkok’s first Michelin-star restaurants are announced
The news sends social media into a frenzy and (temporarily) crashes the BK site. Did the inspectors get it right? Bangkok’s eaters, from the punditry to the peanut gallery, weigh in on the guide’s selections.
Vesper spins off a sister restaurant
Convent Road’s Vesper splits in two. Next door is the vibrant Via Maris, where Sardinian-born head chef Francesco Deiana explores the heavily-spiced flavors of the Mediterranean, from North Africa to the east.
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