These fine-dining restaurants are an absolute bargain during BK Restaurant Week
Amazing three-course menus at the biggest names in town for just B1,000++. Here are the fanciest restaurants of the lot.
6 years ago
Maison de la Truffe
French for “house of the truffle,” the name of this restaurant speaks for itself. Maison de la Truffe in France has over 80 years of history behind it. Here, the menu revolves around one highly-priced ingredient, truffle. Step inside and you’ll see a shop showcasing truffle products, from truffle paste and truffle-infused olive oil to truffle slicers and chocolate truffles. As for the restaurant, you can watch kitchen staff in action through a large window while they cook Western classics like pumpkin soup, truffle omelet, truffle risotto, pan-fried sea bass and veal fillet mignon.
Ciao Terrazza
Italian cuisine courtesy of one of Bangkok's most lauded chefs, a riverside alfresco terrace and the Mandarin Oriental's iconic Author's Lounge in the background make this one of the Chao Phraya River's most easy-to-recommend spots. It's more casual than the other restaurants at Bangkok's oldest, most formal hotel (though they'll still shoo you away if you turn up in shorts), dishing out Italian staples like pappardelle with tender Ferrara-style spare rib stew as well as wood-fired pizzas.
Gianni Ristorante
Fine Italian dining in Bangkok would not be where it is today without Gianni Favro. The longtime chef has delighted local rainmakers and power movers for the past 20 years with his Mediterranean-inflected dishes, educating diners on the nuances of Dover sole, burrata and handmade pasta along the way. The sophisticated, refined setting, chock-a-block with artwork and muted earth tones, echoes the restaurant’s reputation as a place to make deals.
Haoma
This modern two-storey wood house with backyard views is the brainchild of two Indian chefs, Deepanker Khosla and Tarun Bhatia, who are both zealots for the farm-to-table and zero-waste approach. Taste the edible house-grown greens through delicious beetroot puree roots with 90-day-heated black garlic and heirloom carrots. Meat-lovers can also order Thai-wagyu beef assisted by pickled cucumber and pearl onions.
Il Fumo
While you’ll still find some of Europe’s most-prized beef cuts dry-aing in the showpiece chiller, Il Fumo has moved from upmarket steak-house to purveyor of fine-dining tasting menus. Head chef Nelson Amorim brings the food culture of his native Portugal into dishes like kokotxa (the fatty underpart of a cod’s jaw) in a carbonara sauce, while all the grilling takes place on open flames using house-made charcoal. Being from the Vesper team, the cocktails are exceptional.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
The experience at L’Atelier remains nothing short of exceptional thanks to the consistency of Head chef Olivier Limousin. Not only are the dots of cauliflower cream in your Imperial caviar in lobster jelly as exquisitely realized as at every other L’Atelier in the world, there’s also a surprising wholesomeness to much of L’Atelier’s menu. A whole dover sole is pan-fried in butter then plated with nothing more than a wedge of lemon, some beans and a side of mashed potato.
La Bottega di Luca
Chef Luca Appino’s habitual research trips back to his homeland result in some of the best seasonal Italian produce that Bangkok has to offer. These are put to good use in dishes that are refined yet authentic in flavor. Chef Andrea Ortu heads the kitchen these days, wielding his influene in unbelievably creamy and rich risottos, decadent slow-cooked beef and to-die-for lemon curdstuffed crepes. To drink, the cellar comes equipped with some of the finest Super Tuscans around.
La Casa Nostra
A wine cellar that’s the envy of the town meets rustic-yet-refined Italian cuisine at this stately old home in Sathorn. Chef Nino Scognamillo gives nods to his hometown of Sicily in produce-driven dishes that brim with home comforts: best-of-the best imported cold cuts, wholesome pastas and wickedly good grilled meats. It’s little wonder a spot on the cozy outdoor terrace (complete with petanque court) can be hard to come by.
Opus
There is a reason why this stylish restaurant has remained such a consistently popular hotspot for the city’s corporate movers and shakers. Owner and wine expert Alex Morabito—formerly of Vino di Zanotti—ensures the house-turned-eatery retains a homey feel with its leather seats and light, glass-fronted facade. The kitchen, too, serves reliably solid traditional Italian cooking. The star of the show, however, is the more than 400 Italian wines.
Sorn
The latest to try and remedy Bangkok’s insatiable hunger for southern Thai cuisine sees Supaksorn Jongsiri, the owner of Baan Ice, go back to his roots once more in a refined and elegant setting. Sourcing ingredients fresh daily from across 14 southern provinces, his approach to cooking focuses on traditional techniques, from charcoal and clay pot cooking, to pressing and squeezing fresh coconut juice.
Sri Trat
Even in its first few months, it was clear this former home-turned-eatery was a rousing success. Featuring delicious-yet-underrated Eastern Thai dishes such as chamuang leaf curry and creamy lon chili dip, this restaurant has even been known to turn back hungry customers if their reservations are made too late in the day. One look at the high-end crowd thronging the colorful, stylish dining room amply illustrates this restaurant’s popularity.
Blue Elephant
The flagship branch of the globally-known Thai restaurant brand is housed in a stunning colonial-style mansion with a classic interior of dark rattan furnishings and authentic Asian artifacts. Chef and owner Nooror Somany Steppe and her team serve up royal Thai cuisine with authentic flavor. While more modern Thai restaurants have lately grabbed most column inches, Blue Elephant is still worth a visit for both atmosphere and food.
Man Ho
Man Ho occupies an elegant, spacious dining room on a second floor corner of the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. It’s everything you expect from a long-standing five-star hotel restaurant. The Cantonese and Szechuan food served here is truly excellent, too. The bright, sun-filled dining room, which has huge bay windows on two sides due to its corner location, helps make this a must-visit for dim sum lovers.
Sensi
Everything about Sensi is on an exceptional level, from the humble and approachable service to the beautifully plated food with the occasional flourish. Opt for the generous a la carte portions or—and we highly recommend this option—the five-or-eight-course tasting menus. Either way, you’ll get to sample some incredible produce.
Prelude
Wine, food and cocktails are each helmed by one of the three talented partners, friends from their Culinary Institute of America (CIA) days. Singaporean chef Cong Wen’s fascination with regional flavors is apparent in the amuse-bouche spread, such as a guava-filled puff, broken rice crackers, and grilled papaya with rosemary. His entree Tartare is cubed catch-of-the-day with a kapi (shrimp paste) mayo, turmeric yogurt and dill oil.
Bunker
Defying convenient culinary categorization, this stylish eatery hidden behind a Brutalist concrete facade produces season-driven dishes that play with both Western and Southeast Asian flavors. Arnie Marcella, a native New Yorker, drives a kitchen that excels in foodie-wowing ingredients such as scallops with green strawberries and the foie gras dumplings, while drinks are augmented by Wareewan Yodkamol’s inventions—reason enough why the city’s fashionable still pack the stone-and-copper-touched dining room.
From September 14-29, BK Magazine and 60 of the city’s best restaurants will join forces to serve hundreds of special dinners at a knockout fixed price of B1,000++ per person (B1,170 total) for a minimum of three courses. General booking opens this Aug 20, though if you use a Citibank credit card you can start making bookings from Aug 11 and also get special dining perks at each venue. Make your reservations at www.bkrestaurantweek.com.
CITIBANK
SPECIAL BENEFITS FOR CITIBANK CARD MEMBERS
Advance booking for Citi credit card members from Aug 11
Extra dish or other perk when you pay with Citi credit cards
Co-Sponsor
JASCO
Since 1991, Jasco has been one of the most reliable and chosen vendors in the field of food service business. Today, our main clients include independent hotels, restaurants, national chains, healthcare, hospitality, and food service management.
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