Here are our editors' picks for BK Restaurant Week 2020
With over 60 awesome restaurants on the line-up it's tough to know where to start. Here are some of our top picks.
4 years ago
BK Restaurant Week is packed with over 60 awesome restaurants offering incredible deals on multi-course menus. So, where should you start? If you're having trouble choosing, here are some of the top picks from the BK Editorial team, selected for their exceptional value or tasty-looking menus. BK Restaurant Week runs from Sep 19-Oct 3; pre-booking (Citi card members only) opens this upcoming Monday, Aug 24. General booking opens Aug 31.
80/20
Early last year, Charoenkrung’s hipster hangout went upscale. Since then, it's won accolades from Top Tables and Michelin. Fermentation remains at the heart of chef Napol Jantraget’s experimental Thai tasting menus, while desserts by Japanese pastry chef Saki Hoshino forgo sweetness in favor of sublimely challenging new flavors.
Aesop's
This next-gen rebirth of a family-run Greek restaurant from Sydney conjures an ouzo-fueled party atmosphere, serving sharing feasts of vibrant classics like eight-hour lamb shoulder, chicken souvlaki, and char-grilled Mediterranean octopus. In a hall made for big, boisterous gatherings, guests are encouraged to hurl crockery, as is Greek tradition, to a soundtrack of “Zorba’s Dance.”
The Allium Bangkok
With high-ceilings and a red and white interior, this restaurant at The Athenee Hotel deals in impressive French haute cuisine with modern flair. The set menus spotlight dishes like a delightfuly piquant Chiang Mai tomato salad, creamy Thai mudcrab atop crunchy cucumber spaghetti, expertly cooked Hokkaido scallop, and French Moulard duck liver countered with sweet apple and crunchy nut crumble. Fine European ingredients are supported by locally grown organic produce, including botanicals from the herb garden on the deck outside the restaurant.
Baan
The moment Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn (of one-Michelin-starred Le Du) officially became a celebrity chef might coincide with the opening of this restaurant. With Baan, chef Ton abandoned the contemporary techniques he mastered in New York and returned to his roots, producing great everyday Thai food at pocket-friendly prices, vaulting him into the collective culinary conscious. Co-run by his brother Chaisiri, Baan is still riding high on that winning formula.
Bigoli by Sensi
Formerly known as Sensi, this welcoming Sathorn back-street institution makes the most of its incredible produce. Aside from a la carte, chef Stefano Merlo’s tasting menus offer a fun, interactive version of Italian fine dining, pairing dainty creations like a burratta-stuffed tomato caprese salad with heftier meat and pasta plates, including darn near the best lasagna you’re likely to find.
Burapa
Burapa's train carriage interior tells the story of a journey from eastern Thailand's Trat to destinations which change every couple of months, picking up ingredients for the restaurant's tasting menus along the way. From the family behind Soi 33’s buzzy fine-dining institution Sri Trat, here you’ll find fragrant seabass larb with cardamom shoots, grilled herbal northern-style pork sausages and the house special minced pork with chamuang leaf relish and fresh vegetables, as well as creative Thai-inspired cocktails. All black and gold, the compact bar area comes with a stunning Art Deco design, while upstairs feels like dining on the Orient Express, with tufted leather seats, desk lamps and suitcases.
Gianni Ristorante
Italian fine 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 Mediterranean-inflected dishes, educating diners on the nuances of Dover sole, burrata and handmade pasta along the way. The refined setting echoes the restaurant’s reputation.
Gigi
The Sing Sing and Iron Balls crew strengthen their foothold in Phrom Phong with this home-style Italian joint. Helmed by chef Edoardo Bonavolt (of plant-based trailblazer Barefood Bangkok), the kitchen busts out Italian comfort food in the cozy, cantina-like confines that used to house Quince. Expect dishes like Agnolotti del Pin—hand-made stuffed pasta with prosciutto, mortadella and Parmesan cheese—and Tartufo Nero Pizzette, a mini-pizza with mushrooms, mascarpone, scamorza and a liberal amount of truffle paste. Wash it down with signature drinks like the Bitch Spritz and Gigi Bellini.
Jhol
Indian-born, New York-trained chef and international restaurateur Hari Nayak has recently descended in Bangkok with his new venture Jhol, a contemporary southern coastal Indian restaurant in the heart of Sukhumvit. Expect to find bhel puri (puffed rice and vegetable chaat) served in a wooden som tam khrok and ghee (Indian clarified butter) roast chicken with crispy cone dosa. You’ll also find exotic, Thai-leaning cocktails like Mehkong whiskey with torched bite-size kanom jak, as well as mocktails like a refreshing mix of lychee, elderflower, lime, cucumber topped with champa flower-scented foam.
Krok
Fresh off gaining a Michelin star at 80/20, chefs Napol “Joe” Jantraget and Saki Hoshino opened this standalone, nam prik-dedicated shop-house restaurant. Since going upscale at 80/20 in early 2019, the pair have become known for their refined approach to Thai cuisine, but here they dial it back to basics under the premise that everyone should have access to good food. Set menus come with a choice of protein, rice and vegetables. Examples include braised tofu with eggplant nam prik and grilled pork with nam prik kapi, both of which come with rice, pickles, vegetables and a soft boiled egg. To sample it all, opt for the Super Mega Krok, which includes two rice sets, four types of nam prik, fish of the day, grilled pork, chicken wings, braised tofu and all the sides. Be sure to get there early—with just 12 seats, they only serve until the food runs out each day.
The Meatchop Butcher & Spirits
This carnivore heaven serves premium steak, tasty tapas bites and cocktails in a deli store concept. An open kitchen, patterned black tiling, pink walls and rattan chairs lend it a swanky yet fun feel. For serious grill dishes, prime cut steaks include Black Angus from Australia's Rangers Valley, oven-baked Chiang Rai chicken and Australian lamb chops. Smaller plates like the platter of jamon Iberico and serrano are perfect to nibble on while sipping on a classic cocktail.
Mediterra Restaurant
If you’re longing to visit Italy, you can always take a trip to this restaurant on Soi 23 instead. Here, former Il Fumo head chef Walter D'Ambrosio whips up southern Italian cuisine in a setting that will transport you to Apulia with its clean white archways, patterned tiles, photogenic courtyard and cacti. With the restaurant backed by the owner of the now-closed Sfizio, you can count on delicious pasta, like the handmade fregola with seafood and white wine sauce. For a meatier dish, try the pistachio-crusted grilled New Zealand lamb rack with caponata and potatoes. They also serve gourmet pizzas like the namesake Mediterra, topped with mozzarella, scamorza, mussels, spicy nduja, yellow tomato coulis, toasted almonds and parsley, alongside mouthwatering desserts like cannoli. Although they stop serving food at 10pm, the bar is open until midnight.
Penthouse
The multi-story showpiece steakhouse atop the Park Hyatt goes all out. The interior of walnut woods and marble is stunning. The menu of red meat and seafood jumps straight to the premium stuff. The cocktails hit the price-to-quality sweet spot. This is prime date-night material.
Soul Food Mahanakorn
This “Thai-style izakaya” excels in the type of creative spins on traditional street food favorites that set pulses racing. Set on still-buzzy Thonglor, the brainchild of food writer Jarrett Wrisley and wife Candice Lin keeps things fresh with weekly specials, a laid-back vibe and a signature cocktail list brimming with creativity.
Taan
Taan runs with Bangkok’s pack of locally focused, innovative-yet-devoutly-Thai restaurants usually found in Charoenkrung back alleys or converted warehouses. There’s only one catch: this one sits inside a perfectly air-conditioned glass box 25 floors above Bangkok in the Siam@Siam hotel. The food is uncompromising, inventive, soulful and balanced.
Click here to see all the BK Restaurant Week menus and make your reservation.
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