The buzz: Haawm, a supper club in On Nut, made a big impression when it debuted in 2020. Founded by the self-taught Thai-American chef Dylan Eitharong, Haawm has become the talk of Bangkok. The supper club turned intimate dining experience is where the host, chef, and waiter, Dylan, curates a menu emphasizing Thai family-style cooking. 

 

The vibe: The name itself is a play on words, meaning “smells good” in Thai but also sounds like “home.” It’s a fitting name for a restaurant known for home-style meals—as well as being fairly hard to book. Dylan opens the door with a warm welcome, inviting you into his home. The space, which belongs to his aunt, is far from overcrowded. Upon entering, guests are welcomed into a cozy dining room adorned with antique furniture, evoking a sense of nostalgia and warmth. In the middle of the dining room is a singular rectangular table draped in the distinctive floral tablecloth. The intimate setting encourages guest communication, breaking down the barrier between chef and guest and forging connections on a genuinely personal level. Music pumps from the kitchen as the crew laugh and have fun. How often do you hear that?

 

The food: Dylan takes inspiration from the 1970s and 1980s-era cookbooks to create seven-course sharing menus for B3,080 per person. The menu started with the green mango with sweet fish citrus; the umami-packed dipping sauce compliments the sourness and crispiness of the green mango. The starter was a cured scallop with young ginger and citrus. The interplay between the fish sauce, chilis, and sour citrus makes this a simple but flavourful dish with an eye-wateringly sour kick. The deep-fried young chili stuffed with Northern sausage was a fun reinterpretation of sai ua. Despite being fried, the dish maintained a light, crispy, and herbaceous profile, complimented with a pared-down soft-boiled egg to balance the flavors. For the mains, the dishes are engineered for sharing, and a taste of the Hat Yai-style fried chicken with sweet dried chili sauce and crispy turmeric sticky rice is accompanied by the crack of crispy skin. This was paired with the banana pepper salad with mussels and mangosteen and karee curry of charred prawns and cucumber. The sweet mangosteen adds character to the mussels, and it felt like someone in the kitchen had pounded the hell out of lemongrass, ginger, fresh turmeric, and other spices to create a curry paste imbued with supernatural strength. The meals were laid out on the restaurant's signature pink tablecloth, an instantly recognizable Haawm hallmark.

 

Why we’d come back: With Dylan’s frequent guest appearances and collaborations with chefs across the city, on top of Haawm's ever-changing menu, his success and that of the restaurant seems like it’s just the beginning. This is one to keep your eye on.