Foodies know the space, but they still might not know the name. The loss of Quince in August last year was a bit of a blow for Bangkok foodies, reborn as Tabula Rasa—which, oddly, isn’t exactly a blank slate. 

 

Found in a leafy area just off Soi Somkit, the space has been a big one for dining for years, but Tabula Rasa is trying to reinvent itself and draw in a brunch crowd as an Italian taverna with careful European fare. 

 

 

The man in the kitchen is Chef Daran Rungwatthanasophon, a head chef at just 23 who has worked with big names like Chalee Kader of Wana Yook and Prin Polsuk at Samrub Samrub Thai. 

 

“This is one of my first projects to become a head chef,” Chef Daran, who studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, tells BK. “I’m learning. I’m still young.”

 

The venue remains familiar to the old Quince days, but Tabula Rasa has changed a lot, including the coming of a wine bar section later this month and even the words at the bottom of the pool. Unlike their predecessor, they’re not going for trendy, they’re going for old school. 

 

 

Previously Chef Daran only worked with Thai restaurants before he moved to Quince as a sous chef and took over as head chef after Shane Reichenbach left. 

 

Taking over a space like Quince, they had a bit of an uphill battle, but Chef Daran says they’ve been doing better every month since October last year, and now they’re really trying to get brunch off the ground.

 

Dinner is going well for Tabula Rasa, but they’re still trying to attract a good brunch crowd. BK tried their Melon and Copa, featuring a compressed melon on a bed of mascarpone and Coppa, a dry-cured Italian pork salami made from pork neck muscle that adds a bit of saltiness to the tangy dish. 

 

 

On the pasta front, the spaghetti alla chitarra con granchio looks like a spicy dish, but it’s an inviting and surprisingly seafood forward blue crab pasta dish with house special XO and Parmigiano Reggiano.

 

To finish off, the Millefoglie specialty is a delightfully crispy hazelnut cracker with sweet cream, but it’s the Amarena cherries that give it that special kick.

 

The wine bar is expected to open this month from Tabula Rasa, this area on Soi Somkit is getting a new lease on life with spaces like Kimi Nomu. In short, Quince is dead, long live Tabula Rasa. 

 

“Cooking Western food helps me learn—more about cheese, more about techniques—” Chef Daran tells BK Magazine. “And I don’t want to have imitations in my cuisine.”