There are 2 Thai restaurants managed by foreigner that came up to my mind, Naam & Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin. The first one offers an authentic Thai cuisine whilst the latter one serves you the modern Thai cuisine in degustation style. I told Nut we should start with the fancy one first. Chef Henrik Yde-Andersen and Chef Lertchai Treetawatchaiwong from Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen chose to opened their second restaurant at Siam Kempinski Hotel.
Sra Bua offer 3 courses lunch at 1,500++ and 10 courses dinner at 2,400++ at the time we went there (in January 2011). We came here for lunch.
Chilled Lemongrass & Pandan tea, subtle and not too sweet.
'ข้าวเกรียบสาคูกรอบ' Seaweed Tapioca, battered and deep fried seaweed like the Japanese snack.
Nibbling : 'ขนมกรอบถั่วเหลืองเมอร์แรงThe soy meringue was sweet & salty. If you like Tom yum (Thai spicy soup), you will like the lotus root. For me, the oyster dip was the highlight. It tastes like fresh oyster with Thai seafood chilli dipping sauce but in light airy version.
Love it!
Starter: 'ยำกุ้งแม่น้ำกับส้มโอและดอThinly shaved cucumber, daikon, and celery dressed in a spicy dressing added the crunchiness to the dish. First I tasted it "oh, this is spicy !" This made us believed that this place definitely provide us the real Thai flavour, not compromise to the western tongue. However, there were too little pomelo in the dish.
Starter: 'แกงแดงเย็นกับกุ้งมังกร' Gang dang frozen red curry with lobster saladThe way they present the dish made it look a bit messy as you can see the sauce from the lobster at the rim of the plate.
We dig into the middle of the plate and found the red curry ice cream underneath the foam (forgot what flavour of the foam). A little sweet (maybe too sweet for my liking) and spicy as the red curry should be.
Main course: 'ต้มข่านกกระทา' Tom Kha Quail, quail in coconut milk with galangal and mushroomsThere were 2 pieces of quail in different style of cooking; poached breast and confit leg split by super crispy thin skin. The broth was poured by the waitstaff at the table. I am not a big fan of Tom Kha but really enjoy this. The broth was light, flavourful, slight sour and spicy. The meat itself were juicy and chef also gave us a surprise of small pieces of stock jelly at the bottom of the dish.
Main course: 'แกงเขียวหวานปลาแฮรีบัทใส่Have you ever seen red green curry? haha. Underneath the foam was green curry and roasted pureed eggplant (which I love) gave a smokiness to the dish. It was quite tasty and need to eat with rice. (We each were served a bowl of rice). The let down thing was the 3 piles of beetroot which were tasteless.
Here come desserts ! I had to admit that I didn't expect about desserts at all. But....
Here come desserts ! I had to admit that I didn't expect about desserts at all. But....
Dessert: 'เค้กกล้วยหอมกับกะทิ' Banana Cake with Salted coconut ice cream and caramelized milkWe were ooh and aah when the huge wooden plate was brought to our table. But it was even better once I tasted the first spoon. Really like this ! The warm banana cake was made from 'Pisang Mas' bananas (กล้วยไข่) which made it more special than normal banana cake. Eating with the salted coconut ice cream and the sauce, Oh my ! Sweet & salty, hot & cold, smooth & crunchy (from the toasted coconut flakes).... What else can I ask for?
Dessert: 'ไอศกรีมชา กิน กิน' Cha Kiin Kiin Jasmine and Earl GreyWhile the first dessert was rich and hearty, this one was so light and subtle. The waitstaff told us that the dish consists of Earl grey tea, Thai tea and Jasmine tea. Without asking, we thought that the ice cream was flavoured with Earl grey tea and Thai tea and the white foam was Jasmine tea flavour sprinkle with white chocolate. Another great dessert !
We were so full at this stage but still discussed about having coffee & petit fours (additional 325 Baht++). Finally our gluttony won !
Nut had Doi tung espresso and I had ginger tea.
Petit fours Clockwise - Marshmallow dusted with shredded coconut, White chocolate coated frozen green grape, White chocolate crispy rice, Peanut butter truffle, Coffee macaron (the middle) and Salted & Sichuan pepper chocolateSorry to say but they were all disappointing. If I could change, I would stop at the dessert to make the meal happy ending.
Overall, we had a great time enjoy the food which taste authentic but presented in the modern way. I really like the nibbling and the dessert. If they improve their petit four, that would be great !Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
991/9 Rama I Road, Bangkok, 10330
Tel : +662-162-9000
