It’s time to take a summer journey with Thai flavours and international ingredients at the Michelin-starred Sra Bua By Kiin Kiin until Sept 30.
Innovative Thai dishes created by executive chef Henrik Yde-Andersen and senior head chef Chayawee “Berm” Suthcharitchan, the journey is broken into an eight-course journey (B2,600++) and a 10-course journey (B3,200++) for lunch and a 16-course journey (B4,300++) for dinner. The “Summer Journey” is designed to reflect chef Yde-Andersen’s gastronomic travels as he reminisces on his ventures throughout the regions of Thailand and life in Europe, where he has a vineyard and farm in Spain. Begin in the restaurant’s lounge area, surrounded by mini lotus ponds with, the eight street food canapés and a welcome drink. A magic trick kicks off the snacks, which incorporates soy meringue with wasabi yoghurt, tom yum edible plastic, curry ice cream in a chicken skin “cornetto” and, one of my favourites, miang kham.
Ninth course onwards is served at your table and if you’re on a date, ask for a booth, which offers complete privacy and a view of one of the lotus ponds. The journey continues with a Red prawn carpaccio, with lemongrass gel and crispy lime leaf tapioca. But the burst of joy is the sprinkling of finger lime on the prawn. The tenth course presents the signature Five-spice duck consommé brewed table side, with two homemade duck condiments, including duck sausages and larb. The fragrant sausages were one of my favourite things on the menu because they were so smokey to taste. Yum!
The Grilled Hokkaido scallop is served with a liberal coating of Thai seafood sauce and smooth-textured sweet corn and celery spinach purée. Classic pairings! The Alaskan king crab is served with a cold tom kha semi-frozen and white asparagus ice cream. The Fried lobster with red curry flan mimics hor muk and comes with a creamy lobster bisque. Though I wish the bisque would have been served a tad warmer in temperature. My next favourite is the main course of Ibérico pork slow-cooked for 12 hours served with soy butter sauce with ginger, onion and pickled pineapple on the side, along with pork crackling. Served with jasmine rice from Yasothon province baked with pork. The dish is porky and fatty and rich, and all in a good way. I did lick the plate clean!
The journey concludes with classic European desserts and a touch of Thai beginning with the “fruit of the month”, which is Marian plum this month, served with a rose gel and lemon mousse. This dessert will require a spoon (and IG’s Boomerang) to break open an ice dome before enjoying what lies beneath. The Rhubarb soup with pandan ice cream and financier is Yde-Andersen’s grandmother’s recipe and is presented as a beautiful white iceberg. To leave you in high spirits, end dinner with a game of sorts in the imaginative and creative petit fours. No hot spoilers ahead! Pun intended.
The “Summer Journey” is available until Sept 30 with wine pairings, a seven-glass non-alcoholic pairing or a seven-glass alcohol pairing. Call 02-162-9000, email dining.siambangkok@kempinski.com.
