Evolving Asian Cuisines

By Laurence Civil

In the past couple of years we have seen the next generation of Western cuisines emerge with presently the same trend engaging Asian cuisines. This month we have selected five restaurants, each with a different cuisine: Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Thai to see what the latest trends are. The first thing we noticed was they have become more contemporary with a more comfortable and less obvious ethnic atmosphere with easy to listen jazz background music. Lighting is now playing a more important role especially at dinner. Food presentation has moved to simple white tableware with less decoration, focusing more on eating with the eye initially and then the stomach. But most importantly the food is tasting better.

The Red
Take a former Sukhumvit standalone house and convert it into a contemporary Indian restaurant with red pillars, white beams and gold stenciling on the ceiling. Add four owners with no previous catering experience yet who were sufficiently inspired by a restaurateur friend who was troubled when he found the Indian cuisine style being served in Thailand was similar to that served to him by grandmother when he was a boy. He convinced them to open a restaurant that reflects the food served in India 2007, with its Italian influence. To make it all happen add Chef Gagan Anand who opened 12 restaurants in India and was a food consultant for the President of India.

On the table are white linen clothes, plain white table wear, polished contemporary Indian silverware and relishes such as South Indian tomato chutney, pineapple salsa and mint chutney. A great way to start your meal is with Adroki Boki, slow braised marinated lamb with ginger served on custom-made slate plates adding a curious lingering after taste. An array of Indian kebabs were offered with the chef's guidelines "if they aren't juicy then they aren't fresh." The Italian influence could be savored with Colovita pasta served with Butter Chicken sauce. With his Salmon Patun, a classic Bengali dish, Gagan replaces traditional fresh water fish with salmon, wrap it in a banana leaf and bake it with yellow Bengali mustard. His favourite dish is Lobster Flambé as it exceeds customer expectation of an Indian Restaurant. To complete this culinary experience try the mango and fig ice cream with fresh berries, a dish he created for Bill Clinton. A new generation of Indian cuisine has possibly now arrived in Bangkok. Tel: 0-2259-7590

Crystal Jade
Part of the Crystal Jade Culinary Concept Holdings is a restaurant-chain serving Chinese cuisine based in Singapore. The group was founded in 1992 by Alfred Leung with branches in Malaysia, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea. They have a flagship restaurant in Bangkok with outlets in Erawan Urban Kitchen and the Emporium Park Food Mall. To start we had BBQ Pork cut into 2cms bite size portions with the skin so crispy it was almost a pork sandwich served with French mustard, a rarity at a Cantonese restaurant. Then a selection of Dim Sum steamed shrimp dumpling "Ha-Kau"; steamed Crystal dumpling with olive leaves were more flavourful than the average Cantonese restaurant in Bangkok. The steamed cod with superior soy sauce served with fresh homemade garlic rice noodles had all the taste of garlic without the smell, again interesting yet subtle flavours. For dessert, a duo of dumplings, the more familiar conpoy steamed dumpling in a tangy sauce and by contrast a dry dumpling dusted with crushed nuts more like a cake which is a dish unique to this restaurant in Thailand was served. In charge of the kitchen is Chef Wong Lap Wai from Hong Kong. The food presentation is fresh and modern on white tableware. Seating options are either a booth for four or a round table for eight. The décor is contemporary in chocolate brown and orange. The atmosphere is rounded off with comfortable jazz music unobtrusively filling in the background. Tel: 0-2129-4343

Siam House
Set in a 155 years old two storey building, once the residence of Piya Anukun, a nobleman in the court of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and his wife Khunying Perm. Close to Khao San Rd. it was previously known as Baan Phan Far before changing its name three years ago to Siam House. It has been a very popular location for weddings. The first day it re-opened as a Thai restaurant Bangkok Dining & Entertainment were invited for a preview. The ground floor can seat 70 with eight themed private dining rooms upstairs. The best view is from the courtyard at the back where the elegant Ratanakosin style article with intricate fretwork carvings can be best seen in its palatial glory. With the menu still to be finalised we sampled some of the dishes already confirmed on the list.

For starters a crispy cesar salad served with deep-fried chicken wings with a sweet chili dip. Next we were tasting squid with salted eggs in a rich yellow curry sauce, followed by Sea Bass in a piquant black pepper sauce. Their Tom Yam Kung was served with very generous sized king prawns in an abundantly full bowl. For the main course, deep fried Pla Kapong in a rich sweet and sour sauce was offered. The taste was authentic Thai with generous portions all served on contemporary white china. Rounding off our meal was the Banoffee Pie, all served on contemporary white china. The potential we saw was limitless and this could be Bangkok's next great Thai restaurant. This is one to watch. Tel: 0-2282-0311

Nanjya Monjya
We were greeted with a chorus of welcome in Japanese, as we walked in. The décor is minimalist Zen with a choice of dinner table for four with teppanyaki hot plate in the middle or a more laid back lounge setting with pairs of black leather sofas on either side of a glass topped coffee table. Comfort vs. the cooking experience, we opted for the latter. For appetizers, tofu salad, cheese tsutsumi (a crispy cheese filled roll), and gobo root fries and prawns were presented. Our waitress doubled as our cook working a pair of metal spatulas with great dexterity to make Mojayaki, a dish that has been made in Tokyo's Tsukishima district for the past 40 years. Its not new we just haven't seen it before. Shredded cabbage vinegar ginger and fish sauce dusted with dried fish and seaweed powder, fried on the hot plate on both sides and when it was crispy scrapped off with teaspoon size metal spatulas was a delight. Next she prepared Okonomi-yaki, a Japanese pizza or pancake, made out of wheat flour and egg. This dish originates in Osaka but can now be found throughout Japan. The name “Okoonmi" means "as you like". When cooked its topped with okonomiyaki sauce (a thicker and sweeter Worcestershire sauce), nori, fish flakes, mayonnaise and ginger – pizza without the bread base. This is a fun dining style that works best with a party of four friends or more. It wasn't what we were expecting but a very pleasant surprise. Judging by the restaurant's mainly young Japanese executive clientele it's a food style of Japan today. Tel: 0-2676-7191

Kayageum
The recently opened restaurant has a fresh bright feel with burnt orange walls and silver backed sofas. In the centre of each table for four is a circular recess for the table top BBQ where later our waiter was to place a black metal basket of burning coals for us to cook. Three appetizers to start with were Dahk Kang Jeng, chicken with chilli and roast garlic in addition to Sam Gae Tan, a delicious chicken and Gin Seng Soup with sticky rice, followed by Dolsot Bibimbap, rice and vegetables served with stir fried pork.

The main course was the Korean Bar-b-cue. The cuisine is based on ying & yang, balancing meat and vegetables. Simply place the meat, fish or seafood on the brass grill over the burning coals to cook. Once the meat is ready place it on a piece of lettuce or raw cabbage with garlic and chilli and drizzle some of their special sauce on top. Its recipe is a closely guarded secret but they hinted Korean sesame oil, soy sauce and chilli (less firey than those from Thailand). Fold the leaf around the content with your fingers like a parcel and just pop it in the mouth.

The brass grill got a little messy cooking the meat so our waiter changed it half way through the meal. The cooking time for each item varies depending on the strength of the flame, so you need to be constantly looking at how it's cooking. Korean is a particularly healthy food style as no oil is used in the cooking. Tel: 0-2216-3700 ext. 20226

Mongo''S
A novel dining concept based on Mongolian fresh grill has made its unveiling with the opening of its first location in the heart of Bangkok. At Mongo'S Restaurant & Bar, customers have a contentedly stylish setting to converse and dine; savoring the Mongolian-style “food market” with over 30 fresh ingredients daily selected and sizzled by the restaurant's master chefs. An ideal venue for business lunches, group gatherings, relaxing meals al fresco, fun evening parties or casual sprawl in the restaurant's mezzanine wine bar.

Presently benefiting from success throughout Germany, aspects defining the recognition of Mongo'S include individual choice of ingredients at "food market", a striking selection of produce and apparent freshness, light vegetable-oriented cooking with room for personal preferences. A wide array of succulent meats and seafood, the ability for adventurous diners to attempt more exotic delicacies such as crocodile, ostrich and kangaroo, along with interaction at the grill station and entertainment provided by show cooking.

The eatery itself is warm amid ethnic artwork and comfortable furnishings. The exterior has a pleasant terrace ideal for watching the buzz of Sukhumvit. Moreover, upstairs, there is a small yet modish bar area complete with arced sofas and Mongolian style yurt tents – perfect for small parties. Tel: 0-2255-1122