Also
meaning ‘ancient’ Thai, Bo.Lan is a
clever portmanteau of chef / proprietors and partners Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava and Dylan Jones.
The chefs met and worked
together at David Thompson’s, then Michelin starred Nahm in London and share
his passion for showcasing Thai food at its best using the best ingredients in
the most wonderful of settings.
What
they say: ‘Bo.lan was founded on the belief that the best Thai
restaurant should be found in Thailand. Food is heavily attached to the Land
and its people therefore Bo.lan believes in following the cooking rituals practiced
in Thailand for countless years. By utilising the abundance of natural
resources and incorporating the geographical diversity Thailand offers, Bo.lan
actively strives to serve Thai food at its very best taking full advantage of
the fresh and seasonal produce available.’
Décor
/ ambience: Mainly because I felt it would be too dark
to get decent pictures inside, we opted to eat outside (the lighting more
beneficial to romance than food blogging!).
Set
in a charming wooden building with a lush tropical garden and veranda,
complete with lily filled water features, we found Bo.lan to be one of the most
romantic dining destinations of our trip.
What
we ate:
Welcome drink – a refreshing cup of Chilled Lemongrass & Pandanus. This
drink seemed to capture the scent and essence of so much of our South East
Asian travels - most welcoming indeed!
We selected the Bo.Lan
Balance set menu, which featured an amuse-bouche and starter; main courses of
salad, curry, relish, and stir-fried dishes with rice followed by tea and a
large selection of Thai petits fours.
Amuse Bouche – a spicy, crispy bowl of puffed rice with palm sugar, lemongrass and chilli. Wonderful!
We were served Ya dong grachai dum with sour fruits and pandanus juice ‘shooter’.
Ya Dong is basically a
type of ‘homebrewed’ herbal Thai ‘whisky’ (Ya translates as medicine and
dong means to pickle or ferment in liquid). It has no set ingredients
but herbs, bark, roots and alike are common additions (a less common one is reputedly
lizard’s penis).
As far as I’m aware
there was no lizard winkle in Bo.Lan’s version, the main flavourant being the
bitter ‘grachai dum’ or ‘black finger root’ (also known as black ginger). Re.
flavour, all I can say is that it doesn’t surprise me that Diageo have not tried to buy the bottling
rights.
A trio of mini starters included, a Taro Dumpling; a Chicken
Curry on a coconut pancake and a pickled salad on a spoon with Prawn
& Anchovy.
In typical Thai family
style, the main dishes arrived together for sharing.
Salad of grilled Bo.lan cured pork and “Ranong”
squid with orange chilli dressing – a beautiful dish featuring sweet, spicy
orange sauce with hints of chilli and wonderful textures of tender squid, crisp
coriander, sticky pork and crunchy peanuts.
Khii lek (casiova) leaf & flower curry with slow
cooked “KU” beef in Mon style, accompanied by a pickled mustard green salad. Whereas
Nahm served imported ‘Wagyu beef’ (see here), Bo.lan use locally
reared ‘KU’ beef – maybe not ‘quite as tasty’ but much more eco friendly!
The Mon
are believed to be some of the earliest inhabitants of mainland South-East
Asia. History shows that they were exposed to Theravada Buddhism more than 1000
years before the arrival in the area of the Thai and Burmese. Mon cuisine in
characterised by a sour taste (often from Tamarind), combined with a spicy and
a salty flavour. Saltiness comes from shrimp paste as opposed to fish sauce, which
is used more widely in other regional Thai foods.
Salted Spanish mackerel simmered in coconut cream with
prawn accompanied with stuffed local flower chicken dumpling. Thai dishes cooked in
this way with coconut milk or cream are referred to as ‘Lon’. Again
characterised by a balance of sweet, sour and salty flavours, it was great to
dip the accompanying crisp fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables in the rich
creamy sauce.
Stir-fried squid and clams with spicy red curry
chillies and palm heart – this red curry packed a real punch. The clams were
big and juicy and stood up to the rich flavours. I particularly loved the
bitter bursts from the cherry eggplants berries and the crisp sweet crunch of
the hearts of palm.
To end the meal we were
served, a pot of Bo.lan Blend and Petit fours.
Bo.lan Blend – I’m not usually a fan of
tea infusions but this Chiang Mai Tea
with infused with spices, mint, ginger &
honey proved a fitting ending to the meal, especially supping it in the
tropical surroundings.
Petit fours – theatrically served amid an
explosion of colours, shapes and textures, the petit fours presented flavour
upon flavour of sweet Thai treats - fruits, candies, jellies, rice crackers,
tapioca, caramels, coconut creams, white chocolate nutty clusters. My
favourites were the pandanus flavoured jelly and the cone of tapioca peals and
coconut.
Service:
we found the service to be swift, friendly and efficient. A nice touch, bearing
in mind the tropical climes, was providing guests that chose to sit outside
with mosquito repellent.
Next
time we are in Bangkok, we’d definitely be keen to return.
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