On my
first full day in Bangkok, leaving my wife to soak up the rays at the hotel pool, I decided to hit
the malls. I've had my eye on a new camera and I thought I'd check out how
prices in Thailand compared to back home. Food never far from my mind,
I also intended to snack my way around the malls' food halls.
MBK is one of Bangkok's largest and busiest malls.
Although not as swanky as some of the newer ones, it’s home to the 'MBK Food
Court' which my Lonely Planet guide described at 'the granddaddy of the genre'.
Having arrived just before opening time at 10am, I waited with the throngs of
locals eating food from clear plastic bags and paying their respects to the
nearby shrine.
Overhead the city's BTS trains whizzed commuters
and shoppers along, high above the traffic choked streets. Then, rather bizarrely,
a dog that had been gaffer taped up trundled over towards me. (You read that
right!) A quick glance did not quite reveal the purpose of the tape and I
didn't investigate further as bowing security guards opened the doors and I
joined the flow of people flooding through.
I took a walk around the department store area and
then out to the other shops and indoor market area; many of the stalls were
still opening and the food court was much the same. My advice would be to arrive
later. I decided to walk to the newer, swisher Siam Paragon.
Siam Paragon is a vast, multi-floored behemoth of a
shopping centre, mainly filled with 'high end' brands. You can even pick up a
Lamborghini on the second floor. After a stroll around I discovered that the
cameras I had been looking at were no cheaper than back home, so I headed to
'Gourmet Paradise' in the basement.
The Gourmet Paradise foot hall is vast - one
section is essentially an indoor hawker centre where many of the owners of outside
street side food stalls have decided to move away from the car fume infested
streets to this rather more sanitary setting.
Obviously, much of the authenticity of experience
is lost but each stall specialises in cooking one dish or a few dishes as the
roadside vendors do - standards of food hygiene are meant to be better and the
food just as good.
I had been hoping to try a few foods that I have
not had before but most of what was on offer was the usual chicken rice, soup
and dumpling dishes, Peking duck and alike. The only things I ended up eating
were a kind of 'scotch egg' made with a century egg and various pieces of
cuttlefish grilled on sticks over charcoal. These were delicious but, expecting
a feast, I had only had a light breakfast.
I sat down to refer to my guidebooks, maps and
notes from people who had made recommendations. It was this point that I struck
gold when I realised that the mall was directly next door to the Siam Kempinski
Hotel which houses Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin.
The original Kiin Kiin (meaning ‘come and eat’) is
a Michelin starred Thai restaurant by Henrik
Yde-Andersen in
Denmark - Sra Bua brings his modern, progressive approach to classic Thai
flavours.
The hotel itself is phenomenal - very luxurious. I
especially loved the live jazz quintet playing in the cathedral like foyer.
Looking a mess in my faded linen shirt and trouser
combo which I had reserved for sweaty walks about town and clutching a few
plastic bags full of 'tat' (a cushion, a grenade shaped ice cube mould and some
seaweed snacks to take back for my wife), I was overjoyed that the restaurant
did not turn me away. In fact, they were very welcoming and service throughout
the meal remained faultless.
The decor oozed opulence, high wood panels were set
with coloured Thai silk inlays; the lighting and ambience were darkly decadent
- soft spotlights gently illuminated the tables whilst, large lantern lights
glowed onto calming lotus ponds.
As soon as I was seated, I was served a Pandan Leaf & Lemongrass Welcome Drink. Served just chilled, it was
cooling and, indeed, welcoming – the aromatic Pandan leaf transporting me back
to my holiday in Bali. I also had a Passion
Lychee ‘mocktail’ – a perfect combination of fresh Lychee and Passion Fruit
juices.
Next up came, ‘The Nibblings’ – a Spicy Roasted Cashew Nut Meringue; Kaffir Lime Scented Lotus Root and a Prawn Cracker with Chilli Tomato Dip.
All were beautiful… I could easily have eaten a bowl of each!
To start, I chose the Wagyu Beef Salad with Water Cress and Spicy Dressing – the ‘spicy’ Thai
flavours in the dressing were very subtle but at least this allowed for the
excellent beef to sing. The fragrant herbs and crisp fresh leaves
For my main, I had Panko Fried Fish in Tom Kha with Mushrooms and Crispy Skin – the
‘white fish’ (a little like hake) was wonderfully moist and meaty. The crunchy panko
crust and coriander filled crispy fish skin ‘cigar’ added great texture as well
as flavour. The selection of dinky mushrooms and the rice was also very good
but the spicy galangal rich ‘Tom Kha’ was the real star – a woosh of heady Thai
flavours!
Passion Fruits Ice Cream with
Condensed Milk and Kumquats – served in a Martini glass, I initially thought this rather small
serving was an additional pre-dessert. It tasted great; especially the tartly
sweet kumquat compote but I’d have certainly appreciated a larger serving.
To go with my Green
Tea, served in a fetching purple and gold embossed box, the Petit Fours consisted of four bonbons – Coconut encrusted orange truffle, Marshmallow
in a crisp cocoa dusted shell, ‘Malibu’ and ‘Snickers’.
From what I have read and from what people have
said to me Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin has been a little ‘inconsistent’. If this is
the case, I must have been very lucky to catch them on a good day. So much so
that at then end of the meal I made a booking to return with my wife for dinner
later in the week.
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