Here are the new restaurants that we think merit two thumbs up and deserve to be in our—and any food lover’s—roster of 2021’s best new restaurants.
This chef’s table-style restaurant stands out by combining visual and auditory elements with genreless cuisine to create an immersive and unique fine-dining experience. The current tasting menu sees unexpected pairings—like oysters and financiers—that show the Antre team’s willingness to experiment with and perfect their craft.
Instead of following the traditional flavor build-up of most tasting menus, Kavee’s offering went the opposite way, going from intense hits to more subtle and comforting tastes. The deviation, however, in no way took away from the pleasure of enjoying the meal. In fact, this different approach left us more curious about what else Chef Tae has up his sleeve and eager to experience the next chapter of his well-composed culinary poetry.
This new restaurant just reaffirms that Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn possesses King Midas’ ability—every venture he touches and brings forth turns to gold, and we expect the same for his new venture. At Lahnyai, the prolific chef once again shows his devotion to his grandma’s recipes but, this time, injects modern touches and western ingredients. The result is fare that proves Chef Ton’s endless creativity and commitment to elevating Thai cuisine.
It didn’t take long for this iconic restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental to bounce back after the shocking departure of sous chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier. Credit is due to new chef Alain Roux, a seasoned veteran who’s worked at many lauded restaurants including the UK’s three-Michelin-starred The Waterside Inn. Chef Alain’s amazing introductory tasting menu left us with no reservations about the fate of Le Normandie.
In the vast concrete jungle of Bangkok, Monkey Pod is that rare spot where you can enjoy lush greenery and natural cooling shade, mostly provided by a gigantic rain tree in the restaurant’s backyard. Enjoy the scenery along with creative refreshments and amazing Laotian fare with a modern tapas-style twist.
Most cafés and restaurants in Bangkok are more concerned about presenting photogenic aesthetics rather than serving food that pleases the palate, but that’s not the case for Okonomi (that’s not to say that its pistachio-colored facade and minimalist light wood interiors are not easy on the eye). The restaurant is definitely worth a visit—both for its calming ambience and the delectable, nutritious and filling fare it offers.
Chef Pichaya "Pam" Utharntharm, one of Thailand’s most respected chefs, helps epicures shrug their pandemic blues away with her latest fine-dining venture. Potong, which sits in a renovated century-old shophouse, focuses on a progressive fusion of Chinese and Thai cuisine as a reflection of the lives of Chinese immigrants in Thailand.
It’s not very often that we rave about a Vietnamese restaurant, given that there are quite a handful in the city, but Son of Saigon is the exception. This compact café-like restaurant churns out a compact menu filled with Vietnamese staples such as bánh mì sandwiches and bún thịt nướng noodles that are, to put it simply, just wonderful.
It seems Chef Arnaud Dunant Sauthier feels more like himself at his new home. At his eponymous restaurant Maison Dunand, the French chef shrugs aside the traditional, fine-dining sensibilities he wielded at Le Normandie and goes the more casual, more contemporary route to create a new, but no less impressive, dining experience for guests.
We all wondered what lay ahead for Chef Napol “Joe” Jantraget after his departure from 80/20. It seems like he’s found success again with new restaurant Samlor, where he still churns out elevated snacks and finger food injected with creative, quirky tweaks.
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