Genius Bar, with its minimalist, white-washed interiors, may look no different from any of the other cafes in Thonglor, but its menu will tell you otherwise. Instead of fancy cakes, aromatic caffeinated brews or fizzy fruit-flavored drinks, it’s bone broth that leads the selection at this newly opened health café.
“I used to have these sun spots on my back. I started drinking bone broth four times a day. Four months after, they all disappeared,” says Darren Liu, the founder of Genius Bar and a firm believer of the miraculous properties of bone broth. He put up the eatery with his partner Kat Thongpeng after getting inspiration for the concept from a podcast called Genius Life, hence the name. The name also implies how, as Darren puts it, “to make a genius choice in the food you eat.”
According to the Canadian-born health coach and nutritionist, bone is an excellent source of collagen, the protein that supports and strengthens the body’s connective tissue, muscle and skin. The most effective way to extract collagen from bones is to simmer them for long period of time. “We do an 18-hour simmer. That’s the best way to extract collagen as well as amino acids,” Darren discloses”
At Genius Bar, customers get to choose between chicken or beef broth made from the bones of antibiotic- and hormone-free animals. Seasoned simply with sea salt, lime, pepper and organic vegetables, these flavorful soups are served in paper cups, allowing customers to drink on the go. There’s an option to add extra herbs and spices like fresh turmeric, garlic and ginger. “The difference between the soup at noodle bars [and ours] is the quality of the bones, and what we put in the broth,” Darren says. “Everything in our soup is nutritious.”
For vegetarian and vegan customers, Genius Bar has mushroom broth made from fungus grown in their own farm in Wang Nam Keaw in Nakhon Ratchasima. The broth makes use of lion’s mane, cordyceps, and agaricus mushrooms, each of which are known to have amazing heath properties.
Apart from soupy servings, you can also get “clean versions” of Thai street food-style bites, as well as European dishes like steak and steamed mussels. The pad kaprao makes use of top-quality proteins (beef or chicken), and has zero MSG and vegetable oil, while a dish of dried noodles with pork and pork liver is served with choy sum, pumpkin seeds and garlic.