Bangkok’s fine-dining scene isn’t showing any signs of slowing down now that the pandemic has subsided. The latest addition to the city’s roster of elegant eats is North Restaurant, which has been seeing a lot of interest for how it elevates northern Thai cuisine.
Here, Chaing Rai-born head chef Panupong “Nu” Songsang combines Lanna culinary culture with western cooking techniques to create a gastronomic journey that guides diners through the many flavors of his hometown.
Chef Nu’s current offering is an eight-course tasting menu called Khao Lang, which references the northern Thai term for dinner. The meal starts off with homemade sourdough bread that gives off a unique aroma from the addition of local leaves called phak phaew. This is then followed by a three-bite amuse bouche comprising jackfruit mousse on a betel leaf, crispy fish laab, and a rice cracker with crab hollandaise.
Next up is a heavier course that serves Wagyu A5 as a spicy tartar with avocado paste and cherry tomato salsa on the side. You also have smoked duck breast and galangal chilli sauce.
The chef then serves a pineapple sorbet with honey caviar as a palate cleanser to prepare diners for the next course: khao soi. At North, the northern staple uses angel hair instead of rice noodles and comes with grilled river prawn as its main protein.
But the star of the course is khan toke. The northern-style sharing dish is reinterpreted as a plate comprising five different small offerings: hang lay curry, sautéed Chiangda vegetables, northern chilli dip, Thai spicy sausage and pork crackling.
To end the meal on an equally luxurious note, Chef Nu serves a truffle-infused soft mousse of melon and pandan that’s similar to a Japanese confection called yōkan.
The eight-course Khao Lang menu is priced at B2,888++. For more information and reservations, call 06 1426 2642.