The restaurant was quiet (only 3 tables during lunch) and looked both expensive and pretentious. I braced myself for disappointment as I sat down.
Happily, it turned out that I was wrong.
The restaurant was indeed quite expensive and food came in small portions.. but everything tasted very good!
For starters, we were served a platter of bits and pieces with wild betel leaves - bits of lime, bits of dried squid and dried prawns, bits of chopped lime, onions and chilli. The waiter said we were to put a bit of everything on a leaf and then top it with the sweet sauce in the centre and wrap it up.
"Be careful the chilli padi," he said.
And so we avoided the chilli. The strange mixture was pretty good and tasted really refreshing! I liked the bits of chopped lime that came with the skin and all.
Then the food we ordered started coming.
The tomyum soup was delicious - it came with 2 fat river prawns (also called "big headed prawns" in Hong Kong). These are the right type of prawns to use in tom yum.. as all the fat from the prawns would seep out into the soup, giving it a richer seafood taste.
The grilled duck and lychee with curry sauce was also very good. The sauce was quite sweet and more peanut-like than curry-like, but I thought it went very well with the juicy duck meat and plain rice. I didn't think the lychees added anything to the dish though.
I also liked the crispy prawn cakes - especially the plum sauce and pickled cucumbers and onions that came with it.
My favourite part of the meal though was the rice. Which is really strange because we only had plain, steamed rice. But it was fluffy, yet every grain was separate and distinct. The Husband and I asked for second helpings of the plain rice..
The fresh mango with sticky rice and coconut ice-cream was also delicious. The sticky rice came with crunchy bits on top.. and the coconut ice-cream had pieces of dried coconut and some jelly, jackfruit-like bits inside. The combination of the cold ice-cream with bits, soft sweet mango and sticky, crunchy glutinous rice was heavenly!
I still liked food from along the streets in Bangkok but this is a restaurant I would definitely be visiting for very refined, quality Thai food.
We never made it into the gallery part of the place but I understand it is an art gallery..
Baan Khanitha & Gallery
69 South Sathorn Rd (intersection of South Sathorn Rd and Suanplu Rd)Sathorn, Bangkok
Click here for the website
1 comment:
I like baan khanita too. I have been going there for nearly 10 years every time i am in bkk. I agree it very expensive and i don't like it as much after its renovations. Like you said, look pretentious. But the food is good! Love all the dishes you have here. We must have the same taste though i like it very spicy!
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