B for Bangkok & the best of the best
The end of March was busy in Singapore, the city became like a paradise for dedicated gourmets, and it was the meeting point of the gastronomic circles in Asia. The gathering was for the occasion of the 50 Best Asia Awards ceremony, with many four-hand dinners lined up, culminating on the night of March 28 when the best of the best 50 best restaurants in Asia were awarded. Host Singapore and Thailand’s capital Bangkok were the standout cities with nine restaurants each making the list this year. Bangkok took the first, third and fifth place awards, confirming its position as Asia’s most exciting gastronomic destination.
Japan has an assertive position in the list with 10 places, with seven of them in Tokyo. Hong Kong and Seoul in Korea are among the prominent cities with four restaurants each. A total of seven venues from different cities in China were also on the list. The rest of the list is shared among other Asian countries. There are only three places from India, one of them is Indian Accent from New Delhi by chef Manish Mehrotra, whose food I’ve always admired. There are two restaurants from the Philippines, one each from Vietnam and Taiwan. It is really a great achievement to stand out among all these restaurants. As a matter of fact, a second list of 51-100 restaurants was announced earlier and Hong Kong with eight restaurants, Tokyo, Singapore and Bangkok with six each made up more than half of the list.
Why Bangkok?
Bangkok is one of Asia’s most exciting and varied gastronomic destinations, with a great selection of restaurants. Bangkok offers incredible food options for all tastes and budgets, even if you struggle with Thai cuisine. True authentic Thai cuisine can be extremely spicy and challenging for those who are not used to it, and if you have a problematic relationship with crustaceans and seafood like myself, then you miss a whole lot of delicious food. But Bangkok is about diversity and variety, and the ever-bustling city offers endless options. And it is not only Thai food, but every cuisine is also represented here, and the dining options are incredible on every level. As a center of financial and commercial life, the city is truly diverse.
The 50 Best Asia, organized since 2013, was organized for the first time after the pandemic. As already said, among the 50 best restaurants in Asia, Bangkok has a leading position with nine venues. I had the chance to try most of the restaurants that made it to the 50 Best List in Bangkok in early February, so I would like to share my first-hand observations. We were a small group of international food writers, our visit was organized by the Serbian wine expert Marko Kovač who happens to be friends with Indian chef Gaggan Anand based in Bangkok and a group of chefs in the city, and acts as a public relations consultant for his friends, and that group of friends the amazing Sühring twin brothers, Chef Ton and Chef Pam, and their incredible teams. Let’s start with the winner of the night Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn, shortly known as Chef Ton, who made history by having two of the top three places on the list. His restaurant, Le Du, was in first place, and Nusara, another venue of the chef, took the third place. That top place previously belonged to Gaggan, which has been on all the lists so far, and was number one for four years in a row, between 2015-2018, this time ranked fifth with a show of only 14 seating, a dining experience like no other, more like a theater performance, an incredible story-telling done by Gaggan himself. He calls it a “Shit Show” but it is anything but, maybe the name can justify as another provocative call by the ever-provocateur chef. The dinner is more of a journey than a meal, the chef, who loves to surprise, gives you a passport and you embark on this palate journey with this passport, Gaggan tells his story all night long with his endless energy, he keeps an eye on you with every bite, and even warns you if you do not obey his orders, sometimes he makes you swallow a world of flavors in one bite, sometimes he makes you lick the world map on the plate.
Coming back to the success of Chef Ton, he must be the most popular chef in Thailand these days, having a total of eight restaurants apart from the two that topped the list, and he is also the host of the newly launched Top Chef competition. Le Du offers a truly elegant and refined modern Thai cuisine, the tastes are perfectly balanced, that can be described as soft-spoken, not bold and loud as Thai tastes can sometimes be, it was as gentle as the sweet-natured chef itself. I did not have a chance to visit Nusara, but another place by Chef Ton, Baan Restaurant run by his brother serves Thai family dishes.
Chef Pam, the chef accompanying Chef Ton on the Top Chef program, comes from a family of Chinese descent, and her restaurant Potong, which she opened by converting her family’s pharmacy-spice shop, made her first appearance on the list and ranked 35th. Naturally her cuisine has strong Chinese influences, but it is not only the food here, it is the sensitive restoration of the building, the artful decoration, the cheerful and friendly team, the Italian touch in the wine and bar section, and last but not least, the most amazing duck ever, both tastewise and presentation wise, the best I’ve experienced so far. Potong offers a unique experience not only in terms of food but also in its meticulously restored structure, but also the Opium bar at the roof is the place where you want to end a perfect day in BKK.
Sühring, ranked 22nd on the list, is the restaurant of twin brothers from Berlin of East German origin. They offer a highly original and refined menu, blending Berlin flavors from German cuisine with recipes and memories from their family. In a serene setting, the restaurant is situated in a villa in a beautiful garden, perfect for a tranquil long lunch. Sühring twins are charming, they take clever plays on German food, and present an unforgettable tasting experience, so unexpected to find in the Thai capital, yet so satisfying, adding another color to the diversity of the gastronomic city.
Our visit to Thailand included other incredible eating experiences, and of course, no Bangkok visit could be without a stop at the street food shop of 73-year-old super grandma Jay Fai, who was ranked 33rd on the list. Bangkok offers not only Thai cuisine but also Chinese, Indian and even German cuisine at different levels. Actually, another place on the list by a venture of Gaggan again, a Mexican-Indian place, Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, offering a fusion of Mexican and Indian flavors. The choices in BKK range from authentic traditional to modern with the most subtle fine interpretations. The answer to the question of why Bangkok is hidden in this diversity. The city welcomes all cuisines from all over the world, and in addition to Thai cuisine, the best of every cuisine finds a place here. It makes you lick a plate of the world, just like Gaggan does!
