BANGKOK RESTAURANT

Curries & More by Baan Khanitha

2
Average: 2 (1 vote)

The buzz: A younger, more hip dining outlet by traditional Thai restaurant Baan Khanitha, Curries and More is certainly more “more” than “curries.” With three separate sections, there is something for everyone: Thai and European cuisine along with tapas, homemade desserts and a large wine selection. The adjoining wine bar, W@C, is a more laid-back hangout, and the dessert café out front is for chilling between meals.

The decor: The interior of the white-grey house containing the main restaurant is modern East meets West, to match the cuisine. The wine bar, on the other hand, is lots of steel and glass with wine cellars and square tables downstairs and a space upstairs for private parties, featuring a long table. There are also a couple of lantern-decorated trees outdoors.

The food: A mix of Thai and Western dishes, with some old favorites from Baan Khanitha. Unusual fusion highlights include the tom yam Caesar salad (B230), with a tom yam-flavored dressing. The Western options, notably, are elevated fare rather than the usual comfort food—as evidenced by the hotate and shitake quenelles (scallops with diced tomatoes and shitake mushrooms, B310). Other dishes include green curry with fish balls and salted egg (B260), and the inventive Yin-Yang spinach and ricotta ravioli (B290) which combines both tomato and cream sauces in one dish. Their dessert selection includes the dark chocolate souffle (B190) and sticky rice with mango and coconut ice cream (B190).

The drinks: The wine list is as long as the menu, but the house wines are B250 by the glass and B500 by the carafe. The signature cocktails are the red sangria and white sangria (B790 per carafe for four persons).

The crowd: Thais and expats of all ages. Sasinipa Wasantapruek

Dessert cafe 8am-9pm.

Baan Khanitha’s Thonglor outlet clearly aims to attract a wide audience: from a young, hip crowd in the funky terrace and bar, to wealthy families and tourists in their lovely colonial-style house at the back of this leafy and laid-back compound. It’s therefore not surprising that it offers a suitably expansive menu of Thai and Western dishes. Indeed, choice seems to be a running theme. There’s an impressive drinks list that ranges from signature cocktails, like the overly-sweet ruby martini (B250), to a long wine list running from B250 a glass to B39,000 bottles. The dishes also try to cover all the bases, from fusion pasta offerings like spaghetti pla khem (B195) to somtam (B160) to more fancy inter-dishes like one of the “must try” appetizers, the hotate and shitake quenelles (B310), served with a white truffle sauce. Unfortunately, the result is a letdown, the scallops were slightly rubbery and the taste of the white truffle non-existent. There’s equal disappointment with another signature dish, the gaeng hunglay (Northern-style red curry with pork belly fillet, served with roti, B290). The pork was terribly dry while the curry was so bland in flavor it reminded us of canned soup. Fortunately, other dishes fair much better. The pla samlee dad diew-yam mamuang (deep-fried cotton fish with a spicy mango sauce, B450), was delicious, even if it does come heavily breaded, making it more like a Thai-inspired version of fish and chips. The kua kling nua (Southern-style spicy stir-fried pork with curry paste, B240) is another stand-out, as long as you’re OK with the fact that they’ve really held back on the spiciness and flavor. It’s a criticism that can be leveled on a lot of their Thai dishes. They’re satisfying but a long way from authentic. That, and the prices, probably show you who the restaurant is aiming at: Wealthy Thonglorites who don’t mind paying for inter dishes with a Thai twist; and people looking for somewhere that’s pleasant and reliable to bring out-of-towners who can’t quite handle the heat.

 W@C terrace and bar open Sun-Thu 5pm–midnight, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am.

Venue Details
Address: Curries & More by Baan Khanitha, 31 Sukhumvit Soi 53, Bangkok, Thailand
Phone: 02-259-8530-5, 084-929-4123, 088-249-8191
Website: www.curriesandmore.com
Cuisine: Thai, Western
Price Range: BBB
Opening hours: daily 10am-10pm
Live music, Parking available
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Curries & More by Baan Khanitha