Gaa, Bangkok
First of all, I have seen myself in the future! There was a gentleman by himself as well. Maybe I should have invited him, yet he started probably 30 mins earlier than me. Besides, he was certainly interested in a Russian waitress in the restaurant. He looked enjoying himself for sure, with the lovely wine pairing. I was literally thinking, this will be exactly me in 20 years, likely still dining alone during trips. It was a sense of freedom but equally a sense of sadness, though I enjoyed it at least for now.
Tables for me and another individual man
The menu looked very theatrical and was fun to read. The set is organised in a more western style, snacks, fish, main and desserts. I also got the juice pairing, although it is not cheap at all. I was very happy in general in Thailand as many restaurants provide non-alcohol pairing.
Menu
I have not had oyster for a while, and I got amazed here, or surprised. The seasoning was actually milky and sugary, which was a very bold choice. The untraditional way significantly hid the strong oceanic flavour that might put off many customers. The actual oyster flavour and texture only popped up in mouth after a few seconds. I could see someone who eats oyster often will find this ruin the experience of nice oyster; however, I think the chef made a great trial to create a different flavour, which I appreciated a lot.
Oyster - Gillardeau, Macadamia Milk, Caramelised Vermicelli
The next fish dish, Tuna, was nice too. I felt it was a combination of either Japanese or European as the raw tuna, southeast or south Asian as the somsa chili. Similar to the previous oyster, I liked the chef made a bold seasoning choice, which here is chili. The only criticism I might have, was the wrap, Khakra. It was nice and crispy, yet how could I assemble things together? Particularly there was some light soup in the bowl. I ended up use cutlery but if there were less soup I might just directly use the wrap.
DIY Bhel - Tuna, Somsa Chili, Khakra
The ‘Summer Curry’ was a fun name and dish. It is a pre-main course, fruity flavoured Ice and a few deep-fried sticks (I could not remember but judging by the menu, they were banana leaves?) The coconut and apple ice were refreshing, but not too intense as a sweet dessert. Obviously, this is not a difficult dish to make. Nevertheless, it was a great concept.
Summer Curry - Blue Swimmer Crab, Grilled Banana Leaves, Coconut & Green Apple Ice
I also had a nice durian meat here! I certainly dislike the smell of durian in the fruit market, yet it did not smell much here, probably because they are cooked. I was told to mix everything on the bread as a wrap. The warm durian had a very creamy and solid taste, while the toppings were spicy. It gave me a strong feeling of Indian vibes with a Thai touch. I found this entire mini set is a complicated but joyful game.
The Tandoori Story - Durian, Roselle Saag, Bread & Pickles
Last, unfortunately, I disliked both desserts. (1) They were both warm, in fact very warm, especially the Patoli, a type of rice cake, and (2) they were both completely non-sweet. Despite that I absolutely hate French style over-sweet desserts, here they were worse. The ‘Chiang Mai Raspberry & Beetroot, Cigar Roll’ is sour mostly because of the raspberry and beetroot, while ‘Patoli’ is rice cake with a bit of sugar syrup and strong cinnamon kind of spicy, which had a very strange taste.
Chiang Mai Raspberry & Beetroot, Cigar Roll; Patoli
I just realised I made some complaints in my write-up, but I actually liked this restaurant. All dishes were fun, and the chef put thought in them. Yes, there were some dishes that I struggled to find a nice and elegant way to consume, and the desserts were out of my taste at all. However, I would rather see bold and creative experiments than boring posh but unsurprising dishes. Therefore, I will certainly recommend here.
🐼 Score: 4/5
