Sunday, February 1, 2015

[Bangkok] nahm

Thailand, one of the world's top tourist destination.  It's the country I've visited the most.  It's difficult not to fall in love with Thailand.  Tropical climate, wonderful people, and amazing food.  I have to admit I got bored of Bangkok my last trip a few years ago but my latest (biz) trip has rekindled all my love for Thailand.  Because of my schedule, I don't have as much time to update my blog so I encourage you to follow me on my Instagram (@letstalkfoodandetc) for the latest update of what I've been eating.  Regardless, I will still pick the most memorable restaurants and/or experience to elaborate on the blog. ;)  This month (January 2015), will be nahm.

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nahm is awarded the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants (Top 13) and Asia's 50 Best Restaurants (No. 1) by UK's Industry Publication, Restaurant Magazine (2014).  Even though I have a pretty generous budget when I travel on business, World's Top 50 is usually not in my scope.  The last time I was in Singapore, I thought about going to Waku Ghin but the price of the degustation menu really throw me off.  Not nahm.  It's very affordable and serves amazingly delicious food.  It may not be the authentic street food type of Thai food but a more elegant and sophisticated interpretation of Thai cuisine.  So, even if you are on a budget, I highly recommend nahm to you.

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Advance reservation is recommended.  It's difficult but not impossible (like Noma Tokyo).  I booked mine 2 weeks ahead and still only got a 9:30pm reservation on a Saturday and I should consider myself lucky.  I just checked their website and found out there are only 2 days left for dinner in February 2015...  (No exception made to hotel guests by the way...)  They are full every single day during my 2-week stay at COMO.  Dress is smart casual.  i.e., no shorts for men, no flip flops, etc.  You know the drill.  Even at 9:30pm on the day we went, the restaurant is still completely full.

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nahm offers both a degustation menu and a la carte.  Because we have 5 in our group and it's quite late already, we ordered a la carte.  Except for the desserts, I am very impressed with the food.  The seasoning is spot on.  If you ever watched those Japanese cooking/food themed animation where the ingredients and spices are singing to you, that's how I felt when I am eating these dishes.

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amuse bouche

I honestly can't tell what's in the globe but it's full of Thai spices and flavors
and the texture is excellent!
A very well executed amuse bouche to me!
Definitely set the right mood for the rest of the meal.
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prawns and coconut wafers with pickled ginger

again, the spices were singing to me in this dish.
however, I wish the prawns weren't diced so fine.
The texture is lost.
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Thai vegetable and fruit salad

Again, I love the seasoning!  One of my favorites dish of the night.
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Steamed coral trout with bang rak yellow beans and pickled garlic

This is perhaps the weakest of the three main dishes we ordered.
Taste-wise, it's like a milder version of the Cantonese style steam fish
but I appreciate the chef who has deboned the fish
My friends and I joked that this restaurant is catered to Caucasian after all.
no bones, no heads, no feet! hahaha!!!
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coconut and turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with calamansi lime

One of nahm signature dish and rightfully so.  I can eat this every week!
If you love crab but didn't want to make a mess, this is your dish.
Plus, the sauce is so thick and creamy.  Full of flavor but not too spicy.
(just stay away from the green chilis)
We almost licked the plate clean.  Hahaha!
(but be careful if you are allergic to coconut milk...)
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Stir fried wagyu beef with charred onions, oyster sauce, and thai basil

Another dish we loved.  Thai oyster sauce is much milder compared to the Chinese's
but works very well with the wagyu.
it's some melt-in-your-mouth goodness

In addition to the tasty food, the cocktails here are excellent as well.  My friend ordered one of their signature cocktails (forgot to take a picture) and we followed suit.  My friend's sabai looks more appealing to me but I am glad I ordered the tomyumtini, which tasted closer to my liking.  It tastes like a margarita but with tom yum and a kick!

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The desserts, however, did not "wow" me.  It is good but it's not at the same level as the main dishes.  The signature here is the durian sticky rice and my friends raved about it.   However, I don't eat durian so I didn't even try.  I would love to see a mango version of it.  Most of the desserts came in pairs.  For instance, the durian sticky rice came with the mangosteen.  We liked the pairing since durian and mangosteen is the king and queen of fruits.  In fact, when they brought out the mangosteen, I almost thought it was a cake (like a kueh tutu) that's shaped like mangosteen!

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sweet thai wafers with poached persimmons and golden duck egg noodles

This desserts is probably the closest to the theme of the main,
both in presentation and taste.
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custard apple in coconut cream with sesame biscuits

The sesame in the biscuits is very fragrant but I really don't know what to think of the custard apple
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pandanus noodles with black sticky rice,
water chestnuts, tapioca, and coconut cream

The taste and texture is good but I didn't feel this desserts match with the theme here.
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mangosteen, came with the durian sticky rice
Ground floor, Metropolitan Hotel, 27 South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120
Tel: +66 2 625 3388 
Email: nahm.met.bkk@comohotels.com
Hours: (Lunch) Monday - Friday 12pm - 2pm (Dinner) Daily, 7pm -10.30pm (last order)

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