A world of flavours at My Kitchen

THERE ARE six different restaurants under the same roof at My Kitchen at Siam Discovery, but more than that, you can order and pay with a touch of the fingertip thanks to the digital technology adding to the fun.
My Kitchen, which has an “Eat, meet, mingle” philosophy, marks Siam Piwat’s further expansion into the restaurant trade. 
The firm running Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery linked with Singapore-based Hotel Properties late last year to open Jamie’s Italian Restaurant at Siam Discovery. That’s “Jamie” as in British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

My Kitchen has a minimalist yet whimsical vibe as it serves dishes from six different restaurants.

Now there’s My Kitchen, a 1,000-square-metre sprawl with enough room for 250 hungry diners. The decor is minimalist, courtesy of Japanese design studio Nendo – tabletops in swirling shapes, a floor of white Volakas marble, circular white ceiling tiles, chairs and sofas in Kartell’s clear polycarbonate designed by Philippe Starck. 
There are even disco balls in the reception area, so you know this should be fun.

Windows all around afford panoramic views of the city. The Wi-Fi is free. There’s an area in the centre where they put on workshops and diners can join in. And every weekend there are noted singers putting on a show and a DJ spinning tunes. 
Six open kitchens serve different kinds of cuisine. You can have Thai from Nara, Isaan from Cafe Chilli, Japanese from Yuzu by Yuutaro, Cantonese from Man Fu Yuan, Western comfort food from Kuppadeli and desserts from Brix.

Diners can order and pay with ease via the tablet supplied at each table.

 

Instead of roaming around like you would at a buffet, though, you use the tablet propped on your table. It has all six menus with each dish pictured. You order what you like and later pay at the table too, using the credit card machine connected to the tablet. (Folks without cards can pay in cash the usual way.)

Yuutaro, which has branches on Sukhumvit Soi 51 and at Central Embassy, has adopted a fresh look with Yuzu by Yuutaro, aimed at the younger socialising crowd and keeping the prices wallet-friendly.
“Yuutaro’s been operating for three years with premium ingredients flown in from Japan, but that comes at a high price,” says owner Patara Limkunatham, 26. “At My Kitchen the prices won’t burn a hole in your pocket, and yet we don’t compromise on quality either. The set lunches start at Bt200, but there’s also premium sashimi available a la carte.”

Yuzu by Yuutaro’s Sashimi Selection A and Tuna Tataki Salad

That would be Sashimi Selection A, which will set you back Bt1,600 – it’s worth it, though: The platter of otoro, chutoro, akami, hamaji, salmon, salmon toro and scallop is big and the contents ultra-fresh. 
In the Tuna Tataki Salad (Bt280), the fish is sliced, seasoned with black pepper and lightly seared to yield a great aroma and flavour.

 

Salmon Engawa Roll

The Salmon Engawa Roll (Bt320) is equally tempting – salmon and seaweed rolled up and seasoned with ginger-flavoured soy sauce and topped with “fluke fin” (engawa), the chewy part of the flatfish called a fluke, which makes the dish crunchy and chewy.

Nara’s Diet Pad Thai, Crab Curry with Rice Vermicelli, and Mango Sticky Rice

Nara offers the all-time Thai favourite pad thai for Bt135, but in a “Diet” version. Julienne green papaya and carrot substitute for the usual rice noodles. 
Fried Rice with Fried Mackerel (Bt145) arrives in an old-timey divided tray – a whole fish and rice fried with shrimp paste, a boiled egg, sweetened shredded pork, fried eggplant in egg and assorted blanched vegetables.

Nara’s Fried Rice with Fried Mackerel

 

 

Spicy Soup with Bouncy Pork Balls, Corn Som Tam with Deepfried Sticky Rice Rolls, and Grilled Tumeric Chicken from Cafe Chilli

Cafe Chilli has great zaab delicacies (“very tasty” in the northeastern dialect). An authentic fiery kick comes from Spicy Soup with Bouncy Pork Balls (Bt230). Follow that with Thai-style Corn Som Tam with Deep-fried Sticky Rice Rolls (Bt140), where corn kernels take the place of shredded green papaya.
Grilled Tumeric Chicken (Bt250) is truly flavourful and can offset the spicy dishes – as long as you don’t dowse the chicken in the jaew dip at the side.

Classic Tea Smoked Duck and Crispy Roasted Pork from Man Fu Yuan

Man Fu Yuan is famous for its fine Cantonese fare, and at My Kitchen you can sample the celebrated Classic Tea-smoked Duck (Bt350), given a good Cantonese roasting and Szechuan smoking and enhanced with aromatic tea. The skin is crispy and the meat tender.
The Crispy Roasted Pork (Bt265) is not as oily as you might expect, and the Crispy Bean Curd with Salt and Pepper (Bt120) is a simple yet delicious mix of crisp-fried bean-curd balls seasoned with garlic. Both are tremendous.

Pumpkin & Asparagus Salad and Bacon & Egg Pizza by Kuppadeli

So is the aromatic coffee and Western food at Kuppadeli. The Pumpkin & Asparagus Salad (Bt180) mingles lightly grilled Japanese pumpkin and asparagus with pea sprouts, shaved Parmesan cheese and an olive oil seasoning. 
Perfect for sharing is the Bacon & Egg Pizza (Bt265) with its thin crust, crispy bacon, a duck egg and golden potato slices topped with creme fraiche.

Brix’s Hotto Keiki Original

Do leave room for the tempting desserts at Brix created by young chef-owner Nontawat Rojanasakchai. Hotto Keiki Original (Bt210) is a souffle pancake with vanilla ice cream, maple syrup, banana slices and almond crumble all served separately.

Lychee Raspberry Granita 

Presented in a fog of dry ice is the refreshing Lychee Raspberry Granita (Bt225). It entails lychee-flavoured granita stuffed with raspberry ice cream, with panna cotta as the base. Also worth trying is Brix Box Chocolate (Bt265), a slab of brioche filled with Belgian dark chocolate, on the side two scoops of vanilla ice cream and slices of fresh strawberries.
 
PRESS 1 FOR PLEASURE
My Kitchen, on the fourth floor of Siam Discovery at Bangkok’s Pathumwan intersection, is open daily from 10 to 10.
Catch the musical accompaniment any Friday or Saturday from 6pm.
Book a table at (02) 252 1763 or www.SiamDiscovery.co.th.