Dining at its roots

LOCATED NEXT to the kids’ playground and dog park in K Village community mall, Roots Bangkok evokes a sense of the traditional BBQ party, a place where family and friends can get together in the garden and enjoy charcoal grilled dishes, tailored cocktails and good music, while children and pets romp around.
Opened last year, this 100-seat bistro belongs to Thanattha “Tanya” Diket and her family, owners of an import and export business that has now expanded to include hospitality services. 

The indoor dining area gets a touch of the outside too with artificial leaves decorating the ceiling and wood covering the walls in a rustic ambience that’s surprisingly relaxing. 
But it’s the garden that holds the biggest appeal for families and the smokers. Sheltered from the sun by a towering tree, it’s furnished with a classic wood-fired stove, a mini counter bar, a Thai-style pavilion and a fountain. 
True to its slogan “let the good times roll to spirit of Roots”, the eatery also offers classic movies every Tuesday, sports games on the large-screen TVs and spins by some of Bangkok’s best DJs. 

“I graduated in hospitality from the Pacific International Hotel Management School in New Zealand and did my training in food and beverage management at the five-star Stamford Plaza Hotel in Auckland before moving to the Langham Hotel. Two years ago, I returned home to Bangkok and my family asked me to help set up Roots,” Tanya says. 
Roots offers a variety of signature dishes from different countries and innovative cocktails so it has become a good place to hang out. 

The kitchen is in hands of chef Nares Kotchompoo, who specialises in Italian and Mexican cuisine. For Roots, he cooks up an interesting fusion of Turkish, Italian, Jamaican and Thai delicacies. All dishes come in big portions, perfect for sharing and there are also plenty of salads, tapas, pastas and soups plus BBQ, pizza and Thai favourites.
“We focus on fresh and quality ingredients and have developed some recipes to meet Thai tastes. All sauces, salad dressings and yoghurt are home-made. We adhere to classic techniques, using eucalyptus firewood and charcoal for cooking the pizzas and steaks because they produce less smoke but make food fragrant,” he says.

 Classic Canadian Pizza

Nares recommends us to try the Classic Canadian Pizza (Bt320). Designed for eight hungry souls, it boasts a generous topping of sliced ham, bacon, black olives, bell peppers, shallots and mushrooms in a home-made tomato sauce mixed with extra virgin oil, onion and garlic. 
“Canadian Pizza has a thick but soft texture. We make the pizza dough fresh every day using yeast, pepper and sugar as well as olive oil to create a smooth and chewy texture,” he explains. 

Jerk Chicken

Crispy Jerk Chicken (Bt320) comes with Jamaican-style rice and peas. The chicken is marinated in a Turkish-style sauce made from cinnamon, clove, mint, oregano and imported chilli before being roasted in a wood-fire stove then grilled until the skin is crisp. 

Turkish Chicken Kebab

One of the best-selling main dishes is the Turkish Chicken Kebab (Bt280) that’s served with freshly baked Turkish bread, hummus and home-made yoghurt. The chicken thighs are marinated with rosemary, thyme, chilli powder and paprika before grilling.

 Lamb Chops

Also on offer are tender Australian Lamb Chops (Bt580) served with smooth mashed potato and home-made yoghurt and Greek Salad (Bt200) dressed with olive oil and 
 white wine vinegar. The latter is a mixture of cucumber, tomato, black olives, green olives, basil, green capsicum, shallots, black pepper and creamy feta cheese. Young guests under the age of seven get to pick their favourite dish for free from a special menu. 

The counter bar is manned by bartender Arnon Dangked, who placed second in the 2014 Barcadi Legacy Cocktail contest and he offers a wide range of special and classic cocktails and mocktails. 

Roots Slipper

His specials include the Roots Slipper (Bt240), a blend of Midori, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and egg white foam. For something a little less strong, check out the Strawberry-Lychee Punch (Bt260) with vodka, strawberry liqueur, lychee and lime juice and syrup. 

BACK TO BASICS
Roots Bangkok is on the ground floor of K Village, Sukhumvit Soi 26. It’s open Monday to Friday from 3pm to 1am, Saturday from 11.30am to 1am and Sunday from 11.30am to midnight. 
Call (02) 661 5227 or visit www.RootsBangkok.com.