Here comes the Sun and it's Red

After more than a decade of dishing out good food and beer to happy customers at Tawandang German Brewery, the management team is looking to spread its wings with Red Sun by Tawandang on the seventh floor of Siam Discovery.

 

Unlike its two microbreweries on Rama III and Ram-Indra roads, which boast large floor space with hundreds of seats, extensive menus and full-scale entertainment, the month-old Red Sun has just 125 seats and is decorated in a sleek and contemporary vibe.

 

With Bt20 million in investment, the all-day bistro sits right to large window, allowing natural light to stream during daytime but morphs into a chic spot ideal for drinks and dinner when night falls with a live band playing from early evening till late.

 

“We’ve gone from the standalone microbrewery catering to office workers, foreigners and families to a new business model offering modern Thai cuisine to young professionals in a prime shopping mall and in the very heart of Bangkok. However, we’ve still maintained our strong point, which is Thai cuisine prepared to typical Thai recipes,” says general manger Pakamart Phongboonkumlarp.

 

And of course, there’s the beer. The company is capable of producing 70,000 litres of beers per year and is the first Thai microbrewery brand to export its business overseas with two branches in Singapore. 

 

At Red Sun, you can sup Tawandang’s best-known three draught beers supplied by its Rama III branch. These are Lager, familiar to most Thais for its golden colour with a mild taste, a dark reddish brown Dunkel characterised by its smooth and tantalising scent of roasted malt, and Weizen, a brew with a fruity fragrance and foamy texture thanks to malted barley and aromatic hops. The 0.3-litre glass costs Bt95 while Bt130 and Bt260 get you a half-litre and a litre respectively.

 

The Tawandang brews may help draw customers, but Pakamart points out that Red Sun features a full bar with a wide range of wines, cocktails and mocktails. Margarita, kamikaze, vodka shot, kahlua milk and gin tonic go for Bt160 a glass while non-alcoholic drinks such as fruit punch, virgin colada and shirley temple are Bt120. The signature drinks are sweet arbutus juice shake (Bt90) and sweet mango with snowflake red wine for Bt180.

 

“About 70 per cent of the food is identical to the brewery but the rest are new creations. The portions are scaled down to match the urban lifestyle. At the brewery, our dishes are generally served as family feasts for sharing,” says Pakamart.

 

A perfect complement to the beer is the deep-fried pork knuckle (Bt380). That hasn’t been scaled down in size and each knuckle weighs about one kilogram. The front legs are used as they are lower in fat. Marinated in star of anise and cinnamon, the knuckle is pre-boiled then deep-fried until crisp and served with spicy sauce together with mashed potato and sauerkraut.

 

A new but light creation that also goes well with beer is grilled chicken with crispy skin served with Isaan-style jaew dipping sauce (Bt180). An appetiser worth trying is mieng (Bt180) offering boiled shrimps and rice vermicelli on a bed of cha plu leaves. Just wrap the combination with cha plu leaves and eat with the sweet peanut sauce that’s served on the side.

 

Another pleasing delicacy is yentafo (Bt240), a hotpot of red bean curd soup that comes with a separate platter of seafood balls and green morning glory stems. 

 

We were surprised to find pla som (preserved sour fish) and aom (spicy clear soup) in the menu.

 

“We believe urban diners sometimes yearn for these delightful dishes though they’re always concerned about hygiene,” says Pakamart. 

 

The fried pla som (Bt160) is a whole preserved carp topped with a generous amount of crispy shallot that’s fried until golden brown. It is served with dried chilli, slices of lemon, chopped fresh chilli and shallot. 

 

If sharp and strong flavours are your thing, the spicy clear soup with sea bass fillet (Bt220) won’t disappoint you. Also good is the spicy som tum (Bt120) though lotus stems are used instead of green papaya to provide a crisp texture, and blended with hot chilli, dried shrimp and freshwater crab. 

 

My favourite is the comfort dish of sauteed cabbage in fish sauce (Bt160). It looks simple and the cooking process sounds easy. But Pakamart quickly corrects that myth, explaining that the crisp and fresh parts of cabbage must be carefully selected and dried in the shade for a while to drain the water. They are later fried quickly in a large quantity of oil then dried again to drain the oiliness. Before serving, they are sauteed with fish sauce yet still retain their crisp texture. 

 

Meat lovers need to note that there is no beef on the menu because the owners - Supote Teerawatanachai and Sathien Setthasit – have always shunned beef.

 

REAL BREWS

Red Sun by Tawandang is on the seventh floor of Siam Discovery. It’s open daily from 11.30am to midnight. The live music starts at 6pm. Call (02) 658 0821-2.