Cravings with a twist

A meal at Crave is both pleasing to the palate and refreshing to the brain, as chef Nachart Tengkanokkul sets aside rules and traditions and creates his own style of dishes with fun and yummy twists.

Perched on the eighth floor of the newly opened hotel Aloft Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 11, Crave sports an ambience that’s funky yet relaxing. Dressed in vibrant colours with plenty of curves and lines, the sizeable restaurant will suit groups of friends out for a good time as well as couples wanting a private, romantic tete-a-tete. The outdoor area is a great option for after-meal drinks and chatting, and a decent spot to enjoy a view of the bustling soi.

It’s never a problem to please everyone at the table when it comes to food, as Crave offers flavours for all craving.

“We don’t serve fusion food here,” insists Nachart. “What we do doesn’t fit the definition of fusion food.” He spent more than 10 years in top restaurants and hotels all over Australia, then decided to return to Thailand to man woks and ovens in high-end hotels including Landmark, JW Marriott and Le Meridien in Bangkok.

“A fusion is when you mix two things to create something new. What we do here is serve normal dishes with twists. There’s a lot of mixing and crossing of eclectic ingredients and cooking methods – though I would say the main cooking method I use is Western, as I was educated in Australia. It’s modern cuisine with twists. That’s how I’d describe it.”

The best way to enjoy the food here is to come with an open mind and a huge appetite, as the portions are very generous. Diners get a complimentary bowl of home-made pizza bread, kept warm with hot salt, that comes with savoury salsa sauce and garlic butter. For a tantalising appetiser, try kao kreab pak mor pla (Bt180), steamed rice dumpling with minced fish filling. This traditional Thai snack comes with a creamy lemon Hollandaise sauce, making it a refreshing and satisfying dish.

For a healthier option, order the 20-minute cured salmon (Bt300) where the salmon fillets are cured in salted water, Gravlax style, then served on a lush bed of greens, ginkgo and micro sprouts. The chef adds an explosion of flavours with spicy and sour vinaigrette as the dressing, which goes surprisingly well with the crispy cheese on top.

Not surprised yet? Then try the hearty black chicken confit (Bt490). The confit is served on traditional Italian mushroom risotto and topped with Brie cheese and truffle oil. The match may seem unlikely, but the subtle taste of the chicken goes down well with the tasty and creamy risotto, making it a very interesting and hearty main dish.

Another item to try is the steamed snow fish (Bt650) – a large chunk of snow-white fish stuffed with prawn and served on hot-and-sour sauce. You get quail eggs, crabmeat, pickled cabbage, mushroom and crispy little fish, too.

If you still have room for dessert, order a jumbo choux cream (Bt190). One is easily enough for two, as the size is phenomenal. The gigantic dough is filled with Movenpick chocolate ice cream and a bit of Kahlua, while the outside is slathered with smooth soft cream. Sinfully pleasing!
Crave also takes pride in its massive wine cellar, with more 3,000 bottles from 25 boutique label wines. Ask for an iPad menu and you can browse through the whole cellar in detail and tap to order.

Recommended labels include Italy’s Caldora Malvasia Chardonnay Colline, Chile’s Casa Marin Gewurztraminer Casona, Australia’s The Pump Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 2010 and France’s rose Cotes-de-Provence Rose Gas 2009.

DELICIOUSLY DARING
Crave is on the eighth floor of Aloft Bangkok, Sukhumvit Soi 11. It’s open for breakfast from 6.30 to 10.30am, for lunch from noon till 3pm and for dinner from 6 to 11pm. Call (02) 207 7080 or visit www.Alofthotels.com/bangkoksukhumvit11.