Ain't nothing but a hound

TEARS shed when the much-loved Greyhound Cafe at the Emporium was forced to shut its doors a few months back while the complex underwent major renovations. Now the cutting-edge lifestyle brand is back in business with its finer-dining sister Another Hound taking over the first floor venue and already drawing in the crowds.

Celebrated interior designer Vitoon Kunalungkarn has given the space the chic and glam style for which the eatery is known with champagne-coloured mirrors, mosaic art and contemporary chandeliers. Seating 150 diners, the main area is partitioned off from the VIP room by black-painted folding steel doors though it seems that many patrons prefer the skyline zone that boasts plenty of glass and offers great views of Benjasiri park and Skytrain. 

This second branch of Another Hound Cafe follows in the footsteps of the first, which opened nine years ago at Siam Paragon. Fans of Greyhound Cafe need not worry though. It’s getting a new home in sister mall EmQuartier, which slated to open in April. 

And while the food at both the Hounds is delicious, Another Hound moves away from the “basic with a twist” concept to a more playful mix, blending herbs and spices with such esoteric ingredients as oysters from the US, New Zealand lamb and snow fish and kurobuta pork from Japan. 

The eatery has also joined up Moet Chandon for a champagne bar that offers bubbly complemented by fresh seafood. An excellent start to any meal is the Barron Point Premium Size Platter (Bt750), which offers four large Barron Point oysters from the US that are known for their chewy, sweet and buttery flesh. You can enjoy them as nature intended, with a drop of raw lemon juice or white wine vinegar or Thai style by garnishing them with golden fried shallot and garlic, Thai-style spicy sauce and a sprig of krathin leaves (white popinac). Wash them down with a glass of champagne to offset the intrinsic fattiness. 

Another great choice is the Spicy Andaman Lobster Carpaccio (Bt550) in which the sweet flesh of the thinly sliced Phuket lobster is enhanced by a spicy sauce made with a dab of wasabi and topped with fresh radish and local kood leaves. 

Chilled Zucchini Carpaccio (Bt220) is a delightful salad that’s bursting with unprocessed flavours. The fresh thin slices of zucchini go well with fresh avocado and crunchy pistachio drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt flakes and Parmesan cheese. Other option is Caesar Salad (Bt240) with crabmeat and a dressing made with fresh egg yolk, olive oil and Parmesan.

You can enjoy the Canadian Lobster Spaghetti (Bt1,290) cooked 

 with chilli and salt, with white wine tomato sauce and dried chilli or Thai style. Equally tempting is Ten Spices Grilled Lamb Chop (Bt950) where the lamb is marinated with Mexican Salsa Verde. 

And if you fancy spicy Thai-style rice, the Crab Bomb (Bt450) is a good choice with sweet crabmeat stir-fried with yellow bell peppers and string beans and served on top of steamed jasmine rice. For something more fiery, order Kurobuta Tom Zaab with Farfalle (Bt240), a delicious pasta dish of Kurobuta pork cartilage in spicy soup poured over farfalle. 

Steamed snow fish from Japan is also on the menu and gets an intense flavour from the Thai chillies and spices (Bt990). Topped with spicy sauce, the 250-gram chunk of fish – at first glance it looks like a cube of tofu – sits on a bed of shredded cabbage, leek and baby carrot. This dish requires a 20-minute wait, but it’s certainly worth every second.

The traditional Thai dessert of steamed pumpkin with coconut custard is given a Western twist by using butternut squash instead of pumpkin (Bt280). The custard is made from cream, coconut sugar and egg and baked rather than steamed. Caramelised sugar adds a crunch. Next up is the intriguing Thai Pandan Custard and Black Sticky Rice Creme Brulee (Bt140).

If you need to stay off the bubbly and other alcoholic drinks, the Earl Grey Iced Lime Tea (Bt180) and Very Berries Iced Tea (also Bt180) are delicious alternatives.

  

PEDIGREE PUP

>>Another Hound Cafe is on the first floor of the Emporium (BTS: Phrom Phong station) is open daily from 11 to 10. Call (02) 664 8663 or visit www.AnotherHoundCafe.com.