Welcome to 'my house'

HER GRANDFATHER Binich Sampatisiri was a food aficionado and the founder of the now-closed French fine-dining restaurant Ma Maison at Swissotel Nai Lert Park Bangkok. So when Naphaporn Bodiratnangkura completed her renovations of the family’s century-old teak house right next to the hotel and turned it into a heritage home, she had no hesitation in giving her Thai restaurant the same name.

Her great-grandfather Lert Sreshthaputra (1872-1945) – better known as Nai Lert– was a notable businessman who ran Thailand’s first public transportation services including horse-pulled carriages, a white bus and a white ferry and was later given the royal title Phraya Bhakdinorasreth by King Vajiravudh (King Rama VI). He built this home on the bank of Saen Saeb canal in 1915 and it passed down through the generations from his daughter, the late Thanpuying Lersakdi Sampatisiri, to her children, Bilaibhan Sampatisiri and Sanhapit Bodiratnangkura who is Naphaporn’s mother. 

“I want to bring back what my ancestors created, so I borrowed the name of Ma Maison, which opened in 1983. The house has now opened its doors to the public after three years of major renovation work and new landscaping of the grounds and aims to reflect a chapter in Thai history as well as the spirit of my family. We built the restaurant to complement the services offered to visitors and are keeping it strictly in the family by offering dishes cooked to the recipes of my great-grandmother Khunying Sinn,” Naphaporn says.

Visitors to the heritage home can admire Khunying Sinn’s portrait drawn by Krikbura Yomnage that shows her sitting on the stairs as she instructs her kitchen staff in their daily duties. Nai Lert was known for entertaining his friends and business associates and Khunying Sinn was always busy experimenting with new ingredients.

The new glass-wrapped Ma Maison is surrounded by the beautiful garden landscape and can accommodate about 100 diners. There’s a bar when you can sit all day, an alfresco area to relax over food when the weather is nice as well as an air-conditioned dining area made more intimate by lots of wood and shelves bearing knickknacks. A private room for up to 15 persons is also available.

Among Khunying Sinn’s unique dishes is Nai Lert’s crispy vermicelli soup with shredded pork and shrimps (Bt240) that gets its sharp sour kick from lime and tamarind juices and the Thai citrus fruit som saa. The crisp-fried vermicelli topping adds the crunch. Another family recipe is hor mok khao hor mok pla – a duo of spicy minced fish curries steamed in banana leaf and served with steamed rice cooked with the leftover fish curry and wrapped in banana leaf (Bt160). 

Highly recommended are moo sarong or minced pork balls wrapped in crisp-fried threads of noodles (Bt160) prepared to a century-old recipe and the gaeng khee lek, a creamy curry of young cassia flowers sweetened with coconut sugar and served with your choice of grilled pork, beef or fish (Bt300). For a slightly spicy kick, order a set of thinly slices of grilled beef with Isaan-style jaew dipping, spicy papaya salad or som tam and steamed sticky rice (Bt350).

The menu also offers a selection of European classics including minced pork croquette (Bt180) and stewed ox tongue with spaghetti (Bt680).

And to mark Valentine’s Day today, Ma Maison offers a five-course surprise menu for dinner at Bt3,800 per person or Bt5,200 with wine pairing.

  

 

AT HOME IN THE GARDEN

>>Ma Maison at Nai Lert Park Heritage Home on Wireless Road is open daily for lunch, 11am to 2pm, and for dinner from 6 to 9pm. 

>>Call (02) 655 4773 or visit “Nai Lert Park Heritage Home” page on Facebook.