Why Len is still Zen

FOUR MONTHS after closing down to undergo renovations, Len Zen eatery at K Village is back in business with a new and sophisticated look and a new name –Roi Bistro by Len Zen. Once a popular haunt with office workers on Rama IV Road for its terrific boat noodles known as guaytiew ruea, it has also redesigned its menu and is now billing itself as a contemporary bistro with a wide choice of international and fusion dishes. 
A colour palette of blue, gold and grey bathes the restaurant in a calming ambience with the wooden floor and furnishings adding warmth. The open floor plan gives off a spacious feel while also allowing tables and chairs to be arranged to suit diners’ needs. 

“We opened seven years ago at the same time as K Village, so it was time for a complete overhaul,” says co-owner Malinee Tosakul, who also runs Big Blue Production.
“We agreed to opt for a completely new look and a new concept. The word ‘Roi’ implies different things. It’s a short form of aroi, the Thai word for delicious, and in French means ‘king’, which is co-owner/filmmaker Somjing Srisupap’s nickname. By rebranding we expect to expand to our customer base to include family groups, though we have kept guaytiew ruea on the menu for our loyal clients,” she says.
Talented chef Nate-ampai Sarakosass of Triplets Cooking Studio is now part of the kitchen team and she offers all-day breakfasts, soups and salads, pastas and steaks as well as Japanese and Mexican delicacies. Thai classics like som tum and pad thai are also available together with inviting desserts. 

Organic pork and Thai-French beef noodles

A good start to any meal is a bowl of Len Zen’s signature boat noodles with your choice of beef or pork. It’s priced at Bt110 a big bowl with pork/beef slices, liver, braised meat or meatballs. You can also upgrade to Thai-French beef or organic pork for Bt180. Crispy fried pork crackling and fresh bean sprouts and sweet basil leaves come on the side and the soup contains nam tok for a more intense flavour and is cooked with a home-made seasoning of tamarind sauce, sugar, chilli and vinegar.

Vientiane Som Tum

Vientiane Som Tum (Bt140), the Lao version of the spicy papaya salad, is hot enough to please the Thai palate and sees the papaya finely sliced rather than shredded so it resembles thin, wide rice noodles. It is cooked with fermented fish sauce that is boiled with herbs to tone down the strong smell, then topped with crispy pork crackling and shredded carrot. 

Nicoise Salad with Seared Tuna

For a light meal, opt for the Nicoise Salad with Seared Tuna (Bt350), made with olives, cos lettuce, potatoes and confit potatoes with French vinaigrette dressing as well as the tuna.

Steak Fajitas with Warm Tortilla

Steak Fajitas with Warm Tortilla (Bt450) can be both an appetiser and a main dish. The beef tenderloin slices are seasoned with cumin, coriander seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper before being seared until medium rare then served with cheese, bell peppers, onions, parsley and sweetcorn topped with mayonnaise seasoned with lime juice and drizzled with paprika powder. The fajitas are served with warm tortilla as wrappers. There are also three dipping sauces available: red made from bell pepper, green from jalapeno chilli pepper, and sour cream.
“The dish is inspired by the Mexican street food called elote, which is boiled or grilled sweetcorn seasoned with mayonnaise and other spices. To eat, just wrap all ingredients in the tortilla,” says Nate-ampai who used to work at Vermilion restaurant in Chicago, which is known for its Indian and Latin tapas.

Roasted Baby Chicken

Roasted Baby Chicken (Bt650) is also tempting with the whole baby chicken coming with mashed potato, sauteed spinach and roti jus. 
“The whole baby chicken is marinated with thyme and mirepoix – a mixture of cooked and diced onion, carrot and celery – overnight before a second marinade in confit for another night. It’s then slowly roasted until golden brown,” adds Nate-ampai.

Fried Aubergine Teriyaki

Throughout this month, Roi Bistro is marking the Vegetarian Festival with a selection of dishes including Fried Aubergine Teriyaki (Bt210) featuring a rice bowl topped with slices of batter- fried Japanese purple aubergine, shredded ginger, chopped Japanese green onions and teriyaki sauce. 

French Toast

Bread is baked fresh everyday and for her French Toast (Bt250) Nate-ampai opts for the braided Jewish ceremonial loaf known as challah.
“I like the texture of challah bread and I make it in loaf style without any food additives and margarine. The bread is dipped in custard before baking and is then pan-seared with butter. It’s topped with home-made strawberry sauce made from fresh strawberries and whipped cream,” says the chef.
Equally inviting is Tart Au Citron (Bt220) – a tangy lemon tart with lemon curd served with home-made chewy marshmallow.

WORLDLY WONDERS
 Roi Bistro by Len Zen is on the second floor of K Village mall on Sukhumvit Soi 26 and opens daily from 11am to 9pm on weekdays and until 10pm on weekends.
Book a table at (02) 661 3438.