Your comfy, cosy Village Garden

A passionate cook with a dream of owning her own restaurant, Saranya Kunavichayanont decided the only way she could realise her ambitions was to learn from the best. Her first course was in professional Thai cooking at the Oriental Hotel and she then followed up with two years Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School earning diplomas in cuisine and patisserie.

 

Last year, she brought her dream to reality, with the support of her family by opening the casual Village Garden - a sleek, cube-shaped building with a garden on Soi 33 off Rama II Road. 

 

When the weather’s clement and the sun’s not too strong, it’s a good place to chill with the family, sitting outside so the adults can enjoy their meal while the little ones run around.

 

The air-conditioned interior with its floor-to-ceiling windows, bare cement walls and retro hardwood furniture and comfy sofas also offers a comfortable retreat. Plant life thrives, WiFi is free and there are stacks of magazines to browse through, making it a lovely place to linger.

 

Before you begin lingering in earnest, though, take time to read the extensive menu, which features a range of European food with intriguing twists to please the Thai palate and a bold use of spices and seasonings. You can have duck confit with dried chilli, fried potato with fried garlic along with such Thai favourites as spicy salad and spiced minced meat. 

 

“Instead of opening a fine-dining establishment where a dress code and etiquette are required, I wanted my place to be somewhere between a brasserie and a bistro, a place where customers feel comfortable and enjoy with home-cooked foods. Many Thais don’t like cheesy and creamy dishes, so I add Thai herbs and spices,” says Saranya.

 

Her spiced fried potato (Bt120) comes in cubes and is full of dried chilli, crispy fried garlic, pepper and parsley. Saranya uses an American potato for its thick and mashed- potato-like texture and boils it until it is half-cooked before frying it at a high temperature then tossing it butter and herbs.

 

Fresh duck confit is the star here and is used as the main ingredient in many dishes. Duck confit with bigarade sauce (Bt180) offers a well-browned and crisp duck leg that some might find a little salty. It is served with sauteed thick potato and fried rice cooked with butter, garlic, thyme and salt. There’s also duck confit fried rice with dried chilli and mushroom (Bt90) and duck confit spaghetti (Bt200) mixed with champignon mushroom, sweet basil and dried chilli.

 

Baked New Zealand mussels with mozzarella cheese (Bt180) is a pleasing dish, with extra flavour given to the mollusks by cooking them with eringii mushroom, garlic and white wine. For a sharp flavour, try spicy fried eringii mushroom and grilled pork salad (Bt190), in which the mushrooms are dipped in batter and deep-fried until golden brown and cooked with spicy sauce. A topping of pounded peanuts adds a crispy texture.

 

The Caesar salad (Bt150) featuring nothing other than fresh and crisp vegetables was disappointing and the grilled salmon on a bed of spinach with balsamic vinegar was overcooked.

 

However, the maple toast (Bt180) was awesome! Anyone concerned about calories might hesitate before ordering but this chunky French bread with lashings of butter and maple syrup and served with homemade vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and seasonal fruits is simply too good to miss. The toast is baked for about 15 minutes at 200-250 degrees Celsius so that it’s crisp on the outside but soft inside.

 

“I personally find honey has too much of a sweet aftertaste and in any case, some people are allergic to honey, so maple syrup is a great alternative,” says Saranya.

 

GREAT OUTDOORS

The Village Garden is on Soi 33 (often called Soi Wat Yai Rom) off Rama II Road. It’s open daily from 11am to 2pm, and 5 to 10pm. |Call (02) 427 9989.