Treats for the tummy

Now it’s Shintori’s turn to shine. One level up from Zense, the newly opened Japanese restaurant promises a range of modern dishes that are as appealing to the eye as to the palate.

Allan Namchaisiri, the president of Zen, is a loyal fan of Shintori in Shanghai and it was his idea to bring this upscale eatery to Bangkok’s well-heeled diners. Entry is via a massive wooden door that opens to reveal a spacious polished cement warehouse interior with tall ceilings. This 900-square-metre dining area can accommodate 300 diners and features four main focal points. The restaurant’s pride is the floor-to-ceiling, glass-wrapped open kitchen on the east side, which offers those seated in the area a close-up glimpse of the culinary team hard at work in their magnificent surroundings.

At the west is a sushi counter manned by chefs while to the north is the cocktail bar, a wonderfully relaxing space to enjoy an aperitif. The most popular side looks south with a glass wall that offers a terrific view over the city. The outdoor zone with four private areas is scheduled to open soon. 

The restaurant was jointly conceptualised by Allan, Jeremy Guo, the founder of Shintori Shanghai, and noted Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag and is minimalist with an emphasis on simplicity and elegance. Basic geometric shapes are prominent and materials appear in their raw forms on back tables and chairs. 

A good choice to start the dining experience is rock & roll salad (Bt400), which certainly lives up to its name. A chef prepares the dish at the table using a large glass tube containing green mix vegetables including red and green oaks, cucumbers, carrots and yama emo (lesser yam). He then conjures up a ginger onion dressing mixed with shoyu and olive oil, shakes to blend the ingredients and scoops them into a wooden bowl before topping the salad with bonito flakes. 

When it comes to sashimi, Shintori maintains the Japanese traditional essence with fresh ingredients served on a bed of ice. The premium sashimi assortment (Bt1,590) features a 21-morsel platter with otoro (fatty belly tuna), salmon from Norway, yellow tail, hirame (halibut), amaebi (sweet shrimp), tai (Japanese snapper) and giant ark clam. All the seafood is fresh, sweet and delectable. Smaller options are available on request with a nine-morsel set going for Bt590 and the 15-morsel set for Bt1,100.

I personally found the black olive-flavoured beef cubes (Bt650) a bit too sweet. The six cubes of pan-seared Australian beef, weighing 40 grams each, are served on a bed of crunchy fried gobo – burdock roots. The beef fillets are marinated with pear sauce to give them sweet zest before being dressed with black olive sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes and deep-fried basil leaves. 

If beef is not your thing, opt for grilled cod steak marinated with mono miso for five days to get a salty taste (Bt650). It’s served with Chinese pear slices marinated in wine. 

The desserts are so beautifully presented that it’s difficult to make a selection. Best then to go for the assorted desserts (Bt280), which feature morsels of cheesecake, green tea-flavoured chocolate ball, apple pie, green tea tiramisu and Thai tea pudding on spoons. Another pleasing sweet finish is tofu cheesecake (also Bt280) on a bed of crunchy rice crackers and topped with almond and dressed with caramel. 

Shintori is an ideal place to chill out at the end of the day and sip on one of the extensive cocktails, mocktails, sakes, wines and spirits. Those who prefer no alcohol should try the samurai – a mix of plum, lime and lemon juices together with strawberry puree and cranberry juice on top with soda – or Shintori fruit fusion – a collection of juices of lychee, cranberry, lemon and raspberry puree. They are Bt175 a glass. The signature cocktail Japanese grape (Bt350) has sake and white wine mixed with lemon juice, sugar syrup and seedless grape. 

 

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Shintori is on the 18th floor of Zen at Central World. It is open daily from 5.30 till late. Call (02) 100 9000 or visit www.ShintoriBangkok.com.