Petals for the palate

BCDE stands for “bistro of creative drinking and eating” and is the only all-day dining venue of this seven-storey hotel. The floral menus, many of which were introduced last year and met with positive feedback, focus on native blooms like dok khajon (cowslip creeper blossoms), sanoh (Sesbania flowers), dok kae (vegetable humming bird), dok krajiab (roselle), kularb (rose), anchan (butterfly peas) and dala (red torch ginger). The dishes are garnished with colourful blossoms that make them as appealing to the eye as to the palate.

Your meal could start with cowslip creeper blossoms salad with crispy soft shell crab (Bt180). Served in a fried spring roll wrapper, the salad is light and slightly tangy, with shrimps adding a different texture and shredded red torch ginger providing the spice. Some diners may be familiar with the classic dish of deep-fried shrimps with tamarind sauce, but chef Ittichai Sawatdironnaphak opts for deep-fried dory with roselle sauce (Bt390).

“Tamarind sauce may have too much zest for some diners and I think roselle, with its tangy but sweet taste, makes a good substitute. It also goes well with the naturally sweet taste of fish topped with fried kaffir lime leaves, shredded ginger and sweetened roselle,” says Ittichai.

For its version of choo chee that usually features sea fish fried in red curry sauce and kaffir lime leaves, BCDE serves grilled chicken in red curry topped with shredded kaffir lime leaves and pickled ginger (Bt290). On the side are crispy fried flowers of butterfly pea, rose, cowslip creeper blossoms, vegetable humming bird and red torch ginger, which are coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried until golden brown. It’s best paired with rose-scented, steamed jasmine rice (Bt49) decorated with red fairy roses.

“Grilled chicken is easy to eat for most diners, no matter their nationality. When ordering red curry, many of our foreign customers request bread too and this inspired me to serve this dish with crispy fried flowers,” says Ittichai.

For a healthy dish, nothing is better than kaeng liang or spicy mixed vegetable soup. Ittichai maintains traditional ingredients like grounded pepper, shrimp paste, basil, angled loofah, and mushroom but adds cowslip creeper blossoms, sesbania flowers, vegetable humming bird, the flowers of Chinese cabbage and river prawn. The dish (Bt320) is also decorated with fresh rose petals, shredded red torch ginger and fresh vegetable humming bird.

The desserts too have plenty of flower power. Ittichia gives a twist to the familiar red ruby-like water chestnut in coconut cream sauce with his water chestnut panna cotta that is coloured blue with extract of butterfly pea flowers (Bt185). For drinks, there’s roselle juice and butterfly pea juice (Bt69 each) that are equally refreshing. 

The floral menus can be ordered a la carte or as five-course sets for Bt999 and Bt1,199 per person. 

 

BITE INTO A BLOSSOM

>> The floral menus are available until June 30. 

>> BCDE is at Lit Bangkok Hotel on Kasemsan Soi 1 (opposite the National Stadium). It’s open daily from 10.30am to 11pm. Call (02) 612 3456 or visit www.LitBangkok.com.