Where dining dreams come true
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Simple food that makes you feel good is the policy at the Garden of Dream
MR Sudhipanee Yukol loves to eat. Ranitar Charitkul loves to cook. They’re the dream team behind the Garden of Dream, where the home-style roast chicken never fails to evoke fond memories of your mum.
The dining area feels cosy despite the big kitchen up front where Ranitar pursues her labour of love without the slightest hint of star chef on display.
“We like to keep things simple,” says Sudhipanee, 36, “just like cooking for friends visiting us at home.
“I think most of our customers get that feeling, and that’s why get calls for reservations and they say, ‘Are you in? We’ll drop by for dinner!’ Even if you come alone, you don’t feel awkward. And we often make new friends here.”
The decor reflects both Ranitar’s artistic, creative flair and Sudhipanee’s sweet, feminine sensibilities. Seating for 30 occupies a sort of small gallery within a lovely garden worth dreaming about. Some of the chairs are “recycled” and there are tables with old sewing-machine bases.
Dream gardens are often symmetrical, with rows of plants radiating out from a central hub as in a mystical mandala, symbolising the wholeness of the inner self. Pools of water and fountains embody spiritual energy. This is a place to heal from any discord and unease.
“We’ve always dreamed of having a lovely small garden because we both love nature,” says Sudhipanee.
“When we were discussing the name of the restaurant, trying to decide between Garden of Dream or Dream of a Garden, we realised it would be better to have the initials GOD for the salad on our menu instead of a DOG salad!” she laughs.
The flavours of the food are certainly divine. It mixes Thai and Western dishes, though not exactly fusion style. Ranitar uses top-quality ingredients and keeps everything light and tasty in modest portions, as women tend to prefer.
With five years’ experience in restaurants in New Zealand, Ranitar, 33, spent 14 years abroad in all and says she “grew up in a kitchen” – her parents ran a restaurant. She raves about her father’s roast pork spareribs.
“What I learned from them is that good food doesn’t have to be really fancy. Just simple, everyday cooking makes you feel good. That’s very important.
“To be a good cook you need a sense of tongue palette, which has to be cleared after every taste. Whatever I like to eat, that’s what I tend to make for my customers. When I make curried chicken, I prefer to roast the chicken rather than boiling it so the meat is juicer and more tender.”
Ranitar says she uses mixed yoghurt in place of cream in her salad dressings. “The taste is clear and can be salty, sweet or sour,” Sudhipanee points out.
Among the recommend dishes are the Grilled Holoumi Salad, with the firm, salty Cypriot cheese grilled and then served with fresh tomato salsa, and Pan-fried Hoki with couscous and gooseberry salad. The couscous makes a nice, light change from rice.
In Valentine’s Duck with Chocolate Sauce, you get duck breast marinated in spicy herbs and tealeaves to soften and scent it. Ranitar sears the skin side for crispness, then roasts the breast. The bittersweet chocolate and a little extra salt make the dish absolutely marvellous.
Other diners swear by the pasta dishes in various sauces. For dessert, though, Individual Peach Tatin served with ice cream wins the popular-choice award.
The menu benefits further from the expert criticism of Sudhipanee’s parents – Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol and Paranee Jethsomma. “They both love our food,” she says. “Sometimes we cook for them at home, trying out a new dish. My mother will be frank about whether she likes it or not and whether it’s too salty or whatever.
“I really appreciated their support – certainly they’re my idols while I’m following my dream!”
JUST LIKE MUM’S
<< Garden of Dream is just inside Sukhumvit Soi 51 and a 10-minute walk from Exit 2 of the Thonglor BTS station.
<< It’s closed on Wednesdays but open every other day from 5 to 11pm and on Sundays from 11am to 8pm.
<< Book a table at (02) 662 5057.
