Take a bite of Little Beast

Rangsima “Nan” Bunyasaranand was trained by the CIA and is guarded at all times by a small but nasty-looking French bulldog known as Little Beast. She does, however, make fantastic food.

Filling out the story, Nan is the chef and co-owner of a Bangkok restaurant-bar called Little Beast and was trained not by the American spy agency but by the other CIA, the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Her teachers there included Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Jean-Georges Vongerichten of the Jean-George, both of which are restaurants boasting three Michelin stars.

And the dog is the pet of one of the other owners and actually quite cute enough to pose for the Bangkok restaurant’s emblem.

“At the CIA I learned all the basic French cooking techniques, like making the five kinds of main sauces and soup stocks,” says Nan. “When I returned to Bangkok I operated a private fine-dining catering service for four years. That was a big success, but as I grew older I wanted a relaxing place of my own where people could just hang out with friends and enjoy an evening meal.”

Drawing crowds of locals and expatriates, the posh, two-storey Thonglor bistro takes its cues from the New York style of the Roaring 1920s, all wood, steel, leather and black marble. 

The food portions are deliberately small because Nan wants to encourage diners to share around the table, in the fashion of Spanish tapas. She makes almost everything herself – the sauces, sausages, terrines and bread – using top-quality ingredients like French butter and S Pure pork. 

Traditional dishes with contemporary flair predominate, such as classic Irish corned beef (tongue) and cabbage enhanced with potato coulis and mustard seeds. Sunday brunch is a recent addition, offering all sorts of eggs, sandwiches, salads and desserts.

“We keep the prices reasonable so that anyone can afford to eat here,” says Nan. The Beasty Eggs, for example, are Bt350, and for that you get fried eggs and pork cheeks served in an aromatic, creamy sauce of black truffle, mushroom and red wine and topped with potato coulis. 

The juicy BBQ Pulled Pork is Bt300 and comes on jalapeno cheese buns with an apple-celery slaw and fries.

Egg in a Hole, also Bt350, sees the egg-topped crispy toast covered with spicy Sriracha sauce and a tomato salad with rocket and Iberico ham alongside. The Steak and Eggs features tender cubes of Australian wagyu rib eye and a pair of slow-poached eggs, potato, mushrooms and watercress. That’s Bt850.

Things get sweeter with crispy, nutty Walnut Sugar Toast (Bt150), a concept inspired by cream brulee. 

Among the terrific drinks on offer is rich Little Beast Homemade Hot Chocolate (Bt120), topped with a marshmallow Nan also made herself, and a healthy Beasty Mary (Bt195) concocted from Ketel One vodka and roasted-tomato juice along with the usual Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce and lime.

 

 

PET THE POOCH

>>Little Beast is at 44/9-10 Soi Thonglor 13 and open Tuesday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 1am (last orders at 10) and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. 

n Book a spot at (02) 185 2670 or www.Facebook.com/LittleBeastBar.