Hungry for 2018

THAI TUMMIES were rumbling anew as the year neared its end. The inaugural Michelin Guide Bangkok sprinkled 17 coveted stars among worthy restaurants in the capital. 
The Tourism Authority of Thailand promptly triggered a little indigestion with a proposal to spend Bt140 million on a five-year promotion for the star-earning restaurants, but there’s no denying that we all still hunger for a share of global culinary glory.
Here’s a look at what’s likely to happen next.

A Michelin star set street-food outlet Jay Fai ablaze this month. Supinya Junsuta’s modest shophouse restaurant was already popular without the international spotlight.

THE MICHELIN MAN COMETH
The big surprise when the Michelin ratings were announced about a month ago was the inclusion of a little shop serving humble street food. Jay Fai, sharing the nickname of proprietor Supinya Junsuta, was always popular and busy, but, with a Michelin star to flaunt, the lady is fairly run off her feet now. 
The accreditation put Jay Fai on a par with posh fine-dining “destinations” like David Thompson’s Nahm, Joel Robuchon’s L’Atelier and Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin. Nuntiya Hame-ung-gull of Gourmet One Food Service was impressed.
“Michelin can help boost the Thai food industry,” she points out. “The guide puts the international spotlight on local dining outlets – and not just the expensive restaurants, but the street hawkers too.” 
All the places that earned a star have queues at the door now, Nuntiya says, and that’s not just a fashion that will fade – “this is ongoing recognition”.
Claire Dorland Clauzel of the Michelin Group says the Asian “gastronomy landscape” has improved so much in the past decade that great restaurants were bound to begin appearing. “The chefs are now going to push farmers to produce top-quality ingredients through quality processing, and the result is a good ecosystem.”
Gourmet Litti Kewkacha notes that Thai fine dining shows strong potential, even as the global trend is headed back to casual dining.
“We’ve only had true fine-dining establishments in Thailand in recent years because street food has always been our tradition,” says Litti, who runs the dessert cafes Sfree, Parferio and Kyo Roll En.
“In coming years we’ll see many foreign chefs open branches of their Michelin-star restaurants in Bangkok.”

The Michelin Guide Bangkok’s arrival is expected to have a major impact on the Thai culinary scene.

Clauzel says a Michelin-ranked restaurant will generally enjoy see revenues rise 50 to 100 per cent, while a mere mention in the guide can boost income by 10 to 20 per cent. Getting in that guide will be huge motivation, Litti says.
“They are learning what the Michelin inspectors look for, because earning a star can help drive high revenue. And it’s a good chance for Michelin to learn more about our culture. At the same time, we must improve to international standards, particularly in service and consistency. 
“Usually about half the people eating at fine-dining restaurants are tourists, mainly from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan,” he notes. “Michelin has a long history and is recognised by tourists, and on average they’re willing to spend Bt2,000 each on fine dining here, which is still cheaper than in other countries in the region.”
Nuntiya believes the Thai food industry continues to grow despite the country’s unstable economy because food is such a significant factor of life. The volume of imported and local ingredients consumed in Thailand grew by 20 per cent this year, she says. 
Her company supplies those ingredients to hotels and restaurants across the country. 
“It’s not just the international food chains that will open outlets in Bangkok, but also several five-star hotels. The Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton are due to open with their own branded fine-dining restaurants. People these days are knowledgeable about food and about value for money. They even study up on the chefs’ profiles. It all adds up to a vibrant and versatile the food scene.”

SPACES FOR SPICES 

Central Embassy’s co-living space Open House has a dozen restaurants among the places to read, play, work and admire art.

The “creative spaces” that have opened around Bangkok, like ChangChui and Lhong 1919 in Thonburi and Open House at Central Embassy, have their own jumbles of bars, craft shops and art galleries – and invariably an array of unusual culinary experiences. 

The Na-Oh Museum & Restaurant will take diners on culinary flights of fancy aboard a decommissioned airliner.

The dining will be both fine and adventurous when the Na-Oh Museum & Restaurant opens at ChangChui in February. You’ll absolutely need reservations to board the refurbished (and now stationary) jetliner and sample elegant fare among a menagerie of stuffed animals. 

You get bugs with your nachos at Insects in the Backyard.

Already in operation there is Insects in the Backyard with its menu of dishes made with edible bugs. Seared scallop with pan-fried bamboo caterpillars, ravioli stuffed with giant water beetles and vanilla ice cream with silkworm chips are among the unusual temptations. 
And, as chef Thitiwat Tantragarn points out, insects are low in calories and rich in protein and nutrients.

Nai Harng at Lhong 1919 in Thonburi takes its cues from the street-food stalls of Chinatown.

Lhong 1919 is the new name of a revamped steamer dock of that vintage on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River. It’s now home to restaurants, craft shops and an events hall, and in a former rice warehouse is the Thai-food restaurant Rong Si (Rice Mill), all rustic roof tiles and other trappings of the past. Next door is Nai Harng (Big Boss) serving Thai-Chinese dishes that nod to the street-food stalls of Bangkok’s Chinatown.
The sixth floor of Central Embassy is now a vast, co-living space called Open House, complete with a dozen eateries offering diverse cuisine.
“It’s about the new lifestyle approach of combining many interests in one place,” says the mall’s managing director Barom Bhicharnchitr. 

ROOM FOR DESSERT
Not even the current fad surrounding Japanese cheese tarts has dampened diners’ ardour for long-standing Bangkok dessert cafe After You. You still have to queue at any outlet for a portion of Shibuya honey toast and kakigori (shaved-ice dessert). 

Kyo Bar serves anmitsu (a mixed dessert) in a wooden box fogged by dry ice.

Another phenomenal success this year was the booths set up at malls and Skytrain stations by venerable Thai tea brand Cha Tra Mue, which has been a national habit for more than 70 years. Its ingenious brainstorm this year was a soft-serve ice cream made with its powdered, Thai tea. Again with the queues! 
New on the scene is Kyo Bar at Siam Paragon, run by brothers Litti and Dej Kewkacha, who turn flour and eggs into unexpected shapes, such as a serene Zen garden or a hot-spring tub. Customers perched in the 14 seats at the counter bar can’t fail but be enchanted. 
“We’re taking sweets to the high end,” says Litti. “Japan and Singapore have fine-dining dessert bars and Thai pastry chefs are really creative, so the potential is definitely here.”

Tsujiri serves authentic Japanese green tea.

It pays to specialise. Popular Japanese teahouse Tsujiri is sharing its authentic drinks and desserts made with green tea at the EmQuartier. Top orders include the hot O-Matcha Cappuccino and Tsujiri Sundae, with its layers of brown rice, red-bean sauce and green-tea soft cream.
Lovers of sweet potatoes muster at South Korean dessert cafe Bora at Siam Paragon. Their favourite vegetable becomes bingsu (ice flakes and chips in puree), soft-serve ice cream and a latte.