Chu’s the choice for chocolate

CHOCOLATE’S POPULAR and so is the Chu Chocolate Bar and Cafe, proof of which is in its second branch just opened off Sathorn Road. The chef is Chirayu Na Ranong, who left a job writing travel stories for the Bangkok Post to take a course in French cooking at the Dusit’s Le Cordon Bleu School.

Duly accredited, he went into business at the Exchange Building at the Sukhumvit end of Asoke in 2010 and called the place Chu, mingling his name and that of the doughy Spanish churros he loves (and makes very well).

Addictive French cakes, rich hot chocolate and aromatic coffee guaranteed that Chu would be a hit, and the addition of all-day breakfasts and quick Western meals sealed its success, so it was time to expand.

In January Chirayu opened the new outlet in the Glow Hotel on Soi Narathiwas 3, a well-appointed but cosy and casual spot with wooden floorboards, a black metal ceiling and giant windows. Its 200 square metres are taken up by three dining areas that spill outside. Grab a table or descend into a comfy sofa. 

“My menus come from what I like to eat,” Chirayu says, and by that he means churros with chocolate dip. Obviously the office workers and resident expatriates along Asoke shared his tastes, but the crowd got bigger when he began offering an all-day breakfast – complete with Eggs Benedict – and sandwiches, pasta and roast chicken.

“The meals typically involve full-flavoured food, served in large portions to really recharge your battery,” he says. “The ingredients are the best, like ham and sausages from Sloane’s on Sukhumvit 105 and French chocolate from Cacao Barry, as well as butter from France. Both branches are meant to be places where people can relax all day, and even with two branches, I’ve kept the food standards high.”

The newer outlet is the only one that has sweet-savoury Belgian waffles, made from yeast that’s allowed to ferment long enough to make them giddily puffy.

The choices include Chicken & Waffle with cider slaw (Bt300). The chicken is marinated in buttermilk to keep it tender, then fried and topped with a honey-Sriracha sauce so it’s both spicy and sweet. Chirayu (speaking as a veteran traveller) says the waffles-fried chicken combo is popular in the American South. “I immerse the chicken in buttermilk and cook it in such a way as to retain the soft and juicy texture, and the spicy Sriracha sauce tones down the meat’s natural greasiness.”

Sriracha sauce also goes into the mayonnaise that comes with the Pulled Pork Waffle (Bt250) A poached egg set in a rather astounding barbecue sauce is part of the package. “I use Sloane’s roasted pork in herbs and spices for 16 hours, and the barbecue sauce has a bit of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky to add aroma.” Aroma with a kick, perhaps.

Banana Caramel (Bt220) is another interesting waffle diversion, this one entailing banana, salted caramel, chocolate chips, whipped cream and a scoop of dark chocolate gelato. And the waffle in Berries & Cream (Bt250) adds warmed maple butter and vanilla gelato to the fresh berries and whipped cream. 

We’re starting to wobble with waffles, so a nice alternative is the magnificent Eggs Benedict, a pair of poached eggs with Dijon hollandaise on a buttermilk biscuit, accompanied by Sloane’s back bacon for Bt250 or smoked salmon for Bt290. Either way the eggs go great with a hot cappuccino (Bt100).

Chirayu says he wraps the eggs in olive-oil-coated plastic before poaching so they stay round and the texture’s nice and smooth. Dijon mustard and Tabasco sauce give the hollandaise a spicy, sour tang. 

The BBQ Pulled Pork (Bt320) is a terrific burger made with meat smoked for 16 hours and more of that Jack Daniel’s sauce and cider coleslaw. The Spaghetti & Meatballs (Bt290) uses pork shoulder and a marina sauce with ricotta cheese. 

Moving into the final stretch, the Peanut Butter Lava (Bt240) is a sure winner – chocolate cake filled with rich peanut butter and served with a scoop of refreshing raspberry sorbet. An excellent also-ran is the Hot 70 Percent Extra Dark Chocolate topped with marshmallows (Bt150). 

As if that weren’t enough temptation, there are a dozen kinds of cakes and pies on offer, such as Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pie and Tiramisu and Lemon Tarts.

And Chirayu gets his sweet cherry coffee from Roots, the beans originating in Chiang Mai’s Huay Nam Koon district. 

  

 

WAFFLE WONDERS

>> The Chu Chocolate Bar and Cafe is on the first floor of the Glow Hotel on Soi Narathiwas 3.

>> It’s open daily from 7am to 9pm.

>> Call (02) 636 8685 or visit the “Chu.BKK” page on Facebook.