A Dinner to Remember

I had only two evenings in Bangkok during this visit, and one was reserved for a formal poolside dinner at the hotel. On the other evening, a few of us decided to find out a great place for local Thai fare. The concierge directed us to Baan Khanitha, an upscale Thai restaurant which has two branches in Bangkok. We went to the one at Sukhumvit 23 Soi.

The restaurant looks like a re-converted house where each room has been turned into separate dining areas. Tiled roof, stone sculptures and potted plants made the place very appealing and homely. We decided to go with a set menu that came with a combination of a dozen items including starters, entrees and dessert.

As we ordered our drinks, they served us a complimentary starter that looked like a variation of the Indian paan. The idea was to stuff the ingredients - that included tiny fried shrimp and spicy condiments - into the leaf and eat it. It actually tasted good.

Our first starter was fried spring rolls served with sweet and sour plum sauce. The springs rolls were freshly made and fried just right. The sauce which was sprinkled with sesame made for a good combination.

Next came the Deep-fried Chicken wrapped with Pandanus leaves, the most popular starter at our table. The fried chicken was moist and the leaves had left their distinct flavor. We ordered another helping of this dish before we moved on to the next item.

Our final starter was the Spicy Papaya and Carrot Salad liberally mixed with seafood. The tangy flavor of the salad and the fresh seafood was refreshing as we moved on the spicier soup.

The Spicy River Prawns Soup with Herbs was my favorite Tom Yum Soup with a pretty large prawn. Very hot and spicy, the way I prefer this soup!

The Green Curry with Chicken came next. I tried both the white steamed rice and the brown local rice which was a very dark shade of brown and tasted really good.

The Stir-Fried soft-shell Crabs with Yellow Curry Powder Sauce was the mildest of the lot. The crabs were very fresh, and the coconut-milk flavored sauce was thick and fragrant.

After this came the delightful Sea Bass, stir-fried with chili, hot basil leaves and eggplant. This dish would have gotten our vote for the best entree on the table tonight. The fish was tasty and the combination of flavors and textures was amazingly good.

I loved the Stir-fried Broccoli with Oyster Sauce too; this was the only veggie dish on the table tonight. All my dinner companions tonight were Indians, but - wonders - none were vegetarians! :-)

Our final entree, the Stir-fried Chicken and Cashew Nuts with Roasted chili paste looked tempting, but I had only a little. By now I was feeling quite full and wanted to keep some space for the dessert.

Dessert consisted of Mango and Sticky Rice served with Coconut Ice-Cream. I will let you look at the picture and drool over it. :-)

In addition to the great food, I must mention the excellent service throughout. The waiters were helpful, fast and courteous. They came out, sat us in our taxis and saw us off! Another great dinner that I am going to remember for some time.

Baan Khanitha is located at 36/1 Sukhumvit 23 Soi, Prasan mitr, Bangkok. Ph: 0-2258-4128, 0-2258-4181.