Medical and Health office, The Port Authority of Thailand, Sulkakorn Intersection, Klong Toey, 02-249-5064
A little bird told us long ago about Chef Thanom and his little place on Sukhumvit. So when Chef Thanom moved to his rather strange new location, we didn’t hesitate to follow him. What we had always loved so much about Chef Thanom was his consistently good cuisine. At his miniature restaurant, we got what we expected: good Italian food with Thai flavor. While the décor and service isn’t awful, neither is it particularly impressive. The one-story plain white restaurant looks more like a small shop for kuay tiaw or made-to-order dishes than for Italian cuisine. And while the services are fast and accurate, it’s not what we’d call smiley. The restaurant is famous for fried foie gras dressing with vegetable salad topped with blueberry and lamb chop marinated with Balsam vinegar and mint sauce. Though Chef Thanom’s foie gras isn’t rich and firm like what we get in ritzy hotel restaurants, the way he cooked it was just right and the reasonable price made it taste even better. We also like to order phak kom phatt kab het (stir fried spinach with mushroom) and steak muu kab salad (pork steak with salad). Every plate looks and tastes like Thai, and we nearly forgot that we’d come for Italian cuisine. The other main dishes that have never disappointed us are spaghetti phatt neua puu kon kab phrik kra-thiam (fried spaghetti with crab meat, garlic and chilly) and seafood spaghetti sen dam phatt ki mao (stir fried spicy black ink spaghetti with drunken seafood, garlic, chilly and hot basil). While the spaghetti with crabmeat looks pale and more like bamee puu rather than spaghetti, the spicy black ink spaghetti has a beautiful color. Spaghetti in both dishes was perfectly cooked and delectable. Many people ordered tiramisu for dessert, but we refrained, as it’s not the real strong point of the restaurant. Instead, we opt for the brownie, which is always rich, soft and not too sweet. Another night, another good meal at Chef Thanom, another promise to return soon.
