Baan Khanitha’s Thonglor outlet clearly aims to attract a wide audience: from a young, hip crowd in the funky terrace and bar, to wealthy families and tourists in their lovely colonial-style house at the back of this leafy and laid-back compound. It’s therefore not surprising that it offers a suitably expansive menu of Thai and Western dishes. Indeed, choice seems to be a running theme. There’s an impressive drinks list that ranges from signature cocktails, like the overly-sweet ruby martini (B250), to a long wine list running from B250 a glass to B39,000 bottles. The dishes also try to cover all the bases, from fusion pasta offerings like spaghetti pla khem (B195) to somtam (B160) to more fancy inter-dishes like one of the “must try” appetizers, the hotate and shitake quenelles (B310), served with a white truffle sauce. Unfortunately, the result is a letdown, the scallops were slightly rubbery and the taste of the white truffle non-existent. There’s equal disappointment with another signature dish, the gaeng hunglay (Northern-style red curry with pork belly fillet, served with roti, B290). The pork was terribly dry while the curry was so bland in flavor it reminded us of canned soup. Fortunately, other dishes fair much better. The pla samlee dad diew-yam mamuang (deep-fried cotton fish with a spicy mango sauce, B450), was delicious, even if it does come heavily breaded, making it more like a Thai-inspired version of fish and chips. The kua kling nua (Southern-style spicy stir-fried pork with curry paste, B240) is another stand-out, as long as you’re OK with the fact that they’ve really held back on the spiciness and flavor. It’s a criticism that can be leveled on a lot of their Thai dishes. They’re satisfying but a long way from authentic. That, and the prices, probably show you who the restaurant is aiming at: Wealthy Thonglorites who don’t mind paying for inter dishes with a Thai twist; and people looking for somewhere that’s pleasant and reliable to bring out-of-towners who can’t quite handle the heat.
W@C terrace and bar open Sun-Thu 5pm–midnight, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am.