Hyde and Seek

First things first, there’s no question that Hyde and Seek is hot; flavor of the month with the pretty, powerful, privileged and just plain rich of Bangkok. It’s packed most nights and the must-go spot if you want show off to out of town friends that you have the finger on the pulse of the city. Does it deserve this lofty position? Well, probably. It certainly has all the right ingredients: a celeb chef in Ian Kittichai; a killer (if pricy) cocktail menu from the mixologists behind Flow and a great location in the heart of high-so land, a few steps from the BTS—not that many of its patrons do public transport. The décor also hits the mark, conjuring up both Victorian gentleman’s club gravitas with its white panel walls and New York sophistication with its dark imposing bar. Service is as smooth as the surroundings with an army of efficient helpers ready to guide you through the intriguing food and drinks menu. But it’s the food menu that causes our hesitation in lavishing praise. It’s definitely interesting, with its clear Anglo-American emphasis, yet the end results are a little hit and miss. The toad in the hole, sausages encased in a thin batter, for example, looks impressive but while the batter is delightfully delicate we would prefer a more traditional Lincolnshire sausage, not their over-spiced offerings which are just plain overpowering. On the flipside the Kubota pork burger is deliciously moist and flavorful in its equally tasty black rice and honey bap. Other successes include the addictive twice fried malt vinegar potato crisps and the quirky, crisp ginger-ale batter calamari but then the Persian feta cheese salad is disappointingly sweet and lacking in actual cheese. The theme continues into the desserts. The apple crumble while suitably crunchy quickly gets cloying, but the NY cheesecake is rich and satisfying. While none of these complaints are major they’re enough, especially at these prices, to take the gloss off the experience. Still judging by the sizes of waistlines of most of the clientele on our last visit, food isn’t always a number one priority. So follow their lead and pay a visit for the snacks, cocktails and happening vibe before the high-so crowd move on to the next hip place.