Mall dining is never strong on atmosphere. But On The Table probably does the best job of the restaurants at CentralWorld in creating a slight sense of actually being in a restaurant, as opposed to a glorified cafeteria. With its marble tables, streamlined overhead lamps and homely wooden furniture, it would all fit very nicely into a house on Thong Lor. Billed as serving ‘Tokyo-style cafe Japanese and Italian food,’ it offers exactly what mall-goers are after: cheap, East-meets-West, fat, sweet, salty and frankly, pretty boring. Take the baked scallops—or don’t actually, as they are wrapped in disgustingly fatty bacon and served lukewarm. Relieved of their bacon the tiny scallops are still indistinguishable from the butter garlic parsley dressing they’re slathered in. Is there something wrong with being able to taste the produce? It certainly seems that way here. The seared black pepper tuna salad (B190) could have been a decent salad, with its deep-fried topping, seaweed and crunchy lettuce. The tuna is a bit nervy, and it’s flavor well-concealed by its pepper crust, but what really kills the dish is the saccharine dressing that’s more like fruit juice. Mains follow a similar pattern. While pleasant for the first couple of bites, the incredible fatty mascarpone sauce in the Parma ham capellini is barely saved by the fresh rocket and salty ham. It’s almost ironic that a place so cute serves food so stolid, with mains ranging from the okonomiyaki (the infamous Japanese pizzas) to the salmon in cream sauce and curry rice au gratin (with an egg, in case you found the dish too light). Appetizers and mains come at once and it’s hard to flag down a waiter if you’re sitting in a corner, so service is hardly a redeeming quality—and neither is the tired soundtrack of acoustic guitar pop covers. If you’re working nearby, the lunch sets (add B60, get a salad or soup and dessert) might make the menu worth exploring but the rest of us can find more inspired Japanese food at the adjacent Isetan—or just come for their desserts, which are quite nice.
