Compact and classy

EATING Out

Please let me state the obvious: Thong Lo and its tentacles of sub-sois are dotted with fashionable restaurants, though it's another story if you're looking for a place that truly thrives on the merit of its kitchen. We've heard too many stories of stylish eateries that fizzled out like disgraced fireworks after a few months in business. No matter how chic (or post-chic) your joint is, you can't expect to fool people if all you cook is uninspired dishes.

Amberrin Cafe can easily stay aloof over such pitfalls. The new cafe/restaurant on Thong Lo Soi 13 is a classy offshoot of the well-respected Kaithong in Muang Thong Thani, the Cantonese establishment famed among devoted foodies. Kaithong's repertoire of fried pork liver and raad na is formidable, with Mama's home-cooking elevated to outstanding professionalism (the family also runs a restaurant in Hong Kong, treating the Chinese to both Thai and Cantonese dishes). Now Mama's two children, led by Sangnarong Montrivat, have dipped their toes in the testy waters of Thong Lo's dining scene with Amberrin, a lovely place that serves the same solidly delicious food as Kaithong does.

Amberrin Cafe is on Thong Lo Soi 13, just 100 metres into the soi. Whereas Kaithong has a basic contemporary feel, Amberrin decidedly gears towards the style-conscious crowd of this supposedly hip street. The seating is living-room style, with sofas and cushions as well as regular tables. We like the fact that it's tasteful but not fancy, and the outdoor cafe tables and dark wicker chairs are attractive on the evening when the chill is still with us. The young owners know that to play by Thong Lo rules, no matter how rock-solid their cooking is, good looks are not something they can compromise.

The menu is compact: by the family's ethos, they prefer to focus their expertise on a dozen dishes or so instead of spreading their talent too widely. The food is contemporary Chinese, with a touch of Thai and a wisp of cool-headed fusion. Amberrin offers a similar culinary sensibility, though not exactly the same items, as Kaithong, with a trendier presentation and crockery. When the foundation is firm - when the kitchen knows what it's doing - these visual accessories must be easy to play around with.

Raad na, fried noodle in gravy and beef.

Browse through the menu and you'll find the famous raad na, fried noodles with gravy sauce, with pork, chicken or beef; the traditional recipe of kao yok, steamed pork belly; Hong Kong wonton in various serving styles; phad thai; and jii paa, or fried pork fillet, as salad or with rice. To complete the cafe concept, Amberrin offers a wide selection of dessert too.

The four dishes we sampled were very satisfying, starting with smoked duck breast with salad (280 baht), which definitely is a star. The trick was in the juicy slices of smoked duck - imported from China - that gave off a slight charcoal-grill aroma that tickled the senses. The duck has a thin crispy skin, reminiscent of peking duck, then a layer of fine fat, then the area of succulent meat; meanwhile the organic salad was sprinkled with tiny shrimp eggs. It was a testament to the joy of first-rate ingredients.

We couldn't possibly miss raad na with beef (150 baht). This seemingly simple dish was expertly prepared here, with the munchy sen yai noodles, the flavourful gravy, and principally the very tender slices of marinated beef that topped the whole affair. If you're at Amberrin by yourself, I'd say a plate of raad na would be a perfect cure to loneliness; you'd remember how eating is supposedly to be a kind of personal entertainment.

Prawns in Hong Kong sauce.

Then we had fried prawns in Hong Kong sauce, in a generous portion at 480 baht. It's a dish best shared among a few friends. The prawns, of course, were crispy-fresh, but it's the tomato-based sauce, adapted from the original Hong Kong recipe, that made it special. For a moment it reminded us of XO sauce frequently used in Chinese dishes, but the Amberrin sauce was less oily, with a stronger sweet note, yet contrasted with the taste and smell of soya bean. In short, it was exceptional.

We had the last main dish of deep fried pork fillet, or jii pa (135 baht). It was something between moo dad diew, sun-dried pork, and moo grob, crispy pork. A chewy and tasty experience, the pork can be had with rice, salad or even in a wonton dish.

Rubbing our stomachs, we still had room for dessert. And it was refreshing to conclude the meal with mango chow fun (120 baht), in which pieces of ripe mango are wrapped in thin Japanese-style dough, with a scoop of sticky rice in the middle. Visually creative, the dish was rich with textures and flavours, an interesting twist to the standard khoa niew mamuang. It also left us with a very fond memory of Amberrin, a new and worthy addition to the fickle geography of Thong Lo's dining scene.

Mangochow fun with sticky rice.

Relate Search: Amberrin Cafe, Thong Lo Soi 13