You know that a meal at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is going to be good. But it's not the first-class reputation of the hotel that drew me to Terrace Rim Naam, a fine dining Thai restaurant on its alfresco riverside patio.
My visit there last week was down to Phatchara 'Pom' Pirapak, the restaurant's newly-appointed chef de cuisine. Phatchara, a native of the northeastern province of Yasothon, humbly flourishes amid today's ocean of egocentric new-wave chefs.
Young, petite and diligent, she grew up with a profound passion for cooking, aiming to bring the wisdom of rustic Thai culinary traditions to a wider audience. At the age of 26, she was head chef at Saneh Jaan, to which she helped bring Michelin-starred fame in 2017.
Phatchara only joined Terrace Rim Naam a few short months ago, but has already added many exciting, original features to the table. Her menu at Terrace Rim Naam currently lists 28 dishes and three desserts. Small, but comprehensive and cleverly created.
My dining companions and I were treated to a lovely little amuse-bouche in the shape of krathon phad (sautéed santol fruit), a deliciously powerful introduction to Phatchara's cooking that, for me, deserves a permanent place on the menu.
From the selection of appetisers, the krathong thong med bua, or herbal minced chicken with lotus seeds in crispy pastry shells (320 baht), impressed us even more.
Grandmother's coconut soup with Suphan Buri gourami fish.
Inside small, fine shells, lotus seeds come laced with creamy pastel green dressing -- a concoction of coconut cream, fresh coriander and bird's eye chillies -- and garnished with dill florets. Despite its delicate look, it was most flavoursome with a nice fiery kick. Some pleasing balance to the pungency was provided by an addictively light mixture of puffy riceberry crisps, deep-fried fish and toasted coconut flakes set as a bed of the pastry shells.
Another appetiser, the sakhu na tang, or sago crisp topped with minced pork and prawn with coconut cream and cashew nuts (380 baht), was equally praiseworthy.
Typically, the carb part of this dish is represented by khao tang (crispy rice cake). But Phatchara has opted for an interesting alternative approach, using sago pearls from plants grown in Phatalung province. This rendition is lighter in texture and milder in taste than khao tang, allowing the characteristic flavour of the savoury, sweet and nutty na tang topping to come to the fore.
The wonders kept coming, with the white pomelo salad with scallops (640 baht), the chef's take on the widely popular Thai dish yum som-o.
Bits of Nakhon Pathom's famous white honey pomelo came tossed with hand-squashed nam yum (dressing), a mix of tamarind juice, house-made sweet chilli oil, lemongrass, fresh shallots and coconut sap. The dish was lent a five-star touch with the pan-seared Hokkaido scallops, as a sprinkle of crispy golden shallots capped it all off with sweet, nutty and mild oniony tang.
Blue swimming crab curry with wild betel leaves.
So far, so excellent. But the best was yet to come.
The nam phrik goong jone, or grilled river prawn in shrimp paste dip accompanied by assortment of local vegetables (400 baht), proved to be the piece de resistance. To the uninitiated, this is nam phrik kapi, or spicy shrimp paste dip seethed with fine strands of green mango and grilled prawn meat. Served on a platter with an accompaniment of carefully-selected vegetables, the chilli dip, behind its pungent aroma, was a subtle unification of sour, sweet and salty flavours.
For the shrimp paste -- the essence of the dish -- the chef uses only artisan product from Ranong, which she insists is best as its flavour is strong but not overwhelming. Giant freshwater prawns are used; sizeable morsels of crustacean meat well retaining a springy, firm texture and smoky taste.
Chef Phatchara then treated us to one of her old family recipes, tom kathi pla salid yang, or what she calls, Grandmother's coconut soup with Suphan Buri gourami fish (630 baht).
If you choose to have this soothing soup the typical Thai way, with rice, you'll find it a great complement, with its supple filets of freshwater fish in a mildly salty creamy soup prepared with manually-pounded smoked sheatfish, young galangal, kaffir lime juice and coconut cream.
Krathong thong med bua on a bed of puffy riceberry crisps tossed with deep-fried fish and toasted coconut flakes.
Another treat great with rice is the gaeng khua pu bai cha-phlu, or blue swimming crab curry with wild betel leaves (1,240 baht). Generous portions of cottony white crabmeat come drenched in rich curry seethed by coarsely chopped betel leaves. The curry, infused with the deep heat of peppercorns, was perfectly toned down by the naturally sweet taste of the crab.
The restaurant serves jasmine rice from Phatchara's native province of Yasothon. The rice is cooked to order in a terracotta pot for maximum fragrance and a pleasant gummy texture.
To end the meal, we went for the khao mao rang nam kathi, or toasted young sticky rice grains in coconut ice milk with melon (270 baht). Nice though it was, we felt that there was room for improvement in terms of desserts, especially when compared to the excellence of the rest of the menu.
The service, flawless as we had expected, was a blend of five-star efficency and heartfelt cordiality.
The restaurant is accessible either from the hotel's main lobby, or from Charoen Nakhon Road on the Thonburi side of the river.
Phatchara Pirapak, Terrace Rim Naam's chef de cuisine.
