Monkey Pod was first conceptualised in 2018 as a tapas bar serving gourmet light bites and plethora of exclusive beverages.
Taking over a large, monumental premises that houses a century-old teak mansion, it aimed to offer upscale pub culture in a serene residential setting rarely found in its boisterous Sukhumvit neighbourhood.
But as the team prepared to open, the pandemic emerged.
After a year-long delay, the restaurateur decided to raise the curtain last month.
Of course, things have been adjusted and scaled-down to go with the situation.
Instead of focusing on after-hours business and its drink-centric specialities, the establishment graced with a mature gigantic monkey pod tree -- hence the name -- now operates as an all-day restaurant serving up meals, snacks and refreshments.
The menu might be miniature for the time being, but only in size, not in quality. While prices are very affordable.
Tropical Spice mocktail.
The culinary direction is headed by Thavisack "Dou" Phouthavong, Monkey Pod's chef de cuisine.
Born in Brussels, Belgium, to a close-knit family of Lao origin, Dou grew up in London and graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu before honing his culinary skill under the guidance of Michelin-starred chefs including Claude Bosi of Hibiscus and Bibendum, and Albert Adria of El Bulli.
Dou's career profile includes working at top UK restaurants such as Bao and XU before moving to Bangkok to take a position of development chef at Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant.
At Monkey Pod, his cuisine embodies his rich ethnic identity while showcasing his world-class skill.
His signature Lao Dog (179 baht) is inspired by a Taiwanese steamed bun sandwich that's been a sensation in London during his time there.
An ingenious hybrid of a Chinese bun, Western hot dog and Thai-Lao pungency, Monkey Pod's creation features a grilled herbal pork sausage on a deep-fried man tou bun -- both made in-house.
Pla ra glazed Sloane's organic pork chop on a French-cut bone.
The airy crispy texture and mildly sweet taste of the golden-hued bun has a complementary balance from the plump and fiery hot sausage.
Inside the sausage's tight casing revealed a scrumptious mixture of coarsely-chopped pork meat, springy pork skin and lots of aromatic fresh herbs and spices. The dish is enhanced in flavour by jaew bak-len, Lao for "spicy tomato relish". The altogether taste profile was original, a subtle marriage of a good corn dog and sai ua.
Another dish you should never miss is gai yang phrik leuang, or grilled yellow chilli chicken (389 baht for half a chicken).
Guaranteed to enchant even the least fan of poultry, the dish is extraordinarily tender and flavoursome, prepared with pasture-raised chicken from a free-range farm run by an artisan French farmer in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
Instead of the conventional turmeric, the chicken is lent an orangish-yellow dash by a marination with carrots and yellow chilli. The latter adds a fresh peppery fragrance and deep-heat zest. While a condiment of pickled onions and house-concocted chimichurri sauce helped raise the dish to topflight level.
Grilled black Angus beef on jaew bong fried rice with fish-sauce cured egg yolk.
Dou's take on the pork chop (479 baht) was also impressive. He uses Sloane's French cut organic pork, brined and sous-vided before glazing the meat with pla ra (fermented fish) juice and grilled over flame. The succulent and tasty pork comes with yum sam-chi, a Thai-style salad made with coriander, dill and sawtooth coriander -- which gave the pork a refreshingly tangy contrast.
There are also a selection of jaew bong fried rice with grilled pla ra glazed meat.
Very popular as a quick personal-sized dish and takeaway, it features rice stir-fried with Lao-style XO sauce (a mixture of fermented freshwater fish, herbs and palm sugar) topped with fish-sauce cured egg yolk and a choice of beef or pork.
The beef version (279 baht) is represented by thick juicy slices of glazed black Angus oyster blade steak. While the pork counterpart features neat slices of grilled marinated pork collar (169 baht).
There are only two dessert options at the moment.
Lao Dog in a deep-fried Taiwanese bun with spicy tomato relish.
The one I believe outperformed its catchy title was "Oops… We Copied a 3-Star Chef" (119 baht), referring to the stellar Italian chef Massimo Bottura's famous smashed lemon tart.
The Monkey Pod's dessert, reminiscent of the Modena chef's characteristic plate art, speaks solely however for Thai culinary beatitude.
In the form of a horizontal parfait, the aromatic dessert is comprised of milk ice cream with kaffir lime sponge cake, basil meringue, buttery cookie crust and som sa (bitter orange) sauce. A definite must-try it is.
Beverages are certainly a big highlight here. The bar's dynamic selection of beers and spirits comes from niche producers from all over the world. It is guaranteed to satisfy everyone's preference.
During the mandated ban on alcohol sales by restaurants, a nice variety of house-crafted mocktails (179 baht) compensates well for the lack of spirits.
My most favourite were house-formulated Bloody Mary and Tropical Spice, an orange juice, passion fruit, house-made cinnamon syrup and black pepper concoction.
The dessert dubbed, "Oops…We Copied a 3-Star Chef".
