Nestled deep in Sukhumvit 34 lies a cosy all-day dining spot, though it suits me more as a place to brunch and while away the day.
On the ground floor of Novotel Suites, White Shuffle is a restaurant that would be best described as modern minimalist. White-grey marble tables and a mesmerising glass light fixture gives the lofty indoor dining room a spacious feel, though the al fresco dining area with its booths makes it feel cosy, at the same time.
The kitchen is headed by Swiss-born Yannick Hollenstein who has designed a menu to create fun, sharing plates. "The menu has a bit for everybody, though it is also not something that you can get everywhere," says the young chef.
I began brunch with the Marinated yellowfin tuna (B320). The dish is very IG worthy and comes with incised coral salad, watermelon and edamame all dressed in a sesame vinaigrette and garnished with a seaweed crisp. The dish is inspired by the poke bowls of Hawaii, chef Hollenstein tells me. "I use fresh Japanese tuna, which is the local aspect to the dish as I want to use as much local produce as I can. It is marinated in a similar manner to poke but I use galangal, ginger and some Thai spice. The dish is a perfect fusion of refreshing and colourful. I try and make everything from scratch, if possible."
Swiss breakfast roesti.
Lamb ragout bucatini.
The Wagyu beef French toast (three pieces for B420) are bite-sized mouthfuls of Thai Wagyu beef short rib Mb8, with an egg yolk creme, black truffle mayonnaise on a house-made brioche. "People like to share food in Asia and hence this dish. With my background in fine dining, I am more used to creating small amuse bouche sized bites. Here I bring in my philosophy," says the chef.
Another not to miss is the Swiss breakfast roesti (B320), which is a chef favourite. Crispy smoked bacon comes with a maple and bacon sausage, Emmental and a fried egg. The Carbonara ravioli with truffle foam (B320) comes with a potato espuma, Pecorino Romano, spring onions, an onsen egg and smoked bacon. "The carbonara is my take on a classic, so it's not the usual dish that one would expect."
A visual stunner is the Kurobuta pork tomahawk (250g for B590). The chop is glazed in soy and honey and grilled to perfection, and is accompanied by spinach and black olives gnocchi, butternut and mustard sauce.
To finish brunch on a sweet note, is there anything better than pancakes? No. Fluffy Blueberry pancakes (B290) come with Madagascar vanilla ice cream, maple syrup, bee pollen and a lychee blossom honey. Garnished with a few strawberries and passion fruit to add freshness, the dish is delish! Though if pancakes are not your thing, do try the Peach, passion and Espresso Delight (B290), which resembles an ice cream sandwich. What's not to love about fresh peaches, mascarpone mousse, espresso jelly, almond biscuit and a passion fruit sherbet?
"This is my take on a tiramisu where I play with textures. Desserts are my strongest field as I was a pastry chef in the junior national team during the Culinary World Cup in 2014 in Luxembourg. This is the most interesting part of a kitchen because you can play with so many things -- textures, flavours," says chef Hollenstein.
White Shuffle is the new all-day dining spot for those leisurely breakfast or brunch.
White Shuffle, Novotel Suites Sukhumvit 34 / Open Tuesday to Sunday 8am-6pm. Call 062-909-2404, visit fb.com/whiteshufflebkk.
