I first reviewed Restaurant Stage in February 2020 when it was just three months old and in very high demand.
At that time, getting a table required a request weeks in advance. While its popularity raised my expectations, the food at this stylish 30-seater was worth the reputation.
Recently, I got to enjoy Stage's culinary creations for a second time. And I must say I like it even better now.
Stage, pronounced stahj meaning "traineeship" in French, is a brainchild of chef Sainisa "Jay" Sangsingkeaw. Chef Jay and her four-member team are alumni of the internationally-acclaimed, Michelin-rated L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.
The truffle hot dog featuring housemade pork sausage, pickled winter melon relish and freshly grated Périgord black truffle.
The Wagyu burger with Emmental cheese on homemade broiche bun.
The cuisine of Stage is defined as ingredient-based and an intricate unification between classic French cooking and global inspirations.
Its exclusive takeaway menu -- this week's subject -- is what the restaurant currently highlights.
The menu is a small collection of dishes that promise to delight stay-at-home diners with top-tier produce and Stage's characteristic fun-filled flair.
The 15-item list reflects its seasonal dine-in menu, and is inspired by local recipes of Asian, European and South American street food.
It features the likes of uni pasta (1,000 baht), roasted beef ramen (550 baht), lobster ramen (850 baht), Akita A5 beef with truffle on rice (1,500 baht), chocolate macadamia tart (690 baht), croissants (120 baht) and truffle breakfast milk (180 baht).
My lunch, neatly delivered in biodegradable food containers from Stage's Ekamai location, looked as stylish and photogenic as what you would find at the restaurant.
The foie gras bao bun with XO sauce, caramelised apple, red cabbage and rice puff.
The lobster pasta with bisque-based cream sauce and salmon roe.
There was a cheery dish of lobster pasta (850 baht). A generous helping of the voluptuous lobster meat came on a bed of the bisque-glazed spaghetti and topped with reddish-orange ikura (salmon roe) that gave to the super delicious dish a briny, pop-in-the-mouth finish.
Next dish, a foie gras bao bun (550 baht), may look nothing but amateur. However, a hefty and firm piece of the XO sauce-glazed duck liver that came simply clutched in a soft steamed Chinese bun with caramelised apple, red cabbage and rice puff provided palate ecstasy perfected only by a real master.
Another dish with a subpar presentation but proved a gastronomic masterpiece was a truffle hot dog (350 baht). Every element in the hot dog, whether it be the bun, pork sausage, pickled winter melon relish or the ketchup, is made in-house from scratch and was scrumptious. Sprinkled atop the bun's length was an ample serving of freshly grated summer black truffle from Périgord, France.
Stage's cronuts are among the city's very best.
Stage's Wagyu burger with Emmental cheese on homemade brioche bun (450 baht) is also guaranteed to delight burger loons. The flavourful beef patty is made with lean Australian tenderloin and juicy Japanese Wagyu sirloin to secure a perfect beefy mouthfeel. Enhanching the burger is a house ketchup, a mixture of mayonnaise and Moroccan harissa chilli sauce.
The restaurant's rendition of duck rice (450 baht) was said to take its cue somehow from the classic Hainanese chicken rice. The dish, featuring rice-shaped riso pasta topped with slices of grilled marinated duck breast and Chinese-style spiced sweet gravy, was my least favourite comparing to all other heavenly dishes.
Pastry fans can never miss trying Stage's cronuts (450 baht per box), which proved among the city's very best.
The box features four bulky pieces of the deep-fried doughnut-shape sweet croissant with different filling/topping flavours. There are red velvet chocolate with tangy cream cheese frosting; salted caramel cream with popcorns; apple pie crumble with vanilla cream; and summer truffle mascarpone with gold leaf. Aromatic, scrumptious and distinctive, they are incredibly addictive and truly worth every pound gained.
Stage is located at 359/2-3 Sukhumvit 63 (between Ekamai 19 and 21). Dine-in service operates daily upon reservations, from noon to 9pm. Takeaway and delivery orders can be placed from 11.30am–8.30pm via Line: stagebkk or call 02-002 5253 and 083-623-4444.
