For well-off diners in Bangkok, especially now that the pandemic seems to be a continuous event, a 5-star feast at home is not just an indulgence but a quintessential affair.
Feeling bored in the depths of lockdown, a grand meal can help comfort gourmands and make them feel that everything will be better soon.
Offering gastronomic luxury to stay-at-home diners, The St. Regis Bangkok has come up with an exclusive takeaway menu.
The first part of the menu, dubbed "Exquisite Home Dining", features a 36-item selection of international dishes from The St. Regis Bar and Viu restaurant. Meanwhile, the second part is a collection of Western comfort dishes from modern European cuisine restaurant Igniv.
The highlight of The St. Regis Bar is its "Burgers and Lobsters" menu. The recently-launched collection showcases six iconic dishes, including Wagyu beef burgers, grilled whole Boston lobster and lobster roll, which are available for takeaway.
Should you wish to indulge in all the items in one go, look no further than The Burger and Lobster Tower (3,500 baht).
Right The Burger and Lobster Tower takeaway set is guaranteed to feed up to seven diners.
Guaranteed to feed up to seven hungry diners, the set includes four burgers with different dressings, a lobster roll and two whole grilled lobsters, plus ample portions of Parmesan truffle French fries and fresh leaf salad with vinaigrette dressing.
All the burgers feature a thick and juicy, medium-well cooked 170g Wagyu beef patty.
A Classic Burger (550 baht if ordered a la carte) comes with a generous helping of crispy bacon, Gruyere cheese and homemade Bloody Mary ketchup on a freshly-baked sesame seed bun.
Blue cheese buffs will love the Cheese and Onion Burger (550 baht if ordered a la carte). It features Roquefort cheese and caramelised red onion jam on the beef patty atop a soft brioche onion bun.
The Rossini Burger (650 baht if ordered a la carte), which I liked the most, has two firm pieces of pan-fried foie gras and black truffle mayonnaise.
Below The chicken panini with Gruyère cheese and kale.
Meanwhile, the Surf 'n' Turf Burger (850 baht if ordered a la carte) is a combination of a half Boston lobster, steamed and seasoned with herb aioli, and Wagyu beef patty.
Lobster aficionados are promised the best-quality crustaceans grilled to perfection and rich in flavour.
The Lobster Roll (850 baht if ordered individually), features a steamed whole Boston lobster sprinkled with garlic and parsley butter sauce in a soft brioche roll. However, it could be improved with better dressing instead of mediocre wasabi mayonnaise.
If you're not into a finger-licking mess, there are several fine meat and seafood dishes to choose from at Viu restaurant.
Interesting options include French-styled duck confit with pumpkin puree and blackberry sauce; mushroom-stuffed chicken breast with asparagus, truffle cream and freshly grated truffle; Australian lamb rack with potato terrine, spiced carrot puree and lamb jus; and slow-braised Stockyard wagyu short rib with creamy mashed potatoes and caramelised baby carrots and red wine beef jus.
The Wagyu Burger with Roquefort cheese and caramelised onion and the Rossini Burger with foie gras.
For seafood lovers, there is seared wild Norwegian salmon with sweet pea puree, crispy roasted potatoes and Champagne-caviar sauce; and grilled whole Boston lobster with spaghetti aglio e olio. Prices of the main dishes range from 550 baht to 1,200 baht.
At Igniv Bangkok, which is one of my favourite restaurants in the world, the takeaway menu is titled "Chef David & Chef Arne's Favourites".
Swiss David Hartwig is the restaurant's head chef while Arne Riehn is a German pastry chef.
For to-go practicality and a gastronomic comfort at home, the duo have revived some of their secret family recipes to share with diners in Bangkok.
Above Igniv's bundle of modern European hot dogs.
The chicken panini (260 baht) was a very simple yet scrumptious treat. Arriving warm in a neat paper wrapper, the crispy press-grilled sandwich came layered with sliced chicken meat, Gruyère cheese, and kale.
Igniv's modern take on European-styled hot dog is represented through three variations: the asparagus truffle hot dog, the cucumber smoked mayonnaise hot dog, and the red cabbage mustard hot dog.
Each of the three variations feature black garlic lamb bacon as its centrepiece which is dressed with homemade Piment D'espelette egg yolk cream.
If you want to try all three hot dogs at once, go for the assorted bundle (480 baht).
The asparagus truffle hot dog was made better with truffle mayonnaise, asparagus relish and fresh truffle flakes. The cucumber smoked mayonnaise hot dog came topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and the red cabbage mustard hot dog was trimmed with red cabbage relish and chive.
Chef Arne Riehn's aromatic and addictive canelés.
It's a good idea to stick to Igniv's sweet repertoire for dessert.
Custsouffle (550 baht), prepared with rum and 70% chocolate from Prachuap Khiri Khan province, is a super soft and light dark chocolate sponge cake with chocolate cream filling.
Arne's hand-crafted macarons (380 baht for a box of six pieces) are some of Bangkok's best offerings. They even impressed three of my friends who dislike macarons.
Equally addictive were his canelés (320 baht for a box of eight pieces). The small cylinder-shaped pastry, made with French AOP butter, fresh Madagascar vanilla and milk, was caramelised and baked until the exterior turned crusty and golden brown while the centre was moist and bubbly.
St. Regis Bangkok's takeaway menu is available daily 10am-8.30pm. To place an order, call the hotel at 02-207-7777 or LINE: @StRegisBangkok. Free delivery is available with a minimum order of 1,500 baht within a 10km distance of the hotel.
