Sanctuary of serenity

It was a late Monday afternoon and after having a gastronomic mishap earlier, I was looking for a place where I could have a cup of coffee and unwind.

My best friend suggested we meet at Chan & Yupa Tearoom, a cafe-restaurant on Sukhumvit 10.

I had previously tried the restaurant's food back in April last year via delivery. The takeaway options were mainly home-style Thai cuisine and proved to be pleasing.

I had never been to the restaurant though.

As soon as I pulled into its lush-green premises, approximately 200m down the soi, I asked myself: "How come this lovely place was never on my radar?"

The tearoom is located in a white, greenhouse-like cottage with an English landscape garden behind a concrete fence.

Surrounded by high-rise projects and busy streets, the premises look like a sanctuary of serenity where you could easily escape from the big city in the blink of a second.

The restaurant's orange espresso, an iced Americano with fresh orange juice (130 baht), was a fine quick caffeine fix.

If I was in food-review mode and not a nonchalant cafe-goer, I would have opted for more distinctive concoctions like Caffe Latte Rose, Jasmine Rice Dirty, or Coconut Espresso.

For the selection of iced tea, orange mint tea with aloe vera and iced matcha with lemon soda sounded interesting. Beverage prices range around 110-150 baht per glass.

The pan-seared sea bass fillet with beurre blanc sauce.

What inspired me to write about Chan & Yupa was its prompt service and ability to retain culinary standards in the midst of an economic crisis.

At that odd hour, there were no customers other than my friend and I and some expats picking up takeaway.

It was an ideal setting for a casual evening, so we also decided to stay on for dinner.

The tearoom's food menu has about 50 items, two-thirds of which are Western while the rest is Thai.

The menu used to have more dishes pre-pandemic, I was told. The current selection features only the best-sellers.

Croffle with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Initially, I didn't expect much of spinach nachos (200 baht). After all, it's not common to find culinary glory in a casual cafe grub.

The platter of crispy flour tortilla chips topped with sauteed spinach and melted cheddar, accompanied by a scoop of salsa-mixed guacamole will be the first dish I order on my next visit.

For the salad, we were recommended Chan & Yupa's artistically-plated signature salad with onsen poached egg (260 baht).

The mix of quinoa, mixed leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, edamame green beans and cubes of sweet potato, avocadoes and Paris ham dressed with homemade sesame vinaigrette proved addictive for its tangy nutty taste.

Pesto angel hair with grilled salmon steak (350 bath) and seared sea bass fillet with beurre blanc sauce (390 baht) was our choice of main course.

The pesto angel hair pasta with grilled salmon steak.

The first dish was a magnanimous marriage of 150g capellini pasta, seasoned with house-rendered basil-cashew nut sauce and a large fillet of perfectly pan-grilled salmon topped with ikura roe. Although the pesto may be too mild for real connoisseurs, overall the dish was marvellous.

Meanwhile, the sea bass steak, which came on a bed of sauteed spinach, exhibited firm white meat that retained supple texture and succulency underneath a crispy exterior sprinkled with salt and pepper. While the thick and creamy beurre blanc sauce didn't prove French authenticity, we finished the dish without complaints.

Even though the two fish items were an excellent meal, we learned that chicken massaman with pan-toasted croissant (250 baht) was also super popular.

Without any room for another main dish, I decided to have it to go.

The tearoom's signature salad with onsen egg.

For dessert, a sweet temptation of a house-made croffle with vanilla ice cream (180 baht) was too hard to resist. The buttery croffle, a modern-day hybrid of croissant and waffle, was flawless -- both in taste and texture. Unfortunately, the vanilla ice cream that accompanied it was not.

The next morning, I reheated the curry in the microwave and the croissants, which come in flat, triangle-shaped pieces, in the toaster. It was a comforting and stomach-filling brunch for two.

The photogenic tearoom also has an afternoon tea service with a nice selection of house-made pastries, finger sandwiches and desserts on offer daily.

Service by house staff who maintained distance during our visit made the experience enjoyable.