It is always a nice surprise to find places in Bangkok that are on quiet residential sois, though not far from the maddening crowd; blame social media. It is an even nicer surprise when, despite the crowd, the places are worth all the social media hype.
Enter Wolf984, which if you blink, you may miss it, kinda restaurant tucked into a sub-soi off Narathiwat 17. As soon as you enter you are treated to a view of a two-storeyed concrete house, but with a difference. Before you enter the main door, do peak into the first window on your right and say hello to the full moon. Insider’s tip: If you look closer, you’ll also see a wolf. These two elements embody the concept and name of the restaurant. Think wolves, which always hunt in packs, referring to the workings of the kitchen. Together they source the best ingredients in each season and prepare each dish collectively. No lone wolves here.
The restaurant, which opened in 2020, has two zones; the Moon room, which is on the second floor is the most sort after for IG purposes. If you’re making your way up to the room, look up to find yourself under a massive full moon. Do peel your eyes away long enough to admire the large open kitchen with various grills and charcoal stations. Bookings for the Moon Room is divided into three time slots, while for the main dining room, also on the second floor, bookings are in two time slots. This is so everyone can get the maximum IG shots. My favourite table is on the first floor and called “The Galaxy Table”. The Luna Room, also on the first floor, is a black room with walls lined in burnt Japanese wood and, you guessed it, a moon above the dining table at the end. Even the tableware is the Moon Collection from Habitat. Attention to detail here.
Wolf984’s cuisine is fine dining with a focus on modern European cuisine, though you will find touches of Japanese and Asian flavours. Almost all of the ingredients are imported from Japan or France. The kitchen is helmed by Japanese cuisine-trained chefs Yada Ruangsukudom and Jang Kitiwadee. They follow the concept of “shokuiku”, which is the Japanese term for food education, drawing inspiration from traditional cooking techniques using fire, charcoal and hay. Their cooking style is modern and sets the tone for their philosophy, which is "untamed but rooted”.
I always like to begin a meal with oysters, if they are on the menu. Oyster L’Etoile (two, four or six pieces, B455, B915 and B1,365) are served with a yuzu mignonette. This isn’t going to be a light meal so may as well get the “light” dishes over with. Dive straight into the next crowd-pleaser that is the Foie gras and blueberry tart (two pieces, B590). A bite-sized appetiser, brioche is coated with brown butter and lightly seared. It is topped with a foie gras terrine, red wine onion chutney, fresh blueberries and Italian meringue. Almost melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more.
Another one of my loves, uni comes in the form of Uni toast (one piece, B2,099), which is a one bite wonder, too. Sourdough is coated with pickled egg sauce made with mirin and the uni, which is Kaneyo Daigokujo from Hokkaido, is placed on top. The Sweet shrimp carpaccio and caviar (B990) uses raw ama ebi, which is flattened and served with a shio kombu and caviar. A good follow-up would be the Grilled sweet peppers (B345), which are marinated in yuzu.
White asparagus and hot aru ika (B690) is served with a miso beurre blanc, squid ink aioli, kombu and sourdough crumbs. The baby squids are a delight! The Scallop kale and caviar (B990) comes with a cauliflower puree, leek velour and kombu oil.
The best value for money dish is the Risotto abalone with beurre blanc and caviar. Where else would you get a whole abalone for B1,290?! Served with an abalone liver sauce and crispy shallot. Japanese koshihikari rice is used as risotto and mixed with the abalone liver sauce. This is an indulgent meal, as you can read.
The one dish that you must order is the Pasta spicy bisque sauce (B2,890). Though the price may be a bit steep, it does come with an entire hairy crab aka kegani from Hokkaido. If you’re not a lover of seafood, get the Australian Wagyu rib eye MBB (300g B3,290, 500g B5,390). Served with the creamiest mashed potato, tomato salad, mushroom and a red wine beef jus.
The restaurant is also known for its desserts. Try the Pão de ló (Portuguese egg cake), which comes in three versions. The classic (B195) comes with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil; The Version 2.0 (B220) comes with sea salt; and the Queen Version 2.0 (B690) is the most popular and comes with cashew nut ice cream and caviar. But since we are in a moon restaurant, it would be a shame if one did not order the Eclipse (B395), a naughty dessert to end the meal. Tuille, sweet potato ice cream, kuromame, cheesecake and a Hibiki teriyaki sauce.
Though the prices and portions aren’t exactly wallet friendly, this is a meal for special occasions. It is well worth the cost, especially coming from two young chefs. Call 080-939-4973, email wolfwoodfire@gmail.com or visit 984wolf.com.
