Although British chef Gordon Ramsay wasn't physically in Bangkok for the launch of Bread Street Kitchen & Bar at Emsphere, in a short video, he said he couldn't wait for us to taste his Beef Wellington, Fish and chips, and Sticky toffee pudding.
Ramsay is the latest internationally celebrated chef with Michelin-starred restaurants to open an outpost in Bangkok, following the likes of Côte by Mauro Colagreco and Blue By Alain Ducasse. Gordon Ramsay Restaurants was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds seven.
On the ground floor of Emsphere, Bread Street Kitchen & Bar is a partnership with Tanachira Group, the distributor of Marimekko, Pandora and Cath Kidston in Thailand. The all-day dining venue is the group's first foray into the restaurant business.
Bread Street, the third in Asia, takes inspiration from the original Bread Street on London's Bread Street from the black-and-white checkered floor to the mustard cushions. However, if you would like to dine in privacy, a glass wall may not be the ideal setup.
Bread Street's menu features Ramsay's classics and a meal aptly begins with four types of bread, namely soft roll, onion, multi-grain and rye. Bread Street's Caesar salad has all the usual ingredients of the salad but with extra pancetta for an intense salty and savoury sensation. Several slivers of white anchovies from France add piquancy while the sourdough croutons are audibly crunchy.
The Spicy tuna tartare has three layers of delight, comprising avocado purée as the base, tuna tartare as the middle layer and crispy wonton at the top. The tuna loin cubes are seasoned with furikake (Japanese seasoning) and sesame for a slightly spicy and savoury sensation.
The Seared Hokkaido scallops are plump, slightly sweet and cooked just right. They are complemented by pancetta, carrot purée, pomegranate seeds and an apple-ginger dressing.
Lobster Moilee boasts a mild curry with juicy Maine lobster. The sauteed spinach on which the lobster is served and a small heap of coriander and dill atop are icing on the cake.
Beef Wellington, perhaps Ramsay's best-known dish, doesn't disappoint. The succulent medium-rare Wagyu tenderloin is coated with pâté and duxelles in puff pastry. The succulent steak is somewhere between being tender and melting in your mouth while the duxelles are aromatic with button mushrooms, tarragon and truffle oil. It is served with three side dishes of mashed potato, watercress salad and honey-glazed carrot.
Do save room for Sticky toffee pudding. It may look saccharine but it isn't overwhelming sweet. The date-spongy cake is deliciously moist and drenched in toffee sauce and served à la mode with milk ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream.
Street Pizza, another Ramsay's restaurant, is slated to open on the first floor of Emsphere next month.
