Over the past 12 months, Thailand's gastronomic scene enjoyed full-steam dynamism.
New restaurants, by old pros and new faces, homegrown and out-of-towners, opened more than ever before.
Matching the quickly-evolving market is a new generation of diners and young adults with an astronomical promptitude to spend along with international visitors parading into the Kingdom mainly for food.
Of course, a high-energy industry means intense competition. And 2023 was reported to be one of the toughest times for many restaurateurs. Here are some monumental culinary events observed in the country's capital over the year.
STEAMY CHINESE INVASION
Nothing engulfed Bangkok's restaurant scene in 2023 more visibly than establishments offering Chinese cuisine.
What began a few years back as eateries catering to Chinese tourists has now become widespread dining in Thailand's capital.
Restaurants -- conventional or fancy -- with signs in Chinese language can be found today in every commercial district in the city.
They offer anything from the home-style cuisines of Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces to the globally popular Sichuan-style hotpot and Chongqing grilled fish. Many are privately owned businesses while some are franchises. Almost all of them, nevertheless, are funded by proprietors from mainland China.
Such a phenomenal trend is said to follow not just the flow of tourists but also a rapid increase of Chinese expats, traders and college students in Bangkok.
But what's more significant is that some of the imported Chinese chain restaurants, particularly the Sichuan-style hotpot, have become immensely appreciated by Thais, especially the flavour-forward younger generation.
Commonly called mala hotpot, this type of gastronomic experience is treasured by diners for the fun-filled communal vibe as well as the signature fiery-red broth seasoned with Sichuan pepper, which is on offer among other types of soup.
The soup is served in a large pot for sharing, accompanied by a wide variety of raw meat and fresh vegetables for the customers' DIY cooking experience.
Among the most popular mala hotpot restaurants in Bangkok are Haidilao Hot Pot, CQK Mala Hotpot and Shu Da Xia.
Haidilao was a pioneer, bringing the mala hotpot trend from Sichuan to Bangkok in 2019, it currently has nine outlets throughout the country. CQK is probably the fastest-growing. Within two years of opening, it has expanded to six branches in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. Shu Da Xia, meanwhile, is one of 2023's hottest new dining destinations. It gained social media fame from a grandiose setting that portrays an exquisite ancient Chinese tavern in a massive three-storey building. Extremely long waiting queues for tables are common at these restaurants.
NUMBNESS IS THE NEW SPICE
The popularity of mala establishments also generated a craze for the spicy and tingling palate sensation caused by Sichuan peppercorn, widely also known as mala pepper.
In Chinese, the word 'ma' means numb and 'la' means spiciness. The mala pepper, when mixed with chillies, adds fiery-hot feel that somehow -- which I don't really understand -- proved to delight Thai taste buds.
The fever spread beyond hotpot territory and also reached different culinary corners. Joining the ride were street food vendors, international eateries, 5-star hotel restaurants, snack manufacturers and even dessert shops.
Today you can easily find mala-glazed chicken wings, mala-seasoned BBQ meat and seafood, mala olio spaghetti, wok-fried Angus beef with mala, Australian beef sirloin steak with mala chilli oil, mala chips, mala mooncakes and mala shaved ice.
THE ARRIVAL OF LATIN AMERICAN CUISINE
Many esteemed food authorities predicted years ago that Latin American cuisine would make it to the top of the global food trend.
But it wasn't until recently that the diverse and flavourful cuisine of Central and South American countries, with recipes and influences from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Jamaica, managed to squeeze into the arena once dominated by France and Italy.
Over the past several months, emerging quietly yet spiritedly in the city's dining scene have been top-tier restaurants helmed by master chefs from Mexico, Venezuela and Peru.
Their modern contemporary menus list items such as Barbacoa lamb shank, lengua beef tongue, prawn tostada, cochinillo roasted baby pork, duck enchilada, pescado zarandeado fish with chilli-citrus sauce, camarones al guajillo (garlic shrimps with guajillos chilli sauce), tataki de atun rojo (gently seared tuna), Wagyu Picanha steak with aji limo peppers, arroz con leche dessert and horchata drink.
Among the most prominent are Ojo Mexican fine dining restaurant at the Standard Mahanakhon, Guilty South American Cuisine at Anantara Siam, NoMada Open-fire Grill at Baan Dusit Thani, Santiaga Omakase Mexican restaurant at Mahatun Plaza and Ms Maria & Mr Singh, a fantasy Mexican-Indian restaurant by Gaggan Anand on Sukhumvit 31.
UNITY IS THE GREATEST RECIPE
Call it heartfelt camaraderie or call it mandatory.
Gone are the days when top chefs were working only in their own space with a feeling of competition against those outside.
But now they are best buddies and cheerfully hopping from one kitchen to another while travelling the world together like business clans.
Collaboration among the men in white, regardless of their nationalities and cuisine, has become a cooking norm and new marketing formula for restaurants to stay animated, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Bangkok, dining events dubbed "four-hand", "six-hand" or "12-hands" are happening almost non-stop.
The affairs feature collaborative work between top-tier cooking masters from different establishments, sometimes of different cuisines and more often from overseas.
Breaking traditional cooking boundaries, the chefs are seen putting their minds together to create exciting menus that aim to introduce diners to new flavours and different culinary perspectives.
