Regulars and well-informed foodies know they can also trust Vesper, a multi-award-winning cocktail bar, when it comes to culinary perfection.
No matter how frequently I'd heard about Vesper's good food, I never checked the four-year-old restaurant out, simply because of its booze-centric labelling.
The management seemed to have sensed this non-drinking food journalist's scepticism, shared by the wider public, and recently made a smart move.
Vesper is cut in halves, with the south side of the space being turned into a casual restaurant named Via Maris.
The 40-seater, opened six weeks ago and decked out in warm sun-kissed hues, offers what it calls "naive yet democratic Mediterranean dishes" prepared by Sardinian-born head chef Francesco Deiana -- the one to be credited for Vesper's culinary glory.
The menu is inspired by the unique and flavourful recipes and produce of countries along the Mediterranean ancient trade route, including Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Turkey.
Most of the dishes showcase prime-quality fresh oceanic harvests, local and imported, complemented by an abundance of indigenous herbs and spices from along the coastline, from North Africa to West Asia.
From the 33-item menu, the fish and figs (380 baht), despite its very simple name, proved a revitalising starter to the meal.
It's a carpaccio of local organic black grouper, its translucent raw meat presented in thin slices providing a super-fresh, toothsome quality. The delicate-tasting fish came dressed with Puglia extra-virgin olive oil, capers, cherry tomatoes and lemon juice, the latter in a form of crusty ice flakes to prolong the chillness of the dish. Going marvellously with the fish carpaccio were the silky, juicy and jam-like flesh of Royal Project figs.
The bistro is proud of its cauliflower steak (340 baht). The dish, which deserves all its applause, was no hurried slab of grilled vegetable with a one-dimensional mouthfeel.
Instead, it's a wholesome dish made with half a cauliflower that had been poached in milk then slow-roasted and finished up on a skillet, to give the naturally sweet, almost creamy-tasting vegetable a nice brown and slightly crispy crust, before being served on a bed of labneh (Greek strained yoghurt cheese) and sprinkled with zaatar (Middle Eastern spice mix), cumin tomato and chilli-pepper powder. A sumptuous choice for both vegetarians and omnivores alike.
I also found joy in couscous alla Trapanese (590 baht), a Sicilian-style mixed seafood couscous. Served in a tagine were generous portions of prime-grade local organic fish fillets, prawn, squid, mussels and clams. The seafood, leavened with spicy fresh tomato sauce and smoked paprika, came on a bed of light and fluffy couscous grains cooked in bisque. The dish promises a more delicate yet tasty alternative to a good Spanish seafood paella.
If pork is your preference, you won't regret having the suckling pig roulade and saffron (650 baht).
The Sardinian-style Christmas roast featured a personal-portion pork roll stuffed with Sultana-seethed rice and broiled until the skin is as crispy as the meat inside, while still retaining its juiciness. The pork roll was perfectly enhanced with a sweet and gooey date paste and yellow saffron cream sauce.
Wrapping up the meal was Middle Eastern date roulade (290 baht). Served warm, the dessert featured an Italian cookie roll filled with Turkish date paste and orange zest, accompanied by vanilla ice cream, almond crumble and warm chocolate sauce.
Other dishes worth sampling include the Moroccan-style braised lamb couscous; pork ribs stewed with hand-rolled fileja pasta and spicy 'nduja; and slow-cooked chicken arabesque with cinnamon and ginger honey.
The bistro has its own drink list of fizzy concoctions, beer, wine, coffee and tea. A wider selection of cocktails, however, can be ordered from next-door Vesper's menu.
Lunch sets are also available on weekdays at 290 baht (two courses) and 370 baht (three courses).
Perfectly complementing the comforting cuisine was a heartwarming mix of world beats and affable service. There's no service charge. The corkage fee is waived for parties of two.
Sharing half of the space of its sister cocktail bar is the six-week-old Mediterranean cuisine bistro, Via Maris.
Milk-poached cauliflower steak with labneh cheese and zaatar spice mix.
Suckling pig roulade with creamy saffron sauce and Turkish date paste.
Sicilian-style mixed seafood couscous.
