Dear Fork,

Sorry I’ve been away for so long. Now I’m finally back into the food scene. I’ve missed you so dearly and being able to see you back in business is a great comeback ideally. Let’s go through this culinary experience together.

Baan Tepa Culinary Cuisine is a Thai fine-dining experience by Chef Tam Chudaree Debhakam aka the very first winner of Thailand’s popular TV show - Top Chef. Located on the busy Ramkhamhaeng road, stood a historic house which turned into what Chef Tam called a ‘Culinary space’ with a large open space including a garden in the backyard of her local produce which she sources locally from North to South of Thailand. With her passion of farm to table from the local ingredients, she magically brings these rare finds or unheard of ingredients to her menu wonderfully. The dishes are mainly Thai styled with some twists of international cuisines here and there. The 8 course menu costs 4,591 THB.

Started off with ‘Nam Prik Kai Kem’ prawn mousseline, snake fish ‘pla foo’ chayote and cucumber topped with salted duck egg relish. A very refreshing start with a kick of spiciness of the Nam Prik.

‘Koh Lanta seafood Mosaic’ seafood from Lanta Island, Kombu aged Fusiler, clams, scallop, pickled radish, koranda ponzu jelly, clam lemongrass vinaigrette. Cold and refreshing dish which gave a hint of Tom Yum flavour.

‘Crab Crab Crab’ Three types of crabs in one dish - Blue crab custard and Somjeed (kumquat), Trang softshell crab, ‘Nam poo’ glaze (fremented crab sauce), crab shell brittle and yellow curry bamboo curry aioli. I loved the custard and its soft creamy sweet flavor, and those soft shell crab legs were crunchy and perfectly glazed.

‘Street Cart Chicken Liver and Jaew’ chicken liver mousse, jaew tamarind dip, toasted rice, sourdough brioche and last season’s preserved fruits. This plate was on the sweeter side though. The brioche was on point! I wish they were more brioche since the liver was slightly too flavorful for my taste.

‘Dong dang’ dongdang rice noodles, koji-aged Yunnan ham, lon, local cauliflower. This was an interesting take on pasta with the use of something similar to sticky rice flour for the noodles. The texture gave it a unique chew which reminds me of a thinner Korean tteok.

‘Warm Seasonal Salad’ Confit grouper, pickles and preserves, perilla seed jasmine tea dressing, smoked fish tea. This dish was presented together with an ingredient basket of locally sourced produce from wood, vegetables, to fruits. The aromatic scent complemented the ambiance and combination of the lightly charred fish and soup.

‘Tapi River Prawn Taco’ my favorite dish of the night. It consists of the super plump grilled Tapi rever prawn and grilled pineapple, the Med fai rice roti taco, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, alongside with Southern dipping curry and prawn fat. Wrapped them up like a taco, and dipped in the curry sauce (spicy🔥).

The entrée finally came after more than 90% of my tummy space was filled lol. ‘14 Days Dry Aged Duck Asawin’ - grilled duck, asawin jus, krapao (basil fried rice), slow cooked yolk, house fermented vegetables. The duck was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. The rice was topped with duck heart and gizzard.

Here comes the desserts! ‘Grandmothers roses’ this dish represented the Chef’s childhood memories of her grandmother. It was rose apple ice cream topped with thinly sliced rose apple, beautifully displayed as a rose, giving textures to the dish. ‘All of a Banana and Wild Issan Almond’ banana beignet with banana ice cream and crackers. Overall, the desserts were a bit too sweet to my taste, especially after the heavy attack to the tastebuds from the previous courses.

The course were very well thought out but I wish the flavors were not overpowering some of the main ingredients as much on some dishes like the liver and the desserts. My favorites were the following the Nam Prik Kai Kem, Seafood Mosaic, Crab, Crab, Crab, Prawn taco, they are definitely must-try dishes and I still savor the flavor after the meal.

I hope you enjoyed the 3-hour food experience, because I for one definitely did. I loved every bit of it, and is glad you are here to witness it together. Looking forward to spend more delicious time with you.

Love,
Spoon