Bangkok is a city that never sleeps, at least in the food and beverage department. Blink and you’ll miss another new restaurant opening or a drink launch. Guru By Bangkok Post is making sure that even if you blink, you don’t miss out on the new taste tinglers that are worth mentioning.
Copine
Copine, a new casual restaurant opened its doors on Sathon 9 six days ago. An all-day dining place, which takes the words "all-day" seriously —It opens at 8am for breakfast, serving lunch and dinner.
Copine, which means girlfriend in French, fuses Western cuisine with the warm familiarity of a neighbourhood restaurant. It reflects the vision of chef-patron Sainisa "Jay" Sangsingkeaw, who aims to create a comforting haven for delicious food, genuine connections, and memorable moments, just like when you have a meal at a friend’s house.
"I wanted to do something different; open a place that I would go. We serve the food we love as in the name to the people we love — customers. Most of the items on the menu, one can relate to. There is something for everyone. They are all familiar dishes, almost comfort foods. Even our breakfast menu, which is served from 8-11.30am, is comprised of comfort foods. Expect dishes like a full English breakfast, Salted beef on rye, pancakes and fried chicken... it's all about warmth," chef Jay tells Guru By Bangkok Post.
For lunch and dinner, expect starters like Uni toast, Charcoal-grilled carabineros, Langoustine with butter, Fish and chips, Stuffed banana peppers and Crab tagliatelle, which comes with crab in its shell. Other highlights include Black chicken served with jasmine rice cooked in duck fat, Rib eye Café de Paris and Steak au poivre (a favourite of mine). The pastry and dessert selections include Cronut ice cream paired with Thai-inspired toppings, French toast and Crème caramel. I love sticky toffee pudding and loved the Sticky fig pudding. Copine is a two-storeyed house, with green being the dominant colour. Imagine two sides of a house filled with various restaurants, connected by a covered roof and central walkway. This concept serves as the backbone of Chef Jay’s business expansion, turning the space into her personal arcade, where Copine sits on the right, and Stage takes residence on the left.
"Stage will reopen in a month offering just 12 seats. It's counter seating and will offer a tasting menu, fine dining style," says chef Jay.
Electric Sheep
Drawing inspiration from Philip K. Dick’s 1968 dystopian novel “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?” and its cult film adaptation, “Blade Runner” (1982), Electric Sheep is conceived by chefs Amerigo Tito Sesti and Yoan Martin.
Electric Sheep is a dream-fed-off reality, which transports guests into a retro-futuristic scenario, where the echoes of a lost natural world regain ground over the remnants of a bygone Sino-mechanic past. Located within the eclectic space of The Warehouse, the venue's surreal design features ascending staircases, collectible artefacts, neon-drenched terraces and video projections that blur the lines between reality and fiction. This setting perfectly encapsulates the eerie, yet captivating essence of an "old world" preserved in a celluloid dreamscape.
Chefs Sesti and Martin bring a fusion of Mediterranean-inspired flavours and Thai ingredients to the table. With Electric Sheep, chefs Sesti and Martin continue their commitment to sustainability, local sourcing and fostering cross-cultural evolutions.
At Electric Sheep, chef Sesti focuses on a cuisine where nature is the vision and “cultural contamination” is the trajectory; Mediterranean flavours are his and therefore remain the inspiration while taking on local finest natural and artisanal products.
Chef Martin, who hails from an artisan bakery in southern France, has always been deeply rooted in the simplicity and purity of traditional flavours. Yoan embraces a "regressive" approach at Electric Sheep, returning to genuine, unpretentious food, crafted with a deep respect for nature.
Electric Sheep offers a menu that harmonises the rich culinary heritage of the Mediterranean with selected Thai local products. It is a metropolis of culinary innovation.
The dishes cooked up by Amerigo and Yoan are developed around ingredients from small producers and passionate artisans, showcasing the best of Thailand’s bounty. Diners can look forward to inventive blends, infusions, fermentations and local wine from GranMonte Vineyard and Winery.
Hikiniku To Come
Japan’s viral hamburg phenomenon, has finally reached Thailand’s shores and will open its doors on Oct 15 at CentralWorld.
A restaurant centred around the concept of “Just Ground, Just Grilled and Just Cooked”, the menu has only one thing on it — Freshly prepared charcoal-grilled hamburgers. Though the other dish of note is the freshly-cooked Japanese rice using a Hagama pot.
It’s self-service at Hikiniku To Come; place an order and be served at the table, of which there are two around two grilling stations. Hikiniku to Come offers a set of three 90g hamburger patties, shaped like croquettes, with a bowl of rice (unlimited refills), miso soup, house-made ponzu, grated daikon, condiments, pickles and a raw egg.
The meat is ground in-house in a refrigerated room each morning so it’s 100% fresh. To ensure the meat stays fresh, it is only shaped once an order is placed. It is then slapped into shape so as not to transfer the body heat onto the meat. Watch it “bounce” as the cooks slap them in front of you.
As soon as they are shaped, the patties are thrown onto the grill. The best taste is eating the patty hot off the grill. Every seat is a “just grilled premium seat”.
Diners are supposed to eat the first patty as is, to taste the deliciousness of the Japanese beef. The second one is to be enjoyed with the daikon and ponzu and the last one can be enjoyed with rice and a raw egg and a soy bean paste. Though one doesn’t necessarily have to follow these instructions as there are also other condiments to enjoy the meat with, depending on one’s palate.
Shio
Kimpton Kitalay Samui has unveiled Shio, a colourful and creative new Japanese pop-up dining.
Lanai Bar & Lounge, the resort’s popular seafront hangout, will be transformed into a vibrant sushi bar. Shio, which means “sea tides” in Japanese, is the brainchild of chef Wacharun “Run” Imarramsak from In the Mood For Love, the popular Bangkok sushi bar and omakase restaurant.
The restaurant will offer a collection of handmade delicacies, including artistic dishes and signature sushi rolls. The pop-up runs this month and is open for lunch and dinner.
Flourish Chef’s Table
Flourish restaurant at Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok has launched a Chef’s Table experience by chef Chatsorn Pratoomma, the hotel’s executive sous chef.
Chef Chatsorn has worked her way up in kitchens in Asia and Europe and after introducing the best of Thai flavours to foreign palates, she is back home to excite diners with her inimitable style.
The Chef's Table menu offers six-courses like Khao kreab pla or homemade fish cracker with roasted chilli paste. Tom kha comes with scallops and mushroom, while the Kaeng phet ped yang are jasmine rice with duck croquettes. Poo shon ros is blue crab with pickled cucumber and citrus gel, and Pho taek is cod and seafood ravioli in a herb broth.
The palate cleanser is Lemongrass granita with pineapple compote to welcome the main course of Kaeng moo cha muang, cooked in Chanthaburi style. This is Kurobuta pork loin in a Chanthaburi curry, served with yum bai cha muang or a spicy salad of cowa leaf, chilli paste dressing and coconut flakes. This is accompanied by Khao klong hor bai bau or baked Jasmine brown rice with grains served in a lotus leaf. Lychee kulab or white chocolate with lychee and rose-vanilla cream and lychee jelly, served with yuzu gel.
Red Sky
Centara Grand at CentralWorld has announced the re-opening of its iconic alfresco rooftop dining venue, Red Sky Restaurant, which boasts a sophisticated new look and an all-new Mediterranean menu crafted by chef Luca Russo.
The redesigned space features sleek lines, warm lighting and greenery, perfectly complementing the vibrant hues of Bangkok’s skyline. The new menu showcases the finest imported ingredients.
Begin with the Yellowfin tuna tartare, elegantly presented with pistachio coulis and crowned with Oscietra caviar or savour the rich Wagyu beef tartare accompanied by grilled marrow, summer truffle and a hint of Dijon mustard. Transition to the warm appetisers, where the Seared langoustines in bisque foam and green asparagus purée provide a delicate and luxurious start or indulge in the Hokkaido scallops, perfectly pan-seared and drizzled with a spicy lemon butter sauce.
As the journey continues, delve into the treasures from the ocean with the Grilled octopus, served with broccoli cream, burrata, and confit Piccadilly tomato, or the sublime Glacier 51 snow fish nestled in a fragrant bouillabaisse with ratatouille and aromatic breadcrumbs. For a taste of the land, the Gundagai lamb offers a duo of chop and fillet with persillade, mashed potato, caponata, and a rich ruby port reduction, while Wood pigeon is roasted breast, a hazelnut-crusted leg and lollipop salsify. Alternatively, the Hitachi Wagyu tenderloin Rossini style is a showstopper featuring black truffle, foie gras, and a luscious Madeira sauce. In addition, the menu continues to feature Red Sky classics such as Seafood Tower, Surf and Turf, and Maine Lobster, ensuring there’s something for every palate and preference.
Delight in the Candied Sicilian lemon, a vibrant creation featuring delicate cream Chantilly, tangy lemon sorbet and lemon curd resting on a buttery vanilla sablé. The 7-minute fondant is a must-try for chocolate aficionados, showcasing 64% Guayaquil chocolate that oozes decadence with every bite, paired perfectly with a refreshing apricot sorbet. Alternatively, the Mille-feuille redefines elegance with its deconstructed layers of Echire butter pastry, complemented by a luscious wild strawberry compote and vanilla whipped cream.
Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich has collaborated with French artist André Saraiva to launch Grand Château, its newest limited edition in the Grand Series.
Saravia has worked with Glenfiddich to visualise the Grand Château world. From the 250 limited-edition packaging to campaign visuals, he has taken inspiration from the exquisite liquid and collision of two cultures. Widely recognised as a genre-defining artist, Saravia revolutionised street art by introducing his cheerful, top-hatted stick figure, the now-iconic “Mr. A”, as the first graffiti character to replace traditional tag names. Known as Paris’ most active street artist, this collaboration highlights Glenfiddich’s enduring commitment to the arts, whether by partnering with established artists or inviting emerging talents to create works inspired by its distillery.
Glenfiddich Grand Château is a 31-year-old whisky and the first release by the distillery to use Bordeaux red wine casks. The liquid has been matured in American oak for 22 years before being finished for an extended nine years in Bordeaux red wine casks from the French wine-growing region.
Saraiva drew inspiration from the unexpected fusion of Speyside and Bordeaux for his packaging design. He disrupted traditional Toile de Jouy art by incorporating his signature motifs, including his iconic “Mr. A” character, who playfully selects the Bordeaux cask-finished whisky at Glenfiddich’s distillery. The extremely limited-edition outer casings feature this character, which has appeared in cities from Paris to New York, while the inside showcases a bold watercolour print by Saraiva. “When Glenfiddich asked me (and Mr. A) to work with them, it felt like a perfect match. As a lover of whisky and with the French connection, I was able to channel immense creativity, influenced by Scotland’s history, people, and surroundings,” said Saravia.
Grand Château is the latest addition to the Grand series, which includes Grand Yozakura, a limited edition 29 Year Old whisky and the first Single Malt Scotch Whisky to be finished in rare ex-Awamori casks; Grande Couronne, a 26 Year Old Scotch Whisky matured in American and European oak casks finished for up to two years in meticulously sourced French Cognac casks; Glenfiddich Grand Cru, aged for 23 years in American and European oak casks and then finessed in French Cuvée oak casks; and Glenfiddich Gran Reserva, patiently mellowed for 21 years in European and American Oak casks before a final flourish in Caribbean Rum casks.
