A tale of traditional Thai recipes, a family kitchen and ultimate food Nirvana at 'Baan' in Bangkok

JULY 03, 2019 BY SAJJID MITHA

A tale of traditional Thai recipes, a family kitchen and ultimate food Nirvana at 'Baan' in Bangkok

Last Thursday we dined at Baan, a restaurant located on Bangkok’s Wireless road. When Laveena and I walked in with our mothers, we found the interiors to be rather small, yet modern and unpretentious with concrete floors and marble table tops. I was honestly expecting something a tad more traditional and Thai as I had read that Baan’s menu was a reflection of a local family’s precious recipes, handed down generations. Not any ordinary local Thai family though. The Michelin starred Chef ‘Ton’ Thitid, the immensely talented culinary genius behind Asia’s 20th best restaurant Le Du, is the co-owner of Baan which he runs with his charming and handsome young brother Tam.

Tam welcomed us to Baan and promised us an experience which would involve a variety of authentic Thai flavours. He said the dishes on the menu offered a perfect balance of taste, texture and spice and that in the kitchens of Baan, the provenance of the ingredients and the protein, mattered most. Tam explained that every aspect of the cook at Baan, was treated with ample respect and immense reverence and that this was manifested in the food we were about to receive.

Since we are rather audacious when it comes to food, we usually eat without fear. And when you let your adventurous palate wander, like we almost always do on our travels, any food accident, usually ends up being a happy one.

At Baan, every dish that young Tam recommended, was a winner.

The eclectic taste of the 30 day dry-aged beef, from an Islamic farm in Pak Chong struck an instant chord of approval, as did the delicious grilled pork jowl spicy salad which was oh so appealing to the senses. We loved the Baan signature five spiced egg soup and the stir fried organic fern with oyster sauce which when paired with the house made green curry stir fried with sea food and the Tom yum fried rice with sun dried pork and massaman lamb curry, sent us on an instant journey through the provinces of The Kingdom of Thailand, on long tailed boats through canals, on tuktuks through narrow, crowded and winding streets of Bangkok, on carts pulled by oxen and on elephant backs through the northern parts of Chiang Rai. Every bite of every tender meat, was relished by us with ample appreciation.

House made green curry stir-fried with sea food

Baan is a place for those who love their food to represent everything truly Thai. For us it was the start of a love affair with a tradition we both are so familiar with and yet we end up learning something new about the culture every time we visit. Make sure it’s on your list of must visit restaurants in Bangkok when you’re there next. It may be missing a Michelin Star, but it is on their radar and has found a very well deserved mention in the Michelin guide.