Review

Chef Henrik Yde-Andersen’s Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, located at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, was a pioneer in marrying molecular gastronomy and Thai cuisine. Years later, this fine dining mainstay continues to playfully innovate and captivate the senses. An interior of contemporary Thai elegance sets the mood as you are led to an ante lounge to sit back and sample seven small bites to arouse your palate in advance of the Legends of the Lotus experience. Among an enticing array, smoked mussels fried in tempura miso clam juice emulsion with seaweed sesame crisps stands out. Once seated in the main dining area, beside a lighted lotus pond (the “sra bua” of the restaurant’s name), the voyage begins. Chef Chayawee Sutcharitchan has crafted a six-course set menu, combining ingredients in novel ways whilst staying true to the essence of Thai cuisine. Highlights include slow-cooked beef with burnt onions, caramelized coconut chili sauce, and brown ginger, and ginger-marinated pineapple with spicy ceviche of white fish and kaffir lime leaves. When moving on to sweets, banana leaves and salted palm sugar ice cream catch the eye with accompanying coconut snow precipitated at the table. A selection of novel petits fours, including sticky rice and mango lego pieces, is an apt conclusion. Service is knowledgeable and impeccable throughout, and the wine or signature cocktail pairing rounds things out.