by Martina Espineira
Located in the middle of Bangkok’s blooming downtown, EAT (Eat All Thai) (2nd floor, Groove, CentralWorld), offers a unique Thai dining experience of sharing home-cooked meals with friends, in an open yet intimate environment. It perfectly represents the coziness of Thai homes, the sacred environment of the temples, and the openness of the fresh markets.
Taste a simply cooked meal by chef Oranuj Pandarat, in which the flavors come from the quality of the well-sourced ingredients that come from all over the country: river prawns from Ayutthaya, big chunks of crab meat from Surat Thani, salted eggs from Chaiya, and fish sauce and shrimp paste from Trat.
One of the many highlights of the evening was the crabmeat curry with chaplu leaves (THB 520). This is a delicious dish that combines the spiciness and richness of a thick curry, with a beautiful selection of fresh chunks of crabmeat from Surat Thani. It was garnished with slices of pleasantly bitter chaplu leaves, which provide a crisp counterpoint to the richness of an unforgettable classic dish. The 600 grams of grilled river prawns (THB 1,300), sourced from the famous river city Ayutthaya, impresses not only for the integrity and beauty of the freshly fished prawns, but also for the quality of the meat, which is paired perfectly with a fruity yet spicy sauce made with fresh aromatic chilies.
A more unique proposal is the stir fried Hong Kong kale with crispy salted fish (THB 160) that incorporates an interesting and delicious play on textures, in which the perfectly crispy salted fish, the crunchy stir fried kale, and the thick sweetness of the rich oyster sauce combine to deliver an elegant and light, yet complex dish. For meat lovers, the tenderly cooked pork rib red curry (THB 180) features superbly braised pork ribs that standout for their perfect tenderness, which allows the meat to tear off the bone with ease. Add the richness of the flavor that the red curry sauce infuses into the meat, top it with coconut milk, and garnish with kaffir lime leaves and this is a truly tasty dish. The drinks feature traditional Thai thirst quenchers such as sweet toddy palm juice and sugar cane juice, which are both popular refreshing sugary drinks that are rarely found in modern restaurants.
EAT gathers the best products from fresh markets all over Thailand and combines them with classic Thai recipes to deliver beautifully cooked dishes. The freshness and flavor of the ingredients are protagonists, paired perfectly with the rich and simple flavors regularly found in Thai cuisine. The result is a dining experience that offers the best of rural Thailand right through to the heart of Bangkok, in a cozy, relaxing atmosphere that showcases Thai culinary traditions.
