Restaurant of the Month - Smooth Curry

Smooth isn’t normally the first word I would think of in connection with Thai cuisine, but it’s the perfect description of the cooking style of Thai Chef Songporn Stitthai. But then she was born in the Royal residence of Devavaes Court and went on to learn the art of Thai cooking and develop it with the guidance of many royal chefs. This background guarantees the authenticity of her cuisine.

Walking into the restaurant for lunch you feel that harmonious blend of contemporary and traditional design. The plain painted walls are offset by a collection of Thai artifacts. There are splashes of bright colours and gold paper around the doorways. Hung on the walls are interesting contemporary artworks themed on Thai herbs and spices, classic yet fun. The influences are strong enough to set that comfortable Thai mood without being overpowering. The stage is set for a very comfortable dinning experience.

As we sat down a flute of old-styled ginger juice was served, an interesting cloudy soft pink colour with just the right balance of sweetness and a cold towel. Having just come off the street out of the heat the refreshing cold towel was most welcome, a nice Thai touch. Refreshed I was ready to enjoy the meal. The tables are generous size and guests have a feeling of uncluttered space. Looking out of the restaurant through wooden blinds is a sea of tropical green and sunlight.

Chef Songporn has also brought here skills in fruit and vegetable carving to the presentation of her food. Each dish was garnished with a flower carved out of carrot to give that touch of elegance. It’s fair to say that the presentation did as much for the eye as the taste did for the stomach.

As we started to order the food the waiter made a point of asking me how spicy of “phet” in Thai, I would like the food.

To start was a Pomello salad, a classic Thai dish made from a local fruit from the grapefruit family. The taste was spicy enough yet still allowing that fruity taste to remain in the flakes of the flesh. Then moving onto the crab meat salad that had a crunchy texture and was a little spicier than the first salad.

A signature dish of the restaurant is Rock Lobster in Red Curry sauce, an example of traditional method being applied with modern interpretation. Chef Songporn is eager to create dishes with an East meets West influence. The lobster had been halved and grilled and then served in the most wonderful smooth and creamy red curry sauce. This is a basic curry concept that has been re-worked to take it to the next level of culinary pleasure, whilst not forgetting its origin.

One of my all time favourites is Tom Kha Gai and I was delighted with the rich taste of chicken in coconut milk soup. The first impression was that it’s mild but yet there is a tingling after taste that lingers in the mouth.

Country Fried Chicken is a popular dish to be found all over the Kingdom. A few pieces of chicken bound together between wooden tongs and cooked on charcoal. In the countryside the taste can be a little dry but here plump pieces of chicken have a more succulent taste, a simple dish has been made tasty.

Massaman Curry comes from the south of Thailand with an Indian influence combining meat and potatoes. As I took my first mouthful, I could understand why the restaurant is called Smooth Curry, it sums up the taste of its food. In this dish plump pieces of chicken and cubed potatoes have been cooked together in a richly aromatic sauce to deliver one of the best interpretations of the dish that I have tasted.

Eating Thai is all about combining dishes to get a balance of flavours and tastes. Green Curry has become popular world wide. I particularly enjoyed their version with duck as the meat is very lean and has more texture. As with all of her dishes the chef has achieved harmony in balancing all of the flavours so that none particularly dominate.

For dessert I couldn’t resist the classic Mango with Sticky rice. The soft fruit virtually melts in the mouth and the texture combines well with the sticky rice.

The real test for Thai food is: do the locals like it? The verdict from my Thai dinning companion was it was authentic. The taste was not so hot that it would blow your socks off yet sufficiently spiced to leave that pleasant lingering taste reminder.

With the meal over we were offered hot towels to freshen up and clean our hands. It was a delightfully smooth dining experience, all the rough edges had been polished away, and leaving a comfortable rounded balanced feeling.

Smooth Curry,
Hotel Plaza Athenee, Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
T 0-2650-8800, F 0-2650-8500-1,
Lunch 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, Dinner 6 - 10.30 pm