Lockdown restrictions have been posing a challenge to many restaurants in the city. While some have closed down, temporarily or permanently, a few are taking it as an opportunity to try something new.
Kinu by Takagi, the signature Japanese dining room at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, is one of those establishments that has turned the crisis into a golden opportunity. Working with the parameters of the lockdown, both the hotel and the restaurant have come up with a new dining experience that offers guests a reimagined level of luxury. The recently launched “In-Suite Dining Experience” invites guests to savour a private kaiseki meal in a suite in the hotel’s recently renovated River Wing. Head chef Takagi Kazuo and his team have prepared exquisite multi-course sets that you can enjoy while taking in views of the Chao Phraya River.
A four-course meal (B3,200++) is offered for lunch. The succession of gastronomic delights starts off with a zensai or appetizer of homemade tofu made with sesame and soya milk. Dashi jelly compliments the uniquely chewy texture of the tofu, which also benefits from the flavors of Hokkaido sea urchin and caviar.
An assorted sashimi and grilled platter for one follows. Two kinds of sashimi and grilled kinmedai (golden-eye snapper) are complemented by grilled Tottori wagyu beef and slow-cooked sweet and sour scallop. Sweet potato cake, crispy sweet potato chips and young ginkgo nuts contribute crunch and more flavors to the dish.
Next up is the main course, which comprises two dishes: Autumn Salmon and Salmon Roe “Chirachi” Sushi Bowl, and Lotus Root with Shrimp Paste and Eggplant Tempura. The bowl is a comforting mix of steamed Hokkaido rice and salmon marinated in mirin and shoyu, while the tempura dish settles nicely on the palate and in the stomach with flavors of chrysanthemum and dashi.
Wrapping up the meal is a luscious panna cotta with sake-infused jelly and seasonal fruit (ours came with Japanese green grapes), and lightly topped with miso sourced from an old specialty shop in Japan.
An eight-course dinner set (B6,800++) is also available. We’re sure that, just like the lunch set, it also offers elegant, art-like dishes that merit praise.
The In-Suite Dining Experience is available for a group of two to six guests per room until 31 October. Email mobkk-reservations@mohg.com, or call 0 2659 9000 or 0 2659 0110 to make a booking.