Given the surge of fine dining establishments in Bangkok, it's surprising how few spotlight one of the city's most prominent ethnic communities. Despite Bangkok's significant Indian population, only a handful of the city’s Indian fine dining restaurants have achieved international acclaim.
This scarcity makes Haōma’s presence all the more notable, offering a unique culinary experience that bridges Indian heritage with Bangkok's colourful dining scene.
Freeform expressions of neo-Indian cuisine
While Indian food is deeply embedded in the capital’s cultural fabric, Haōma stands nearly alone at the fine-dining level – and it’s not just serving modern Indian cuisine, it’s redefining it.
Tucked down an elegant alley off Sukhumvit soi 31, this isn’t your typical fine dining affair. Step through the entryway and you’ll be greeted by Director of Food and Beverage, Vishvas Sidana, who’ll entertain you through a curated selection of ‘imperfection’ cocktails that help set the scene, and settle your stomach.
Led by chef Deepanker ‘DK’ Khosla, the restaurant’s ethos is rooted in regenerative sustainability, which in this case is far more than just menu-speak. From cocktail to table, you’ll pass through the restaurant’s garden – showcasing how the restaurant operates on a closed-loop system.
At both the restaurant and farms in northern Thailand, sustainability takes center stage. The team raise their own chickens, grow fresh vegetables and breed fish on-site. The fish fertilize the water that nourishes the herbs, while food scraps are composted and creatively repurposed into cocktails and coasters.
But green values don’t overshadow the food. Instead, they deepen it. The current 10-course tasting menu is a freeform expression of neo-Indian cuisine, with nearly every ingredient (and even some techniques) sourced from within Thailand. Some flavours speak of Deepanker's childhood in Allahabad. Others reflect techniques picked up on the road. In many ways, it’s a personal journey following DK: one that’s poetic, story-driven and quietly bold.
The DK experience
Whether you opt for the signature or epicure meat and fish menu, or go traditional with their exceptional vegetarian 10-course option, the experience always opens with snacks and some humorously eye-opening spiel from Vishvas.
‘There’s not a wine in any of the shops here that can be called wine,’ he claims. ‘76 chemicals which are involved in making grape juice feel like a wine – and most of these probably use 70 of them.’
At Haōma, the so-called ‘wine’ pairing throws tradition out the window – in the best way possible. The journey kicks off with IPAs, sake, and a surprisingly punchy sparkling ‘grape juice’ (in Vishvas’ own words), easing diners into a liquid lineup that’s anything but predictable.
Eventually, the pairing settles into wines that are both hard to find and cleverly matched to the bold, layered flavours of Indian cuisine. Oh, and every other glass arrives dramatically frosted with liquid nitrogen and shattered tableside – because why not a little theatre?
‘In Asia – India and Thailand – they’re not making wine, they’re making pesticide juice,’ Vishvas adds, pouring another glass of rare Roc Solare. ‘It’s like truffle oil, there’s no truffle.’ No surprise then that the wine list, which favours low-intervention and biodynamic producers, has been recognised as one of the best wine menus in the world.
And when it comes to the food, prepare yourself – this isn’t your average tasting menu. The current 10-course meal starts with a smoky mackerel bati, a crisp-onion twist on the Bombay sandwich, and a scallop croustade that’s almost too pretty to eat but too delicious not to.
From there, the tomato chaat arrives – a playful tribute to DK’s childhood – where a shard of frozen shorba melts into a spicy jammy tomato, simultaneously hitting sweet, tart and savoury notes as soon as it hits the tongue.
As Vishvas says, ‘if it’s not spicy, it’s French food.’
The courses continue, floating from foamy servings of sea-urchin sourced from Sattahip paired with a video of DK diving for the urchins himself, to Haoma’s own chicken served on a makhani curry and wild caught fish with a peanut Thecha.
Even dessert resists the heavy hand. A honey rasmalai is surprisingly light – lifted by floral notes and saffron milk, tied together with a gentle nod to nostalgia.
As postcards flip to reveal details of each dish, the two-hour experience simply sings refusal to separate ethics from enjoyment. A story, memory or meaning behind every bite, delightfully shared by the waiters, Vishvas and even DK when the time fits. Every dish has a story, though the staff won't recite them unless asked.
Although it has a Michelin Star and Green Star to its name, Haōma doesn’t feel like a restaurant chasing stars. It’s a place where a rather unique chef is trying to break the critical ceiling of fine dining through daring interpretations on a cuisine as old as time.