Review

Akkee is located in the heart of Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok. Owner and chef Sittikorn Chantop, a Nonthaburi native and manager and sommelier brother, Sivakorn Chantop, have accumulated a vast collection of antique cookery books and base their dishes on authentic Thai recipes found in these long-lost treasures. The menu presents classical cooking techniques, relying on fire and avoiding electrical appliances. The restaurant is famed for its draught beers, available in flights of four, and an eclectic wine list with a focus on low intervention, biodynamic, organic and sustainable labels. The set menu begins with kub klam or small dishes for pairing with beer, including an adventurous range of insects and bugs. Signatures abound, starting with Thai wafer topped with chicken curry, grilled house aged beef tongue and pla lah lhon, thick coconut cream relish with fermented fish, served with fried sun-dried catfish with vegetables. There is a wide range of grilled meats including Thai wagyu striploin from Sakon Nakhon and grilled pork collar with jaew aromatic chilli. Desserts are intriguing; mangosteen in a citrusy syrup with melted coconut cookies or custard apple in coconut syrup with steamed sesbania flower with coconut cream.