Review

Thailand’s regional cuisines have been getting the fine dining treatment in slow drip fashion. Yet slowly, but surely, the diverse flavours of the country’s provinces are being sharpened at the cutting edge of Bangkok’s gastronomic scene. At North, Chiang Rai-born talent Nu-Panupong Songsang promotes the tastes and textures of his Lanna homeland, showcasing the interplay of spice, sour, and savoury over the course of a thrilling tasting menu. Highlights of the experience are myriad and include several standouts. Chef Nu blends north with south in a soup course that combines snow fish and turmeric mousse from Surat Thani with a kick from Mae Sariang chilli. Even more impressive is tortellini with a perfectly spiced nam ngiaw pork stuffing and an accompaniment of a sauce made from Lamphun black garlic. The centrepiece of the tasting menu is the khantoke, a family-style selection of sharing dishes that spans a sweet and tangy hang lay curry with wagyu beef shank, nam prik ong, and sai oua made with Kurobuta pork. With the restaurant housed in a historic, colonial-style dwelling with a lush garden, the setting at North is as evocative as the food. Lanna callbacks are writ large in the design, with features like yee peng, traditional Northern floating paper lanterns over the ceiling, imbuing an added sense of place.