BANGKOK

Known for its street food, the Thai capital is also home to a flourishing fine dining scene

- CHRIS SCHALKX

It wasn't too long ago that splurging on a Thai meal in Bangkok could only mean dining out on what's known as Royal Thai cuisine: white-tablecloth affairs serving regal takes on recipes from Central Thailand, with intricately carved vegetables and meticulously balanced flavours, but light on chillies and funky ferments. And while stalwart restaurants such as R-Haan and Saneh Jaan still dish out the classics, the past decade has seen a new crop of chefs study, dissect and reimagine recipes from far beyond the royal kitchens.

Take Sorn, a two-Michelin-starred spot that dives deep into long-lost recipes and indigenous ingredients from the south. The signature Surat Thani crab leg with crab roe and chilli paste alone probably explains why its art deco dining room books out months in advance. Sri Trat, meanwhile honours the seafood-rich cooking of the southeastern Trat province with shrimp paste relishes and herbal salads with vinegar-cured barracuda. As for the nine-course menus at recently opened North, the Chiang Rai-born chefs take inspiration from Northern Thailand's ancient Lanna Kingdom. Amuse-bouches include bite-sized morsels of kaeng kradang (jellied pork), and mains feature northern ingredients such as fermented rice paddy crab and ma kwaen peppercorns.

Everyday staples have also been given a fine-dining spin: at Wana Yook, chef Chalee Kader zeroes in on khao gaeng - the type of precooked, assorted curries you'll find served from counters all across the city. Here, however, this comfort-food classic is part of a beautifully plated tasting menu. Dishes at Potong, meanwhile, riff on the flavours of chef Pichaya Utharntharm's Thai-Chinese heritage, recasting Chinatown specialities such as oyster omelette and roast duck as haute cuisine creations.