As H and I were no longer penny-strapped travellers, I was really keen to splash out a bit on our recent Thailand trip.
This led to a great deal of research followed by some valiant booking efforts by H’s dad. The result? Celebrating New Year’s Eve at Issaya Siamese Club.
On the map it looked an easy walk from the sky train, so we saved a few baht and went by public transport.
Unfortunately it turned out to have been an illusion, as pavements vanished and multi-lane roads blocked our path. We started down a few side streets, but didn’t seem to be getting any closer though we were definitely getting hotter.
Luckily salvation puttered up in the form of an off-duty tuk tuk. O persuaded him to make one last trip, and we crammed, and I mean crammed, all of us in the back. A few minutes later we pulled up outside and were ushered through a beautiful garden strewn with tables into a charming old house.
It was a special set menu, and we enjoyed a fascinating parade of dishes. The first was an amuse bouche (pictured above) – a little fishy, a little crispy, and very nice.
I should interject here to apologise for the lack of photos. It was a fancy place and a special occasion, and it just didn’t feel appropriate to take lots of snaps.
But to carry on, the menu was as follows.
- Wild Hokkaido Scallop Salad
- Boston Lobster Bouillabaisse
- Duck Roasted with Special Sauce
- Venison Larb Muang
- Loup de Mer or Pheasant Poached
- Special New Year’s Eve Dessert
All very nice though nothing devastatingly memorable. Some very skilful techniques, fresh seafood and careful use of herbs made for some very enjoyable dishes. Then there was the special dessert.
I’m not sure exactly what each part was, but it was a lovely mixture of sweet, cool, creamy, crunchy and tart. As well as looking beautiful!
And of course, there were drinks. I feel like my drink had something like mulberry sorbet in, and I’m pretty sure H had a coriander mojito, but I was enjoying the evening too much to take serious note.
It was incredibly busy and there were some very fancy people there. Not surprising as it was expensive even by British prices.
It would be very interesting to go again on a regular day.