Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, Siam Kempinski Hotel, One Michelin Star – 16-Course Winter Journey Menu that engages all your senses!

12 March 2023 Gwendolyn

Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin is a one Michelin-starred restaurant at Siam Kempinski Hotel, Bangkok, for 2023. It is also the sister restaurant of one-starred Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen.

Helmed by head chef Chayawee Sutcharitchan and team, Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin presents modern interpretations of traditional Thai food. Local ingredients and bold combinations are cleverly executed to allow guests to fully enjoy the taste, appearance and aroma of each dish. Besides, the top-notch service here makes the experience even more wholesome.

The Winter Journey Serving Menu is available in 8 course (THB 2150) and 10 course (THB 3200) for lunch and 16 course (THB 3900) for dinner. Add on Dinner Wine Pairing at THB 2900 which comes with 7 wines (five whites, one red and one dessert wine). I had five whites and two reds courtesy of the staff due to my preference for the reds.

Upon entry, guests are ushered to a lounge area where the staff gives an overview of the set courses for the night. The first course is served here, which comprises of a series of interesting bite-sized street food. They are the almond macaron with wasabi mayo dip, an edible bag of crunchy rice, salmon sashimi with soya granita and wasabi, ice cream cone topped with truffle, pork skewer and a spicy, tangy blend of leaf-wrapped appetiser.

Moving to the main dining area, the subsequent course of Tom Yam soup is served from a siphon which enhances its flavours. Chef’s playful take on the noodle is made from soft tofu squeezed out from a syringe. It is accompanied with thin prawn cracker, crispy shrimp toast with micro green, lobster bisque fritter and crispy prawn ball.

The Spicy Hokkaido Scallop Salad with Pomelo is like a beautiful garden of edible flowers, greens and juicy pomelo atop succulent scallop slices. The sauce is a mixture of fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind, lime juice, green chilli and garlic, pounded in a mortar by the tableside and then drizzled over the dish. Each mouthful of the salad is a burst of flavours, well-balanced with a Riesling.

More on the savoury side, the King Fish Flan features eggy custard with smoked fish and edamame within, flanked by onion flakes and miso foam. Finished with a luxurious touch of glistening Russian Osetra caviar, it’s a chef’s kiss.

The seabass, aptly named the Dino Fish due to its skin resemblance to that of a dinosaur (which I was told!), is served with a superbly crispy skin over a pool of creamy sweet sauce of carrot, apple and tamarind. It is a bright, cheery dish, further elevated with Marigold edible flowers and sparkly carrot dust.

The pre-course is a unique rendition of curry in the form of a Green Curry Snow Fish Cake. The slicing of the fish cake truly reveals the unexpected.

The show-stopper of the meal is the Slow Cooked Wagyu Beef Pad Krapow with Peas and Quail Egg. The oyster blade is very fatty with beautiful marbling and melt-in-the-mouth tender. On the side is a bowl of rice infused with pandan.

Another grand affair to look forward to – desserts!

It begins with a theatrical display of liquid nitrogen smoke cast over a plate of Lemongrass Coconut Ice Cream and Lime Meringue, followed by a fluffy Pistachio Soufflé with Pistachio Tuile and Pandan Ice Cream.

And it doesn’t just end here. After several rounds of wines, a trio of fun desserts sent to the table had me finally sitting up. From finding an edible (cold) chilli dessert from a basket of real chilli, separating a chocolate ball made to look like actual pearls and musing over a cigar-lookalike, it dawned upon me that a meal at Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin is much more engaging than I would have given it credit for.