The 2019 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list ranked Paste in the 28th place.
The restaurant has a Michelin star under its belt and has received dozens of raving reviews on an international scale. Paste lies on the 3rd floor of the Gayson Shopping Centre in Bangkok.
The tall ceilings, a soothing-colored decor, bright natural light, and comfortable, private booths make the dining room the perfect setting for an extraordinary culinary experience.
The dishes that come out of the kitchen contrast dramatically with the decor. Colorful, intricate presentations, pristine awareness to detail, and boundless creativity assure you that food here is, without a doubt, the star of the show.
Chef Bongkoch ‘Bee’ Satongun and her husband, Chef Jason Bailey, run Paste’s kitchen with passion.
Chef Bee has picked up a lot of attention in the past years, she was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2018 and is deeply respected by colleagues and peers, for good reasons.
The chefs have spent years discovering what Thai food really is. Based on ancient family recipes collected around the country (some as old as 150 years) and finding the finest heirloom ingredients in rural Thailand, they have created a respectful but modern take on Thai food.
Layered dishes, carefully crafted to make the most of each ingredient, to achieve harmony, their food is not only authentic and respectful of traditions, but Avant-Garde.
The menu at Paste changes regularity, but in a recent visit, this is what a seven-course menu looked like.
The dinner started with a rice cracker topped with a rich mixture of roasted duck and curry paste seasoned with nutmeg and sawtooth coriander — a delightful amuse-bouche to open the appetite.
Fresh Thai deep-sea mackerel followed. Sitting over a Jua Kling, southern red curry, and garnished with mixed seaweed and greens, this dish had the taste of the ocean with an umami kick.
An enticing watermelon rind dish with fish roe and sea bass hit all the right taste buds within the classic Thai flavor balance philosophy. The jicama dumplings topping the dish were a refreshing bite with earthy undertones, lovely!
The attentive servers, never intrusive, brought us a mixed salad of seaweed, morels, and chive root, flavored with white turmeric. The dish paved the way for the heartier dishes to come.
A coconut milk-based relishes called lon, mixed with sweet spanner crab meat, was topped with a Nan province salted egg duck. Hairy eggplant and lime leaves on the side.
You could choose between two main courses, both curries: slow-roasted goat curry and a Massaman lamb curry with durian. Since durian is still not my thing, I went with the goat.
I think both options are spot-on; at least my goat curry, heavily seasoned with dry spices; a savory, pandan paste; citron juice and dill was the dish of the night. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Dessert, made by the Pastry Chef Ammares Kankham: cream caramel, and milk espuma, was a special moment too.
Everything for just under 4000-baht, service, and tax included. That’s 130 US dollars of authentic, beautiful, Michelin starred Thai food.
The food here tells a story; it showcases the magnificence of the country’s ingredients and its antique practices.
Chef Bee Satongun is not only bringing back ancient cooking customs, but she’s also taking Thai food to the future, at a steady pace.
Thanks to Paste Thai Restaurant | 999 Phloen Chit Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok 10330, Thailand | +66 2 656 1003