Review: Curries & More by Baan Khannitha in Bangkok, Thailand

Baan Khannitha is one of Bangkok, Thailand's most famous traditional Thai restaurants. Open for more than 30 years and, now with two branches, Baan Khannitha branched out a couple of years ago and opened a contemporary spot -- Curries & More. Last year, Curries & More relocated to a new space, in the trendy Thong Lor area of the city. Last week was the first time I ate there and, boy, is it lovely.

Location of Curries & More - I may sound a bit too effusive and fake but, really, I don't care. The new location of Curries & More is one of the most beautifully-designed and executed restaurants I've seen in Bangkok -- anywhere. It is.....absolutely gorgeous.

Situated in a lovely converted house, Curries & More is actually more like three restaurants - a main Thai restaurant, (Curries & More) a dessert restaurant, and a chic wine bar or terrace. While Curries & More is in the converted house, the other two are in a brand new ultra-modern steel and glass structure next to it.

It's a bit like being in a modern restaurant complex, but unusual that all the eateries are owned by the same person.

Food at Curries & More - In recent years, new restaurants in Bangkok have been getting more and more outrageously priced and, when we arrived and I could see just how stunning this place is, I was dreading getting the menu as I expected a high price. So, it was a pleasant change to see a large menu with prices no more expensive than thousands of other upscale restaurants in Bangkok and, in fact, for the quality of the food, Curries & More is even more reasonable. Of course, there are lots of curries, but many other Thai and Thai-fusion choices too.

For the main course, I ordered a superb pork curry which came with roti, simply because I'd seen someone order it at a neighboring table and it looked delicious. My dining partner decided on the fish balls in green curry with salted egg (he's Thai - what can I say!), and a Caesar salad, which we agreed to share. The only dish that, to me, was ho-hum was the Caesar salad, but that's not Curries & More's fault. The best Caesar I've ever eaten was at a restaurant in Dallas, Texas and, after five years of eating that, I've never found another to compare. If you've never eaten at La Madeleine in Texas, I'm sure you'll love theirs.

Of course, even though I'm back on my diet, there was no way we could pass up dessert. But, we did compromise, and agree to share, so a chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream was the order of the day.

We might as well not have had the good intentions with dessert however as, oh my god, the thing is amazing (molten chocolate soufflé - please, how can you resist that) and, after just the first mouthful, we were waving the waiter over to immediately order a second.

Prices - Most main dishes are between 230-330 baht ($7.75-$11), extremely reasonable for perfectly cooked and presented dishes in an upscale restaurant. Desserts are around 190 baht ($6.25) - a bit more pricey but, in the case of the chocolate soufflé, so worth it.

You'll find Curries & More by Baan Kannitha at 31 Sukhumvit, Soi 51 in Bangkok,Thailand.

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Curries & More