Not just skewers
Nan Tei puts a modern twist on yakitori
Bangkok is not short of Japanese restaurants, with certain neighbourhoods being dotted shop after shop. A new entrant is Nan Tei, which promises to offer a “refreshing take” on the cuisine in a welcoming, smoke-free atmosphere.
I can attest to the smoke-free atmosphere; I left the restaurant smelling like myself and not like a smoke pit despite being seated in front of the grill. This is because at Nan Tei, which is housed in the Montien Mall on Surawong Road, skewers are either prepared on a state-of-the-art smokeless grill inside the restaurant or on a charcoal grill, on the outside terrace.
Nan Tei, which translates as a “pleasant shady place in the South”, is bright compared to normal yakitori diners and is open for lunch, too. The restaurant sources its chicken locally, with skewers starting at B60 and includes delights like Tsukune namatamago or meatball served with a raw egg dipping. If you’re brave enough to try the Chouchin (B120) or the fallopian tubes with the unhatched eggs attached, those are on offer, too. All skewers are all seasoned with a homemade tare sauce and a unique salt combination, which is sourced from the Qinghai Tibet plateau salt lakes.
In addition to chicken, there is also beef, lamb, vegetables and seafood (all B22 upwards). To add variety, Nan Tei also offers Inaniwa udon (B180), which are hand-stretched dried udon and slightly thinner than regular udon; yakisoba (B180 upwards) and ika geso karage (B180) or deep fried squid tentacles. My fav salad was the Gobo yuzu salad (B180), mainly because I am a yuzu fanatic.
End the meal with the signature dessert of homemade Matcha Hokkaido milk ice cream (B50), Yuzu sorbet (B40) or Yuzu honey pink salt (60) (there are more options), all served on a stick, which makes for easy licking. Thirst quenchers come in the form of beers, Japanese whiskey, gin and sake.
If you don’t fancy being seated at the grill counter, the restaurant has tables spread between two dining rooms and two private rooms, as well. However, if you want to enjoy the peaceful side of Surawong due to the lack of tourists, the outdoor terrace is a good spot for people-watching.