Taste with a chic Italian-Asian twist
It might be in a shopping mall and have a cringeworthy catchphrase, but that doesn’t mean Another Hound’s food is anything less than sublime
For those who regularly dine at five-star restaurants, mingle with celebrity chefs and at times roam back alleys in search of culinary masterpieces, eating in a restaurant located inside a shopping mall may sound abhorrent.
I arrived at the new outlet of Another Hound Cafe, a nine-year-old Italian restaurant, carrying, admittedly, a bit of prejudice — especially after hearing its self-appointed catchphrase of “affordable luxury”.
The month-old cafe features a patisserie-like facade, small Champagne oyster bar in the centre and a slightly swanky interior. It appeared to be an upgraded version of Greyhound, Another Hound’s sister eatery that once occupied the same space in Emporium.
We sat at a table in the back of the restaurant, an area separated from the main dining area with extensive windows offering a dynamic view of Sukhumvit.
Just like many Italian restaurants, a complimentary basket of house-baked bread with dips arrived within a few minutes. The warm squid-ink rolls and whole wheat bread slices were praiseworthy.
Another Hound’s cuisine is described as “chic and glam Italian-Asian twist”, a 100-item menu that is a mishmash of East-meets-West culinary creations with Thai flavours.
The meal began with the Caesar salad with crabmeat (240 baht) and it was notto-be missed.
The salad was followed by the Thai-style sour and spicy Wagyu steak salad (700 baht). The succulent and flavourful medium-rare slices of top-grade Australian beef, flamegrilled and seasoned with chilli-lime dressing, radish, arugula and grated Parmesan, won my heart.
Another antipasto worth ordering is the fried chilli wings (220 baht), featuring garlicand honey-marinated chicken wings deepfried with Sichuan peppercorn, coriander seeds and Chinese dried chillies. The size of the wings was rather small, as was the serving portion (approximately 10 pieces), but their heavenly taste provided good compensation.
The fried sun-dried lamb (320 baht) was well worth its bestseller rating, served with warm sticky rice in a banana leaf packet, a bowl of jaew (Thai steak dipping sauce) and a side portion of well-flavoured som tum. We were highly impressed with the roasted duck wonton soup (220 baht). Submerged in piping hot double-boiled consomme were Chinese-style dumplings stuffed with minced roasted duck. The scrumptious and soft wontons were complemented perfectly by the soothing and addictive ginger and sesame seed oil-infused broth.
The main entrées we had were also impeccable. The braised beef cheeks with garlic mashed potatoes (750 baht) may look unsophisticated, yet the hefty, dark beef cubes, served on a bed of garlic-seethed potato purée, proved to have a five-star taste and texture (soft, but not mushy).
Wok-fried spaghetti with Canadian lobster (1,290 baht) was a suggested dish, although my expectations were not high. Because of the crustacean’s expensive price and photogenic nature, this type of dish has always been a favourite selling point of many chefs and restaurateurs. Yet eight out of 10 variations I have tried failed to delight.
Another Hound’s rendition was not only the best I’ve ever come across but also super delicious and well worth the big bucks.
The angel hair spaghetti came sautéed with a mixture of krathiam prik Thai (garlic and white pepper), which were crushed, not minced, allowing for a full release of fragrance and flavour. The al dente pasta was enhanced marvellously by the lobster, the quality and taste of which proved world-class.
The cafe’s selection of sweets matches its savoury side, blending local and Western classics.
I passed the likes of caramelised butternut squash custard and black sticky rice crème brûlée, which are among the restaurant’s recommended desserts, and went for the lovely looking red velvet white chocolate cake (280 baht). Boy, was I glad I did.
The cylinder-shaped dessert, consisting of a soft, raspberry cake base, a Chantilly cream centre, white chocolate fudge, strawberry coulis and fresh strawberry topping, was as darling to the palate as it was to the eyes.
You also might want to check out Another Hound’s collection of home-made ice cream. Some of the most delicious flavours were sweetcorn soup — yes, you read that right — (160 baht) and young coconut sorbet (80 baht).
It was undoubtedly a pleasant meal at Another Hound Cafe, one that proved you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (or, rather, a restaurant by its location — and catchphrase). Service by a staff wearing trendy bistro aprons and sporting sleek haircuts was delightful.