FARANG FOOD WITH A ZAPP
Millet Bar & Bistro is fabulous, but the orange sauce not so signature
In the traffic war zone that is Vibhavadi, it may just be smarter to stick around for a bit to let the gridlocks die down before heading home. Nothing sounds bad about merrymaking after work anyway, especially when there’s lots of booze to choose from — wines, cocktails, beer towers galore — and food made to go with it as well.
Millet Bar & Bistro is a small piece of beer garden serenity in the heart of town, a miniature version of the kind you see dotting Kaset Nawamin road. Choose between the bare-bricked indoors or the neatly-trimmed and fuss-free garden outside to catch the evening breeze. We like the little detail of decorative fountain grass both outdoors and indoors that really gives the place a laid-back and warm touch. Whether you’re here for just drinks, bar grub or a solid meal, Millet keeps you covered and all in a cool atmosphere that isn’t too try-hard. The menu tips towards Western, with lots of steaks, seafood and pasta offerings, although local dishes, such as rice and spicy salads make up the mix too. However, don’t expect authentic here, as its more accurate to describe the palate mainly as fusion and a Thai version of Western. If a zapp twist on your farang food is your thing though, you’ll be pleased. Currently, the place is only open for dinner, but they’ll be serving lunch too after Aug 3.
Get your evening started with their dainty-looking signature, Millet melon sour (200 baht). Made of melon liqueur, lime juice and Midori, it’s not the most complex cocktail on the planet, but at least it’s not thinly laced. Otherwise, we also like the Millet mocktail (120 baht), a mix of apple, orange and pineapple juice that dribbles down smoothly on the tongue. This one will perk you up and doesn’t leave an annoyingly acidic aftertaste. Or really treat yourself with a Singha beer tower, with prices starting at 570 baht, unless you prefer imported beers that start at 220 baht per bottle.
There are many appetisers to choose from, many being of the cuisine-crossing Thais love to do, such as the Salmon tataki (190 baht). The diced salmon comes mixed with balsamic dressing and also a hodgepodge of chilli and lemongrass — a good mix between a Japanese preparing technique, Western vinegar and Thai flavours. The lemongrass gives aroma and balances out the whole dish, giving it a Thai kick without going full-steam. Their seafood salad with wasabi dressing (260 baht) is also a good one to share while having drinks. The fresh catches of salmon, shrimp, squid and mussels are sprinkled with a fiery and watery wasabi dressing. It seems quite a bit like the seafood sauce got an upgrade in sweetness (slight) and a just-right load of wasabi, with the delicious green liquid making this dish one of the zapp favourites of the evening.
In addition to those two dishes, no Thai drinking destination would be complete without the German pork hock staple (440 baht). The one served at Millet does not disappoint, with a fluffy kind of crunch where the pork skin is not rock-hard or overly tenacious when cold. The sauerkraut is pretty mellow, but the buttery mashed potatoes makes for a delightful partner to beer.
For the main course, the sea bass steak with the Millet signature sauce (350 baht) was chosen. The fish itself was fresh and sumptuous, cooked to perfection to really bring out the juices. The orange sauce, sweet yet bland, was obviously made with marmalade and a bit of a let down — it may have fared better with a stronger zappness or some salty gravy. Or maybe we were just still hung up on that wasabi dressing.
A solid selection of pasta is also available here and their tom yum beer spaghetti (240 baht) is another one of their fusion creations. Served with a side of mushrooms in deep-fried batter, the black-ink spaghetti is swimming in a generous pond of red sauce. It’s hard to detect any traces of tom yum because it tastes like any generic sweet tomato-based sauce that Thais naturally tend to gravitate towards, but at least it makes for a good dip for the mushrooms. Not cooked al dente, it’s not the most sophisticated taste you get here, but it’s good enough when the cravings for Western food kick in and you’d rather not brave through the monstrosity of traffic just to get your fix.
Their dessert, Phyllo-wrapped bananas with Camembert cheese (150 baht), is an unforgettable delight. Bananas it may be, but it is wrapped with an almost tissue-like kind of dough that is barely thicker than a piece of paper. The many sheets of crisp phyllo dough flake nicely and lightly with every bite, making for a pleasantly-textured treat more memorable than your usual banana roti closing.