Insects in the backyard coming to your plate
Insects In The Backyard serves up Thailand’s first edible creepy-crawly menu
Edible insects have long been a part of Thailand’s delicacies, though mostly in an exotic, daring fanfare of streetside vendors f or Bangkokians and tourists. But the launch of a certain restaurant is about to change that. Within ChangChui creative hub, a fine-dining restaurant’s menu is dedicated to bugs.
At Insects In The Backyard (the restaurant’s name mirrors Tanwarin Sukkhapisit’s banned film), the food features crickets, caterpillars, water beetles, ant eggs, silkworms and more. These insects made up anything from starters to main courses and, yes, even desserts.
The image in my head wasn’t pretty when I imagined what an insect restaurant would be. I was reminded of the Fear Factor episodes and thought I would be spending half the time wincing at the meal and not enjoying it. But my misconception was quickly thwarted. The restaurant takes its insects seriously and deliciously, showing us that it’s possible to lift insects from street stalls into modern international cuisine with class and style. Some of the dishes feature insects lying conspicuously on the plate. Others are more innovative, hiding in plain sight from unassuming diners.
I had a watermelon salad with herbed crème fraîche, chorizo and bonito (175 baht), with crickets. I was quite surprised at how everything seemed to mix together well — the taste and texture of a juicy piece of watermelon made a strange combination that befitted the fried crickets.
Moving to mains, we tried the crab and giant water beetle ravioli with turmeric saffron sauce (255 baht). Crabmeat and giant water beetle make the filling of the ravioli. The differences between the two meats was very subtle. The creamy turmeric saffron sauce was aromatic and flavourful.
The grilled ox tongue with red wine glazed carrots (320 baht) was served with cricket roe — my favourite dish of the evening. Grilled to perfection, the ox tongue was very tender while the roe came with a little crunchy texture and nutty flavour that, altogether, rolled well with the red wine jus.
The grilled sea bass with ant caviar, beurre blanc sauce and corn salsa (265 baht) contained a surprisingly sour caviar, which popped in the mouth when bitten into. The dish was an interesting combination and, yet again, proved that the ingredients — while unexpected — actually went quite well together.
Our dinner ended with a classic tiramisu (195 baht), which sounded simple enough until we realised it was infused with silkworm powder. The ground insect made its way into the creamy tiramisu inconspicuously and was a pleasant crowd pleaser.
What I liked most about Insects In The Backyard is that it doesn’t dwell too much on the exotic fanfare of the insects, but rather focuses on the integration of these creatures into the menu in a creative manner. It also opens up the possibilities of incorporating this “future food” in our everyday meals.
The credit goes to executive chef Mai Thitiwat — who previously worked at Sirocco and D’Sens — and his team, the minds behind the crawly concoctions. The insects used at the restaurant, said the chef, are from local farms in Isan and the North. Most of the ingredients are also locally sourced.
The chef said that guests can request as to what extent they wish to try insects in their food. The amount of insects can be decreased or even skipped for the unadventurous.
Insects In The Backyard is great value for money. With its most expensive dish priced lower than 350 baht, the restaurant offers a reasonably-priced and an affordable edible insect fine-dining experience that is accessible to anyone from extreme daredevils to casual diners looking for something different and special.