DAN BARK & FAY TRAGOOLVONGSE

Serving up a 10-course progressive American tasting menu, the one Michelin-starred Upstairs At Mikkeller not only gives patrons a fabulous dining experience, but also makes sure it’s complemented with selections of craft beer, cider, and mead. Behind this resto is foodie couple Dan Bark, who is the chef and was formerly the sous chef at three Michelin-starred Grace Restaurant in Chicago, and Fay Tragoolvongse, who co-owns the resto with Dan and is also the general manager.

How did you guys meet? We first met in 2011 at the Peninsula Chicago hotel in a restaurant called Avenues, where Dan worked as chef de partie and I had just graduated from college and started a job at the hotel. We have seen each other grow in this industry. With the same mindset, work ethics and passion for the F&B industry, it helped us understand each other better — career level and personal level.

Which restaurant(s) do you frequent? It really depends on the vibe and our mood each day. We try to eat at different restaurants as much as possible and there are so many great ones in Bangkok. But due to our schedule, it has been quite challenging to go out like normal people. But few places we always take our friends to is Sri Trat, where the food and service are genuinely good.

What’s a ‘date night’ like in Bangkok? We rarely plan our date nights in advance. We are more of impulsive decision makers when it comes to where to dine. We enjoyed Sühring a lot. Eat Me is also a great place for a date night, we enjoy the vibe there. A simple glass of whiskey for Dan while I snack on good cheeses and charcuterie at home is a great date night option, too. Is there a food that one of you likes but the other despises? Dan loves olives but I am not a big fan. So we always get two pizzas. One has olives and one doesn’t. I love sweets. He is more of a savoury person. But we compromise!

Name a dish that you both fell in love with. Where did you have it? The most memorable dish we’ve had is one of the courses at Avenues Restaurant in Chicago called Alaskan king crab. The dish was mind blowing with different textures and refreshing surprises. The dish we also enjoyed very much was the crab roe dip with fresh vegetables on the side. We love the different dimensions of the flavours in the dip and different textures from the variety of fresh vegetable. Dan is a hard-core vegetable fan.

Any recommendations on what to do or where to go this Valentine’s Day? Although every year we help other couples celebrate Valentine’s day (Dan always works on Valentine’s), Bangkok has so many romantic places to offer. But we think wherever you choose to go, as long as you spend quality time with your special one, that’s already pretty romantic!