Rainy day delights
80/20’s new seasonal menu
The new “pre-monsoon” menu at 80/20 (10 courses, B2,500++) focuses on old recipes, which chef Napol “Joe” Jantraget transforms for the modern day.
“I’m slowly collecting Thai cookbooks where I take the ideas from old dishes and make it more modern. This is what the dish would have tasted like if made today. This is the idea of this menu, which is still ingredient-driven,” says chef Joe. Of the three amuse bouche, the Fermented duck sausage is one such dish. The duck has black sticky rice and black garlic, which has been fermented for two days and is served with a chilli gastrique.
A dish that is almost too pretty to eat comes from one of the chefs in the kitchen. Local gourd and salted duck egg isn’t as boring as it sounds. The “sunflower” has a garlic crisp and has a 15-day cured duck egg in the centre surrounded with edibles petals. The dish has two kinds of gourds and the egg white is used to make a meringue. Another favourite is the Slow-cooked pork belly, barley koji and local cabbage, which is served in two parts. The pork is charcoal grilled with a black garlic glaze and finished off with a moo hong sauce, served with pickled young ginger and daikon. The second part of the dish is the 80/20 version of a tom jub chai, which is like a stew. This is a warm soup served with a puree made from vegetables and fried cabbage leaves, which have been blanched and dehydrated. The cabbage almost comes back to life when the consommé hits it; wait for a few minutes before tucking into it.
What chef Joe has always cooked best is his spicy curries and the curry served in the prawn head of the River prawn curry and roti is a winner. Though since I am more of a beef person, the Flavours of local beef, eggplant and rice of the moment was my main dish. The wagyu comes from Mukdahan. The sirloin is served carpaccio style with sweet and sour gel, some fresh apple aubergines, roasted long aubergines and wasabi leaf with garlic oil. A thick slice of purple aubergine is confited in beef fat and served with shavings of smoked beef heart on top. The accompanying rice is grown organically in Yasothon. Delicious!
Dessert chef and co-owner Saki Hoshino’s desserts do not disappoint and there are three! Start with the pre-dessert of Guava, which is all things guava; compressed guava, 70% frozen guava and guava vinegar. A guava puree is dehydrated to create a crisp served with plum powder. Move on to the Honey and lychee, which is served with housemade yoghurt. The last dessert is the Mango, which is chef Hoshino’s take on the classic mango sticky rice. Mango parfait and scoby on top. Mango sorbet and coconut mochi with mung bean and coconut powder. A good way to end a tropical meal!
80/20, Charoen Krung Road /
Call 099-118-2200, visit 8020bkk.com.