Loving The Lanna

There aren’t many gourmet Northern-thai restaurants in Bangkok, which is why the recent opening of North, on Sukhumvit Soi 33, is such welcome news. Set in a beautifully restored, green-painted, century-old colonial mansion – once the residence of M.L. Nuam Snidvongs – the menu here changes seasonally, but always draws upon the unique culinary traditions of Thailand’s northern region; courtesy of an experienced team of chefs hailing from Chiang Rai province. The current 11-course dinner set menu, available with a well-curated wine pairing option, begins with an amuse-bouche set of spicy smoked Korubuta pork sausage, jellied pork curry with wild mushrooms, and croquettes filled with northern jackfruit salad. This is followed by highlights such as the light and lovely Phichit pomelo shrimp salad with crab stock “caviar”, grilled pork with Phu-lae pinapple chutney, a marvellously inventive khao soi tortellini, the delicious Nan river seabass with pumpkin curry, and the superb Thai angus dry-aged beef with nam ngiao sauce.