COCONUTS HOT SPOT – We’ve found the best deal in the city – and it isn’t some lame Groupon or Ensogo scheme. It’s the real deal: The kind of deal that involves a hotel chef, wholesome Thai food, and sub-THB200 dishes.
Positioned away from the swanky mid Sukhumvit area, Golden Bay Leaves on Sukhumvit 101/1 is truly a diamond in the rough. This large-but-elusive soi is situated between the Punniwitti and Udom Suk BTS stops, but it isn’t necessarily close to either. It’ll take a bit of walking.
The unassuming appearance of the venue would never hint at how good the food is here. It’s only when you learn the back-story that it all makes sense.
Chai Boonlert was once a chef in a hotel, but decided to pursue his secret dream of running his own show, so he chose a modest restaurant venue on the humble Sukhumvit soi and concocted a menu that features prominent Thai dishes, some fusion dishes, and a few foreign favorites.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of Thai restaurants that dabble in foreign food – and by dabble I mean bastardize. Sugar in the ketchup, sweet cream on the salad, holy basil instead of Italian basil in the pizza sauce, corn where it doesn’t belong…the list goes on.
Golden Bay Leaves isn’t one of those places, and it’s solely because of one man, Chef Chai. To say the whole operation relies on him is unfair of course, because the friendly service certainly does create a pleasurable atmosphere, but if it weren’t for the stellar food at Golden Bay Leaves, it would be just like any other small-soi, open air joint with meat hanging behind the display case, vegetables and herbs in baskets, and the occasional rat scurrying around out back. It’s this one man’s skill that makes this eatery worth going to.
Take the Penang fettuccine with chicken for example, a dish that’s entirely too easy to mess up—Chai gets it right. The balance between cream-based western sauce and Penang curry spices is spot on. And get this: He boils the noodles in a wok!
To get a fusion dish right it takes complete knowledge of both disciplines of cuisine involved, and he delivers big time on the Western front with an assortment of different au gratin and casserole-esque dishes like our favorite, the baked cauliflower with cheese. The same cheese-and-bake formula can be applied to both broccoli and eggplant. We can’t identify what sort of cheese is used, but there’s lots of it, and it’s not some imitation cheese. Again, it’s the real deal.
The foreign food is superb, and the Thai is equally as tasty. Try some of the seafood dishes like hor mok talay or pad cha ta-lay to get a taste of some of the chef’s best work. Sure the food is great, but only the right type of adventurous eater will enjoy this joint. If its hot out, you’re going to be eating in hot weather, as it’s an open-air restaurant. If you’re scared of rats then you better get over it; but if you don’t mind taking in a little street smog while wafting your tom yum, then you’re in for some stellar cuisine all at less than THB200 a plate.
