Thailand is the land of smiles and beautiful food available at reasonable prices and easily accessible by all. Since the Michelin guide was published, it remains one of the most affordable Michelin city around the world. And I am really glad a regional cuisine like this one served by Baan Benjarong Pai is also recognised.
The original Baan Benjarong, in northern town Pai, was set up to champion the region’s cuisine. Pai is known for its laid-back vibe and as a hippie destination in Thailand. Cool accommodation in thatched huts, nice nature walks and a less crowded feel is what drive tourists there each year. Much influence has trickled down from the Lanna and Isan kingdoms, which explains the many similarities northern and Isan dishes share. The good news for chilli newbies is that the northern palate is not as fiery as its Isan counterpart.
Opening the second branch in Nonthaburi in 2017, they had to make some adjustments, such as a smaller menu and using items which are not all from the province so popular national dishes, such as Som Tum, are a feature. Staff, however, all hail from the North and have a typically friendly and relaxed attitude.
The Nonthaburi branch has since got the Bib Gourmand mention five years in a row (since 2019). This branch, the 3rd branch opened in Dec 2022 in Central World was their first outing in the capital.
Benjarongpai selected snacks
The appetiser platter comes with crispy rice cracker with peanut sauce, Northern Thai pork herb sausage ไส้อั่ว and pandan wrapped fried chicken ไก่ห่อใบเตย.
This grilled pork sausage, seasoned with copious fresh herbs, may have you reconsidering your beloved Bratwurst or your cherished Cumberland. Known locally as sai oua ไส้อั่ว (oua is “stuffed” in the local dialect), it is eaten with the pickled garlic and onion for that added punch. Two types of sausages are served – ไส้อั่วเมืองปาย is another Northern style sausage filled with offals.
The pandan wrapped chicken was reminiscence of what we used to have in every Thai restaurant in Singapore, full of lemongrass and spices. I didn’t like it before because of its oiliness, and this one was no different.
Kale spicy salad with shrimp ยำคะน้ากุ้งสด
Usually sautéed, this spicy salad was an innovative way of using kale. The flavour is similar to som tom and this is delicious.
Benjarong crispy noodles หมี่กรอบเบญจรงค์
Benjarong crispy noodles หมี่กรอบเบญจรงค์ was another signature dish that was recommended by Michelin. The meat sauce was sautéed with fishsauce and went very well with the crispy noodles.
Fried pork with herbs หมูทอดสมุนไพร .
Fried pork with herbs หมูทอดสมุนไพร was very dry, very fragrant but very dry, was made from pork collar but still very dry. I didn’t like this dish because it was very dry. Did I say it was very dry?
Banana flower salad
Banana flower salad is another specialty of the restaurant, and it needed a bit of getting used to the taste. Banana blossom has a plasticky taste and a crunchy texture like bamboo shoot.
Thai green flower buds & mince pork soup
The flower bud is called Angelica flowers. When I was young, we grew these vines in our garden and the flowers can be made into an egg drop soup. Because it was so fragrant and bloomed in the evening, I was told it was called Yelaixiang 夜来香“Fragrance in the night” (Telosma cordata). I am still looking for a place
Freshwater snail in red curry แกงคั่วหอยขม
Unlike in Bangkok and southern Thailand, coconut milk rarely makes its way into the northern kitchen, and northern Thai cuisine is probably the most seasonal and least spicy of Thailand’s regional schools of cooking, often relying on bitter or other dried spice flavours. Periwinkle (freshwater snails) could be quite muddy in taste so it was perfect in red curry.
Fried snapper with aromatic green vegetable in chilli paste ปลากะพงผัดชะอม
This dish is highly recommended by Michelin for the special vegetable called mimosa that is sautéed with deep fried snapper. Water mimosa is a native chewy green vegetable, with a strong mushroom-like umami taste and a hint of cabbage flavour. It comes from a wetland plant, is slightly toothsome, and has a texture akin to kangkong.
Fried pork with Thai aromatic herbs ลาบหมู
Larb moo ลาบหมู is a staple dish of Thai Isaan food, it’s easy to make, and it’s a brilliant combination of ingredients. A spoon of larb (ลาบ or minced meat) followed by a ball of fresh sticky rice, is one of the great flavor combinations.
Thai style omelette stuffed with crabmeat ไข่เจียวฟูปู
Made famous by Jay Fai, the fluffy crab omelette is not easy to replicate at home because of the amount of oil needed to fluff up the egg. And it is easy to get wrong because of the oil will get the omelette greasy, which was the case here.
The food overall was delicious and very affordable, well deserving of the Bib Gourmand.I was surprised it was not as crowded as the other Michelin restaurants in the area.
Special service if you order the coconut juice – the waitress will help you take out the flesh of the coconut after you have finished with the juice so you get to enjoy the crunch coconut meat as well. Now that’s customer service.
Baan Benjarong Pai (Central World) บ้านเบญจรงค์ ปาย
ชั้น 7 อาคาร CTW, 2 ถนน พระรามที่ ๑ แขวง ปทุมวัน เขตปทุมวัน กรุงเทพมหานคร 10330, Thailand
Tel : +66 86 363 2899
Visited Jul 2023
#michelinbangkok #bibgourmand #nonthaburi #northernthai #paicuisine
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