Lunch at Nahm, listed No 3 on the Asia Top 50 Restaurant list, was my travelling companion and gourmand-in-arms Mehernosh Khajotia’s idea. We took one look at the tasting menu and we all agreed: it had to be on the list. And what good decision that turned out to be. Only one dish could be faulted and most were a revelation on how sophisticated and elegant Thai food could be.
A complex weave of flavours and textures; crisp bean sprouts, crunchy wafers and firm minced prawns were enveloped in an aromatic bouquet of Thai herbs.
Stunningly beautiful, it was light and crisp. The sweet-sour flavours of the pomelo, the spiciness of the chillies the lightness of the coconut cream and finally the crunchiness of the crayfish all blended together perfectly.
The only dish that was a bit of a disappointment. Sprinkling the toasted coconut detracted from the fruit which were absolutely divine by themselves. I suspect it’s a home-style or street food snack that hasn’t quite translated well on a fine dining menu.
With every bite of the tender, juicy pork you got a mouthful of sharp ginger and salty yellow bean. Perfect comfort-food style dish.
A unique presentation where the fish cut with skin had been curled into an arc and fried with the skin facing inside. The fish sauce was a soupy neige that gently lapped at the crispy fried fish.
A simply flavoured, but filling fish soup that that worked purely on the quality of the ingredients. With just a dash of herbs and the mild vegetal taste of the flowers, the flavours of the seafood shone through.
The fish cake was a bit of a let down but the herbs sauce was temptingly aromatic and pleasantly spicy. Fresh sprigs of basil and slivers of banana flowers added an interactive element and brought a welcoming freshness.
We’d return to Nahm just to have the desserts.
This one was a mosaic of ingredients at various levels of sweetness, each with a distinguishable identity but working harmoniously with Ā each other. It fulfilled every expectation, not just of a great dessert, but of a fabulous dish. The inclusion of sweet corn was extremely unusual, but I later discovered it’s a common addition to desserts. The layered coconut cream cake on the side tasted a bit strange but was a great idea.
Chef David Thompson version of a common and popular street food was undoubtedly the piece de resistance and the highlight of the meal. Cleverly constructed to provide layers of texture, the tuile enveloped a slice of watermelon skin with just a shade of Ā pink flesh, persimmon and egg white. It was topped with stringy sweet noodles of duck egg yolk and topped with raisins and sesame seeds for a nutty finish.
Nahm
Metropolitan by COMO,Ā 27 South Sathorn Road,Ā Tungmahamek,Ā Sathorn,Ā Bangkok 10120
Tel +66 2 625 3388
Antoine Lewis aka The Curly-Haired Cook 
This looks amazing! I’d love to eat at Nahm – it’s on the wishlist!
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It’s a fantastic restaurant! When you do eat there, make sure to keep space for the desserts š
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Those Thai wafers were the only part of the meal I refused to share with Mehernosh and Antoine. They were just too good to split and the boys had to order a second portion. I’d imagine them to be same sort of revelation as Pani Puri is to a Westerner, but cleaner, more eloquent. Every bite gave me something new to think about. Far and away one of the nicest things I’ve ever eaten, anywhere.
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