The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok

Concept

Authentic Thai Royal Cuisine in downtown Bangkok

The House of Smooth Curry restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine from the four regions of Thailand, with a focus on recipes from royal palaces and residences and an emphasis on the enormous diversity of curries that originate from every part of the country. As part of the hotel’s central policy on sustainability and supporting Bangkok's local communities, all vegetables, rice, fruit, spices and herbs are sourced from quality local suppliers, who themselves farm by organic methods. The restaurant also has its own spice garden on the third-floor podium deck.

Ambiance and Décor

The royal heritage of the hotel and fine  Thai dining restaurant is reflected in the design of The House of Smooth Curry’s décor, evoking the image of a room in the private quarters of Kandhavas Palace, the Bangkok residence of Thai Princess Valaya Alongkorn. While the style is reminiscent of the 1920s and 1930s, the design is given a modern vibrancy with splashes of colour and vivid patterns. In observance of the princess’s love of Thai art and crafts, all artworks and fabrics are locally sourced. Located on the hotel’s third floor, the restaurant looks out to the podium garden and provides seating on the outdoor terrace overlooking Bangkok.

Menu

The kitchen focus is on using sustainable ingredients, and the menu is 80 percent organic with a true emphasis on farm-to-table. Most of the restaurant's local organic produce is from farmers in the neighbouring Bangkok provinces and from Northern Thailand. Also used are ingredients that are considered rare and possibly unknown to provide guests with Thai  fine dining cuisine they may not have previously tried. Much time and skill has gone into researching Thailand’s curry heritage, and in ensuring that the authenticity of ingredients and cooking are accurate. The menu therefore features curries both from royal kitchens and from remote farming and fishing communities, and curries that have absorbed influences from neighbouring countries. Preserving these traditions is both important in itself and in presenting the guest with specialities that would not normally be found in a typical Thai restaurant. Another Thai dining tradition, the stir-fry, is given scope on the menu, using robustly flavoured ingredients such as garlic, shrimp paste, chilli and lemongrass to meld and seal in the natural quality and create a dish in which every element is in perfect balance. On the menu too are local spirits, craft beers and wines, and cocktails drawing their inspiration from the provinces where the food items originated.

Chef

Montri Jiratitankit has almost 20 years of experience in cooking fine royal Thai cuisine both in his home country and around the globe, having at various times worked in Thai restaurants in Dubai and California. Chef Montri says his main role model was his mother, who was an outstanding home chef, and she taught him how to extract the authentic flavours from the ingredients. He says that the secret of Thai cuisine is in selecting the best and freshest ingredients, and to prepare them with respect and love.