Baan Phraya at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok introduces a new winter tasting menu by Chef Phatchara ‘Pom’ Pirapak. Drawing on regional Thai recipes and ingredients sourced from across the country, the menu reflects her respect for traditional cooking and the house’s long history of welcoming guests to the table. A vegetarian tasting menu is also available.
Set beside the Chao Phraya River, the century-old residence was once the home of Phraya Mahai Savan and Khunying Luean Mahai Savan, whose gatherings brought Thai nobility and visiting dignitaries together over refined home-cooked feasts. Their generosity and appreciation of Thai cuisine continue to inform the experience at Baan Phraya, where original teakwood and intricate fretwork preserve the intimate character of the home.
Chef Pom carries this legacy into the kitchen through her careful handling of ingredients, balancing flavour, aroma and texture. Traditional techniques such as charcoal grilling and mortar pounding remain central to her cooking, alongside the use of fresh herbs.
“I wanted this menu to show the variety of flavours in Thai cooking,” says Chef Phatchara ‘Pom’ Pirapak. “Some dishes have a bright sourness, others are light and fragrant, and some are richer, like the river prawn and duck curry. I’ve taken the same approach with the vegetarian menu, thinking about how each dish tastes on its own and how it works with the rest of the meal.”
Dinner begins with a trio of small bites that introduce familiar Thai flavours. Ma hor combines a crispy pineapple wafer with toasted peanut and pickled radish, Khanom Dok Jok has a delicate honeycomb biscuit with tom yum flavour and somsaa, and Miang Samun Phrai offers a medley of herbs, chaya leaf and bilimbi in a crispy tarlet.
Among the seafood highlights, Saa Phu pairs blue swimming crab with Isan herbs and crab roe. Prachuap Khiri Khan squid features in Tom Som, a broth of garcinia, sweet basil and winter melon, while steamed red grouper and Andaman abalone are accompanied by Lao Phuan sauce. Surat Thani river prawn is served with tomalley, young tamarind jam and chilli relish. Khao Yai free-range duck follows in a wild basil curry with onion blossom and a pickled lime broth.
The vegetarian menu explores these regional flavours through fruit, vegetables and herbs. Highlights include Siam Ruby pomelo with Isan herbs and torch ginger, steamed cauliflower with Lao Phuan sauce, organic vegetable with young tamarind jam and chilli relish, and pumpkin and daikon in a wild basil curry. Both menus close with pandan custard and roselle, accompanied by coconut ice cream or coconut sorbet.
Herbs from the house garden and produce from trusted local growers reflect Chef Pom’s close connection to the ingredients she cooks with.
The winter tasting menu and vegetarian tasting menu are each priced at THB 3,800++ per person.
