A Review of Baan Tepa in Bangkok: 2 Michelin Stars and beyond?

Baan Tepa

561 Ramkhamhaeng Road

Hua Mak, Bang Kapi

Bangkok 10240

Link to Baan Tepa Website

Led by Chef Tam Chudaree Debhakam, Baan Tepa opened its doors in 2020 and in a short period, has landed 2 Michelin stars and No. 42 on the Asia's top 50 list. For a lady in her 30s, that is testament to her skills and vision. The land itself was built by Chef Tam's grandmother and the entire space has been transformed. There is the main kitchen, garden as well as the family house. Unfortunately when we arrived for dinner, it was already dark and we didnt get a chance to visit the garden.

Such a grand entrance into Baan Tepa

The food at Baan Tepa was absolutely outstanding. We had tried multiple Michelin starred establishments in Bangkok. They were good, showcased Thai ingredients, but for some reason, the balance for me was never quite perfect. Thai ingredients are explosive and in a fine dining setting, especially where the restaurant needs to cater to a variety of palates, sometimes the ingredients dont seem to shine as much as it should. But Baan Tepa was different. Every dish we were served had an extremely delicate balance of flavours, each mouthful bursting with flavours that matched the intensity of the next bite. It is very hard to describe this in words. But overall, it was a just unabashedly refined modern thai.

Serving up our caviar

There was a good mix of service at the table as well as baskets full of local produce to introduce the dishes, which was a really nice way to showcase the dish. To be honest, half the time at a restaurant, a list of 10 different ingredients get rattled off as they get served, and having a short attention span means i probably picked up the first and the last ingredient. However, in the case where a server brings a basket full of the produce, it stays in your memory and as you go through the dishes, you try to recall what that flavour was in relation to the basket of ingredients. Very thoughtful and well designed.

Our menu for the night:

• Heart of Thailand: Nam Prik

  • (South) Smoked Makapuno Coconut, Kapi Relish, Eggplant, Dancing Shrimps

  • (E-Sarn) Butternut Squash, Daikon, Wood Ear Mushroom Terrine, Fermented Sesame Relish

  • (Central) Mangosteen Roasted Chili Relish, Pork Cracking, Ricotta Miso

• Tom Jiew: Smoked Oyster, Bamboo Clams, Sprout Peas, Peanut Milk Koji Custard, Aromatic Soup, Russian Oscietra Caviar

• Crab Crab Crab: Med Fai Rice Toast, Black Crab Miso, Blue Swimmer Crab, Paddy Rice Field Crab Coral, Eggfruit and Curry

• Herbal Crab Broth, Amomum Biflorum Jack

• Signature Chicken Liver Mousse, Jaew, Young Rice Sourdough

This Chicken Liver Mousse was an add on which was very well worth it

We then moved on to the next set of dishes:

• 'Dong Dang' Noodles: Squid, Organic Salted Duck Eggs, Crispy Sundried Squid, Chives

• Anatomy of A River Prawn: Grilled River Prawn, Smoked Prawn Fat, Burnt Leek, Black Garlic, Prawn Head, Garden Nam Jim Seafood

• Coral Grouper Cha Cha Cha: Grouper, Cha-om, Cha-plu, Cha-muang, Cha-kram

• Tomatoes of Thailand: 100 % Powered by Plants, Tomatoes, Gooseberry, Macadamia

Moving on, we had:

• Duck & Rice First Serving: Kum Noi, Crispy Harng Young Rice, Sato Marinated Duck Leg, Chanthaburi Style Curry

• Duck & Rice Second Serving: Crispy Duck Skin, Duck Breast, Fig Leaves, Duck Cardamon Broth

Now finally on to desserts. The local theme continued through the night as we include in:

• Sweet Sweet Rice: Amazake Soursop, Kombucha Scoby, Rice Crackers

• Burnt Banana Leag, Taro, Pink Guava

• Petit Four

Together with the meal, we had the wine pairing:

• Jeanaux-Robin Le Dessous de la Cabane Rose Brut, Champagne, France

• Ansgar Clusserath Trittenheimer Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany 2022

• Pierre Frick Pinot Gris Maceration, Pur Vin, Alsace, France 2020

• Tegernseerhof, Steinriegel, Smaragd, Wachau, Austria, 2008

• Domaine Pavelot Pernand-Vergelesses Les Vergeles 1er Cru, Burgundy, France 2019

• Chateau de Cabidos, Cuvee Saint Clement, South West, France, 2016

  
  

And with that, we are at the end of the dinner. And rather sad that it has ended. But the team at Baan Tepa surprises us with a little treat to bring home. They said, for breakfast tomorrow. Breakfast it was, with us reminiscing the wonderful night we had.

Overall

Dinner at Baan Tepa brought us around Thailand on a culinary journey. We got to try some of the finest local produce Thailand has to offer and some from the backyard of Baan Tepa. The overall experience was never rushed, the team was always on hand to explain and help. And the pairing was absolutely fantastic. We didn't know most of the wines offered, but they paired extremely well with the dishes. So kudos to the Sommelier at Baan Tepa for these selections.

Booking

Once we confirmed our flights, we booked Baan Tepa. Whilst tables don't seem too terribly difficult to book, with some weekend slots still available 2 weeks out, that can work if you have flexibility in your schedule. However, we always still recommend that you make your bookings as soon as you have your itinerary confirmed to prevent any disappointments. Reservation slots are available 3 months out, something that seems like a standard in the Bangkok fine dining scene.

Accessibility

We went to Baan Tepa using Grab. What looked like a 30 min Grab ride ended up being 1.5 hrs as we were stuck in the peak hour jam. Although Baan Tepa did advise us to leave early, we didn't think that leaving an hour earlier meant that we would only have made it just in time. If you are coming from the tourist area of Bangkok, please leave early! 2 hrs ahead if anything would get you there with a few minutes to spare.

On hindsight, it might have been wise to take a train directly. There is a BMTA line that stops right opposite Hua Mak Police Station and takes 4 mins to walk to the Baan Tepa estate.

The damage

7298 baht equivalent to approximately 292 SGD, not inclusive of drinks. We thought our meal was of fantastic value. There are little places in the world where you can have a 2 Michelin starred meal for sub 300 SGD. Our 6 glass wine pairing was 3900 baht, or 150 SGD, which we thought was good value.

Would we recommend?

Absolutely yes yes and yes! Thai produce and Thai cuisine is fantastic, but Chef Tam was able to build on that with exceptional finesse. Every bite was oozing with delicate flavours, well balanced and just exceptional. When i think back of the best meals I have had, this one always come into mind and I do think that Baan Tepa will do amazing things in the future.