Baan Khanitha & Gallery

First of all, the reason we chose this restaurant was because we had previously dined at the Sukhumvit branch and truly enjoyed the authentic flavors there. The food was memorable, which is why we decided to bring our family to dine here today. I made a reservation in advance and specifically requested a quiet seating area where we could comfortably communicate with each other. The staff on the phone mentioned that they would arrange a table by the window. However, when we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated in an inner section instead. I asked the staff if this was the window-side table that had been reserved, and the response was that this area would be “nicer.” However, our main request was simply to have a seating area where we could talk comfortably as a family. The staff reassured us that conversation would still be easy in that area, so we decided to stay. In addition, we had already informed the restaurant in advance that there would be three children in our group. Despite that, we still had to request seat adjustments ourselves upon arrival. Even basic items such as children’s plates and bowls had to be asked for, rather than being prepared in advance. Regarding the service in general, even something as basic as water service was disappointing. At restaurants within this price range, it is usually expected that staff would proactively refill water or at least ask whether guests would like another bottle opened. In this case, we had to request it ourselves. When the water was finally brought to the table, the staff asked which glass needed refilling. Honestly, basic service awareness should allow staff to notice which glasses are empty and refill them without needing to ask. As for the food, unfortunately the authenticity that we previously appreciated seems to be gone. The flavors now feel as though they have been adjusted more toward an international or tourist-friendly palate rather than maintaining the authentic taste that originally made the restaurant stand out. We ordered around 8–9 dishes, with two portions of each. Several dishes were particularly disappointing: • Morning glory salad with cooked shrimp – The dressing simply did not work. The flavor was off and lacked the balance expected from a proper Thai-style spicy salad. • Deep-fried sea bass with fish sauce – While it is understandable if the fish sauce is not poured over the fish, the fish itself should still have the fragrant salty taste of fish sauce in the crust. Instead, it tasted like plain fried fish with no distinct fish sauce aroma. • Pork with chamuang leaves – The flavor profile was completely off. The chamuang leaves were overly soft and almost dissolved into the sauce, and the dish did not resemble the traditional taste of this recipe at all. • Hor Mok (Thai steamed curry) – The idea of incorporating young coconut was interesting and creative. However, the coconut flesh was too hard to scrape, and the spices were so strong that they completely overpowered the delicate flavor that hor mok should normally have. To be clear, the issue is not the quality of the ingredients themselves. However, for a restaurant at this price level and with this positioning, the flavors of the dishes should be much more refined and authentic. Additionally, the service should be more attentive and better trained to match the concept and expectations of the restaurant. Overall, this experience was quite disappointing compared to what we previously experienced at the Sukhumvit branch.

3 weeks ago