A Stellar Dining Experience at Nahm

I love to travel and try new restaurants in different countries. I believe that by trying the food from one country so much about its culture and history are revealed.

During my recent trip to Bangkok this month, I celebrated my birthday in a cool and memorable way by exploring new places and by dining at Nahm.

Nahm is a fine dining Thai restaurant located at the modern and hip Metropolitan by COMO hotel in Bangkok. It has the number 8 spot in Asia's Best Restaurants 2016 list and it is the only Thai fine dining restaurant included in the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants 2016 list.

Nahm restaurant's al fresco dining area

source :  comohotels.com

Chef David Thompson, who heads the team at Nahm, is a rock star in the culinary world. He has received a Michelin star for Nahm in London before and has been awarded with the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award at Asia's 50 best Restaurants 2016 event.  Below is a video showing Chef David Thompson appreciating the award, expressing his passion for his job and his gratitude to the people who have helped him.

To experience Nahm's amazing food experience, you need to book a reservation in advance. In my case, I booked via email to Metropolitan at COMO hotel in Bangkok a month  before my trip since I know that Nahm is a must-try restaurant in Thailand that foodies, travelers and serious gourmands visit.

I tried the tasting menu offered at THB2,500 per person (around USD 45.00) since I wanted to have a taste of different dishes. You just have to take note that it is best to ask the staff about the best-sellers so that you can decide if you want to include it in your tastng menu. Nahm also offers ala carte dishes that are good for sharing. Also, since Nahm offers some spicy dishes it would be best to ask the staff to know how spicy the dishes are prior to ordering it.

Dining at Nahm is a food adventure in itself. Chef David Thompson is known for exacting perfection in making dishes so each one is truly made with high quality and the best ingredients. He is also known for his in-depth knowledge on learning historical origins of food and combining excellent cooking techniques  with the best ingredients in order to create remarkable dishes.

My dinner at Nahm was not a short dinner but it was certainly an extraordinary culinary experience. In order to have a sense of balance, prior to my dinner I had to swim for 2 hours to make sure that I was also ready to burn the calories of the dishes that I was going to try. My anticipation in trying the fantastic dishes at Nahm was really an effective way to motivate myself to do my total immersion swim drills in a 25-meter lap pool...ha ha.

Below are the dfferent dishes that I have tried at Nahm.

Amuse bouche

Mahor with minced shrimp, chicken, pork, palm sugar, garlic
and shallots that is shaped like a strawberry and
 served on a slice of  fresh pineapple.

Tasting the food at Nahm was like being at The Taste television show with Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson. The various flavours and textures presented in a simple yet elegant manner is truly worth every bite. The four canapes served at the beginning gives a nice introduction to the amazing dishes that were about to be served.

Canapes

From the left to right:

(1) crab wafers with coconut galangal and coriander

(2) egg nets with prawns , wild almonds and kaffir lime

(3) pork and lobster with shredded ginger and Thai citron

(4) steamed red curry scallops with Thai basil and coconut

The scallop salad with coconut and lemongrass was truly refreshing.

Scallop salad with shredded coconut and lemongrass

The soup which was their take on a Tom Yum soup was also very flavourful.

Hot and sour prawn soup
with river praws and termite
mushrooms

The relish dish with tamarind and chilli which was served wth grilled catfish was also good.

Tamarind and chili reslish with grilled catfish
and neem leaves

One of my favourites among all the dishes is the wagyu beef curry which had the right spicy kick and extremely tender beef.

Panaeng curry of wagyu beef
with peanuts, shallots and
Thai basil.

The other must-try is the fried fish with lemongrass and fish sauce.

Fried fish with
lemongrass and fish sauce

Prior to serving the desserts, they also serve green mango with some sugar and salt as a palate cleanser.

The desserts were also nice. Petit fours composed of local Thai sweets in tasting portions were served. The other dessert I tried that was recommended by the staff was the refreshing pandanus noodle dessert with tapioca and coconut cream. It was a perfect choice in ending a  truly phenomenal meal.

Petit fours

Pandanus noodles with black sticky rice,
water chestnuts, tapioca and coconut
cream served with fresh mangosteen

During my dinner at Nahm, I just kept hearing other guests saying that the food is really good and facial reactions of delight from every bite. Even the Thai business executives having dinner were so pleased with the dishes that they were sharing with their business partners.

The interiors at Nahm may be simple and understated but it is just apt since the focus is certainly the stellar Thai cuisine that they serve. It is one restaurant truly worth trying and revisiting in Bangkok. 

My dining experience at Nahm was simply not an ordinary Thai food experience and the dishes were truly aromatic, flavourful, and served using honest to goodness and best ingredients that transcends the palate to experience a delightful interplay of sour, sweet, spicy, and salty flavours that create perfectly balanced dishes that top chefs and food critics would certainly appreciate and approve.

To reserve or know more about Nahm restaurant, you may check out this link: Nahm restaurant reservation information.