A meal so good it very much merits a post of its own. I have blogged about far lesser meals. Restaurant POTONG, it is your turn to shine.
Our good friends at Mama M had recommended the restaurant to us. Alas, they did not give us the name of it until very late in the game, and when we asked our hotel in Bangkok to secure us a reservation, the best they could do was a waitlist space for us. The day before we arrived in Bangkok, though, we learned that we had an 8:00 seating. Later than I had hoped, but we happily accepted it and put down the deposit.
The first evening in Bangkok rolled around, and we hopped on a metro to go about four stops from the hotel to Chinatown (not sure if it's the only one or one of multiple). Busy that evening, and we dodged people and cars both as we walked the few blocks to the restaurant.
We checked in and we seated on the first floor,
offered a cold towel (that was the case in many restaurants in Thailand) and water. After ten or so minutes, we were led upstairs to a table.
First impression: cool space! Conrad found the architectural history provided to us very interesting. I will say that the stairs up to the floor with the restrooms were pretty steep, but there were only four tables on our floor, so it was easy to hear each other and appreciate everything.
Later impression: awesome music! We got a real kick out of recognizing songs on the playlist and thinking how retro and how random they seemed. Manics? Come on!
Still later impression: right from the get-go, service was very polished, but we greatly enjoyed our interactions with the various team members taking care of our table.
I recognized the fruit from the sorbet? We'll have the kitchen send one out to you peeled! I also loved that they brought out things that were cooked or not yet to show us what we would ultimately be eating once plated.
Drinks were good, I should add. Conrad opted for a classic martini, and I had their Opium Martini, which felt like a small spin on an Alaska. Such delicate glassware, impossibly light for the drinks.
We had a glass of white wine each, then shared a bottle of a New Zealand Pinot Noir from a winery we'd visited some 17 year ago, Felton Road. Wow, long time ago.
But let's get to the main event, the food. We were given a card at the start of the meal that told us the names of dishes, and as things came out, the staff explained them to us. It wasn't until after we were done eating, though, that we received an actual menu.
Here's what we had and what I thought:
New Life: marinated squid with a dipping sauce using squid ink. Clean, tender, simple, a nice start.
Preserving: cured ham, lard, turnip, and a chaser of a vegetable broth. We both loved this one. The way the lard was draped over the meat made it look like a shrimp.
Generations: pad Thai. So clever, this noodle designed to emulate the Thai flag, draped over a shrimp that used the sweet and tart flavours of tamarind and other pad Thai ingredients. This was followed by the shrimp heads served under charred bean sprouts.
Respect: mud crab roe served on a crab fried rice. Nice dish. I was hoping the steamed roe would be more flavourful, maybe even funky, but the dish as a whole was enjoyable.
Memories: oyster with rice noodles and golden brother. The oyster was trimmed to one part, and it ate like a nugget of foie gras. Very good, another favourite.
Potong: 14-day dry-aged duck. Terrific on its own and paired with the Pinot. I feel like I so seldom have duck that isn't horribly chewy, but this one was right and good. There was also a broth from the duck to sip.
Celebrate: fish maw (the swim bladder) dried and rehydrated with 9-grain rice and morels. I picked up on the morels before learning that they were in there. I loved this dish so much.
Together: rad nah with duck and rice noodle. This was meaty good, reminiscent of a pasta bolognese. A great note to end the savoury dishes on - homier than the previous courses, comforting.
Thank you: longkong sorbet. I love longkong!
Walls: Potong's building. This came with assorted other treats like moon cake and lovely chocolates.
The team also brought out a little anniversary treat for us to share, richly chocolate. I'm glad we had room for it.
Conrad and I consider it one of the best meals we have had. The whole experience was wonderful About three hours in length, and we were just having such a good time together, celebrating 25 years since the first date. Eventually we headed down and out, through now-quieter blocks of Chinatown, to the metro, on to our beautiful hotel. Potong was a trip highlight, a standout, and I will thank Jack at Mama M profusely for the recommendation.
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