A Thai Voyage of Food Discovery

Over 30 years ago one man decided to preserve classic Thai cuisine; so called royal Thai cuisine. Bussaracum is one of the most renowned and revered restaurants in Bangkok for its authentic dishes. Approached by an historian with the oldest documented recipes in the country, from 125 years ago, the temptation to explore and archive some of the lost art of Thai cuisine set sail to a culinary voyage of discovery. Bussaracum, despite its understated yet pleasant surroundings takes diners on a journey into the culture and past of Thailand.

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The Ancient Menu is unique and interesting in that it offers two versions of the same dish, presented at the same time. One is a more modern way of cooking traditional dishes and the other strictly follows these recipes from a century or so ago. Diners can guess which are the ancient dishes tasting the exciting differences and choosing which they prefer. Prior booking for the Ancient Menu is required but for an understated 950 thb you can embark on your very own food odyssey.

Served on a silver spoon is Miang Kham, a complementary pre-appetizer of roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, lime, shallots and ginger, as well as roasted coconut and a sugary tamarind sauce, all delicately placed on a leaf. This is a spoonful of Thai splendor. Khao Chae is an extra to the Ancient Menu. Usually served to cool down during the hot season the separated grains of the washed rice are bathed in the most delicate jasmine water. Morsels are served on a platter - sweetened radish, shallots and bell pepper stuffed with pork, sweet and crispy pork floss, crudités, deliciously chewy fried fish, as well as fried shrimp paste. Served with old style crockery, you cannot help but feel like you are doing more than eating dinner. This is a true eating experience with world class food.

The appetizers on the Ancient Menu set are actually classics from the royal Thai menu and are arranged to be eaten in order from left to right: A simple lettuce leaf becomes a bouquet holding an orange chili with a red birds eye chilli tie. Cho Muang, a purple flower shaped steamed dumpling with chicken looks like it was painted. Crispy rice cups with shrimp, peas and corn are subtle. Toong Ngern Yuang comes in a palm basket, a golden purse of minced pork and shrimp wrapped in bean curd with a sweet and sour sauce. Rhoon is pork and shrimp in a delicately woven egg net. Goong Sorn Glin looks like a brussel sprout but is a taste sensation of marinated shrimp, seasoned with lime juice and ginger and wrapped in lettuce. The Thai tapas are creative, artistic and simply stunning. Each piece is uniquely presented with astonishing attention and care

Saengwa comes in a hand carved young coconut shell. A hot and sweet tamarind sauce salad of grilled river prawns with fresh herbs is spooned onto leaf shaped red and white cabbage with a topping of deep fried catfish. Crunchy green beans, perfectly sculpted ginger, including the wonderful and hard to get hold of krachai ginger add to the theatrical masterpiece of the meal. The dish has grace, finesse, charm and charisma and transports to a different, perhaps gentler era of Thailand. You could be sitting in a beautiful teak house with a gentle breeze, under the shade of a verandah.

By now you will feel as if you have set sail towards the exotic landscape of traditional Thai cuisine, ready to drop the anchor of your handcrafted golden spoon into the unchartered waters of long-forgotten recipes. The next four dishes come in servings of two dishes so diners can compare and contrast, as well as guess which is from the ancient recipe scripts.

Yam Kumin Khao is a sour, citrus, zesty salad with ginger and dried shrimp which awakens all the classic flavors of the very best of Thai cuisine. Even after all the delicacy of the appetizers this cleans the palette ready for more feasting. The Tom Yam is sour, spicy, soft and delicate. Served with river fish rather than shrimp, one dish is lemony and fresh, the other has an enticing and subtle heat. The Gaeng Krua Saparot offers a fruity pineapple curry which is sweet, sour and spicy.

As with all the dishes on this regal menu you can taste the layers upon layers of ingredients that have somehow been magically blended to create a simple, yet sophisticated richness. Gaeng Pet Gai really shows the differences in the classic and ancient recipes. One dish of this spicy chicken curry is creamy with a wonderful infusion of spices in coconut milk. The second packs a powerful but not overpowering punch without the coconut milk. The difference is striking and shows just how complex and interesting Thai food is for those who dare to explore the real cuisine.

Coconut ice cream with tapioca pearls and sticky rice served with hot coconut milk and pumpkin is sublime. The pumpkin is pulped into tapioca and then steamed to create a sticky, chewy, authentic dessert. The tapioca pearls are cooked to perfection.

Plans to move to a teak house in Sathorn in July 2011 will only add to the ambience and serve up an ancient setting to match. Bussaracum is the heart and soul of any journey into Thai dining and helps put these dishes on the world map of class cuisine. The hidden treasure at the end is of course the quality, value and beauty of the food.

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