Spice Market - Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok

The Spice Market at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is one of the few hotel restaurants in town to have avoided the hammer and crowbars of reconstruction crews.

Found in the hotel’s Parichart Court, it has been around for years serving a variety of Royal Thai and traditional Thai dishes at lunch, dinner and at a popular Sunday brunch from 11:30 to 15:00.

The restaurant feels like it comes from another era. Dark wooden tables with circular white marble tops like those in Chinese restaurants dot the room. Bottles and baskets filled with Thai spices line teak shelves, while earthenware urns and gunny sacks filled with rice and salt lean against the walls. The décor and atmosphere succeed in making the restaurant fit its name. The place does indeed feel like a spice market from long ago.

Meals begin with a complimentary Mian kham, a plate of chum plu leaves into which diners drop dried shrimp, peanuts, shredded coconut, lime, chilies and a dollop of tamarind sauce. The leaf is then rolled and popped into the mouth, always a tart and tasty way to start a Thai meal.

The Spice Market seats 72 people and there are at least that many items on its large and comprehensive menu. Chef Supanut Khanarak is a master with skills honed over the years in a variety of kitchens. We were especially enamored with the 350 baht Pomelo and pork salad with grilled river prawn. Pomelo with its tart sweet taste is an underrated ingredient for salads plus of all the prawns available in Thailand, river prawns seem to have the best flavor; facts demonstrated in this tasty dish. We also enjoyed Sautéed beef with tamarind sauce and crispy shallot, another of the chef’s masterpieces. This 480 baht creation is made with aged Aussie sirloin and shows the affinity beef has for the sweet tartness of tamarind sauce. It was outstanding and just edged out the pomelo salad as our favorite dish of the day.

The Spice Market’s classic dishes remain as good as ever. The Deep‑fried shrimp cakes at 350 baht haven’t lost their appeal nor has the B350 Red curry with roasted duck in coconut milk. This dish is spicy hot, but the combination of duck and coconut milk gives it an appeal even for farang who often don’t like spicy food.

Our last dish prior to dessert was an item from the four item long ‘Nouvelle Thai’ section of the menu where the chef introduces dishes with a Thai taste that use new ingredients not typically found in Thai cooking. The 880 baht Grilled lamb chop served in green, yellow and red chili sauce was a delightful dish that proved lamb does well in a Thai kitchen.

The desserts at the Spice Market are always popular and rarely fail to please. The 230 baht Mango and sticky rice with coconut milk is an excellent rendition of a Thai favorite and the Four Seasons takes special care to insure that its mangoes are the best available. It provided a fitting end to our delicious meal.

The Spice Market has endured while other restaurants have come and gone. The reason for its longevity is simple: it’s an excellent restaurant that continues to attract large numbers of customers because of its excellent quality. Try it if you get a chance. If you are like most people, you are bound to enjoy yourself.