1. In Bangkok's somewhat staid restaurant scene there appears every once in a while a new light that promises to lead the way into uncharted waters. It's rare that anything actually innoavative or adventurous actually materializes, but the possibilities are always tantalizing. The latest standard bearer, however, just might have something to offer the lover of fine food and restaurant experiences. The Circle Restaurant in Ruam Rudee Village on the soi of the same name, is the most recent atttempt in Bangkok to offer diners the hard-to-define cuisine known as Californian to the local populace. California cuisine is difficult even for its practitioners to define since it encompasses so many dif-ferent styles, ingredients and individual interpretations. Michael's Restaurant in Santa Monica, California, can with some strong justification, lay claim to being the birthplace of what we now call California cuisine when it began serving elegantly presented dishes composed of new and esoteric ingredients back in 1979. The overriding standard for the whole genre was that the ingredients were of optimum freshness, the combinations of tastes in one dish were varied and the presentations approached the level of mini works of art. Los Angeles' trendy dining set immediately made Michael's a mecca and the concept was thrust upon the dining establishment with great fanfare. 18 years later, the notion of California cuisine is still going strong with many sub-genres and styles having splintered off and found loyal adherents. One chef who also made a profound impact on this culinary style is Wolfgang Puck, proprietor of Spago, eatery of the Hollywood elite, as well as a number of other bastions of dining excellence. Puck's followers number many movie stars and other celebrities, contributing even more to the legitimacy of California cuisine. And, it is from Spago that Chef Kittipong Rojanautai has sprung onto the Bangkok dining scene. Eight years working with Puck, after starting as a dishwasher, produced a top-quality chef capable of taking the basics he learned and, in his own words, "
twisting"
things around a little to create dishes with his own signature firmly imprinted. As a chef with no formal training, Kitti learned everything he knows in Puck's kitchens and the lessons were well worth the time spent to acquire them. As Kitti says, "
Wolfgang is the master. He can taste any dish you make and tell you exactly what it needs to make it perfect."
It is this unerring sense of taste that made Puck what he is and guided the education of Kitti as he rose through the ranks to become a chef. Now that he has his own kitchen to run, Kitti is using many of the techniques he learned during his lengthy apprenticeship to produce a menu that many Bangkokians will find unique. The food is, in a word, excellent. Trendy, esoteric, sophisticated and other adjectives may also be applied, but the only important criteria is, "
does it taste good?"
The answer is a resounding "
Yes"
and the other elements that make up a great dining experience are also here, making this a restaurant worthy of a visit. The presentation of the dishes iscreative without being overdone, the atmosphere is relaxed and casual and the service is competent and unobtrusive. It's a little surprising, quite frankly, for a place that's only been open for a few weeks, but the owners and managers are as experienced and professional as the chefs and the results show. The menu (which will be changing soon, by the way, something that will happen on a regular basis) is composed of 11 appetizers, 14 entrees, seven side dishes and an equal number of desserts. Everything from beef to lamb to catfish, chicken and pork is represented, so anyone will find something to order; even vegetarians can try the grilled baby vegetable plate with exotic olive oil sauce. Our own choices were in part suggested by the chef — the tuna tartar appetizer accompanied by crispy potatoes and horseradish sauce and an entree of New Zealand lamb chops grilled with potato puree and roasted garlic cabernet sauce — and were supplemented by side dishes of potatoes mashed with spinach and stir-fried string beans with garlic and dried shrimp, an appetizer of crispy potato pancakes topped with smoked salmon and caviar, and blackened red snapper and grilled ahi tuna entrees. It sounds like a lot of food for two and it was, but not much was left when all was said and done. Both fish dishes were perfectly cooked leaving the snapper and tuna moist and tender, with the snapper adding a bit of fiery coating in the Cajun style. The lamb chops were also excellent and a perfect medium rare. Both appetizers were superb, combining disparate tastes into a cohesive whole that tantalized the palate. Even the side dishes proved to be interesting, leaving the entire meal without one weak link. The other dishes that look interesting on this menu, all of them, to be honest, are too nmerous to mention, so a visit is in order if you want an idea of what's available. There's wine here, too, of course, but you better bring your credit card because there are no real bargains on the list. Judging from this one first impression, the Circle should continue to be the standard-bearer in leading the way to a new dimension of dining experience here, bringing the concept of California to Thailand and giving it a unique twist of its own.