I had always wanted to try 80/20. I thought the menu looked interesting and the idea of trying out modern Thai dishes would be fun. And given its list of accolade the restaurant has under its belt, I went with high expectations

Tables were arranged so that diners can see the open kitchen from afar and if you don’t feel like talking to your companion, you can pretend to watch what was the kitchen up to. We were served a festive menu that evening priced ฿4,500 since it was festive period

The wine list was pretty pricey I remembered, and especially so when I compared prices to the one I had in Prime 19

Snacks – Khanom Buang Talay: Uni, Caviar, Cacao

First dish. I could taste the sweetness of the Amberjack and fragrance of the coconut. The crepes were crisp so it provided a nice bit of texture 

Snacks – Rambutan, Prawn, Peanut

The rambutan was really sweet. It was like the whole sweetness filling your entire mouth, followed by a little spice from the chili padi

Moo Hom Mangda – Grilled Pork, Rose Apple, Mangda

The fried pork belly was underwhelming. It was just too oily for my liking. If they could focus on the execution of this dish a little, the result might be a little better 

Served w Rose Apple Spiced Tea

Thankfully it was served with a palate cleanser. The combination of rose apple juice, Thai honey and cinnamon was refreshing and helped washed the oiliness off the palate

Pla Mamuang – Amberjack, Mango, Roast Coconut

Serving Amberjack from Japan, the fish was served Thai-style sashimi

The problem was the sauce. Using coconut, mango & mangosteen, it was so bloody spicy. Never underestimate this dish. I mean I could take chilli, but this was just too spicy to taste anything. I would rather the restaurant find a balance in taste while still allowing diners to appreciate what was served. I felt like I was just eating raw chilli in this case, which I really couldn’t appreciate. We had to gulp down a few cups of water and mentally get rid of the spice to calm ourselves down

Gai Yang Prik Sapparot – Chicken, Pineapple, Chilli

The chicken w pineapple was actually pretty tasty though rather forgettable. Not sure if the chicken was meant to be served room temperature, I would prefer it to be warmer. But I liked it with the pineapple vinegar. It was pretty appetizing 

Tom Yum Yee-Poon – Tom Yum, Yuzu Ponzu, Oba

I call this modernized Tom yum soup. Made with yuzu, scallop and seaweed powder, it was really underwhelming. If I could sum this dish up in one word, it’s salty or really very salty. Moving on..

Khao Pad Lang-Baan – Beef, Fried Egg, Rice

I thought the cook on the beef was excellent. It was tender and had a melt-in-the-mouth texture. The stir fry rice with smoked duck was average at best

Lao Khao – Rice Wine

Having some rice wine sorbet with rose apple before moving on to the mains 

Gap Khao

Jasmine Rice, Coconut, Anise

The rice was really aromatic, cooked soft and grains separated. It went really well with the lamb curry 

Gaeng – Lamb, Shan Spices, Tea Leaves

I’m not a fan of lamb, but this lamb curry was hearty, aromatic and delicious. I thought the spices and tea leaves helped cover up the taste of lamb, so what you got was a protein that was cooked so tender soaked up in the curry sauce 

Ped Yaowarat – Duck Breast, Chestnut, Cherry

I also enjoyed the duck. I thought the flavour of the duck was enjoyable and kept you wanting for more

Moo Pad Puan Kin – Pork, Olives, Jute Leaves

The pork was a little on the salty side but when you paired it with the rice, it went quite well together 

Pla Tod Khun Yai – Cereal Fish, Seaweed, Crab

The fish was interesting. It’s like deep fried fish cutlet, though I thought the batter could be a little thinner and the portion of crab meat a little more

The pickles / side dishes to make your rice dishes a little more interesting

Southern Drink – Som Kaek & Honey

Another palate cleanser

Suan Maprow – Coconut, Guava, Honey

Dessert 1. This by far, was the best dish of the night. We loved the coconut, the surprise (guava) that you find at the bottom and everything that came together so well. They need to keep this on the menu 

Cha Nua Chocolate – Tea, Chocolate, Egg Fruit, Soy

Dessert 2. You could taste the faint taste of the tea. The whole dessert was okay though nothing memorable

Khob Khun Krap – Babin, Khao Lam IceCream & Coco-late

Dessert 3.  Came in the form of Toasted Rice Icecream, Coconut Pancake w Banana and Gooseberry fruit 

The coconut pancakes were worth mentioning, hence another picture moment here. The other 2, well, were okay

There were definitely hits and misses though I felt like I was left rather disappointed by the whole experience. It wasn’t bad, but probably one I would not wish to return 

80/20 Eighty Twenty
1052-1054, 26 Charoen Krung Rd, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand