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| Nan Thai Fine Dining by Suzanne Wright Perhaps you’ve seen it as you whizzed by on Spring Street, with a backward glance for a better look: the sight of a two and a half ton bronzed gold tamarind is arresting. So is the exceptionally beautiful and accomplished restaurant inside. The room and the food are as sumptuous as any high-end restaurant in Bangkok—without the jet lag. The Johnson Studio pulled out the stops over five months for this first-class valentine to customers. In fact, owners Nan and Charlie Niyomkul’s gratitude is right there on the menu: “We wanted to create a very special place for our customers to show our appreciation. We want to give you the best.” At Tamarind, Nan and Charlie broke ground with their Thai cooking and kept customers abreast of their soon-to-be eatery named after chef Nan. Expectations were high and the result was worth the wait: Nan is several notches above the lovely Tamarind. Remember how hard it was to wrangle a parking space at Tamarind? Nan has valet parking. Gorgeous hostesses greet you with a bowed head, prayer hands and sawadee, hello in Thai. The night I dined, just three weeks after its opening, a flower bouquet from the Ritz was on display and one of our city’s most prominent pastry chefs was dining. Charlie and Nan are gracious hosts, greeting several tables warmly and checking in with other diners. At just under 7,000 square feet, the large, soothing space is intelligently divided. On one side of the room is the gleaming exhibition kitchen, a lovely display of spices, vegetables and fruits, and the chef’s table, a glass round suspended above it, aglow with a clutch of cream candles. The ceilings soar, jazz plays, a single anthirium graces each table, lighting flatters. Four gold leaf and blood red columns anchor the elegant dining room, which features cream banquettes, silk pillows in gold and mocha and supremely comfortable chairs with a woven, bark-brown, rattan-like material. There’s a patio flanked with bamboo. Woven fish traps are lit from inside and adorn the ceiling in the private dining room and sunken bar. The bathroom looks like a posh spa, with its glossy lacquer red walls, flickering candles and orchids festooning the just-so-folded white hand towels. Turn on the tap at the freestanding bronze-tiled vanity and water rolls over a sink filled with glossy river rocks. Upscale but not stuffy, spectacular yet quietly restrained, the interior is mesmerizing. The food is similarly impressive. Nan’s quiet focus never feels orchestrated or self-conscious, but the results—both the presentation and the flavors—are exquisite. Working with Nan, Joey Riley from Monte’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, is introducing French techniques to the kitchen, such as braising (traditional Thai cookery is limited to steaming, stir frying and frying). Our waiter, Real, is movie star handsome, sweet-natured and remembers our order without writing it down. Although Nan is several levels up in both décor and dishes from Tamarind, prices (save the lobster at $32) are not. After some debate, we order the yum pla ka pong, crispy filet of red snapper with green mango salad. The fish is delicately fried and the flavors nuanced; a martini glass filled with crushed ice and spears of raw green beans, carrots, celery and basil, accompanies it. Next we tuck into the kanom jeeb, chicken and shrimp Thai dumplings with mushroom vinegar and dry roasted chili. Each pink-tinted (courtesy of beet root) package is presented in individual white porcelain white spoons. If all you know is chewy dumplings in a soy bath, these beauties with a bit of heat will amaze and delight you. Poh pia sod, steamed basil rolls with yellow pepper sauce, are incredibly fresh with the addition of flaked crab and a bracing sauce in a glamorous yellow puddle studded with pomegranate seeds. Moochoo chee, grilled pork tenderloin with a light roasted red curry and kaffir lime leaves, is perfectly cooked and has a rich, coconut-based flavor. Gaht yang are tender barbeque lamb chops with green papaya salad and sticky rice cakes. But our favorite was the gan khew whan pla ka pong or Thai style whole sizzling fish with dry green curry. What a sight to behold! The head and tail are reassembled with chunks of the filet and coils of rice noodles on the side. All the presentations are ultra luxe with a single flower or a radish carved into a rose on every plate. For dessert, we cooed over a breathtaking lemongrass pot de crème and a scoop of distinctive lychee sorbet. We should count ourselves lucky that Nan and Charlie have created such a temple of culinary artistry that doesn’t require a 24-hour plane ride to Thailand’s capital. Take a special Valentine of your own, no matter the day. Nan offers the city’s first Thai brunch the last Sunday of each month, with nine chefs working at separate stations to prepare a scrumptious buffet. Located at 1350 Spring St. NW. 404-870-9933. |
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| from top: Coconut shrimp; Lamb chops; Assortment of Chefs table appetizers; Nan Niyomkul. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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