COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE – Fine dining is a bad career choice for slackers. Chefs are not only expected to source the finest – preferably local and organic – produce and meats, they must also transform these raw materials into a dozen coherent and conceptually innovative dishes, over and over again. Like Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights, a chef’s reputation hangs continually in the balance.
Even before I tried his cooking I admired Jess Barnes for his commitment to sourcing as locally and seasonally as possible, and for his emphasis on food, rather than flash. Later, after I learned he was leaving the quixotically titled Quince for the modest digs of Opposite Mess Hall, I cheered this as a triumph for food-centered cooking. I imagined the new joint as a place where chefs would be empowered to create things without being unduly burdened by profit-driven financiers.
But would the food be good?
This question occupied my thoughts as a friend and I showed up for dinner at Opposite Mess Hall on a recent Sunday evening, not long after the restaurant’s official opening. Diners occupied only two-thirds of the 30-odd seats.
After looking through the menu and the blackboard specials above the bar, we ordered drinks. My friend ordered the Old, Old Fashioned (THB200), which – as the name suggests – did not deviate from the classic ingredients of bourbon, sugar cube and bitters. I, meanwhile, opted for the non-alcoholic Hibiscus Galangal Soda (THB80), a concoction just sweet enough to express the tart and gingery flavors of hibiscus and galangal. The end product reminded me of an effervescent iced tea.
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For appetizers we chose the anchovy crostini (THB120) and the beef and mustard croquettes (THB100). The crostini were exceptional. Well-toasted slices of bread acted as perfect vessels for the salty slivers of anchovy, fluffy buffalo curd and rocket. The croquettes, however, disappointed. Despite their meat-packed interiors, the beef seemed undersalted, resulting in a muted flavor.
Our trio of mains quickly followed. The confit pork belly (THB320) came served atop an eggplant puree, with fresh figs and sliced radishes. I loved the textual gradient within each chunk of pork – from crispy to soft and toffee-like – and felt the figs and radishes provided a good counterpoint to the meat. Despite my overall enjoyment of the dish, I felt that the meatiness of the pork would have been expressed with more clarity, given an extra helping of salt.
The salad of crab (THB320) dispatched its duties admirably, both in terms of quantity and taste. Barnes’s nuanced hand was in full display here, with the supporting ingredients elevating rather than masking the crab flavor. The ajo blanco – a “white gazpacho” made of blended bread, almonds, garlic and olive oil – provided creaminess, while the chopped cucumber and sliced grapes gave crunch and sweetness. The drizzle of chorizo oil atop everything, meanwhile, provided heat and a pleasing visual contrast to the white of the crab and the ajo blanco.
My favorite of our mains was the warm potato, artichoke, sorrel, horseradish and egg (THB240). Visually, the dollops of sauce, grated cheese and greens recalled a salad, though it forsook this name. There were enough pan-fried bits of potato to make the dish feel substantial without weighing down its principally bright and nimble elements, chief among them the lemony, chopped sorrel. This dish alone justifies a return visit to Opposite.
Though falling ultimately shy of perfection, Opposite Mess Hall demands the attentions of any Bangkokian gastrophile. Beyond my issues with the salt level in a few of Chef Barnes’s dishes (or rather, the lack thereof), I was also disappointed with our server’s inability to communicate the ingredients in our food. I know this is Thailand, where the front of the house’s general cluelessness is par for the course, but at a place where the chef’s reputation emerges from the care he gives to sourcing good food, it does not seem too much to ask for a well-educated staff to communicate if not the provenance of individual ingredients, at least their names.
FIND IT:
Opposite Mess Hall
27/2 Sukhumvit Soi 51
2nd floor opposite WTF Gallery & Café
Tues. – Sun. 7pm to Midnight for food. Open later for drinks. Note that the listed prices do not include tax and service charge, which amount to 17%.
Photos: James Yu
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