Eating with Concept: Deist’s delight at Karmakamet

COCONUTS HOTSPOT — “If the entire world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason.” 

If the world’s most interesting man were to go out for a meal in Bangkok, he just might frequent Karmakamet Diner, where this quote from the movie Hugo looms just outside the greenhouse-like dining room. Indeed throughout the space, a sort of deist, occult-fantasy theme permeates the design with rusty machine parts and colonial-era furniture.

Not being the world’s most interesting man, I appreciate its weirdness but also look forward to some retooling of its fare for less esoteric palettes such as mine.

If the name of the place rings a bell, it might be because of the eponymous aromatic oil vendor Karmakamet Secret World. What do aromatic oils have to do with eating? Not much, beyond being a new venture by the same owner looking to extend their brand into the culinary realm.

In its soft-opening phase, this new Sukhumvit eatery plays on mystic traditions of the east — perhaps to a fault.

The menu seems to be just as esoteric, and while the weirdness works with some dishes; others fall completely flat. The creamy bueffe blanc sauce adorning the snow fish (650THB) clashed with the watery, salty taste of the accompanying salmon roe. Sometimes it seemed like the chef tried to hard to infuse dishes with a luxurious flourish they’d have been fine without. Lumpfish caviar did nothing to enhance the Gravlax salad (350THB) aside from allow me to brag that I’ve eaten caviar from a lumpfish. A more substantial portion of salmon can be found with the salmon refined mustard (790THB) — which despite the name is actual filet of Salmon, not Salmon-flavored mustard — but again, the addition of “truffle scented” gorgonzola fettuccini seemed superfluous. On the other hand, while the braised beef ravioli in mustard-port wine broth (390THB) may sound gimmicky, it proved to be an interesting and fitting combination of eccentric flavors.

Karmakamet is certainly where all the cool kids can be found at the moment — and the décor designed by Be Grey studio is worth the trip alone. Once the chefs dial in the menu to cater to a wider audience with standard palettes, Karmakamet Diner has the potential to drag the usual Thong Lor crowd over to Sukhumvit 24 for a meal.

FIND IT:

Karmakamet Diner

30/1 Sukhumvit Soi 24

Near Phrom Phong BTS



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