At E-san by Gaggan in Bangkok, the focus shifts to Isan traditions refracted through a Japanese lens, shaping a menu of sharing plates that are at once rustic and precise. The space carries the energy of a casual izakaya but the palate is firmly set on the flavours of the Thai northeast.
The opening dishes play with the somtam family in variations that are as playful as they are nuanced. Tamarind leaves come tossed with smoked fish, plara and shirasu roasted over charcoal, giving a fermented depth balanced by acidity. A central Thai tum Thai stays close to the street-side version, sweetened with palm sugar and salted by dried shrimp, while tum kao pod folds in grilled corn with salted egg and cured yolk, a richer take on the familiar salad.
The meat courses lean into Isan drinking food. Naam tok moo gives charred pork collar a sharp lift of lime, chilli flakes and roasted rice, while larb kua nua takes beef into darker territory, cooked in its blood with rigged chilli, curry leaves and sesame leaves, powerful yet restrained. Fried karaage reappears as naam tok chicken, turning Japanese technique into Isan seasoning, proof of the menu’s cultural crossing.
The grill section stretches across skewers of thigh, heart and wing before a whole free-range chicken, crisp-skinned and served with calamansi and naam jim jaew, delivers heft. A Korat-style stir fried udon folds in bonito flakes, pork crackling and pork roll, another Japan-meets-Isan creation that feels seamless rather than forced.
Desserts are rooted in comfort. Khanom krok is reimagined with Hokkaido milk ice cream, coconut mousse and toasted coconut. Banana fritters are paired with peanut butter ice cream, while kinako warabi mochi meets Thai tea ice cream, the final reminder of the menu’s cultural dialogue.
This is a room that thrives on conviviality, where the edge of Isan spice and the finesse of Japanese technique meet on equal terms, building plates meant to be passed across the table.
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