Day 3 started bright and early with a sumptuous breakfast at Riva Del Fiume Ristorante featuring healthy smoothies and granola, comforting noodle soup, decadent french toast, and hearty eggs benedict and sourdough pizza.

After working off a few calories, it was time to visit Restaurant Sühring, a renowned restaurant ranked 7 in Asia’s Top 50 Restaurants and awarded with Two Michelin Stars.

Lunch started with a range of small bites that gave us a glimpse of the restaurant’s interpretation of modern German cuisine filled with precision and sophistication. 

Remember to save some space for bread featuring a 7-year-old yeast that was cultivated since the early days of the restaurant to create a unique taste profile that is challenging to replicate. Savor the bread with three different kinds of butter, each unique in its own flavor and texture.

The restaurant’s menu is simple and customizable based on your preference and appetite. We decided to select a 5-course lunch menu featuring Blue Swimmer Crab (Zeeland oyster, Sekt), Duck Liver Terrine (Preserved kelp, green asparagus), Wild Cod (Spinach, Riesling beurre blanc, caviar), A3 Hokkaido Wagyu Tenderloin (Celeriac, oxtail, Blaufränkisch), and Strawberry (Honey bread). Each dish is plated beautifully while flavors are balanced overall and elevated by a juice pairing that is highly recommended. 

Would I return to the restaurant? Was it worth it? If you have always wondered about modern German cuisine, Restaurant Sühring is the place to start your culinary journey. I would return in the future as I have been told that I have not sampled several signature items that were served in previous iterations of the menu.

For our dinner plans tonight, we visited Saawaan, a One Michelin Star fine dining restaurant specializing in exquisite Thai cuisine, elevating local favorites into a gastronomical experience categorized into various traditional Thai cooking method and concept such as ferment, stir fried, and charcoal.

After a couple of starters to tantalize our taste buds, it was time to venture into the menu in the following progression: Raw, Fermented, Boiled, Miang, Charcoal, Stir-Fried, Curry, and Dessert. Each dish pays homage to its roots and stays true to its heritage and culture. Some of the dishes might have missed the mark for us but it is an educational journey that allows us to appreciate the depth and sophistication in local Thai traditional cuisine. 

Would I return to this restaurant? Would it be on my recommendations list? For friends that only knows Thai cuisine as green curry and mango salad, I would definitely direct them to Saawaan for an epicurean experience to expand their horizons.

Tomorrow is the last day of our week-long holiday and I cannot wait to savor more local cuisine before I return to home sweet home.

This mini honeymoon to Chiang Mai and Bangkok has been amazing and we are already planning another quick getaway in August so that we can savor more delicious local cuisine from restaurants such as Ma Maison and Khao.

Day 2 of our adventure in Bangkok started with a brunch pitstop at the famous Jay Fai where we waited for three hours to get seated and one hour to receive our crab omelette and drunken noodles.

Was the wait worth it? In my opinion, it is fine to skip it if you do not have the time and patience to queue for the dishes. However, if you have been dreaming about trying it, please do come prepared with a fan and water to brave the heat and smoke!

Next stop is Cafe Madeleine located in Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. The beautiful cafe is popular with guests and locals, and it is not hard to see why. Each dessert is a mini work of art which tantalizes your taste buds with a sense of balance and awe.

My recommendation is to select the full range of petit versions of its range of popular pastries and pair it with drinks such as cold brew with coconut and thai ice milk tea.

As the day ends, we ventured into the city by taking a boat ride to ICONSIAM, managing to catch a glimpse of the sunset.

Dinner venue for the night is Kub Kao Kub Pla located on Level 5 of ICONSIAM, featuring pork stew with rice, stir fried vegetables with egg, and spicy fried fish.

Before we retire for the night, its a quick round of drinks at BKK Social Club, ranked Top 10 in Asia’s Top 50 Bars. The bar is popular on weekends and guests are highly encouraged to book at least a week in advance to avoid disappointment. BKK Social Club is definitely worth a visit to chill and relax, celebrating the end of a long week.

After bidding farewell to Chiang Mai, we arrived at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya which was only recently opened with much fanfare. The stunning hotel is located by the Chao Phraya River and is adored with alluring artworks.

For our stay, we managed to secure a spacious room with a breathtaking view of the river promenade.

Dinner is served at Riva Del Fiume Ristorante which is led by Executive Chef Andrea Accordi and his talented team, specializing in modern Italian cuisine.

The evening was a fun culinary delight, featuring lots of drinks, small bites, and delicious mains and desserts.

The main star of the night is Wagyu Beef from Mayura Station which is arguably the best tasting steak that I have ever tasted during my adventures around the world. As introduced by the chef, “Mayura Station is an award-winning boutique beef producer specializing in full-blooded, chocolate-fed Wagyu with an unrivaled fine texture and buttery flavor”. Living up to its reputation, the Wagyu Beef is intense yet sublime, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a satisfying umami flavor that lingers long on your palate.

And when you thought it could not get any better, a culinary genius decided to bake the oxtail with cocoa bean sourced locally and finish it with a generous serving of truffles to create an explosive dish that is so concentrated and overwhelming that it might knock you out of your senses, in a good way. Luckily, the dish is still balanced and the serving is small enough to allow you to savor its silky intensity without overstaying its welcome.

To finish off our delicious dinner affair, we had to try the classic tiramisu along with a couple of tarts and a brand new dessert item on the menu, Inverno Estate comprising of Amalfi Lemon Semifreddo, Ricotta Ice Cream, Crispy Lemon Espuma.