QUINCE: A STILL THRIVING, DECADE-OLD RESTAURANT SERVING UPSCALE MEDITTERANEAN CUISINE IN BANGKOK
The Cost -$22 per person
The Atmosphere – Set in Chidlom, an area of Bangkok surrounded by a number of high-end shopping malls and hotels, Quince can be found down a quieter street on the first floor of the Siri House. The trendy restaurant features wood and dark colors on the inside to go with its dim lighting and open kitchen, creating a vibe that the fairly young crowd eats up. The restaurant is a cool spot that is great for a romantic dinner or an upscale outing with friends or family. Reservations are accepted and are recommended, especially for weekend nights.
2022 was a pretty big year for Quince. To celebrate the restaurant’s 10th birthday, Chefs Julien Perraudin and Steve Doucakis decided to roll out a new menu in the same year that the restaurant was named to San Pelligrino’s Top 100 Restaurants in Asia list. Quince focuses on Mediterranean cuisine and has become known as one of the establishments that brought produce-focused Western cuisine and wood-fired cooking to Bangkok. We went to the restaurant for dinner to check out the new menu and to see what it had to offer.
The Order – Beetroot Salad, Truffled Chicken Liver Parfait, and a Spiced New Zealand Lamb Shank.
The Fantastic – Chicken liver is not my go-to appetizer in any country, let alone Thailand, but Quince’s Truffled Chicken Liver Parfait was recommended by the waiter and I went with his advice. The appetizer came out as a large ice-cream-scoop-looking ball of liver pâté with mandarin jelly on top that is garnished with some edible flowers. It was served with some nut jam on the side as well as four warm sourdough slices. The chicken liver was incredibly smooth and creamy and had a bit of a truffle flavor, and the mandarin jam created a delightful combination with it. When you added in the earthy flavor of the nut jam and placed it all on one of the warm, fresh pieces of sourdough, this dish was an absolute winner and an amazing value at about $12.
The Great – The Beetroot Salad was a very nicely presented dish that was also incredibly enjoyable to eat. Served on a very pretty glazed plate, the salad had a circular base of smoked labneh on the bottom that was topped with cut-up beets and chiang mai figs and a beetroot vinaigrette. The pairing of the smoked labneh and the beets worked really well and the figs provided a slight sweetness. The only thing I didn’t like about the dish is that there weren’t any greens – adding some arugula or other green produce to the dish could have made it more salad-like.
The Good – The dish that I was most excited about ended up being my least favorite but it definitely wasn’t bad. The Spiced New Zealand Lamb Shank was the only entrée ordered and was one of the new dishes on the menu. It came out as a large lamb shank, the part of the leg just below the knee, that was sitting atop saffron yogurt and ceci neri, an Italian black chickpea. The yogurt was nice but was very delicate in flavor which was good because it would have allowed the lamb to shine. Unfortunately though, despite being called “Spiced,” the lamb wasn’t flavorful enough and did not have much spice at all. I wasn’t upset that I ordered it but I wouldn’t rush to order it again.
The Verdict –Quince provides an excellent setting in which to enjoy a very good meal at a price that translates to great value. While I would try another entrée instead of the lamb shank next time, I would gladly order the other two dishes again and think that the chicken liver is a must-order for anyone that enjoys the delicacy. Whether you are a local or a tourist looking for a non-Thai dinner option, Quince should be one of the places on your list.