When you meet the owners of Bo.lan restaurant in Bangkok, Bo and Dylan, it becomes obvious where the name comes from. But, there is a double wordplay in action on the Thai word ‘boran’ meaning ‘old’ or ‘ancient’, and it is very much the at the heart of the philosophy behind the preparation, presentation and style of cooking they use. For them, tradition, both old and new, is everything.

Text by Thomas Jones

A few years ago when Dylan Jones left his native Australia to take his cheffing skills to the greener pastures of London, he found himself working in a Thai restaurant, where he developed a passion for more than just the food. “I was working in a very respectable Thai restaurant for five years, where I fell in love with the cuisine, the country and one of its people,” he says referring to Bo Songvisava, his Bo.lan business partner and the love of his life. When their time in London was up they decided to move back to Thailand and give Thai fine-dining a shot. Bo.Lan is the result.

“We opened the restaurant with the intention of doing Thai food as we believe it ought to be done, but with a slightly modern twist when it comes to presentation,” explains Dylan, and while the food itself may look a little left of centre when it comes from the kitchen, he is adamant about one thing, “It’s definitely not fusion! 100% of our ingredient sources are local and only traditional methods of cooking are used when making the dishes.” A claim more than backed up after spending an evening experiencing the kitchen’s output in their magnificent, mixed indoor/outdoor setting.

The decor is in a class of its own – definitely Thai but without any hint of stereotype. Large rice sorting trays line the ceilings in homage to the nation’s staple fact of life, and oil paintings of Thai market scenes hang on the walls, reminding us of the mundaneness of daily life, where eating is a very normal and public thing to do. “We wanted the physical look of the restaurant to be Thai but without the typical decorations of boats and Buddhas,” explains Bo. “Where possible, we want to have it relate back to the cultural identity of Thailand, especially the food.”

Stylish modern interiors with a hint of Thai style as seen from the open sided dining room.

Bo.lan offers two menus; Bo.lan á la Carte, where diners can make their own choices, and the Bo.lan Balance, a special seasonal set menu, a degustation of sorts, where the entire evening’s dining pleasure is put directly into the hands of the chef giving guests the chance to taste, not one, but a wide variety of different dishes. I am a firm believer in giving myself over to the chef’s recomendations so I chose the latter. I was not disappointed.

“No matter what your chili tolerance Thai food can take you places you may not want to go, so a word of advice before you start: listen to your waitress. ”

The Bo.lan Balance is composed of five essential dishes; Thai salad (yum), chili relish (kreung jim), a stir-fried dish (jan phat), curry (keng) and also individually served soups (nahm keng), with maybe a couple of surpise dishes thrown in for good measure, and is all prepared fresh and timed to reach the table at just the right time. There is a catch, however; if one person in the party wants the Balance Menu –and you should- then the whole table is encouraged to follow suit. It makes it easier on the kitchen and helps everyone play nicely and share the pleasure, because once these works of art start coming out, everyone is going to want to have a taste.

No matter what your chili tolerance Thai food can take you places you may not want to go, so a word of advice before you start: listen to your waitress. These lovely, friendly women are born with chillies in their mouths and know what will work for you. My waitress asked me about my spice threshold and then explained what I could expect from each dish. Their advice should not be shrugged off lightly, and I was glad I didn’t.

The amuse bouche arrived with a pre-prandial surprise; glass of yadong, a very traditional, and very strong, white rice spirit that is macerated in herbs and spice, and said to have aphrodisiac qualities. It wasn’t just amusing, it was hilarious and threatened to bring the house down with its 80 proof sense of humour. With a delicious burn like this, who needs chilli? “It is considered a low class drink these days,” says Bo, “but we are trying to change that perception,” further proving their comittment to resurecting all aspects of the traditional Thai food of the people.

The starters arrived and the waitress advised me to start on the left and move slowly across across each of the five bite-sized portions on the plate. The first was tasty, the second was off-the-charts spicy and had my head spinning – more beer please, and quickly! – before the last three tasty samplers slowly eased my mouth back down to Earth. What followed thereafter was an avant-garde mélange of meats, fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables wrapped in a six-course whirlwind of spices, textures and wonderful tastes, which left me both breathless in places from chili fatigue and ecstatic in others with joy, and loving every minute. The only disappointing part of the experience was that the journey was over all too soon, taking just under an hour from start to finish. It didn’t matter, however, I was spent.

Bo and Dylan founded the restaurant with the belief that the best Thai restaurants should be found in Thailand itself, where the food is heavily attached to the land and its people. They are onto something good and in their pursuit of authenticity they are following the cooking rituals practiced in Thailand for countless years, deferring to a thousand generations of mothers and grandmothers and their kitchens.

Bo.lan
Sukhumvit 26
Bangkok
Tel: +66 2260 2962
www.bolan.co.th

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