Water Library Chamchuri

Fine dining at a reasonable price. Delightful

SINCE opening its flagship venue seven years ago the Water Library restaurant group has gone on to open several lauded operations throughout the city, each bringing something different to the dining scene.
    
From popular steakhouse The Capital (read our review online at bit.ly/1NGlXKR) and gastro pub 1881, to Sukhumvit Soi 39 hangout SEED, and the group’s eponymous French brasserie at Central Embassy, the brand has become synonymous with quality, and almost all reviews have gushed with praise.

Purists will argue, though, that for a real taste of what makes Water Library so successful you must make a beeline for where the culinary magic all began – the second floor of Chamchuri Square, where an elegant dining room featuring an intricate blend of steel, glass and dark wood plays host daily to diplomats, celebrities and discerning foodies who take their fine dining seriously.
    
The fine dining credentials of Chef de Cuisine Mirco Keller are certainly impressive – his CV includes stints working at Tim Raue’s 2-Michelin starred restaurant, and one-Michelin starred names like Adlon Collection’s Ma Restaurant and Swissôtel Berlin’s Restaurant 44 – and this translates here into an excellent range of European dishes given subtle Asian twists.

Innovative creations like Japanese king crab, dashi cream, spring onion, mustard seed; and Seared Chilean seabass, mushroom and bacon ragout, yuzu ponzu, are a good introduction to his cuisine – bold-yet-simple flavours presented in exciting new ways.
    
And there are plenty of dishes to get excited about here. The trouble is knowing where to start.
    
Thankfully, this month Chef Mirco is making that task a little easier. Until Jan 15 he is combining some of his best creations into a four-course special set menu, paired with fine New World wines, for the special price of just B1,650++ per person.
    
Featuring highlights such as Yellow fin tuna, roasted duck, sauerkraut, cucumber, and Canadian scallop, white asparagus, carrot, sauce hollandaise; a choice of Scottish salmon, Jerusalem artichoke, sauce ravigote or melt-in-the-mouth Beef cheek, spinach, boudin noir, sichuan pepper sauce; and a delightfully decadent White chocolate, sesame, kumquat, and crispy rice flake desert to finish, the menu, put simply, is not to be missed. A real treat for lunch or dinner any day of the week.

Chamchuri Square. Rama 4 Rd. (MRT Sam Yan Station). Open daily for lunch & dinner, 02 160 5188, 061 852 5411, waterlibrary.com/chamchuri