Ever since Dean & Deluca, the upscale Manhattan grocery store and delicatessen, opened its doors in Bangkok in 2010, it has proven a popular spot for those foodie veterans and wannabes wanting a slice of the Big Apple.
With a wide range of fine grocery goods, over 200 items of ready-to-eat victuals, and a sophisticated restaurant-cum-wine bar, the spacious establishment is a comprehensive hybrid of a restaurant and marketplace.
Its pioneer store, which for three years occupied the gallery building of the ritzy MahaNakhon Pavillion complex, supposedly got mixed reviews for its products, prices and service. Yet, the New York-themed cafe chain that has constantly attracted modern-day food loons has opened three more downtown locations to satisfy eager Bangkokian customers.
Earlier this year, the original MahaNakhon shop was moved a few steps away to the complex's appendix Cube building. I popped in last week and found its new location to be a plentiful hub of Western gastronomy.
I had heard before that the store, with almost 1,000m² of space, is the brand's biggest outlet in Asia. It was hard to see the shop's interior from the outside as the whole compound still looked like it was under construction. Once inside, I could see it was bustling with both office workers and families — Thais and expats alike.
It features a wide range of fine grocery goods and more than 200 ready-to-eat fare daily. It also provides casual dining areas, as well as a 70-seat restaurant and wine bar.
The carvery offers international selections of pre-cooked items, for takeaway and dine-in, including roasted prime rib, seafood croquettes and Spanish seafood paella, to name but a few of the varied dishes.
Its cheese and charcuterie section features more than 40 kinds of cheese and cured meats mostly from Italy, France and Spain.
Dean & Deluca even has a pizza and sandwich corner, featuring turkey sandwiches, wagyu beef fajitas and ham and cheese croissants.
For sweets and refreshments, the store has a bakery, espresso bar and ice cream parlour.
Those seeking a more peaceful dining experience can venture upstairs to the Mezzanine Restaurant and Bar.
On the 100-item list of American cuisine, we were pleased with the beer-battered halibut and chips (495 baht), the grilled Saltbush lamb rack with asparagus and morel sauce (350 baht), and the USDA Prime certified rib-eye steak with Cabernet and black pepper sauce (1,995 baht).
Though the batter on the halibut didn't look very appetising, the piping hot fish inside went well with the batter, chips and house-made tartare sauce.
The Australian lamb was lightly seasoned and well-grilled, bringing out the meat's succulence and flavour. And the 300g rib-eye steak with au poivre dressing was very tender and tasty.
Some of the dishes we tried that evening were picked from the buffet downstairs at Dean & Deluca. The Maine lobster mac&cheese (350 baht) combined the classic pasta dish with generous morsels of lobster meat. And the pepperoni pizza (90 baht per slice) proved another reason to return. I had a varied experience with the desserts. The best-selling pancake platter (250 baht), which consisted of large, moist pancakes stacked with fresh banana and strawberry slices, whipped cream and maple syrup, was addictively sweet. But I found the bombe Alaska (195 baht) — cake and ice cream topped with meringue — and the red velvet cake (125 baht) to be lacklustre.
The Mezzanine has a long beverage list including fine teas, smoothies, beer, cocktails and wine. We tried the caramel macchiato (145 baht) and banana salted caramel milkshake (160 baht) and were satisfied.
Parking spaces are available at Sathon Square Tower but as Chong Nonsi station is right in front of the building, it's more convenient to access the restaurant by Skytrain.
The fine-dining restaurant and wine bar on the mezzanine floor.
Some of the ready-to-eat food for dine-in and takeaway.
The saltbush lamb rack with morel mushroom sauce.
The pancake platter with fresh fruit and maple syrup.
The US rib-eye steak with Cabernet and black pepper sauce.
