Menu
With the earth as her anchor and Thailand her port of call, Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng weaves a culinary and cultural tapestry. Each dish is a subtle song celebrating the earth, through her selection of ingredients and her choice of presentation, with many items arriving to the table on custom, hand-hewn pottery and dinnerware crafted from by Thai artisans.
This Taste of Baan Lao, “Celebrating the Bounty and Beauty of Thailand” is a culinary tour of Thailand showcasing 13-Course Tasting Menu with special and rare ingredients.
Hand-woven wicker baskets are ubiquitous throughout Thailand. Serving a multitude or purposes, Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng used them as a child for gathering and carrying produce, storing rice, and protecting food.
At Baan Lao, your culinary tour of Thailand begins with three appetizers arriving at your table tucked neatly beneath a traditional colourful wicker cover, hand-woven in the village where Chef was born,
Each is designed to be consumed in one bite, delivering a delicious and unique blend of flavours. Chef recommends enjoying them in the order below.
The warmth of the Thailand soil ensures watermelon is available year-round. While the combination of organic watermelon with fish may seem peculiar, the sweetness of the fruit is beautifully enhanced by the saltiness of the dried fish and the sweetness of a hint of coconut sugar.
Originating in Northern Thailand, Miang Kham is translated as “one bite wrap”. Cha Plu (or wild pepper leaf) is abundant in Thailand and Chef Nutcha often brought it home from her foraging expeditions. Mild flavoured, it provides a perfect wrap for this blend of cashew, herbs and hand-roasted coconut flakes, and drizzled with the sweet and sour taste of house-made tamarind sauce.
To begin your Thai adventure, we welcome you with a hand-made meatball of organic water buffalo, infused with a profusion of Thai herbs. Presented atop a spoon carved from fresh pineapple and marinated for 24 hours with makrut lime leaves.
Shaped like a tiny bird, these dumplings are tucked inside their nest within a beautiful, hand-carved bowl of acacia wood. These delicate works of art evoke the brilliantly-coloured birds of Thailand.
The dumpling wrapper is hand-made using a blend of cassava, tapioca and coconut milk before being filled and meticulously pinched into shape with tweezers. Freshly-cut herbs added to the stir-fried organic chicken stuffing create subtle layers of flavour, a light brush of garlic oil accentuates the chicken, while a hint of peanut* finishes on your palate and adds texture.
*Available without raw jungle peanuts with advance request
Recognized for its sweet flavour, King Crab is accented with a creamy homemade yellow curry sauce to elevate this Thai staple. Traditionally served in a tiny handmade pastry cup, Chef Nutcha has hand-cut each piece of pastry into a square, with the four corners representing the four elements – fire, water, air and earth
An intricate, flowery tuile of four colours representing the four seasons immediately catches your eye as this flavourful soup arrives at your table.
Beneath the colourful cracker rests crispy sockeye salmon, steamed with lemongrass, galangal and makrut and prepared as a crumble. Home-made coconut milk broth is bursting with flavour as it’s poured over the salmon and fresh, organic, button mushrooms.
Nibble on the cracker on its own to sample each flavour, or crumble it into your soup.
This elegant elixir is one of the highlights of first class travel to Thailand, as it’s often served in flight for the first class cabin, and a glass of it greets you upon your arrival at many five star hotels. Sip and savour the flavour on our culinary journey at Baan Lao.
Aside your glass you’ll find a handmade flower woven from fresh pandan leaf, allowing you to gently crush the leaf in your fingers to release its natural floral, grassy scent.
Indulge in an exquisite flavor of seared Hokkaido scallops with fresh Thai herbs. This herbaceous culinary masterpiece is a vibrant, harmonious blend of lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, chilli paste, shallots, bird’s eye chilli, cilantro, and basil that will tantalize your taste buds.
Phat Thai is one of the most well-known Thai dishes, and is often served as street food in Thailand. Chef Nutcha has been preparing this dish since she was a child. And at Baan Lao, she has perfected her recipe, elevating it with her carefully curated selection of herbs, seasonings, hand-pressed fresh tamarind, and serving it within a lacy egg cage.
Guests regularly clamour for Chef Nutcha’s Phat Thai, calling it ‘culinary poetry’ and ensuring it remains a staple on our menu.
Red curry offers a more subtle flavour and is commonly available on the bustling streets of Bangkok. Grilling the organic beef tenderloin from Sumas Mountain Farms provides a light sear to the buttery smooth beef. Chef Nutcha elevates this classic curry with coconut caviar, and basil crumbs, teasing out the unique character of each ingredient.
Soak up the delicious sauce with the organic jasmine and riceberry rice, grown in the rice paddies on Chef Nutcha’s farm where her family still works the land and harvests the bounty.
*Substitute your beef tenderloin with a two ounce portion of Wagyu beef. Our Hitachigyu Wagyu beef is raised from Japanese black cattle from ethical farms in the Ibaraki Prefecture. Rated A5, it is aged for 30 months to enhance the delicate flavour. (+100)
Like most children, Chef Nutcha loved ice cream and sorbet. But growing up in tropical Thailand with no electricity or refrigeration available, how did she make these frozen treats? Most of us are accustomed to using salt to melt ice. For Chef Nutcha, salt and ice was used to create ice cream!
Served tableside at Baan Lao, Our team demonstrates the science of food and flavours that produce this sweet, tart sorbet of fresh.
This traditional Thai dessert is a popular street vendor dish that’s also found in fine dining restaurants in Bangkok. Rich, creamy coconut milk and egg is steamed to classic custard form. Chef Nutcha’s version transcends the ordinary by presenting it atop an elegantly hand-carved pumpkin.
The perfect accompaniment to your pumpkin custard is our house-made coconut ice cream, smoked with Tian Op, fragrant Thai culinary candle.
Fresh, organic, seasonal fruit is elegantly hand-carved creating a colourful array of edible earthly delights as your culinary journey comes to a close.
Known as the “caviar of the East”, bird’s nest soup has been touted as a therapeutic remedy for thousands of years, with claims of aiding brain health, bone health, supporting the immune system, reducing fatigue and more.
Our bird’s nest soup is sustainably and ethically sourced from swiftlet nests and serves as an elegant addition to your Baan Lao experience.
* Optional. +80
Wine pairings are carefully curated by our award-winning Master Sommelier, Pier-Alexis Soulière.
Tea pairings are selected by our Certified Tea Sommelier, Emmanuelle Viennois
Mocktail pairings are created by Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng
Please inform us if you have any dietary restrictions at least five days in advance.
BAAN LAO FINE THAI CUISINE ● 4100 Bayview Street, Richmond, BC
Dine With Us ●778.839.5711
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