Ibrahim Jabbari
Canvas, awarded a Michelin star in the latest (2nd) edition of the Michelin Bangkok Guide, highlights locally sourced Thai ingredients, many of which diners may not even be familiar with, serving up superb six and nine-course tasting menus of local favorites that have been given an international twist using progressive cooking methods. The restaurant also showcases the fantastic culinary skills of Chef Riley Sanders, who together with a stellar and well-organized team, runs a dazzling open kitchen, treating diners to one of Bangkok’s finest gastronomic experiences.
Sanders hails from Texas, and after a stint at the popular Uchiko Japanese fusion restaurant in Austin, went to work with 3-star Michelin Chef Laurent Gras at the renowned L20 in Chicago. But following this he eschewed climbing the traditional ladder and instead got a position cooking on a private yacht, where he was given free creative range in the kitchen, allowing him to hone his craft even more. More importantly, the job gave Sanders both the time and money to travel, his other passion, and he embarked on a trip around the world, tasting his way through markets, street food, and fine dining establishments all over the globe.
Canvas is the product of Sanders being drawn to Bangkok and its amazing culinary culture, and he’s elevated local and often unique ingredients to new heights. Take the soy-smoked king mackerel prepared sous vide and served with an orgasmic paste made of ant eggs, dill, and horseradish. Sanders says that this was inspired by Western “surf n turf” menus, only here turning the mackerel into the “surf” combined with one of Thailand’s most unusual inland ingredients, the ant eggs.
Sitting at the open counter here is a joy, as you get to watch Sanders and his team in action, as well as being given the story behind each dish and its ingredients as they are served. You learn that the divine frog comes from a farm in Khao Yai and that the edible flowers served with it are from Samut Prakhan (a province neighboring Bangkok), and that the most succulent honey you’ve ever tasted (served on fresh gooseberries in season over sorbet) comes from stingless bees that are from Chantaburi, and produce a highly concentrated sweet honey.
Dinner here is a magical event where you never know what’s coming next. Take the “rice bread.” Served as a humble appetizer, this is actually one of the menu knockouts and will leave you wishing you had a loaf to take home. Made from organic rice from Surin Province, it’s served with a brown butter and yellow chili emulsion, and topped with salted egg yolk and toasted sticky rice. Light and ever so flavorful, Sanders says the idea behind it was to serve the Thai staple of rice as a version of the Western staple of bread.
Most appropriately named, Canvas features a chef whose artist’s palette is melange of colors, guaranteed to leave your palate begging for more, and is a most deserving entry into the Bangkok Michelin guide and foodie dining scene that has swept the city.
