Fusion Fare

Just walking into The House, we knew we were in for a special evening. Tucked back from the busy Moonmuang Road, in a renovated 1930s house, the romantic ambience was evident from the outset and the staff immediately welcoming. The main restaurant of The House takes up the ground floor, and presents an elegant dining area with high ceilings, rattan chairs and white linen-clad tables. A visit to the restrooms revealed candle-lined stairs leading to cosy private rooms with cushioned sofas, which looked just perfect to kick back in with a glass of chilled wine. There was even a live acoustic guitarist to accompany your meal, although I did feel it was a bit much when he started to pluck out strains of 80s answer-machine favourite, Greensleeves!

The Fusion menu made an interesting read. The chef, although local, was apparently trained in Europe which shows in the dishes, although they are obviously inspired by local ingredients and flavours.

I opted for a starter of an Avocado Salad with Crab and Prawn and a Chipotle Dressing (chipotle is a Mexican smoked jalapeno pepper, in case you were wondering),

while Mr Greedy Glutton chose the U.S Scallops on Green Pea Puree and Parmesan Chip with Truffle Oil.

Great care had obviously gone into devising an interesting presentation for the dishes – with particular emphasis on piling everything high. Unfortunately the same care hadn’t been afforded the flavour of the dishes – the Avocado Salad lacked the kick that the Chipotle Dressing could have provided, whilst the Parmesan Chip overpowered the Scallops starter (although once the Chip had been exiled to the side of the plate, the Scallops and Pea Purée were actually very tasty).

A similar experience followed with the main courses – mine being Grilled Marinated Lamb Cutlets with Sautéed Zucchini, Aubergine, Capsicum, Tomato, Basil and Fried Potato with a Rosemary Sauce,

and Mr Greedy Glutton testing the Fusion menu to its max with a Pork Tenderloin wrapped with Pancetta, Served with Yellow Pepper Puree and Mango and Passion Fruit Sauce. We couldn’t quite decide what the latter was meant to portray with its carrot horns and pureed tail, but it definitely looked mythological.

Unfortunately, once again, the flavour of the dishes was not the stuff to inspire mythological legends - but they were both pleasant enough.

We finished off by sharing a double serving of Crème Brulée – the first with a plain burnt top (burnt being the operative word) and the second with a raspberry coulis.

The food, although not bad, wouldn’t be enough to inspire me to return to this restaurant. The ambience however, would. It’s one of those places that just makes you feel like you’re celebrating a special occasion… and that in itself made for a very enjoyable evening...

The House, 199 Moonmuang Rd, Chiang Mai