Having opened its doors last December, LINK Cuisine and Bar is located in the serenity-amid-the-bustle quietude of Soi Yen Akart 1, just a quick hop from North Sathorn Rd.
Set within a cosy, wooden-decked courtyard, the outdoor dining area lies beneath a five-story tall shade tree that stretches lazily overhead like some giant's splay-fingered palm. A four-sided koi fishpond adds a touch of zen, while a paned-glass enclosure offers a bright and airy indoor dining space option.
Head Chef Lee Field keeps the menu on-course for western classics, while ducking down a few alleys cuisine-wise for a welcome yet restrained diversity. Woven into his overall Mediterranean fare are subtle Asian influences and carefully measured dollops of whimsy that make the dishes as interesting as they are toothsome.
A starter of Crudites (195++) arrived as a small wooden crate packed with a tiny skyline's-worth of raw baby veggies arrayed at attention, beneath which lurked a smooth-textured chickpea hummus. Lightly speckled with olive tapenade, the bean puree was tiers above your average kebab house variety in flavour, albeit somewhat challenging to access through the dense canopy of vegetation.
The light and citrus-y Scallops ceviche (295++) featured tissue paper thin slices of
Hokkaido scallops, flash-cured in sweetened & salted lime and served in teriyaki-garlic-chive with fresh orange.
The Niçoise salad (450++) lays on seared tuna, with garden veggies, plus green beans, egg, potato, anchovy, black olives, olive oil and basil, while Fattoush (250++) is a tasty cross-over dish of cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley & mint, olive oil, sumac garlic, authentically garnished with crispy pita strips.
Among our favs was the Mushroom and Truffle Torteloni (650++), which sees the jumbo pasta pockets slathered in a truffle and cream sauce with shaved truffle and parmesan. We urge you to experience the pricey fungus and cheese performing a gustatory tango on the tongue, while the generous portion and richness of the sauce makes this a good sharing dish.
We were as impressed with the plating of the Blackened Chicken (450++) as we were with the taste. The extra plump breast is served sliced down the middle, the halves perched at a jaunty angle, their thick cross-sections seductively dripping with herb sauce, complementing the dry-rub spices and char-smoke flavour. A spicy sauce-filled bravas confit potato and roasted vegetables complete the enticing presentation.
The house-made breads are very much worth mentioning. Baked on-site in a proper, domed pizza oven, the focaccia is otherworldly-good, with an alluringly rough-textured and delicately crisp crust, while the pizza-dough ‘pita' served as a side and salad ingredient is likewise a masterwork of the Crusted Arts.
From a rotating specials menu, we sampled the Roast beef crostini and Tuna tartar & cucumber cannelloni (300++/ea), the former a gentrified pub-nosh creation consisting of toasted garlic-olive oil ciabatta piled high a generous mound of shaved beef sirloin, roasted cherry tomato and pickled onion.
Chef Lee's Asian-influenced take on cannelloni boldly swaps out the pasta shell for thinly sliced cucumber and mango, wrapped around chopped, sushi-grade teriyaki tuna, both which palate-dazzlingly counterpoint in a textural fugue that plays out with each bite.
The house Tirimisu (250++) is a shape-shifted departure from the conventional Japanese iteration. Looking like a mud ball sitting in a pile dirt, it turns out we were only half-right… sort of. This gloriously decadent dessert consists of a dark chocolate-glazed orb served on a scatter of chocolate "soil" (crumble), with the coffee-and-Amaretto soaked sponge fingers and layers of mascarpone cream arrayed within. We strongly suggest not missing out on this sphere of chocolate-y goodness.
For a singularly relaxing ambience and food truly connects with the discerning diner, LINK Cuisine & Bar is most definitely worth a visit.
LINK Cuisine & Bar
19 Yen Akat Rd.
Phone: 02 077 4804
Open 7 days, 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
