The Place Listed as Asia’s 50 Best 2023 Restaurant at Number 3, Nusara has been on my go to restaurant list, and I finally managed to check it out last month. Housed in an old building located near the Wat Pho temple, I was greeted by a bar upon entering the restaurant, before being ushered to level two where the dining space is. 

Nusara is named after Chef Ton (also Executive Chef & Owner of Le Du, Baan) and Tam’s (his brother) grandma in honor of their grandmother. 

The space feels like home, and the rustic old school villa setting is exactly like dining in someone’s house. I managed to snag a table beside the window, which leads me to a private balcony where I get a good view of Wat Pho temple. 

The Food There is only one 12-course Tasting Menu (3,590 THB per person) where the food at Nusara is neither traditional nor modern according to the founders, though one thing for sure is that you can expect familiar Thai flavours throughout the meal. 

My meal started with some Amuse Bouche where I had a fish dumpling and a coconut pudding topped with some pork and dried shrimp. 

Some appetisers up next – Smoked Mackerel from southern Thailand, which is smoked for 30min, along with Coconut, Cucumber and Young Turmeric; as well as the Squid with Cucumber and Heirloom tomato. 

The next course is Crab Curry with Betel leaf and Horseshoe crab roe. This is one the signature dishes at Nusara and while it is a tad spicy, it is delicious. I love the punchy flavours of the curry and that horseshoe crab roe taste is quite different from the usual crab roe I have had before. 

Another dish I enjoyed is the Hokkaido Scallop, Sweet Corn, Kaffir Lime Kosho and Cured Egg Yolk. You get hints of spiciness on the scallop while the corn soup is served separately, which helps to cleanse the palate after the initial spiciness from the scallop.

I like the sweetness of the corn soup, where the robust flavour is also from the cured duck egg yolk with the soup. 

And more crabs? Why not. It seems like fine Thai restaurants love to use crabs in their courses, where I also noticed it in my meal at Sorn. This course showcases Paddy Field Crab Roe with Aromatic Rice and Thai Chimichurri. The rice is delicious, as it is prepared with two types of rice: sticky rice and jasmine rice, hence the texture is very different. The rice is very smooth in texture and there is a unique taste of the sticky rice here which I usually only come across in desserts. The crab roe atop is amazingly good. 

A soup course before the mains, I had Tom-Kla Soup with Gourami Fish and Organic mushrooms. This soup dish is also very good, where it has a nice coconut balance and is not spicy at all which makes it easy to drink to the last sip. I also love the crispy bits of the fresh fish texture in the soup. 

For mains, it is a wide variety of dishes to say the least. There is the Beef Cheek with Bum Bai Curry and Pickles Cucumber, which is not too spicy. 

For something refreshing, there is the Peanut Relish with Seasonal Vegetables and Shrimp paste water. This is quite a spicy salad especially so from the shrimp paste, go easy on it. 

I love beef, and the Wagya Beef here is served with Chill and Cumin which is quite an interesting take on the beef. 

Other dishes I had include the Braised & Grilled Squid with Ginger and Palm sugar; and the Pickled Lime Soup with Braised Giant Ocean Snail and Pork belly; and an additional dish which was not on the tasting menu (sounds like a bonus dish to me), Crispy Egg Omelette with Bitter Melon. 

This second part of the meal is more communal style, and the flavours are generally very homely but delicious. 

For pre-dessert, it is a table-side service of Thai calamansi popsicle to cleanse the palate. 

Dessert is a combination of Sago and Young Coconut, drizzled with salted coconut milk and sea salt along with some raw chestnut shavings. 

Last but not least, Petit Fours is a mix of various Thai snacks such as deep-fried banana, coconut cake infused with coffee, a Pandan layered cake with egg custard and some seasonal fruits along with Thai dipping sauce. I definitely enjoyed the Thai kuehs most! 

Rants It is quite different to snag a table given the small space. My tip is to plan ahead or email the restaurant directly.  

Will I Return Again? If you want to experience a more home-style Thai food meal at a highly acclaimed restaurant in Bangkok, Nusara is one to try. It is not exactly fine-dining, and neither is it too casual. Come with an open mind and be surprised by the flavours. 

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Nusara 
22 Maha Rat Rd, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand 
Tel: +66 97 293 5549 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Sunday: 6pm to 11pm 
Closed on Tuesday 

Ranted by The Ranter