The buzz: Ekkamai’s new high-class den of meat and wine pulls cured meats from their association with starters and nibbles and puts them center stage of 70 percent of its menu.

 

The decor: The restaurant takes over a ground-floor space in Somerset residences. Walk inside and you’re confronted with a display room of hanging ham hocks and dried meats. Elsewhere it’s all red bricks and stacks of firewood. If you like places like Malt & Salt and the bar at Il Fumo then you’re gonna be happy.

 

The food: Well-preserved meats are the undoubted stars here, be it the highly-prized Spanish Iberico ham, Italian San Daniele ham, speck (pork belly), chorizo or salami (B520/980 for a platter of all). They also appear in dishes like pancetta-wrapped, pan-fried tiger prawns (B410) served with spicy tomato sauce, and rigatoni Iberico ham (B440). While most of the cured meats need to be imported, there’s a pork sausage the chef makes in house, featured in dishes like gorgonzola risotto (B380). The rest of the menu sticks to Western comfort food, from soup and sandwiches to pasta and meaty main dishes. Think wagyu beef burger (B480), spaghetti carbonara (B300), char-grilled lamb cutlets (B1,300) and pan-fried Atlantic cod fillet (B580).

 

The drinks: On top of wine (from B290), there’s also a big list of juices and smoothie creations (try the monster frappe ultimate chocolate smoothie, B150). Signatures cocktails are all priced at B280, including The Ultimate Cherry (St. Remy VSOP, cherry brandy, guava juice and cherry).

 

Why you should care: Does it have a wow factor? Not really. But the food is produce-driven, the place feels indulgent, and you can eat and drink here really well on 2K.