Bangkok’s sushi scene seems to have benefited from a wave of Thai chefs who after working in Japanese restaurants in Chicago have returned home to open eateries like Isao, Gallery Sushi Bar, Maki Maki and In the Mood for Love.

High Hat Sushi’s chefs, Kittisak Soontaros and Frank Sitipredanant, also spent time in the Windy City, but their focus isn’t so heavily placed on US twists to Japanese maki; the menu also contains many French and Italian dishes which Frank says he learned while working in France. The result is a bit hit-and-miss, though, mostly because of the produce, with the occasional fish that’s just lost all flavor balanced by some very fresh catches.

Sat in front of one of the owners’ homes, the restaurant features a stylish grey-hued décor with hanging lamps in the shape of bowler hats adding a bit of fun to the space. The atmosphere is very bistro, with lots of light streaming in during the day, an outdoor deck, and moody lighting at night.

Maybe we’re just not big fans of American-style Japanese, but even if the rice here isn’t quite as sweet as some other venues, High Hat’s creative maki just don’t work for us. The signature Ocean Fourteen (B225/B450), with its blow-torched scallop, octopus, crab, fish roe and spicy mayo, ends up tasting just a smidgeon better than spicy canned tuna salad in mayo—same texture too. It’s dry, and the flavors are undistinguishable.

Even when there’s no overpowering sauce, the simple salmon, crab and avocado maki (B140/280) shows there’s not much flavor in the rice, seaweed and seafood to start with. We have a similar gripe with the cooked dishes, such as the scallop with buttercorn (B350) or the snowfish with mushrooms cooked in parchment paper (B480). The scallop was rubbery and overcooked on our last visit, while the snowfish was ably supported by mushroom and lime-flavored broth in the papillote, but not dazzling on its own merits.

High Hat does shine brighter when the least preparation is involved. At B550, the chirashi bowl is topped with a generous heap of delicious, fresh sashimi. Another generous dish, the mango and crab salad (B380) is packed with chunky blue crab meat, delicious mango, and crisp salad greens—a great combination with a superb dressing.

Our experience is therefore to keep things simple here. The service is excellent, it’s a very handsome place, and they really put some thought into the booze side of things: a proper bar, plenty of cocktails (B280-B420) and reasonably-priced sake including a triple-sake flight (B280).