Inversus certainly has an interesting way of presenting itself—references to Michelin-starred chefs, iPad menus of minimally presented plates and dishes involving mozzarella foam and onion ice cream. Alas, it ultimately disappoints, with food that is pretentious and overcomplicated and fails to deliver the amazing tastes that might make it worth the confusion. (We are also appalled by the banner outside the front door, touting Inversus as “Michelin star standard”—let Michelin be the judge of that, if they ever come to Bangkok.) The potato salad with scallops in orange vinaigrette (B479), for example, comes with a dazzling presentation, the ingredients lined diagonally across a square plate among basil, mint and rocket leaves. We’d be ecstatic if the salad went on to deliver exquisite, rare flavors; but because it tastes like little more than the sum of its parts (flavorless boiled potato squares, competently handled scallops), we are left even more annoyed at the presentation. The peasant-like simplicity of the five cabbage soup with home-smoked bacon and cheese croutons (B290) may cause one to expect glorious handling of simple ingredients. The result, however, is utterly bland and the smoked bacon feels like a cheap trick to jazz things up. Currently on their special Spring Menu is a dish called lamb square with green peas puree and saffron sauce (B900). Sounds ethereal, no? Well, it’s a lot of lamb meat, wrapped in its skin and served to look like a sandwich triangle. With decent lamb racks a dime a dozen in this town, the concept of the lamb square feels a bit like using up the left overs. Ultimately, Inversus would be a far more pleasant experience if it didn’t elevate the diners’ expectations to such soaring heights beforehand. The pumpkin and truffle ravioli with butter, onion and sage (B290) is a delicious combo of sweet, savory and hearty, and it’s pretty neat that they do classic cocktails for B199 and signature ones for B249. Lower your expectations and you can still come here to sip on a nice drink and some solid pastas.