Freebird Australian Restaurant
Freebird Australian Cuisine Sukhumvit Soi 47
Bangkok Foodies Review – Freebird
It’s not easy being the new kid on the block and Freebird seems to audaciously ignore this Bangkokian nuance. Hidden deep in the recesses of Sukhumvit soi 47, this townhouse has been revamped in the spirit of some 70s rock-star’s, rich-hipster kid. Mesmerizing street murals stare down from the dimly lit walls, modern work chairs become trendy dining seats, vintage sewing machines become legs to polished wooden table tops, lighting is pimped-out to contemporary heights and windows curve at funky angles.
It’s not quite the show-off your great ass in tight flares kind of place but you definitely get that sleek, executive gangster lean appeal. What’s really impressive is their open kitchen which faces the street and is wrapped almost entirely by window, giving a great buzz and animation to the place.
Tonight we’ve come to experience guest chef Andrew Walsh from Singapore’s CURE. I won’t bore you with the details but predicted as a ‘hot’ commodity on the Singapore culinary circuit with training under the likes of Tom Aikens and Jason Atherton. He and Chef Dallas Cuddy, executive chef of Freebird have come up a unique menu that combines Dallas’s & Chef Walsh’s signatures but with some twists.
Dallas snacks of organic sea urchin with flaxseed, parmesan and sea grape was outright weird but insanely delicious. I can’t even really describe in words, but maybe one which is “Umami”. His Squid with oyster cream, cucumber and seaweed butter came out resembling radioactive sludge but again, I was confounded. Shaped like noodles, the squid’s texture was sublimely soft and sticky on the teeth. The hint of seaweed bitterness, makes you reel at first but melts into waves of buttery oyster sweetness. Not a dish for the faint palat-ed, but a most fascinating dish. One which must have taken some big disco balls to place over the pass.
Chef Walsh’s foie gras brulee is where the lights when off during the show; sickly rich, uncomfortably bitter and almost slimy in texture, did the foie gras oxidize before cooking I wondered. I couldn’t even get through it, although others raved about it. The Mackerel by Andrew with Green Curry was satisfying if a tad over-cooked. Bravo for giving the Thai flavours a shot. But it was clear what Walsh does best. The Beef Short Rib with chorizo jam, burnt cabbage and horseradish touched me deep down inside and everyone at that table. Rich, complex, sour and meaty with tickles of spice. Amazing, we were all begging for seconds.
Sadly the sensuous high ended with desserts, both creations too similar in presentation and conceptually same-same in taste. Except Walsh’s burnt honey just taste burnt – period. Chef Dallas’s dessert was superior but at that stage, unexcited when compared to the outstanding savoury dishes.
For 2250++ THB the value is excellent and not really comparable elsewhere for the quality and Walsh’s dishes were well worth it. It mustn’t be easy being the visiting “team” in an alien kitchen.
Freebird is clearly stunning in all the decked- out design glory, but you can’t help but feel it comes as somewhat, contrived. Possibly as a newbie, it needs more playing with and experience the facts of life. Nothing comes easy in this city.
What Freebird does have is what Chef Dallas Cuddy brings to the table. A a uniquely competitive edge. One which is aptly pinned as “Modern-Australian” cuisine. The cultural translation for “create whatever the f** you want” and by culinary standards, you’ve really nothing to live up to. It’s a blank plate. Lets paint!
Freebird Modern Australian Cuisine
28 Sukhumvit Soi 47
10110 Bangkok
Tel: 02 662 4936
Opening Hours: 5:30 PM – 12:00 AM