307 Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-259-7588
In the mood for meat but can’t stomach a whole Western-style chunk of steak? Asian-style barbecue is the answer. Previously chains like Daidomon dominated the market, but in the past few years (and not coincidentally, as the economy has slowed), suan moo kata has emerged as an extremely popular value-for-money format. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the growing number of more upmarket Japanese- or Korean-style barbecue eateries such as Elite Bar & Grill that promise less smoke, more choice and more luxurious ingredients in air-conditioned comfort. This stylishly modern two-level restaurant is modest in size, with only eight booths downstairs plus additional seating in the karaoke rooms upstairs (where you can eat and sing your guts out). So while the bad news is you might have to wait for a seat, the good news is once you do get one, service is attentive and efficient—a far cry from the shopping mall equivalents. A grill is built into the center of each glass-topped table and is fuelled with uniform chunks of charcoal, which is far superior in this context to gas and a ventilation system designed to suck smoke down and out does a reasonably good job of keeping the smell from being absorbed by your hair and clothes (although you still have to watch out for the occasional splatter of oil or fat from the grill). “Elite” might refer to less common items such as horse and whale—or perhaps to the type of people who can afford such fare. Unfortunate name choice aside, we give them high marks for the quality of their food. Even the seafood, which is too often an afterthought in grill joints, is terrific: from sweet imported scallops and crunchy prawns to sashimi-grade salmon. The sauce, of course, is key; While westerners think “steak,” we have a different relationship with meat in Asia. The attraction is not the carnal satisfaction to be gained from chewing on a thick slab of flesh; for us, meat is more often simply the excuse to enjoy some really tasty nam jim. Here the teriyaki is jazzed up with garlic, fresh chili, lime and as much deliciously sticky “spicy sweet” or “original” chili paste as you like. One thing we really appreciate about Elite is that choice is not just limited to animals (beef, lamb, pork, chicken) and cuts (tenderloin, ribeye, sirloin, brisket, chop, tongue, etc.); there are also as many as three levels (in the case of beef) of quality/price. In other words, you could spend for Wagyu strip (sirloin), on “special” (Thai-French) ribeye or for a standard (Thai) brisket. We appreciate the imports, but there’s no need to go too hiso. For our money, you can’t go wrong with the tongue and the Thai-French tenderloin.
