Thai food has a rep for being a tad on the spicy side. Not that most visitors to the Kingdom ever get to truly experience that heat; most restaurant dumb down their dishes for farang diners. For those of us who enjoy food that provides the oral version of taking a shot of mace to the eyeballs, fully spiced Thai food in Bangkok is an illusive quest. Even when you ask for a dish filled with heat the cook knows better. That’s why I like eating street cart food. Point at the bowl of chilies and keep giving the cook a thumbs up and you’ll get the gastronomical treat you’re after. And then no matter how much you have to drink that night, the next morning you’ll remember that hot, spicy meal well.

For visitors on the opposite of the dining spectrum, even the most lightly spiced Thai food can be too much. That’s cool, but Thai food should not be bland; even when it scores at the low end of the Scoville scale it should still be filled with flavor. You may have little choice in the matter with street cart food; at many Thai restaurants geared toward the farang crowd you will avoid spice but will pay for it with boring food. But there is a school of Thai cooking that will give you the delicious flavors you want without the heat you’d like to avoid. It’s Royal Thai cuisine, classic dishes exquisitely prepared and elegantly served that are designed to not offend.

Over 30 years ago the owner of Bussaracum Royal Thai Cuisine decided to preserve classic Thai cooking, using the oldest documented recipes in the country – from some 125 years ago – that were based on palace recipes which, for the sake of politeness, avoided odorous ingredients and degrees of spiciness that might make you perspire at the table. The first fine dining establishment in Bangkok, since 1982 Bussaracum has defined royal Thai cuisine, winning numerous accolades from international publications and highly regarded food critics.

Bussaracum moved to a new location close to its original stomping grounds in late 2011, and is now located just a block off Silom in a residential compound whose focal point is a historic Rama V period teak house with floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the surrounding gardens where many of the herbs and spices used by the restaurant are grown. It’s an elegant setting that adds additional ambiance to the restaurant’s fine dining experience. Comparing Bussaracum to the Mango Tree – a Thai restaurant known to many gay visitors due to its location in Patpong which also is set in an old Thai mansion – is like comparing one of Dream Boy’s stars with the street urchins working at Nature Boys. The food too at Bussaracum is vastly superior.

Bussaracum lives up to its name, which means yellow sapphire in Thai, with a jewel-like setting and presentation of food that are both equally exquisite. Every dish arrives with an elaborate presentation of beautifully carved veggies on the side. The service is impeccable, and sticking with the historical nature of their menu, servers wear traditional Thai costume. At night there’s a live khim performance; the soft Thai music combined with the restaurant’s warm lighting gives you the feeling you are dining like royalty.

One of Bussaracum’s signature offerings is their Ancient Menu, which must be pre-booked. It is a nine course meal. The set menu starts with a complementary pre-appetizer of roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, lime, shallots and ginger, topped with roasted coconut and a sugary tamarind sauce, all delicately served on silver spoons. The four main courses are served in two styles, an updated fusion-like version and a historical version cooked in the traditional manner strictly following the recipes of a century ago. This allows diners to compare modern Thai food with the old school style of royal Thai cuisine, a sumptuous culinary voyage of discovery at a reasonable price of $30. They offer several other set menus in that price range too; each a carefully selected progression of dishes blended to create a simple, yet sophisticated richness that you would do well in following to experience Thai dining at its finest.

I’ve yet to order any dish at Bussaracum that didn’t please. If you order ala carte, trying their Tom Yum Goong is a must. The spicy and sour clear soup made from live prawns, lemon grass, and other fresh herbs packs a bit of a punch; its flavors are strong, but with a hint of sweetness and is not over-powering. The downside is that you’ll never want to order that dish again anywhere else.

Bussaracum also offers a series of ‘Royal Thai Tastes of Thailand’ cooking classes taught by the restaurant’s own master chefs and conducted in the compound’s separate, dedicated cooking class facility. There are four classes to choose from with each including sections for appetizer, main course and dessert. Offered in the mornings, afternoons, and early evenings, advance registration is required and can be conducted in English, German, Japanese, or Thai.

Bussaracum Royal Thai Cuisine is located at 1 Sri Wiang Road – just off Soi Pramuan between Silom and Sathorn Roads. A buffet lunch is available from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Reservations, which can be made by phone or on-line are highly recommended.

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