Bangkok Supper Club

Bangkok Supper Club is inspired by Bangkok’s late night food scene, and in many ways, it’s successful. Big Night Out energy permeates this West Village restaurant where the cocktails are laced with truffle oil and fish sauce, the crowd never thins, and someone in one of the deep, U-shaped booths could probably get you on the guest list at whatever Meatpacking club they’re going to next. 

Which is why it’s especially disappointing when the eating portion of the Bangkok experience falls off mid-meal. Ultimately, “late night” and “scene” are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. From the team behind Fish Cheeks, one of our favorite restaurants in Noho, BSC takes much bigger swings with its menu. Some work, some don’t—but if you stick to the cocktails and small plates, it’s a fun place for a light dinner before a night out. 

photo credit: Evan Sung

photo credit: Evan Sung

There are some strong starts, like the charcoal grilled beef tongue, and a Hokkaido scallop ceviche. Cold, sushi-grade scallops are the centerpiece of this watermelon salad, covered with a chili watermelon granita. Half-dessert, half-appetizer, it reveals its savory elements when the whole thing turns into a chili garlic slushie in your mouth. Suddenly, you're a lot more interested in what’s going on in that bright open kitchen. 

But the beat never drops; the party peaks too early. The entrees don’t live up to the brilliance of those watermelon rind scallops, or the exponential egginess of the crackly, fried duck egg. What should be the most exciting entree—the ba jang lobster—comes on a pancake of crusty black pepper sticky rice that’s a good snack on its own, but feels wasted when paired with lackluster lobster, seeking sauce for hire. And while the beef cheeks massaman curry and crispy whole branzino have potential, they don’t quite pop. 

Bangkok Supper Club is built for bigger groups, with so much of the infrastructure in place for a full-on feast. But come with a smaller party instead, and make a meal out of the starters. We’d recommend stopping by early on a weekend night, if only to find out where the after-party is. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Evan Sung

Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche

This dish is essentially a fruit salad, with sashimi grade Hokkaido scallops, pickled watermelon rind, diced watermelon, mint and garlic, topped with chili watermelon granita. Scallops could be a fruit, right?

photo credit: Evan Sung

Yum Khai Dao

This bite screams “cocktail bar,” and not in a bad way. The duck egg is deep-fried, then topped with grated cured egg yolk, trout roe, and herb salad. In just three bites, you get the trifecta of Thai flavors—egg, fish, and a lot of herbs.

photo credit: Evan Sung

Whole Branzino

We truly appreciate how crispy the skin on this fish is. This dish is reminiscent of the simple but potent cooking at Fish Cheeks, and it’s probably BSC’s most solid entree.

photo credit: Evan Sung

Lin Yang

All the Thai flavors you came here looking for are in this dish, with a rich, gamey twist. Beef tongue is brined for over 24 hours in galangal and lemongrass, then charcoal-grilled and served with tamarind jaew sauce and toasted rice powder, garnished with chili flakes and Thai herbs.

photo credit: Evan Sung

Beef Cheeks Massaman

These beef cheeks cook for half a day, and they’ve certainly got 12-hours worth of tenderness. But it doesn’t have quite enough flavor to do that tenderness justice. This curry would be acceptable at any casual Thai spot, but at $37, we’d expect it to really stand out.

photo credit: Evan Sung

Ba Jang Lobster

This sauteed lobster and garlicky, black pepper sticky rice sounds like the most exciting entree on the menu. And while we could keep picking at the crisped sticky rice forever, without some kind of sauce or extra seasoning, it’s easily forgettable.