August 17th, 2011
Renowned USA gourmet food purveyor Dean & DeLuca had its origins as a corner grocery store in the Soho neighbourhood of New York City in the 1970’s. Originally specialising in exclusive artisan produced food products, sourced personally by the founders, from suppliers around the world, the store rapidly grew in popularity and product range- adding categories such as wines, kitchenware, and cafe facilities. The expansion of the Dean & Deluca group now encompasses 15 stores in selected USA markets, plus internationally, with stores and cafes in Japan, the Middle East, and most recently in 2010, into Thailand, and further expansion planned for other markets in Asia. The Bangkok flagship outlet first opened in August 2010 as part of the prestigious MahaNakhon project- which will become, on completion in 2014, at 310 metres and 77 storeys, the tallest skyscraper in Bangkok. The current location of Dean & DeLuca is in a “temporary” showroom building adjacent to the construction site, and the store will move into it’s permanent home as the anchor tenant in the lifestyle & retail component of the MahaNakhon complex- a free standing, multi-level structure named the Cube.
The Bangkok outlet is also unique in that it has recently opened the first Dean & DeLuca Wine Cafe. Operating in the evenings, 7 days a week from 6pm until 11pm, the Wine Cafe is offering a special menu of cafe dishes, plus their exclusive selections of fine wines sourced solely from the premier vineyards of California. The main cafe itself is open daily from 7am until 11pm, and has been received enthusiastically by the residents and office workers in the bustling Silom business district of Bangkok.
During the day, the cafe at Dean & DeLuca is serving breakfast, lunch and all day selections from the large menu board behind the main serving counter. The counters display daily selections of sandwiches, salads, soups and pastries. A separate section focuses on gourmet cheeses and charcuturie , and the coffees are exclusive blends sold only at Dean & DeLuca. The tastes of America are well represented by such classic New York creations as the “traditional” bagels, Waldorf Salad, and the BLT club sandwich.
(L) Toasted Onion Bagel with roasted Portobello, eggplant, baby spinach, green bell pepper & cream cheese
(R) Toasted Traditional Bagel with smoked Scottish Salmon, dill cream cheese,& sweet red onions.
Selections of cheeses and charcuterie
The B.L.T. Club Sandwich
For the evening Wine Cafe, Head Chef Timber Suwannakoot has created some delicious dishes from the finest fresh ingredients. Examples include Lavender Rubbed Lamb Tenderloin with aged balsamic; Whole Jamon Iberio Balotta- hand carved acorn fed Spanish ham; Blue Swimmer Jumbo Lump Crab & Alaskan scallop cake with spicy paprika aioli; and Seared Scottish Scallops with truffle caviar. Other notable and popular dishes are featured below-
Mixed Charcuterie & Cheese Platter – Sliced jambon de bayonne, proscuitto di parma and jamon serrano with saucisson du jesus, salame milano and salame napoli. Cheeses include parmigiana reggiano, comte, cambozola, manchego and appenzellar accompanied with ciabatta bread, grissini sticks, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Merguez Sausage in Soffrito – Moroccan style lamb sausage stewed with bell peppers, onions and paprika.
Spicy Pork Meatballs – Hand made meatballs of pork, chili and fennel with Dean & Deluca tomato basil sauce
Brandt Beef Trio – American striploin from Brandt family farms, seared Alaskan scallop and Soulard foie gras with raspberry reduction, demiglace and truffle caviar.
All the wines served at Dean & DeLuca Wine Cafe are exclusively imported from California and are carefully selected by the Napa Valley based Wine Director at Dean & DeLuca USA. The offerings come primarily from the premier vineyards of the Napa Valley and Sonoma districts. The selections include white wine varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Sparkling Brut. Red wines varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir , Zinfandel, and some blends. Many of the wines can be ordered by the glass ( prices range from B185 nett), and also conveniently in a small tasting glass ( priced from B50 nett). The bottle prices start from B1100nett, with a good selection in the B2000 – 4,000 range, and more special vintages from B5,000 up to B23,500. The Spanish beer Estrella is available in small and large bottles, plus a Kaufmans Vintage Vodka at B295 per shot.
The Dean & DeLuca gourmet stores and cafes attract considerable acclaim and popularity in all the worldwide regions where they have been established. By delivering on an exclusive selection of gourmet food products and wines, together with top class food preparation by the chefs, and a friendly and efficient service attitude, the Bangkok flagship store and Wine Cafe will certainly continue to enjoy a strong following, which will only heighten with the move to their “home” store within the prestigious MahaNakhon complex in the near future (early 2013).
More photos inside Dean & DeLuca in slideshow below
See October 2014 update article on new flagship store here
DEAN & DELUCA- at Mahanakhon Bangkok
Address: 93 Naratiwas Road, Silom, Bangkok, 10500 Thailand
BTS: Direct access from Chong Nonsi station Exit 3
Reservations: +66.2. 2341434
Website: http://www.deandeluca.com/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/ddbkk
Opening Hours: Daily 07:00am ~ 11:00pm
Wine Cafe – Daily 6:00pm ~ 11:00pm
