On my way out, chef Black, that had spent some time chatting with me at the end of the meal, pointed to a mural on the dining room’s wall reading (in English and Japanese): “Even rotten sea bream is sea bream”.
Then he continued explaining that this means that the sea bream has an identity and this identity is not lost through superficial changes.
And a search for identity is a center of Black’s cuisine fully manifested in his multi-course chef’s table experience at Blackitch (a portmanteau for Black’s nickname and “kitchen”). No matter how innovative the dish are, there is always something that keep them well anchored into their Thai identity.
The visit
I learnt about the restaurant in 2018 in my online searches, but only in my July 2019 trip to Chiang Mai I contacted them through their Facebook page and secured a spot. They were very quick in responding.
I arrived at 6pm and I was accommodated in the intimate dining room with only 3 tables. It felt like being invited into the chef’s private home. On the wall a mural with a tuna was reminiscent of the chef’s time in Japan. I left shortly before 8pm when other guests started to arrive, so basically I dined alone.
All dishes were fully explained by the chef or his partner. Every dish would feature an impressive number of ingredients and several cooking techniques. In my notes I only captured the gist of them. What was particularly interesting was their search for unique and quality ingredients from all over Thailand (with a focus, of course, on the Northern provinces where they are based). Everything was handmade, including all the sauces and pickles, as Black is also know as the “fermentation king” as he develops all the fermented ingredients in his kitchen.
The water was complimentary and came from Chiang Dao, a district in Chiang Mai’s province famous for its wines. They had a succinct and attractive selection of beverages and I opted for a juice from coconut flowers.
The opening was a rice dish: the rice came from from a mountain community that uses sustainable cultivation techniques and it was mixed with egg yolk, yuzu, pickled beauty fish and salted tuna sashimi. It was recommended to be eaten wrapped with river seaweed, which I did. It was a hearty and delicious start.
The second dish consisted of steamed local zucchini with roasted herbs (shallot, chili, lemongrass) and a catfish rice cracker.
The third dish featured crab paste and meat with seasonal fruits (mangosteen), lotus root, and Thai style seasoning including fish sauce and lemongrass. The chili flavor was quite prominent, but not too spicy.
The fourth dish showed some influences from Chinese cuisine: local duck meat on a pie, fried duck skin, pickled raspberry, pumpkin puree on bottom with apple jelly and finally a touch of persimmon.
The fifth dish was a Thai river fish rolled on bamboo shoots (cured 2 nights), with its fermented liver. Eggplant and fried pork on the side.
The sixth dish was a piece of chuck flank from a Thai cattle breed called Himawari grown to 36 months and fed organic sunflowers. It went on a typical Southern-style yellow curry with turmeric and coconut sauce, coming with delicious fried seasonal vegetables. I wish the beef was more tender, but it was as hormone-free natural beef is supposed to be.
The seventh dish was a soup: chicken and duck bone broth with Northern spices, Himawari beef stripes, local mushrooms and black goji berry foraged by a local community. All great together.
The eight dish was the big protein buddy: jasmine rice with tiny grains fried in Xo Thai–style sauce (prawn based) and a nice piece of oyster blade beef (again the prized Himawari) with homemade pickled bamboo. Now, it may sound silly, but the fermented bamboo pickles were really delicious, I would have eaten a jar.
The ninth dish was the dessert: it included pineapple and young ginger with a mango granita in addition to a cream made with coconut, egg yolk and a bit of cream cheese. There were also two chocolate bites made from Thai cacao that is characterized by a fruity backtaste.
The check
The check after tax and a drink was 2,011.6 THB (or 65 USD). Considering the amount of care and creativity embedded into each dish, it was very good value (and the drinks were also priced very reasonably). By the way, at the time of my visit, they had two menus with the main difference being more use of the Thai beef in the most expensive menu (for 2,000 THB before tax), while the other would cost 1,800. For some reason, they gave me a discount and I ended up being charged 1,800 THB instead of 2,000 (before tax). It is a small detail, the difference is not that important, I just report it for sake of clarity.
This was a fantastic dining experience featuring boundless creativity always faithful to its Thai roots in terms of terroir and choice of quality ingredients. Blackitch is on par with some of the best restaurants in Asia like Goh in Fukuoka, Labyrinth in Singapore, or Leputing in Taipei. Given the seasonal nature of the menu, I would like to visit again in future trips to Chiang Mai.
Where in Chiang Mai:
27/1 Nimmanhemin Soi 7, Suthep Subdistrict.
Check their Facebook page for more details.