Saffron

Thirty-one floors above Cotai, inside Banyan Tree Macau, a Thai kitchen has been doing the same thing since 2011: making the familiar feel extraordinary. Saffron’s dining room looks out over the skyline. High ceilings, chandeliers, tables that let you watch the city do its nightly light show. It is comfortable without trying too hard. Head chef Suraja “Jan” Ruangnukulkit runs the kitchen. Her cooking sits somewhere between Bangkok street stalls and home-style Thai, familiar dishes executed with precision. The tom yum arrives fragrant, lemongrass and kaffir lime doing what they should. Curries balance coconut with heat that does not overwhelm. Herbs appear in quantities that matter. On some evenings, a khim player performs. Wooden hammers strike strings, traditional melodies drifting through the room. It is not essential to the meal, but it does not hurt either.

Tatler Tip

Visit in the evening when the khim player performs and the city lights come on. Order the tom yum and a green curry. That is enough.