At a new Thai restaurant in Richardson, co-owner Joe Pumphaung wants to serve "something you can't find anywhere else." Not in Dallas. Maybe not in Texas.
He's serving traditional British high tea on Saturday afternoons with a decidedly Thai twist.
The teas at his new Bangkok at Beltline in Richardson come in flavors such as chrysanthemum and lotus, not Earl Grey or English Breakfast. And the sandwiches are mini chicken satay bites and curry puffs, not traditional cucumber-mayo sandwiches or scones with clotted cream.
The idea is to mimic the longstanding British tea tradition -- which many Thai people love -- but infuse it with modern Thai flavors.
"I want to present my culture, with tea," the owner says.
Pumphaung partnered with Tida Pichakron of Haute Sweets Patisserie in Lake Highlands. Pichakron, who is Thai, makes sweets such as coconut panna cotta, green tea macarons and passion fruit caramel-chocolate ganache tartlettes. Customers who attend high tea on Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m. get a three-tiered platter with savory and sweet bites, many made by Haute Sweets.
Bangkok at Beltline has been open for a few weeks and is staging its grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 12. It's a sibling to Bangkok City on Greenville Avenue in Dallas and serves almost an identical lunch and dinner menu to the Dallas original.
Pumphaung says he opened his second restaurant in Richardson, specifically, because of the culinary diversity in the city. He also hopes the nearby $1.5 billion CityLine project in Richardson will bring increased business to his new shop.
Afternoon tea, 2 to 4 p.m. at Bangkok at Beltline, 100 S. Central Expressway, Suite 108, Richardson. Tea costs $35 per person. Also open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, 365 days a year. bangkokatbeltline.com.
