All slick surfaces and plush leather, KOH at the InterContinental Marine Drive is a sexy restaurant, made sexier by the fact that it is helmed by Ian Kittichai, a celebrity chef with successful projects in New York, Barcelona and Bangkok. Like his other outposts, this one too displays signature orchids at the gate and Thai cuisine on the menu, served up with “an international twist”.

From New York, Go South

Once inside, you’ll feel like you’re at a tony lounge in the Meat Packing District, complete with neon pink lights, metallic ceilings and a curved bar. Thankfully, this New York aesthetic comes with a Southern sense of hospitality – we went on a pre-opening night (the restaurant will open to guests starting next week) and the staff was extremely attentive, the manager, Ved, genuinely interested in feedback on our meal.

With a bar situated just across the entrance, it’s only right that you start your night with a house Bloody Mary or pleasantly sweet Dragonfly martini before moving into the main dining room. When you’re ready to eat, you’ll find that the staff will guide you towards certain items on the menu – we suggest you let them.

Starter Fluids & More

Our server, for instance, led us to Chai Mai soup, an impossibly silky, lush broth flavoured with herbs and swimming with different kinds of mushrooms, the culinary equivalent of a red carpet laid over a forest floor. We also loved an appetiser of rice cakes - crunchy, cool and savory with a hint of sugar. The smoked tofu, however, was way too sweet for the start of a meal, and corn cakes (highly recommended by the manager) dry and over-spiced with lemon grass.

Kittichai’s heavy hand with lemon grass was also apparent in the green curry, but here we didn’t mind it so much; beware, however, of tiny green chillies that sear the tongue mercilessly. Also, get your curry with stone cooked rice rather than the customary jasmine version – half-prepared at your table over hot lava stone, it is crackling with garlic and pleasantly burnt grains of rice, and good enough to eat on its own. Pad Thai, studded with peanuts and fat, juicy shrimp is another good option, ordered less sweet, more spicy and garnished with a squeeze of lemon.

From the dessert selection we picked a seriously luscious coconut cheesecake (trust us, it tastes much better than it sounds) and Valrhona chocolate flourless cake that came with coffee ice cream and was perfectly balanced between bitter and sweet, firm and airy – it had every member of our dinner party vying for the last bite.

Way Down in KOH-komo

Unlike at most restaurants, a meal here gets progressively better, with mains trumping appetisers and desserts stealing the show. Add to this the fun decor, impeccable service and great location, and you've got yourself a culinary keeper. K-OH my!

Getting there: KOH, InterContinental Marine Drive, call 39879999 for reservations, approximately Rs 1,400 per head without alcohol, opens to the public starting next week.

At Brown Paper Bag we review restaurants anonymously and pay for our own meals.