Treat for your Facebook friends
The dishes at the Treat Cafe & Hang Out are so gorgeous you just have to take a picture
YOU MIGHT say that the Treat Cafe & Hang Out is a restaurant whose essential reason for existence is to have photos of the premises and its dishes posted on the social media.
Event organiser Khanchai Kaewnate suggested what must certainly be an “idea whose time has come” to Papapin Deosurin, co-owner of the popular Cafe to All, with branches on Soi Senanikom and at Kasetsart University.
“The idea was to focus on the lifestyle of younger urbanites who like sharing pictures of their hip hangouts and beautifully presented food on the social networks,” says Papapin. It’s a strategy that worked: The new place on Soi Senanikom 1 has drawn a steady flow of people from the neighbourhood.
She and Khanchai spent several months refurbishing an old two-storey house with a shady garden as a charming bistro that exudes a homey, relaxing ambience. You can pull up to a table or flop into a beanbag chair. Either way it feels like having dinner at a friend’s place, though it’s also ideal for romantic meals. The benches outside are just as inviting, and in the backyard is an all-glass “greenhouse” for private banquets.
“My older sister and I love to cook,” says Papapin. “We learned all the basics on the Internet and adapted the techniques and ingredients for our own recipes. We opened our first bakery, Cafe to All, a decade ago, serving a wide range of homemade pastries at reasonable prices.”
The Treat Cafe & Hang Out in turn offers a dazzling array of homemade cakes, scones, macaroons and brownies, as well as fusion Thai-Western dishes, fruity sodas, healthy smoothies and several brands of beer.
“Our desserts aren’t too sweet but light and layered, and we use only top-quality ingredients,” Khanchai says. “We even make all the sauces, dressings and bread on our own. The savoury dishes taste fantastic and are served with an eye-catching presentation that really please the customers who love to take pictures of their meal and upload them to Facebook and Instagram.”
The Foie Gras on mixed berries, pomegranates and rocket salad in a sweet-and-sour raspberry sauce (Bt380) is a must-try. The Blueberry Cheese Pie (Bt85), tantalisingly soft on the tongue, comes in a jar. The Chocolate Toast topped with a big scoop of chocolate ice cream and a sliced strawberry (Bt185) is sticky and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Caffeine addicts should try the aromatic Iced Caramel Macchiato (Bt95) and Hot Latte (Bt80) with its cute giraffe design on top. “We opt for medium-roasted coffee by P&F,” Papapin says. “It’s aromatic, less sweet and strong in body.”
The sweets menu alternates every day, running the gamut from scones served with strawberry jam and whipped cream and chocolate scones with Nutella, to Oreo brownies, Korean strawberry shortcake and banoffee.
The more substantial dishes include Eggs Benedict, Caesar salad, smoked apple-wood salad with truffle butter toast, spicy grilled pork and calamari.
SAY CHEESE
>>The Treat Cafe & Hangout is at 563 Soi Senanikom 1 and open weekdays except Wednesday from 11.30am to 11pm and weekends until midnight.
>>Call (081) 888 6446 or (093) 264 9292 or visit www.Facebook.com/
treatcafeandhangoutbkk.
