Papa’s Kitchen – Delectable 5 Star Food and Service!

Many folks who live in Bangkok are familiar with Papa’s Kitchen (official Facebook page). Its name is synonymous with amazing burgers. In fact, you’re probably reading this now because of the amazing burger pictured on the cover, right? But there’s more to this place than burgers. Much, much, more. But the burgers are certainly a great start!

Let’s get straight to it then, shall we?

Their number #1 seller…

All of Papa’s Kitchen’s burger meals come with a side of fries, waffle fries, or salad. This is Papa’s Kitchen’s #1 seller, the simple Bacon Cheese Burger (350 baht). It’s 160 grams of beef on a brioche bun topped with crispy bacon and chunks of real imported cheddar cheese. All of the Papa’s Kitchen beef patties are made with Australian beef from Hunter Valley. All burgers are cooked medium and the patties are seasoned simply using fresh ground pepper and sea salt–the meat is so good it doesn’t need to be doctored up. The brioche buns are specially made locally by Maison Jean Philippe according to Papa’s Kitchen’s own recipe.

This is a great burger to satisfy your cravings. The burger to bun ratio has been perfected here. You can eat this and be perfectly happy. But if you’re feeling like your Instagram account could use some food porn pictures then you may want to consider this monster….

Hello, Guv’nor!

The Guv’nor Burger (455 baht) is the perfect fuel for triathletes (assuming “eating” is one of the three sport competitions) or for those who are looking for a shortcut to boost their Instagram viewership and/or Nap City. This monster burger is made with a 220 gram beef patty, chunks of real imported cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, beer battered onion strings, lettuce, wasabi coleslaw, in-house BBQ sauce, and a homemade jalapeño pickle to crown this sandwich achievement! When it hits your table your response should be “WOW!” and your first action should be to loosen your belt.

But if burgers are not your thing, Papa’s Kitchen has other menu items that will equally impress you!

Load it up!

If you’re used to getting chicken sandwiches that are more bun than chicken then you’re about to have your world changed here. This Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (285 baht) is loaded with yard bird. In fact, it’s 250 grams of tender buttermilk marinated thigh meat! The chicken is batter dipped and fried, then tossed with in house made buffalo sauce. It’s served with homemade ranch dressing, and wasabi coleslaw, between two soft brioche buns.

This is the #1 non-beef selling sandwich and there’s no question as to why. It’s amazing. The chicken is succulent and reminiscent of tender, flavorful, boneless buffalo style chicken wings. The skin is intentionally left on so you get that nice crisp texture–naughty! As far as flavor experience and meal quantity go, this sandwich can easily go toe to toe with Papa’s Kitchen burgers. So if you’re not a fan of beef, you won’t be disappointed here!

Bangkok’s best fish n’ chips!

If you’re looking for fish n’ chips, Papa’s Kitchen has got what you need. Honestly this is the best fish experience I’ve had from a fish n’ chips meal here in Bangkok. I’ve lived in the United Kingdom for a couple of years, and am no stranger to this comforting dish.

Here at Papa’s kitchen you have two choices in fish: cod or haddock. I had the haddock upgrade Fish n’ Chips (395 baht). This comes with a skin on, thick 200 gram boneless haddock filet that’s lightly battered and fried. The skin basically dissolves adding a rich flavor to the filet. The batter seasoning is a closely guarded secret, and it’s perfectly seasoned. It brings out the flavor of the flaky filet without overpowering it. Accompanied with homemade tartar sauce, this fish is so good you’ll forget there are chips on the plate!

Drinks!

Papa’s Kitchen has a dizzying variety of drinks at very reasonable prices. During this visit I sampled the Papa’s Manao Soda (85 baht), a Peach Tea (110 baht), and a decadent S-nickers shake (165 baht). My personal favorite was the thirst quenching manao soda–perfect for the Bangkok heat. However the peach tea, with it’s chunks of sweet peaches, were excellent with the buffalo chicken sandwich. The S-nickers ice cream shake was more like a dessert for me. It’s made with peanut butter, caramel sauce, chocolate ice cream, and whipped cream. It’s just like the candy bar but in a thick shake form!

Papa’s Kitchen also offers several craft beer, cocktail, and wine options for those wanting to imbibe a bit. All are reasonably priced, and they always offer daily wallet friendly drink specials for 199 baht (during this visit it was a Pineapple Rum Mojito).

A chat with the owner…

I was able to spend this visit chatting up Papa Kitchen’s owner, Jim Moroney. Jim hails from London, United Kingdom and began his career in the restaurant business early at the age of 15 as a chef. He quickly demonstrated himself in the restaurant world and after one particularly hectic 9 year period in which he personally opened 31 separate restaurants he decided it was time to take a break. That break landed him in Bangkok 10 years ago.

Unable to sit idle too long, he began some joint restaurant ventures until he finally decided  4 years ago to strike it out on his own with his wife, Julie. Papa’s Kitchen has the menu foundation (burgers and fish n’ chips) from his original enterprises, but also includes pastas, pizzas, and a few other comfort food mains.

Over half of the customers that frequent Papa’s Kitchen are weekly visitors. Thus Jim has designed a specials menu to keep things new. “Specials” doesn’t mean leftovers or things they are trying to sell out quickly. The specials board usually includes a burger, a pasta, and a healthy lo-carb fish choice. It’s important to Jim that his loyal customers enjoy these “special” offerings.  In Jim’s words, “It’s a special because it’s special.”

“My staff are family.” – Jim Moroney

Jim’s goal is to provide diners with a 5 star experience in both meal and service, but without having to pay a 5 star price. His staff are critical to ensuring customers get that experience. Jim understands this and has taken great efforts to train and mentor his employees. In fact, he has retained 95% of his original employees since Papa’s Kitchen opened its doors 4 years ago. That’s incredible in Bangkok’s restaurant industry!

Papa’s Kitchen can accommodate!

It’s amazing how Papa’s Kitchen transformed this shophouse into this dining space. It’s very open, well lit, and tastefully decorated. There’s also plenty of seating on the first and second floors, as well as some outside tables in the front. They are easily able to accommodate you or any group size!

I’m hungry! Where is it?

The Soi Phatthanakan 30 location that this food was reviewed in is no longer open. However, their new location at The Park can be found in this Google Map: