Two tasting journeys

Rather than a fixed list of dishes, the kitchen lets the seasons lead. The Signature Biodiversity Journey draws on land, sea and seasonal harvests from Thailand's different regions, while the Plants & Roots Forward Journey puts native vegetables, herbs and roots at the center. Both menus change through the year as new producers and regions rotate in, and each has a shorter lunch version. Beverage pairings trace Thai growing regions, and a zero-proof pairing is offered at every meal.

Fermentation and heritage rice

Two collections in the dining room explain much of the cooking. A Fermentation Library holds fruits, vegetables, grains and herbs at different stages of transformation, and they turn up across the meal as acidity, umami and depth. A rotating exhibition of about 30 heritage Thai rice varieties does the same for rice, with selected grains steamed, fermented or ground into courses rather than served on the side.

The chef

Chef Num grew up in Udon Thani and cooks from Isaan food culture, family recipes and indigenous knowledge. He worked at Bo.lan in Bangkok and at Atelier Crenn and Commonwealth in San Francisco, and co-founded Samuay & Sons in Udon Thani before taking over Sra Bua.

The room

The redesigned interior is by TasteSpace, uniforms come from the Thai fashion house Milin and the tableware is made by Thai ceramic artist Aor Sutthiprapha. Service is paced to leave room for the story behind each course.

At Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok

Sra Bua is one of the restaurants at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, which also runs ALATi, known for its Sunday brunch and grill menu. See the hotel's listing for rooms, pools and the rest of its dining.

Sources: Sra Bua by Num Weerawat, restaurant story and menus. Checked September 25, 2026.