Beyond the Tasting Menu: A New À La Carte Chapter at CLARA

Words: Pasuta Phongam Photos: Chalad Charoenphongpak

At CLARA, Italian cuisine is not treated as nostalgia, but as a living language. Founded by Chef Christian Martena and Clara Del Corso-Martena in Bangkok’s Yen Akat neighbourhood, the restaurant has become one of the city’s most distinct modern Italian addresses — intimate, precise and deeply personal.

Its accolades speak to that quiet authority. CLARA is listed in the MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2026, awarded Tre Forchette by Gambero Rosso 2025, ranked No. 22 Best Italian Restaurant in the World 2025 by 50 Top Italy, and recognised with the Maître of the Year 2024 special award by 50 Top Italy. Yet the experience remains grounded in something more essential: memory, seasonality and emotion.

Italian cuisine forms the foundation. Japan provides the influence — precision, restraint and balance. The result is not fusion, but a dialogue.

At CLARA, the new à la carte menu unfolds with the confidence of a restaurant that understands not only ingredients, but timing, rhythm and restraint. The cooking is modern Italian at its core, shaped by memory and seasonality, yet sharpened by a Japanese sensibility for precision and balance. Many of the key ingredients are imported from Italy, while the composition of each dish reflects Chef Christian Martena’s deep experience — knowing when to let flavour rise, when to soften it, and when to leave space.

What makes CLARA distinct is this orchestration of taste. Each plate feels carefully tuned, like a piece of music where every note has its place. Some dishes arrive with brightness and lift; others move into deeper, more savoury tones. Nothing feels excessive. Nothing feels accidental.

The opening plates set the tone with clarity. Stracciatella, Sea Urchin, Citrus and Dill brings together the creaminess of fresh stracciatella with the saline richness of sea urchin. Fennel and orange add freshness and lift, while fermented uni sauce gives the dish a quiet depth beneath its brightness. It is delicate, but not fragile — a dish that moves between freshness, creaminess and umami with precision.

Tuna, Eggplant, Sabayon and Shiso brings a layered complexity to the table. The tuna offers clean, delicate richness, while eggplant adds a soft, smoky depth beneath it. Sabayon gives the dish a gentle creaminess, rounding the flavours without weighing them down. Shiso cuts through with its herbaceous brightness, adding a final lift that keeps the plate precise, balanced and distinctly CLARA.

Tomato, Tomato, Tomato turns a familiar ingredient into a study of texture, acidity and natural sweetness. Rather than treating tomato as a supporting element, CLARA allows it to become the centre of the plate, expressed in different forms. The result is clean and focused, showing how one ingredient can carry several dimensions when handled with restraint.

With Scallop, Morel, San Daniele Ham and Dashi, the restaurant’s Italian-Japanese dialogue becomes especially clear. The sweetness of scallop is paired with the earthy depth of morel mushroom, while San Daniele ham brings a refined saltiness. Dashi ties the dish together with quiet umami, creating a composition that feels elegant and measured rather than overly rich.

The grains and dough section continues with a stronger sense of comfort, but still with CLARA’s signature control. Spaghettoni with Clam Miso and Parsley combines Italian pasta technique with a subtle Japanese accent. The clam miso brings salinity and depth, while parsley adds freshness, keeping the dish lifted and balanced.

Bottoni with Wagyu Beef, Black Garlic and Leek moves into a deeper register. The pasta is generous yet refined, filled with the richness of wagyu beef. Black garlic adds sweetness and complexity, while leek softens the intensity with a gentle, aromatic note. It is a dish that feels warm, rounded and quietly indulgent.

Risotto with Pigeon, Black Tea and Burnt Shallot is perhaps the most expressive of the grains. The pigeon gives the dish a distinctive savoury character, while black tea introduces a delicate bitterness and fragrance. Burnt shallot adds a smoky sweetness, creating a risotto that feels layered, mature and deeply composed.

For the mains, Gindara Black Cod with Jerusalem Artichoke and Dashi highlights CLARA’s ability to work with softness and subtlety. The black cod is rich and silky, balanced by the earthiness of Jerusalem artichoke. Dashi brings structure and calmness to the dish, allowing the fish to remain the focus without becoming heavy.

Japanese Wagyu Beef with Spring Pea and Buttermilk closes the savoury sequence with elegance rather than excess. The wagyu offers richness and depth, while spring pea brings sweetness and freshness. Buttermilk adds a light acidity, cutting through the richness and giving the dish a clean finish.

Yuzu Panna Cotta with Honey and Almond closes the meal with brightness and restraint. Smooth and gently set, it carries the citrus lift of yuzu, rounded by honey and finished with delicate almond texture — fresh, creamy and elegantly light.

The evening closes with petit fours and a deeply personal gesture: Chef Christian’s grandmother’s chocolate liqueur, made with Thai cacao. Served alongside cocoa nib tuile, sea-salted chocolate truffle and Rayong pure cacao bar, the three-month-aged cacao liqueur from Chanthaburi beans becomes both dessert and memory — a final note from CLARA’s family to yours.

Across the menu, CLARA’s cooking stands apart through its sense of proportion. The flavours do not compete; they respond to one another. Each dish carries its own voice, yet together they form a complete composition — an Italian foundation, a Japanese influence, and a Bangkok dining experience shaped by memory, skill and emotion.

Clara by Chef Christian Martena Hour: Mon-Sat 12:00 - 15:00 and 17:00 - 23:00 Reserve: +66 83 496 3663   clara@clarabangkok.com Location: 69 Soi Prasartsuk, Yannawa , Bangkok, Thailand, 10120 Social: https://www.instagram.com/clarabangkok/ https://www.facebook.com/clarabangkok https://www.clarabangkok.com/