"Chef David Thompson’s latest venture takes his obsession with heritage Thai recipes of the 1900s to a new level. At Aksorn (meaning “alphabet”), he draws recipes from funeral books (printed to commemorate the deceased, detailing their lives and favorite dishes), with a particular focus on books memorializing well-known society ladies of the 1940s to 1970s. The restaurant seeks to capture a historical moment when Thai society — and its food — underwent a series of seismic shifts, as quality food spread from the kitchens of wealthy families to the masses. The setting is right on theme, on the top floor of the original Central Department Store, which opened in 1950 and has since become a mixed-use behemoth." - Chawadee Nualkhair, Austin Bush, Sirin Wongpanit