Chon Thai Restaurant @ The Siam Hotel

We were invited to dinner at the Chon Thai restaurant of the newly opened Siam Hotel.  Everyone in town has heard how beautiful the hotel is; however, it is so far away from the main areas of Bangkok that no has had a chance to see it.  So; I was excited to be taken to the hotel by van from the office because for sure I would have gotten lost.

We arrived at the hotel; don't ask me if I remember how to get there...I passed out in the van.  We walked through the stunning lobby, through the hallways, through the court yard...we finally reached our destination; the outdoor bar on the river.

The platform of the bar is actually on the water and has a walkway landing to reach the shuttle boats.

On the right side of the hotel is the long but narrow swimming pool with lounge chairs facing the river.

Me standing on the boat landing taking the photo of the outdoor bar with Chon Thai restaurant on the left and the hotel rooms on the right.

After having drinks at the outdoor bar; it became dark and it was time to eat.  We were led to Chon Thai.  We waled through the lounge area where people can eat or have drinks (which is underneath Chon Thai).

Before you get the Chon Thai; you pass a two story building where the Deco Bar & Restaurant is situated.  Deco has...well of course a deco decor & atmosphere as well serving international comfort food.  Because the place is so new; there was not one single person in the restaurant.  Very sad.

The first dish was Poo Nim Todd.  The deep-fried soft shell crab was accompanied with green mango salad mixed with chili, lime & palm sugar.  The crab was fried to a deep dark brown, soft, tender and crispy all at the same time.  The mango salad was fresh with a good balance of sweet, sour, tangy but for sure not enough spiciness...probably because we had a lot of foreigners at our table for dinner.  I am sure the restaurant did not want to paralyze the foreigner's palate too much.

The second dish was See Klong Moo.  The twice cooked northern organic pork ribs glazed with longan honey & fresh lime.   The the pork ribs were very tender and fall of the bone.  The glaze of honey added sweetness and the lime added acidity to the ribs; but, I thought it lacked some kind of kick to it; it did not seem well rounded in flavour.

This was the second dish that I thought was lacking something like spiciness...so I am not sure if our office called in advance to ask the restaurant to tone down the spiciness to the dishes but I thought it was a shame.  But still a very nice dish.

The next dish was Gaeng Som Pla.  The sour orange curry with sea bass fillet & morning glory.  The gaeng som was nicely balanced in flavours and it was full of fresh fish and morning glory which added the pleasant contrast of colours.

The next dish was Phad Krapoaw Kai Yeoaw Ma.  The century egg, wok fried minced chicken, chili, garlic & holy basil.  The dish had a good balance of flavours, colours and textures (especially with the century egg).  One of my favourite dishes and this one did not disappoint.

The next dish was Phad Pak Boong.  The wok fried morning glory with garlic, chili & soy bean sauce.  A typical Thai veggie dish in most restaurants.  Bright green, tender yet with still a crisp to each bite...nothing special but still hearty and good.

The dessert was Kai Neiw Mamoang.  Mango sticky brown rice with ice cream.  No issues with this dish; the mango was ripe, soft and good flavour.  The brown sticky rice was cooked well, not too sticky and dense.  One of the best coupling of foods in the world.

The cost of each set menu per person was 1250 baht + +.

The eclectic decorated private dinning room.  Yes; those are deer heads hanging on the wall; not photoed was the giant peacock on the other side of the room.  The room was dark, claustrophobic but somehow had a good feeling about it.  The room was way too hot...I think something was wrong with the air-conditioning which was not a good thing since the restaurant is new.

Overall; the hotel design and architecture was in my opinion...WOW!  Uniquely beautiful...it evokes a return back in time yet still feels up-to-date.

Chon Thai restaurant was not bad at all.  Just getting to the restaurant by climbing up stairs to an old style Thai house was already dramatic.  The anticipation for sure was high.  The private room was a good size for about ten people.

I felt the food was prepared too much for tourists (nothing wrong with that at all...Chon Thai does belong to a hotel).  But; there were certain things I was looking for in Thai food and they seemed to missing...for one of course is the spiciness (not the kind that kills you; but enough to make you aware that you are eating Thai food).  Nothing dramatic; however, if Chon Thai wants to attract more locals...I don't have the answer, but I would assume they will want to make the taste a bit more 'authentic'.

The service was very friendly and attentive.  The price of our set dinner menu was not bad at all; especially for a 5 star hotel.  I am sure Chon Thai will do well because it does have a lot of good things going for it.

Address:  3/2 Thanon Khao
Phone #:  02-206-6999
www.thesiamhotel.com