Phuket Town

Every time we drove on soi Thonglor; we noticed a shop house/ restaurant that is designed to look like a shop house in Phuket town. It looked so interesting that we decided that we had to try to the food. The name of the restaurant is of course...Phuket Town.


The interiour of the restaurant has old world charm. The mix of colonial/ Chinese & local Phuket furniture and decorations made up the atmosphere...you actually feel like you are in Phuket town. Even the murals on the walls are painted scenes the good old days of Phuket town.


The first dish was Deep fried Sea bream with cumin (220 baht). These little rascals are one of my favourite dishes in Phuket. It was not often we could find them on the menu when we were in Phuket but when we did find them...we had to have them. At Phuket Town, we were not disappointed. The fish were deep fried to a golden brown; the fish was crispy on the outside but very tender on the inside. The great flavour of the cumin was so evident. Such an amazing dish.


The second dish was Stir fried Sa-Tor with shrimp in shrimp paste (150 baht small/ 170 baht large). This dish is not for everyone; because of the flavour of the Sa-Tor. It is indeed an acquired taste. Sa-Tor grows on very tall trees all over Phuket. The flavour is very very very bitter & has a very strange smell on top of it. However; for this dish, the Sa-Tor combined with the shrimp & shrimp paste tasted really good. The intense flavours and nice texturs (crunchy Sa-Tor and tender shrimps) were a good combination.


The third dish was Red curry pla-mong fish souffle served in banana leaf (65 baht). Another favourite dish...fish souffle. One of the best in Phuket is at Kan-aeng II; it is so so so yummy. So; we were so happy to order a true Phuket fish souffle. Thank goodness it turned out to be very good. The texture of the souffle was lovely; soft, tender & creamy due to the coconut cream. The combined tastes of sweetness & spiciness was just lovely. So So Satisfying.


The fourth dish was White cumin spiced minced pork and prawn salad (150 baht). We introduced and started eating white cumin at a lovely & small restaurant in Chatuchuk Weekend market. So; when we saw this salad on the menu, we had to try it. Not only does white cumin have an intense flavour it is supposedly a good ingredient that fights cancer. This salad had great colours, textures and flavours. Another hit.


The bicycle truly adds to the charm of the place. It reminded me of the lazy & slow days of a a charming town where people biked around and there was no traffic.


The front of of the restaurant is painted in bright happy colours...which is indeed eye catching.

Overall; a great secret on Thonglor. Charming atmosphere & ambiance. The service is discreet but efficient. The prices are so reasonable for the quality. The food is very authentic and delicious. It is not a very large place so when it gets busy it will be difficult to get a table...but it for sure will be worth it.

Address: 160/ 8 soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit 55
Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 02-714-9402
Open daily: 10:30am - 22:00pm

Serenade Restaruant and Wine Bar

We read from the BK magazine that there was a new great restaurant on Thonglor at the 'Grass Complex'. The review gave the restaurant 4 stars out of 5. A friend of ours (who is a chef by training) also read the review so we all decided that we should try the place.


The restaurant is called Serenade. It is on the ground floor facing the parking lot of the Grass Complex. We decided to sit outside because the weather was not too hot. It was a mistake because we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. Those damn beasts! Luckily; Serenade had tons of mosquito repellent. The view from the terrace was of the parking lot...very nice view when dinning.

The restaurant comprises of two floors plus the outdoor loungey area. The building itself is a modern with exposed steel & glass as the core design. The interior decor was simple & nice but nothing special. The outdoor furniture was a strange mix of wood lounge beds and tables & chairs.


The first dish was Green bean shallots (123.19 baht). The green beans were cooked well and had a nice slight crunch to them. The shallot dressing was way too much; it actually overwhelmed the dish. Too bad; because this simple dish could have been really great.


The next dish was Roasted root salad (152.93 baht). The roasted root salad was cooked well and the roasted root had a good texture and was sweet. The goat cheese topping was a good idea; but it was way too much and it overwhelmed the roasted root. I guess we did not have to eat it all but it would have been a waste.


The next dish was Miso carrot (101.95 baht). The carrots were nicely cooked and had a nice slight crunch to them. The carrots were covered with a thyme dressing...and it was waaaayyyy too much thyme. The carrot & miso flavours were non-existent due to the over thymeing (I don't think this is a word, but it surely described the situation) of the dish.


The next dish was Scallops (420.56 baht). The scallops were of good quality, cooked well and had a nice sauce to accompany them. However; we thought it was on the expensive side for 3 scallops.


The next dish was Flank steak demi jao (237.89 baht). We asked for the flank steak to be on the rare side and that is how it arrived...nicely cooked, the meat had good taste but to our disappointment, the meat was on the tough side. I know that a tough piece of meat is not the restaurants fault; it can happen.


The next dish was 3 Chicken wings (76.46 for each so 229.38 baht). The chicken wings were enormous; I was wondering what kind of chicken they got the wings from. Believe me...they were huge! The chicken wings were deep fried to a dark golden brown. The outside of the chicken wings was very crispy and meat was tender & juicy.


The next dish was Grilled cobia (242.15 baht). The cobia was cooked nicely but we felt it was cooked too long. We were also shocked how salty the dish was. We could not eat it so we asked the waiter to ask the chef why was the dish so salty.

The chef came out to apologize and to explain that the dish actually came with three different salt from different regions. The salt happened to be mixed in the dish which was not suppose to. Therefore; the extreme saltiness of the dish. The chef told us that he would make another cobia dish for us but the salt would be separated on another dish. That was really nice of the chef.

The cobia dish in the end turned out to be so-so. Nothing very special about it.


For dessert, a Napoleon (127.45 baht). The Napolean...a mille-feuile filled with an almond flavoured paste. The dessert looked nice but I would have to say that I was disappointed with it because mille-feuile was soggy when it was suppose to be crusty and the almond flavored paste was dried out. It was truly a sad sad dessert.

Including corkage (509.77 baht), service & VAT the total bill came to 2,724.99 baht.

Overall; maybe all of us were very disappointed because we were expecting something totally wonderful since we all took the advice of the BK Magazine giving Serenade 4 stars out of 5. Four stars is suppose to mean that the Serenade is one of the 'best' or 'finest' restaurants in Bangkok. This is where we would all disagree very strongly.

The ambiance was so-so...sitting on the terrace you get to watch cars passing by and being parked all evening. OK; no one forced us to sit outside, so I will not even count the ambiance into this factor of this place being a 4 star place.

The food was so-so...there were some hits; such as the cooking of some of the dishes were good and the presentation of the food is nice. But; there seems to be a miss on the balance of flavours or tastes of the dishes. Most of the dishes were overwhelmed by one major ingredient; just way too much of it so that it erased any sign of any other food on the dish.

The service was efficient but the male restaurant manager/ waiter was not friendly. I don't know why that was, but since the place was empty, he could have faked it at least.

This was a really big disappointment for us because the hype around this place was strong and the reviews I have read are all fans. Well; at least we tried it for the first time but I have to say it was also our last time.

On top of all this (sorry; another long story to add to this post); when we got our car from the Valet; the Grass Complex gangsters asked us to pay 200 baht. We asked why and they say the policy of the Grass Complex is that...after 10:00 pm, it cost 100 baht per hour.

We could not believe it; because first we got a stamp from the restaurant on the valet ticket they gave us. We left around 11:20; so it was not two hours. But the f # @ k * + g nerve of those gangsters to cheat us. We told them that we ate in the complex and got a stamp and that should have allowed us to park for free. We refused to pay and the valet idiots blocked our car.

The Serenade manager/ waiter was leaving the premises on his motorbike and stopped to talk to us; so I thought he would help us. Instead he told us that it was not the restaurants policy and it was the Grass Complex policy so we had to pay. We said 'NO'! So; he said told the Grass valet idiots to let us go and he was angry with us.

In my opinion; the Grass Complex will not work out. The restaurants in the complex will have a hard time surviving if the policy of the place is non-sensical & idiotic. Most restaurant in the complex are already empty most nights. The Grass Complex had a good concept but in the end they are trying too hard to be hi-so and that it is really sad and a big joke. Let's see who will have the last laugh.

Address: The Grass Complex; Sukhumvit soi 55 (Thonglor) on the right side after passing Thonglor soi 10
Telephone: 02-713-8409

Gai & Joel

We heard that a new restaurant opened on soi Langsuan. The restaurant is from Chef Gai who used to cook for Le Vendome at All Seasons Place and then she moved to The Deck on the river.

Chef Gai left The Deck to join Alila Hotel in Cha-Am. This is where she met her husband Chef Joel, an Australian who was the head chef of the Alila Group. They married and moved together to Alila Hotel Luang Prabang and worked there for several years. They came back to Bangkok and they just opened...Gai & Joel.

So, we decided to try her new restaurant.


The restaurant is situated where Ember Restaurant used to be. The decor is modern with white & black as the major colours with a hint of gold, blue & purple.


The bread platter with an amuse bouche.


My friend's starter was Soft shell crab. The soft shell crab was deep fried to a dark golden brown. The crab was soft & tender but had loads of flavour.


My starter was Lobster filled ravioli. The three raviolis were nicely made; the skin was not too thick and the lobster stuffing was sufficient. The sauce was thick, rich & creamy. The dish tasted very good but I thought three raviolis were not enough for what the price was for this dish.

(OK, I am sure you are asking what was the price for the raviolis....in my drunken stooper, I forgot to write down the prices of each dish. I totally forgot; I am thinking it was around 450 baht. But, let me confirm that with you very soon. I am checking for the receipt of our bill).


The break between dishes was a Raspberry sorbet.


My starter was Seafood soup. The seafood was very fresh, cooked very nicely and the soup itself was rich in flavour. The soup was a hearty meal.


My friend's starter was Beef tenderloin. The beef was cooked as ordered. The beef was tender and had a good flavour to it.


The complimentary Ice Cream tower. We rarely eat dessert; but Chef Gai was very nice to offer us dessert. The flavours were very creative and the taste of the ingredients were subtle.

Overall; the food was very good. The ingredients were fresh and the dishes were nicely put together. You could tell that the chefs were passionate with the food they are creating and cooking.

Chef Gai and Chef Joel were very friendly and approachable. We asked them lots of questions about the food and they were happy to discuss and explain their food and philosophy of their cooking.

The pricing of the food & wine are on par with most French restaurants in town...a bit on the expensive side. This is due to the import of many of the fresh ingredients. However; (this is just my opinion), there are a lot of very very good ingredients that already exist in Thailand. I am not sure if French restaurants need to always import everything and therefore the prices of the food is out of reach for the majority of people.

I think Gai & Joel as the new restaurant on the block and needs/ wants to attract clientele, I think they might have to adjust some things. For example; give heartier portions so that people can justify the price/ quality ratio. Let them see that they are getting their monies worth. But, then again, what do I know!

The staff needs a bit more training in terms of paying more attention to the customers. For example; the restaurant was empty yet I had to ask for my wine glass to be filled, etc. At the same time, the staff needs to smile just a bit. They were going through the motions but with no emotions.

Finally; the most disturbing aspect of the restaurant was a very foul odor coming from somewhere. At first; we thought it was cheese, but we did not see a cheese cart. Then we thought it was coming from the toilette, but it was not sewer smell. Since the restaurant was just opened a few months; we decided, it might be coming from the floor in terms of a glue they used or whatever treatment of the floor. That is the only guess we could come up with. Whatever it was; it was disturbing and not pleasant. For the sake of the place Gai & Joel notices it and tries to fix it or hopefully it will just disappear.

Address: 99/ 11-12 Langsuan, Balcony Bldg., Bangkok 10330
Telephone: 02-684-5944

www.gaiandjoel.com

Chesa

This is the only Swiss restaurant I know in town and thank goodness its really really really good. The quality of the products are fresh and owner/ chef cooks up hearty and delicious food.


Chesa has been around for a very long time and has a big following. We sometimes forget that Chesa is there; but when we think of having 'meat', we right away think of Chesa. Chesa is situated in a house in a discreet sub soi. The restaurant's decor is nothing special but the restaurant is cozy & comfy.


The first dish was Mache Salad. I love mache salad and the only place I know that flies in the mache to Bangkok is at Chesa. A mix of mache, bacon, tomatoes, radish & chopped boiled egg with a light cream salad dressing. Chesa is the only place that has this and it simply amazing.


The second dish was Deer meat. For our starter; were very curious to try the deer meat. The deer meat was lovely; rich deep colour, good texture and nice taste.


The next dish was Roasted Venison. It is so rare to get a whole venison to share for six people in town. Chesa always has the most amazing cuts of meats (depending on the season). When the chef told us that the venison just arrived in the restaurant. How could we let him hold on to it? We ordered it medium-rare. The venison was cooked perfectly. The meat was so tender and cut like butter. Just amazing.


The first side dish was Chestnuts & honey. Oh my, oh my do I love chestnuts. What a great idea to have a sweet & smokey side dish like this to contrast with the other savoury side dishes. The chestnuts were soft & tender and the sweetness from the honey made them so so yummy.


The second side dish was Brussels sprouts with bacon. We do like Brussels sprouts and the way they were cooked at Chesa...makes this side dish a favourite. The Brussels sprouts were soft & tender and the rich flavour of the Brussels sprouts and the bacon were a match made in heaven.


The third dish was Red cabbage. The cabbage had a lovely deep burgundy colour, were soft and had the right balance of acidity, sourness & sweetness.


The fourth side dish was Spaetzle. Traditional German dumplings. My favourite when pan fried until crispy on the outside. The texture of the dumplings were more dense than gnocchi. The taste comes from butter & olive oil with a sprinkle of herbs.


The dessert for my gang was a Cheese platter to share. The Swiss cheeses were perfect. The right smell, texture and flavour. Who needs to fly to Switzerland now to eat cheese?

Overall; no wonder Chesa has been opened in Bangkok all these years. It is a great place for Swiss food. Chesa is a very popular place fondu or raclette; but I just cannot eat this kind of meal in the heat of Bankgok. I always associate these dishes with the cold winter weather of Switzerland. I find them too heavy for my palette.

However; the rest of the food at Chesa is absolutely wonderful. The meats are especially amazing. The selection of things at Chesa are of course freshly flown in from Switzerland and are unique because there are not many Swiss restaurants in town. The chef really knows how to cook his meats. The side dishes are so so good.

The service is really friendly and professional. The prices are not are not cheap but are not that expensive either. But we are willing to pay for the meats (a bit more expensive than other places) because they are rare and hard to find in Bangkok. A unique and hidden treasure on Sukhumvit.

Address: 5 Sukhumvit 20, Bangkok 10110
Telephone: 02-2616650

www.chesa-swiss.com

Wanakarm

One of the ugliest decorated Thai restaurants in town happens to be one of my favourites. I have been going to Wanakarm for ages. It was actually our canteen when we were living on Sukhumvit soi 23. The restaurant was one minute walk away.


Wanakarm (I think) has been open since the sixties because the decor looks like it comes from the sixties. The pink plastic table covers, the heavy teak chairs & tables, the pink plastic roses with fake dew on them and the other kitsch decoration. But; when you put all those things together, there is actually something charming, cute & inviting about the place.


The first dish was Deep fried morning glory. This is an amazing starter to any dinner. The morning glory is deep fried like tempura. They come out golden, hot and crispy. The deep fried morning glory came with a sweet sauce that consists of shredded green mango, peanuts, onions, chillies and dried shrimp. We poured the sauce over the morning glory....my goodness; it was so so good. The textures & flavours are out of this world.


The second dish was Raw shrimp marinated with fish sauce. One of our favourite starters in a Thai/ seafood restaurant. The shrimp were plump and fresh. The shrimp came with a spicy green sauce. Dipping the shrimp into the sauce and with a mint leaf...this little thing turns out to be something big in tastes.


The next dish was Stuffed minced pork omelette. I think I can live on stuffed omelette. Some restaurants make their stuffed omelette too sweet. But not at Wanakarm. The omelette is cooked perfectly; the stuffing of minced pork, peas, onions, tomatoes & spices were cooked nicely and blended so well with the omellete. Who invented this dish? Cause I want to give them a big hug.


The next dish was Tom kha gai. The tom kha gai was done very nicely. The soup had a nice blend of sour, sweet and tangy tastes. The mushrooms & chicken added colour & texture. A really lovely dish.


The next dish was Spicy stewed beef soup. This is our favourite dish at Wanakarm. I think we have ordered this dish every single time we have eaten at Wanakarm (that is a lot of times). The stewed beef is so tender, the soup is rich in flavour and gives a punch with its spiciness. It is really hard to find this soup in restaurants; so when we are in a mood for a mean bowl of stewed beef soup...Wanakarm, here we come.


Overall; the decor might not be to my taste (but I still think its charming), but the food is so so good and the prices are very affordable. The service is still wonderful after all these years. And the amazing thing is that the staff are still the same after all these years.

My only minor annoyance about Wanakarm; is that, I feel that the restaurant is now catering too strongly to the Japanese guide books. Any day of the week; you can go to Wanakarm and the place is full of Japanese carrying their guide books. The menu now is a 'photo album' menu with Japanese/ English & Thai language. I truly hate touristic restaurants; but I can forgive Wanakarm because I do love the food just like the Japanese do.

Address : 98 Sukhumvit Soi 23
Bangkok 10110

Tel. :662 2596499

Working hour : ทำการทุกวัน 11:00-24:00 อาทิตย์ 16:30-24:00

Len Zen Boat Noodle

We decided to have lunch at the very popular community mall K-Village. As usual; the place was packed for the weekend. It seems they do everything right to attract people to spend money at this place.


We decided to try a place we have not tried before at K-Village...Len Zen Boat Noodle. The menu is extensive with either noodle or rice dishes to choose from. But, what is very great about the dishes on the menu is that a lot of the Len Zen specializes with dishes from Chiang Mai or the Buriram province. This was very interesting so we were ready to eat.


We first started with a bowl of Beef Boat Noodle Soup (55 baht). The fresh raw beef, smooth & rough beef balls were of good quality. The vegetables were abundant and the broth was thick and really tasty. The combination of all the fresh & good ingredients made this dish a good value.


The next dish was Buriram stewed pork leg (110 baht). The stewed pork leg was very tender, juicy and tasty. It is almost like a 'khao kha moo' but with a richer and thicker sauce. This dish was not bad at all but I would have to say it was on the sweet side for my taste.


The sauces that you can add to your food. As well as the amuse bouche of pork rinds or deep fried seaweed (20 baht/ pack).


The open kitchen where we were able to watch the cooks prepare the orders.

Overall; for a quick, very good and affordable lunch...I emphasize 'affordable', especially at K-Village. The staff are friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is very relaxed and easy-going. Not bad at all!


We are located at Unit No. A220 / Floor 2F
Opening Hours: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Telephone: 02-6613438

http://www.kvillagebangkok.com

Nahm

We just went to the most controversial restaurant in Bangkok. Nahm just opened a few months ago and already it has been the talk of the town. The restaurant is so polarizing that it has become a debate between the supporters and the haters.

Nahm is the brainchild of David Thompson, the Australian-born chef of the already world famous Michelin-starred nahm at The Halkin in London, opened his first restaurant in Bangkok last July. Of course; the controversy started because some people cannot understand or believe how a foreign chef can bring Thai food to Bangkok.

We needed to have an open-mind about this issue and try the food ourselves to have an opinion on this matter.


I have not been to eat at the Metropole Hotel on Sathorn Rd. for along time because I never thought the previous restaurant Cyan was comfortable and inviting. I was impressed with the new design & decor of Nahm. Not because it is outstandingly unique or Architectual Digest worthy; but because it was warm, inviting and more cozy than the previous venue. The usage of wood, stone and marble was a nice contrast. The colours of browns, whites & blacks made the room more warm.

We were ready to indulge ourselves; so we asked the chef to decide what we should eat since it was our first time at the restaurant and everything on the menu sounded so so yummy. We were truly in for a treat.


The amuse bouche was Minced prawns, peanuts and palm sugar on top of pineapple.


The first canape was Pomelo and grilled prawns with roasted coconut, peanuts, palm sugar and betel leaves.


The next canape was Smokey Chiang Mai chili relish with pork scratchings and quail eggs.


The next canape was Crispy noodles with prawns pickled garlic and bean sprouts.


The next canape was Southern grilled mussels.


The first main dish was Coconut and tumeric curry of blue swimmer crab with calamansi limes.


The second main dish was Red curry of free ranch chicken with peanuts, ginger and holy basil.


The next main dish was Clear soup of roasted duck with Thai basil and young coconut.


The next main dish was Sour orange curry with red claw crayfish and hummingbird flowers.


The next main dish was Smokey fish curry with prawns, chicken livers, cockles and black pepper.


The next main dish was Stir fried tofu with prawns and pork.


The final main dish was stir fried sugar snap peas.


The first dessert was Salak steeped in perfumed syrup with coconut dumplings.


The second dessert was Durian pudding over sticky rice.


The next dessert was Custard apple and tapioca in coconut cream with glaceed pumpkin.


The next dessert was Green mango topped with sugar & salt.


A medley of sweet treats to accompany the tea or coffee.

Overall; all the dishes were very very good. The quality of the ingredients were top notch, the colours & textures of each dish were abundant and the flavours of each dish presented had its unique & distinctive characters. Some dishes displayed some overpowering spicyness, bitterness or sourness...but I think it was the intention of the chef.

We had a chat with chef Thompson about the controversial article in the New York Times newspaper that quoted chef Thompson saying he was aiming to 'revive' Thai food, which he apparently described as 'decaying'. Chef Thompson never said that and was mis-quoted.

I truly believe chef Thompson loves Thai food & cooking Thai food. He is trying to preserve the authenticity of the culture of Thai food. I can only think good things for what he is trying to do. Why on earth can't a foreigner cook Thai food? I have never heard any one complain that an Asian cooks Italian for French food. Actually; we even like it when an Asian excels in another cuisine. Yet; here comes a foreigner who speaks, writes & read perfect Thai and wants to show his love for the Thai cuisine; and he is being crucified by people who have not even tried his food.

All I can say is try it...you might even like it. We did; very much.

27 South Sathorn Road
Bangkok 10120
Tel +66 (0)2 625 3333

www.metropolitan.bangkok.como.bz